Let me explain. It is. Hebrews explains this to us in the context of explaining why Jesus had to die for the sins of man as our Kinsman Redeemer.
In the effort to further explain, God says that just as a man’s testament has no power until the death of the testator, so there was no power in the Law to save until the death of THE Testator, God, in the person of Jesus Christ.
Now men were saved before the death of Jesus, of course, but it was the same way, through the messiah who was yet to come. However…the Holy Spirit (the power, or Dunamis) had not come to indwell the believer until after Jesus’ death and ascension.
So then, the Bible is God’s Will and testament. The Old Testament proclaimed the wishes of the Testator (God) for His dependents, His children. The New Testament is the dispersement instruction for His possessions and people after His death.
1-To whom do His possessions go?
2-How and to what degree are they to be distributed?
3-Who gets what?
4-How are His children to be cared for in His absence?
How incredible is this!
The definition for will and testament is this: written instructions on how and to whom to disperse the possessions and to take care of dependents.
There are those who misunderstand and think the old testament is over and useless. Here is why this os false teaching and why it reveals such lack of understanding…
The Old Testament is God’s Will and Testament. It is fulfilled in the New Testament. It is not canceled. It is fulfilled. Big difference. If it’s canceled, then there is no New Testament, there is no fulfillment. So we can never cancel the old testament. We just have the fulfillment of it the disbursement of it the power of it in the New Testament. That’s why Hebrews tells us that a will is powerless until the death of the testator. The person who owns the will, that is. But once The owner of the will dies, then everything is disbursed. And the receiver of that will gets all that was in the will.
The only thing that is canceled in the New Testament is the need for the blood of bulls and goats. We cannot cancel anything else…that God gave anyway. We see a lot of nonsense added to the Word of God, and some of the little particulars that pertained to Israel alone but those are obvious. God gave us 10 Commandments. They are fulfilled in Jesus Christ they are not canceled. Keeping them is not possible in the flesh, by my effoets (dont do this or that). Hence the need for the bulls and goats. But the blood of the Lamb of God, accomplishes everything. The death of the owner of the Will (God, who is Jesus) unleashes all the power that was promised in the Old Testament but could not send us power to keep them until the New Testament because now the death of the owner of the will has come.
How amazing.
This is not referring to the tongues of fire seen over the heads of those who believed when Peter preached in Acts 2. You can make an argument for a dual meaning. It is reasonable to think this is part of the meaning but the context of what is said here speaks of the coming judgment.
This fire is the fire of God’s wrath in the last day. Just read. It’s clearly stated. The earth is going to be burned up. Jesus will do it. Global warming won’t. Mankind won’t. Satan won’t. Jesus will. He is coming to judge the earth and all its inhabitants. Are you ready?
Jesus states in Matthew 10 and Luke 3 that we should not think He came to bring peace. The writers are giving accounts of the same discourse so it is clear that we can read all of these to get a complete message. He did not come to bring peace, He came to bring a sword. In Luke before this He says he came to bring fire to purge the earth and how He wishes it were already kindled.
In Matthew 3:11,12 John the Baptist reveals that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. He clarifies in the next verse, 12, what this fire is. It isn’t the fire of Pentecost. It is the fire of His wrath when Hw returns to judge the earth.
2 Peter 3 tells us that the heavens and the earth will be burned with fire. Consumed. He will remake the earth. Later we see that He forms a new heavens and a new earth. But the earth is headed for a fire. Bank on it. Those who say the earth is not going to burn up are poor students. They have come to conclusions based on their wants and own understanding rather than on the word of God and His voice.
Jesus speaks of this as a baptism in such a way that He is referring to a crossing through point, an initiation, a predetermined path He is set to walk. He will trample the earth and burn it up.
The Psalms are replete with this witness. Psalm 50 speaks of the fire that devours before Him and it will be tempestuous round about Him…this is Last Day wrath of the Lamb. Psalm 97 speaks of fire burning up the earth in judgment. It’s everywhere.
Isaiah speaks the most about this fire. In 66:16 he says it outright, that His wrath in the last day upon the earth and mankind, will be a sword and fire…Jesus repeats Isaiah and clarifies.
Most of the prophets speak of this. Zephaniah says all the earth will be devoured with fire at His wrath. On it goes. So the fire that He is “baptizing” the world in is wrath and this is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Bless His holy name.
As believers we share communion. We share bread and the cup, representing the body and the blood of Christ, showing our belonging to the body of Christ, and declaring His death till He returns, done in remembrance of Him.
We are warned not to take communion in an unworthy manner. We are also warned to be discerning as we do this.
God doesn’t elaborate, knowing that believers will be discerning…or at least that they are able and aware. In other words, the Spirit of God within a believer will cause us to know what and how, by knowing His word concerning this.
Non believers should not take communion. Until there is a New birth in Christ, there is no reason to partake of the body of Christ because we do not belong to Him yet.
The instruction concludes with this: some of you are weak, sick and even sleep because you have not taken communion in a worthy manner. Unconfessed, known sin is the major reason. Not belonging to the body because we have never repented of sin and been born again is another reason. Not declaring His death and being thankful and mindful of His sacrifice for our sin is another.
Let us then come together as believers, joyfully sharing His body and blood, and declaring His death till He returns; mindful of all the things He said. This is a tool also to keep a believer. Jesus is the keeper of the sheep. If we come together regularly sharing communion, doing it in the right way, won’t we get in the habit of keeping ourselves? I think so. We don’t want to be weak or sick or die even because we have not taken communion in a worthy manner…so we examine or hearts, our ways. We are reminded of our glorious calling and election in Him. We are thankful that we are worthy to share communion.
So let communion be a means by which He keeps you. He is faithful. Be diligent to be found worthy each week when you gather with believers and share communion. What a blessing this is.
Amen.
We know that the fruit of the Spirit, is love,joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, faith and self-control. But this is not the work of the Holy Spirit. People are very confused, and therefore treat the Holy Spirit as if He is a thing rather than Almighty God Himself. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit came to do what? Hear this: receive it and then think on it. The Holy Spirit came to reprove. His work is to reprove. To reprove of what? He came to reprove of sin, of righteousness, and of the judgment to come. So all of the lovely, soft, peaceable things that people love to attribute to the Holy Spirit, are not His purpose or work at all. But all these things that are the fruit of the Spirit, not fruits, but fruit, singular, are effects of the work of the Holy Spirit…they are the result of one who has been first reproved by Him.
I’ve often heard people say: “that person is filled with the Holy Spirit”. Then a closer look reveals that this very person is living in immorality and sin, yet very amiable and happy and exuberant…easy to get along with. The truth is, that this person, happy as they may be, if they have not first been reproved of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come, which leads to walking in obedience to the Commandments of Christ, then they are not filled with the Holy Spirit, and have not even heard from Him. Now He is the Comforter, but who does He comfort? His own. So even as the Comforter, His comforting is also a by product of reproof.
We can say, I feel the Spirit’s presence when the situation is light and easy and warm. But we do not unless we have first been reproved by Him.
Likewise, If a person isn’t exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, the effects of His reproof, then one wonders if they have been reproved yet?
Amen.
I think so. I love my country but no other country fits the description of Mystery Babylon the Great. The Woman who rides the beast in Revelation is a harlot. We can say she is an adulteress. She once belonged to God but turned to other gods.
An individual could not be described here because once a person believes, they cannot become an unbeliever. Salvation is permanent and irreversible.
But a nation can be adulterous. A nation can once follow God then turn away from God. That is one way we know that the harlot is a nation. The USA began as God’s nation. It no longer is. The nation as a whole has turned away.
Now the church system collective has also turned away from God in the same sense. The saved individuals within the true church cannot fall away. We are sealed. But the collective entity that calls itself the church but falls away to the world system is a harlot. The entity that is the false part within can fall away. I think that’s what we see with Mystery Babylon.
Here how: “study to show yourself approved…”. That’s the way. To this believer, wisdom is given. To the believer who does not study to show himself approved, even what little wisdom he has will be taken away.
Word of Wisdom is a high spiritual gift. Truly I believe anyone can have it. But to the believer who has a heart to know God and has invested everything in hearing and knowing His Word, in an ongoing way, behold, suddenly Word of Wisdom is yours, if the Spirit so decides. But not so for the one who does not study to show himself approved. This will not be yours.
That isn’t the complete picture either, but is a general overview. But really, these two things I’ll mention go hand in hand. I don’t see it possible to have one without the other. Obey what you study!
Truth only comes to the obedient. But only the studied can be obedient. If we aren’t studied then we prove we have no interest in knowing what to obey. So they go hand in hand. The one who studies to show himself approved is always the obedient one, the one trusted with the highest of all gifts.
Some who have been given some wisdom but have not continued laboring in the word to show themselves approved of God, think they can receive wisdom apart from the study of His word. Impossible. Won’t happen. What will happen is confusion of faces.
A believer’s doings reveal his heart. There is one reason a believer does not study to show themselves approved: they prefer darkness rather than light. They do not like God’s yoke. They think they can have wisdom from on high without the laboring, and intense laboring, in the Word of God. Such deception. Deserved deception. God is not mocked.
Won’t you humble yourself and study to show yourself approved today?
Amen!
This is Hell’s mantra. Most of the church marches to this drumbeat. It’s leading them off a cliff and into mediocrity and maybe into a loss of residence in the New Jerusalem. Only the bride will dwell there with God and those who loved the earth will dwell on the New Earth. We are talking inheritance here and not salvation.
It is the old man’s nature to do that which is expedient and forsake that which is right. God’s way is to always without fail, love and choose that which is right, not ever even thinking of the result. If we will do this then He has promised to order the end…the result. This end is always the highest in pleasure, goodness, godliness, joy and glory. But very, very few believers choose it.
Oh poor flock. Obey God. How can you lose when you obey God? Choose righteousness today. As you disobey each time, He might remove what little faith you have till you’re left with a flicker. But if you obey, He will increase your faith every time more and more. Awaken to righteousness today and sin not!
My prayer for the body of Christ today is that they would prefer God’s will over their own in every situation until God comes and lavishes their heart so that every desire is God’s. Obey God.
Amen.
God desires that we have the knowledge of Him, more than we sacrifice anything to or for Him. Think on that. Doesn’t that give your heart tremendous freedom and sweetness to ponder it?
It is human nature and I would say unredeemed human nature, to imagine that I can just appease God by doing things like going to church, do this, do that, all things that have an appearance of godliness, and never seek to gain the KNOWLEDGE PF GOD, and that this pleases Him.
No. Would it please you? It would crush my heart. I would rather my husband, my children, my friends seek to know me. They can give me things, be guarded around me and do what they think I might like, serve me by bringing me things, making a way for me, etc, but if they never stop to look at me, hear me, love me, know me, it’s all emptiness. It’s all such sad emptiness but that’s where most people dwell concerning God.
Stop it. Know Him. Know Him. Know Him.
How, You say? I know that answer. I can’t tell you. I could, but you wouldn’t hear. It’s not a prescription or a recipe or a procedure. You find it out. Go ask.
Heavens, how did you bond with your spouse? How did you find out who they were? How did you bond with your children? How did you find out who they were? How?
“ For I desired mercy, not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings…” (Hosea 6:6).
God is saying His greatest desire is that YOU gain the knowledge of God. How AWESOME that is! Go get it, will you!
Amen.
God. Turn to Him. He is Jesus Christ. Turn to Him. He said that perfect love casts out fear. It does. I’ve known it. Right now, instead of following the path of that dread feeling, love someone. Recognize that the feeling you are overwhelmed by is fear. It’s just general fear. Love God right now and the fear will stop. Close your eyes and love God. Walk in it. Thank Him for it. Be transformed by Him.
Perfect love casts out fear.
Thank you Lord,
Amen
What is meant by New Jerusalem? What is meant by the new heavens and the new earth that the Bible closes with? It’s so crucial to know. The Bible actually tells us and we need to know what they are.