Our Savior Will Come To Save the Day

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” (Re 19:11 AV)

 

What a wonderous prophecy.  This promises the LORD Jesus Christ will return to Earth and war against those who would permanently reject Him.  In a day when tolerance is the theme of our conversations, the idea of a warring Savior is rarely, if ever, preached from our pulpits.  But that doesn’t change a thing.  In our passage, the LORD judges and makes war in righteousness.  This is not up for debate.  It is not going to committee and then to the floor.  It is His was or death.  One or the other.  Every single soul that stands against the righteousness of God will be severely dealt with.  They will come to a certain and eternal end.  There is no dispute.  There is no debate.  This is no litigation.  There is no discussion.  If the soul had rejected the grace of God by the offering of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross, then he or she will be dealt with by the LORD’s justice and judgment.  Today’s saint doesn’t like to think of their LORD in that way.  But it is part of our Savior that is just as much of Him as His grace and mercy.  Like it or not, the LORD will make war against those who hate him.

When I think of this passage, I think of an old-time western.  One of those spaghetti westerns.  A crotchety but highly principled marshal must leave the territory.  He is on a trip back east or maybe to a remote fort somewhere.  While he is away, the territory is lost to a band of profiteers who manipulate, cheat, and kill.  They terrorize the territory and the town seat.  They intimidate the judge, deputy, and town businessmen.  Any newcomer is immediately brought under their thumb.  This group of thugs is relentless.  What makes this even worse is the ring leader of this gang has a vendetta against the now absent marshal.  In particular, the marshal's family.  They terrorize his wife, children, and extended family.  They steal and pillage anything they want off the marshal's homestead.  The graveyard is filling up quickly with the victims of this gang.  The marshal's picture is used for target practice.  His license to practice his craft is burned.  His nameplate is melted down for more bullets.  The marshal becomes the brunt of jokes.  Going to the saloon, there is a likeness pinned to the wall and over time, the townsfolk learn to disdain the marshal to the point of using this likeness as a dart board.  One can imagine how his wife and children feel.  This is her husband.  This is their father.  The abuse is relentless.

Soon, however, the marshal returns.  He sees the corruption that has enveloped his town.  He sees the torment his wife and children have endured.  He is moved to do something about it.  The quickest gun in the west takes on the whole gang.  He pulls out the peacemaker and deals with the entire lot of them from the center of the town.  One by one, he cuts them down like the evil men they are.  No one shot lands on him.  He is so quick not even one shot comes close.  All bad guys are gone!  Justice is served.  This is the attitude every believer should have.  We are the bride of Christ.  The world is insulting our husband.  They are mocking Him.  They are abusing that which is important to Him.  They are making martyrs of those who love Him.  They use His name as a curse word.  They are burning His houses, stealing what He rightfully owns, and making His creation miserable.  When He returns on His white horse, it all comes to an end!  In the meantime, we can have compassion as we try to win those who hate Him to His glorious grace.  But please, keep in balance, the understanding that He is the brunt of all that is wrong and He will return to set it all right.

All Will Praise Him

“Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” (Re 15:4 AV)

 

Spoken by those who are martyred during the tribulation period.  They will see unprecedented rebellion against God and His Christ.  They will see the rise of the Antichrist.  They will see Israel flee into the wilderness.  They will see the 144,000 killed by the midterm.  They will see the two witnesses executed, then rise again after three days.  They will see one judgment after another with the world reacting in deeper rebellion.  They, too, will be martyred for their faith.  They will see all this and wonder at the worthiness of God to receive the praise which He deserves.  The question above is one of common sense.  If God can send all this, who is it that will not fear the LORD?  To do otherwise is beyond foolish.  The question above is one of consolation.  Not of the coming vindication for their martyrdom.  Rather, the coming consolation that our precious Savior will finally be worshipped as He deserves.  There is coming a time when every voice on the planet will worship the King of kings.  In a concerted unity of voice, all of living mankind, along with the redeemed and glorified saints, will join in glorious worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The day after I received Christ, I realized just how much the world hates Jesus.  It was really eye-opening.  Especially as it was expressed in television and radio.  I was a rocker.  So to speak.  I listen to popular rock and roll.  Not really the acid stuff, but not the pop-rock stuff either.  Anyone who listened to this garbage was well aware of the subject matter.  Mostly immorality and drug or alcohol use, lyrics began to shift a bit.  From sins of the flesh to blasphemy, it began to be popular to sing songs that degraded anything secular.  Someone addicted to that music soon lost any respect for God or godly things.  Then there was the garbage coming out of Hollywood.  The same shift happened there, as well.  Back in the infancy of television, there were wholesome programs that taught principles.  Then a bored audience demanded wickedness.  Soon, wholesomeness was replaced by filth.  This filth then transitioned to blasphemy.  It really hit me one day when I was at work and we had tradesmen doing work in the building.  They used profanity in every other word.  It was so bad I had to ask them if they needed a dictionary so they could learn new English words since their vocabulary was pretty much limited to curse words.  Letting them know I was a Christian, I demanded they stop using my Savior’s name in vain.  It hurt.  Every time they blurted out the name of the LORD as a curse, it stuck in my heart.  I can understand how the tribulation saint will feel when their Savior is insulted far more than He is now.

Hence the wonderous promise above.  Knowing there will be a time when everyone present will worship the LORD with a true heart of respect and honor.  No more cursing.  No more profanity.  No more sick humor, so-called, that degrades the LORD in the most profuse ways.  Once the millennial reign of Christ begins, that is the end of all rebellion.  The vast majority will still turn their back on Him when the 1,000 years are up.  But their insurrection will be quickly defeated.  In the blink of an eye.  Almost like it never happened.  For those who are saved and love their LORD, we look forward to the day when all will speak well of Him.  We look forward to the day when all opposition is destroyed.  We look forward to the day when every musical refrain is about Jesus.  What He is and what He has done will be trumpeted throughout all of creation and all praise Him as He deserves.

Our Defense Against Truth

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Re 12:10-11 AV)

 

Whether we like it or not, the Devil is always there to accuse us in the presence of God and our enemies of those things which we have done.  His accusations are not without merit.  He is correct in his superficial observations.  As when he accused Joshua the high priest of apparent hypocrisy in the book of Zechariah, the Devil does all that he can do to discourage the believer from victorious living and serving.  With Joshua the high priest, the Devil correctly observed Joshua was serving as the high priest with sullen clothes.  He was not properly cleansed and his garments were threadbare and stained.  His assertion was Joshua was unworthy to stand before God in the office of a high priest.  In this, Satan was correct.  However, the solution was not agreeable to the Devil.  God replaced Joshua’s situation with cleanliness and holiness.  God’s holiness was imputed to Joshua that Joshua might serve before the LORD.  This is essentially exactly what the saints listed above also did.  When accused of wickedness, they didn’t try to defend themselves.  They didn’t try to outweigh their sin with their own righteousness.  They overcame the accusations by the blood of the Lamb and the proof of their worthiness as it is found in the word of God!

Who hasn’t had the annoying little brother or sister who made it their life’s mission to rat you out to Mom or Dad?  We have all had that nemesis.  No matter what we did, you would inevitably hear, “I’m telling Mom!”  This little monster soon gives up when Mom or Dad lectures him or her on tattling.  However, there is the coup de grace of tattling.  When this little miscreant waits until his or her older sibling is enjoying something at the hand of a parent that he or she finds it her responsibility to cancel that blessing by ratting out the elder.  Perhaps my youngest son would approach me and my middle son as we were enjoying a hunting or fishing outing.  He would come up with something that he felt would end such a wonderful experience.  “Dad, do you know what he did?”  And then out with it, he would come.  Or, he might wait until one of his siblings was having a good time with friends or extended family.  He would wait until all were having a good time.  He would then blurt out what he thinks would be an embarrassing act in which his sibling transgressed.  In these times, I would often respond that I knew of the infraction and, number one, it was none of his business.  And secondly, I had taken care of it already.  Whether I had or not, it was resolved.  What I would not allow is for a tattle tale to have any power over his victims no matter the truth of the matter.

This is what the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony accomplishes.  It removes all the power from our adversary.  He is right.  I did all those things.  He is right.  I deserve hell.  He is right.  I have no right to stand before, let alone, walk with God.  He is right.  There are far more righteous individuals than I.  He is right.  I have no worthiness nor expectation of grace.  He is right in all his assertions.  But what he conveniently leaves out is God’s mercy and grace.  I am not going to suffer because Jesus died for me.  I am worthy because God sees me through the imputed righteousness of his Son.  I will not burn in hell because the offering of Jesus and the cross and His consequent resurrection has given me the victory over death and hell.  He can say all that he wants.  I have no defense of my own.  But what I do have is more than adequate.  I have the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony!  Praise be to God and Him alone!

Trouble Turns

“The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.” (Pr 11:8 AV)

 

That is, the wicked come into the trouble that is brewing.  Now, we need to note a very specific distinction here.  Notice the righteous are in trouble, or they wouldn’t need to be delivered out of it.  Otherwise, the words ‘out of’ would read ‘from’.  Since the wicked are not in trouble, it would stand to reason they are immune to that trouble.  If they are immune, could they be the ones who are causing it?  Now, here is the lesson.  If the wicked are the ones causing the trouble from which the righteous will be delivered, then the wicked will be taken in their own trouble which they have caused.  Think about that one!  We are told by Peter that should not be thought strange to suffer persecution.  We desire to live the perfect life of blessing with little to no suffering.  With men, this is impossible.  There will always be trouble.  There will also always be trouble caused by others.  The promise above tells me that when others cause trouble, we may have to suffer for a while.  But in the end, those who cause trouble will be taken in their own trouble.  Herein is the patience of the saints!

It doesn’t take much to apply this to the rapture of the bride of Christ.  This precedent was set long ago.  Noah is our type.  By the hands of the rest of the world, Noah suffered.  Scoffing and the like were a regular occurrence.  He received no help.  No encouragement.  As he and his sons faithfully prepared the ark, the entire world let them know just how ridiculous it was to them.  What was rain?  They had never seen rain?  The mountains were high. How was God going to cover the entire earth with water?  Impossible.  Unless the LORD flattened all the earth’s surface, there was no way the earth would be covered with water.  They erroneously thought the family of Noah had lost their collective minds.  How could such an event ever come to pass?  But come to pass it did.  All the mouths of the scoffers inhaled water, drowning a horrible death.  The trouble they brought upon Noah was cast on them, tenfold.  The same is true today.  We live in a generation that is seeing increased persecution against people of faith.  The latest being the tyranny of those who would impose their idea of what it means to be socially responsible and safe.  Churches have been shut down and people of faith have had their personal religious liberty revoked.  All in the name of being a relative standard of the better good.  It will not be long before people of faith are locked out of society altogether.  The tribulation will be a time of trouble for all.  Yet, the saint will be delivered out of it by life or by death.  That which wicked mankind designed against God’s people will come upon their own heads.

When we are agitated or worried at the trouble inflicted upon our souls, our patience is in the truth those who cause it will suffer more than we ever will.  It is a pity, really.  Our heart of compassion goes out to our adversaries because we know that as bad as we might have it, they will have it ten times worse.  Their hope is the same as ours.  The hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.  Yet, they have chosen to reject that blessed gift.  In doing so, they have set themselves against God and His people.  Trouble abounds.  Trouble is coming.  There is nothing that will stop it.  God has ordained that His people suffer at the hands of the ungodly.  For whatever reason, the LORD has destined us to endure through trouble.  Our hope and patience is the trouble inflicted on his will turn upon the heads of those who cause it.  God’s justice is absolute.  It is unavoidable.  It is certain.  Herein is the patience of the saints.

Willing to Die for Jesus, But Not Willing to Live for Jesus

“I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” (Re 2:13-14 AV)

 

I find it both fascinating and sad those who were willing to die for the cause of Christ would allow those areas of compromise listed in the next verse.  They held fast the name of Christ. They were willing to lose their lives.  Yet, they allowed the doctrine of Balaam, idol worship, and sexual immorality.  One would think that if a church was willing to lose their lives, that same discipline would carry over to purity and spiritual growth.  In other words, they were willing to die for Jesus.  Just not willing to live for him.  The doctrine of Baalam is the doctrine of convenient compromise.  Balaam, a prophet of God, taught Balac, king of Moab, to send their daughters to intermarry with the Jewish men.  That way, the hearts of the men would be carried away by their love for their Moabitish wives into idol worship.  Even though we may not literally sacrifice unto statues today, we spend much money and time following our favorite sports star, entertainer, or any other idol who is more important to us than God.  Fornication is rampant in our churches.  From online pornography to actual sexual immorality, it is a festering disease in the body of Christ.  Yet, we will fight tooth and nail against an authority that would shut our churches or take our liberties.

When one stops to think upon this, it is not all that strange.  We have watched countless military or law enforcement shows or movies that depict similar circumstances.  One of our favorites follows a family who serves in law enforcement and the court system.  The protagonist had a good friend who was high up in the force, yet, struggled with substance abuse.  He was a highly decorated officer who worked hard and played hard.  He suffered several wounds in the line of duty, yet the bottle was one enemy he could not conquer.  During this particular episode, he had been drinking and on his way home, stopped an armed robbery by shooting the perpetrator.  He placed his life on the line as he was trained to do, yet he had been drinking.   He wasn’t drunk.  He simply had been enjoying himself and then did his duty as he would normally have done.  This caused great problems.  Discharging a firearm while under the influence is a serious matter.  Something that cannot be simply swept under the rug.  What was really sad is this fella was six weeks from retiring with a full pension.  He lost it all.  He was willing to die for the aw.  But he wasn’t willing to live for the law.

The same can be true of the saint.  No one would dispute our willingness to pay a heavy price of persecution for the faith we hold so dear.  We would be willing to go to the mat for the name of Jesus Christ.  We would face down any foe.  We would endure lawsuits, armed conflict, or loss of all that we had if it meant we had stuck up for the name of Jesus Christ.  We do not have a problem with the big battles.  It’s those small ones that get us every time.  We compromise in lesser areas only to find out they did great damage.  We spend our time and material belongings on that which we admire.  Whether it’s money doled out for entertainment, sports, or any number of other hobbies that could be used as an act of worship for the LORD, we sacrifice for idols.  We give that which hurts to lose rather than that which comes from our superabundance.  We turn over what belongs to the LORD for that which tantalizes the flesh.  We allow into our homes immodesty, immorality, and sensuality.  We bring it in via electronic entertainment.  Fornication abounds.  All this, yet we are willing to die for the cause of Christ.  We are willing to die for Christ.  Yet not live for Him.

Compassion That Makes A Difference

“And of some have compassion, making a difference:” (Jude 1:22 AV)

 

There is compassion.  Then there is compassion that makes a difference.  We all want our lives to mean something.  We want to accomplish something.  We want others to be positively affected by our lives.  We want our children to grow up and live for the LORD with all the blessings life has for them.  We want our friends to be blessed by our friendship.  We desire our employer to profit a bit off of our efforts in the workplace.  Part of this is self-affirmation.  We desire to matter.  We want to be appreciated.  We want to hear those special words of love and gratitude that we are part of the lives of others.  However, Jude is applying the truth a bit more altruistic.  This compassion we have towards others is not meant to make us feel good.  This compassion is to the level of making a difference in the life of the recipient.  This kind of compassion does not stop until a life has been impacted.  This compassion wants to leave a mark on the life of another.

When I think of someone who had compassion on me to the point it made a difference, there are many.  But one, in particular, stands out.  My singles pastor years ago became my best friend, so to speak.  I had accepted Christ just before my 18th birthday and immediately felt all alone.  Relationships from my former life fled away.  I worked in the restaurant business, which as one knows, requires a high demand on one’s time.  The work environment was not the best.  Hardly any positive influences there.  In fact, it was in this environment that I was tempted into several poor decisions.  Having moved out of my childhood home, having no stable friendships, I was not in a good place.  However, my singles pastor, Hal, saw my situation and took compassion.  He invested what time he could to see that I was not discouraged.  It wasn’t a lot of time.  He would come by the restaurant weekly to pick up his order and say hello.  He would make a phone call once in a while.  Every year, on my birthday, he would send a card.  He gave me the opportunity to lead the singing and preach once in a while.  When he taught in the Bible institute, he took the time to spend some extra time with me.  It wasn’t much.  This support and compassion didn’t cost him a whole lot.  It didn’t need to.  All I needed to see was compassion.  All I needed was to know someone loved me and cared for me.  I was not needy.  I didn’t demand a thing.  He spent a few moments, here and there, to help a lonely young man survive the cruelties of the world until he was established in the faith.

In our ministry towards others, we need to examine our level of compassion.  Jude is not asking us to have compassion that we might make a difference in the world.  That is when ego becomes a problem.  He is asking us to have compassion that we might make a difference in the lives of individuals.  How deeply do we go?  How committed are we to impacting the souls of others?  Will they remember the words we spoke to them?  Will they remember the kindness we showed?  Will they, one day, give thanks to God for our ministry to them because that little thing we did pulled them from a precipice of destruction?  Will the handshake, the smile, the text, or the personal visit bring that individual back from a dismal experience to one that was more than tolerable?  Will the intersection of our lives change that life for the better?  Do we see men as trees, walking?  Or do we see them as they are?  I learned quite a bit during my nine years in the classic south.  One of them was to value the souls of individuals and interact with people on a personal level.  More so than I had ever done before.  A simple hello or a short conversation can make all the difference in the world.  Reading someone’s face and determining they are going through a hard time, then enquiring as to their state, will change that person.  Just asking them how they are will ease their burden.  Have compassion.  In doing so, have compassion that makes a difference.

Future Perfection Fuels Present Goals

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1Jo 3:2-3 AV)

 

Knowing we will be transformed into the likeness of Christ, we should be motivated towards change in the present.  What is particularly interesting is the first part of the underlined phrase.  The hope of that change within us is the power unto transformation!  John is right to remind us that what we will be is not what we are.  "And it doth not yet appear what we shall be."  This does not mean we lack understanding of what we will be.  Reading of Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments gives us a good picture.  We will be like Him.  Therefore, if we can see somewhat the nature of our Savior, we will understand what we will be.  At least to a point.  The key is hope.  Do we hope for it?  Do we yearn for the day when our vile bodies will be replaced with perfect bodies that cannot sin?  Do we look forward to the day when our old man is completely destroyed and replaced by the perfect new man fashioned after the image of Christ?  The hope of perfection by transformation into Christlikeness should be the hope that motivates us towards that change in the present.  If we are not motivated towards that change in the present, then perhaps we should check our faith in the future.

Although the following example is not perfectly comparable, there is a lesson in it.  After my shoulder surgery, I was sent to a physical therapist.  The first thing the therapist did was an evaluation.  She asked what my goals were.  How much use of my shoulder did I want to restore?  What activities did I want to pursue?  Golf, duh!  Hunting, duh!  She then asked that I lay flat on the table.  She took this giant ruler and compass.  Measurements were taken.  Restriction of movement was noted.  She then had me sit up and showed me how much movement I had.  Then she compared that movement with the movement that was possible.  Using the adjustable giant ruler and compass, she showed the degree of angle I presently had and what was possible if I were to seriously apply myself to the regimen she had laid out.  She gave me a picture of what the future could be if I simply did the best I could do.  She promised I would be able to swing a golf club.  She promised I would be able to pull back a bow.  All I had to do was get a picture in my head of what would be, and work to that end.  The hope of being pain-free and total range of motion was the motivation to undergo treatment.

Now, this illustration falls flat in several ways.  We cannot work to perfection all on our own.  The Holy Spirit is both the power and the ability to do so.  Second, that which we see will be given at our glorification.  The Father will completely transform us into the likeness of the LORD Jesus under His own power and without our help.  Third, although hypothetically possible, dealing with the old man makes perfection practically impossible.  However, the point can still be made that if we can get a vision for the blessings of Christlikeness and not merely the goal, then we will strive for that in this present evil world.  If we have the hope of perfection and realize the blessings such perfection will bring, then we will pray, yield, and strive towards walking in obedience to the word of God.  To that end, if we have the hope of glorification within, then we will strive for it without!