Biblical worldview: how to reconcile?

 What happens when my generation is gone? 

https://wp.me/pzRwB-9w7 

Spiritual traveler’s notes : two dreams

The traveler Ying had two dreams. In the first he was with a group of fellow travelers packed tightly standing on a low oval shaped oak coffee table. They were trying to balance hard not to fall off. Aliens with laser guns were shooting and killing all who were not on the table.

In the second dream he was running with a group of fellow travelers with Cyclopes chasing them to kill them. Many ran ahead and he and his group knew they could not outrun the Cyclopes so they found a tiny space hidden behind some mountain rocks and hid there. It was a dead end. They could hear the Cyclopes running pass in pursuit of those who had run ahead. He knew the Cyclopes would turn back to search them out when they discovered that this group was missing from their targets. So he climbed on top of a brand new metal filing cabinet and looked for a way out. He saw a space with light at the other end in between two cliffs so narrow that only one individual could squeeze through side way one at a time. Then he woke in cold sweat.

He was a mere individual seeking divine direction to live this end times period. He never expected to face this kind of adventure with a group of strangers as if they were in a science fiction movie. Yet it’s real at this point of time when he woke and found himself still flying high in the rope carriage on two eagles’ wings.

What will all these come to? He asked himself. Will he ever return to his own comfort zone again? No one answered his thoughts.

He knew the dreams meant the assumed safety zone for many travelers were not real. They were crumbling down. The enemies were everywhere pursuing and the travelers were running as though they were helpless. How could this be? They were trained and given authority in the spirit and the power of the King’s name.

Yet they were running and hiding. The former secure private abodes and public gathering ‘clubs’ no longer afforded any shelter.

Each individual had to launch out and face the enemy head on. He thought.

He felt a pang of pain for some of his closer ones. But he soon found solace in the thought that time was still available on this planet. All was not lost yet.

He made a commitment that when he returned to his own place he would seek them out and help them to rise above the filing cabinet!

Meanwhile, the eagles continued to soar and they were climbing.

Isaiah 21:5

Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield!

 

Matthew 25: three in one life and death matters

We have walked with Jesus to this day of chapter 25 of Matthew (quoted from NKJV in parts; boldness added by this watchman). There are three utmost serious matters about ‘Christians’, the saved and the unsaved, the ins and the left-outs.
This watchman urges all to read and re-read the whole chapter on these three matters, as illustrated by Jesus and recorded in this Gospel as the last three parable teachings of Jesus. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what it means to you.
(1) the ten virgins (1-13) illustrating the kingdom of heaven
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom...⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps… ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

(my personal notes: ‘Watch therefore’ appears to do with whether we have enough oil or not and whether we can be ready on the spot when Jesus comes. He expects us to wait and be ready at any point of time. Watch means praying and waiting before God. Watch means we read His words consistently and keep our lamp trimmed and ready. His words are lamp and light to us. His presence is light to us. In Him there is no darkness. He is light. Our body is a vessel for His light to shine through. He only knows those who are with His light shinning through and not otherwise. He knows them because they have constant fellowship with Him and are ever ready to meet Him face to face. This personal intimacy between each believer and the Lord cannot be shared or passed on to others, just as the oil cannot be shared.)



Lamp to my feet

____________read on and ask the Lord to reveal what He means to you personally. (This watchman too needs to read many times more and ask the Lord to reveal. )
(2)The Parable of the Talents (14-30)
¹⁴ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; …²⁹ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
(3)The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations (31-46)
³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats…⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

THE PROPHETS SPOKE: WHY BIG BUSINESSES ARE DOOMED?

OLD TESTAMENT: GOD CONDEMNED IDOLATRY, WITCHCRAFT, DIVINATION, SOOTHSAYING, SORCERY, FORTUNE TELLING AND DOERS OF THEM
1 Samuel 15:23
“For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery, stubbornness like the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, he too has rejected you as king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-24 (in Context) 1 Samuel 15 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Nahum 3:4
“Because of the continual whoring of this whore, this alluring mistress of sorcery, who sells nations with her whoring and families with her sorcery;
Nahum 3:3-5 (in Context) Nahum 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Chronicles 33:6
He made his children pass through the fire [as a sacrifice] in the Ben-Hinnom Valley. He practiced soothsaying, divination and sorcery; and he appointed mediums and persons who used spirit guides. He did much that was evil from ADONAI’s perspective, thus provoking him to anger.
2 Chronicles 33:5-7 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 33 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Leviticus 19:26
“‘Do not eat anything with blood. Do not practice divination or fortune-telling.
Leviticus 19:25-27 (in Context) Leviticus 19 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Deuteronomy 18:10
There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or uses secret ways, or does witchcraft, or tells the meaning of special things, or is a witch,
Deuteronomy 18:9-11 (in Context) Deuteronomy 18 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Deuteronomy 18:14
For these nations that you are about to take listen to those who do witchcraft and use secret ways. But the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.
Deuteronomy 18:13-15 (in Context) Deuteronomy 18 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Joshua 13:22
Along with the others the people of Isra’el killed with the sword, they also struck down Bil‘am the son of B‘or, who practiced divination.
Joshua 13:21-23 (in Context) Joshua 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
1 Samuel 15:23
To go against what you are told is like the sin of witchcraft. Not to obey is like the sin of worshiping false gods. You have turned away from the Word of the Lord. So He has turned away from you being king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-24 (in Context) 1 Samuel 15 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Kings 9:22
When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the sinful ways and witchcrafts of your mother Jezebel are so many?”
2 Kings 9:21-23 (in Context) 2 Kings 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Kings 17:17
Then they gave their sons and daughters as burnt gifts. They told the future and used witchcraft. They sold themselves to do what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord. And they made Him angry.
2 Kings 17:16-18 (in Context) 2 Kings 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Kings 21:6
He gave his son as a burnt gift, used witchcraft and told the future. He listened to those who spoke with spirits and used their secret ways. He did things that were very sinful in the eyes of the Lord, and made the Lord angry.
2 Kings 21:5-7 (in Context) 2 Kings 21 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Kings 17:17
They had their sons and daughters pass through fire [as a sacrifice]. They used divination and magic spells. And they gave themselves over to do what was evil from ADONAI’s perspective, thereby provoking him;
2 Kings 17:16-18 (in Context) 2 Kings 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Kings 21:6
He made his son pass through the fire [as a sacrifice]. He practiced soothsaying and divination and appointed mediums and persons who used spirit guides. He did much that was evil from ADONAI’s perspective, thus provoking him to anger.
2 Kings 21:5-7 (in Context) 2 Kings 21 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Jeremiah 14:14
ADONAI replied, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I didn’t send them, order them or speak to them. They are prophesying false visions to you, worthless divinations, the delusions of their own minds.
Jeremiah 14:13-15 (in Context) Jeremiah 14 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Isaiah 47:9
But these two things will come upon you all at once in one day. You will lose your children and your husband. All this trouble will come to you, even with all your witchcraft and the strong power of your sinful secret ways.
Isaiah 47:8-10 (in Context) Isaiah 47 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 12:24
There will no longer be empty visions or falsely optimistic divinations in the house of Isra’el,
Ezekiel 12:23-25 (in Context) Ezekiel 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 13:6
Their visions are futile and their divination is false; they say, ‘ADONAI says,’ when ADONAI has not sent them; yet they hope that the word will be confirmed.
Ezekiel 13:5-7 (in Context) Ezekiel 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 13:7
Haven’t you had a futile vision and spoken a false divination when you say, ‘ADONAI says,’ and I have not spoken?
Ezekiel 13:6-8 (in Context) Ezekiel 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 13:9
My hand will be against the prophets who have futile visions and produce false divinations; they will not be allowed into the council of my people, or be written in the register of the house of Isra’el, or enter the land of Isra’el. Then you will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM.
Ezekiel 13:8-10 (in Context) Ezekiel 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 13:23
therefore you will have no more futile visions, and you will produce no more divinations. I will rescue my people from your clutches, and you will know that I am ADONAI.’”
Ezekiel 13:22-23 (in Context) Ezekiel 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 21:26
For the king of Bavel is standing at the fork in the road, where the two roads separate, about to use divination — he is shaking the arrows, consulting the household gods, examining the liver.
Ezekiel 21:25-27 (in Context) Ezekiel 21 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Ezekiel 21:28
The inhabitants will believe this is a false divination because of the oaths upon oaths [that their false prophets have sworn to the contrary]. But it will cause [God] to remember their guilt and thus insure their capture.
Ezekiel 21:27-29 (in Context) Ezekiel 21 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Micah 3:6
“Therefore you will have night, not vision, darkness and not divination; the sun will go down on the prophets, over them the day will be black.”
Micah 3:5-7 (in Context) Micah 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Micah 5:12
I will put an end to your witchcraft, and you will not have people telling your future any more.
Micah 5:11-13 (in Context) Micah 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Malachi 3:5
Then I will come to judge you. I will be quick to speak against those who use witchcraft, and those who do sex sins, and those who make false promises. I will speak against those who do not pay a man what he has earned, and who make it hard for the woman whose husband has died and for children who have no parents. And I will speak against those who turn away the stranger and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of All.
Malachi 3:4-6 (in Context) Malachi 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
NEW TESTAMENT: GOD CONDEMNED WITCHCRAFT AND DOERS OF WITCHCRAFT, OCCULT, DRUGS, AND those who practice sorceries (magic arts) ARE CLASSIFIED TOGETHER WITH THE SINS OF those who practice impurity [the lewd, adulterers] and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and deals in falsehood (untruth, error, deception, cheating) (Revelation 22:14-16).
Acts 8:9
[ Simon the Witch Doctor ] A man by the name of Simon had done witchcraft there. The people of Samaria were surprised at the things he did. He pretended that he was a great man.
Acts 8:8-10 (in Context) Acts 8 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Acts 8:11
They kept running after him. For a long time he fooled them with his witchcraft.
Acts 8:10-12 (in Context) Acts 8 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Acts 13:6
They went over Cyprus as far as the city of Paphos. While there, they found a Jew who did witchcraft. He was a false preacher named Barjesus.
Acts 13:5-7 (in Context) Acts 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Acts 13:8
But Elymas (as he called himself), the man who did witchcraft, worked against Barnabas and Saul. He tried to keep the leader of the country from putting his trust in the Lord.
Acts 13:7-9 (in Context) Acts 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
Acts 19:18-20
18 Many Christians came and told of the wrong things they were doing. 19 Many of those who did witchcraft gathered their books together and burned them in front of everyone. These books were worth 50,000 pieces of silver money. 20 The Word of the Lord became well-known.
Galatians 5:19-21 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
19 And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency; 20 involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue 21 and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God!
Revelation 9:20-21 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
20 The rest of mankind, those who were not killed by these plagues, even then did not turn from what they had made with their own hands — they did not stop worshipping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they turn from their murdering, their involvement with the occult and with drugs, their sexual immorality or their stealing.
Revelation 18:2-3 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
2 He cried out in a strong voice, “She has fallen! She has fallen! Bavel (Babylon) the Great! She has become a home for demons, prison for every unclean spirit, a prison for every unclean, hated bird. 3 “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of God’s fury caused by her whoring —yes, the kings of the earth went whoring with her, and from her unrestrained love of luxury the world’s businessmen have grown rich.”

（Big and successful businesses are linked to the Babylon condemned here in the Book of Revelation for end times.)

Revelation 18:22-24 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
22 “The sound of harpists and musicians, flute-players and trumpeters will never again be heard in you.
No worker of any trade will ever again be found in you, the sound of a mill will never again be heard in you,
23 the light of a lamp will never again shine in you, the voice of bridegroom and bride will never again be heard in you.
“For your businessmen were the most powerful on earth, all the nations were deceived by your magic spell.
24 “In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s people, indeed, of all who have ever been slaughtered on earth!”

(the magic spell of Babylon is the source of power supply to successful business men and nations! )

Revelation 21:7-9 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
7 He who wins the victory will receive these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the untrustworthy, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those involved with the occult and with drugs, idol-worshippers, and all liars — their destiny is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, the second death.”
9 One of the seven angels having the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues approached me and said, “Come! I will show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.”
Revelation 22:14-16 Amplified Bible (AMP)
14 Blessed (happy and to be envied) are those who cleanse their garments, that they may have the authority and right to [approach] the tree of life and to enter through the gates into the city. 15 [But] without (outside) are the dogs and those who practice sorceries (magic arts) and impurity [the lewd, adulterers] and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and deals in falsehood (untruth, error, deception, cheating). 16 I, Jesus, have sent My messenger (angel) to you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches (assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and brilliant Morning Star.

Jesus thus warned: Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon ( deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).
Matthew 6:23-25 (in Context) Matthew 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

The Holy Spirit thus warned: 1 Timothy 6:10 The love of money is the beginning of all kinds of sin. Some people have turned from the faith because of their love for money. They have made much pain for themselves because of this.
1 Timothy 6:9-11 (in Context) 1 Timothy 6 (Whole Chapter)
HEED THE WORDS OF THE LORD, ALL WATCHMEN, FLEE FROM THE LOVE OF THE WORLD AND THE THINGS OF THE WORLD.

To all the "Timothy" in the churches:
1 John 2:15-17 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁵ Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].
¹⁷ And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

END TIMES WITNESSING: A CRUCIFIED LIFE

The watchman was led to read old but solid Biblical foundation salvation teaching. He urges all readers to go through this text with a prayerful and obedient heart to Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord. You will be blessed. He prays that those who have strayed to the broad and perishing way and wide gate will be brought back to the true path and narrow gate through Jesus to eternal life.

_________________________________

Crucified Life

by Watchman Nee
You believe in the death of the Lord Jesus and you believe in the death of the thieves with Him. Now what about your own death? Your crucifixion is more intimate than theirs. They were crucified at the same time as the Lord but on different crosses, whereas you were crucified on the selfsame cross as He, for you were in Him when He died.



How can you know? You can know for the one sufficient reason that God said so. It does not depend on your feelings. If you feel that Christ has died, He has died; and if you do not feel that He has died, He had died. If you feel that you have died, you have died; and if you do not feel that you have died, you have nevertheless just as surely died. These are divine facts. That Christ has died is a fact, that the two thieves have died is a fact, and that you have died is a fact also. Let me tell you, You have died! You are done with! You are ruled out! The self you loathe is on the Cross of Christ. And “he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7 Amplified). This is the Gospel for Christians.

Our crucifixion can never be made effective by will or by effort, but only by accepting what the Lord Jesus did on the Cross. Our eyes must be opened to see the finished work of Calvary. Some of you, prior to your salvation, may have tried to save yourselves. You read the Bible, prayed, went to church, gave alms. Then one day your eyes were opened and you saw that a full salvation had already been provided for you on the Cross. You just accepted that and thanked God, and peace and joy flowed into your heart.

And now the good news is that sanctification is made possible for you on exactly the same basis as that initial salvation. You are offered deliverance from sin as no less a gift of God’s grace than was the forgiveness of sins. For God’s way of deliverance is altogether different from man’s way. Man’s way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God’s way is to remove the sinner. Many Christians mourn over their weakness, thinking that if only they were stronger all would be well. . . If we are preoccupied with the power of sin and with our inability to meet it, then we naturally conclude that to gain the victory over sin we must have more power. . .

But this is altogether a fallacy; it is not Christianity. God’s means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker. That is surely rather a peculiar way of victory, you say; but it is the divine way. God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything, but by removing him from the scene of action. For years, maybe, you have tried fruitlessly to exercise control over yourself, and perhaps this is still your experience; but when once you see the truth you will recognize that you are indeed powerless to do anything, but that in setting you aside altogether God has done it all. Such discovery brings human striving and self-effort to an end (The Normal Christian Life, pp. 35-37).

Separation to God, separation from the world, is the first principle of Christian living. John, in his revelation of Jesus Christ, was shown two irreconcilable extremes, two worlds that morally were poles apart. He was first carried away in the Spirit into a wilderness to see Babylon, mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth (17:3). Then he was carried in the same Spirit to a great and high mountain, from whence to view Jerusalem, the bride, the Lamb’s wife (21:10). The contrast is clear and could hardly be more explicitly stated.

Whether we be a Moses or a Balaam, in order to have God’s view of things we must be taken like John to a mountain top. Many cannot see God’s eternal plan, or if they see it they understand it only as dry-as-dust doctrine, but they are content to stay on the plains. For understanding never moves us; only revelation does that. From the wilderness we may see something of Babylon, but we need spiritual revelation to see God’s new Jerusalem. Once see it, and we shall never be the same again. As Christians therefore we bank everything on that opening of the eyes, but to experience it we must be prepared to forsake the common levels and climb.

The harlot Babylon is always “the great city” (16:19, etc.) with the emphasis on her attainment of greatness. The bride Jerusalem is by contrast “the holy city” (21:2, 10) with the accent correspondingly on her separation to God. She is “from God,” and is prepared “for her husband.” For this reason she possesses the glory of God. This is a matter of experience for us all. Holiness in us is what is of God, what is wholly set apart to Christ. It follows the rule that only what originated in heaven returns there; for nothing else is holy. Let go this principle of holiness and we are instantly in Babylon.

Thus it comes about that the wall is the first feature John mentions in his description of the city itself. There are gates, making provision for the goings of God, but the wall takes precedence. For, I repeat, separation is the first principle of Christian living. If God wants his city with its measurements and its glory in that day, then we must build that wall in human hearts now. This means in practice that we must guard as precious all that is of God and refuse and reject all that is of Babylon. I do not imply by this a separation between Christians. We dare not exclude our brethren themselves, even when we cannot take part in some of the things they do. No, we must love and receive our fellow Christians, but be uncompromising in our separation from the world in principle.

Nehemiah in his day succeeded in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, but only in the face of great opposition. For Satan hates distinctiveness. Separation of men to God he cannot abide. Nehemiah and his colleagues armed themselves therefore, and thus equipped for war they laid stone to stone. This is the price of holiness we must be prepared for.

For build we certainly must. Eden was a garden without artificial wall to keep foes out; so that Satan had entry. God intended that Adam and Eve should “guard it” (Gen. 2:15) by themselves constituting a moral barrier to him. Today, through Christ, God plans in the heart of his redeemed people an Eden to which, in triumphant fact, Satan will at last have no moral access whatever. “There shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie; but only they which are in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Most of us would agree that to the apostle Paul was given a special revelation of the Church of God. In a similar way we feel that God gave to John a special understanding of the nature of the world. Kosmos is in fact peculiarly John’s word. The other Gospels use it only fifteen times (Matthew nine, Mark and Luke three each) while Paul has it forty-seven times in eight letters. But John uses it 105 times in all, seventy-eight in his Gospel, twenty-four in his epistles and a further three in the Revelation.

In his first epistle John writes: “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (2:16). In these words that so clearly reflect the temptation of Eve (Gen. 3:6) John defines the things of the world. All that can be included under lust or primitive desire, all that excites greedy ambition, and all that arouses in us the pride or glamor of life, all such things are part of the Satanic system. Perhaps we scarcely need stay here to consider further the first two of these, but let us look for a moment at the third. Everything that stirs pride in us is of the world. Prominence, wealth, achievement, these the world acclaim. Men are justly proud of success. Yet John labels all that brings this sense of success as “of the world.”

Every success therefore that we experience (and I am not suggesting that we should be failures!) calls in us for an instant, humble confession of its inherent sinfulness, for whenever we meet success we have in some degree touched the world system. Whenever we sense complacency over some achievement we may know at once that we have touched the world. We may know, too, that we have brought ourselves under the judgment of God, for have we not already agreed that the whole world is under judgment? Now (and let us try to grasp this fact) those who realize this and confess their need are thereby safeguarded. But the trouble is, how many of us are aware of it? Even those of us who live our lives in the seclusion of our own private homes are just as prone to fall a prey to the pride of life as those who have great public successes.

A woman in a humble kitchen can touch the world and its complacency even while cooking the daily meal or entertaining guests. Every glory that is not glory to God is vainglory, and it is amazing what paltry successes can produce vainglory. Wherever we meet pride we meet the world, and there is an immediate leakage in our fellowship with God. Oh that God would open our eyes to see clearly what the world is! Not only evil things, but all those things that draw us ever so gently away from God, are units of that system that is antagonistic to him. Satisfaction in the achievement of some legitimate piece of work has the power to come instantly between us and God himself. For if it is the pride of life and not the praise of God that it awakens in us, we can know for certain that we have touched the world. There is thus a constant need for us to watch and pray if we are to maintain our communion with God unsullied.

What then is the way of escape from this snare which the Devil has set to catch God’s people? First let me say emphatically that it is not to be found by our running away. Many think we can escape the world by seeking to abstain from the things of the world. That is folly. How could we ever escape the world system by using what, after all, are little more than worldly methods? Let me remind you of Jesus’ words in Matt. 11:18, 19. “John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He hath a devil.’ The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebidder, a friend of publicans and sinners!’ “ Some think that John the Baptist here offers us a recipe for escape from the world, but “neither eating nor drinking” is not Christianity. Christ came both eating and drinking, and that is Christianity! The apostle Paul speaks of “the elements of the world,” and he defines these as, “handle not, nor taste, nor touch” (Col. 2:20, 21).

So abstinence is merely worldly and no more, and what hope is there, by using worldly elements, of escaping the world system? Yet how many earnest Christians are forsaking all sorts of worldly pleasures in the hope thereby of being delivered out of the world! You can build yourself a hermit’s hut in some remote spot and think to escape the world by retiring there, but the world will follow you even as far as that. It will dog your footsteps and find you out no matter where you hide.

Our deliverance from the world begins, not with our giving up this or that but with our seeing, as with God’s eyes, that it is a world under sentence of death as in the figure with which we opened this chapter, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” (Rev. 18:2). Now a sentence of death is always passed, not on the dead but on the living. And in one sense the world is a living force today, relentlessly pursuing and seeking out its subjects. But while it is true that when sentence is pronounced death lies still in the future, it is nevertheless certain. A person under sentence of death has no future beyond the confines of a condemned cell. Likewise the world, being under sentence, has no future.

The world system has not yet been “wound up,” as we say, and terminated by God, but the winding up is a settled matter. It makes all the difference to us that we see this. Some folk seek deliverance from the world in asceticism, and like the Baptist, neither eat nor drink. That today is Buddhism, not Christianity. As Christians we both eat and drink, but we do so in the realization that eating and drinking belong to the world and, with it, are under the death sentence, so they have no grip upon us. Let us suppose that the municipal authorities of Shanghai should decree that the school where you are employed must be closed. As soon as you hear this news you realize there is no future for you in that school. You go on working there for a period, but you do not build up anything for the future there. Your attitude to the school changes the instant you hear it must close down. Or to use another illustration, suppose the government decides to close a certain bank. Will you hasten to deposit in it a large sum of money in order to save the bank from collapse? No, not a cent more do you pay into it once you hear it has no future. You put nothing in because you expect nothing from it.

And we may justly say of the world that it is under a decree of closure. Babylon fell when her champions made war with the Lamb, and when by his death and resurrection he overcame them, who is Lord of lords and King of kings (Rev. 17:14). There is no future for her.

A revelation of the Cross of Christ involves for us the discovery of this fact, that through it everything belonging to the world is under sentence of death. We still go on living in the world and using the things of the world, but we can build no future with them, for the Cross has shattered all our hope in them. The Cross of our Lord Jesus, we may truly say, has ruined our prospects in the world; we have nothing to live for there.

There is no true way of salvation from the world that does not start from such a revelation. We need only try to escape the world by running away from it to discover how much we love it, and how much it loves us. We may flee where we will to avoid it, but it will assuredly track us down. But we inevitably lose all interest in the world, and it loses its grip on us, as soon as it dawns upon us that the world is doomed. To see that is to be automatically severed from Satan’s entire economy.

At the end of his letter to the Galatians Paul states this very clearly. “Far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (6:14). Have you noticed something striking about this verse? In relation to the world it speaks of the two aspects of the work of the Cross already hinted at in our last chapter. “I have been crucified unto the world” is a statement which we find fairly easy to fit into our understanding of being crucified with Christ as defined in such passages as Romans 6. But here it specifically says too that “the world has been crucified to me.” When God comes to you and me with the revelation of the finished work of Christ, he not only shows us ourselves there on the Cross. He shows us our world there too. If you and I cannot escape the judgment of the Cross, then neither can the world escape the judgment of the Cross. Have I really seen this? That is the question. When I see it, then I do not try to repudiate a world I love; I see that the Cross has repudiated it. I do not try to escape a world that clings to me; I see that by the Cross I have escaped.


Like so much else in the Christian life, the way of deliverance out of the world comes as a surprise to most of us, for it is so at odds with all man’s natural concepts. Man seeks to solve the problem of the world by removing himself physically from what he regards as the danger zone. But physical separation does not bring about spiritual separation; and the reverse is also true, that physical contact with the world does not necessitate spiritual capture by the world. Spiritual bondage to the world is a fruit of spiritual blindness, and deliverance is the outcome of having our eyes opened. However close our touch with the world may be outwardly, we are released from its power when we truly see its nature. The essential character of the world is Satanic; it is at enmity with God. To see this is to find deliverance.

Let me ask you: What is your occupation? A merchant? A doctor? Do not run away from these callings. Simply write down: Trade is under the sentence of death. Write: Medicine is under the sentence of death. If you do that in truth, life will be changed for you hereafter. In the midst of a world under judgment for its hostility to God you will know what it is to live as one who truly loves and fears him.

End Times Witnessing: how a young man described his diseased dad

On the previous night the watchman attended a wake night service for a solitary man who passed away for three days in his bathroom without being known. The estranged wife who took away their daughter could not be found for over a year. The only son came home after receiving the news was on his own to bear the whole burden of the funeral. He is a young man in his early twenties, newly graduated and found a job in a distant town. He was asked to say something about his dad and he spoke about three lines, “A traditional man who did not know how to express his love for his family. But he did help out (monetarily) whenever I needed. We never knew how precious he was until we have lost him. That was my dad.” (The service leader later consoled that because the man who passed away was a believer of Christ, and we are brethren in Christ, we will see him in heaven one day.)

Indeed, the silent demise of a lonely man makes the watchman ponder again on how to ensure one will be with Jesus when one leaves this lonely world, desolate and forsaken.
_________________________________

Today’s verse for the watchman relates to an earlier discourse with the class on Sunday. The class read verses on the kingdom of light as against the kingdom of darkness. Then they went on to read about the need to be born again by Spirit and water to see and enter the kingdom of God. The questions of who will see and enter and how to see and enter are of utmost importance at this end time.

When the watchman rose to intercede this morning he was led to read and pray on the following passages. He read the whole chapter five. However, he included only the verses on how to be born again and have eternal life.

1 John 5 (NKJV)

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

__________________________________

Summary on how to be born again and who they become:

1.Believe that Jesus is the Christ.

2.Believe in the name of the Son of God.

3.Overcome the world, by faith.

4.Keep God’s commandments: love God and love His children.

5.Receive the Son of God (Jesus Christ) Who is Eternal Life.

6.Believe in the testimony given by: three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit

7.Believe in the testimony given by: three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water (see comment below), and the blood.

8.Knowing the above testimonies is essential for a believer in Christ: the trinity God (Father-Son/Word-Holy Spirit), the Holy Spirit in believer, the daily washing of the water/word of God, and the blood of the Lamb of God (Jesus’ redemption/full salvation of us on the cross).

The watchman’s comment: the word ‘water’ signifies the word of God. He is reminded of the verse in Eph.5:25, wherein the Holy Spirit reminded husbands to love their wives,

“just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,”

He is also reminded of the deep cleansing by the word of God during the Water Gate Revival that happened in Jerusalem as excerpted below.

In Nehemiah 8, “all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses; And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.”
_________________________________

The watchman comments: Have you ever wept when you hear the word of God? He remembered when he was a very young man he wept for weeks when he read the Gospel of John, as led by the Holy Spirit. Why did he weep? He was deeply touched by the Father's love!
The words became life and Spirit to him for the first time in his life. He then began a journey to seek God and encounter Him in many ways. His life was transformed when God met with him…

Watchman’s Comfort: Good news to those who are desolate today

The watchman decided to sleep early so he could rise early. Indeed it worked and overcame his recent inability to rise at the appointed hours to meet His Lord. This morning was the second experimental day and he was refreshed by the presence of the Lord (the Spirit of Christ).


He proceeded to intercede and read the words of God, listening to the Holy Spirit. There were two major events that needed fervent prayers and supplications, both of which required grace and mercy from God. As soon as he started he was led to read Isaiah. The book opened to chapter 62, from which flow beautiful, assuring verses for a person who really needs such comfort! The Heavenly Father knows exactly what one needs and sends forth His resources -His words! How wonderful and awesome our God is!

(He even posted watchmen on your walls to make sure you are well guarded!)

Isaiah 62 (NLT)
Isaiah’s Prayer for Jerusalem


1 Because I love Zion,

I will not keep still.

Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,

I cannot remain silent.

I will not stop praying for her


until her righteousness shines like the dawn,


and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.


2 The nations will see your righteousness.

World leaders will be blinded by your glory.

And you will be given a new name


by the Lord’s own mouth.

3 The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—

a splendid crown in the hand of God.

4 Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”[a]


or “The Desolate Land.”[b]


Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”[c]


and “The Bride of God,”[d]

for the Lord delights in you


and will claim you as his bride.

5 Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,

just as a young man commits himself to his bride.

Then God will rejoice over you

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;


they will pray day and night, continually.


Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.


7 Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,


until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.

8 The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:

“I will never again hand you over to your enemies.

Never again will foreign warriors come

and take away your grain and new wine.

9 You raised the grain, and you will eat it,

praising the Lord.

Within the courtyards of the Temple,

you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.”

10 Go out through the gates!

Prepare the highway for my people to return!

Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;

raise a flag for all the nations to see.

11 The Lord has sent this message to every land:

“Tell the people of Israel,[e]

‘Look, your Savior is coming.


See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”


12 They will be called “The Holy People”


and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.”


And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”


and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”

Footnotes:

a.Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Azubah, which means “forsaken.”

b.Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Shemamah, which means “desolate.”

c.Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Hephzibah, which means “my delight is in her.”

d.Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Beulah, which means “married.”

e.Isaiah 62:11 Hebrew Tell the daughter of Zion.

Amplified Bible Isa.62:4 "You [Judah] shall no more be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be called Desolate any more. But you shall be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her], and your land be called Beulah [married]; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married [owned and protected by the Lord]."

End Times Witnessing: Narrow Gate Plumbline -The Spirit says, listen! No more ‘CRAFT’ (MAGIC OR PUPPET)!

The watchman woke from a nightmare today, which he had not encountered for a long long time. Prior to that he was up at 3-5am interceding for his church. Then he asked the Lord to tell him what he needed to write for his blog. He went to bed and slept for about 2 hours. He had a dream.

In the dream he was with a group of people at a seminar after which they were caught without air ticket to fly home. So they decided to fly to another destination from where they could catch another flght for home. He was in his room (located in a hospital/medical center. Next to his room was a clinic with people waiting to see the doctors) packing and then he realized he had to give instruction to the one arranging the travel. So he climbed the stairs and went a floor up to speak to that person. He left his room door wide open and his money and travel documents on the table! He knew he should not be doing this but he did it. While talking to the travel person his spirit reminded him of the verse “the thief came to steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10). So he raced down the stairs, and alas, his room was not there anymore. The place became another waiting hall for other clinics! He was so frustrated that he shouted and woke.

He knew the meaning of this dream. It was about open door to the enemy by being disobedient to the words of God. The enemy conveniently came in to steal, kill and destroy. He repented immediately. Then he was reminded of a warning word “Craft” (pointing to travelling magic shows performed by a senior pastor of a mega church from Asia). He received the warning verse from 2 Cor.4:2.

During a recent seminar he quietly asked the Lord about the correct way of teaching his own Bible class (whether he should use some of his management training skills and technics, like ‘mind mapping’). On that occasion, the Lord answered him through flashing through his mind the warning word ‘CRAFT’ followed by the above same Bible verse (2 Cor.4:2) and also the Spirit-led speaker suddenly blurted out one statement, “Do not teach unless you have revelations!” (The speaker was at that time talking about totally different subject and referred to 2 Cor.4:3-4 on the subject of how ‘the god of this world had blinded the unbelievers’ minds’)

2 Cor.4:2 (Amplified Bible) “ 2 We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man’s conscience.”

HERE is the WARNING: to WHOEVER who preaches/teaches the word of God using crafts, tricks and cunning instead of stating the truth openly, clearly and candidly. This warning also applies to churches which use magic or puppet shows to teach Sunday School children. The frightening part is that you are opening your church door to the enemy to come in to steal, kill and destroy! The word of God must be preached the way Paul and other Apostles had preached, openly, clearly, and candidly.

Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation to everyone who believes..” (Rom.1:16)

By going to the world (which is under the devil) to learn and use the world’s way you have submitted to the evil spirits behind the ‘crafts’ or ‘idols’.

God’s word is more than sufficient to convict and save. By not turning to the mighty power of God’s Spirit-filled Word, you are committing the sin of unbelief.

(The watchman shudders here.)


Here are some Bible verses evidencing how God views at ‘craftiness’.

Ephesians 4:13-15 (New King James Version) 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

Job 5:12-14 (Amplified Bible) 12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise or anything of [lasting] worth. 13He catches the [so-called] wise in their own trickiness, and the counsel of the schemers is brought to a quick end. 14In the daytime they meet in darkness, and at noon they grope as in the night.

Genesis 3:1 NOW THE serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?

Luke 13:32 And He (Jesus) said to them, Go and tell that fox (Herod) [sly and crafty, skulking and cowardly], Behold, I drive out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish (complete) My course.

1 Thessalonians 2:2-4 (New Living Translation) 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. 3 So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery. 4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.

Revelation 18:22 (On the New City of God) The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.


________________A word for watchman prophet:

How not to be a false prophet?

Jeremiah 23: 22 If they had stood before me and listened to me,

they would have spoken my words,

and they would have turned my people

from their evil ways and deeds.

End Times Witnessing: signs and times revealed to watchman (2) -message to Mark (reblog and revised)

The watchman had received confirmations (including visions, dreams and words) about the signs of the times after writing this blog. Indeed, the Big and ravaging destructive earthquakes, floods, Tsunami, and Twisters came after this blog which was based on visions seen in August 2010. Economic development in some of the richest nations confirmed this as well.

Today he is led to reblog the following blog and urge his dearly beloved ones to read. All who are dearly beloved of God must read!

__________________Originally Posted 2010 September
The revelation and answer from the Lord continues. The watchman woke another morning to receive more specific answers to his prayers. He was led to read Jeremiah’s Lamentations on the previous evening thinking that he was reading for Israel. However, this was clarified this morning. He was still sleeping but the Spirit was already in conversation with his spirit. They were discussing the signs of end times. Then he was told that Lamentations was … Read More

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/end-times-witnessing-signs-and-times-revealed-to-watchman-2/

End Times Witnessing: PEACE – the third piece of armor

Jesus said “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. ” (John 10:10)

What does the thief (Satan) try to steal, kill and destroy? The watchman heard today that it is “Peace”! The Holy Spirit spoke through Paul to the believers, “The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Romans 16:20) It is therefore obvious why the enemy does not want you to have peace!

How do you lose your peace? It is not difficult to detect. Losses in physical material possessions, in marriage and relationship, in matters that you think give you security and pride etc. The key word that causes you to lose your peace is “losses”.

"Satan's arsenal consists of such things as fear, worry, doubt and self-pity. Every one of these weapons robs us of peace and leaves us troubled inside. Do you want to discern where the enemy is coming against you? In the network of your relationships, wherever you do not have peace, you have war. Conversely, wherever you have peace, you have victory." ("The Three Battlegrounds, Francis Frangipane)

How not to lose your peace?


You need to be spiritually minded to have true peace

Romans 8:5-7 (NKJV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Peace is the third piece of the whole armor of God

Romans 10:15
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Ephesians 6:15
and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;


Jesus is the Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.


Only Jesus gives supernatural peace to those who believe in and follow Him

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

(take note: only in Jesus you can have peace. If you are in the world you will have tribulation! Are you in Christ?)


Peace comes with Salvation (Jesus)!

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things,Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “ Your God reigns!”

Luke 2:14 “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Acts 10:36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

Romans 5:1
[ Faith Triumphs in Trouble ] Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Having Peace means you are living with other saints in the Kingdom of God!

Romans 1:7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:11
[ Greetings and Benediction ] Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Galatians 6:16
[ Blessing and a Plea ] And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Philippians 4:7
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:9
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Having Peace means the power of the Holy Spirit is upon you!

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The God of Peace (Jesus) has Power and Authority over Satan

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Confusion in churches of the saints is from Satan1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but ofpeace, as in all the churches of the saints.

God of Peace Himself sanctifies you

1 Thessalonians 5:23 [ Blessing and Admonition ] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:20 [ Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell ] Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Peace multiplied in the knowledge of God (by the Spirit and Blood)

2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

1 Peter 1:2
elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Acts 9:31
[ The Church Prospers ] Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Peace and righteousness are together

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Hebrews 7:2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,”

James 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Be in Christ! Then you will not lose your peace!
Don't forget John 10:10 - the enemy will always try to come to steal peace. Focus on Jesus!

End Times Witnessing: The Righteous Plumb Line (your second piece of armor!)

The watchman is prompted to reblog this as this is the second piece of the Armor of God. In the previous blog, we have read how a rich young ruler missed God. Now is the time to revise how one can become truly righteous in the eyes of the Almighty and Righteous God. Remember: “With God all things are possible!” He can make us righteous!


God’s standard for mature Christians is righteousness: Isaiah 28:17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. God rains down righteousness from above: Isaiah 45:8 “You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD … Read More

via AAA Jack’s blog (A Watchman on your walls)

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/2010/06/26/nd-times-witnessing-the-righteous-plumb-line/ 

End Times Witnessing: What is Righteousness? (a young ruler missed heaven too)

When a rich young ruler (almost perfect in man’s righteousness) came to Jesus he knew he still missed out something and he wanted to know what that missing act was, so he could make it up and enter heaven. But when Jesus talked to him he still missed seeing the truth, that is, no man has the physical ability to attain God’s righteousness. So he went away sadly because he was still thinking in the physical and mental perfection realm. He could not meet the righteous plumbline of God.

But Jesus assured His disciples, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God”!

How sad it was that the rich young ruler did not see God (Jesus), who was right in front of him, talking to him so patiently, full of grace (undeserved favor for the young ruler) and mercy. If only he had lingered on and not in a hurry to go away…Alas, God had time for him but he had no time for God!

Luke 18:18-30

18 Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”[a]

21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible

24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all[b] and followed You.”

29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

End Times Witnessing: The Good News!

The watchman heard, “GOOD NEWS!” Indeed, in the midst of such colossal Tsunami and Earthquakes and Nuclear Reactor Melt-down bad news, he is relieved to be reminded of the Good News!

Psalm 68:11
The Lord gives the word, and a great army brings the good news.

Psalm 96:2
Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that He saves.

Proverbs 15:30
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.

Isaiah 41:27

I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.

Isaiah 61:1
[ Good News for the Oppressed ] The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the broken hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

Matthew 4:23
[ Crowds Follow Jesus ] Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness.


Matthew 9:35
[ The Need for Workers ] Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness.

Matthew 11:5
the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.

Matthew 24:14
And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

Mark 1:1
[ John the Baptist Prepares the Way ] This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began

Mark 1:15
“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”


Mark 13:10
For the Good News must first be preached to all nations.

Mark 16:15
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

Luke 1:19
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

Luke 2:10
but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,

Luke 16:16
“Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.

Acts 14:15
“Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

Romans 1:2
God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.

Romans 1:3
The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,

Romans 1:17
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:4
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Ephesians 1:13
And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.


Ephesians 2:17
He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.

Ephesians 3:6
And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:5
which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

Colossians 1:6
This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

Colossians 1:23
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

2 Timothy 1:10
And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.

1 Peter 1:12
They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

1 Peter 1:24-25 (New Living Translation)
24 As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”[a] And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

1 Peter 4:5-7 (New Living Translation)
5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit. 7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

1 Peter 4:16-18 (New Living Translation)
16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! 17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? 18 And also,
“If the righteous are barely saved,
what will happen to godless sinners?”

Revelation 14:5-7 (New Living Translation)
5 They have told no lies; they are without blame. 6 And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to Him. For the time has come when He will sit as judge. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”