Activated Basic Course 6: Share Your Faith (part 3)

The Bible on Truth

Today the meaning of the word “truth” has often come to refer to either “something honest or factual,” or to someone’s personal worldview. In the following verses of the Bible, truth is used in the deeper sense of “a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality.”

We should seek truth.
Psalm 25:5: Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

1 Timothy 2:3–4 CSB: This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

God’s Word is truth.
Psalm 119:151 NKJV: You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth.

John 17:17: Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

God has promised to reveal His truth to us.
John 8:31–32: So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 16:13: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Jesus is truth.
John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Truth is pervasive and timeless.
Psalm 119:160 NKJV: The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Psalm 100:5 NKJV: For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Prayer for the Day

Dear Jesus, thank You for the privilege of being called to be witnesses of the truth of Your salvation and love to a lost and desperate world. It is a priceless calling to serve as ambassadors for the King of the universe.

May we be compelled by Your love to help each lost soul that crosses our path to have the opportunity to find salvation and rest in Your arms (2 Corinthians 5:14). Embolden each one of us with Holy Spirit power to do our part to reach the world for You. Make us instruments of Your peace to spread Your love and hope in our neighborhood, workplace, and community. Amen.

The Results

By Maria Fontaine

Even when you don’t see the results of your witness right away, God has promised that His Word will not return unto Him void; it will accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 55:11). You may not see the results of your witness in this life because you don’t always know if, how, or when the seeds of truth you plant in someone’s heart will take root. Perhaps the person you witnessed to will eventually find the Lord due in part to something that you said, or your witness will have worked in their heart to cause them to be more receptive when another Christian witnesses to them or they read or hear about the gospel.

We can’t always expect to be the sowers and the reapers, because the Lord said that some sow and some water, but it is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6–7). Sometimes we enter into other people’s labors to share the good news and sometimes others enter into ours. Sometimes we lead people to the Lord who have been a long time in preparation before reaching the point where they would yield their lives to Him. We come along at just that strategic moment when they are ready to receive Jesus, and we’re able to reap due to all that has been sown and watered by others.

We may come on the scene in someone’s life at the beginning stage as the sowers, where we plant the initial seed of the gospel. Or we may water the seed that was already planted in their heart by someone else. We may be answering more of their questions and sharing Jesus’ love with them, and the Holy Spirit will continue to work in their heart through the witness they received. We may never see them again, but the Lord uses His Word and the love we shared with them as one more step in bringing that person to Him. Their eventual salvation will be a result in part of our faithfulness to share His love and message with them. 

Not everyone is interested in knowing about Jesus or getting closer to God, so don’t be surprised if some people don’t receive your witness. It can be a bit disheartening when you reach out to people and offer them the most wonderful gift anyone could ever receive, only to have them brush you off, quickly change the subject, or even belittle or berate you. Don’t give up. That person may not be ready to listen or get saved, but the next person might. If you persevere in your witnessing and in prayer, sooner or later you’ll get positive results. (See the Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:5–15.)—Shannon Shayler

Worth It All

When Jesus left this earth and returned to heaven, He explained that He was going ahead of us, to prepare a place for us (John 14:2)—a place where there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain (Revelation 21:4). “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10 NKJV). Knowing what glories, eternal joy, and rewards await us in heaven makes our present difficulties, trials, and tribulations bearable.

Our time on earth is an important part of God’s plan for each of us, but it doesn’t end here. Everything we go through now is not only making us into the men and women we need to be to fulfill His purpose for our lives, but it’s also preparation for the next life. The Bible says that as we contemplate the Lord’s glory, we ourselves are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV).

So when life is a daily struggle and you wonder whether it’s really worth it or if you’re making a difference in the world around you, remember what lies ahead. When your time on earth is over and you meet Jesus and enter His heavenly kingdom, if you have “kept the faith” you’ll receive a reward beyond description for having fought the “good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7–8).

Your heavenly Father watches over you and loves you, and everything that He allows to come into your life—whether it seems good or bad at the time—will ultimately work together for your good (Romans 8:28). If you trust Him through it, you will become a better, wiser, more loving and useful Christian—a tool in His hands, a vessel through which He can pour forth His love and Word to comfort and strengthen others and to bring lost souls to Him.

Keeping your eyes fixed on the final destination—heaven—will encourage and reassure you that the difficulties you go through in this life are worth it all. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus;
Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ!
—Esther Kerr Rusthoi

As My Father Sent Me

From Jesus with Love

As My Father sent Me, so send I you. I send you out into a world of hurt and loss, pain and suffering, heartbreak and loneliness, need and yearning, so you can give this lost and lonely world what I have given you. Freely give of My love, compassion, and understanding to those who need it so desperately.

Wherever you are and whatever situation you’re in, there are people nearby who need My love. I not only want to give them eternal life, I also want to give them life more abundant here and now—love, peace, understanding, and fulfillment. I want to transform their lives both on earth and in the hereafter.

Your words of friendship and compassion demonstrate My love and concern for them, that I want to be their friend forever. For those who have few faithful friends, your sympathy and understanding touches their heart. Your peace and trust and certainty of hope in the midst of life’s storms are something they yearn for. The genuine love they see in you is like sitting in front of a warm fireplace on a cold winter night.

Everyone has influence, and when you influence a person for good, that person influences others for good as well, and the ripples of My love continue outward.

For more information on Activated, visit our website or write to us.
Website: activated.org
Email: activated@activated.org

© 2023 Activated. All Rights Reserved.
Designed by Gentian Suçi.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright © 2001 by Good News Publishers. Used by permission. Other Bible quotations are from the following sources: New Living Translation (NLT). Copyright © 1978, 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permission. New Century Version (NCV). Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. New King James Version® (NKJV). Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Activated Basic Course 6: Share Your Faith (part 2)

The Woman at the Well

Although most of us have heard the term “good Samaritan,” we may not be aware of who the Samaritans were and the enmity that existed between the Jewish people and the Samaritans. This enmity was rooted in history.

In the year 720 BC, the king of the Assyrian Empire had invaded Israel and carried the ten northern tribes away as captives to the land of Assyria. He then brought in foreign people to inhabit the cities of northern Israel where the Jews had once lived, which then became known as Samaria. (See 2 Kings 17:22–34.)

Many inhabitants of this region were descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel, but they had intermarried and assimilated into the non-Jewish culture of the people who came to settle there. These people came to worship the God of the Jews, but they did not consider Jerusalem to be a holy city, nor did they worship in the Jewish temple there. For them, Mount Gerizim in Samaria was the holiest spot where God was to be worshipped, and they built a temple atop it. Because the customs and religious worship of the Samaritans were different from theirs, the Jews avoided associating with them.

On one occasion, while traveling in Judea, Jesus decided to return to His home province of Galilee. The shortest, most direct route between Judea and Galilee was through Samaria, but since the Jews would have no dealings with the Samaritans, they would make a long detour around Samaria to avoid crossing through their land. But to His disciples’ surprise, Jesus ignored such conventions and led them straight through Samaria.

After Jesus and His disciples had walked through Samaria for many miles over rough and rugged terrain, they arrived at Jacob’s well, which the patriarch Jacob and his sons had dug nearly 2,000 years earlier.

The thirsty, travel-weary band gathered round the well to slake their thirst, but they had no jug to draw water with and the well was over 100 feet deep. They were also out of food. Half a mile ahead lay the Samaritan city of Sychar, so it was decided that the disciples would go there to buy food. But Jesus was weary from the journey, so He stayed behind and sat by the well to rest (John 4:5–6).

Shortly thereafter, a woman came down the road carrying an empty water jug. As she approached the well, she was surprised to see a stranger sitting there. She looked at him suspiciously and thought, “Obviously a Jew.” Hoping he wouldn’t bother her, she prepared to lower her bucket into the well.

“Will you give me a drink?” Jesus asked.

Surprised, the woman looked at Him. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” she asked (John 4:7–9).

Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that said to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water!”

The woman replied, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where can you get this ‘living water’ from?” Perhaps seeking to put this Jewish stranger in His place, she added, “Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and his herds?” (John 4:10–12).

Jesus responded by saying, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life!”

Now here was an extraordinary statement! Not quite sure if she understood Him, she answered, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming all the way here to draw water” (John 4:13–15).

Jesus unexpectedly replied, “First go call your husband, and come back,” to which she replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus then said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband” (John 4:16–18).

The woman was shocked! How could this total stranger know such details of her private life unless He was a prophet? She decided this would be a good person to ask the most disputed religious question of the day.

“Sir,” she said, “I can see that you are a prophet.” She then pointed to the temple atop Mount Gerizim and said, “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

Jesus replied, “Believe Me, the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. But the time is coming—and has now come—when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:19–24).

The woman was astonished at His answer. “How wonderful,” she thought, “if we could just worship God in our hearts wherever we are!” She then proceeded to ask a greater question about the long-awaited coming of the Messiah.

“I know that the Messiah is coming, he who is called the Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things.”

Jesus looked into her eyes and said, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:25–26).

The woman looked at Jesus in amazement. Could He really be the Messiah, the Christ?

Just at that moment, Jesus’ disciples returned from town, and they marveled that He was speaking with a woman. As they approached, the woman left her water pot and ran back to the town.

When she arrived at the marketplace, she called out excitedly, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Can He be the Christ?!” (John 4:28–29). Seeing her conviction and enthusiasm, many people believed her account that she had spoken with the long-awaited Messiah.

Before long, Jesus’ disciples saw a large crowd of people rushing toward them, the woman in their midst. The people urged Jesus to stay with them and teach them. Jesus agreed to do so, and the Samaritans, rejoicing, led them back to Sychar.

For two days, Jesus taught in their city, and hearing the beautiful words of truth He taught, many people came to believe in Him, and remarked to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; for now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!” (John 4:39–42).

On the last day, as Jesus and His disciples were preparing to continue their journey to Galilee, a multitude from the city gathered to bid them farewell. The Samaritan woman bid Jesus farewell with a smile of joy, for now she fully understood the meaning of His words that day at the well, and a spring of living water welled up in her soul.

From this beautiful story in the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus broke with the traditions of His day to reach lost and lonely souls with God’s love and truth. Not only did He look past the cultural, ethnic, and religious differences of the Samaritans so He could offer them the truth, He also looked past the sins of the woman at the well and saw a soul that earnestly longed for God’s love. This story teaches us that God’s love and salvation in Jesus are for all people. “For God so loved the world [and every person in it] that He gave His Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Sharing Your Faith

By Li Lian

Sharing our faith is something that many of us feel we should do but sometimes don’t know where to start. Here are some helpful tips.

Ask meaningful questions. Asking specific questions helps steer the course of the conversation. Jesus often started His teaching by asking a rhetorical question. “He said to them, ‘Which of you…?’” (Luke 11:5).

Listen to the answers. Listening to people enables them to open up and share about their lives and the current issues they are facing. “Everyone should be quick to listen” (James 1:19 NIV).

Be adaptable. Finding out about the people we interact with will help us better understand them and relate the gospel to them. “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Tell a story to illustrate your point. Jesus was an expert at using parables and stories to capture His audience’s interest and teach a lesson (Mark 4:2). There are times in a conversation where “This reminds me of a story I once heard…” can lead to a deeper discussion and witness.

Use current events and happenings. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus referred to local happenings when answering people’s questions, which enabled Him to bring out God’s perspective on the situations. (See Luke 13:4.)

Share your personal testimony. Explaining how you found Jesus or how God worked in your life makes the Christian faith a practical, living, real-world experience. The apostle Paul frequently shared his conversion story as part of his witness. (See Acts 26:1–23.)

Use gospel literature. A tract or other Christian literature is an effective way to share a witness with people you encounter throughout your day (2 Timothy 4:2).

Be kind and gracious. Not everyone will understand or accept what you believe, but it will be easier for them to consider if your speech is kind and gracious. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

Bring them to a decision. Everyone should be given a chance to know Jesus as their personal Friend and Savior. Sometimes a person receives Jesus on the first meeting, other times it can take years before the person is ready. While the decision is theirs to make, we can do our part to offer them the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

Li Lian is a CompTIA certified professional and works as an Office and Systems Administrator for a humanitarian organization in Africa.

What Is Truth?

By Marge Banks

Standing in the judgment hall of Roman-controlled Jerusalem, face to face with Jesus, the prophet of Galilee, the procurator Pontius Pilate asked what was to become one of the most famous questions of all time: “What is truth?” Pilate apparently failed to realize that the answer was standing right in front of him. The Bible tells us that “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), and Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Today we live in a world of relativism, where it would seem there are no absolutes. Relativism alleges that truth is subjective, elusive, changeable. Politicians utter promises they can’t or don’t intend to keep; spin doctors mislead; the world’s commerce is driven by greed at the expense of integrity; history is revised; news reports are frequently biased, sensationalized, or otherwise distorted; modern entertainment blurs the lines between reality and fantasy; the Bible is viewed as mythical, irrelevant, and inappropriate for today’s needs.

People may imagine what they will, disparage as they will, and try to make reality conform to their own desires and agendas, but that doesn’t change the truth. As Mohandas Gandhi put it, “God is, even though the whole world deny Him. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.”

Those who close their minds to that reality unwittingly fulfill some of the saddest words in the Bible: “[Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10–11). Even many sincere seekers of the truth look first in the wrong places. While they explore new forms of spirituality or take a psychological route toward self-improvement, for example, like Pilate they miss what is right in front of them: the liberating truth and love of God, which He freely extends to them.

But those who read the Bible with open minds and believing hearts will find what they’ve been searching for—answers to life’s deepest questions and love vast enough to fill the deepest void—the truth. “If you abide in My word,” Jesus promises, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32).

Truth is timeless. Truth does not differ from one age to another, from one people to another, from one geographical location to another. The great all-prevailing Truth stands for time and eternity.—Billy Graham (To be continued)

Activated Basic Course 6: Share Your Faith (part 1)

2024-01-01

Calling of an Ambassador

Editor’s Introduction

A story is told of William Gladstone (1809–1898), a famous Christian who was England’s prime minister four times and one of the most prominent British political leaders of the 1800s. As he went up the steps of the parliament building, he often would stop and share the good news about Jesus with the little newsboy there.

But one day as he and his secretary were going into parliament, another newsboy rushed up to them, exclaiming, “Please, sir, the boy who sells papers here was run over by a carriage yesterday, and he’s badly hurt. He’s going to die, and he’s asking for you to come and get him in.” The prime minister questioned, “What do you mean, ‘get him in’?” The lad replied, “You know, get him in to heaven!”

Gladstone’s secretary, however, protested, “You don’t have time to visit a dying newsboy! You know how important your speech is. It could change the course of history.”

Gladstone hesitated only a moment, then said, “One immortal soul is worth more than my speech in parliament.” So off to the little garret he went, where the newsboy lay crushed and dying on a rough mat in the corner. With tears streaming down his face, Gladstone led the boy in a prayer to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The newsboy looked up into the great man’s face and whispered, “I knew you’d come. Thank you for getting me in.” Then he closed his eyes and went to be with Jesus.

You and I may not be part of an earthly diplomatic corps, but no matter who we are or where we’re from, if we have Jesus, we are called to be His ambassadors. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21), and the apostle Paul wrote, “We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT). May we each be faithful to our calling to bring the gospel and the love of Christ to as many people as we can.

Sharing the Good News

By Maria Fontaine

The most important thing when it comes to your witness is your love for Jesus and the lost, and having the faith that the Lord will work through you as you reach out to share the good news with others. We each have unique opportunities for sharing the gospel with people and making a difference in their lives. In doing so, we are changing our part of the world! If just one person’s life is changed through our witness, that person can in turn go on to reach others.

We each have a precious treasure—we have the truth. We have experienced the wonderful gift of salvation and a personal relationship with Jesus. We have the privilege of sharing God’s truth and love with others.

While communicating the good news of salvation in person with someone is ideal, giving someone a gospel tract or other Christian literature to read is also a very effective method of sharing the gospel. When you don’t have time to enter into conversation with someone, a tract can be a fruitful way to convey God’s love and truth.

Even if you feel inadequate in your witness and you are not able to answer every question people may ask, even if you can’t recall a lot of scriptures by memory, you can still share the good news with others. Of course‚ it is important to build your knowledge of God’s Word by studying the Bible to become a “good worker who correctly explains the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NLT).

It is also important to learn as much as you can over time about the foundations of your faith. Your faith will be strengthened by studying God’s Word, and you also need an understanding of the Bible to help those you reach to come to the Lord and to grow in their faith. You want to be able to share scriptures when people ask questions so that you can “be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

But it is important to remember that God is the one who does the work through you (Philippians 2:13). You have to do your part to share the message and the truth, but then it’s the Lord’s Spirit that works in people’s hearts and brings them to a knowledge of truth.

Jesus has commissioned us, as Christians, to preach the gospel in all the world to everyone (Mark 16:15 NLT). May Jesus give you the courage, vision, and faith to reach your part of the world with the good news.

Maria Fontaine is a Christian author and retired co-director of the Family International, a Christian online network.

Ambassadors for Christ

By Peter Amsterdam

As Christians, we are called to put our faith into action and reach out to weary and troubled hearts, the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and needy. Jesus came to serve, and we are called to do likewise. Serving those in need is a beautiful way to express our faith. The underprivileged, the needy, and the hungry need to know they are loved and cared about, that they are valued. God values them, and as Christians, we do as well.

Serving in orphanages, visiting the sick, ministering to prisoners, digging wells, teaching the underprivileged, participating in medical camps, advocating for the oppressed, and so much more, are valuable ways to make the world a better place and to bring the Spirit of Jesus into the lives of those in need.

Saint Augustine once said: “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

Living our faith and following in Jesus’ footsteps means putting faith into action and caring for others in every possible way, and doing so as unto the Lord. We reach out to those who may be impoverished, afflicted, and in need of God’s healing balm and hope for the future. We search out those who may be healthy and wealthy, but who are weary, troubled, and lost. We are moved by the plights of those who are persecuted, ostracized from society, or marginalized.

No matter what the circumstances, we try to discern how to best be an example of God’s love. It is part of being the light of the world and the salt of the earth as we shine God’s light of love and truth upon those in need and demonstrate God’s love in action (Matthew 5:14–16). We strive to become like Jesus, having His heart for people, and being moved to do what we can to improve their lives, both spiritually and practically. We walk as Jesus walked. We follow the Master.

What we do for others—our service, our prayers, our giving—we do for Jesus. We don’t do it for recognition, for monetary gain, or to advance in society. We do all that we do, in any ministry or giving of our time, to glorify the Lord.

As 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” We are representatives of Christ. We are citizens of heaven, and we represent the kingdom of God. We’re on temporary assignment on earth to represent our country, our king. It’s a great honor to be an ambassador, and we have a responsibility to conduct ourselves accordingly.

We represent the Prince of Peace and we are tasked with giving His message to the world. And what is that message? The second half of the verse clearly presents the message that we are to give: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

There are millions, even billions, of people who do not know God personally, who have never heard of Jesus and who have no knowledge of the gift of salvation and the treasure of eternal life that awaits them at their acceptance of Jesus as their Savior. Our privilege is to share that good news, to introduce people to Jesus, and ultimately, to bring as many people as possible to heaven with us.

May we each be an active and worthy ambassador of Christ. We represent the most spectacular realm in the whole universe—the kingdom of God. It is truly a privilege to serve as one of God’s ambassadors, and we can and should convey Jesus’ love, care, and compassion in everything we do, whether small or great. By “taking the form of a servant,” Jesus set the greatest example of service this world will ever see (Philippians 2:7).

Our love for Jesus moves us to serve others on His behalf. It motivates us to be His ambassadors in whatever situation we find ourselves. It compels us to assist those in need, and to provide hope and healing to those with broken hearts.

We can be His hands to help and touch, His mouth to speak the truth and give encouragement and hope, His eyes to convey compassion, His feet to walk alongside a weary soul, and His arms to help carry their heavy burden. We do this for Him, as unto Him, because we are trying to do what He would do if He were here. We have the recorded example of Jesus’ life on earth that shows us how much He loved us. We know from the Bible how compassionately He interacted with people in His day.

Jesus has entrusted us with the responsibility of passing on His personal, unconditional, all-encompassing love to our fellow man and fellow woman, to those who share the planet with us today. Let’s be like Jesus. Let’s love like Jesus. Let’s open our hearts to others on Jesus’ behalf. Let’s be clear conduits for God to heal and save this needy and broken world.

Peter Amsterdam is a Christian author and Bible teacher, and retired co-director of the Family International, a Christian online network.

All Things to All People

By Uday Paul

The Bible tells us, ”Do not be shaped by this world” (Romans 12:2 NCV). It also tells us to “become all things to all people” so that by all means some might be saved (1 Corinthians 9:22). At first glance, these instructions may seem contradictory, but they can actually complement each other. God does not want us to conform to ungodly attitudes, no matter how prevalent they may be, but He does want us to be attuned to society in ways that enable us to better show His love to others and bring them closer to Him.

The apostle Paul was a good example of this kind of flexibility as he worked to spread Christianity to a great variety of people. When addressing a predominantly Jewish audience in Antioch, for example, he reminded them of the history of Israel from the time of Moses to the time of David, and then he showed how Jesus had fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah (Acts 13:14–49). But when Paul spoke to the Areopagus council in Athens, made up of sophisticated Greeks who would not have been interested in hearing a history of the Jewish people, he began by referring to an altar he had seen in the city, which bore the inscription “To an Unknown God.” Then he quoted Greek poets to show that the attributes of this god—creation, providence, and judgment—were fulfilled in Jesus (Acts 17:22–31).

Francis Xavier (1506–1552) also lived the “all things to all men in order to win some” principle. In order to relate to the Indian people who considered humility a virtue, he wore shabby attire and traveled on foot. When he later visited Japan, however, he found that humility was not considered a virtue and poverty was despised, so he adapted his dress code accordingly. Xavier did what was needed to present Jesus in the most relatable way possible to the people he wanted to reach.

Jesus Himself “became all things to all people” when He left the grand halls of heaven and the intimate fellowship that He shared with His Father to come to earth in human form (Philippians 2:5–7). He did this so that He could better relate to us, better understand our problems and weaknesses, and sacrifice Himself for the forgiveness of our sins (Hebrews 2:17). Jesus calls us to follow His example and manifest our love for others by reaching people where they’re at with the gospel message.

Uday Paul is a freelance writer, volunteer, and teacher based in India.

Not Willing That Any Should Perish

By Maria Fontaine

God’s great love and grace reaches out to all His creations, and He didn’t create some people that He loves less and others that He loves more. He didn’t label people of one race, ethnicity, class, or culture as the most favored, and the rest as less so. God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34).

As Christians, we are called to love all people regardless of their background, social standing, or any other characteristic. Jesus died and gave His life for all humankind. He has shown the greatest love possible by dying for each of us.

God loves all humankind equally, and He gave His Son for each one. The Bible tells us that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). In God’s love for all His creations, He yearns that every person would come to repentance and accept His free gift of salvation through Jesus. Jesus died for all people, and He is not willing that any person should perish, no matter who they are (2 Peter 3:9).

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). And when we align our lives with God’s vision for humanity, we too can look past the differences in other people to see their inestimable worth and dignity as unique individuals created in the image of God. We can learn to love our neighbors and do our part to bring peace to the world by asking God to give us His love for others. The Bible says, “Christ left us an example, that we should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Every person is invaluable to God. He wants everyone to receive salvation through Jesus, and He rejoices when they do. God is no respecter of persons. Everyone, no matter what their worldly status, is a sinner before Him in need of His love and redemption. A Christian’s responsibility is to preach the gospel to everyone, especially to those whom He brings across our paths.

Every nation on earth has people who need Jesus. In every city and every neighborhood there are people who need Him. You can be an instrument to bring Christ to them. They need the unconditional love of God. They need Christians who can not only help them find salvation in Jesus, but walk alongside them on their path in Christian growth. Whoever God brings across your path, whoever He calls you to reach, be “ready in season and out of season” to share the good news with them (2 Timothy 4:2).—Peter Amsterdam (To be continued)

Activated Basic Course 5: Live Your Faith (part 3)

Always with You

The Bible lets us know that we can expect to go through some difficult times while we’re on this earth (John 16:33). The good news is that it also promises that we won’t have to go through them alone. God promises to always be there for us. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 NLT).

God wants to hear about our burdens and for us to give Him all our cares, so that He can bring hope to our heart, peace to our soul, and strength to our life (1 Peter 5:7). Of course, God is not only interested in our struggles; He cares about everything we experience throughout our lives, from our smallest victories to our greatest fears and everything in between.

Once Jesus comes into our lives, His presence is always with us (Hebrews 13:5).

The School of Life

By Maria Fontaine

Life is often likened to going to school, and that’s a good analogy. God allows all sorts of things to happen in our lives to test us, to see how we’ll react to them, to teach us lessons, and to help us grow spiritually. His desire through all this, of course, is that we’ll apply ourselves, take the lessons to heart, learn from them, and live up to our full potential. In short, life’s tests are designed by Him to help us become the people He knows we can be.

One of the things that God uses to bring us along is our human weaknesses. Everyone has their share of those. Among other things, our weaknesses and failings teach us humility, patience, and other virtues. They teach us the power of prayer, which helps us to live closer to God and become more dependent on Him, and they help us to better understand others, thereby putting us in a better position to help encourage them through their problems and tests.

We are meant to learn from our weaknesses and shortcomings, as well as from our mistakes and poor decisions. The first step is to acknowledge the problem, and the next step is to determine to do something about it to overcome that weakness with God’s help. God wants to help you overcome your weaknesses, and He will if you ask Him to.

So the next time you find yourself struggling with some personal weakness, take it as a challenge. Choose to learn from it, and you’ll soon find yourself excelling in the school of life. 

Cultivating Character

God created us “in His own image” (Genesis 1:26), but He’s not done yet. It’s an ongoing process. We all share some basic aspects of His nature from birth—we are eternal, spiritual beings with the capacity to reason, love, and distinguish right from wrong—but developing godly character is a lifelong process. It’s also a big part of why we’re here. What should we strive to be like? The following Bible passage provides some insight:

“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT).

The Sermon on the Mount also serves as a guide, as Jesus highlights as blessed those who are merciful, meek, and peacemakers, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:3–9). The Bible’s “love chapter” highlights the supremacy of love: “Love is patient and kind… Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”
(1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

The Making of a Violin

By Amy Mizrany

One morning, I walked into my music teacher’s classroom to start my violin lesson and noticed two violins on the desk. My eye was immediately drawn to the first one, which looked new. A brand-new violin is something to behold, with gorgeous curves, a glossy, unscratched surface that shines in the light, and an engagingly twisting scroll fitted with squeaky tuning pegs.

Next to this beautiful violin freshly out of the hands of some expert violin maker was another violin. Its curves were still gorgeous, but in some places the outline was disturbed by a crack or scuff in the wood; its surface was dull and scratched; its scroll still twirled, but the pegs were surrounded by chips, and the neck was worn where years of hands had held it.

Yuck! one might think. That’s about as messed up as a violin can get without falling apart! But as my teacher told me, while new violins look perfect, it’s the old violins that sound beautiful. They’ve been bumped, clanged, dropped, forgotten. And they sound all the sweeter because of it.

A violin needs time to find its tone, to fully grow into its voice. To reach its full potential, a violin must be played for hours on end. It must be tuned and re-tuned. Its strings will snap, its bridge might slip, its pegs might come undone. But it’s all part of the process.

Sometimes I feel like I’m being endlessly bumped, clanged, dropped, and forgotten. Sometimes it feels like I’m scuffed up, chipped, and beginning to crack. There are days when my nerves snap, just like a string on my violin, and I most assuredly don’t feel beautiful. But from the seemingly never-ending succession of days, from each slip and bang, I learn. While I may not be able to compare to the flawless and beautiful, I grow and mature. And just like a century-old violin is beautiful to a violinist, I am beautiful to Jesus.

So don’t feel bad if you have a bad day or you slip up and fall. You may feel like you’re full of chips and scratches, but it’s just a part of the process that helps you to stretch and improve. Every clang and dent will leave you wiser, and your life’s melody will be the sweeter for it.

Amy Mizrany was born and lives in South Africa and is a full-time missionary with Helping Hand and a member of the Family International. In her spare time, she plays the violin.

All Things Work Together for Your Good

One of the most encouraging and comforting things that a Christian needs to constantly remember—particularly when going through times of trouble, trials, and tribulations—is that our heavenly Father loves us and is in sovereign control of our lives. Even if we don’t always understand exactly why we’re going through such trials, God has promised in His Word that “all things work together for good to those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

He will never permit anything to happen to you, His child, that He will not somehow work together for your good. Of course, you may be tempted to feel like a lot of things have happened that don’t look very good to you. But with time, you finally found out sooner or later that somehow or another they did work together for good.—Or you will yet discover that, whether in this life or in the next!

The following true story illustrates this principle:

One chilly winter morning, a fishing fleet launched out from a small harbor on the east coast of Newfoundland. In the afternoon there arose a great storm. When night settled, not a single vessel of all the fleet had found its way back into port. All night long, wives, mothers, children, and sweethearts paced up and down the windswept beach, wringing their hands and calling on God to save their lost loved ones. To add to the horror of the situation, one of their cottages caught fire. Since the men were away, it was impossible to put out the blaze and save it.

When morning broke, to the joy of all, the entire fleet had returned safely to harbor in the bay. But there was one face which was a picture of despair—the wife of the man whose home had been destroyed in the fire. Meeting her husband as he landed, she cried, “We are ruined! Our home and everything in it were destroyed by fire!” But the man exclaimed to her surprise, “Thank God for that fire! It was the light of our burning cottage that safely guided the whole fleet into port.”

Whatever God does or allows in the lives of His children who love Him, He always does so in love. Look to Jesus in your times of trouble, and trust in the promise in His Word that whatever you’re going through, He will truly work together for good. “For every one of God’s promises is ‘Yes’ in Christ, and through him we also say ‘Amen’ to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20 CSB). 

Our Father

Prayer for the Day

Dear Father, You saved us through Your Son’s sacrificial death and adopted us into Your family, so that now we have You—the one above all others, the Creator of all things—as our Father. As we come to know You and Your love, power, and holiness, we want to give You the reverence You so heartily deserve.

You are God, holy, present, and righteous, and You deserve our praise and worship. May we add our voices to those in heaven who never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4:8). And may we echo the words of those in the Bible who cast their crowns before Your throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:10–11).

May You reign in our lives and throughout all the world and may we be faithful to share the joyous news of salvation with others. Teach us to live according to the principles of Your kingdom; help us to be conscious of them in our choices and decisions, so that we may reflect You and Your ways.

Work in the lives of all those who believe in You, so that as many as possible will come to know You and live in a manner that reflects life in Your kingdom. For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and glory forever and ever. Amen.

When I think about how to sum up who God is in a single phrase, “unconditional love” comes to mind. Of course, God is many things and cannot be confined to one phrase or term, but as we know from 1 John 4:8, God is love. That is His very nature. The nature of God’s love, its unconditionality and universality, is truly a wonderful thing. Too often, the love we see in society is predicated on the value that the other person provides, and when that value ceases or is no longer needed, the love fades with it. Not so with God’s love. He delights in our company and wants to befriend us. God’s deep and abiding love motivates His continual call to each human being He has created, inviting them into relationship with Him.—Peter Amsterdam

You Can Rely On Me

From Jesus with Love

You can find safety and serenity even in the midst of turmoil, when the proverbial winds of fear blow about you and the currents of worry threaten to sweep you away. That’s because I am the author of true peace. You can rely on Me in the middle of any storm, any disaster, any tragedy, or any disease that threatens to harm you or those you love.

I am concerned about every detail of your life. I am here for you even in the midst of difficulty. I want to give you faith and strength, comfort and reassurance. I also wish to help you be a calming influence on others.

Wonderful and supernatural peace, as well as protection, can be found by calling out to Me. You could pray something like this: “Jesus, I need peace of mind and heart. I need calm and trust in spite of what’s happening around me. I need stability. Please keep and protect me and those I care about. Please enter my heart, my spirit, and my life and fill me with calm, trust, and peace.”

If you ask Me, I will give you peace of heart and mind. My love will surround, keep, and care for you in natural and supernatural ways.

I will not only keep you through this present situation, but I will also help you to safely navigate the entire journey of life and all the experiences and tests and personal growth ahead of you while you’re on earth. I will take you by the hand and lead you in the ways of truth. I will answer your questions and provide help with your problems.

My love will ensure that you have a blessed passage through life—through all of its ups and downs and twists and turns—until you eventually join Me to live forever in My heavenly realm of eternal peace and love and happiness.

I’m always here for you,
Jesus

For more information on Activated, visit our website or write to us.
Website: activated.org
Email: activated@activated.org

© 2023 Activated. All Rights Reserved.
Designed by Gentian Suçi.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright © 2001 by Good News Publishers. Used by permission. Other Bible quotations are from the following sources: The Living Bible (TLB). Copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permission. New Living Translation (NLT). Copyright © 1978, 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permission. New King James Version® (NKJV). Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

A Living Sacrifice

By Marie Alvero

“Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1 NLT).

I believe that God has given us power and agency to make changes and choices for our lives, but I also sometimes feel how easy it is to get distracted with “self-help” ideologies. Designing our “best lives” and making five-year plans, for example, are positive actions, but we need to find a way to reconcile that with “giving our bodies as a living sacrifice.”

That’s a really interesting Bible verse, because it’s not just talking about our thoughts or our beliefs being presented to God, but our bodies too. That means what we are physically doing with our lives should be to His glory. The King James version of this verse calls that our “reasonable” service—so, not super amazing, not award-winning, but just your “starter package” Christianity being lived out.

When you look at following Jesus in that context, it gets real. It’s not just an ideology, but something you spend your time on, something you give yourself to. “Sacrifice” doesn’t imply that life is going to be dreary or tough, without any fun or ambition or dreams. That’s not it. True fulfillment can only be found in staying close to God and following His plan.

While we all have hopes, dreams, and expectations for our lives, we need to ask ourselves what God needs from us. What does a “living sacrifice” look like in our personal lives and walk with Him?

Marie Alvero is a former missionary to Africa and Mexico. She currently lives a happy, busy life with her husband and children in Central Texas, USA.

Our souls receive personality from God. They are designed to be filled by Him. The danger for us all comes when we crowd them full of our own petty ambitions and our shortsighted ideas of fulfillment and leave no room for the work that must be done in us.—William Kirk Kilpatrick

Sacrifice alone, bare and unrelieved, is ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illuminated by love, is warmth and life; it is the death of Christ, the life of God, and the blessedness and only proper life of man.—Frederick W. Robertson (1816–1853)

The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn’t some broad, general outline—it’s a long walk with a real Person. Details count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts of kindness, brief victories over nagging sins.—Joni Eareckson Tada

Spiritual Growth

By Peter Amsterdam

If you want to be physically fit, you have to eat right, exercise, and put some time and effort into building good physical habits. Similarly, if you want spiritual growth—if you want to be spiritually fit—it will require investing in a spiritual regimen. Here are five foundational principles for spiritual growth.

Devotional input. Making time daily for godly input and spiritual nourishment is paramount to a vibrant spiritual life. The Bible says that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The Bible is the Word of God. Just as we need to eat physical food every day for sustenance, we need daily spiritual nourishment. Another source is devotional, faith-building material (or media) authored by godly men and women. The inspired writings of other Christians can serve to strengthen your faith, open your understanding of the Scriptures, and help you to practically apply God’s Word to your life.

Develop an active prayer life. Prayer is a key component of our spiritual life; it’s how we communicate with God, our Creator. We can speak with Him, praise and worship Him, and tell Him our concerns, troubles, needs, and ask Him for His help, intervention, and strength. Prayer is asking for the will of God to be done, and through prayer, we listen to His voice and seek His guidance, encouragement, comfort, and instruction. Through prayer, we can cast all of our earthly cares upon His strong shoulders.

Keep your heart right with God. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. Jesus understands our flaws and human weaknesses, as He experienced life as a human. When He gave His life for the forgiveness of our sins and our redemption, He knew very well that we’d never get everything right, no matter how hard we tried. We can enter into that wonderful place of peace and forgiveness by regularly confessing our faults, mistakes, and sins to Him. We can find peace in His forgiveness as we humble ourselves, acknowledge our faults, and run to His outstretched arms.

Follow God (His Word, voice, and guidance). Another foundational point for spiritual growth is doing what God’s Word says to do. We are called to obey what God asks of all Christians, as well as His personal guidance and instruction to us as individuals.

Participate in a community of believers. When we spend time with other Christians—worshipping, reading God’s Word, singing and praying together—we come away stronger. We are refreshed, our vision is clarified, and we are better prepared for what God will bring into our lives.

To cultivate a thriving spiritual life, put these five foundational points into practice. You’ll be happy with the results.

The Parables of Jesus

When Jesus spoke to the multitudes, He often explained deep truths by means of parables—stories about common events, circumstances, and things that His listeners could easily relate to. Times have changed, but the timeless truths contained in the parables of Jesus are just as relevant today and just as feeding to our souls as they were to those who first heard them 2,000 years ago!

The Parable of the Sower: The seed of God’s Word
Matthew 13:3–23
Key Verse • Matthew 13:23 NLT: The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

The Good Samaritan: “Who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:25–37
Key Verses • Luke 10:36–37 NLT: “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

The Prodigal Son: God’s everlasting love
Luke 15:11–32
Key Verses • Luke 15:18–20 NLT: I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.” … And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

The Two Houses: What is your foundation?
Matthew 7:24–27
Key Verses • Matthew 7:24–25: Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

The Unmerciful Servant: A lesson in forgiveness
Matthew 18:23–35
Key Verses • Matthew 18:32–33 NIV: Then the master … said, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”

The Rich Fool: Be generous—Don’t hoard material goods
Luke 12:16–21
Key Verses • Luke 12:20–21 NIV: But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.

Making Godly Decisions

One of the traits of humankind, as beings created in the image of God, is free will, which includes both the ability to make decisions and the responsibility for the outcomes of our decisions. Learning to make decisions that will glorify God and fulfill His will for our lives can be very challenging. It can test and grow our faith, as we seek His will and wait on Him for answers and guidance.

Decision-making for Christians is meant to be a relational process, involving ourselves and God, as we bring all our anxieties to Him, knowing that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He has told us to “come and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18), demonstrating His desire to carry on a conversation with us. He wants to be present and to participate in the conversation as we make decisions. He has promised that His Spirit within us will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

Throughout our lives, we are faced with decisions that affect our future, whether they relate to what career to pursue, who to marry, how to raise our children, where to live, or how to commit to our faith and participate in God’s work. One of the most important steps for finding God’s will and making good decisions is acknowledging Him and committing our ways to Him. The Bible tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV).

Learning to make decisions that will honor God and align with His will and commands is often accompanied by times of soul searching, prayer, and testing. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish what God’s will is in a situation or what decision will produce the best outcomes. At such times, we can wish that a lightning bolt would light up the sky or that we’d be knocked to the ground like the apostle Paul to give us a precise, infallible sign (Acts 9:3–4). And yet, so often, the voice of God is so quiet that if we don’t calm our spirit and open our minds and listen, it can be missed.

How do we play our part in the decision-making process, doing everything in our power to make right decisions, to hush our spirits to hear God’s voice, and to determine the best option in the decisions we make? God’s Word tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

God created us in His image, as rational beings, capable of freewill decisions and of choosing to place Him at the center of our lives. This is one of the ways by which we love God with all our minds: by making conscious decisions to love God, and by seeking to glorify Him in our decisions and ways. This positions us to discern the will of God, as Paul explained in Romans: “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

As you take that first step, God will often either confirm it or new factors will emerge that will shed new light on the situation. You may need to make adjustments, as you discover that the coordinates of your original decision, while pointing you in the right general direction, need to be fine-tuned as you zero in on your final destination. Decision-making is often a process involving many choices, and each one lays the foundation for the next ones.

God usually wants us to do the work of wholeheartedly seeking His will, investigating, analyzing, assessing, and using every means at our disposal to make wise and godly decisions. He rarely seems to do things for us that we are capable of doing. I have found that I make the best decisions when I work in conjunction with Him through analyzing the possibilities and the options, and seeking His guidance through prayer.

As we place God at the center of our lives, acknowledging Him in all our ways, we can trust that He will guide us and help us to make wise decisions.

Activated Basic Course 4: Relationship with God (part 3)

2024-01-01

Heroes of the Faith: Warts and All

By Phillip Lynch

One thing that seems to be unique to the Bible is how the “heroes of faith”—with the exception of Jesus, of course—were far from perfect men and women. As the saying goes, they were portrayed “warts and all.” I love history, and if you read a lot of ancient histories or literature, you get used to heroes being lionized. Their faults, if they had any, seem to have been redacted. But not so with the heroes of the Bible. Personally, I think the warts-and-all approach gives so much more credibility to the Bible.

I get particular encouragement from reading about Jesus’ closest disciples while He was on earth. Let’s start with Peter. Traditionally regarded as the chief of the apostles, Peter has the dubious distinction of having denied that he even knew Jesus on the very night that He needed him most as He was being tried and sentenced to death. And not just once but three times. “But he began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about!’” (Mark 14:71 NASB). Cursing and swearing too? That doesn’t sound very saintly.

John referred to himself in his Gospel as “the disciple Jesus loved” (John 21:20), but Mark records an incident that doesn’t portray John and his brother, James, in a very favorable light:

“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him [Jesus] and said to him, ’Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ’What do you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ’Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory’” (Mark 10:35–37). In Matthew’s account of this incident, he goes on to say: “And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers” (Matthew 20:20–24).

This wasn’t even the first time the disciples had argued about who would be at the top of the heap. “And they came to Capernaum. And when [Jesus] was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest” (Mark 9:33–34).

And then there was Matthew the publican. Publicans were tax collectors and were universally regarded as scoundrels. The Romans had installed the publican system as a way to raise taxes from conquered territories. They auctioned off the tax rights of a region to the highest bidder, who then promised to turn in that amount of money to the imperial treasury on an annual basis.

In reality, these tax farmers were free to collect however much they could and keep the surplus for themselves. They could essentially decide on a whim how much they wanted as taxes. It was a ruthless and thoroughly unfair system that ground the poor into poverty. Some of the biggest names in Rome, such as Brutus and Cassius, co-conspirators in the plot to murder Caesar, were reportedly owners of such companies—although they ran them through third parties, because technically, Romans were not allowed to engage in such a sordid business.

So Matthew was part of this racket, probably working as a subcontractor. He even seems to have had a choice spot at one of the city’s gates where he could collect duties on all goods going in and out. To pious Jews, his financial dealings with Gentiles even rendered him ritually impure. Not an upstanding member of Jewish society by any stretch of the imagination.

And the rest of the disciples? Andrew, Thaddeus, Philip, and Nathanael (aka Bartholomew) barely show up in the four Gospels, but we do know that another—Simon—was formerly a member of the zealot party of violent revolutionaries pledged to overthrow the Roman occupiers and their puppet rulers. And of course, Thomas’ claim to fame is that he doubted Jesus’ resurrection. Not to mention Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast seven devils (Luke 8:2)—yet she was the one to whom He first appeared after His resurrection.

And what about the hero of the book of Acts? Paul was a converted Pharisee who, in his own words, had previously “persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13).

But these disciples—ordinary people made extraordinary by their faith and loyalty to Jesus—are some of my heroes and heroines. They are an inspiration to me, because despite their human weaknesses and lacks, they were faithful to God’s calling and did wonderful things for God and their fellow men. And by God’s grace, we too can be faithful to Him and His calling for our lives.

Phillip Lynch is an expat New Zealand writer living in Atlantic Canada.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth … longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.—Hebrews 11:13–16 NIV

The Joyful Heart

By Marie Alvero

As followers of Jesus, “grateful” should be our default setting when we consider that Jesus died to redeem us from an eternity of being separated from God. This should put a spring in our step and cause all the not-so-great stuff to bounce off as irrelevant. But I tend to succumb to less-than-grateful reactions, because, well, traffic, mess, stress, too little of this, too much of that. You know how it goes.

Still, I know that in the big picture all the daily details matter very little, and I want to have joy in my heart. Let me share with you three areas that I have been concentrating on in order to be more positive in my reactions and outlook.

Be grateful for the smallest things. I’m learning to notice the smallest things that bring joy, and the list is endless: the sunrise, the sunset, a great cup of coffee, the cool morning air, the laughter of children, my husband’s strong arms, a good book, my pillow, and on and on the list goes. I’ve discovered that keeping a long string of small joys in mind can do wonders for absorbing the impact of some of the harder things life throws at me.

Don’t get attached to any particular outcome. This is a hard one! There are times when I’ve had very strong feelings about what I believed the outcome should be, but there were things at play that I couldn’t control. It’s often hard for me to say, “Either way I’ll be grateful,” because who wants to be grateful for a bad diagnosis or a rejected job application? But I’ve learned that my gratitude is not meant to be based on the outcome, but rather based on the fact that God is good. Always. Even when His goodness is beyond my comprehension.

Remember God’s goodness. For all my worrying, for all the tight spots, for all the difficult journeys, haven’t I come through okay? None of the hard things have altogether ruined me. I’ve never reached a place where God’s love couldn’t find me. Like Paul says: “Endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope” (Romans 5:4 NLT). When I pause to remember God’s goodness, my heart is flooded with that truth and my outlook can again become grateful.

Marie Alvero is a former missionary to Africa and Mexico. She currently lives a happy, busy life with her husband and children in Central Texas, USA.

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!—Psalm 34:1, 3

Communion Through Worship

By Maria Fontaine

When we dwell on the goodness of God, His goodness surrounds us and pervades our thoughts and attitudes. When we think faith-filled thoughts and speak faith-filled words, we align ourselves more closely with God and His will and purpose for us. When we praise and worship God, we draw closer to Him.

Through communion with God, we gain understanding and perspective of His hand in our lives. Worship puts us on His wavelength. Praise invigorates our faith; it encourages us to see beyond our present circumstances and to focus instead on the fulfillment of God’s promises in answer to our prayers. Gratefulness turns times of trouble into times of triumph. Praise reminds us that with God, all things are possible (Mark 10:27).

The more you praise God and express your love for Him, the more reasons you will find to praise Him. The more you worship God, the more naturally your words or praise to Him will flow. We can praise our heavenly Father for all the wonderful things He has done for us in the past and will do for us in the future. The Bible says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).

Jesus, plant within us that desire to pursue You and our relationship with You. Help us to persevere in our relationship with You. Help us not to get so wrapped up in our work and the things of everyday life that we neglect the most important thing—our relationship with You.

May we be ever nearer to You.

A Communion Prayer

Prayer for the Day

O Lord, my God, my inseparable companion—nothing can sever my branch from Your vine (John 15:5). Whether or not I feel You near, You are always with me. Thank You that You’re not a faraway God. You are by me, within me, surrounding me, and upholding me.

Help me to be continually aware of Your presence. It’s so wonderful to know that I can communicate with You!—Not just to praise You, or to ask You favors, or to hear Your whispers in my heart, but to also chat with You as with a close friend. I can ask You questions, express my feelings, and in short, I can share my life with You.

Thank You that I don’t have to work for Your love. Thank You that it’s a free gift and You don’t base Your love for me on circumstances, conditions, and events. You loved me before I ever loved You (1 John 4:19).

God’s Presence

From Jesus with Love

Even if you lost all the material goods of the entire world but still held on to your faith, then you would have ultimately lost nothing. If you have faith, no unscalable heights, no uncrossable rivers, no impregnable walls, and no tsunami of economic depression can pull you under or separate you from My love (Romans 8:38–39).

Faith is the currency of the unseen world. Its exchange rate isn’t subject to economic fluctuations or stock market “corrections.” Faith’s intrinsic value is immeasurable. Faith can change your circumstances, conditions, and your outlook on life. It doesn’t disappear in any recession, pandemic, natural disaster, accident, or any other calamity. Faith can lift you up and out of any crisis, debt, or loss, even those of your own doing.

You can place your faith securely in Me, because I will never let you down. Even when you face setbacks or seemingly insurmountable challenges, I can eclipse all loss and even bring good out of seeming defeat. I love you so much that I have promised that you will receive whatever you ask for—as long as it is within My will and plan—if you ask Me in faith.

If you would like to experience the inner peace and stability that only I can give, ask and you will receive so that your joy can be complete (John 16:24).

For more information on Activated, visit our website or write to us.
Website: activated.org
Email: activated@activated.org

© 2023 Activated. All Rights Reserved.
Designed by Gentian Suçi.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright © 2001 by Good News Publishers. Used by permission. Other Bible quotations are from the following sources: New King James Version® (NKJV). Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. New Living Translation (NLT). Copyright © 1978, 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permission.

Activated Basic Course 4: Relationship with God (part 1)

2024-01-01

Follow Me

Editor’s Introduction

As Jesus traveled throughout Palestine sharing His message of God’s forgiveness and love, “Follow me” was an invitation He often extended. Take for example this passage in Matthew’s Gospel:

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind (Matthew 4:18–22 NLT).

Jesus continued to call men and women to His side throughout His ministry, and even after His resurrection, “He said to [Peter], ‘Follow me’” (John 21:19).

What does it mean to follow Jesus? It starts with our relationship with Jesus and His words. If we abide in His words and let them influence our thought patterns, we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

While Christians today can’t follow Jesus physically like the disciples did, the Bible makes it clear that following Him includes applying His teaching to our lives. As Jesus put it: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32 NIV).

We pray that this issue of the Activated Basic Course will guide you to grow, strengthen, and deepen your relationship with God.

A Love Story

By Ronan Keane

In the Bible, God often uses metaphors or word pictures to describe our relationship with Him; for example, a shepherd and sheep (John 10:7–15), a father and child (2 Corinthians 6:18), a vine and branches (John 15:1–5)—and a bride and groom (Isaiah 62:5).

Although the Bible contains 66 books, commentators have often noted that it is really one book with a consistent theme. It is a love story. Like every love story, this one has a beginning, some ups and downs, and a dramatic conclusion.

This love story truly starts “in the beginning” when God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. He fashioned them exactly as He wanted, breathed the breath of life into them, and then admired His handiwork: “This is very good!”

Unfortunately, the first man and woman chose to reject God’s offer of an eternal, perfect, intimate relationship with Him and instead chose to wander away into the pursuit of self and sin. Without God, humans who were created to enjoy intimacy with Him instead experienced loneliness, confusion, and pain. Throughout the millennia, we have tried all sorts of things to recover the feeling of fulfillment that this lost intimacy provided, but nothing was able to satisfy.

In the end, although we were the ones who turned our backs on God, it was He who initiated reconciliation. In His love, He knew that there was only one solution. Despite the cost, He chose to willingly send His own Son to lead the way back to Him.

What does that mean for us? It means Christianity is not simply a religion, or rules or rituals. Christianity is a relationship—and not just any relationship, but one that the Bible likens to a marriage, where there is meant to be intimacy, transparency, open communication, and shared hopes and desires. The Bible tells us, “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name” (Isaiah 54:5), and that we are “married to Him who was raised from the dead [Jesus], that we should bear fruit to God” (Romans 7:4 NKJV).

Ronan Keane served as the executive editor for Activated from 2013–2023.

We can choose to be children of God, yet live very distant from God in our hearts. On the other hand, we can choose to have the closest partnership with Him, in which we know what He thinks, believes, and acts and what is important to Him. In this place of intimacy, we also discover just how close He wants to be with us.—Theresa Dedmon

Seeking First His Kingdom

When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His imminent death, He reassured them with these words: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). When you invite Jesus into your life, He comes into your heart spiritually and takes up residence in your heart. Such love! No wonder the Apostle John wrote that “we love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NKJV).

But sadly, for some Christians over time the relationship becomes a routine formality. They forget how much the Lord has done for them, and that first wonderful love they had for Him gradually fades. They neglect to make their relationship with God and His kingdom their first priority, as Jesus taught His followers to do (Matthew 6:33).

Jesus taught His followers how important it was to honor God first and foremost in their lives. He knows that we won’t be committed, strong and fruitful Christians if we are not placing Him at the center of our lives.

What practical steps can we take to not only put Jesus first in our lives, but also to keep Him in that place? It starts with our daily walk with Him. We can commit our day, our time, and our lives to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to guide us in His will. This prayer principle holds true in our everyday work as well. When faced with pressing deadlines, the temptation is often to crowd the Lord out of our lives and concentrate solely on our work. But relegating our relationship with the Lord to a place of lesser priority is not the solution.

Great Christians are great not only because of their service to God, but because of their close relationship and fellowship with Him. The more they grow in their faith and walk with the Lord, the more like Him they become. Unfortunately, a common mistake we can make as Christians is to become so engrossed in the work of the Lord that we neglect the Lord of the work! Jesus says, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV).

We cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power, and to receive His power, we must spend time with the Master. Sometimes we get so busy serving Him that we forget to love Him! God appreciates the service we offer Him and He needs it, but He wants our attention and adoration and intimate communication too.

To neglect your fellowship with the King of kings can be disastrous to your spiritual life and walk with the Lord. Placing Jesus first in our lives not only involves His work in sharing the gospel with others, but also putting His Word first in our lives. In fact, the Bible says that Jesus is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1,14). God’s Word is food for the soul and it’s essential to our spiritual growth.

We also put Jesus first in our lives through prayer. We can do so by taking prayer time every morning to start the day off right. When you wake up, before talking to anybody, talk to Jesus first. Commit your day to Him, cast all your cares on Him and ask Him to direct your path that day.

Take the time to read His Word in the Bible and seek His guidance to strengthen your faith for the day. We all need a daily dose of God’s Word and prayer to be prepared for whatever we may face in a day. On the one hand, Jesus says, “Without Me you can do nothing,” but on the other hand, the Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). That strength starts by seeking God through prayer and the reading of His Word.

Do you have Jesus and His Word and prayer in the proper perspective in your life? Do you give them first place? Or do other things crowd God and His Word into second or third place? In every area of our lives, we are called to put God in first place and to commit all things to Him in prayer and worship (Philippians 4:6–7). The Bible tells us to: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).

Jesus said, “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Your heavenly Father knows that you need these things.” And He went on to say: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31–33). To “seek first” means to put God and His kingdom first and foremost in our lives, above everything else.

You’ll never lose by seeking first the kingdom of God!

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past.
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
—C. T. Studd (1860 – 1931)

Communicating with God in Prayer

By Peter Amsterdam

Prayer is a key component in our relationship with God, as it is our main means of communication with Him. It is in prayer that we are able to converse with our Creator.

As Christians, we have been given the incredible privilege of coming into the presence of God as His children, due to the salvation granted through Jesus. We can speak with Him, praise, worship, and adore Him, tell Him of our love for Him, and thank Him for all He has done and continues to do for us. We can openly share what is on our hearts with Him, and express our troubles and needs. We can intercede for others in their time of need. We can bring our requests to Him and ask for His help. We can tell Him how much we appreciate the beautiful things He created, and thank Him for the multitude of blessings He pours out on each of us.

When we’re weak and weary, we can speak to Him about it. When we’ve done wrong and have sinned, we can confess, and ask for and receive His forgiveness. We can speak with Him when we’re joyful or sad, in good health or poor health, whether we’re rich or poor, for we have a relationship with the One who not only created us, but who loves us deeply and wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives.

Prayer is our means of inviting God to participate in our daily lives, of asking Him to be directly and intimately involved with the things that are important to us. When we come before Him in prayer, we are asking Him to take an active part in our lives or in the lives of those we are praying for. Prayer conveys the reality of our overall situation, that we need Him and desire His presence in our lives. Communicating with God in prayer is a means of drawing closer to Him, of deepening our relationship.

Teachings from the Gospels about prayer
Throughout all four Gospels, when Jesus prayed, He constantly prayed to His Father, and He taught His disciples to do the same. Through faith in Jesus, we have become children of God (John 1:12). When we pray, we are coming before our Father. We are able to have an intimate connection with Him, as we would with our earthly father.

Besides praying to the Father in Jesus’ name, as Jesus instructed His disciples to do, in the Gospels we learn that prayers should be offered to Jesus as well. “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14).

When Jesus taught about prayer through the parables, He made comparisons to situations such as the friend who borrowed the loaves at midnight (Luke 11:5–8), or the unjust judge who eventually answered the woman’s plea (Luke 18:1–8). Through these story examples, He made the point that if the friend or the unjust judge would answer the petitions made to them, how much more would our Father in heaven answer our petitions? He demonstrates that we can have confidence that our prayers will always be heard by our generous, loving Father (Matthew 7:9–11).

In the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee, Jesus speaks of humility and confession in prayer (Luke 18:10–14). Jesus taught that pompous and pretentious prayers which draw attention to oneself are to be avoided; rather prayers should spring from sincerity of heart and motive (Matthew 6:5–6). By His example we learn to pray in solitude (Luke 6:12), to pray in thanksgiving (John 6:11), to pray when faced with decisions, and to intercede in prayer for others (John 17:6–9).

Prayer plays a vital role in our spiritual lives, our connection with God, our inner growth, and our effectiveness as Christians. Jesus’ example of prayer, of getting away from the busyness of His life, taking time alone in prayer, interceding for others and praying effective prayers, marks the trail for those who long to walk in His footsteps.

Prayer isn’t meant to be a one-way conversation, with us speaking and expecting God to do all the listening. In times of prayer, we should also open ourselves up to hear what God wants to say to us, through the Bible, through what godly teachers or preachers say or write, or through getting quiet before Him and opening our hearts to hear His voice speak to us personally.

God can speak to us in many ways: through impressions He gives, thoughts He puts in our minds, through Bible verses or the voice of His Spirit speaking to our hearts. Prayer is communication, and communication is a two-way street. So besides asking God to hear what we are saying to Him, we should also be giving Him the opportunity to speak to us.

Prayer is our means of communicating with God, of coming into and remaining in His presence. As we climb onto our heavenly Father’s lap, as His children, we can ask Him anything, we can trust Him with everything. We can feel His love for us, His assurance, His care.

Peter Amsterdam is a Christian author and Bible teacher, and retired co-director of the Family International, a Christian online network.

(To be continued)

Psalm 23: Body, Soul, and Spirit

David Brandt Berg

1986-06-04

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The Lord is painting a picture of a shepherd and sheep. Since the Lord is our shepherd, it says, “I shall not want.” In this case, “wants” are not desires. It means, “I’ll not lack for anything that I need; I won’t be in want.” “In want” was to be poor and hungry and starving, an old English expression. But I won’t “want,” I won’t lack for anything I need. I may want a lot of stuff I don’t need, but I won’t “want,” I won’t lack anything I really need.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” A sheep lies down in a green pasture when he’s full, satisfied, and tired. In other words, it’s a picture of satisfied sheep that have had lots to eat and now they’re resting, lying down in green pastures.

“He leadeth me beside the still waters.” Still waters are waters that hold still, are quiet, like a nice lake, a pond, a part of the river that’s very smooth and flowing quietly. But troubled waters, they’re flowing over rocks and bricks and stumps and logs, until they even roar. I’ve been near the tops of falls and cataracts that roared so loud you couldn’t even be heard.

That’s roaring water, raging water. In fact, the Lord says the people of the world are going to be like that in the last days. “The sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25b). Every night you look at the news and what do you see? The sea and the waves roaring. Riots, demonstrations, war, sea and waves roaring! That’s not still water; that’s terrible! But the Lord leads us by nice quiet still cool refreshing waters where we can drink.

“He restoreth my soul.” He restores your soul. Do you know what the definition of a soul is? It’s a scripture in Genesis, Genesis 2:7. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground.” As the old song goes, “God made a man out of mud.” It’s called “16 Tons.” He’s singing about this old miner who was mining coal for a company, and he says, “Sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter, don’t you call me, ’cause I can’t go, for I owe my soul to the company store!”

The miners would only be paid once a month, so they’d have to charge their groceries at the company store, which was run by the same coal company. And they charged such high prices that by the time he got paid, he owed his entire salary to the company store for all the groceries he’d charged. So he didn’t get paid; it all went to pay his grocery bill. Then he had to go to work for another month and charge all the groceries. This is the way they kept miners in slavery so they could never leave, because they always owed money. “Oh, I owe my soul to the company store.” That’s the way the song ends. “Sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.”

But how does it start off? “The Lord God made man and He made him out of mud.” He made him out of the dust of the ground. His body was all there, but it was dead. Just a bunch of mud. In fact, about 73% water. You are about 73% water and the other 27% is chemicals, the dust of the earth. Some 27% of you is various chemicals and minerals from the dust of the earth, and 73% is water. Mud!

After He got the mud all mixed, then He had to shape it and make the organs and everything, all made out of mud, a mixture of minerals, chemicals, and water. Man was all there, but he lacked life. So God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” In the Hebrew they use the same word for both “breath” and “spirit”—“rouach.” So when God breathed the breath of life into him, He was really breathing into him the Spirit of God, the spirit of life. So in a way, everybody has a little bit of the Spirit of God, because if they didn’t they’d be dead. All life comes from God. All life is the Spirit of God.

So when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, man became a living soul. The spirit is the nonmaterial part of you; it’s the real you that lives inside that house. The body is material. The spirit is spiritual, not material. The scientists call it your psyche, and the science of the spirit is called psychology. But they think your mind is your spirit.

The Greeks had two different words: “psyche” and “pneuma.” “Psyche” meant mind or brain, but “pneuma” meant spirit, which is the same word they use for air. If you run out of air, what do you soon do? You run out of spirit. Your spirit runs out of you. So you’ve got to have air. And your spirit is just as necessary as air, because without air, you’re soon dead. Most people can only go four or five minutes without air before they die.

You can’t go very long without water; it’s very essential. You can actually go without food 30 or 40 days, as long as you’ve got water or some kind of liquids to drink. You can go quite a long time without solid food, as long as you drink liquids. But if you have no liquid to drink at all, you can’t live more than four or five days, maybe a week. Because your kidneys break down; you get self-intoxicated. Your body wastes can’t be removed by liquid and your body literally poisons itself.

But there’s one thing you can’t go without for even a few minutes, and that is air. So the Lord likened His Spirit to air, and in both the Old and New Testaments, the words used for “spirit” were the same words used for “air”—“rouach” in the Old Testament and “pneuma” in the New Testament.

Your body with your spirit is a living soul. A body without spirit is a dead body. A spirit without a body is a spirit, or a ghost. Now spirits do have a certain amount of tangible body, but it’s not the old flesh body that they used to have. But they don’t have their final bodies they’re going to have in the Resurrection.

You cannot have a soul without both body and spirit. And that’s why the Bible often speaks about “so many souls were saved, so many souls were lost, so many souls drowned, so many souls did this and that.” It means they were bodies with spirits. In other words, normal human beings. Because there’s a difference between body, soul, and spirit. But they’re not really three different things. You’ve got a body and a spirit; together they make a soul.

“He restoreth my soul.” Soul literally means a living person, including both spirit and body. So when He restores your soul, when He strengthens your soul, when He revives your soul, He is strengthening, reviving, and making alive both spirit and body. So the Lord restores your soul; He strengthens your spirit and your body.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). The shadow of death doesn’t necessarily mean death itself. A shadow of something is sort of an outline of the thing, and it’s similar to it, but it’s not the real thing. In other words, through a dangerous place where you could get killed or die. Very near to death.

But “I will fear no evil.” Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you won’t be afraid. Even though there’s danger or dangerous enemies that could kill you, you’ll not be afraid. “For Thou art with me.” The Lord is with us. He’s with us and He has a rod and a staff.

Some people have explained that that means the Lord is going to chasten you with His rod and His staff, and that’s the comfort. But I don’t see any comfort in that, do you? No. He’s got a rod in one hand and a staff in the other and He’s going to protect you. You’re going through this deep dark valley full of danger, but you’re not afraid because the Lord is right there with you leading the way, and He’s going to protect you with His rod and His staff.

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The Lord not only protects you, He spreads a table for you to sit right down there and eat a nice meal. So right in the middle of it all, the Lord is taking care of us anyhow.

“Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” They did it physically, literally, but anointing your head with oil is also symbolic, and we’ve got to get both the physical meaning and the spiritual meaning. James says, “Whosoever is sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14–15).

The oil specifically stands for the Holy Spirit. So when He anoints your head with oil, He’s giving you the Holy Spirit, and the effect is… “My cup runneth over.” You never run out of that kind of oil of the Holy Spirit if you have Jesus and you have His Holy Spirit.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” What’s the house of the Lord? Is it a church? Your heart is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are the temple. You’re the house of the Lord and He dwells inside of His house—you! You’re already His house and He’s dwelling in it.

Copyright © June 1986 by The Family International

Death? Or Eternal Life

David Brandt Berg

1994-10-18

For those who love the Lord, death is our relief, release, freedom, promotion, graduation, and passing on to a better realm, the next step, the next grade. Our spirits are immediately freed to be with the Lord, so it’s not really death for us in the same way it is for those who aren’t saved. We don’t die in the sense that they die.

That’s why I don’t even like to call it “dying” or “death.” I prefer to call it graduation, passing on, or promotion. It’s our graduation. And just as we celebrate when someone graduates from school or college, so we should rejoice when someone we love graduates from this old life. They’ve finished their schooling in this earthly grade and are passing on to the next grade—the heavenly grade!

It’s just like passing from one room to another, or simply going upstairs, and as you have read in testimonies from those who passed on and were allowed to come back, it’s a very beautiful experience for those who know and love the Lord. I don’t even like that word “die,” because He said we don’t really die. It’s not death; we don’t die. The Lord said, “Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:26). In other words, if you’re really alive in the Spirit, “he that liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.” And the Lord also says, “If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51).

The Lord delivers us out of the very jaws of death. “O grave, where is thy victory? Death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). We pass through it, but without sting—through the grave with victory for us, not the grave. Thank You, Lord! Our death will be a victory over the grave and a victory over sin and a victory over the Devil. A glorious victory and a glorious entry into the heavenlies. Thank You, Jesus!

It’s our homegoing, our graduation day, our promotion day. It’s when the Lord releases you and relieves you of your present responsibilities, and when you go home to your reward. As my grandmother said when she died, it’s your coronation day!

She had a beautiful death. She turned to my grandfather, slipped off her rings, and put them in his hand, as though she didn’t want anything that tied her to this world anymore. Everyone around her was weeping, and she said, “Why are you crying? Don’t cry. This is my graduation day. Earth recedes, heaven opens. This is my coronation day!”

For a Christian, I believe it’s the happiest event in your whole life. The end. Finito! At last, out of this fleshly carnal body with all of its woes and aches and pains and troubles and problems and weariness and sicknesses and disease and concerns, problems, hard work and sufferings. It’s all over.

You’ve done it, you’ve made it. Thank God! It’s behind you. Never again, heaven forever. Happiness eternally. Total glory.

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Death has no sting for us. Of course, in the world they don’t even like to think about it. It’s supposed to be very sad; funerals are so sad. They sing dirges, sad songs, they cry, they weep.

When my childhood friend Lamont got killed in World War II, my mother had a dream of him walking up this long avenue of beautiful trees where he met his sister. He said, “How come everybody else is crying, and you aren’t crying?” And his sister said, “We look at things differently up here.”

When my uncle died I had a funeral such as I think Miami, Florida, had never seen. They thought I was crazy! We clapped and we sang and we practically danced and we just had a great time; we had testimonies, and everybody was happy. Afterwards the funeral director shook his head and said, “I have never in my life seen a funeral like that. Everybody happy and singing lively songs and acting like you’re happy that he’s gone.” I said, “He’s gone to heaven! All his troubles are over. ”

I think for a Christian, the time of death should be a time of rejoicing. Please, talk about the good things, and praise and thank God that those who have gone on once lived, and that they still live. Don’t feel sorry for those who go on. I know we do feel a little sorry for ourselves because we have lost them from here and we miss their smiling, shining, encouraging faces and help, fellowship, and love.

You can’t feel sorry for anybody that goes there. “We sorrow not as others who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Everything in heaven is as wonderful as all of our delightful experiences and fellowship and love on earth, only it’s magnified, multiplied, amplified. The life hereafter for us, God’s saved children, is like an extension or an amplification, a multiplication of the joy and the thrilling, exciting lives we lead on earth. Our present happiness is multiplied many times over. When you die, that’s the final healing. Permanent healing forever! Thank You, Jesus!

I’m looking forward to actually seeing the Lord and meeting Him visibly firsthand. I shall see Him as He is, and be like Him, face to face (1 John 3:2), experiencing the fullness of the realities of God and the world to come. Hallelujah! Although, because I’ve known Him and had His Spirit in my heart and felt His presence for all these years, I don’t think it’s going to be too different. I think I’m going to feel pretty much at home with Him when we meet, just like old friends, as we have already been friends for many years.

So keep the faith. Never stop loving Him and others, and lead as many as you can into His wonderful, glorious love, so that He will rejoice to see you when you come, and say unto you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21). If you think you’ve entered into a lot of joy in the Lord down here, there’s more to come!

That’s one privilege you have on earth, and that is the wonderful, glorious, thrilling experience of witnessing the love of Jesus to others and winning their hearts to Christ for their salvation to heaven. It’s hard, it’s difficult, sometimes trying, with many tests and trials, but it’s wonderful. It’s the most wonderful work in the world, and you’ll be glad you did when you see their happy, shining faces in heaven, thanking you for loving them and winning them to Jesus, to become members of His glorious kingdom of heaven. Hallelujah!

* * *

(Words from Jesus:) For all these trying and sorrowful things will pass away and seem like a dream in the night seasons, when I have received you into the glories of the everlasting kingdom and the joys that shall be forever. I will recompense all your pain and sorrows, and the things that have been lost in the earth life will be preserved forever in the heavenly kingdom that I have laid up where you shall rejoice forever.

The former things will be no more and forgotten. The pain, the sorrow, the death, the dying, the tears will all be wiped away, and there will be no more pain nor crying nor sorrow, for all these things will be forgotten in the glories that are to come.

If you could see what is in store for you, the things I have prepared for you, if you could feel what I feel for you, the joy you will know in time to come, you would be overjoyed for that which is to come. For you will experience joys you have never known.

This will be a compensation and a recompense, and you will be rewarded. For it has not entered into your mind, neither has your eye seen, nor your ear heard, the glories that will be, that I have laid up for you, My beloved.

Copyright © October 1994 by The Family International

My Yoke Is Easy

David Brandt Berg

1972-06-01

Leadership is a very great responsibility, a heavy burden, and just a plain big job of a lot of hard work, tension, confusion, excitement, concerns, and physical, mental, and nervous strain which tends to be pretty hard on you. Even the Lord Himself could not bear the continual strain and virtue drain of a constant ministry to the multitudes, so He frequently had to get away from it all and take His disciples up into the mountains or out to sea or on a private visit to friends, for a spiritual retreat, rest, and recuperation and inspiration—sometimes even all alone.

No one can continue to keep pouring out to others without spending some time alone with the Lord getting filled up again. I’ve been in the Lord’s work for half a century, and my mother for half a century before me, and my grandfather for half a century before her, so I know what I’m talking about. As A. B. Simpson, that grand old man of faith, once said, “You cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power!” And to get it, you must spend time with the Master!

We all need more quiet time alone with the Lord in rest and refilling, drinking at the living water of His Word and fellowshipping with Him in the communion of prayer and the sweet lovemaking of the Spirit.

None of us can stand these constant pressures of continuous demands on our time, strength, body, soul, and spirit to which we are so often forced to submit, without relief, by the press of time, necessity, need, and one emergency after another so prevalent in a fast-moving and rapidly expanding work such as ours where the laborers are so few, the harvest so big, and there’s so much to be done to gather it in before the storm!

The Lord Himself has said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). And His Word also warns us that we must be temperate in all things (Titus 1:8) and “let your moderation be known to all men” (Philippians 4:5).

If the yoke gets too hard and the burden too heavy, it’s not His yoke nor His burden, but our own or someone else’s which we’ve unwisely undertaken or permitted to be placed upon us beyond the Lord’s knowledge of our strength and abilities. He Himself will never suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Sometimes we’re tempted to take too much upon us, but certainly not by the Lord. Sometimes we allow our strength to be taxed beyond what we know we can wisely endure, and in so doing, we often allow ourselves to be pushed beyond the measure of our own faith and suffer the consequences in a physical, mental, nervous, or spiritual collapse or breakdown. Please don’t let it happen to you! “Take time to be holy.”^[1] Wholly His, and whole in body, mind, and spirit. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

Trust the Lord, and He’ll take care of you. He never fails, no matter what the conditions. God bless and keep you and continue to make you a blessing!

^[1] Hymn written by William D. Longstaff, 1882.

Copyright © June 1972 by The Family International

Daniel 12, Part 2

The Days of the End

David Brandt Berg

1981-03-02

“The entrance of Thy Word giveth light” and wisdom and understanding (Psalm 119:130). When we delve into His Word we bring forth treasures, both old and new, as we study the marvelous prophecies regarding the days in which we are now living, those upon whom the ends of the earth are come—we upon whom this endtime is happening.

The Lord told Daniel to close up the book, it wasn’t for him, that it wouldn’t be opened again until the time of the end. And for nearly 2,500 years these secrets have been closed and hidden from the world and even from Christians, theologians, preachers and teachers until this time of the end, the endtime.

We’ve been studying Daniel and we’re now on the last three verses of the book: Daniel 12, the 11th, 12th, and 13th verses.

He says, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” The Antichrist stops all religious worship and has his image set up in the holy place at the midpoint of the seven years. We’ve already learned that the Tribulation will end 1,260 days later and that Jesus is going to come for us and end the Tribulation.

Until all of a sudden in this last chapter Daniel drops this bomb! God dropped it, really, because Daniel’s not the one that’s speaking. It’s an angel that’s in the middle of a river hovering over its surface with two other angels, standing beside the river asking this angel questions, kind of acting as Daniel’s spokesman because Daniel’s almost struck dumb by this time; he’s bewildered by the whole thing.

All of a sudden it gives you another number; in fact, two or three more numbers. From the time it’s taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Instead of 1,260 days, he says 1,290 days. That’s a month longer, so what’s that? Let’s look back at the question that was asked in the sixth verse, to which this is the reply: “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”

The Lord has been speaking not only about the reign of the Antichrist, the first three and a half years of peace and the second three and a half years of Tribulation, 1,260 days, but in the first few verses, He says, “At that time”—the time of the end—“there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.” We know that time of trouble lasts exactly 1,260 days.

Then he says, “At that time thy people shall be delivered.” Jesus has to come and save us out of this old world. He’s got to stop the persecution, stop the Tribulation, and the only way He can do it is by resurrecting us, rapturing us, taking us up into the air to be with Him.

What are all the wonders going to be? Not only the Antichrist, the Tribulation, but the rapture of His saints at the end of the Tribulation, and we know that’s exactly when it occurs (Matthew 24:29–31). So what is this extra 30 days? And if that weren’t bad enough, He talks about some more days. He says, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days” (Daniel 12:12). When is the end then?

“How long”—it says in the last part of verse 6—“shall it be to the end of these wonders?” The coming of the Lord is certainly going to be one of those wonders. The Lord will come for His saints, and at the end of the 1,260 days will be the rapture, the resurrection, the coming of Jesus Christ for His children, and “so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We’re going to go up and have a wedding reception, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Isn’t that wonderful? There are a lot of wonders!

“And one said to the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” (verse 6). First he says, “It shall be for a time, times, and half a time.” Here he gives us that bit about three and a half years again, the 1,260 days in the 7th verse.

Then Daniel says in verse 8: “I heard, but I understood not.” What are you talking about, Lord? “Then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” He wants to know when the real end is going to be. Not just the end of the Tribulation, but the end of all the events that are going to happen there at the end of the world as we now know it.

There are 1,260 days from the Abomination of Desolation to the coming of the Lord. But that’s not the end; that’s just the end of the Tribulation. That’s not the end of all the events. The angel is almost beginning to get a little bit impatient with Daniel and says: “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (verse 9).

Other places in the Bible tell us that while we’re having that Marriage Party of the Lamb in heaven, there’s going to be hell on earth as God pours out His judgments upon the Antichrist’s kingdom—the Wrath of God. (See Revelation 16.)

The Antichrist and all his followers, all those that have the Mark of the Beast, are going to suffer the seven vials of God’s wrath spoken of in the 16th chapter of Revelation. There are going to be seven vials of wrath poured out on the earth after the Lord takes all the saints out of it. And in Revelation 19, we’re going to come back on white horses and fight what Antichrist people are left. After all these plagues that God has sent upon the Antichrist’s kingdom, they still curse God, they wish they could die but can’t, they just suffer—apparently for many days after the Rapture, after the end of the Tribulation.

There are two periods of time here that are mentioned that extend beyond the Tribulation. The first one is 1290 days, which is 30 days beyond the Tribulation, and the other one is 1335 days, 45 days longer. So we’ve got a total of 75 days past the end of the Tribulation and the coming of the Lord.

The Rapture’s going to be instantaneous; it may take a little time for us to go wafting up through the air to meet Jesus in the clouds, but it’s not going to take much time to get to the heavenly city. It’s not important how long it takes us to get from the grave to Jesus, but I’m sure it’s not going to take 30 days, because we’re all going to see Him and rise to meet Him from all sides of the earth and join Him in the air.

But what’s going to take a little time? The Marriage Supper of the Lamb in heaven and the judgments of God, the vials of His wrath on the wicked world that we’ve left behind. We know that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in heaven will be going on at the same time as the Wrath of God on earth, because the Wrath of God and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb begin with Jesus’ second coming. So there are two periods concurrently running together, two major events happening in heaven and earth that are leading us up to the very end.

I’m just assuming or theorizing. I can’t prove it, but I’m just taking it as simple logic that these important events are going to take these specific time periods. He didn’t make it very plain to Daniel, but He said it’s going to be 1,260 days to the end of the Tribulation, then there’s going to be 30 more days to the end of some of these wonders, and another 45 days until the end of all of them. And since there are two wonders to occur immediately after the Rapture—the Wedding and the Wrath—my theory is that means 30 days of Wedding and Wrath

He says in the 12th verse, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred five and thirty days.” Whoever manages to last that long will be blessed. Of course we’re blessed; we’re in heaven with the Lord since the Rapture. But what about the survivors of the Wrath of God and the great Battle of Armageddon? Will there be survivors?

There will be those that survive the Wrath of God, the 30 days of Wrath, and they’ll have 45 more days of the Battle of Armageddon.

This is what comes to me as being these periods of time, because these are the only major events remaining to the very end. It’s logical to me that it must mean the 30 days that He’s first speaking about is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the Wrath of God, and then 45 more days during the Battle of Armageddon when we come down and destroy the kingdom of the Antichrist.

A battle takes time, and to overcome all the Antichrist forces and his kingdom all over the world, which will consist of millions of people, is going to take some time. And then He says, “Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred, five and thirty days”—1335 days, or 45 days later than those 30 days. Blessed if you were one of the survivors that the Lord in His mercy sees fit to spare through the Wrath of God, and not only that, you survive the Battle of Armageddon.

We know there are going to be some survivors because we wouldn’t have anybody to rule over if everybody died, because the second resurrection hasn’t happened yet. The resurrection of the unsaved doesn’t happen until the end of the Millennium. They’re not raised to the Great White Throne Judgment of God until the thousand years is over.

So, blessed is he that lasts to the 1335 days! They can be thankful if they make it through the Wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon, because that will be the beginning of the Millennium, the rule of Jesus Christ and His saints on earth. Hallelujah!

That’s my theory, that the Wedding Supper and the Wrath of God are going to last 30 more days after the Tribulation, after the coming of Christ, and then we’re going to come back with Jesus on white horses and destroy the Antichrist and his kingdom in 45 days of war during the Battle of Armageddon. Then He’s going to give the rest of the world a thousand years of another chance and goodness and peace on earth, and the mercy of God and the very presence of Jesus Christ Himself. Perfect government, plenty for all, peace on earth. A thousand years to prove the love and mercy and power and fear of God. And yet there are many who will not believe! Though one should come back from the dead, yet they will not believe, Jesus said (Luke 16:31).

Millions are going to come back from the dead, perhaps billions. God’s going to rule over them personally in the form of Jesus Christ for a thousand years, and yet they will not believe. “Let mercy be showed unto the wicked,” Isaiah says, “and yet they will not learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:10). Yet they will not repent. They’re going to rise up in rebellion again at the end of the thousand years under the Devil himself and they’re going to fight us again.

Then why the Millennium? To try to teach those that survived, those who were worth saving, the love and mercy of God. It will show God’s judgment is righteous and right, because they still rejected after a thousand years more of mercy and His kingdom on earth. Think of it! I’d say the people that last all through the Millennium and then still rebel against Jesus, they’re almost the worst rejecters! After having that much light, love, and mercy, they are going to deserve the world’s final flood, which will be a flood of fire which will totally destroy the surface of the earth, along with the wicked and all the pollution and the nuclear radiation.

We’ll probably be spending a lot of that thousand years trying to clean up the planet. Even with the help of the whole world, it’s an impossible job to completely restore the earth and make it what it ought to be. It’s an impossible job to reform some, and the earth is an impossible job to clean up, as much as we do and as much as we try. This is why God has got to burn it all up, the whole thing, and create a whole new earth and a new heaven.

The “last days,” as used in the Bible, started with the first coming of Christ, so the last days have been occurring now for 2,000 years. But the final end of all these things he’s talking about, surely that’s when the Lord sets up His kingdom on earth and the Antichrist’s kingdom is destroyed. That’s the end of man’s rule and reign on earth, and God completely takes over.

In the last verse of chapter 12, it says, “But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” He said, “But don’t worry about it, Daniel. Go your way, do whatever else you have to do. You’re going to rest until the last day, and then you’re going to stand in your lot at the end of the days.” They’re going to have real estate in heaven, and Daniel’s going to stand in his lot at the end of the days. I’m going to stand in my lot, and you’re going to have your lot, and everybody’s going to have his own lot.

“In My Father’s house,” Jesus said, “are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there you may be also.” In your mansion, on your lot (John 14:2–3).

Thank You, Lord, for Your wonderful Word that tells us these beautiful mysteries! Thank You for revealing their meaning, and for telling us when it’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, how long it’s going to last, and exactly to the very day how long each of these things is going to last, so that we’ll have the courage and the faith and the endurance to know Thy Word is true as we see things happen exactly as You said and exactly the length of time You said to encourage our faith.

We won’t have to say, “How long, O Lord, how long?” like Daniel and the angel did. We’ll know how long, because You told us. Thank You for telling us so we’d be encouraged to know when the end of all these things would be.

God bless and keep you till Jesus comes. Better to die for something than live for nothing. What are you living for? Let’s live and die for Jesus! Amen?

Copyright © March 1981 by The Family International

Activated, October 2007: Spiritual Power (excerpts 2)

Volume 8, Issue 10

2007-10-01

Endtime Insights: Supernatural Powers in the Great Tribulation

By Scott MacGregor

Just the thought of living through the traumatic era referred to in the Bible as the Great Tribulation, the “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time” (Daniel 12:1), is enough to make most of us uneasy, to say the least. And if we didn’t have God on our side, it would be a most frightening prospect. But the fact of the matter is that if you are a believer, then you do have God on your side. Knowing that you have the biggest guy on the block on your team is comforting, even when the other side that is lined up against you looks nearly invincible. The book of Revelation calls the Antichrist “the Beast” and explains, “All the world marveled and followed the Beast, saying, ‘Who is like the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?'” (Revelation 13:3-4).

But looks can be deceiving, and in this case we are dealing with the arch-deceiver himself, Satan, the power behind and ultimately in the Antichrist. Both Satan and the Antichrist, fortunately for us, have Achilles heels. Their doom is already sealed and they are the ultimate losers—a destiny they cannot escape, no matter how much they pretend otherwise. “The Beast was captured, and … cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). The Devil will be similarly disposed of, first for a thousand years and then permanently (Revelation 20:2-3,10). We can definitely take comfort in knowing that they will lose in the end and we will win.

There are some dark days ahead for believers in Jesus and for the world in general, but even in those trying times we will not be left to fend for ourselves. The Bible makes it clear that we will be given a great deal of protection and that even the horrible plagues and monsters described in the book of Revelation will actually be directed against and torment the Antichrist and his followers, not those who love and serve God. Jesus’ Endtime followers will be divinely protected (Revelation 7:2-3; 9:4).

Revelation chapter 11 talks about the exploits of two prophets of God who live in this Endtime period. An angel tells John, who wrote down the book of Revelation: “I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3).

And John continues:

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

Now when they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. (Revelation 11:4-12)

The angel is initially clearing up some of the mystery that surrounded a passage in the Bible that was written some 500 years earlier by the prophet Zechariah:

I answered and said to [the angel], “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” … Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:11,13-14)

Ironically, John’s mother had once asked Jesus if her sons James and John could have the honor of sitting on either side of Him in His kingdom:

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons [James and John], kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” (Matthew 20:20-23)

So John was finally learning from this angel who the two people would be on either side of Jesus’ throne in His kingdom. But what is more important to note, especially for those of us who could be alive during the time of these two prophets, is the supernatural powers they will manifest. These two defiantly stand up against the Antichrist and his forces, and the prophets’ enemies will not be able to harm them until their mission is accomplished—and their very public mission will take place right in Jerusalem, the apparent capital city of the Antichrist government.

Will these powers be limited to these two prophets, or will Christians in general be able to avail themselves of similar if not identical powers when they need them?

There are biblical precedents for people having special powers when they needed them. God backed up Moses’ warnings to the Egyptians by sending plagues until Pharaoh relented and let the Israelites leave Egypt (Exodus chapters 7-12). Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice on the altar on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:17-39), and again, in an example of heavenly protection, to slay two companies of soldiers that had been sent by the wicked King Ahaziah to arrest him (2 Kings chapter 1). And when the King of Syria sent an army to capture Elisha, God sent a heavenly army in fiery chariots to protect him and to temporarily blind every man in the enemy army (2 Kings 6:8-23).

These demonstrations of power from on high weren’t solely for the sakes of Moses and his fellow Hebrews in Egypt, or Elijah, or Elisha, or the others involved, we are told. “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

If God has done it before, why wouldn’t He do the same again to protect those who love and serve Him in the treacherous time of the Great Tribulation ahead? It seems He will, because clearly there are going to be a lot of us still here when Jesus returns to take us home to Heaven in the Rapture, at the time of His Second Coming.

There is also a promise that is specifically made to Christians in the Tribulation period: “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32). Jesus has a vested interest in each of us because He loves us, and He and all the forces of Heaven will be fighting for us. Even though they will for the most part be unseen, they will not let us down. The apostle Paul wrote, “For [Jesus] Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

Do What Works

We all accept the existence of electricity, even though no one has ever seen it or fully understands it, not even the scientists. We only know its laws, its effects, and how to channel it to serve many useful purposes. Even so, we must accept the existence of God even though we don’t know where He came from or who made Him or how He got here. We simply know that He does exist and that the universe in which we live is governed by laws He established.

Electricity makes all sorts of things possible, but it won’t do you any good until you flip the switch that connects you to the source. Just so, God’s power is there, waiting to make your life easier.

You don’t have to take anyone else’s word for it. Put God to the test! Flip the switch of decision to connect with Him through His Son, Jesus. Once you have experienced God for yourself, there won’t be any doubt in your mind that He is who He says He is—our ever-present, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving Creator.

If you haven’t yet connected with the power of God, you can right now by inviting His Son, Jesus, into your life. Simply pray this short prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to Earth and dying for me so I can be reconnected to God. I open the door of my heart and invite You in. Amen.

You Can Too!

What God has done for others, He can do for you!

By David Brandt Berg

Jesus left His followers with an amazing promise of supernatural power. “Anyone believing in Me shall do the same miracles I have done, and even greater ones, because I am going to be with the Father” (John 14:12 TLB).

That promise has stood for two thousand years, and multitudes of Christians have done those “greater things.” God empowered otherwise ordinary people like you and me to work His miracles, and that same power can work miracles through us today if we will simply believe and act on God’s Word.

The trouble is, most people put God’s promises of power in either the past or the future. The past was wonderful, glorious, and supernatural, with all those heroes of the faith working miracles and angels intervening on behalf of God’s people. And the future is going to be marvelous and “miraculous” in Heaven. But they don’t believe that any of those things could happen in the present. They say, “Of course you couldn’t expect anything like that now.” But that’s not what the Bible says!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God is still the God of miracles. What He’s done before, He can do again—and not only later, but right now if you need it and have faith for it. If ordinary believers in the past have already done miracles by the scores and scores, in both the Old and New Testaments, as well as throughout the past two thousand years, then Christians today can do them too!

Staying in Touch

From Jesus with love

Talk to Me and I will talk to you. It’s that simple. I’m here. I’m always with you. If you want to talk to Me, I’m available anytime and anywhere. I don’t have office hours or office fees. I don’t even have an office. I am available for you whenever you need Me. If you will stop, acknowledge Me, speak to Me, and wait, I will answer. I will never leave you comfortless (John 14:8 KJV). I will never leave you without an answer. I will never walk away from you. I am here for you.

You can ask Me anything, and I will give you an answer. In fact‚ if you want to make a difference in this world, ask Me everything! Ask Me about everything and you will find that it is a key to progress, a key to happiness, a key that will set your spirit free.

So if you want to reach a place where you can make a difference, where there is joy in place of sorrow, sunshine instead of shadows, love that casts out fear, and beauty for ashes—then come to Me (Isaiah 61:3). I will not turn you away. I can’t wait to talk to you. I love you!

Editor: Keith Phillips
Design: Giselle LeFavre
Illustrations: Doug Calder
Production: Francisco Lopez
www.activated.org
© 2007 Activated. All Rights Reserved.

Activated, October 2007: Spiritual Power (excerpts 1)

Volume 8, Issue 10

2007-10-01

Personally Speaking

Itaipu Dam, on a stretch of the Paraná River that forms the boundary between Brazil and Paraguay, is the world’s largest operational hydroelectric power plant. In 1995, a decade after it opened, the U.S. magazine Popular Mechanics listed it as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. By 2000 it was generating over 90 billion kilowatt-hours of power each year, enough to supply 93% of the electrical power consumed by Paraguay’s 5.5 million people and 20% of that consumed by Brazil’s 184 million. That’s a lot of power! The river flowed there for thousands of years before the dam, of course, which means that the potential for all that power was also there, untapped, until someone set out to harness it.

The spiritual power that God makes available to us can be likened to that river: There is tremendous potential there, but it doesn’t do us any good until we acknowledge its existence, recognize its potential, and learn to use it. If we’ve gone all of our lives without that spiritual power, and if we’ve managed okay and been relatively happy, maybe things will work out fine if we continue as we have. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. But we would never know what we would be missing, and we would be missing a lot!

Itaipu Dam wasn’t the first of its kind, of course. Those who conceived and built it benefited from the knowledge and experience of many others, going all the way back to the first paddle wheel. Again, God’s power is a bit like that. Men and women before us have learned how to draw on God’s power, and we can benefit from and build on their knowledge and experience.

And that’s what this issue of Activated is all about. If you’re looking for more from life, I hope that what you are about to read will bring you a step closer to your goal.

Keith Phillips
For the Activated Family

Farewell to an Old Friend

By Marge Banks

My elderly mother was on the phone. “The next time you visit, would you mind looking in the garage? Your brother is helping clean it out, and he came across some of your old things.”

What childhood leftovers could possibly remain? When I arrived, there it was: a ponderous manual office typewriter, as sturdy as ever but a little rusty from three decades of disuse. The sight brought back happy memories. My parents had bought it secondhand to reward me for passing an important exam at age 11. I taught myself to type and spent many hours during my teen years hammering out poems and stories.

Before I could reconcile with the idea that my old friend should finally be thrown away, I tried typing again. I had forgotten how much force was required to press a key on an old manual typewriter! Maybe it was the old ribbon, but I could barely see what I had typed. Oops, I made a mistake! I pushed down on the backspace key to delete the mistake, and then remembered that I was back in the day of crumbly typewriter erasers. Hammering painstakingly at the keys, I managed to type a few words. A bell sounded, signaling me to pull back the lever that advanced the paper and returned the heavy carriage to start a new line. I had expended a lot of effort and had very little to show for it.

How different it is typing on my computer! I press the power button and the computer turns on. A few feather-light keystrokes and the first words form on the screen. When I make a mistake, one press of the backspace key deletes it. When I finish, a few more keystrokes and spelling mistakes are autocorrected. One more click and I save my work. A few more clicks and I can email copies to a few friends around the world—no carbon paper, envelopes, or stamps needed—and they will get them almost instantly.

Our spiritual lives are a bit like that. God is pouring out His Spirit in abundance to those who will receive it. He is offering us “advanced spiritual technology” to use in our daily lives—enhanced prayer power, a close personal relationship with Him, and gifts of the Holy Spirit such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, and discernment (1 Corinthians chapter 12)—but it’s up to us what we do with it. We can choose to try to get by without God’s help or just a bare minimum of prayer when we feel we really need it, or we can avail ourselves of His full power by asking for it and learning to use it in all we do.

Me? I’ve made up my mind. I want to learn new things. I’m going to press the “power key” and make as much use of God’s spiritual technology as I can!

And the old typewriter has gone for recycling.

Marge Banks is a member of the Family International in England.

It’s So Because God Said So

By Virginia Brandt Berg

The Word of the Almighty God cannot fail; you can depend upon it. When I first learned that, I realized that through the years the Bible had never been a living, vital thing to me, but rather a sort of combination of creeds, doctrines, wise sayings, and printer’s ink. I hadn’t known the power in the Word of God, that it could bring miracles to pass. I don’t know why someone hadn’t told me the truth of these things before, but suddenly a deep conviction dawned on my soul that God could not fail to keep His promises!

I had considered myself a Christian all my life, but I had never really believed God’s Word, nor had I met Christ personally. It was through a little gospel tract that I had that glorious experience. Christ came into my life to fully satisfy. Gone was my unbelief and the accompanying sense of futility and disappointment in life, and there arose in my heart an unfamiliar hunger.

I was an invalid at the time, and had been for the past five years—utterly helpless and a hopeless case, according to a number of physicians. But after I received Christ and my faith came to life, I began to look to Him to restore my health. I prayed to be healed and waited for God to let me see some evidence that He had heard my prayer and was going to answer. Like many other people, my faith was the “seeing is believing” kind. But the Bible teaches just the opposite: Believe and you will see.

God brought certain verses from the Bible to my mind to show me that I must believe a certain thing simply because He said it was so, not because of anything I saw or felt. I suddenly believed that God had heard my prayers and had already answered, that He had reached down and had healed me, even though my physical condition appeared to be unchanged. It was so simply because God said so. That was enough! My heart leaped for joy at that realization, and in that moment there was born in my soul something that has never changed from that day to this: an abiding, unshakable faith in God’s Word.

Again and again, lying there helpless in bed, I whispered over and over, “It is the Word of God—it cannot fail! It’s God’s Word, and He cannot lie!” It was as though I could see the marvelous Word of God marching down the centuries, invincible, infallible, inexhaustible, and unchangeable. What joy came into my heart as I realized I had such a strong anchor to hold on to.

I believed the work was done, for I had met His conditions. There was His promise, very plain and sure, that He could not and would not fail to keep His Word, and I was not going to doubt that promise.

Then it happened, exactly as He had promised it would. I was completely healed! How wonderful it was when I found out that Jesus Christ was “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). That was many years ago, and I’m still going strong. [Editor’s note: Virginia Brandt Berg was 29 years old at the time of her healing and lived another 54 years, to the age of 83.]

Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). When we come into the realization that there is life-giving power in what God says in His Word, then we have hold of the truth that makes all things possible.

“God is not a man, that He should lie. … Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). And 1 Kings 8:56 says, “Not one word has failed of all [God’s] good promises.” Take that to heart! Put your finger on a verse, some promise, and say, “It’s so because God says so!” Whatever the need is in your life right now, He will meet it! He will guide your life daily, faith will spring invincible, and you too will shout triumphantly, “It’s so because God said so! What He has promised He is able also to perform!”

Drawing Power

God’s Word is as full of promises as the heavens are full of stars, and all of them are payable according to the conditions named. They are made freely and they are paid fully. [Nineteenth-century British preacher Charles] Spurgeon called the book of God’s promises “the checkbook of the Bank of Faith.” We do not have checkbooks for an ornament or for meditation, but for use!

A promise of God is given to be presented and paid in full. The believer’s capital for the King’s business is all lodged in the Lord’s treasury, and the only way to secure it for use is to make daily drafts upon the unfailing supply.

God writes no names upon these promises, only conditions upon which they will be honored. Put your name in, fulfill the conditions, and draw upon God for all He promises. Some promises are payable upon demand, while others are dated further on. But a long-term promise of God is as sure of payment as one payable on demand!
—Mrs. Charles E. Cowman (1870-1960), Mountain Trailways

Power-Packed Promises

The Bible is full of promises that God has made—promises laden with spiritual power that He wants us to apply practically. Some of His promises are universal, like: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). Others were originally made to certain individuals or groups, like “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14)—a promise that Jesus first made to His 12 disciples.

But God’s promises were not given solely for the sake of the original hearers. They are for anyone who has faith enough to believe that God will be true to His word—including you! God means exactly what He has promised, and He will fulfill His promises to the very letter if you will reach out with the hand of faith and claim them in a definite manner.

As you become more familiar with God’s Word, you will learn to recognize His promises and claim them as your own. When you do that, it shows you have faith. It’s a positive declaration of your faith and knowledge of the Word, which pleases God and sets His power in motion to answer your prayers.

*

Miracles Come Naturally to God

By David Brandt Berg

We usually think of things that are beyond our comprehension as super­natural or miraculous, but those things aren’t supernatural to God because He operates in the spiritual realm where everything is “natural” to Him. It’s like saying there is nothing impossible with God (Luke 1:37). A lot of things God does are beyond our power and grasp of things and what we consider natural, so when they happen we say they are “super­natural.” But with God nothing is impossible, so nothing is supernatural to Him!

God can do things that are contrary to what we consider His natural laws. When someone gets healed of an incurable disease, for example, we call it a miracle because we’re seeing the evidence or mani­festation of some of God’s laws that link the spiritual and the physical realms—laws that we know little about. To God, on the other hand, it’s simple! He knows how to undo whatever damage the disease may have done and thereby creates what to us is a miracle—a supernatural act that is beyond our capabilities.

God is always ready, willing, and able to work miracles on our behalf—miracles of healing, supply, protection, or whatever else we may need when we ask Him to in faith and claim the promises from His Word. We can’t work miracles; we can only pray for Him to do it and marvel at His power when He does.

God Engineers Everything

By David Brandt Berg

God has the whole world to think about, yet somehow He manages to keep everything under perfect control and ultimately going the direction He wants it to go. Everything is planned; everything is ordered in “decency and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40), and nothing can happen without His will. Whatever happens is what ought to happen or what God allows to happen for a reason. Everything is in His hands and nothing happens without His will, especially to His children whom He loves and to whom He wants to be good.

God engineers every situation and has a good purpose for everything—even our troubles. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). So the next time you find yourself in a situation that doesn’t look so good to you, take another look. It may not be immediately apparent, but sooner or later God will turn your “bad” to good! (to be continued)

John Lennox on the book of Revelation

01 – Force for Good: Introduction

Force for Good

Peter Amsterdam

2010-12-14

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to be publishing a series of articles that will relate to the topic of becoming a force for good. These topics relate particularly to the mission—both our works and our witness.

Now that we are promoting diversity in how we each express our discipleship and fulfill our part in the mission, many TFI members will be moving in new directions with their missionary work, pioneering new ministries, and discovering new and innovative means of reaching their community. A key element to successfully reaching our part of the world will be showing a tangible example of God’s love to our community, our neighbors, our co-workers, colleagues and schoolmates, relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Manifesting God’s love to those whom the Lord places in our path each day is at the heart of becoming a force for good. As the apostle Paul said, “the love of Christ compels us.”^[1] In whatever specific ways the Lord leads each of us to reach our part of the world with His love, He has called us as Christians to be “the light of the world.” He has told us to “let your light shine before people, so that they will see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”^[2] Letting that light shine in such a way that people will see your good works and see them as a reflection of God’s love is at the heart of the concept of being a force for good in your community, in your neighborhood, and in the lives of others.

Throughout the centuries, since the earliest days of Christianity, Christians have often reached the world through becoming known as a “force for good” in their community. Even when others didn’t necessarily embrace the Christians’ faith or understand their religion, or when they were persecuted and maligned, their kind deeds and good works shone brightly before all men, resulting in people wanting to know what made them so different from much of society. As the apostle Peter said in his Epistle, “Live such good lives among the [unbelievers] that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God.”^[3]

Maria and I believe that this new era of the Family can result in our greatest witness and fruitfulness to date. The new Family we are transitioning into will result in many Family members engaging people in society in new ways, and relating to people and interacting with them in different ways, as well as continuing our many time-honored methods of carrying out our mission work. In many cases, it will result in Family members becoming more a part of the local community, workforce, or student body, or whatever the case may be—positioning them in just the right place to reach different audiences and to truly “become one” in order to better relate to others.^[4]

The Lord has indicated that as we launch out to reach the world in new and innovative ways, we will become more effective and our witness will go further. In the prophecies received for the launch of the Offensive,^[5] He indicated that the Offensive was all about being led of His Spirit to reach the world, and following in the new directions the Spirit would lead.

The Spirit of the Offensive

(Jesus:) The spirit of the Offensive is the spirit of the apostles who went into all the world to preach the Gospel. The spirit of this revolution is the spirit of the apostle Paul, who witnessed, reaped, trained, and built the Church. It’s the spirit of the martyrs who had such faith and conviction that they were willing to die for what they believed.

It’s the spirit of freedom to follow Me wherever I lead. It’s the spirit of doing things My way. It’s the spirit of being willing to break out of the old and to do the new. It’s the spirit of letting go of the past and of the way you’ve always done things.

It’s the spirit of truth, the spirit of freedom—freedom to try new things, freedom to experiment, freedom to move forward, unfettered by the past and unchained to it.

It’s the spirit of passion—passion for the job, passion for souls, passion to save the lost, passion to be willing to do anything to achieve the goals I’ve given you.

It’s the spirit of doing the job in a professional manner—not haphazardly, not just floating here and there. It’s a will to work, the will to map out the plan that I show you and to follow that plan.

It’s the spirit of compassion for the lost. It’s the spirit of love for mankind.^[6]

Our goal is that TFI members with their local works and TFI as an organization can become a force for good. As we each strive to reach out and become one with the local community; as we provide assistance—spiritual or practical, or both—to those the Lord puts in our path; as we do our part to bring God’s love to others and to better their lives in whatever ways we are able, our witness and our works will grow and serve as a “candle on a candlestick” to shine forth His light and a “city set on a hill” to draw others to Him.^[7]

Needless to say, Family members have been reaching the world faithfully for decades and making a difference in so many ways in the lives of people and in the countries they have served. The Good News Blog site, the worldwide work section of thefamilyinternational.org, and all of your local websites and newsletters tell the tale of how Family members are a force for good in their part of the world.

Our hope is that we will become even more effective in reaching the world and being a force for good in our local communities. As we enter more into society, into the workplace, into the local community and the neighborhood, we believe that the Lord will open many new doors of opportunity and ministry.

I want to preface this series by revisiting what we mean by becoming a force for good in your country, community, neighborhood, or workplace. Here are excerpts of a previous explanation of this concept that I gave in a talk in 2008:

We don’t always realize it, but it’s just amazing how the Lord works through the Family! Every day, pretty much around the clock, in nearly 100 countries, the Lord uses Family members as channels for His miracle-working power.—Resulting in miracles of lives changed and souls saved, miracles of healing, miracles of answered prayer and more!

I think that because we live a life of faith on a daily basis, and have been blessed to regularly experience countless miracles and answers to prayer, we can tend to become somewhat accustomed to seeing the Lord moving in people’s lives and doing incredible things for us each day in answer to our prayers.

And yet each of these happenings, that may seem small or even “a normal occurrence” in our eyes, can be an impressive testimony to others outside of our fellowship, some of whom may see precious few examples of “heaven on earth,” and so little of the miracle-working power of the Spirit.

The Lord uses Family members as His miracle workers in so many ways, and in diverse situations and cultures. We’ve got a lot of good works to show for our lives of service to the Lord. But we’re going to have to invest more in letting our light so shine before men, so that they can see our “good works” and glorify the Lord.”^[8]

Our motivation is not to receive credit for the wonderful works the Lord does through each of us. But if we fail to let our light shine, if we don’t make a way for others to see our “good works,” what they’ll really miss out on is seeing God, the One who is responsible for them. So being able to show and tell others “what great things God hath wrought”^[9] is an important part of our witness and testimony.

I’m excited about the vision the Lord has given for the Family of the future. Maria and I are thrilled about the Lord’s promises that the Family’s light is going to shine brighter than ever, lighting the way for many more people in the world who have yet to hear our witness of Jesus’ love.

Let’s pray about ways in which we can build a positive presence in our local communities, and truly become known as a force for good. Let’s ensure that our presentation of our faith and our works is professional, relatable, and appealing to the people we’re trying to reach.

We’re in an exciting era of Family history. The Family is advancing. There are exciting things ahead, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to. And we’ve got a big job to do.^[10]

We have so much to offer people, including our neighborhoods and local communities—a personal relationship with Jesus, answers to problems, assistance for those in need, and a vision for this life and for the future. Not only that, but our experiences in living communally, serving as missionaries in foreign fields, homeschooling our children, and reaching out to all sectors of society have equipped TFI members in unique ways to relate to people and to reach the world.

If we’re going to be effective in expanding our outreach and reaching our part of the world, fostering goodwill in our local and national communities will be an important key.—Being relevant to the people we are trying to reach and finding out what is meaningful to them, what is needed in the community, where we can make a difference in ways that will resonate as being helpful and appreciated.

The public presence of TFI as an organization and members’ works on a local level also need to be relevant. When people access your websites, videos, brochures, and presentation of your work in the community, it’s important that what they see and read relates to their lives, their culture, and their perspectives on life; that it will be perceived as having meaning and value for them.

This series of posts will address topics related to becoming a force for good within the context of the change journey and the new Family. It will cover topics such as neighbor and community relations, the importance of integrity and professionalism, new mindsets regarding charitable and humanitarian works, presenting and promoting your mission work, and facing the challenges that come with the territory of active Christian service.

The Family of the future will comprise many diverse ministries, callings, and works, and there won’t be a one-size-fits-all way in which members express their faith and participate in our mission. Collectively we all make up what the public sees and comes to understand about the Family of today—who we are and what our mission and purpose is—and ultimately the perception they form of us. The Family will be the sum total of every Family member and their respective works, and it will be up to each of us to show a living example of the Lord’s love and our faith, and to reach the people He brings into our lives in the ways He leads us.

Maria and I will be praying for you, that the Lord will continue to guide you to current, creative, and effective means of reaching your part of the world and being a force for good in your community.

(Jesus:) I will do many things in the future which have not been heard of or seen before this time. I will open the doors to opportunities for the truth to be preached as it has never been preached before. I will use every means possible to proclaim the truth and bring My message to as many as possible. But in order to do so, I will need you to be prepared to walk through those doors of opportunity and to speak My words of truth and to shine My light on many through your works.^[11]

(Next in this series: Force for Good: Community and Neighbor Relations)

^[1] 2 Corinthians 5:14 NKJV.

^[2] Matthew 5:14, 16 ESV.

^[3] 1 Peter 2:12 NIV.

^[4] 1 Corinthians 9:22.

^[5] The Offensive is a campaign TFI launched in 2008 to refocus our efforts on our mission goals of witnessing, teaching and training people in the faith, and expanding our membership.

^[6] Originally published November 2007.

^[7] Matthew 5:14–15.

^[8] Matthew 5:16.

^[9] Luke 8:39.

^[10] Excerpts of Peter’s Introduction to the HSP 2008 Seminar.

^[11] Excerpt of a prophecy received for a seminar in 2008.

Copyright © 2010 The Family International.

The Seven Years of Antichrist Reign

David Brandt Berg

1981-03-05

The Antichrist is going to rule for seven years according to Daniel 9:27. During the first three and a half years, he’s going to settle the problems and wars and enforce peace. People will think he’s wonderful because he stopped all the wars, restored the economy, and solved the problem of Jerusalem by internationalizing the city and making it his capital. And it looks like everything is going to be fine.

Except many are still questioning his rule and reign, and they’re still arguing about Jerusalem and about religion. At the end of the first three and a half years, he breaks the covenant and sets up the Abomination of Desolation. The Bible says it is an image of the Beast (Revelation 13:14–15). And who is the Beast? The Antichrist. So the Abomination of Desolation is going to be an image of the Beast!

He sets it up in the holy place, somewhere around or near the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15). When the Antichrist makes his compromise and internationalizes the city and allows freedom of worship of all three great religions, they’re probably going to have to compromise and settle for building their temple somewhere near the same spot. But this is the most holy place on earth to the Jewish people, it’s the second most holy place on earth to the Muslims, and it’s one of the holiest places on earth to Christians.

When the Antichrist sets up his Abomination of Desolation, an image of himself for everybody to worship, he sets it up in the holiest place in the world to the world’s three greatest religions, on top of Mount Moriah in front of the Mosque of Omar and the rebuilt temple of the Jewish people.  It’s going to be able to move and speak and even command that everybody should receive the Mark of the Beast, 666, in their forehead or their hand, and without it, you can’t buy or sell. And everybody that refuses to worship it must be killed (Revelation 13:15–18).

Since the Antichrist is the Devil incarnate—like Jesus was God in person—and has always wanted to be the god of this world and to be worshipped, of course he would say, “Worship me, I’m God!” Second Thessalonians 2 tells us that he will sit in the temple of God, as God, saying that he is God. He’s not only going to set up an idol of himself and command the world to worship him, but he’s going to sit in the very temple of God that the Jewish people have rebuilt on that holiest of all holy places and proclaim that he is God!

Everybody who has rejected the truth, the Bible, is going to believe that and worship him and accept his mark. All those who have resisted the truth, He said, will be sent strong delusion that they might believe a lie, that they might be damned (2 Thessalonians 2:10–12).

The first half of the Antichrist’s reign is going to be like world peace and plenty, economic reconstruction. And the last half is going to be the Great Tribulation, such as was not since the world began, no, nor ever shall be. We’re going to know when that first half of the seven years comes to an end and the second half begins, the Great Tribulation. We’re going to know exactly when that happens because Jesus Himself told us what to look for: the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.

According to what Jesus said, by the time the Tribulation begins and you have seen the image of the Beast set up in the holy place, you are going to know virtually to the very day the time of the coming of Jesus Christ. You’ll know that it begins the period of three and a half years of Tribulation till Jesus comes. He’s made it so specific. He has not only said three and a half years, but a time, times, and a half a time, 1260 days and 42 months. The Scripture makes that very clear in both Old and New Testaments.

Why do you suppose the Lord wanted to make that so clear and so exact? When you’re in the middle of the Great Tribulation, you’re going to be counting the days and thanking God: “Thank God, we’re a day closer to the coming of Jesus!”

But you might say, “Jesus said no man knoweth the day or the hour, not even the angels, only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). Jesus was saying nearly 2,000 years ago, “No man right now knows that day and hour!” No man knows. That’s present tense. But He didn’t say that we wouldn’t know when the time came. They didn’t have to know! They weren’t going through the Great Tribulation. Jesus wasn’t about to come back. He hadn’t even gone yet. Nobody knew then.

When these terrible things begin to happen, you’re going to need to know, and you are going to know because God promised it in His Word in the 15th verse of Matthew 24: “When ye therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,” then it tells you: “Don’t even go back in the house and get your clothes—run! Head for the hills!” Because, verse 21: “Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

As Jesus pointed out, from that point onward, from the setting up of that image it’s exactly three and a half years of Tribulation to the end of his reign and the coming of Jesus. Jesus will come with all His holy angels to rescue us out of this horrible mess (Matthew 24:29–31). In 1st Thessalonians 4 you’ll find a picture of the coming of the Lord. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep.” In other words, those who have died in the Lord. Their bodies are sleeping; their souls are quite awake and with Jesus. He says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14).

The Lord is going to bring with Him all those who’ve already gone to be with the Lord when He comes, the dead in Christ, coming back for their new bodies. He says, “The dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Their spirits are with the Lord, and He’s going to bring them back with Him and they’re going to pick up their dead bodies—only they’re going to be glorified new bodies then. Then we which are alive and remain shall rise up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.

It says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep”— they’re going to go before us. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.” Three big noises, beloved! No secret coming. No silent, quiet, sneaking out on the world; it’s going to be very noisy, and everybody’s going to know it. Every eye shall see! (Revelation 1:7) No secret rapture.

“And the dead in Christ shall rise first”—because all these spirits of the beloved departed have come back with Him to pick up their bodies, and they are going to rise first. Why the Lord gives them that particular honor, I don’t know, unless it’s because they lived their lives and died for the Lord. “And we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds”—we who are still alive at the end of the Tribulation will see Jesus come. And there will no doubt be thousands, maybe millions of us!

The Devil can’t get us all! The Antichrist can’t possibly wipe us all out, because there are millions of real genuine saved believers in the world. I believe there are going to be millions of us still alive to see the Lord come! Let me tell you, when these prophecies begin to be fulfilled and people see the Antichrist is revealed, this dictator who establishes world peace, takes over Israel and Jerusalem, and makes a covenant, some of these people we’ve been witnessing to are going to begin to believe. At least many will.

Jesus called two of His own disciples fools and slow of heart to believe (Luke 24:25). A lot of people are pretty slow—slow of heart to believe, slow to perceive, slow to understand. But then they’ll begin to believe because they’ll see it happen before their very eyes.

The vast part of the world is going to believe in the Antichrist, that he’s the messiah, and they’re going to worship him and accept his mark in their foreheads and in the palm of their hands and be doomed to die and go to hell, because they refused to believe in the true Messiah.

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord!” Hallelujah! “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17–18). When you’re in the midst of the Great Tribulation and you’re having a tough time finding something to eat, you can’t buy or sell because you don’t have the credit card that belongs to the Beast, you don’t have the mark, and you’re having a tough time staying alive, these scriptures are going to be a great comfort to you, to know it’s not many more days.

To witness in that day is going to be dangerous. Jesus prayed, “Let this cup pass from Me; but if not, Thy will be done” (Matthew 26:39). He made His choice then and there to die for us. He said in another place, “No man taketh My life from Me, I give it up of Myself” (John 10:18). He made a choice that He knew was going to kill Him and bring about His own death. Nobody took His life from Him. He said, “You couldn’t even touch Me if God didn’t let you! All I’ve got to do is raise My little finger and He would send legions of angels to rescue Me” (Matthew 26:53). He chose to die; He decided to die because it was the will of God to save you and me. He chose death. And He Himself said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

You’re going to be able to choose. You can head for the hills and try to manage to exist and stay alive until Jesus comes, and I believe millions will, especially in parts of the world far from the Antichrist and his hordes. There are going to be all kinds of rebellions against him; he’s going to have a lot of problems and troubles and wars during that last three and a half years with people who don’t like him.

He’s not going to have absolute control. There are going to be all kinds of people who finally rise up and realize he’s the worst thing that ever happened to the world, and they’re going to rebel and refuse to follow his orders. A lot of people are going to refuse to accept his mark and refuse to follow him and obey him, and though he may order them to be killed, he’s going to have a hell of a time trying to do it, because many people are going to be in rebellion against him.

He’s only going to rule the world for a little while, then Jesus is going to come and we’re going to rule the world with the Lord. Amen? Thank You, Jesus! Praise the Lord! Lord, help us to be faithful witnesses to the end, and tell everybody we can about You before all this happens, Lord—now.

Copyright © March 1981 by The Family International

The Prince of the Covenant

David Brandt Berg

1979-05-01

Nearly all Bible prophecy teachers teach that the prince of the Covenant (referred to in Daniel 11:22) is the Antichrist, because that’s what the Bible as good as says. “The prince of the covenant”—it’s obvious. The term itself implies who he is: the prince of the Covenant. Who is this prince that has so much to do with the Covenant that he is called the prince of the Covenant? He can be none other than the Antichrist.

There’s only one other screwy interpretation I ever heard of, by the historicists, who say it was all fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Himself was the prince of the Covenant. How can He be, when this prince-of-the-covenant Antichrist is against the “Prince of princes,” or King of kings, Jesus, in Daniel 8:25?

The “historicists,” usually old-line denominations, are the ones who teach that all this Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled; it is all past history and we’re now living in the Millennium. If this is the Millennium, or Christ’s kingdom of heaven on earth, God help us! It’s closer to hell on earth. They teach that Jesus’ death, the beginning of the age of grace and the end of the Law, was also the beginning of the Millennium, and we’re now in it, and Jesus will come in the Rapture after it. That’s why they’re known as “postmillennialists,” because they believe Jesus’ Second Coming is after the Millennium.

The Covenant is spoken of many times: a seven-year covenant in Daniel 9:27 and many other passages. It’s like a promise of religious freedom or religious worship, enabling the Jews to reestablish the temple and sacrificial worship in Jerusalem.

The Covenant is made by the Antichrist himself. Therefore he is called “the prince of the Covenant.” He’s the one who makes this covenant to allow religious worship and freedom in Jerusalem. This has been the general interpretation. That’s my interpretation and that of most Bible prophecy students and teachers, even Scofield’s Bible.

The Antichrist, obviously from the 9th chapter of Daniel and many others, makes the Covenant and/or confirms it, and is therefore called “the prince of the covenant.” Then he breaks it in the middle of the seven years, at the end of three and a half years. It’s generally assumed or interpreted that since he is the one who has made the Covenant, he has the power to break it.

It’s conceded by nearly all interpreters of Bible prophecy that this mastermind, this superman, the Antichrist, is the guy who’s going to solve the problem of Jerusalem by making some kind of an agreement between the Muslims and the Jews, probably by making it an international city under the U.N.

That has long been the suggestion of the U.N. as an alternative to solve the problem, to internationalize Jerusalem. That’s the only thing that will ever halfway work. But then, as the Antichrist finds out, even that doesn’t work. That still doesn’t make the religions stop fighting and quarreling with each other. They will still be fighting and arguing over every square inch of Jerusalem—who gets this, and who gets that, and who gets to place their temple here, and who gets to place their altar there. So he finally just gets fed up and abolishes the whole works and sets up his own religion.

But first in Daniel 9:27, he confirms the Covenant or this religious peace pact to allow free religious worship in Jerusalem for all religions for seven years. When he does, that will begin the last seven years of history. We know this from Daniel 9:27.

Lots of modern politicians have suggested this: “Why don’t we declare Jerusalem an open city, an international city? The sacred city, the holy city, capital of the world’s three greatest religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” Why not declare it an international city in no one country or people’s hands, but under the U.N. or the world government? When the Antichrist takes over as the world dictator of a one-world government, he will have the power to do that, to declare Jerusalem an international city that belongs to the world—not just to the Jews, not just to the Muslims, not just to the Christians, but to all—the whole world.

It would be a compromise, a covenant telling the whole world and the world’s three greatest religions it belongs to all of us. The world government takes it over and makes it an international city. In fact, according to the Bible, the world dictator of the world government—the Antichrist—then makes that city his capital too. His political capital of his world government will be Jerusalem, the capital of the whole world (Daniel 11:45). For a while, to get the sympathy of the people and the world and the cooperation of the world’s great religions, he allows them all religious freedom, not only all over the whole world, but within Jerusalem itself.

This then finally gives the Jews their golden opportunity to rebuild their temple and restore its sacrificial worship. They work out some kind of compromise with the other religions, and this is the only way it could ever be done, because the Muslims would never allow it otherwise. It has to be done by a fourth party, a world political government, to make a compromise which is generally accepted as the covenant spoken of in the Bible prophecies of Daniel.

The Bible says the Antichrist eventually stops the sacrifices. (See Daniel 8:11, 9:27, and 11:31). Well, he can’t stop them unless somebody has started them. It’s going to take some ticklish work to figure out some way for the Jews to rebuild the temple and reinstitute sacrificial worship on their altar with the Mosque of Omar standing right over it. The Dome of the Rock, the holiest of the Muslim holy places outside of Mecca, is now standing over what was once the Jewish temple sacrificial altar, where they sacrificed their sacrifices. So what they are going to do about that, we don’t know yet.

But we do know that finally the Antichrist is going to stop it. Maybe it’s just to settle their quarrels and fights over this very thing. Who knows? He is going to put an end to the Covenant right in the middle of it. He then later sets himself up as God and his image in this holy place, and says, “Now everybody worship me and my image. Forget all these other religions, and we’ll just have one big one-world religion of the one-world government of the one-world dictator, and I will be your god!”

The Antichrist, as a smart politician, realizes that in order to stop all this bickering and arguing and infighting among the world’s three great religions within his one-world government, he’s got to abolish all religions and insist that there must just be one religion—his religion—the worship of him and his image.

Obviously, the Covenant doesn’t work. He tries, but there’s probably still so much fighting between them that he cannot get the world really united as long as these religions are still fighting each other. So his idea, of course, with the seeming sensible reasoning of man and the Devil, is to abolish all other religions and unite the world in one religion, the worship of himself, the Antichrist, which means the worship of the Devil, for he is the Devil in the flesh.

Finally the Devil has what he always wanted: the worship of the whole world with him as its god—“the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Then comes the attempted abolition of the worship of the one true God and of Jesus Christ His Son and all other religions.

It says, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” (seven years). First of all, it says in Daniel 9:26 that “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Jerusalem and the temple), and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

The literal fulfillment of this particular prophecy is usually considered the desolation of Jerusalem under the Romans in 70 A.D., because it was “after Messiah was cut off” (Daniel 9:26), after Jesus was crucified, that the city was destroyed and made desolate.

But maybe it also applies to the future destruction under the Antichrist, because obviously he is also going to invade and take over Jerusalem. It could apply to both—one a foreshadowing and the other a final fulfillment. Many Bible prophecies are like that. It says in verse 27—and this obviously can refer only to the Antichrist, because it has to do with the Covenant:

“And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week”—or seven years. This prince that shall come shall confirm the Covenant. This is why he is called the prince of the Covenant, the Antichrist, as it is he who confirms the Covenant. He makes a seven-year covenant for the reinstitution of sacrificial worship and freedom of religion in Jerusalem, or an ingenious compromise between the Jews and Muslims.

But then he breaks it. “In the midst of the week” or the seven years, or therefore at the end of three and a half years, “he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” There is reference after reference about this event: Daniel 7:25; 8:9–14; 9:27; 11:31; 12:7–11; Matthew 24:15 and 21; Luke 21:20–24; Revelation 11:2–3, and many others.

“He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease (break the Covenant), and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate (the abomination of desolation), even unto the consummation (the end), and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

All through the book of Daniel it speaks about the prince of the Covenant, the Antichrist, who turns around and breaks it in the middle, at the end of only three and a half years. He is talked about in Matthew 24:15 by Jesus, and in Revelation 11 and 13 by John. He finally turns against the Jews and the daily temple sacrifices of the Jews, and stops them, and sets up the “transgression of desolation,” his own image (Revelation 13:14–15), the “abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” quoted by Jesus in Matthew 24:15–21:

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation (the image) spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place … then shall be (the) great tribulation.” What worse abomination could stand in the holy place of the world’s three greatest religions than the Image of the Beast, the image of the Antichrist? He finally sets up his own image in the holy place, a talking, seemingly living idol!

Scofield has Jesus coming before this and taking the church out at this time so they won’t have to go through the Tribulation. But you can’t find any foundation for that in fact or scripture anywhere in the Bible. The Bible plainly says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days … then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven” (Matthew 24:29–30).

So there is the order of events. Despite all these wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and pestilences and famines for 2,000 years, from that time until the Antichrist, He says, “But the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6).

“But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand(ing) in the holy place, then” shall the end be near, for, “then shall be (the) great tribulation” which is ended by His Coming, as He says then in verses 29 and 30: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven” and He will come to rescue His own in the Rapture (verse 31; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4; Revelation 14).

In many passages it tells us exactly how long the Tribulation’s going to be—three and a half years. All of these passages throughout the Bible teach the same thing, and give the length of the Tribulation in many ways: It will begin in the middle of the seven-year Covenant (Daniel 9:27), which leaves three and a half years.—Or a time (one year) and times (two years) and half a time (half a year) (Daniel 7:25 and 12:7)—or three and a half years. Or it says 42 months (Revelation 13:5), which is three and a half years. Or it says 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6), which is three and a half years. All say the same.

The Great Tribulation or persecution of the religions by the Antichrist shall last three and a half years exactly—the last half of the broken Covenant. God made it so specific and counted it in so many different ways that nobody could possibly misinterpret it, misunderstand it, or misfigure it like some Bible interpreters try to.

Then comes the 11th chapter of Daniel, that very mysterious chapter in which so many Bible students and teachers go astray. Trying to interpret it all and identify everybody here, you’re going to get in trouble. However, it comes to a point around the 21st verse when it begins to speak very clearly and obviously of a certain person who continues to dominate the world scene right on through the rest of the passage.

From Daniel 11:21 on, nearly all Bible students and teachers agree, is a description of the Antichrist, after many other descriptions in Daniel previous to this (Daniel 7:8, 20–25; 8:9–12, 23–25; 9:26–27, etc.). So this detailed description of the Antichrist begins here in the 21st verse: “A vile (evil) person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.”

The antichrist system conquers countries and their people by propaganda, “peaceably,” “by flatteries,” powerful “peace” propaganda.

It then says in verse 22: “And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.” “Yea, also the prince of the covenant.” Don’t stop here and don’t link it too closely with what has just been read, because originally the Bible was not divided into chapters and verses, neither was it punctuated.

The Old Testament in the Hebrew doesn’t have any punctuation, so you can make a mistake and divide things where they shouldn’t be divided, and run them together where they shouldn’t be run together. There is kind of a pause here, and it looks almost like the translator has linked it together: “Yea, also the prince of the covenant.” If you interpret it as some people have, and you punctuate it and run it together the way the translator did who put these verses together, it sounds like, “The prince of the Covenant got run over too! He too got broken, right?”

But what it is saying here is, “Yea, (he’s) also the prince of the covenant.” This is literally what this passage means. It does not mean, “Yea, also the prince of the covenant” is broken. I’ll grant you, that’s what it might look like and sound like, if you don’t really know your Bible and all the rest of the passages.

If you find a whole bunch of scriptures that say one thing, but then you find one little passage that seems to say the opposite, then what are you going to accept? The preponderance of the scriptures. Otherwise you’d have to say, “Because this one passage says so-and-so, all the rest of the scriptures are wrong!” But we’ve already seen how all through God’s Word, especially Daniel, 2 Thessalonians, Revelation, Matthew, and all the other prophetic passages, it speaks of this Antichrist, this prince as the prince of the Covenant, the one who makes it and breaks it. It speaks of him time and time again.

The Antichrist is really the prince of the Covenant, this vile person who becomes the Antichrist, according to the passage here. “To whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom, but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” He talks them out of it. He’s a usurper! “And with the arms of a flood (of atom bombs?) shall they be overflown from before him and shall be broken.

“Yea, (he’s) also the prince of the covenant.” What the writer here is trying to bring out is that he is not only doing all these things, but this is also the guy we have been talking about in all these other scriptures.

As the prince of the Covenant, the Antichrist is the one who makes the Covenant, and therefore he has the authority to break it. He makes the promise, but he also breaks the promise. He’s the one who gives these nations and religions their freedom and authority to practice and worship in Jerusalem and set up their official temples there, and tries to bring about a compromise between them.

After trying with the seven-year Covenant to get the religions to compromise and work and worship together and leave Jerusalem an open, internationalized city with freedom of worship for all, which doesn’t work, this prince of the Covenant apparently gets fed up and stops the whole works, breaks the Covenant, stops the worship, and places the image of himself, the Beast, right in the holy place, at the temple.

 

Facts about the Antichrist

1. Power by the Devil: Revelation 13:2, 4; Daniel 8:24.
2. Deadly wound healed: Revelation 13:3, 12, 14.
3. Big mouth: Revelation 13:5–6; Daniel 7:8, 20.
4. War against saints: Revelation 13:7; Daniel 7:21.
5. Power over all nations: Revelation 13:2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 14, 15.
6. One-man world government: Revelation 13:3, 8.
7. Blaspheme temple: Revelation 13:6; Daniel 8:11; 11:31; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
8. 42 Months: Revelation 13:5; 11:2–3; 12:6, 14; Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7.

 

Copyright © May 1979 by The Family International

24: Thy Kingdom Come

A Study of Revelation: Revelation Chapter 22

A Study of Revelation

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

Revelation chapter 22: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” We’re in the Holy City now, the new Jerusalem, come down from God out of heaven to a new earth, the capital city of the world to come, kingdom come.  “And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

There is a river which flows through this city of God, this beautiful new Jerusalem, the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for you and me, where there are many mansions in His Father’s house for us (John 14:2). On each side of the river are these beautiful trees called the trees of life, and they bear fruit.—Twelve kinds of fruit on one tree. A different kind of fruit every month.

“And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Outside the Holy City is the surface of the renewed earth, whose surface and atmosphere had been destroyed in the last great war of Gog and Magog. The wicked of that time had been killed and then judged in the Great White Throne Judgment of God. Now we’re on the renewed surface of the earth at the beautiful new Heavenly City, a new heaven and new earth. And through it flows this beautiful river of life flanked by the trees of life, which have 12 fruits, a different one every month, and leaves that are able to heal the nations outside of the city.

There will still be nations outside of the city. We will have leaves from the tree of life for their healing. Apparently they’re still going to need help and still need healing and salvation, and we will have the answer to their problems.

They will not be allowed inside the Holy City, the beautiful new Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom of God to come, but they will be allowed upon the surface of the earth in a beautiful new earth where there will be no more sea. No more Pacific, no more Atlantic, no more Indian Ocean, no more Arctic Ocean, no more sea. It will all be land and these nations will still be there, but they’ll need healing, and we will have the answer to their problems, in the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations.

“And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun” (Revelation 22:3–5). That is in the city; this isn’t talking about outside on the surface of the earth.

The surface of the earth outside will still have sun, moon, stars, day and night, seasons, etc. But in the city there’ll be no need of sun or moon or stars or candle. There’ll be no night there because it’ll be eternally lighted, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The inhabitants of the earth will be able to look up and view that beautiful city and know that God is there, that God now lives here with man. He’s come down out of heaven to make His dwelling place with man, and that’s His beautiful city, His capital city. Even if you’re not one of the denizens or one of the citizens of the city living inside the city, you’ll be able to look up from the surface of the earth and be thankful that you’re even there at all.—Even outside the city, the unsaved, one of those on probation, still learning to love the Lord.

You can look up at night and see that beautiful city. “And they shall reign forever and ever!” Who shall reign? The saints of God; all the Christians who love Jesus. They are all saints sanctified by His blood, purified, and set apart to serve the Lord.

“And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:6–7). Quickly? John received Revelation 2000 years ago, and Jesus isn’t here yet. Jesus didn’t say He was coming soon. He said He was going to come quickly when He came. But He didn’t say “I’m coming soon” because it’s been 2000 years since then and He hasn’t come yet.

“And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: Worship God” (Revelation 22:8–9). He said, “Don’t worship me. I’m just another prophet like you. I’m one of your fellowservants. So don’t worship me; only worship the Lord!”

“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:10). The book of Revelation began in John’s time. The sayings of this book, the predictions and prophecies of this book began right then in John’s day. That’s why he says “the time is at hand.” This book reviews the whole history of the world, prophetically, from the days of John till the very end. In fact, right on into heaven.

He says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:11–12). He’s going to come very suddenly when He comes. He’s just warning them, even 2000 years in advance, that when He finally comes, He’s going to come very quickly. He says that about three times in this passage.—Not that He’s coming soon, but that He’s going to come very quickly. He does tell John that the events talked about in this book are at hand, starting right then, and this book covers the whole period from John to the end, even to heaven.

The saved will be rewarded at the judgment of Jesus Christ, the throne of Christ. Every saved Christian will be rewarded according to his works then. The judgment of the unsaved does not come until a thousand years later, when all the unsaved are raised to meet God at the Great White Throne Judgment described in chapter 20.

We who are resurrected and raised and raptured to be with the Lord at the end of the Tribulation, we get our rewards right away up in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, where there’s a great feast and a great ceremony, and God passes out the wedding gifts. He passes out the rewards to all of those who love the Lord. Isn’t that wonderful?

Verse 13: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Jesus is speaking again. Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, meaning the beginning and the end. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” All those who do the commandments of Jesus Christ can eat of that tree of life that grows on both sides of the river of life that flows through the city.

The leaves of those trees will be able to heal the people outside the city that are still sin-sick, and sick from their disobediences and their rebellion against God. We’re still going to be witnesses for the Lord and we’ll be able to take those leaves outside the city to heal the nations outside. But we who live in the city are saved and have a right to the tree of life, to drink of those beautiful waters that keep us living forever so we can help those people outside.

We won’t just be sitting around floating on clouds, fiddling with harps—that’s some worldly cartoonist’s idea. We’re going to be very busy going in and picking leaves off of the tree of life. There are still going to be lots of unsaved people outside on the surface of the earth. They’ve been resurrected, they’ve been to the Great White Throne Judgment of God and each one’s judgment was decided upon, where they should go, some to the flames of hell itself and the Lake of Fire where the Devil and the Antichrist and the False Prophet are, those three beasts—the Dragon, and the Beast and the False Lamb. Those three animals are going to be in hellfire. But out on the surface of the earth after the Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved, God’s going to let some of those people live outside the city to learn their lessons and to be healed.

“And I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Jesus is the morning star. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:16–17).

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18–19). You mustn’t add anything to this book and you mustn’t take anything away from it.

Some people say that means the whole Bible. But he’s just talking about this particular book, the book of Revelation. You shouldn’t add anything to it and you shouldn’t take anything from it. Some Christian fundamentalists seem to think that this is the last time God ever spoke, to John on the Isle of Patmos, and these are the last words that Jesus ever said, and He hasn’t spoken since then. Isn’t that ridiculous? We have a dead God who’s been dead and quiet and silent for 2000 years now, according to these fundamentalists who accept just the Bible alone and don’t believe that Jesus has ever said anything since then.

God has spoken since then. And down through the ages, after this book was written, God still had many prophets and prophetesses who continued to prophesy and speak with tongues and interpretation and prophecies throughout the whole 2000 years of church history, since the days of John and since this book was finished. God’s prophets and prophetesses have been continuing to prophesy in these last days according to the Word of God, throughout the church of Jesus Christ, throughout all Christendom, to Christians everywhere, millions of them.

And “He which testifieth of these things saith, Surely I come quickly.” Again, Jesus didn’t say He was coming soon, He said He was coming quickly! There have been 2000 years since then. But He said when He comes He’s going to come very suddenly, by surprise to the whole world.

But we won’t be surprised; we’ll be ready for Jesus when He comes. “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” the prophet says. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20–21).

Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

23: The New Heaven and New Earth (part 2)

A Study of Revelation: Revelation Chapter 21

A Study of Revelation

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

But there’ll be plenty of room on earth then, because right now only around a third of the earth’s surface is land. Whereas then there will be no more sea; it’ll all be land. The seas are the world’s great septic tanks, its great cesspools where all the waste of the world drains off into. That’s why it has to be salty, or it would stink like a toilet! Some places it does, where they dump their sewage and garbage into the sea, polluting the earth. The Lord says He’s going to destroy those that pollute and destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18).

There will be much more land area then, lots of room for the great Heavenly City to sit down where once was the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean or the Arctic or Antarctic Oceans. Maybe it’ll move around, so it can minister to different parts of the world. If it can float down from outer space from God out of heaven to the earth, then it probably can still float around the earth and hover or set down here or there.

Science fiction’s got nothing on the Bible or the future as foretold by the Lord! I have never seen anything in sci-fi movies to compare with this, have you? Nothing so enormous and magnificent as that beautiful city, full of precious stones and jewels, and best of all, full of precious souls. Immortal saved souls that love Jesus. Billions of people will be there because there were millions of faithful witnesses down through man’s history, from the time of Adam and Eve until the Millennium.

Verse 23: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” It doesn’t say there’ll be no moon and no sun, but it says in the city they won’t need the moon and the sun. It has its own light, the light of God and His Son Jesus. But the sun and moon will still continue on the world outside the city on the planet earth, which still exists with a new Garden of Eden-like surface with the people who are unsaved out there, whom God is giving another chance to learn what they need to learn to be restored, to be reconciled.

I believe in the eternal universal reconciliation of man because Jesus said He died that all might be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), that the whole world might be saved, and I believe that’s going to happen someday! But only the saved, only those of us who have voluntarily chosen to love Jesus, to receive Him as our Savior now in this life on this earth, are going to walk the streets of that golden city and be able to enter through those gigantic pearly gates.—Unless some are also saved in the Millennium and the world hereafter.

You won’t have to ask Saint Peter for his permission either. Peter doesn’t have the keys; Jesus has the keys. If you have Jesus, you have your own key and you can go in and out whenever you want. Peter is just another one of the saved, just another saint of God just like you, a lost sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.

We each have our own key that God gives us through salvation. Every one of you who are saved will be able to go in and out and enjoy the splendors of heaven. You’ll be able to look down on the surface of the earth and see it as if you were in a satellite. It’ll look like a map below, with people who God in His mercy will permit to live outside the city on the surface of the earth. Even that will be like heaven on earth. It will be even better than the Millennium.

How good is God! How kind, how loving, how merciful. The Bible says there’s no end to His mercy, His mercy is from everlasting unto everlasting (Psalm 103:17). He is forgiving, kind, gracious, and loving, and He’s not going to lose one of His sheep—not one soul! He’s going to save them all in the long run, even those outside the city who will never be able to enter the city. But we will go out into the world to help other people who are still learning how to believe and receive God and to love Him and serve Him.

It’s thrilling to think we’re not just going to be sitting around on clouds playing harps and doing nothing. We are still engaged in the marvelous, soul-satisfying process of the redemption of man, of all men everywhere, the whole world for whom Jesus died. God’s Word says so, that He died for all men. “That all men might be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4), even those who don’t receive Him now but who will believe and receive Him later.

It may be too late for them to enter the Holy City, but not too late to enjoy the mercy and love of God and His forgiveness upon the surface of the earth, healed by the leaves of His tree of life (Revelation 22:2). The sun and moon will still continue. Day and night and seasons will still continue. The very first chapter of the Bible says that as long as the sun and the moon endure, there shall be seasons, summer and winter, spring and fall throughout the world (Genesis 1:14).

Outside the Holy City will live people who were not saved and who are only then learning to love the Lord and appreciate Him and respect and honor Him and worship Him with our help, who live under similar conditions, like it was in the Garden of Eden. It’ll be a pleasure just to live outside on that new heavenly earth that God is going to make for all mankind and all His creatures.

Not one shall be lost, not one of all God’s wonderful creations, immortal souls of man, not one. They’ll all be there either in the city or on the surface of the earth.

“And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it”—in the city—“and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it”—or literally unto it (Revelation 21:24). There will still be nations and kings on the surface of the earth outside the city. Of course, nations ordained by God—righteous kings teaching the people to love and serve the Lord, and they’ll be bringing honor to the city.

“And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there” (Revelation 21:25). The gates will be open night and day, 24 hours a day. What a city! Man thinks some of his cities today are pretty wonderful; they stay open till two, three, or four o’clock in the morning.

But that city’s going to be open day and night, 24 hours a day. Can you imagine what that place is going to look like at night from the earth outside all lit up? The most beautiful city in this whole world! Man has never seen anything like it. This gorgeous pyramid, 1500 miles high and 1500 miles wide, shining with a golden light all night long, glowing almost like the sun. It will no doubt light up the countryside, the surface of the earth for hundreds of miles around.

It’ll be a blessing just to live anywhere within sight of that city, to be able to see it at night and thrill to its splendor, resplendent with golden supernatural light of God. It will vie with the moon and even the sun for beauty and splendor. God’s word says that when He shall build up Zion, even the sun and the moon shall be ashamed in comparison with the glory and the beauty and the light of that Holy City here on the surface of the earth (Isaiah 24:23). It will outshine the sun, outshine the moon. This reminds me of an old song we used to sing:

When we go to be with Jesus
We shall outshine the sun.
When we shall be with Jesus
We will outshine the sun
And walk those streets of gold.
—Adapted from “We Shall Outshine the Sun” by C.F.W.

The saved will enjoy both worlds—the inside world of the beautiful Holy City of the saved, and be able to go out and minister to the poor folks who are lost but being rehabilitated and reconciled.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Nothing unclean there: no dirty city streets, no vile vice, no filthy crime, no sin. Not Sin City as today, but the sacred City of God. The Holy City, the pure city, the beautiful city. Everything absolutely clean and perfect and pure and sinless!

The Lord has a city prepared for you and me whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). It comes down like a bride out of heaven adorned for the husband, out of heaven from God to the earth (Revelation 21:2). He says that the tabernacle of God or the dwelling place of God is now going to be with men (Revelation 21:3).

Are you running the race for Jesus? Or are you in the rat race of the system for the world? If you’re running the race for Jesus, it’ll be worth it all. If you’re running the rat race of this world, you will regret over there that you didn’t run for Jesus and work for Jesus and live for Jesus.

One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible is also one of these last verses of the Bible, when He says: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ.
One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase.
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.
—From “When We See Christ,” by Esther Kerr Rusthoi

Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

22: The Millennium—Old Testament Millennial Scriptures (part 3)

A Study of Revelation

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains”—these mountains symbolizing governments, God’s government over all—“and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

“And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks.” Final disarmament. That will be the real genuine disarmament, beating their weapons into instruments of peace. “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:2–4). That’s a beautiful inscription also written on the wall of the garden of the United Nations in New York City. Yet all around it rages controversy and evil and war and crime.

“Enter into the rock and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty.” God’s speaking of the unregenerate, when Jesus comes. “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan.

“And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish. And upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols He shall utterly abolish.”—Including the Image of the Beast.

“And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:10–21).

God’s kingdom has already begun upon earth today in Christians who love Jesus—in you if you have Christ in your heart. He said, “For the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). You’re a member of His kingdom that’s already begun upon earth.

“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning” (Isaiah 4: 2–4). God is going to burn it out if it takes His judgments to drive the iniquity out.

“And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud of smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain” (Isaiah 4:5–6). The Lord Himself is going to be your tabernacle and protect you.

The eleventh chapter of Isaiah: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears.

“But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth.” That’s going to be the rod of iron, the truth of God that’s going to rule the world then. “And with the breath of His lips shall he slay the wicked.” There is nothing that curbs the Devil and His crowd like the truth, the Word of God. Jesus is going to be here then. “And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:1–6). You have never heard of a wolf lying down with a lamb nowadays, have you?—Unless the lamb was inside of the wolf! Or a leopard lying down with a kid, a little baby goat. They usually lie down with the kid inside too. Neither have you heard about a little child leading them all nowadays.

There was a day before the Flood when men and the animals were at peace with each other. They didn’t fight and they didn’t kill and they didn’t eat each other as they do today. That day is coming again when there will be peace between man and the animals. Even your little child will be able to play with them.

“And the cow and the bear shall feed.” Feed together, think of that, cows and bears! “Their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:7). “Now you’ve gone too far, telling me lions are going to eat hay! I don’t believe that.”

I have such confidence in the Word of God and every chapter and every book—I have proven so many of them to be true and none of them to ever fail or be false—that I believe every word in it, and I believe it means exactly what it says and that’s what’s going to happen. If they’re not going to eat each other or eat us anymore, they’re going to have to graze like the ox and the calf. So the lion will eat straw like the ox.

“And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp.” A little baby that’s not even weaned yet can play right on top of the hole of this poisonous little serpent called an asp, and yet not get stung or bitten. “And the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (Isaiah 11:8). Children will be able to put their hand into a nest of scorpions and what are today poisonous insects. Or in another place it says adders’ den, meaning a poisonous snake. The child can put his hand right into a nest of adders and play with the snakes then, like toys.

What a wonderful place to be! All the curse removed, the viciousness gone, all the killing and hurting each other gone. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). We won’t have to be worried about witnessing anymore. We won’t have to say, “Know the Lord,” for He says “all men everywhere shall know Me” (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11). But I do believe we’ll still be teaching people the ways of the Lord.

“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people”—Jesus—“to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). This is a wonderful picture of the final glorious days of this earth.

The earth will blossom as a rose, curse removed, enmity between man and the animals and the insects and the vipers removed, so that all God’s creation is in perfect peace and harmony, and man at peace with man. No longer will there be man’s cruelty toward man, no longer man’s inhumanity to man, but all will be peace and beauty—heaven on earth once again as it was in the beginning, because we’ll have Jesus.

I think Adam and Eve had Jesus then too. Who else could walk with them in the Garden in the cool of the day like a man but Jesus, the Son of God (Genesis 3:8).

“Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously” (Isaiah 24:23). “And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things.” Here is that wonderful Marriage Supper of the Lamb. “A feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.” The vineyards and wineries aren’t going to go out of business.

“And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.”—The vail of misunderstanding, the vail of unbelief, the vail of non-comprehension of spiritual things. “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest” (Isaiah 25:6–10).

Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

22: The Millennium—Old Testament Millennial Scriptures (part 1)

A Study of Revelation

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

I’m going to read some verses which are my favorite passages in the Bible, some of the most beautiful scriptures in God’s holy Word.

The reason I am particularly fond of them is that they’re about the “happy ending” of the story. In much of the past chapters of this particular study of Bible prophecy in the book of Revelation, it seems as if it’s been a lot of bad news about the horrors about to come upon this world. The Bible admonishes us to be prepared for these days, and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. (See Matthew 24:33, 44.)

We’re just strangers passing through; this is not our home. We’re strangers and pilgrims, and this is why God says He’s proud to be our God. He’s not ashamed to be our God, for we confess that we are only strangers and pilgrims here. We seek a city whose builder and maker is God, which someday will come down out of heaven from God to this earth (Hebrews 11:13–16).

At the end of that mighty Battle of Armageddon, of the forces of God against the forces of Satan on earth, we, the saints of God, along with our King Jesus Christ, will take over this world as it is now—this present world—and we will organize it and rule it and run it the way it should have been run if man had yielded to God. But this time, yield or no, God’s going to run it with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27).

Whether man likes it or not, God is going to be supreme and Jesus shall reign from shore to shore, and we shall rule and reign with Him with that rod of iron. Then the unsaved who remain will be forced to do what’s right and to obey for a thousand years. They will have the amazing blessing of being able to live at all during this millennial period in which the earth, though it is this same earth upon which we live today—not the new heaven and the new earth, but the present earth—it will be relieved from the curses that have beset it. The thorns and the thistles and the briar and all kinds of beasts and critters and creatures that are poisonous, even poisonous flowers and grasses, will be sanitized and made harmless.

Even the unsaved who have survived the Tribulation and the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon—and it’s quite a survival to manage to survive all three of those—will be allowed to live during this beautiful paradise-on-earth, millennial period.

The Devil will be bound in the heart of the earth in the bottomless pit for a thousand years, and we will rule and reign with Jesus on this present earth for one thousand years to try to teach the survivors righteousness, to try to show them where they failed, to try to point out what the mistakes were, to try to show them how much better it would have been if they had yielded to Jesus and let Him rule and reign in their hearts as we do today.

We already have the Garden of Eden in our hearts. We already have paradise restored in our hearts, those of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Lover and our King and our God, who has forgiven us our sins and brought us peace and love and happiness such as we have never known before. We already have the Garden of Eden in our hearts, but then we will have the Garden of Eden worldwide—the curse removed, even a measure of death removed. People will live for a thousand years as they did before, and if you die at a hundred years of age, they’ll consider you just a child (Isaiah 65:20). Think of that.

This is a part of the beautiful happy ending. The Bible is full of descriptions of that beautiful millennial period. It says more about the second coming of Christ and His rule and reign on the earth as its King, its Messiah, than it does about the first coming.

This is the purpose of it all, the marvelous happy ending of it all! This is our reward for loving Him, receiving Him, believing in Him, and preaching Him, telling others about Him, spreading the Good News of His love everywhere.

Jesus was the one responsible for it all, who loved us enough to give His own life for us and take our punishment, the punishment of our sins on Himself on that cross, on that tree, so that we could be forgiven and restored and become citizens of His kingdom, the kingdom of God on earth of the King of kings in the heavenly kingdom.—First of all, the Millennium, and later the new heaven and new earth.

What are the two books that are the most messianic books in the Bible?—The ones that talk more about the Messiah and His kingdom, that marvelous millennial kingdom on earth and the kingdom that goes on forever after, than any other books? We have to go back to the Old Testament to find them: Psalms and Isaiah, by two great prophets. “Prophets?” you say, “I thought David was just a king.” David was a king, but he was also a priest of his people. Foremost and above all, he was a prophet of God who wrote the beautiful Psalms of David. In the Psalms, he describes time and again the marvelous coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.

First, he starts with the Antichrist kingdom and the Battle of Armageddon, the forces of good against evil. (This could also apply to the Battle of Gog and Magog at the end of the Millennium.)

Psalm 2: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” That’s what they will say during the Great Tribulation. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” God gets the last laugh! “Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

Despite all they can do, He has set His king upon the hill of Zion. Jesus will someday return to this earth and He shall stand first upon Mount Zion. God’s Word says it will cleave in two when He stands there, like a great earthquake, and cause a very great rift or very great valley (Zechariah 14:4). That great hill that the Jews and the Muslims are fighting over, guess who’s going to get it?—Jesus. And when He does land on it, it’s going to split wide open.

“I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me”—speaking now to Jesus—“Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” He’s going to give us the entire earth, all of it. “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.”—If you don’t want to be broken. “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” Do you put your trust in Jesus? Then you’re going to be safe. Don’t worry, everything’s going to be all right with you.

“The Lord is king for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of His land” (Psalm 10:16). That’s what’s going to happen then. “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion. When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad” (Psalm 14:7). The true Israel of God, those who have received Jesus the Messiah, the Christians.

“I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” There’s going to be a resurrection. “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:8–10). There are many prophecies regarding the first coming of Jesus, but these are the ones about His second coming.

“I will declare Thy name unto my brethren: and in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee.” Before this, they were worshipping the Antichrist; now they’re going to have to worship Jesus, whether they like it or not. “They shall come and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this” (Psalm 22:22,27,31).

The good news! We had to tell you the bad news first, all about the Antichrist and his reign of terror and the Tribulation and the judgment and Babylon and the horrors, and then Armageddon. But now comes the victory, the heaven on earth.

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O ye gates: even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalm 24:7–10).

The Muslims have a prophecy that when Jesus returns, He will come through the gate called “Beautiful” and take over the city of Jerusalem and reign as the Messiah and King of kings. Therefore one Arab ruler many years ago didn’t want Jesus to come and take the kingdom away from him; he was afraid He might come during his day. So he walled up the gate “Beautiful” there in Jerusalem.

To this day it is still sealed, because God prophesied that no man should go through that gate again. A prophet prophesied this centuries ago when at that time it was one of the most popular gates of Jerusalem on a well-traveled highway that ran through that gate into the city. But God prophesied by His prophet Ezekiel many centuries earlier that it would be closed and never opened again until the Lord of hosts Himself, the King of kings, Jesus, would come and pass through that gate (Ezekiel 44:2; 43:1–4).

Praise God, the day is coming when “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:9–10).

“O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth.”—In the Millennium. “He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness” (Psalm 47:1–3,7–8). All of these marvelous predictions of the coming kingdom of Christ upon earth.

“I will make Thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise Thee for ever and ever” (Psalm 45:17). For “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Psalm 45:6–7). What wonderful prophecies of the coming kingdom of Jesus! I turn the pages here in the Psalms and on almost every page I find another prophecy about this marvelous millennial kingdom of Christ.

“Our God shall come and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is Judge Himself” (Psalm 50:3–6). That’s the way it’ll be when Jesus comes.

“Through the greatness of Thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee. All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name” (Psalm 66:3–4). “O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for Thou shalt judge the people righteously”—not all judges today judge righteously—“and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase: and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him” (Psalm 67:4–7).

For “Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men”—the greatest being salvation—“yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them” (Psalm 68:18). God is even going to be good to the wicked who will—some of them—survive all the horrors of hell of the Antichrist and the Tribulation and the plagues of the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon to finally come into this millennial period through which we will rule and reign over them with Christ with a rod of iron for a thousand years.

“Give the king Thy judgments, O God.” This is Psalm 72, and almost the whole psalm is a prediction of the Millennium—“and Thy righteousness unto the king’s son.” Who is the king’s son? Jesus. “He shall judge Thy people with righteousness”—that means Jesus—“and Thy poor with judgment.” The world is going to see a righteous judge, a righteous king, a righteous ruler at last, who will have a righteous government. No corruption, no vice or crime or payola or bribery or crooked judges and crooked politicians, but a righteous government and righteous justice.

“The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear Thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations” (Psalm 72:1–5).

Don’t think that something’s going to happen to destroy the sun or the moon or the earth! God didn’t make this creation to be destroyed. He’s going to have to destroy the surface of the earth and burn it up because of the pollution of mankind and its wickedness, but He’s not going to destroy the ball, the planet earth, or the sun or moon. They’re going to continue to shine upon the earth.

We won’t need them in the holy city that comes down from God to the earth. There’ll be no need of sun or moon or stars there. Jesus will be our sun. But outside on the earth where others are still learning and still being healed, they’ll still need sunlight and moonlight and the stars, and God will be merciful to them. But that is the new earth and new heaven, which comes after the Millennium.

“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” Here it’s speaking of the kingdom of Christ on earth, how it’s going to be over the whole world.

“They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents.” The British. “The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.” The Saudi Arabians are going to become Christians.

“Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him.” There won’t be any religion then but Christianity; there won’t be any kingdom except that of Jesus Christ. “For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and the needy and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight.

“And He shall live, and to Him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. Prayer also shall be made for Him continually; and daily shall He be praised. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon. And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.” That is, of the great city of God. ( To be continued)