The true Israel ( 2) ( John 10 v 16 )

 I  ended last time by stating that we are the true Israel, when I say we I mean the Church, made up of every nation ( Revelation 7 v 9 -10.) in that chap it mentions 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. As  with so much of Revelation this number is symbolic, because of what I have pointed out earlier, from    Ephesians .The old divisions are gone for good, likewise the temple it is gone never to return, it served its purpose ,the church is now the temple of the living God, he no longer dwells in a  building, if you are a Christian he dwells in you.  1 Cor 3 v 16 -17. Ephesians 2 v 21- 22. Likewise it is inconceivable that sacrifices will ever be reinstituted ,that  would any by stretch of the imagination, be at odds with the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jerusalem has no spiritual significance  now, the New Jerusalem in Rev 3 v 12/21 v2 , represents the church, also called the Bride of Christ. our Saviour  made it clear that the old Jerusalem was finished John 4 v 21ff. As for Christ reigning for a thousand years on earth, Christ mentioned , that his kingdom was not of this world ,John 18 v 36.The Jews had a wrong belief that the Messiah would  set up an earthly kingdom, Jesus did not go along with that, in fact He avoided it, John 6 v15, the Jewish belief was wrong, why do we give it any credibility?, rejoice that we children of Abraham ( Galatians 3 v 26 - 29 )

.

'

The true Israel ( 1 ) ( John 10 v 14 - 16 )

In the temple grounds in Jerusalem  there was a stone wall, no  foreigner was allowed to enter within this barricade which surrounded the temple enclosure. Along the wall there were notices attached  warning non Jews  to not  enter into the temple enclosure ,written in Greek and Latin, it read, ''Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death ''.At that time there was distinction made between Jew and Gentile, but with the gospel this would all change. In Ephesians 2 v 11 ff  ,the apostle Paul  writes the following to his Gentile readers ,'Remember you were Gentiles...... remember that at time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship  in Israel and foreigners  to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed  the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility........His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace...... For through him we both access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners  and strangers, but fellow citizens with Gods people and also members of his household.'  I heard a preacher recently say that the church is not Israel, I find this a very strange thing to say, there is only one true Israel , only one true children  of God, they are the New Covenant Israel ,( Jeremiah 31 v 31 ff)   We will consider this further next time.

He is coming again. ( Matthew 24 v 36 - 53 )

 On my daily walk I found myself singing, no it did not start to rain, the sun shone the whole time, well back to my singing. The question is what was  I  singing?, here is the words,' Some glorious daybreak Jesus will come, Some glorious daybreak  battles all won, He'll shout the victory, break through the blue, Some  glorious  daybreak for me, for you'. I wonder do you ever dwell much on the fact that Jesus is coming again. A person I know speaking about his minister, said, in the 11years he has been his minister he never heard him preach on the Lords coming . I cannot understand that ,for our Saviour spoke of it many times, on the night  he was betrayed he said,' I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am ,John 14 v 3..When Jesus was taken up into heaven, two men dressed in white, told them, ''Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus , who was taken up  from heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven''. Acts 1 v 11.  In the last book of the Bible we have our Lord saying twice ,''I am coming quickly''  Rev 22 v 7/12. The word quickly stresses the fact that every generation, must be on the alert  in the light of his coming. We are not to speculate as to when he is coming, but to live in the light of it, remember he may come today.

Who is my brother? ( Matthew 15 v 32 )

In a book by J. B. Priestly, called ,'An Inspector Calls', a man calls at the home of a wealthy family ,he tells them  he is a police inspector. He  goes on to tell them about a girl who committed suicide,  his purpose is to show each of the people present, that they had part in her tragic death. There are five people the wealthy businessman who had sacked her ,another visitor  the son of a lord had taken her for his mistress, then left her. The daughter of the wealthy businessman, had caused her to be dismissed from her job in a store, the son of the wealthy couple who had got her pregnant, and finally the wife  of the businessman who served on a charity that helped the needy, decided not to help her ,leaving her destitute. The result being , she committed suicide by drinking bleach, and died a horrible death .This is what the inspector said to them before he left,  ''We don't live alone in this world, we are responsible for each other''. When Cain murdered his brother Abel ,God came to him , and asked him, ''Where is your brother Abel?, he replied,'' Am I my brothers keeper?'. the answer to that question is simple, yes ,he was, as we are.

What God has promised. ( 1 Timothy 4 v 6 - 8 )

 Peter Lewis wrote the following in his grand book, 'The  message of the Living God'. ''God is our deliverer but he is not  a good luck charm; he gives us protection, but not immunity; hope in trouble, but not freedom from trouble'. There are so many people teaching a imbalanced Christianity, paradise has not been regained, planted earth will never an be an earthly paradise, never. Paradise comes later, that new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Here we are to fulfil  God's will,  in the task he gives us to ,and the life he calls us to live, to glorify him, in everything. Everyday I read of  Christian experiencing dreadful things, I would not like to be in their position, no one enjoys suffering,  ,no one likes having an incurable illness, or losing a love one. Jesus said ,''take up your cross and follow me'' ( Matt 16 v 24). Yes He will deliver us, He will protect us, that's a reality, He has promised to do that and more.

                                                 God hath not promised skies always blue,

                                                 Flower strewn path-ways , all our lives thro',

                                                 God hath not promised sun with-out rain,

                                                  Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

                                                  God hath not promised  we shall not know

                                                  Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

                                                   He hath not told us we shall not bear

                                                   Many a burden, many a care.

                                                   But God has promised strength for the day,

                                                   Rest for the labour, light for the way,

                                                  Grace for the trials, help from above,

                                                    Unfailing kindness, undying love.  ( Words A. J. Flint )

Woe ( Romans 1 v 18. / 2 v 16 )

 In Isaiah 6 the prophet has a vision 0f God, and he hears the angels calling out,'' Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty'' ,and he is overwhelmed, and he cries out, ''Woe is me,.... I  am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips''. Leupold  makes the following comments', 'He felt sin as we would feel it if our insight were not so blurred and dulled'. Valerie Hervo runs Les Chandelles ,the infamous  sex club in Paris, it is interesting how she speaks of and how it is described, saying it is a group sex club. It is visited by the country's political, economic and cultural elites to live out their sexual fantasies ,the word  libertinage is used to describe what takes place ,meaning freedom from  moral  restraint, in the area of sex. The badly dressed , the ugly, vulgar, have no hope of getting in, no only the beautiful, intelligent and well educated are welcome. Ordinary mortals are not welcomed, the club itself is bathed in  lambent red light. ,Someone described her visit there as beautiful, alas it is anything but beautiful, it is far from what God's gift of sex is meant to be , and no matter how one would tries to sanitize such a place and what takes place in it, it is wrong morally. It reminds me of what Isaiah wrote ,'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.'  Isa 5 v 20.

We are all in it together( 2 ) ( Revelation 20 v 11 - 15 )

 Yes we are all in it together, life and death, but we don't have the same destiny, for there is existence after death. Death is not the end ,it brings us into the eternal realms, it is hard for us to grasp  the idea of the term eternal.it means simple no beginning and no  ending, it will go on and on ,and on. The most important question we need to ask ourselves is, where and how shall we spend eternity?. The first thing we will face ,is God,  the one we thought did not exist, or the one we never give much thought to, occasionally we may have given him a thought. But we just got on with our lives, shutting him out, living as if he had no place in our lives, to busy to give him a second thought. On that day you will be held accountable  for all the sins you have ever committed, by  the one the you ignored  and rejected ,you will face your judge, Jesus. The one you heard about in Sunday school, or from godly parents, or a workmate, or from a minister at a funeral service. On that day forgiveness will not be an option, only judgement from which there will be no escape. Many talk about change ,but God is not in their reckoning, forsaking their sin is not in their reckoning, Christ is not in their reckoning. I want to finish  with words from a hymn by Hank Williams, called ,'The great judgment morning'.

                                              I dreamed that the great judgment morning,

                                              Had dawned, and the trumpet had blown;

                                              I dreamed that the nations had gathered,

                                              To judgment before  the white throne.

                                               And, oh, what a weeping and wailing,

                                               As the lost were told of their fate,

                                                They cried for the rocks and the mountains,

                                                They prayed but their prayer was to late.