Romans 15:4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetimes were written for our LEARNING, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Learning from Scripture -"rightly dividing the word of truth"-. (2 Tim. 2:15) is especially important to us who live at a time in history when thousands of "voices" are shouting to get our attention, insisting that this or that "smooth thing" is truth. 1 Thes 5:3 tells us

" For when they shall say, peace and safety: then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.!

The Bible nowhere predicts smooth sailing for the faithful followers of God.

2 Tim 3:12 tells us ; " Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

This is not a popular idea! Truth seldom is! God has entrusted us with His last (show and tell) warning message. We have no choice but to tell it like it is.

"Will God chastise His bride?" has become the rallying cry for those who want us to join them in believing their "no tribulation" doctrine.

Zach. 13:7-9 informs us; "And it shall come to pass saith the lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the SHEEP (BELIEVERS) shall be scattered and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left there in. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

1 Pet. 1:7 states."That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Rev. 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

It appears to me that those who have, or will, die before the Lord comes, who were committing sins of ignorance though striving to serve God and calling upon Him for forgiveness and cleansing in the Name of Jesus, will be saved. However, those who are alive to see the Lord's coming must be "without spot or wrinkle " (sin) or they will suffer the same fate as the "man of sin" spoken of in 2 Thes. 2:8

"Then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."

There are two texts that indicate this:

Acts 10:24 "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." and

Acts 17:30 " And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Another revealing text says:

Mat. 7:21,22 " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity."

Everything Changes- But God

We all have become accustomed to change. Few are the things that do not change. Love often changes to hate. Youth changes to agedness. Happiness changes to mourning. How refreshing. In our lives filled with change, is the realization that God never changes!

Mal. 3:6 says "I AM THE LORD I CHANGE NOT."

James 1:17 says "EVERY GOOD GIFT AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, AND COMETH DOWN FROM THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, WITH WHOM IS NO VARIABLENESS, NEITHER SHADOW OF TURNING."

HEB. 13:8 says, " JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY, AND TO DAY, AND FOREVER."

PSA. 89:34 says, "MY COVENANT WILL I NOT BREAK, NOR ALTER THE THING THAT HAS GONE OUT OF MY LIPS."

God has made it abundantly clear that NOTHING HE HAS EVER SAID IS EVER CHANGED, THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!

In the ninth century B.C., Jeroboam had taken the ten northern tribes of Israel from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. He set up two golden calves, one in Bethel in the south of his kingdom and one in Dan in the north of his kingdom. He instructed his subjects to worship these instead of traveling to Jerusalem to participate in the worship of God. He placed vile and corrupt men in the offices of priest and led the people away from the true God. He was offering incense upon the altar in Bethel when a "man of God delivered a prophecy against him and the altar". The entire drama is recorded in 1Kings 13:1-32.

The king didn't like the prophecy and ordered the arrest of the man of God. The king's arm was withered and restored by the power of God. Knowing not to fight against the power of God, he invited the prophet to his house for food, water and refreshment. The prophet responded:

1KI 13:8... If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: The man of God headed back to Judah by a different way than he had came to Bethel because God had instructed him to do so.

All was going well; God's power had been displayed, none doubted the power of God or that this prophet was truly a man of God. He had resisted a "reward" offered by one whom he knew to be an enemy of God. Now comes one who claims to be a prophet:

1KI 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. [The Lord had NOT said this- the man was a "false prophet"].) But, the man of God took his word and went back with him and 19... did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.

The "man of God" disobeyed God and paid with his mortal life and probably with his eternal life. Only God knows about his eternal life. Yet, the Bible calls him "a man of God". He disobeyed once, and he never had the chance to disobey again.

False Prophets Say God CHANGED His Law

Some false shepherds and false prophets point to the Mosaic (sacrificial) laws and say; " these are no longer in effect, does this prove that God changes His instructions?" They also quote Paul's comments to the Galatians whom unconverted Jews had influenced to perform animal sacrifices according to the law of Moses- and this after Christ ,"the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world." had been sacrificed, ending the blood sacrifice system. They tell us that the law here spoken of is the Ten Commandments spoken by the mouth (lips) of God (Exo. 20:1) and written in stone by the finger of God! (Exo. 24:12).

GAL.3:17-19 says; "And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? it was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.."

If Paul was speaking of the Ten Commandments, God's reason for adding it could not have been " because of transgressions" (Rom 4:15) because "the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." (1 John 3:4). "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." In simple terms, there would have been no such thing as "sin" or "transgression" if God's Law had not already existed. The "law" Paul spoke of was "added" because the people WERE continually breaking God's Law.

ROM.5:13,14 says; (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is NO LAW. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come."

Paul was referring to the sacrificial law and not to the TEN COMMANDMENTS about which it was said of Abraham; "because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." Paul clearly states that the law he was speaking of "came four hundred and thirty years after" God gave the promise to Abrahan because he "kept my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." Abraham kept God's Law. But the "sacrificial and levitical law, or the Mosaic Law, wasn't even in existence at that time. What "law" could Abraham have kept except God's Great Law.