End Times Witnessing: signs and times revealed to watchman (1)

This morning the watchman received an answer to his previous day’s request that he be shown the signs of the time so that he can prepare himself, his household and his class. He was led to read the Book of 2 Thessalonians. He was then led to read the Book of 1 Thessalonians. The sequence is important.

In addition, in the same Books, he was also given the prayer points for him to pass on to his church for the forthcoming 24 hours prayers!

2 Thessalonians 1

Greetings from Paul

¹ This letter is from Paul, Silas,^[a] and Timothy.We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

² May God our Father^[b] and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Encouragement during Persecution

³ Dear brothers and sisters,^[c] we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. ⁴ We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. ⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. ⁶ In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.⁷ And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. ¹⁰ When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

¹¹ So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. ¹²Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.^[d]

2 Thessalonians 2

Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming

¹ Now, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. ² Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. ³ Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness^[b] is revealed—the one who brings destruction.^[c] 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.⁵ Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? ⁶ And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. ⁷ For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. ⁸ Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

⁹ This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. ¹⁰ He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. ¹¹ So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. ¹² Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

Believers Should Stand Firm

¹³ As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first^[d] to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁵ With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, ¹⁷ comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

2 Thessalonians 3

Paul’s Request for Prayer

¹ Finally, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. ²Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. ³ But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.^[b] 4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. ⁵May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

An Exhortation to Proper Living

⁶ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers^[c] who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received^[d] from us. ⁷ For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. ⁸ We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. ¹⁰ Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”¹¹Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. ¹² We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. ¹³ As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

¹⁴ Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. ¹⁵ Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.^[e]

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (New Living Translation)

¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.^[a] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died^[b] will rise from their graves. ¹⁷Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸So encourage each other with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5

¹ Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] we don’t really need to write you. ²For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. ³ When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

⁴ But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.^[b] 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. ⁶ So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. ⁷Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. ⁸ But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

⁹ For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. ¹⁰ Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. ¹¹So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Paul’s Final Advice

¹² Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. ¹³ Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.¹⁴ Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

¹⁵ See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

¹⁹ Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Do not scoff at prophecies, ²¹but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. ²² Stay away from every kind of evil.

Paul’s Final Greetings

²³ Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.²⁴ God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.²⁵Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet all the brothers and sisters with Christian love.^[c]

²⁷ I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.

²⁸ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Jabez "Kinsman Redeemer" Revelation

Religion blog

The watchman woke this morning (after Yom Kippur) and was led to read, “There was a man named Jabez” (1 Chronicles 4:9-19)

A man’s name is Jabezwhich sounds like a Hebrew word meaning “distress” or “pain”. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was more honorable than any of his brothers. And God granted his requests.

Why was he more honorable than any of his brothers? Because he was the one who prayed to the God of Israel. He was the one who believed in God and that God would answer his prayers.

Jabez was listed among the “other descendants of Judah. Prior to this record, the ancestors and descendants of David were recorded. A long list of men and seven women (four of whom were unnamed) were recorded. Three professions were recorded: craftsmen, linen workers and pottery makers. The rest were recorded for their roles in being: ancestors, descendants, father, sons, mother, daughter, wives. Their main activity was procreation.

Jabez is the odd one out. He was given two verses 9-10 in Chapter 4 of 1 Chronicles. There was no mention of the names of his parents, siblings, wife or descendants if any. The significance of this solitary man is: his name means distress or pain, but he is more honorable than any of his brothers and that he is the one who prays to the God of Israel. And God answered his prayer.

The content of Jabez’s prayer is listed below:

O that You would bless me.

And expand my territory!

Please be with me in all that I do,

And keep me from all trouble and pain!

Jabez is a humble man who is after God and he knows God. He can pray and believes that God will answer his prayer. He prays for blessing in general, and specific goal, the presence of God in all aspects of his life, and deliverance from evil. He is a man who knows the terror of life on earth: the presence of evil, the limitation and helplessness of men, the existence of pain and suffering.

Jabez is already a successful man in his career. He asks for expansion of his territory specifically. He must have already owned landed property or he could not have asked for its expansion. He also knows that he has limit in expansion as in those days the law of God forbids owning properties/land allotted to another tribe of Israel. So he could only buy his own tribe’s land.

Like Boaz (kinsman redeemer husband of Ruth, ancestor of David), he could purchase lands of his closest kinsmen when the land is for sale and redemption. He intends to redeem them. As he has not received favor from his own parents (as signified by his name) he has to rely on his own hard earned resources. But he has faith in God. He asks God to give him the favor even though he may not have the competitive advantage (favor of men) in the natural.

He is also under persecution and hindrance from other men. But he continues to trust God and finds his comfort in God. He asks God to deliver him and protect him from harm.

He is hardworking and puts his heart to do a good job. He asks God to be with him in all that he does.

He is after God’s blessings. Imagine bearing the name which is a curse from man. But he turns the name into a blessing from God! He wants to become a ‘kinsman redeemer’. Did he succeed? Yes, because this episode is recorded in the Book of God. This is a testimony of a man who successfully puts his faith into action.

The summary of this man’s life is in the declaration that “And God granted him his request.”

The watchman was elated when he read this passage in the Bible. He had helped his kinsman redeemed two pieces of properties last week and he did it by faith in obedience to the Holy Spirit. He told the Lord then that he was helping the brethren to become debt free and not to have this poor man’s properties foreclosed by the bank. He did not know then he would receive this Jabez revelation which confirmed his faith in action.

He rejoiced at the presence of the Lord in his life. Indeed the Kinsman Redeemer Yeshua Himself is in his life. He could feel how David must have felt when he proclaimed in Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.” (wisdom and joy of the presence of God)

_____________________________________

Relevant Bible verses on the principles of life (as those applied by Jabez)

Psalm 27:8 “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’” (hear and obey God)

Matthew 5:5 “God blessed those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” (be humble and be blessed with land)

Hebrews 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” (God is pleased with faith in action)

Psalm 27:10-12a “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me, do not let me fall into their hands.” (God loves and saves those who trust and depend on Him)

Psalm 16:5-6 “Lord, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land You have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” (God is the believer’s inheritance)

Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.” (wisdom and joy of the presence of God)

Psalm 17:6 “I am praying to You because I know You will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.” (David is a man with great faith in prayer)

Matthew 5:13 “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (obey and practice the prayer that the lord Jesus has taught His disciples to pray daily; Jesus knows what we need to live a victorious life daily)

Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” (the power of consistent prayerful life)

Isaiah 56:7b “I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” ( a man of prayer is pleasing to God!)

Malachi 3:10-16 The Lord challenged the Israelites to bring all their tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in the Temple. Then He will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so great that they won’t have enough room to take it in. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (faith in action reaps great rewards!)

Galatians 3:13-14 Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing. Through Christ God has blessed us with the same blessing He has promised to Abraham. (the curse from sin broken forever)

Genesis 13:14-17 God promised the land as far as Abraham could see, “Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” Abraham claimed the land physically. But he did not restrict himself seeing only the physical geographical land that he was stationed at that point of time. He saw a vast future land in his spirit. So do we, his descendants by faith. (Gal.3:7 “The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.” )

Proverbs 10:4 “Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.”

How the watchman spent this year’s Yom Kippur

In his attempt to identify with the brethren who keeps Yom Kippur (the day of atonement), the watchman tried as much as he could to spend his day accordingly. His goals are as follows:

Identify with the Jewish people (the natural descendants of Abraham) in their physical and spiritual quests (faith in action)

Seek God for revelation of His immediate future plan and purpose for Israel (for prayer and intercession purposes) 

Seek a deeper walk in the spiritual realm for the watchman as he has never done this much of fasting (no food and no water) for 25 hours before. 

On the day before the eve of Yom Kippur, he took three meals instead of the usual one and half meals. For dinner, he forced himself to eat the full plate of rice as he needed the energy for an outstation travel on the Yom Kippur Day. After his relatively heavy meal, which consisted of steam rice, fish, spinach, and an apple, he regretted the salt (in the form of Japanese seasoning) intake. Within four hours he started feeling thirsty. This was a tough but useful lesson.

At 11pm he attended a worship service in the Prayer House. He was not tired as he had taken one and half hour nap before he left for the service. But he felt uncomfortable with his seemingly parched throat. He knew this was a spiritual distraction as he had never felt this thirsty on normal days. So he just kept his mind on the worship and the presence of the Lord. By the time the service finished around 1.30am he felt normal and fresh.

On the morning of the Yom Kippur, he got up with five hours of sleep to prepare for his outstation drive. He wetted his throat with a small seep (about a mouthful) of water (so he was keeping a modified form of Yom Kippur).  He read the Word of God and prayed a bit. By the time he left the house after feeding his dog, it was 10am. During the two hours drive he felt normal except that he did not dare talk with his traveling companions. He listened to an intercessor’s preaching of the kingdom of God. 

On arrival of his destination, he went into a room and spent the afternoon alone, reading the Word of God, listening to the Word (on his pocket MP4), working on some of his verses stored in his notebook. He also lied down for awhile with the MP4 on and the room saturated with Bible verses. He was led to read Zechariah and listen to the Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy! 

By the time he has fasted 19.5 hours, his wife gave him a glass of fruit juice and told him the helper has just made it. She did not join him in the fasting but she refrained her comments. He knew it was not possible for him at this point of time to fast liquid until the 25th hour, so he decided to take the glass and spent half an hour drinking it. After that he took more plain water since he had broken his fast on water. He had his light dinner of fish and vegetable around the 23rd hour of fasting food. He then realized with regret that in his hurry to leave home he forgot to bring the apple truffle which his wife had kept for him in the fridge from previous night! However the bath was refreshing and a real comfort!

He summarizes the experience as follows: 

Physical aspect: fasting food was not a problem at all as he has been practicing fasting some main meals for quite sometime. The three meals on the previous day were more than sufficient to sustain him.

Mental aspect: he was drowsy during the afternoon hours. However he could listen to the Word of the Lord and let the Word, which is spirit and life feed his spirit. He wanted to write but he could not do much. 

Emotion aspect: he felt a sense of peace and rest in the Lord. There was no hurry to do or accomplish anything. However, the time seemed longer to pass as he felt thirsty. 

Discipline aspect: he was not able to discipline strictly as he took seeps of water (about four small mouthfuls) at critical intervals.

Spiritual aspect: this is the awesome part. 

Was he able to identify with the Jews who keep Yom Kippur? He could feel the physical (including the mental and emotional) discomfort to a certain extent. Spiritually he could not pray much. Instead, he went through a whole afternoon soaked in God’s Word: a review of Israel’s history, in the eyes of God, past and future. Leviticus and Deuteronomy narrate their past. Zechariah speaks of their future. The Word session was powerful. He was led through a journey of sadness and hope. His heart was overwhelmed by the heart of God. 

As a finale for this memorable day, in the evening he was led to listen to the psalms. The Word of God again displays His mercy, goodness, power and glory! He listened from psalm 1 to psalm 77. Then he stopped. God spoke to him through His Word!

Psalm 77 describes how Israel relate themselves to God. The psalm aptly reflects the Yom Kippur spirit, the watchman thought.

1-3 I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long, I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for His help. 

4-9 You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I searched my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will He never again be kind to me? Is His unfailing love gone forever? Have His promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He slammed the door on His compassion?

10-12 And I said, “this is my fate, the Most High has turned His hand against me.” But then I recall all You have done, O Lord; I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about Your mighty works. 

13-15 O God, Your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as You? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate Your awesome power among the nations. By Your strong arm, You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. 

16-18 When the Red Sea saw You, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths. The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed. Your thunder roared from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook. 

10-20 Your road led through the sea, Your pathway through the mighty waters- a pathway no one knew was there! You led Your people along that road like a flock of sheep, when Moses and Aaron were their shepherds. 

September 18, 2010, 10:09 PM