August 03 Devotional
Daily Devotions
for August 2003
THEME - Ages, Dispensations, and Covenants
Please click on
the current date # above to read the devotional
for the day!
These
devotionals are written by the following men:
- DW - Senior Pastor, Dan Wilkenson
- RJS - Retired Pastor, Dr. Bob Shifflett
- DM - Associate Pastor, Dave Most
May God richly bless you this day!
Friday, August 1st
The
Dispensations
II
Timothy 2:14-18
In recent
history, the Old Scofield Study Bible
popularized the idea of dispensations. In this edition of the Bible,
seven distinct dispensations were identified. In this study, we will
cover each of these. The idea of a dispensation was a great tool in
helping God's people understand and maintain sound doctrine.
It should be
clear to the simplest minds that today we do not approach the presence
of God through an Aaronic priesthood, and the
blood of bulls and goats. Things are different. Things have changed.
The idea of a dispensation is key to
understanding these changes. God establishes a relationship with His
people through covenants. These covenants detail rights and
responsibilities. The marriage relationship is an important covenant that
God uses throughout the ages.
Some have
defined a dispensation in terms of a period of time. Dispensations are
related to time but they are best understood in terms of a stewardship
that defines covenant responsibilities. It is critical that we understand
our stewardship responsibilities. It is important that we understand
which covenants are in force in our lives. In some cases, the
dispensations overlap. This is true of human government, the law and
the church age to name a few. In some cases, within a dispensation,
there is a different stewardship. For example, in the church age, the
apostolic office only functioned in the beginning. There are no
apostles today. An apostle had to be taught directly by Jesus Christ,
and be an eyewitness of His resurrection.
The tribulation or
seventieth week of Daniel is included in the dispensation of the law,
but is significantly different because it includes both Jews and
Gentiles under the stewardship of the new covenant. We also need to be
mindful that there are certain principles that are much the same in
every dispensation. This idea is the foundation of covenant theology,
and it is important that we understand some of these unchanging
principles, as well. We will explore all of these things in this study.
Our prayer for each of you is that you will learn to rightly divide
the word of truth, because of this important study. DW
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Saturday, August 2nd
The
Dispensation of Innocence
Genesis 1:26-2:23
This period of time began
at the creation of mankind and ended at the fall of man. In Gen.
1:26, we see the first clear mention of the tri-unity of God. The
very name of God, Elohim,
is the plural of El. God had already created the universe which He had
already proclaimed was very good, bringing to shame those that profess
evolution, and/or gap theories, etc. God does not make mistakes and
everything is under His complete and sovereign control. He then created
Adam and Eve on the sixth day, proclaiming that indeed this was very
good also, vs. 31. In fact, what God had proclaimed good individually
in vs. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, was now proclaimed "very good"
collectively. We find some very interesting things as we look at this
particular age of Innocence, which was sadly short-lived, although the
period of years is not known.
Adam and Eve were both
created in perfection, in innocence, where neither one knew, nor were
they born into, sin and corruption. They were neither holy, nor were
they sinful. Instead they were free to choose, when evil was placed
before them. God had given them dominion over every single thing on
earth, including plants and animals. They were also given the command
to multiply, showing that people's false and sinful claims of being
born homosexual, are ignorant of God's original intent and perfect
design, one woman, one man, one lifetime. This also shows God's
original intent for marriage with no divorce.
Lastly today, we see man's
responsibility. God had given Adam the volitional choice of whether he
would believe God's word, or whether he would choose the false
statements of Satan. Sad to say, Adam was deceived, and thus, Romans
5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned." God today, gives each person their volitional
choice, as well. The difference between Adam and us is that we are born
into sin. That is why the second Adam, Jesus Christ, had to die on the
cross, to pay the price for your sin and for mine.
"Dear Gracious God
and Savior, we realize that we are sinners and are hopelessly lost
without Christ. Help us today to repent of sin, to accept the free gift
of eternal life and then to choose to live for You. Amen." DM
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Sunday, August 3rd
The Dispensation of
Innocence: Man's Failure
Genesis 3:4
and 6
In Genesis 2:15,
Adam was commanded to dress and keep the garden. Most commentators
agree that "dress" means to cultivate, and"keep" means to
be the protector and guard it. Evidently, Adam let down his guard and
the Tempter, Satan entered and:
(1) persuaded
the woman to look, that is to satisfy the "lust of the eyes"
(I John 2:16).
(2) Satan talked
Eve into handling the forbidden fruit, to satisfy the lust of the
"flesh" and
(3) he lied to
her and said they would be as gods knowing good and evil, the
"pride of life."
These three
temptations have been successful for six thousand years and Satan has
not had to change his tactics to this day. He tried the same three
basic sins on our Savior as recorded in Matthew 4: 1-11 where
Christ was tested and defeated Satan. It is Satan's design to lead us
into sin with these three temptations, unless we are being lead by the
Holy Spirit moment by moment, we will succumb and fall into his
clutches.
These three
lies of Satan are the foundation of all present-day apostasy in the
cults of today. Mary Baker Eddy says to her followers "ye shall be
gods" and from her book, Science and Health with key to the
Scriptures in the 1894 edition, page 330. "The
material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin,
when it was shed upon "the accursed tree," than when it was
flowing in his veins, as he went about his Father's business." That
is pure blasphemy! Several years ago a book was published regarding
Mormonism; it was titled "The God Makers."
When Jim Jones led
his followers to commit mass suicide in the 1970's by drinking cyanide,
laced orange juice cocktail, he led them straight into hell. When
Marshall "Do" Applewhite, in April
of 1997, led his followers to suicide believing they were going to ride
the tail of a comet into heaven, they too were led straight into hell.
Satan is the author of death and has the power of death. Scripture: Job
2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. God
restricted Satan, in that he could not take Job's life. Beware of the
cults! RJS
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Monday, August 4th
The
Dispensation of Conscience: Man's Responsibility
Genesis
4:7
There used to be a phrase,
"Let your conscience be your guide" If our conscience is
trained in the ways of the world, we have a worldly conscience. If our
conscience is trained in the ways of the Bible, then the Scriptures
guide our conscience. People living in different areas of the world
have different social orders and are guided by their society, even
among Christians in other parts of the world.
Cain and Abel were well
trained! Their father, Adam, had instructed them to bring an offering
to God, but Cain's offering was an offering of works and Abel's
offering was a blood offering. Just as Adam's first covering was of
leaves or works; God had to instruct Adam and Eve that their covering
was to be product of a blood sacrifice; an atonement. An animal had to
die in order to give them
coats of skin.
Our Text: Genesis
4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou
not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth
at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Many commentators have
taught that the words, "sin lieth at the door" pictured
a lamb lying just outside the door and was there to be a
sacrifice for a sin offering. In another line of thought, sin crouches
at the door to devour the sinner inside. Arthur Pink, former professor
at Moody Bible Institute, offers an
explanation, "If thou doest well" having
reference to the bringing of a proper offering to the Lord. In case
Cain was willing to do this the Lord asks "Shalt
thou not have the excellency" (margin),
which means, Shalt thou not retain the right
of primogeniture over Abel? "And if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door," which we
understand to mean, if you refuse to bring the required offering sin lieth (Hebrew, "sin is crouch-ing") at the door, and like a wild beast is
ready to spring upon you and devour you. The remainder of the verse referrs back to the matter of Cain's rights by
virtue of being the first born. God's requirements are not the result
of the conscience, but heavenly directions from God. Make sure you are
in the will of God in all things. RJS
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Tuesday, August 5th
The
Dispensation of Conscience: "With Knowledge" (cont.)
Genesis 6:5,
11, 12; chapter 7
As we continue to look at
this age, we see clearly that man has failed in his attempts to do good or to
be good. There are some people who seem to think that there is a
"little good" in all of us, but the Bible is clear, "There
is none righteous, no not one." As mankind was allowed by God
to let his conscience guide him, he failed miserably, and our text
today shows what happened. God saw that the wickedness of man was
great. In fact, the wickedness was so great that the Bible also
records, "that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually."
God is a loving God as
this is His very nature. But He is also a just God and must punish sin.
"The wages of sin is death" and so we see the
consequences for sin in Gen. 7. God brought judgment upon a sinful and
wicked people, and only 8 were saved (Noah and his family) as God
brought the worldwide flood.
Is not this a clear
picture of where so many people are today? All men are sinners and are
worthy of death. We have all failed God's righteous and holy ways. The
world's social, moral, and spiritual conditions are becoming worse and
worse. Yes, God is a loving God, but He is a just God and must punish
sin. God is also rich in mercy and grace and gives people a way to be
saved from the wages of sin. "God would that none should perish,
but that all should come to repentance." God, in the days of
Noah, had proclaimed judgment on mankind, and had told Noah to build a
boat, and then mercifully gave the people over 100 years to repent,
which they did not. Today, God also has provided the way for man to
live, through the payment of Christ's death on the cross and that is
the merciful message of the gospel. Sadly, most people reject this
message of grace and mercy, just as in Noah's day and show their utter
rebellion towards God and their unwilling hearts to follow and obey the
will of God. Thus we have the continuing decline of mankind and
ultimately the wages of sin, death, (not annihilation) which is eternal
separation from God, in eternal judgment in Hell. The sad part is, just
by not choosing God, people automatically choose Hell. It's your Free
choice.
"Dear Heavenly
Father, we need You. Forgive us of sin. Help us to make the right
choice in following You in obedience. Amen."DM
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Wednesday, August 6th
The Dispensation of Human Government
"Man's Responsibility"
Genesis 9:1
In many respects, we have
a new beginning. The wicked, pre-Noahic world has been
destroyed and with eight souls, God begins to rebuild the human race in
a flood cleansed world. This family of eight is responsible to multiply
and replenish the earth. Noah was also to govern for God and the one
unconditional condition is the theme of today's devotional.
Unfortunately, the
race is still in a sinful condition,
therefore, God makes a covenant with Noah as to the blood of mankind.
Following are seven references to blood that we need to examine.
(1) Gen.
4:10, the blood cries unto God.
(2) Gen. 9:4-6, The
blood is in the life and blood must be held sacred.
(3) Gen. 37:22,
26, 31, Joseph's coat was
dipped in the blood of a slain animal. The blood of the son is
presented to the father. What a beautiful type! The antitype is
where Jesus presents His blood to the Father. The songwriter wrote, "When
I see the blood I will pass over you."
(4) Gen. 42:22, The
blood is required of those who shed it.
(5) Judas'
clothes are said "to be washed in the blood of
grapes" is a type of Martyrs in the Tribulation, Revelation
7:14b "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
(6) Exodus
4:9, The Nile River was turned into blood, teaching us that
blood is the symbol and expression of God's judgment. And
(7) Ex.
12:13, The blood provided a covering and shelter for Israel.
Even so the Blood of Christ provides a cleansing of all sin for us.
1 John 1:7 "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Human Government was
given the responsibility to punish the murderer by taking his life,
because he has shed the blood of a person made in the image of God.
This responsibility has never been rescinded. The modern humanistic
world culture and society is trying to rescind it, but it's still in
God's Book, the Bible, and as Bible believers, we are responsible to
obey it regardless of our social and cultural teaching. RJS
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Thursday, August 7th
The Tower
of Babel
Genesis
11:1-6
The teaching of
Biblical history is that most people rebel against God and even among those
who profess faith; in time the vast majorities give way to apostasy.
When Noah and his sons left the ark, there were no apostates. However,
after a new beginning it is not long before we find the majority united
in apostasy.
We don't have
time to study the circumstances surrounding the tower
of Babel for the purpose of
our study here, but the tower
of Babel involved idolatrous
worship. In most false or apostate religion today, you will find
various element of this ancient Babylonian idolatry. In short, it
involves a spiritual elite guiding people as they seek to work their
way to their own salvation.
The stewardship
of human government turned from defending life and property to
providing for the needs of people. Church and state were married in an
unholy idolatrous alliance. Goodness, by definition, is founded on
religious values. A state cannot provide for the needs of people
without crossing over the line from the use of force to control
criminal behavior to the use of force to compel religion. As humanity
organizes human government, it is not long before God's good purpose is
corrupted and the state becomes the tool of evil. At the tower
of Babel, we find humanity
united against God seeking to provide for the needs of people and
eliminate the need for God. Note the language of Genesis 11:6.
Here we read that nothing will be restrained from them, which
they have imagined to do. As we approach the end of the church
age, we are seeing that this is happening. Only instead of blessing,
the world that man without God produces will resemble the nightmares of
science fiction. Without God, there will be no heaven on earth.
According to Bible prophecy, at the end of this present church age, we
find a corrupt one-world government supported by a corrupt one-world religion.
These institutions are led by a corrupt satanic man, who seeks to
destroy God's people from the face of this earth. In this account, we
find an important spiritual principle. That is the diffusion of power.
By dividing the people, the result was cultural, linguistic and racial
diversity that helped slow the progress of this evil. The old saying,
power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely has Biblical
support. DW
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Friday, August 8th
The Dispensation of Human Government (cont.)
Genesis
11:5-9
Why would God do such a
thing as to scatter a seemingly successful people? Wrong question! Here
is the true question to ask! Why would so many people disobey
the clear instruction of the Lord and seek their own way instead of
God's?! This happens so often. People are spiritually blind and go
their own way and seek their own doings, rather than obeying God's
clear commands to follow and obey Him. "Be sure your sins will
find you out." Sure enough, God is always watching and yes,
there are always consequences for sin. We don't always get what we
deserve, but it is only because God is gracious and merciful.
During this time period at
Babel, the people had again
been commanded to multiply and fill the earth. Instead, they pridefully
gathered together in rebellion against God. God, who is sovereign, and
in His grace and mercy, caused the confusion and dispersion of the
people throughout the earth.
In other words, God's will and purpose will always be accomplished. The
thing to realize is that God gives us a free (volitional) choice of
whether or not we will obey Him and be used of Him or, if we will
instead decide to do things our own way. Isaiah says, "Every
man has turned to his own way." That is also why God, who is
rich and mercy, provided the way for us to be with Him in heaven.
Mankind's moral condition could not be any worse. Just as the people at
Babel were wrong in not
obeying God and were dispersed, we too, are all sinners and totally
deserving of damnation and total separation from God for eternity. But
God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, died on the
cross to save us from the penalty of sin. All we have to do is make the
right choice. God has made it so easy and yet, so many people miss it.
Why, you ask? It's because of the deception of sin, because of the
pride of life and because Satan is the direct enemy of God and he is
fighting, like a roaring lion, to lead as many folks as he can away
from God. Following God seems an easy choice, but many people miss the
most important opportunity that God gives, and many good moral people
will go into an eternity without God and not make it to heaven, mainly
because they chose to do things their way. May this not be said of those
reading these words today!
"Dear Lord, we need
Your Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and of righteousness. Help us to
obey! Amen."DM
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Saturday, August 9th
The Dispensation of Promise:
430 Years
From the
call of Abraham to the Exodus: Genesis 12:1-15:21
Abraham was
born in an idolatrous and polygamous family in the city of Ur
of the Chaldees. God called Abraham to leave
his homeland and go to an unknown land, and become the progenitor of a
new family or special people upon whom God would bless the world,
little did he understand, but he was faithful and followed God. It's no
wonder that God called him "His Friend".
From Ur
to Beer-sheba, following the river route was
approximately 1500 miles. Try to imagine taking all the household
goods, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, children, and adults on a journey
that took about a year on the road, plus the time stopped at Haran -
the years until Abraham's father, Terah died.
They probably covered about ten miles each day.
Abraham's
action strengthened his faith. Yet, we see him several times in famine
and his faith weakened. Therefore, we cannot put him on a pedestal as
though he were super human. He had the same weaknesses that we succumb
to and we have much more revelation than he ever had.
Let's now look at
the three times God gave Abraham a promise or covenant that has never
been rescinded. The first promise was that God would make of Abraham a
great nation, Gen. 12:1-3. The second promise was a land for an
everlasting possession. That is why even today the Holy Land
is called the "Promised Land." Abraham was to walk the length
and breadth of the land and his posterity would possess it for an
everlasting possession. The PLO has no legal claim on the land; they
only want to destroy Israel.
Gen. 15:18-21 gives the scope of the land and all the nations
who would be dispossessed. The third and greatest promise of all Genesis
12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of
the earth be blessed. Because of God's love, the Jewish
nation and a young virgin named Mary, He sent
His Sinless Son into the world that all who would believe on His name
would be saved. As believers, we have much to be thankful for, because
Abraham followed and believed, God was able to
make of him a great nation, the Jews. RJS
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Sunday, August 10th
The
Bondage of Sin
Proverbs
5:21-23
In the Bible, Egypt
is a type of the world. God did not want his people to go to Egypt.
However, in times of need, Abraham and later Jacob moved the entire
family to Egypt.
God uses Joseph to preserve His people. Joseph is conscious of God's
hand and purpose in his life and so he does not give way to bitterness.
We read in Genesis 50:20 where he says to his brothers, "ye
thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass,
as it is this day, to save much people alive."
It was not that God
could not have taken care of their needs. It is just that His special
blessings are reserved for those who walk the path of faith and
obedience. The family as a whole was walking in the flesh at the time
God brought them to Egypt.
God often uses sin, as its own punishment. The picture here is
consistent with the teaching of the Bible. Those who walk after the
flesh and seek the pleasures of this world will find that sin is no
servant, but a terrible taskmaster.
When we see God's
people receiving the law at Mt.
Sinai, they are returning
from the path of terrible bondage and sin. This is an important point
to remember. At the time of Adam and Eve and Noah, the whole earth was
full of the knowledge of God. When people live in bondage and savage
conditions, it is not for a lack of opportunity or ignorance. It is
because of their rebellion and apostasy.
Thank God for His
great mercy. He does not leave us to the bondage of sin as we deserve.
He ever seeks to bring us back to Himself and preserves to Himself a
faithful remnant. As we find all of God's people in Egypt,
the failure couldn't be any more complete. Yet, this is the very thing
that God uses to forge a new nation. We ought not to give way to
despair. It is simply not possible for sin to carry us beyond the reach
of God's grace. It is as the apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:20
"where sin abounded, grace did much more abound"
God is able to take our sin and failure and use it for our good and His
glory. So it is from the ashes of the cruelest Egyptian bondage, He
calls Moses and begins the process of building a new nation. A nation that will be a testimony to this world that
blessed are those people whose God is the Lord. DW
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Monday, August 11th
Fifth Dispensation
The Mosaic Dispensation or The Law
Exodus
12:1-11 and 19:1-8
This dispensation
did not begin at Mt. Sinai
as most commentators teach, but rather on the night of Passover in Egypt
where they were first called a "congregation," Ex. 12:3.
It was from that night that the Jewish nation began its history.
Previous to Passover night they had no existence as a nation, they were
a disorganized crowd of slaves. When they arrived in Egypt
they were a family; now they are a nation. Passover night they were
called an "assembly," Ex. 12:6. Even their calendar
was changed. This was to be the first month of the year to them.
Tradition has crept into the church for centuries and even we who call
ourselves fundamental have followed tradition, rather than the
Scriptures. This is the third longest dispensation recorded. There are
two longer and we are now living in the longest: from Calvary
to the Rapture. Many teach that the New Testament began with Matthew
1:1, but actually it began when our Lord cried two last phrases,
(1) Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit" and having said thus,
he gave up the ghost.And
(2) John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished" and he bowed
his head, and gave up the ghost.
The church did not start
with John the Baptist nor did it start when Jesus gave the Beatitudes
to the Jews; it began on the Day of Pentecost. There was a marked
difference in the dealings God had with Israel after Sinai, but between
Passover and Sinai there was a time of transition from the Abrahamic
Covenant to the Mosaic Covenant. Even so there was a time of transition
between the Dispensations of Law and Grace, fifty days from Passover to
Pentecost. As we study the Scriptures, there is always a transitional
period of time between all the dispensations and covenants. This would
make a study in itself as we see God's long suffering with mankind and
His desire to lead them into a closer walk with Himself. RJS
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Tuesday, August 12th
The
Dispensation of Grace
Romans
3:9-20; Ephesians 2:2, 7-10; Titus 3:4,5
In God's ongoing plan for
mankind, we are in the dispensation of Grace, even as we read this. This
time period started with the descent of the Holy Spirit in the book of
Acts, and will last until Christ returns again. This time period is
also known as the time of the Church age, where God the Son, Jesus
Christ, started the church, through His apostles and continues it today
through those who have placed their faith in Him to save them. The
"saved" people are literally known as the church,
"Christians." The "church" is not a building.
Rather it is "born-again believers" of Jesus Christ. Faith. Forsaking
All, I Trust Him.
The Bible gives us such a
clear picture of the fact that man is in sin. We are all born into sin.
"There is none righteous, no, not one." These simple
truths refute what many people falsely believe in that they were always
"Christians." Also we know that the Jewish nation had been
given the original privilege of spreading the gospel to others, but
they refused and when Christ had come and they didn't recognize Him as
Savior, that privilege was taken away and given to the saved Gentiles.
Folks, if you are a "saved" Gentile, you have been given a
most wonderful opportunity and privilege; a command by God, no less, to
go and spread the gospel to every creature, to go and make disciples.
To be witnesses for the Lord wherever you live! Folks, the sad truth
is, today most people who profess the name of Christ, are missing the
most wonderful blessings. They are missing the most wonderful
opportunities and yes, the most wonderful eternal rewards, simply
because they will not obey the clear command of God to carry His simple
plan of salvation to the world. Why not? God has made it clear, we are
to go! God has given us everything we need for life and for godliness!
God has given us, as believers, the command! Why will we not go? It is
simply because many do not have any fear of God as their Savior and as
their Redeemer. Quite simply, many "professors" of Jesus
Christ are not "possessors." There are many who are not
saved, even though they profess the name. There is no evidence of a
changed heart and a changed life. Even James said there has to be clear
evidence of the profession. James 2:17-20 shows us the clear
statement.
"Dear Lord and
Savior, we repent of sin. May there be clear evidence in our lives of a
changed heart. Amen."DM
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Wednesday, August 13th
The Apostasy
of the Church
Revelation
3:14-20
The messages to
the churches found in the book of Revelation are incredible in scope.
First, they were literal churches that existed at the time that John
wrote. However, this is not all. They also reflect the general
conditions of the professing church throughout the present church age.
At the end of the church age we find Jesus Christ pictured outside the
church knocking on the door. In Revelation 3:20
we read where Jesus says, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. In
other words, at the end of this age, the professing church will have
become so corrupt that God will withdraw His presence.
If anything
ought to be clear from this study, it is that sinful humanity, as a
whole, finds it impossible to walk the path of faith and obedience with
God for long. Therefore, it is not long before men rebel against God
and turn to their own way. This is apostasy, and is no different in
principle than what happened when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.
All of us are sinners by nature and choice.
One of the lessons
we see from history is that we do not learn from history. In recounting
the failure of God's people under the old covenant, we read (1
Corinthians 10:11)
"all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they
are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come. " In Romans 11:17,20 we read, "some of the
branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive
tree? 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded,
but fear" The failure of Israel
opened the door of God's grace to the Gentiles. Sadly, the present
church age will end in the same failure as that of every other
dispensation. At this time, God will again work His purpose on this
earth primarily in and through the nation Israel.
This time is the seventieth week of Daniel, the tribulation or the time
of Jacob's trouble. There are no signs for the church. The signs we are
seeing related to Israel.
Thus, the end of the present church age is very near. Are you ready? DW
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Thursday, August 14th
The Dispensation of Judgment
or Tribulation
Daniel
9:20-27
On four different
occasions God dealt with Israel
in a period of 490 years. We do not have the space to deal with the
first three, but today's devotional brings out the three divisions of
the last 490 years. This short dispensation (7 years) runs from the Rapture
of the Church to the Return of Christ to establish His kingdom and rule
on earth for 1000 years, the Millennium.
Daniel 9:24-27
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to
finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25
" from the going forth of the commandment (Please take time to read Nehemiah 2:1-9) to
restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince shall be 7 weeks, and 62 weeks: the street
shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26
And after 62 weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and
the people of the prince (antichrist) that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be
with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolation's are determined.
27 And he (the antichrist) shall confirm the covenant
with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the over spreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation,
and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. This
period of time is also known as "Jacob's Trouble,"Jeremiah
30:7 Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is
even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Note that some of
Jacob (Israel,
the Jews) will be saved and survive the Great Tribulation. The Holy
Spirit will still be here, though not in the same sense as we know Him
in the church. He will bring both Jews and Gentiles to salvation. I'm
glad the Born Again ones in the church will not be here to go through
the 70th week of Daniel. We look for Christ in the clouds,
not the antichrist. RJS
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Friday, August 15th
The Grace of
God in Great Judgment
Matthew
24:14-22
It is my
observation that fallen humanity does not like to recognize the hand of
God. Whether we see it or not, God is constantly working all around us.
He is working to glorify Himself, and He is working to call out a
people to Himself. According to our text, the most difficult time in
the history of this world will take place during the tribulation, or
the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy.
Of this time, Jesus
himself said, (Matthew 24:22) "except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened. In other words,
sinful man would destroy himself from off the face of the earth, if God
left him to himself. This should not be hard for us to believe or
understand. I marvel how man can look to a big ball of matter and a big
bang as a beginning. Where did the ball come from and why did it
explode? Without the answer to these questions, we don't have a
beginning. Why are so many people content to ignore such important
questions? It is because the answer takes them straight to the idea of
eternal power and God. So too, we know the universe is winding down. As
surely as there was a beginning, there will be an end. Yet, man in sin
is equally content to ignore the end as the beginning. Furthermore, he
takes hold of a world without God. We read in 2 Peter 3:4 of the
confidence that for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. We go
on to read of a willful blindness to the evidence of catastrophic
judgment on this earth.
It is a blessing to
read of God's great grace even in this most difficult hour. A good deal
of Biblical discussion centers on the 144,000 we read of in the book of
Revelation who are sealed. Who are these
144,000? Why are they sealed? God has never left this earth without a
witness to the truth. There have always been those who faithfully serve
God. As God's people will become the special target of the enemy, He
will supernaturally preserve these preachers during this most difficult
hour. They will survive the entire tribulation period as an important
testimony to the truth of God's grace. They will reap an incredible
harvest of souls. God works differently at different times in the
history of this world. Do you know what He is doing today? DW
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Saturday, August 16th
The Kingdom
Dispensation
Psalm 2,11; Acts
15:14-17
At the end of the 7 years
of tribulation, there will be the triumphant return of Jesus Christ to
the earth with His church to reign for 1000 years until the Great White
Throne Judgment. This is known as the Millennium, and also known as the
Kingdom Dispensation. The church, of course, is made up of only those
people who have repented of sin and have genuinely asked Christ to save
them. They are the ones whose lives give clear evidence of obedience
and of a changed heart. They will have already been raptured and been given
glorified bodies to live and reign with Christ during the Millennium
and also for eternity. All others, who are alive, will enter the
tribulation years, a most horrible thought indeed.
At the beginning of the
Kingdom Dispensation, the people who have accepted Christ during the
tribulation will be the only ones who are left alive on the earth and we
see that their state will be under the personal reign and earthly rule
of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine being under the earthly rule of a
perfect and sovereign king?! It will be a most wonderful time. We see
that man's responsibility and submission will be solely to the King,
who is Jesus Christ, to worship Him acceptably. But think of this.
There will be many people, who at the end of the Millennium will in
fact, turn away from Christ and will side with Satan, the evil one
himself, when he is released from the bottomless pit for a time. In
other words, even under the most perfect of governments, with God the
Son, Jesus Christ as the earthly King, there will be people who will
not be true believers, only professing hypocrites and they will not
obey God. They will go their own way and in the end will receive their
just recompense and their just reward, being thrown screaming, with
weeping and gnashing of teeth, into the Lake
of Fire which is the second
death. Folks, why do people feign and fake allegiance to God? Why
do many people just fake obedience and speak untruths about their true
spiritual conditions? Satan has many people deceived. Many people are
just too prideful to admit that God is right; they are sinners in need
of a Savior. Question is; where do you find yourself today in the
light of the true and living Word of God? May you be found today as an
obedient Christian, living a life that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"O God, we are so
undeserving! Guide us in Your truth for Your names sake."DM
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Sunday, August 17th
The Kingdom Dispensation, #2
The Consequences of Man's Failure
Revelation 20
This
dispensation, as the proceeding dispensations, ended in man's failure. At
the beginning of the 1000 years Satan is cast into the bottom-less pit,
(Rev. 20:2-3). At the end of the 1000 years Satan is loosed for
a little season to deceive the nations upon the earth. One would think
that after 1000 years of peace, harmony and bliss, the people would no
longer be enticed by Satan. Human nature being what it is, despotic and
sinful from birth, does not change. Most of the world's population that
enters the Kingdom Age will live through it to the end, but all that
time, human nature will not change. We may show some signs of being a
chameleon, but truly the leopard never changes his spots.
At
the close of this glorious age of Christ's ruling on earth, man's
sinful nature is still fallen and unrepentant. No matter how good the
social environment or how peaceful the relationship between nations,
families, and what have you, man's sinful desires are still prevalent,
rebellion still rules in his heart. The unsaved is unsaved still! The
human heart is still desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) and rebellious
regardless of outward or inward circumstances.
Once
again we see God's Mercy! Following the Great White Throne Judgment,
Satan and all Christ rejecters are cast into the lake of fire forever
and ever for eternal torment. Divine mercy now opens the door to
eternal freedom from sin and depravity and the saved of all ages will
ever be with the eternal Godhead.
John
the Apostle receives the vision of a new heaven and a new earth,
wherein is no sin. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. What glory awaits the
believers and now we see through a glass darkly, but then we shall see
face to face and we shall be like Him, our Savior. Hallelujah! RJS
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Monday, August 18th
The Purpose
of God
Colossians
1:18-23
God does not
move without purpose and plan in this world. His plan has ever involved
important spiritual leaders. In every age, there are common elements.
There is an important covenant in the godhead. God the Father has made
an important covenant with the Son. According to our text, He is
working through Christ to redeem all things to Himself.
He is working
to help us understand our need. Fallen man is unable to keep any
conditional covenant God makes with him. In one way or another, these
involve works. If we do well, we will live. The problem is we cannot do
well. We are hopelessly in bondage to a corrupt sinful nature. It is
only through faith that we can find the power of God and escape
inevitable damnation. We all have the power to choose, but our
choices will determine our destiny. We must either choose to look to
God in faith and hope or experience growing corruption to damnation.
Sadly, some
choose evil. From Pharaoh to the religious leadership who opposed
Christ to the Antichrist, evil is empowered in the lives of people.
Just as we can choose the path of faith, we can open our hearts to all
evil. However, in spite of all the choices of evil people and the power
of all the forces of darkness, the right will prevail. The covenants
and various stewardships God gives to man mean little next to human
depravity and the power of God. In each age, God offers freely his
covenant of grace through faith.
It is only
through the power of a changed life, that God's grace is evident in the
heart. We do not save ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. Therefore,
it is not God's covenant of works that saves, but His covenant of
grace. His covenant of grace is empowered as we respond in faith to the
revelation that He makes available to us. It is only as we understand
our need and look to God in faith that we are born again and
transformed by the very power of God. God has not called us to save
this world. This world is condemned and will pass away, but He has
given us the truth that will transform the heart and life of all that
will look to God in faith and hope. I wonder,
have you come to the end of yourself and experienced the all
sufficiency of God. If not, why not look to Him now? DW
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Tuesday, August 19th
Each
Dispensation Ends in a World Crisis
Isaiah 53:6;
Romans 1:18-32; Ezekiel 33:12-20
Let's take a
look at some very interesting details:
1st Dispensation, Innocence: Expulsion of Man from the
Garden.
2nd Dispensation, Conscience, with knowledge: The Flood.
3rd Dispensation, Human Government: Confusion of Languages.
4th Dispensation, Promise: Bondage of the Chosen
Race.
5th Dispensation, Law: The Cross of Christ.
6th Dispensation, Grace: The Rapture of the Church.
7th
Dispensation, Tribulation and Judgment: The Wrath of God and
the Binding of Satan.
8th Dispensation, The Kingdom: Fire from Heaven.
One thing that man has
learned from history and that is that man does not learn from history.
You would think that it would be a simple thing to take a look back and
see the mistakes that were made in previous generations, whether it be
in your own country, or in your own family, or even most importantly,
in the ways of God for mankind from the Bible. But this simply is not
the case. The scriptures proclaim that men, before salvation are
totally blinded to the truth of God's Word. They are walking
spiritually blind and cannot see the way, they cannot know the way, and
they will never come to the knowledge of the truth unless, they are
quickened by the Holy Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit's work is to convict the world of sin and of
righteousness. The Holy Spirit points people to the cross where Jesus
died for the sins of the world. In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I
am the way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except
by Me." Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any
other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men,
whereby we must be saved."
We can know the way and we
can learn what God desires for us, if we will only choose to do what
God has commanded us. That basic of commands is to turn from our sin in
repentance and then call out to Christ to save us. When we do this, a
most wonderful thing happens. We are made spiritually alive in Christ! 2
Cor.
5:17. Obediently, we begin to see where God wants us to be, and we
go because our spiritual eyes and our hearts have been opened.
"Father God, help us
today to make sure of where our eternal home is. Guide us in Your
Truth. Amen."DM
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Wednrsday, August 20th
In each
Dispensation God comes Down
to Earth
In
the first "Dispensation of Innocence", God came down and
visited with Adam. They had fellowship and walked together as friend
with friend, but sin came in and the perfect fellowship was broken. God
also came down and prepared coats of skins to cover their nakedness.
In
the second "Dispensation of Conscious", God came down and
instructed Noah to prepare an ark for his family and all air breathing
creatures. Also, it was God who shut the door before the rain fell and
the fountains of the deep were broken up.
In
the third "Dispensation of Human Government", God came down
and saw the disobedience of God's commands and confused their tongues
so they could no longer communicate. After the tower
of Babel, the human race was
scattered abroad upon the face of the earth.
In
the fourth "Dispensation of Promise", God came to Abraham
several times and also to Moses. Abraham was promised a seed and a
land. Moses was given the greatest leadership extended to mere man. God
also presented Himself at the dedication of the Tabernacle and Temple.
In
the fifth "Dispensation of Law", God the Son presented
Himself to the Jewish nation and was rejected. Hanged on a cruel tree
and died for the sins of the world. He also ascended on high to be the
Mediator between God and men.
In the sixth
"Dispensation of Grace", we see two descents, First the Holy
Spirit came to indwell the believers and John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of
sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. And The
risen Christ will return, in the clouds, for His own.
In the seventh
"Dispensation of Judgment and Tribulation", Jesus comes down
to wage war and judge the antichrist and false prophet, casting them
into the lake of fire.
In the eighth
"Dispensation of the Kingdom', Christ is still on the earth and he
rules with a rod of iron, Psalm 2:9. God has never
abandoned his creation, but has something better for them that love
Him. RJS
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Thursday, August 21st
God's Ways
John 21:18-24
God works with
different people in different ways and with different people at
different times. In this age where equity is our god, we may find this
troubling. It is critical that we understand the scripture properly.
Earlier, we considered 2 Timothy 2:15. In this verse
we are admonished, Study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. There is a right way
and a wrong way to understand the Bible. In order to understand it
rightly, we need to know which covenants apply to us today, and what
stewardship or stewardships may apply to us.
If we miss this, we
will find confusion if not outright contradiction. For example, when
Jesus sent out His disciples to preach, they were to preach repentance
to Israel.
They were specifically commanded not to go to the Samaritans or the
Gentiles. Later on, you will find that they are commanded to go into
the entire world and preach the gospel. These are two different
commands, which contradict because they cover two different times and
purposes. They are similar in many ways, yet still significantly
different.
God's purpose in
this present age is to visit the Gentiles and call out a people for His
name. I believe we are still under the stewardship of conscience. God
has written His laws on our hearts. We are also under the stewardship
of human government. We have a responsibility to support and maintain
good civil government. This means giving honor and tribute. This means
using all the means God has appointed to make human government fulfill
His purpose in this world. However, our most important stewardship
involves the Gospel. We are to respond to God's call to repentance and
faith. We are to function as salt and light in this world. As such, we
are to use all the means God has appointed to promote goodness and
bring others to faith and salvation. As we approach the end of this
age, both the home and the church is drifting from the place of
blessing. Therefore, we need to do all that we can to establish and
build Christ honoring homes, and we need to do all that we can to
establish and build Christ honoring churches. If we miss these
important points, we will fail in our greatest responsibilities. DW
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Friday, August 22nd
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth (cont.)
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