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There is this key point received from this study…we should not trust our own judgment, but trust that God will reveal His judgment to us. The mystery for this church is that the messengers must have an enlightened viewpoint about the vast difference between being God’s people, or belonging to the world. Each letter is a personal message from Christ. As we study them, we should evaluate our own spiritual condition today, both as individual believers and as a last day people. We must reason with this message with the spiritual intensity to determine its content and conclusion, as related to the dignity of our destiny. This is the middle message to the churches...the heart of the messages. The text denotes that the very nature of God is present in the Son of God, but with a distinct and subordinate manner of subsistence. The title Son of God differs from Christ’s title in his previous exalted appearance to John, in which he was identified as the “Son of Man”. Though both titles underscore the deity of Christ, they emphasize something different. “Son of Man” emphasizes the humiliation of God in becoming a man – the perfect man who sympathizes with us in our human suffering and weakness. “Son of God” emphasizes the deity of Christ – the divine man who comes with the full authority and power of God. With this title, Christ suggests a strong and less sympathetic message to come. He has a penetrating, perfect knowledge, a thorough insight into the message delivered. Christ knows and sees the true, innermost thoughts, and spiritual condition of every person in a church. The implication is that Jesus makes a dire judgment on unrepentant sinners and he will make no mistakes. This promise of judgment has three parts, two of which are intended for her, and one that’s intended for those she has influenced to sin and haven’t repented. The bed of her immorality will become the bed of her suffering. This punishment implied great suffering in the last day. And his goings are providential concerning the commendation Christ gives of this church, ministry, and people. This imagery portrays Christ’s work of purging out immoral, ungodly teaching and influencers from the church, and contrasts sharply with the feet of clay in Daniel’s vision that portray the weak miry nature of the future world nations. Here Jesus refers to individuals in the church are never to allow for any spiritual compromise. If ever we’ve witnessed someone being led from the truth and were too stymied to respond, we have sinned. It is one thing to dispute doctrine, but a very different matter to establish one’s own views. The first works concerns the internal grace of the Holy Spirit that was working in the hearts of the believers in this church. Jesus sees the genuine love and faith operating. These people also had faith - they were trusting in God irrespective of their circumstances and that was evident in how they lived their lives. We see that explicitly in the second category of the “works” of this church - the external fruit they expressed. They were actually growing in their zeal. Jesus mentions both their “service and patient endurance.” This was a church active in ministry that arose from their love and faith. Thyatira was suffering opposition from the enemy, but they were not complaining. And if our last works are not greater than our first works, they are only dead works. And if our works are dead, so then is our faith. No spirit in them. This is that falling away. Thyatira was a strange mix of very strong elements and some very weak elements. How can that be?   It sounds impossible…until we look into our own hearts! The church at Thyatira illustrates that even living as a believer, we have encounters with the nature of sin so deep and pervasive in us that, even in a comparatively strong individual believer, serious sin is often present alongside healthy elements. We must understand that our sin is so evil and so tenacious that it can strongly manifest itself even in comparatively healthy individuals. On an individual level, this is why we should never be surprised when we see ourselves or other believers do and say things that seem completely out of character, with what we’ve seen in the past. Sin is so stubborn and tenacious that if we aren’t actively warring against our sin, it can bubble up in our souls at any time and reveal this kind of inconsistency in a believer. Notice the similar condemnation as given to Pergamos. Why? In the last days God’s people will experience a mighty struggle with idolatry and sexual immorality. Yet, even though they have similar afflictions, Jesus counsels them individually. We must not forget that each of the letters to the seven churches in the Revelation was read to ALL the seven churches. These letters in chapters two and three were part of a larger letter, the book of Revelation. And this larger letter was circulated to each of these individual churches. That means that, for Thyatira to read what Christ said to Pergamum would have encouraged them to know that they were not uniquely evil - other churches were struggling as well, and they could learn from how Jesus responded to them as well. Likewise, when the loving believers of Thyatira reads the letter to the loveless church in Ephesus, it would have put them on notice that, the love you have now and that is even growing, it can grow cold in a very short time. Learn from what happened in Ephesus. We think Balaam was a corrupt collaborator, why do we suffer the woman Jezebel…idolatry and sexual immorality is a big deal. As a holy people, we should hate this sin and seek to kill it. We are not to tolerate or peacefully cohabit with sin - our own or other believers in the church. The amazing truth is - in spite of its clear strengths, the church in Thyatira was tolerating gross, unholy living in some of her people. They were somewhat indifferent to this. When we become silent about things that must matter, we begin to loose life. We are afraid we will lose our relations, so we sit idly by and allow ignorance and even error to infiltrate the body. Faith, hope and love didn’t insulate them from this weakness. Truth was the lacking strength needed. This woman was that manipulative power behind the throne that influenced professing believers to refuse to reason with the word of God. They swayed from the word of truth. Jezebel is that church, that group of protestant organizations that deliver counterfeit truths to the people. Rome is a church. It is the beast. America will form an image to this church, this beast. America is a Jezebel. Jesus indicates that those who sinned with her as a result of her teaching are still given some time to repent. Israel was given 40 years to repent from crucifying Jesus, to stoning Stephen, to the destruction of Jerusalem. God is far more patient with those who have been lied to, than He is to the people that are lying. But Jesus will eventually give the ultimate punishment to Jezebel’s “children” or, her followers. Jesus not only gives the consequences of his judgment, he also gives his motivation for making this judgment so outwardly manifest: all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts. What he does, not only demonstrates his justice, but is for the good of the other churches. But do we understand the implication of completely adhering to truth. Jesus says he will put upon us none other burden and we will have power over the nations. Brothers and sisters, that truth says our greatest test is coming from those who say they worship, they study with us. And if we do not give way to the influence of those who fail to reason with, disregard or discard any of the word, and we persevere in genuine faith, we have a place of authority in God’s purpose. We must deeply grieve over sin. Are we failing in our obligation to address the errors among us? Hearing the Spirit and the word, must convict and convince us in all things pertaining to life, pertaining to God.

We are at the end of time. And the event between time and eternity, is the cross. What Jesus did for us, was the beginning of what we are doing, and the end of what was done. We are moving forward, one moment, by one moment. Everything in scripture for us points to eternity. And everything within us cries out for it. God has set eternity in our hearts yet we cannot fathom what He has done from beginning to end. He made us to live in eternity and His work with us is not finished. Bible study must take priority in the life. It is how we maintain our connection with God through His written Word. It reminds us of His character, promises, our dependence on Him, and His workings to bring us to be with Him, forever. Study also deepens and expands our understanding of specific bible passages, so that we may sort through hard concepts and receive insight into the context of the truth, not just by the letter, but as guided by the Spirit. It keeps us from twisting the truth for our own purposes. That is why everything presented must be linked truth with truth. If there can be any concept inserted that does not conform to the pattern of truth, then something is out of order. Every time the word of God is studied, there will be new instruction found, a further penetration into truth. The word of God offers us a perspective that most human voices are afraid to advance. Where the bible gives us trouble that we must struggle with until the breaking of the day, a consort of the enemy, clothed as a friend, wants to give us smooth ground to walk. I would ask that we take a serious moment and reason with the following statement. God promised to give to us a blessing out of all proportion to the little that is required of us. If we would obey, we would have everlasting life; we would never die. And we had the full assurance of everlasting life because we did not know evil. We had knowledge and we had a holy character. Now consider the fact that we still do not obey, yet God’s promise still holds true. Now , with that unbelievable negotiation remaining in force for us, I ask that we understand why we are, where we are today, by answering some questions. Did God want to save all? Did Jesus die on the cross for all? Do God and Jesus know all things? Did God have a way to do what He wanted? God alone made arrangement. Man had no part in the making of the arrangement. The arrangement was called the “covenant of grace”. The word “covenant” means a disposition or an arrangement. The word “grace” means favored power not to sin. The grace of God is divine favor, manifested to sinners who choose obedience to God’s word. Psalms 89:2-4 Man must either accept the arrangement God has made or receive no covenant at all. The “covenant of grace,” then, is that arrangement whereby God planned to save man from the just consequences of his sin, and it is by His mercy that man’s life is prolonged to come to repentance. Did God purpose to save all mankind? Did God know that without force He could not save all? Did Jesus know that not all would accept the cost he paid? God's purpose, then, in devising the covenant of grace, was not for the purpose of saving all of mankind, but rather a portion of mankind. In eternity God chose from among fallen mankind, those whom he purposed to save. Ephesians 1:4, 5 Romans 8:30 If God purposed to save all mankind and failed in His purpose, God ceases to be God and Satan wins. God has an elect people, and there are others who are not elect. God did not make any man to be non-elect. That is man’s choice. Any rejection of God’s way puts you in opposition to God’s love, and opposition to God’s love, is hate. Man fits himself. If, then, we try to give the same reason for election and non-election, we make sad work of it. If we will just pause and take one thing at a time, and look to God's Word, we will not go wrong. Romans 9:22 This plan as conceived in eternity and revealed in time, contained three elements. God’s promises, God’s grace, and God’s Son are the elements of the covenant. Promised forgiveness and life eternal. Included in this promise to be our God, are all the more specific blessings of the covenant of grace such as justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. The one requirement that God in this covenant made of man was faith – we must believe. God’s purpose for us is that our lives become an expression of His Son lived in and through us. Our calling and election made sure - destined for everlasting, all-satisfying praise of the infinitely beautiful God. Your choice, as it was known by God from before all things, is not God’s choosing but God confirming, based on God’s foreknowledge, which preceded predestination of what you would choose, based upon that necessary faith given you, which is your responsibility. With this is the truth made clear…both the sovereignty of God, and the responsibility of each individual, are evident in his or her being so greatly blessed to be chosen by God. God’s determination was completed in counsel. So today, this day, what is your determination seeing that you have the ultimate power of choice. We are not common in God’s hand. Are you today favored? Are you graven upon his hand in blood? We do not know what to wonder at most; the faithfulness of God or our unbelief. For if we truly believed, we’d live as being chosen. Truth must stir our admiration. We have a theme for marveling. All in heaven and on earth may well be astonished, that such as us, should obtain aforesaid closeness to the heart of infinite love, as to be written on the palms of His hands. The Word does not say he has graven “your name” …it says he has graven “you”. Consider the depth of this! “He has engraved your person, your image, your circumstances, everything about you, all that concerns you; He has put all of this together whereby He has chosen you.

It is important for us to provide a biblical response to the questions asked because we live in a world where, increasingly, revealed divine truth is vehemently rejected. Truth is the ultimate determinant of reality. And the reality is that in the end, all truth is God’s truth, and the reason why anything is objectively, universally, immutably, and authoritatively true, is because it flows from the source of all truth: God Himself. Truth in thought and speech is predicated upon the uprightness in understanding the word of God. Hence, truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, and being of God, whose very nature is truth. It thus comes as no surprise that the bible speaks of truth as that which is revealed from God to man. Furthermore, because God is eternal and immutable, the truth is true everywhere, all the time, and under all considerations. Yet, let us never confuse perfect, divine and unchanging truth with the speculations claimed to be truth in the minds of some. This is one reason why God, through reasoning and special revelation, self-discloses His Word of truth so we can always refer back to what God said, His every word, and therefore know what is really the truth. God’s people are to be wise and informative enough to know the difference between what is fact and what is truth. I like this illustration because it highlights the faith of a person in the word of God. Faith assents to the truth of something precisely and only because it is revealed by God as first, truth. And truth of faith parallels the moral and spiritual effects it has in the true believer. Faith removes condemnation and judgement completely and leaves us with a deep rooted unshakeable belief that God’s truth is progressing…it will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and His work is done. Here’s the illustration; it is a fact that God said “I change not”, and that is true because God said so. But it’s a factual truth, not the ultimate truth. Truth is the broader concept of fact. Truth qualifies a fact. Truth is the higher standard by which facts are judged. Fact tells us that we are human, having red blood cells. Truth tells us that we were made in the image of God, having the spirit of God, and have a specific purpose. So, although there may be a distinction between fact and truth, there is not a separation. Else, how would a Spirit become flesh, or how would the Holy Spirit be made like unto the Son of God. That’s truth and we know that God’s character, as in both Christ and Melchisedec, cannot change as His covenant of promise stands in truth. God’s truth is a Person, Jesus, who is divine truth in the flesh. Christ is heavenly, spiritual truth taking earthly, material form. To know the truth means more than knowing measured facts; it means knowing something superior. To be precise, it means knowing Someone who is supreme: Jesus Christ. Know all the facts you desire; they will never save you. God’s truth is coherent and singular. No part of it will oppose another part. God’s ultimate truth can only be known by revelation from a divine mind to a creature who has the ability to reason; that communication is not merely an opinion, because a sovereign God reveals truth that is absolute. This is why, by logical necessity, absolute truth requires God. Without Him, there cannot be an absolute anything. Absolute truth also means that anything that contradicts it is an absolute lie. Absolute truth is never partial and never subjective; where real truth exists, I cannot have my truth and you cannot have yours. Truth has to be God’s. Not based on personal opinion nor is it formalized over time by tradition. And it is certainly not discovered by personal feelings or intuition. This is how it is truth that brings unity or division. Jesus is one complete God-Man; He doesn’t come to us in separate parts. There is never a truth somewhere out there disconnected from the whole. Truth divides because some listen to the deception of the enemy. But truth is the only thing that brings true unity. Truth is not meant to promote some type of spirit of tolerance. Truth impacts a person’s hope with the savor of life unto life or death unto death. Be very leery of seeking unity for the sake of unity. Why the messages to the seven churches…for each church certain truths were lost as the people turned to the beliefs of their own souls. Division is the result of believers not fully embracing truth.   Whenever one rejects a certain truth, he cannot advance any further on the path of truth. Rejection of truth comes when a person follows their own will, thoughts, and beliefs over God’s word. We can't just know the truth. Jesus says that we must first abide in his word. We study, meditate, and accept his word; whether we like it or not. Once we accept his word over our own will, it will become apart of us. When the word has become apart of us, we are abiding in it. When we are abiding in his word, we maintain a union with him. If any choose not to believe in certain aspects of his word for whatever reason, they have not abided in his word. If they have not abided in his word, they are not his. And if they are not his, they will not know the full truth. Much of the people are in a place of knowing some truth, but no longer advancing in truth; because of their unwillingness to abide in the word. Because of this, there is division in the body of Christ. There is a false unity coming. Jesus made hard sayings that he clearly made to divide those who were not sincere in their following him. These were not able to accept the truth, because they had blinded themselves from the truth. It is not okay for us to be divided over doctrine. We must wait for the Lord's unity, for it will surely come. These will be the Lamb's remnant who loves truth more than themselves. We were brought forth as the people of God to maintain unity in the truth for the cause of God. What the truth gives in matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, division; but in all things, love. We have a moral and spiritual obligation to have “the same mind” and “the same judgment” in matters of faith. Though opinion is a liberty, it means that one is not bound by moral obligation, rules of evidence, or principles. I Corinthians 1:10 God’s chosen will hold to the concept of sound doctrine. Heaven is the proof of the high value that God places on harmony as opposed to contrariness. SOP – (excerpt) If our church members cannot live in harmony here, how can they live in harmony in heaven? {17MR 294.5} SOP – (excerpt) So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God. It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator. They delighted in reflecting His glory and showing forth His praise. And while love to God was supreme, love for one another was confiding and unselfish. There was no note of discord to mar the celestial harmonies. {CTr 9.2} We seek the truth to know the truth to believe the truth to love the truth to teach the truth unitedly - the truth about every subject taught in the Word of God. There is to be no division. This is necessary to conclude the whole matter.

Is the whole bible, the truth? Please allow me to answer that question and why it is so. The bible is not just a book. It is a unique library that has recorded historical propheticness. And its comprehensive exactness proves that God sets no man to pronounce judgment of His word. What speaks of the destiny of nations: past, present, and future? What details events hundreds, thousands of years before they occurred? What is written that validates history? What described the plight of a whole people and the horrendous circumstances of their lives in a distant land? What speaks to the conflicts of human whims or the outcome of human ambition? Dare I say that it is the truth of the word of God that bears witness to God? Let our inquiry be ‘what does the scripture say.’ It is our faith that has this reality of the bible’s referent power. This reality is a divine mystery. It is the gift of God’s self to humanity, the invitation to encounter the Triune. The bible is the entirety of our treasure on earth, and we are to be aware of the distinct coins of principle. These are truths of pre-vision of future events and inspired insight into the trend of history as a development of a single great purpose. SOP - The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God's mode of thought and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. But God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The writers of the Bible were God's penmen, not His pen. Look at the different writers. {1SM 21.1} It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man's words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God.-- Manuscript 24, 1886 (written in Europe in 1886). {1SM 21.2} SOP – The Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech, in order that the degenerate senses, the dull, earthly perception, of earthly beings may comprehend His words. Thus is shown God's condescension. He meets fallen human beings where they are. The Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas of God; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought. Instead of the expressions of the Bible being exaggerated, as many people suppose, the strong expressions break down before the magnificence of the thought, though the penman selected the most expressive language through which to convey the truths of higher education. Sinful beings can only bear to look upon a shadow of the brightness of heaven's glory.--Letter 121, 1901. Have you ever been presenting the truth of the Word to someone, and suddenly they deny it. Are we to compromise truth for the sake of unity or is truth to be the source of our unity? Should we be divided by truth, or united in error? How do we test everything to see if it is truth or not. Be Berean in word, deed, and power. There are few things that so effectively undermine the testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the world today, as division among those who call themselves Christ's ones... Would you sacrifice truth for unity? Why would we refuse to listen to the plea of the Holy Spirit? Why refuse to reason with God to come to the same mind in the same judgement? This evolves out of a heart that is in a right attitude toward Christ first and foremost, and also in a right attitude to brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus says he came to bring division…why. Luke 12:51 Most study the bible seeking to gain an outward possession of peace on earth. That is a supposition embraced by those who do not reason with the word of God. They fail to understand diverse passages of truth that unite the old testament’s concealments, with the new testament’s revelations. But Christ’s words show them to be mistaken, the events declare the contrary. Because of sin, the effect of the teaching of the whole truth of the bible will be division .  The design of the gospel and its proper tendency are to unite the people of God to one another, to knit them together in holy love, and, if all would receive it, this would be the effect of it; but there being multitudes that not only will not receive it, but oppose it, and have their corruptions exasperated by it, and are enraged at those that do receive it, it proves, though not the cause, yet the occasion of division. But when the power of truth is taught, many are enlightened by it, and turn from the power of Satan to God, then there is a disturbance, a noise and a shaking ,  for good. Ezekiel 37:7 Some will distinguish themselves for God by embracing the truth through reasoning, and others grow angry that they do so. There will be different sentiments in the things of God, which will occasion division ;  and Christ permits it for holy ends. This division will reach into private families, and the teaching of the word will give occasion for discord among the nearest relations. Luke 12:52, 53 The one that continues in unbelief will be provoked, and will avoid, hate, and persecute the one, that by faith and obedience, studies and hears the word. Unbelief and disobedience is self condemnation. A spirit of narrow mindedness will break through the strongest bonds of relation and natural affection. You want to see anger stirred…teach the truth! When you stand for the truth, no care about how much love you show, your enemy will be revealed. Do not let the revelation of these surprise you. Keep your self worthy of Jesus. Seek his truth in his word. It must be our utmost priority regardless of the cost. Matthew 10:34 What is this sword…the word of God. All of Christ’s teachings. Truth draws a line…a line of choice that builds in the unity of faith, the body of Christ. Truth is never obscure. It is Jesus and the One whom he sent. I John 5:6 And who is this Spirit? II Corinthians 3:17 To even reason with God for the truth we must go through Jesus. And our striving is for unity…unity of the Spirit. John 14:6 Ephesians 4:3 If unity is not in truth, then it is in error. Babel was unity, that’s fact. But was its unity based in truth? The truth divides and unifies. The people called by God have the courage to always inquire further by asking the right questions to get to the right source of what is said. We are not to let our assumptions about what God says guide us, we are to let His truth determine our spiritual journey. We sometimes place more emphasis on what we want to be true rather than the truth that God has provided for us in His Word. Are we guilty of, at times, wanting to bend God to our will rather than having Him conform us to His? Sometimes we approach God’s Word with our fingers in our ears shouting "no" when He wants us to learn of Him. There is an abundance of misunderstandings about God out there. The bible is inspired by God, and authoritative for faith and practice. To deny any of the word of God is to deny faith and without faith, all doings are unpleasurable to God. This is how and why God’s people are separate from the world. It is certainly crucially consequentially ceaselessly detemined that we discern and distinguish truth from error, to enter into the kingdom. We must avoid mishandling the word of God. We must learn how to hold the truth with certainty and persuasion while affirming the clarity of scripture, for not every doctrine is equally clear. Therefore, it always is right to speak slowly, hear fully, and to engage entirely all discussions with instruction to show thyself approved unto God at the forefront of our minds. That said, there are some secondary truths which are not to be eclipsed or denied. For they are necessary to the commitment of the primary truth. Truth is not based upon an independent silo of thought, it must be recognized in its connection to alltruth. By God’s grace, when truth is found in one place, it will be carried in another place. This is why as a principle of reasoning God’s thoughts after Him, it must be recognized that the views we hold that are arrived at through study, do interpenetrate one another. One truth is to inform us of other truths…and rightly understood; God will preserve us from a world of errors. No truth is minimized and all truth reminds us that we first and foremost stand united for God, in Christ, by his word, and the eternal realities of heaven. By this we are better equipped to discuss differences with people and to share the gospel. God grants us wisdom to rightly divide His Word, and separate ourselves from those who abide in error, even as we prayerfully and compassionately attempt to draw them to truth as it is in Jesus Christ, regardless of their current doctrinal convictions. None are above the spiritual knowledge or the spiritual experiences of Christ as written in the word. The spiritual's spirituality will be evidenced in humility and in unity; and carnality will be evidenced in pride and divisiveness. Christ is not divided. Bible believers who are born-again by the Spirit of God are able to come together in community. Biblical balance is found in the sanctuarial truth. We must stand and be divided, but also be united with those in Christ.

11 minutes John 8:12 It’s the last day of the feast. It is concluded with much solemnity. There was much sacred teaching on the foregoing days, much intenseness of mind. All had ears concerned to hear the oracles of gospel truth. Lingering in the minds and hearts was the expectation that God would establish His peace on earth. Souls were wearied and desired refreshing. John 7:37-39 Jesus called the Spirit “living water”. Sometimes spiritual reservoirs are wearied and need replenishing. One of the insidious things about this world…it will burden you. I must stay yoked up to Christ. I find studying the whole of scripture is like drinking from the fountain of life and this keeps my soul satisfied and uplifted. God’s call to the believer is perseverance and finishing strong. I will battle spiritual weariness and indifference, but I must continue to reap while there is time. I am to take care that my heart motivations are right, that my thoughts are pure, and that the fruit of the Spirit is evident in my life. I am also to be active in serving others by bearing their burdens and showing them good will, such that they will see Jesus’ good works in me and glorify my Father in heaven. I strive to never allow my works to become mere form and function rather than the outworking of love and the abundant life in Christ. God wants a heart of devotion, love, passion, and commitment. Enduring isn’t simply continuing in doing “right things,” but it is a matter of being determined and well ordered by the love of God. Many rejections and more suffering than I can conceive of will bring much weariness to my heart. I know this. But Christ is my hope. He never grows tired or weary, and he promises to renew the strength of those who wait upon him. Jesus knows and understands that relying on willpower alone to sustain me spiritually is not going to suffice. He has made preparation for me. II Corinthians 12:9, 10 When I am sensing a spiritual weariness, I acknowledge it is a condition of sin. It is a time when the human flesh grows weary and spiritual fatigue sets in. I repent of it and call to God. I know that strength will soon follow after. Weary seasons are coming, are here now. Sin’s seed is bearing much fruit. A world wide change will see many lost as they enter the paths of iniquity. God’s people will finish everyday with a sigh, a cry. My heart pleads – no more. It hurts to take account of the sorrows of the soul as I witness the many who are missing God’s voice calling. Lament has its place, and this act of bringing my worst pains before God’s presence, is a vulnerable and sacred act whereby I desire to give hope of abundant life I know His promises. Jesus came into the weary world. And because of Jesus, I’m not alone in weariness. My every burden is shouldered by him. This close relationship becomes a way of learning, growing, and knowing God deeper. I have this relational invitation from God to align my heart with the life of His Son. Spiritual weariness is a lifelessness that worms its way into the soul. It can wear upon the heart and the mind - in a way that gives pause to establishing thoughts that strengthen the spiritual core. It’s more than something physical. It’s spiritual. Where does deep soul weariness come from? It surpasses understanding. That’s why Jesus says, “come unto me". The burdens of God’s people are not simple. And only the word of God is strong enough to relieve this heaviness. Into this weariness steps the most complex power in existence, speaking a promise as simple, hopeful, and refreshing as I could possibly want. Jesus simply offers himself as the solution to all that burdens his people. Matthew 11:28-30 This is the uniqueness of Jesus as who he claims to be: the eternal Word made flesh, the Creator. His simple promise implies a power behind it, more than sufficient to lift every weight that bears upon me. And here is where the faith of the burdened soul is tested. In just believing his promise. This is the evidence and the substance wherein I find rest and assurance, that in these last days, my God is for me. Jesus does not want my soul resting on the how and when of things. Rather he wants my faith, my trust, resting in the surety that he will keep his promise to me in the best way, and at the best time. This is the hope that I rest in. And the distraction of weariness is made non- existent. And the only work for me to do is to yoke up and abide in him. However, please hear this about spiritual weariness…it’s a reminder that to be poured out in God’s service is not a bad thing. I was reminded that I’m not on this earth for comfort. Comfort is not a biblical principle. The time is short and if I am doing the work of Christ I do not have the choice of comfort…I am on wartime footing. I choose to seek strength from the Lord, rest in the grace of Christ, and set my heart on the rest to come. The world today is fallen. And spiritual weariness is a hard thing, not necessarily a bad thing, when it brings you to seek God. When I am weary, I am weary for a cause. I have no strength to save. To do the things God has called me to do, may bring weariness at times, but it is a sign that work has been done. If I be spent, let me be spent for God’s glory. I accept it as a season of life responding to the calling of God. God uses this to discipline me and to cultivate true rest. I must be willing to follow Jesus into the little discomforts. Spiritual weariness is part of my living sacrifice to the Lord as I am found in the center of His will. It is for my perseverance that I am to press on through the weariness for the prize .  Not of earthly satisfaction, but an upward call to lasting rest in Jesus Christ, the everlasting God. It is a sign of being called by God to be weary in the Lord’s work and not be weary of the Lord’s work. Faith will heal all weariness. It is in the hour of spiritual weariness that I wait on God’s timing. And it is in the waiting that I may extend hope to other fainthearted souls. Because I choose to not murmur, I benefit from the silent effect in the same way that the Holy Spirit, as the wind, lifts those who are waiting in hope. This is not a blessing that I will forfeit. It is in the most uncomfortable situations in these last days that God will produce in me, the complement to help others see the goodness and sovereignty of God in all of life. I must allow my spiritual weariness to identify with Jesus. John 4:6

12minutes God humbly put Himself on this earth and on the cross for the sake of humanity. Matthew 11:28-30 Lord please help me in my discomfort as I confess my weariness to you. Please strengthen me that I may continue to push forward. This is part of the process of growing in deep relationship with Jesus. Cause me to press into Jesus, that I come through stronger, closer to God, and more mature in my faith. I know there will be inevitable seasons and trials in my life. And in Christ there is hope for what troubles my mind, body, or soul. Jesus doesn’t promise to take despair away, but he does promise to carry me until I see sights of his love and hope once again. My condition sometimes drains me. When I see the things that I am not doing for the sake of Christ, a sense of exasperation hits me. Oh, that I might run to the sanctuary. I am experiencing the loss of souls. And my sorrowfulness is tugging at my faith. My nights are long and weary with prayer. I toss till dawn. My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. This human life is a struggle. Thank God it is only but a breath. I know I am being commissioned by God and He is changing the direction of my life. I ask that my God strengthen me to face danger, betrayal, conflict, rejection, and lack of enthusiasm. That I stay on purpose and be used mightily to spread Christ’s message of redemption to others. Joshua 1:6-9 It is by the word of God that I open my heart to receive the immeasurable joy that washes away weariness. Studying the word always changes my circumstances. The word gives me comfort of a supernatural peace that forges a surer faith in the word of God. The word restores my soul. The words of truth are powerful to keep me separated from the encroachments of the world. I know that I am in the time that God is giving me more grace. For it is necessary for my doing holiness and becoming like Jesus. This grace is not only the source of my salvation, it is the source right now, of my sanctification. To be sure, holiness does not come easily. There is no holiness without effort. And this effort requires a growing discipline to every word of God as shown in the life of Jesus Christ. There are times in my life where I should be mourning. That is the time when I fail to have thoughts of righteousness, time when I fail to convey thoughts of truth through the words I speak, time where laughter is inappropriate and a more serious posture is demanded. My principle must always be to echo the Lord’s teachings and this done in humility. The condition of the world today is no laughing matter. In these final days even our appearance is to be captured in lowliness. As I come closer to God I should be deeply sorry, I should be grieved, I should even be in tears. My laughter will have to become mourning, my high spirits will have to become heartfelt dejection. I will have to feel very small in the sight of God that He can, and will, set me on my feet once more to stand. I must be more aware of what things I allow myself to become entangled. I am to be whole in my faith if I am to walk with Jesus. I am to be fully formed with integrity if I am to teach his word. I must be an in-the-face kind of writer if I am to press upon the minds of others the themes about the goodness of created things in and of themselves. I am to have such compassion for all, as to love them in their lostness and seek to win them to Christ. I am to sorrow for others being deceived. I am to have a disturbing pain excited by others rejecting the word of God. I am to have a consuming desire to have everybody to come to Christ. I ask God to settle my heart with those passages of truth that really require my self-examination to be reasoned in terms of wisdom that comes from above. This wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. The bible itself calls me to do many things beside read the bible. To obey the bible, I leave the bible on the desk. I leave the bible for the sake of the bible, that I remember always to do the things that don’t undermine my capacity to delight in what I find in the bible. Let me say that again. When I leave the bible for the sake of the bible, I must not do things that have effect on my heart and mind which unfit me for deeper, sweeter reveling in the glories of what I find in the bible. It is that knowing the word is always on the table that leaves me refined and intensified in my capacity to delight in the unsearchable riches of Christ in the scriptures. This, that I might by the grace of the Holy Spirit, ward off being mentally and spiritually spent. The bible encourages me to touch God by looking to the sky, seeing the trees, walking the fields, listening to the birds and animals, sighing in the wind, these things give grace to my soul. Weariness and wasted leisure are left off when these things are pursued in God, rather than instead of God. God is allowing me to watch the things of the world as a sober warning to myself, that any friendship with the world is not only dangerous, but it can ultimately be damning. Therefore, I do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and I do not lose heart when He rebukes me, because the bible says, and I know the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens the one He accepts as His Son. Scripture means so much to me, and I understand God’s committed love for me, and as I comprehend the depths of God’s love, the more I am filled with the fullness of God. This is that which compels me to want all to know of the truth, that the word of God is, that they too may come to know God’s love more, by reading and studying His Word. The bible speaks the Word of God and love is often confirmed through the spokenword. God does the same with us. His love and His loving acts are continually confirmed to me through His written Word. The more I read and study it, the more I comprehend it and am changed by it. I know that if ever I neglect God’s Word, I will begin to doubt God’s love and be drawn to the world. I ask for honesty. Can any admit to at some time being spiritually wearied? Just simply tired of all the sin that is, and that is being made, more foreseeable. I ask God to teach me to respond to weariness in a godly way. I know that Job, Noah, Elijah, Peter, Paul grew weary in their trials, in people refusing to heed their warnings, in thinking no one else had the courage to speak up for God, weary of their failures, weary of travels, of persecution. The believers’ life is not easy. Enough tribulation will eventually lead to weariness. The counsel is to wait on the Lord. Spiritual weariness is to be expected but it is not to be accepted. As long as I have the power of the risen Lord Jesus available, I don’t have to give in to weariness. There is a power called God…that power is explained in the word of scripture; sought in prayer; made available by the death of Jesus; and applied to my life by the Holy Spirit. I thank God there is a time for rest, the holy sabbath day. At the end of day six, I am simply languished. The mind consumes vastly more energy than other organs in the body. Think of this dramatic moment recorded in the life of Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles. It was the “season of rejoicing”. The Feast of Tabernacles marked the end of the religious calendar year that started in the spring with Passover. God’s grand work, which began with Passover, and its redemption story, culminated with the Feast of Tabernacles and its theme of restoration. It was the seventh and final God-ordained observance as recorded in Leviticus 23. It was also the third and final annual feast that required the people to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The people resided in temporary booths. They were to gather at the sanctuary for a jubilant, seven-day celebration. The first day and the eighth, which was added at the end of the week, were considered Sabbaths. At the temple, priests hurried around the altar, offering special sacrifices. Hearts yearned for spiritual understanding of the meaning of this ceremony as men of piety taught from dawn to sunset and into the night. There were two great temple lamps symbolizing two realities; the “Light of all Lights”, the Shekinah Glory, the visible presence of God that filled the very first temple, and the Great Light, the Messianic prophecy of the one who would soon come and bring light to those who were spiritually dead and dwelling in darkness. Isaiah 9:2 Continued...

With grace and compassion we are coming to love one another. We are coming to step outside ourselves and clearly see our loved ones and their needs. We can shed layers of selfishness, resentment, anxiety, pettiness, and entitlement. Most of all, we can rise above our human imperfections and step into transcendent love. There is an immensity of space for our love to always continue to grow for one another. Love opens doors to share our faith. We will love to exalt God. To love is to obey Him. They are inseparable, love and obedience. Because this is how God calls us to live, our love will always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. Our love will be consistent. It will never give up. Our love is to be rooted in a spiritual connection that helps us find meaning and purpose in our lives and the lives of others. This spiritual love will walk us through life and teach us lessons that will grow our characters. We ought to choose to have love be the motive behind our every choice. Love affirms the words of truth as it creates the spiritual touch between hearts and minds. Love is that pure gift from God to be received and shared. This spiritual gift of love is the only type of love that fulfills the deepest longings of our hearts. It must be cherished. We are to practice love in our every action and we are to reflect love in our very attitude that an atmosphere of kindness, acceptance, and unity is created in ourselves and in those around us. Love is that conviction that comes from God preparing us to be perfect. Our love must be unwavering, unbreakable, having an unparalleled fondness and devotion for the word of God. It must be defined by our emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual connection with Him. True love runs immeasurably deep and has life that is so significant that it is unthinkable to be without all that God blesses us with. Love empowers us to be free in our whole selves. We experience "true individuation and self-discovery". Love is that substance of faith that hopes for eternal life with God and those whom He knows are His. Love is that which moved God to create, and He created us with the capacity to love in imitation of Himself. Because God is complete all by Himself and has no needs, His creating us shows His wanting us to share His life as He has all life in Himself. His love is so for us that we have infinite worth to Him. God proved that in His Son Jesus, the most precious Person of Himself. He gave him to us that we may be with them for all eternity. God is the creator God and our love brings joy to Him. Love is light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it draws us to God and it makes some people feel attracted to others. Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows us not to be extinguished in blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals the glory of God. Love is to show what God is like. Not to make us like God, but to make us godly. Being like Jesus is loving like Jesus loved. It is easy to love those who are like us. But Jesus wants us to love even our enemies. We must work to rid our hearts of racial prejudice, socio-economic arrogance, and religious superiority. None of that belongs in the life of someone who wants to love like Jesus loves. He loved people selflessly. Godly love gives sacrificially. Loving like Jesus means we hold everything we own with loose hands. We are willing to part with things in order to serve other people. We recognize that all we have is on loan to us from our Father in heaven and we are responsible for what we do with it. We must not equate love with complete acceptance of everything someone does. Jesus did not tolerate sin, deception, or false followers. Loving like Jesus means we care enough about the souls of others to tell them the truth. We do not love people by watering down the truth of the word of God that could save them. Jesus never changed the truth to satisfy the “itching ears” of his listeners. We must love them enough to warn them, challenge them, teach them. Our purpose is to propagate sons and daughters of the Most High God, born of faith just as we are. Our goal is not just to get as much God as possible for ourselves, it is to share as much of God’s love as possible with others. But most of us have this problem…we just don’t have enough God and that means we don’t have enough love. Self serving love is self satisfying only. Let’s ask God for the power to love. We need not only to know about the love of God, but we must have faith in the power of love that God has for us that we may have that love for others. God is greater than our hearts, and we must have faith that God has actually put His love in us through His Spirit. God’s love is all sufficient, and the more we allow God’s love to flow through us, the more perfect our attempts to love will become. Why would we consider love to be measurable. Whatever degree of love we pour out, God will quickly replace with more of His own. Only by pouring out the love God has poured into us is His love perfected in us. Deuteronomy 7:6-9 God loves His people because of His own eternal, sovereign, and good pleasure. And we are not always lovely, but His love is “uncaused, unpurchased and unconditional.” His love is “uninfluenced.” He loves us because He loves us. So, we are to love God’s people simply because God loves them. We can grow in loveliness. Our loveliness blossoms out of the love of God for us and in us, and it is affirmed and magnified and publicly displayed in the love we have for one another. It stands before the watching world as a spoken invitation: come and see God’s love displayed. Love is act, not talk; it shows itself in the deed done, not simply in words spoken. Second, love works itself out in mutual sharing. Loving begins by asking the Lord God to let us become aware of ourself in the divine presence, and we offer ourself to God. We learn to love by letting our heart go out to God. Think on the splendors of the created world. Wonder about the stars and planets, and then delve into the tiniest atom with its elegant particles and forces. Remember that God has created and continues to create. And remember how much God gives us in all this. Consider this, and ponder it. The Lord bestows on us life, light, understanding, desiring, free choice, and the summons to love and to be loved. Most astonishing of all, God plainly wants to and does communicate God's Self to us. Now think about our own case, about our own life history and our own self. We are being created by this great God to live and function according to gifts coming from God's Self. How are we to love in return? What makes sense except to do as God does, to give as God gives? What would be right except to offer all that we are? Love is participation with God. Love is rejoicing in the truth. And with the throes of sorrow that carried Jesus to the cross and the violent struggle that will accompany us, the deeper we are to understand that love that is sacrificial and unconditional will not tolerate sin. We have seen God through Christ, for He is God, and what Christ has done, and is doing for us to save us from our sins, is that love that will mark the redeemed lives forever. Faith works by love. When faith and love exist together, it is proof that we have truly been born again. The fullness of the spiritual path is the understanding that love, that compassion, is the expression of one’s values that bear truth for the moral qualities we have achieved in our character and person. The highest expression of love is the experience and realization of more…more of who we are and what we believe. God is the source of love, Jesus is the proof of love, and we, as true believers, must be the instruments of love in this world. We must show love to the lost, in order to influence them with the truth of the word of God. And we must also share love with each other, in order to encourage one another to keep the faith. The love expression moves what's in our hearts and minds to how we speak, how we hear, serve, and suffer, both for the good of others and to the glory of God. Love will never let us just do nothing. Our concern must manifest itself in selfless behaviors that prove love amidst difficulty. We are today in the time that is darkening, where godly compassion, authentic devotion, and real love are best demonstrated. If we think to go to the kingdom together, we have to be prepared to love one another as times get hard. Even in our absence are we to be mindful of one another. The strong among us will break our silence, blow our cover and let loose our concern that our love shows to be transparent. It is our vulnerableness that proves the power of love. The cross was not a joyful experience. Love hurt Jesus. Honest affection is what we have received, and honest affection is what we must reciprocate. Love is the mature faith to encourage someone to teach the word. If our faith is not stable in our love, then the daily situations, the difficult issues, and the stressful crises of life will move us back and forth between belief and unbelief. This is why we need God and each other to remain centered, focused, and encouraged, because trouble is guaranteed to all. We must find ways to sacrifice in order to minister to the faith of others. Love will not allow us to edit out suffering from the itinerary for our life. God set us in His love knowing that suffering is one of the destinations along the road to perfect obedience. This is the covenant we have with Jesus. Because love is the power, and grace is amazing, and mercy is necessary, and suffering is inevitable, we must quickly move the minds from milk to meat. God only had one child without sin; He will have no children without suffering. Love is what causes our suffering to be turned into a ministry. In our teaching is not heard the hurting. As we express love in the midst of difficulty, we have to keep on encouraging, keep on believing. We can't afford to give up on anyone. We have got to hold onto our faith. We have got to express love, because we experience it! Image created by DeepAI.org

7 Minutes There will be no questioning our physical courage, but the questions will center around our spiritual strength. Pray that you are granted spiritual courage to not let any person impede your spiritual strength. This is not about exertion, it is about thoughts and beliefs. We will be questioned as to the cause, the reason, and the purpose why we believe in every word of God. God’s people will be asked “why” questions presumptuously, as though we have no right to understand truth as it opposes what man says. The presumptive is a statement or question that gives the illusion that those of the world know more than they actually know. So, they will ask “yes” or “no” questions. This they will do, attempting to place us in a dilemma having us pick one of only two options. They do not want the people to witness our knowledge of the word of God. The presumptive statement or question, places the people of God in a position to either confirm or deny the presumption. Why questions force the people to hear reasons, explanations to provide additional information to correct the presumption. Remove the word “why” in the following questions, and they become “yes” or “no” questions. Why do you believe the seventh day is the sabbath? Why do you believe that Jesus is God? Why do you believe the bible is the only source of truth? Why do you believe you are saved? Why do you believe you are one chosen by God? Why do you oppose the laws of man? Why questions switch the control of the conversation from the person asking the question, to the person being asked the question. The world abhors the following words: why, how, what, describe, tell me about, or what do you think about. When we are brought before courts, conduct ourselves decently, but afflict not ourselves with care how we shall come off. We are to have prudent thoughts, rather than anxious, perplexing, disquieting thoughts. We do not study to make fine speeches. It says a quietness of our cause, to be attentive in this matter, as if it were not sufficient to speak for itself. We know upon what grounds we go.   We be not careful to answer in this matter. The best answer is a question when confronted by those who contest God’s word. Answering a question with a question often silences the ones attempting to make an example of someone. God will have a wise remnant people made up of all faithful believers who hold fast to the "word of God" and the "testimony of Jesus" as revealed to John and passed on by him to the churches. This designation is not referring only to Seventh-day Adventist, but has strong inclusivist connotations inasmuch as it encompasses all faithful believers, which make up the entire body of Christ. Adventists would do well to broaden their view of the true "remnant" in the light of a careful study of the biblical text. The remnant is not equivalent to an institutional structure, church organization, or denominational entity. If we don’t act like the remnant, then we are not of the remnant. Many will turn away from the faith in the final days and become of the world because they can’t answer the question, “why are they opposing the church”. And some will question the faith leading into the last days and become accusers of the brethren because they can’t answer the question,“why do you not believe every word of God”. If we are not overcomers now, it will be increasingly difficult to stand for God in this collapsing, lawless world. Let’s face the facts; to answer the questions in truth, which christianity will claim to have answers, will set us on the distancing road to Golgotha. Why must we be like Jesus in the last day? Because our greatest persecutors will be those with whom we sat down to eat. The price that is paid in confronting the world is always worth paying, because then God can do His work through us. God ordained this to happen. So, we don’t fight back. God will be glorified as they ask, “by what power do you teach?” This power of the Holy Spirit is God’s preparation of His people. We are not fearful to displease others with the truth. Our message is offensive, else it is worthless. Our answers are bold, else they are impotent. Never accommodate the gospel by deleting things that offend others. We need to speak boldly even about the things that offend unbelievers. Why? We will not downgrade Jesus. Do you fear taking a straightup stand for truth? Examine yourself and find out why. Do you trust that God is in control of your circumstances when you are confronted with adversity? Why? Why will not be the question of our concern, for the Spirit of God will give us what we are to say, and the likeness of Christ will give us how we are to respond in truth. Our concern will be the recognition of our faith in God as seen in our very deportment. As we deal with the struggles and trials put to us by the opposers of God’s word, familiar passages of truth viewed from the heart will strengthen our minds that we contain spiritual thoughts. And so it is with much prayer that our testimony will tone the heart of the hearers through the word of truth by receiving its message of God’s goodness and grace. Our being approved unto God has trained us for godliness and we value it in every way that we might evidence the hope for those to lean in closely, to be touched with conviction. But we know that much of what we face will be disappointing. And so, instead of showing despair for the encountered trials, we will glory as the power of Christ rests upon us. Why? We have the confidence that God will not allow anythingto happen to us without His permission, and He will not let any “bad thing” happen that will not ultimately bring us more good than destruction. When we experience trial, we must choose by faith to trust fully in God. This choice will help us be more alert to the reasons why God allowed the trial to occur. And the why: we gain an even more intimate relation with Christ, we develop stronger characters, we demonstrate self-control, and we prove the eternal treasure laid up in heaven far outvalues earthly things. In every trial God alone must become our source of strength, provision, protection, and direction. Why? That we love our enemies, bless those who curse us, hope good for those who show hate toward us, and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us. We are to persevere. This is why the book of Hebrews is so important to the Hebrew Israelite messengers. We were set out first by God, to bring again those that are and will be His to perfection. From Hebrew to Israelite to Jew to Christian to Adventist to Hebrew Israelite…that is the path of appointment. The word in Hebrews is the door that opens to the house of wisdom…and in wisdom we know that our faithfulness is not in the words, but in the One Who is the Word. The book of Hebrews declares powerfully who Jesus is. The book of Hebrews shows us how to understand the Old Testament that reveals who are the true people of God and why. It teaches us that the whole bible declares the same message. It is all about Jesus. The book of Hebrews teaches the importance of faith as the active belief and trust in God. And especially in Hebrews are we warned severely about the attitude of unbelief. The book of Hebrews explains clearly the reasons for Jesus’ death. It teaches that God can forgive us only because of Jesus’ death. It tells us the role that Jesus’ death played in our salvation and the importance of his death and resurrection to our being made sons and daughters. The book of Hebrews shows us where and explains what Jesus is doing for us in heaven now. It tells us that he sits in the place of greatest honor in heaven, at God the Father’s right side. The book of Hebrews explains many of the reasons why we as God’s people suffer in this world. And Hebrews shows what our attitudes should be during our troubles. The book of Hebrews shows us God’s plan for His people’s lives. Why? He wants us to have the closest possible relationship with Him. He is making His people perfect for the completion of His work. So, He wants us to develop and to become mature in our relationship with Him. Hebrews unlock the glorious tapestry of God’s progressive revelation through reasoning with His people for their last day assignment.

3 Minutes Prophesy is math, is a spiritual math formula. Addition : bringing something about from another - creation. Subtraction : taking away, the flood to cleanse the world, repentance. Multiplication : repopulation, expressing growth, familiazion. Division : the process of separation. Algebra : the variables contained in the definite – character development in humans to form expressions of character. Geometry : the shaping and arrangement of events is when He took His people to shape them into the various characters that they will have. Trigonometry : is when He began to take the minds of the people and have them venture into the various extensions of His purposes. Trigonometry, the triangle, the function of angles, 3, the Godhead, the triune. Calculus : is the calculation of God’s people to acquire that which must be achieved in the perfecting of Christ. New Jerusalem is a solid cube, a 6-sided cube, representing all of mankind and solid. Where is God in this math? He is the line. The beginning and the ending, alpha and omega. The cube is the perfection of mankind, 6, and God is outside the cube, He is the Spirit outside the cube which extends far beyond; mankind is limited. Seven is the completeness of all things, is the 1 God; man and God is the completeness of all things, a spiritual formulation.

3 Minutes Here’s the wonderment of it all. If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. We are taught that heaven is a place where worthy souls remain in eternity in indescribable contentment in the presence of Almighty God, where no evil exists. If so, how and why was there a group of angels who chose to rebel against God? What was there, and in what form, did a growing discontent culminate in the rebellion. No bible text tells us precisely what the anointed covering cherub did to be thrown from the divine presence, down to the earth with his fellow angels. We are told that iniquity was found in him. We envision the angels as being given a choice between accepting their special non-bodily beauty as totally dependent on God’s will, yet seeing themselves as magnificent intelligent beings who were smart enough to challenge God’s authority. As creatures of sharp intuition, they did not need to use the powers of human reasoning to know that their sin deserved immediate divine retribution with no second chance. What kind of perfect mind would attempt to undermine, circumvent, manipulate, control, those who were holy subjects before God to bring them to conflict. The word says the heart of this defective one was lifted up…pride in his appearance, and the brilliance of his mind were the basis of this corruption. The results…we see the very first casualties of sin. Man had not yet been created. The fact that Lucifer Satan was so successful in enlisting so many, in a cause that would lead to the loss of something as precious as agency with God, seems mystifying. An examination of his tactics in relation to the administration of God reveals possible answers to how he could have done so. We must remember that even today his arguments are very convincing to some. The lessons we learn must reduce the casualty count as the war rages on. How did Satan propose or how did he promote his ideas, in the war in heaven. This angel of God who was in authority…who rebelled against God and His Son desired the “honor” and “power” of God for himself. He wanted not only to exalt what he thought should be his throne above the stars of God, but also to exalt himself above all, including God. His objective was to dethrone God. This was more than just a resentful resistance to God’s authority, more than just a strong aversion or opposition, more than just a desire to literally take over. Satan wanted to become our Father in Heaven. What argument was presented that was so convincing as to persuade many to prefer it? We see no force used in his ill-uses. What type of guarantee or enticement must he have offered? Did he promise them a higher excellence, a compulsion of the mind having unfettered freedom? Did such minds consider any options? How was Satan so cunning as to camouflage the misery that would naturally follow sin? With what words did he fabricate the impression that such conduct would be permitted without any negative consequences? Was Satan aware of the mortal probation that was in place for all the creation because of the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that was placed on every world? This war of words, this conflict of ideologies was a rebellion against the law of God. He offered a life of carnality and sensuality, indulgence wherein nothing would be sin. His offer was a philosophical impossibility. There can be no light without darkness, no good without evil. I mpossible because without law there would be more than chaos, confusion, and anarchy…there would be a desire to be like him. Pride blinded the consequences of his actions. Wickedness never is happiness. Thank God that in the beginning was the Word that in the beginning when God created all was determined…

5 Minutes What is truth? How one lives and dies, what and who one values, and what one believes is dependent upon how one answers this question. It is the most essential and necessary task of our human existence. Truth is what reconciles with God, it is not based on what you believe. If you cannot affirm Jesus Christ, you cannot know truth. Truth is not what always works, and truth is not always understandable. Truth is not just what makes people feel good. And truth is not just what the majority says it is. Truth is not defined by what is intended. Truth is not how we know, truth is to be what we know. Truth corresponds to reality. Foremost is this question...do you know the truth of your condition? Do you understand that Jesus is the embodiment and fulfillment of the word of God? Do you know that the truth is visible? I challenge you to offer up yourself to honest inquiry to hear what is seen. This was the sacrifice of Jesus. This is what makes truth visible. Truth strengthens the frail heart. Few understand that genuine questions are a door to truth. And faithful answers are a path to wisdom. Together, they make for holy conversation. Questions and answers are incredible gifts that allow for the willingness to show the light of Christ in you. Truth defers to no one and is not partial to any. Freedom cannot arrive without the spiritual power of learning which is proceeded by the phrase “and ye shall know the truth”. Eyes are opened to a greater understanding of the freedoms found in the truth. Freedom from the guilt of sin. Freedom from the fear of the judgment of God. Freedom from the burden of tradition. Freedom from our spiritual enemies, freedom in the service of God, freedom to the privileges of sons, and freedom to be of the Jerusalem which is from above. The knowing, and believing, of this truth is freedom. Freedom from prejudices, mistakes, and false notions, than which nothing more enslaves and entangles the soul, freedom from the dominion of lust and passion; and restores the soul to the government of itself under the spirit, by reducing it into obedience to its Creator. The mind, by admitting the truth of Christ in the light and power, is vastly enlarged, and has scope and compass given it, is greatly elevated and raised above things of sense, and never acts with so true a liberty as when it acts under a divine command of liberty. True freedom is the reasonings that are guided by faith, and those free minds whose thoughts are captivated and brought into obedience to Christ.

15 Minutes What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us...worship is pure or worship is base, as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the people is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep thought conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move towards our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual, but of the company of believers. Always the most revealing thing about God’s people is their idea of God, and what is the most significant message they say about Him or leave unsaid, for their silence is often more eloquent than their speech. God’s people can never escape the self- disclosure of their witness concerning God. Were we able to extract from any person a complete answer to the question, “what comes into your mind when you think about God?” We might measure with certainty the spiritual forthcoming of that person. Were we able to know exactly what our most influential teachers think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the people of God will stand tomorrow. That our thoughts of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us. A right conception of God is basic living as according to His word. Our thoughts of God are to worship what the understanding is to the sanctuary; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. There is scarcely an error in principle or a failure in applying biblical truth that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God. Nothing changes a human being faster than a deeper understanding of who God is. God sees our thoughts to know that we have Him in our mind. And thoughts of God are the believer’s constant source of strength. The martyr languishes in the flames but his mind flies upward to God his Savior and looks forward blissfully to the glory that awaits him even as his body sinks to ashes. The imprisoned believer forgets the harsh regime of the camp, the daily grind and grueling labor, as his mind soars upward on the wings of hope to remember God. The weary teacher, struggling with unfamiliar syllables and convoluted grammar in his appointed sphere of service sees beyond the frustrations of the hours as he remembers God. The faithful group studying the word of God, entombed in their study and confronted with an agenda of reasoning to revelation of truths, brightens in their minds and feel their hearts quicken as they remember that their God sees their thoughts from above. The thought of God enlivens all actions. The thought of God should be the believer’s panacea. It should cure all ills at a stroke. And what an infinity there is in the thought of God! Nothing can approach in beauty to the idea of the true and living God. If our thoughts about God are not rising to include the higher glories of truth, then they are amounting to a moral calamity. The first step down for any person is taken when he or she surrenders truth to their opinion of God. God is not different from what He actually is; He is just so much more. Inherent in Christ’s personhood is every shade and texture and breath and aspect and heartbeat and death knell and meaning of whatever love is. And by extension, God is in His presence more expressive of the reality of the evidence of the substance that is Jesus Christ. For he is the faith in every thought that we can never adequately define or even understand it as God sees it. There is no definition that we could put to God. We could never catalog His love. God sees our every thought as a moment of awe...a reason to worship...a hope in the unbreakable promise that the best is yet to come. We must learn to experience God in a real way. The masses of adherents come to believe that God is different from what He actually is; and that is heresy of the most insidious and deadly kind. Whenever we lose a right view of God, everything else gets out of perspective. Sad to say, too many are suffering from an impoverished vision of Him as a god with manlike characteristics. A god made in our image, an inversion of the truth of man made in his image. Human qualities and finite limitations have been assigned to the One who exceeds our comprehension. Our thoughts are to be that there is so much God that He is infinitely unceasingly increasing. It is to be as though we need nothing more, yet long for His continuing forthcoming revelation. Our faith is to precede full understanding as relevant biblical truth and specific passages increase the value of truth. Man can think God’s thoughts after Him but never greater. Though incomprehensible, God is knowable as we believe the truths that God has revealed about Himself. How does God see us? God sees every word. If we are a truthful and faithful people we should be comforted to know that God sees our every word. Let’s reason...we as humans have the gift of hearing. We call this the auditory component of life. Extremely beneficial in that it is to project or express what a person means. Words spoken, words heard, can deceive and delude and conceal and avoid. There can be hidden insinuations in spoken words not detected by simply hearing. What if a visual component is added. Where every word is seen in its full purpose. Might that change the way we hear the sound. Visual information offers perception whereby there is no mismatch in what is spoken, what is heard, what is seen. God seeing the word is the actual witnessing of what stimulates the information in the testimony. Nothing can stop the vision of God. Isn’t it a wonder that God not only hears our prayers...He sees them. Words are more than just accounted for. Every aspect of every word is recorded pictorially giving explicit details graphically, realistically, detailedly, forcefully, tellingly, authentically, representatively. It is a studious concern to understand what is meant by “God foresees everything”. It’s more than just being aware beforehand. It literally means “to see”, “to realize” as a development, including consequences based upon the knowledge derived and applied to ordinary reasoning and experience. Divine inspiration adds the evocation of exceptional wisdom or discernment with feeling, memory, and image to the conscious mind. When a word is spoken, every invisible corresponding effect is revealed to God. Every stimulus of a word is detected. This is what God sees. Every word spoken is seen by God to provide information related to intended or unintended consequences. God knows and sees how the power of the words of the tongue contribute to shaping lives, events, beliefs and even death. God not only sees the words we speak, He watches His own word. No spoken word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. He sees the actual performance of His words. God watches to see if we speak His truth. He sees when we use the powerful and hope-filled words of Christ to change our perspective, our outlook and our circumstances. When we speak words of truth for the glory of God to help others, God sees the good manifested in our lives. This moves us into His divine will and abundance as He promised that His words would do in accomplishing His purposes. Our every prologue in the last days is to be a unique blessing to those who hear. These words of truth are the revelation of what Jesus sees. And God did not give it to him to tell us, God gave it to him to show things coming. God grants us the priviledge not only to speak prophetic words but to also see them as we are to offer vivid descriptions to the people. Remember, John turned to see the voice...how does God see us? God sees every deed. The eyes of the lord are in every place. His watchful eyes can see every hidden thing. Every act of obedience, great and small, all has meaning because God is watching, and we have eternal value to Him. In every deed we perform, God sees the measure of faith. God sees our actions against the idea of how Jesus would do it. We are to think with sober judgment using Jesus as our measuring line and our aspiration. The measure relates to the apportioning of our faith, for some are weak in the faith and their deeds show discord with right motives, thoughts, and words. When we are in Christ our deeds are spiritually sound. Our deeds are sanctified in Christ. Our deeds are purposed in Christ. God no longer sees our shortcomings; He sees the right doings of His own Son. In Christ God sees our deeds done in love, and He bestows upon us His abundant gifts and the riches of His grace. God sees us in Christ as an inheritor. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. God sees these good works done, not in our own strength and for our own benefit, but by the grace of God and in obedience to Him - led by the Holy Spirit, to God’s glory. We do the first works. The beginning of our spiritual journey when we first fell in love with Jesus Christ. We possessed a great spiritual hunger. We enjoyed rich fellowship among the brethren. We had an eagerness to repent and to receive what God had for us. We cherished the Word of God. We sacrificed our former religious reputation for Jesus. We were committed to applying God’s Word to our lives. We were receptive to the power of God and to the gifts of the Spirit. We loved Jesus and the wonder-working power yoked with his name. We were quick to confess our sin and turn from our evil works. We severed all connections with a pagan past at great personal cost. We accepted the lost of relations for the sake of Christ. We were faith-filled. We were known for our love of the brethren. The first works are the works done in secret for the Lord out of our first love for Him. We don't do them for others to see. The intensity, though not diminished, must be zealously pursued. It is God who works in us to encourage us to do our utmost good. And the operations of God's grace in us are so far from excusing, that they are intended to quicken and engage our endeavors. It is love that influences our works so that they are pure and good and stand the test before God. Anything short of this is pure deception. What we do matters. Not attempting to earn salvation. We desire that the people not see us in the deeds done, but see the critical message of serving others for the glory of God. For kingdom’s life looks like service. God’s harvest depends upon the works we do. We have a work/faith ethic that is to bring others to Christ. And our deeds done are to focus our witness on Christ. All things are naked and opened to the eyes of God. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Our trust is to be fully found in Him for He sees the wholeness of every aspect of our being from beginning to end. It is in this trust that we stand still and allow God to have His way in the affairs of our lives and that of the world. And whatever He sees of us and whenever He sees us, He sees us now as we are in Christ. God sees our motives, our thoughts, our words, our deeds, real and potential, and He knows them all at the same time. Reason faithfully with this truth – every motive, thought, word, and/or deed is for strength or weakness in the sight of God. They are either for our sobering or for our dispiriting. Our lives can be spiritually deteriorated if our consciousness of God is not present in every aspect of life. If we are not in the right atmosphere, God’s will may be secreted from us. Yet ‘His divine will’, will always be done. Our every contemplation is to be done in the truth of God with the mind of Christ. As we think about the widest context of what God sees in our motives, thoughts, words, and deeds we come to reason that each of these will be compiled for detailed understanding in the panoramic view. With that, there are two aspects of God’s way of arranging to be with us: human character transformation and divine mediation. God sees when the interaction of our motive, thought, word, and deed are in the form of spiritual maturity or formed of ignorance and lack of character. God certainly could have gotten in the face of Adam and Eve and prevented them from succumbing to Satan’s clever appeals. Instead, God arranged for them to be “on their own,” and the result was then expressed in their motive, thought, word, and deed. It was what they did. God’s allowing us to be “on our own” in order to develop character within us is an arrangement He still abides by and regards. God’s seeming absence is an exercise of His purpose. Christ is seeking to fully dwell in us and we in him. By this, God will see the fulfillment of humility, compassion, righteousness, and faith of communion by the power at work within us. Our every way will be spiritually perceptive to God. Isaiah 43:4