Hope, Change and Truth

             The crux of what is the the hope and change presidency seems to me a type of what transpired in 1 Samuel chapter 8.

                         All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at 

                                                     Ramah, and said to him,

                              "Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

Unlike the hope and change president, who people wanted to believe, who saw deliverance in the words of their anointed one who promised change , were told what they wanted to hear. But in reality , not what he intended to do, but to advance his own personal agenda of change.

The Lord warned the nation of Israel that this King would take their sons and daughters to serve him; take the best of what they own; take a tenth of their sheep; (which provided a source of milk, meat, and fabrics...their drink, food and clothing) Take a tenth of their food and drink and give to his officers and servants...Take , take, take..." (see 1 Sam. 8)

                       “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom

                                                 you have chosen for yourselves."

And like the people of Israel, the supporters of president hope and change, agreed they wanted the kind of leader ruling over every other nation .  But at no cost to them. They believed the lie because they were caught up in the rhetoric that spewed forth from a self consumed, self serving, self centered, egocentric demigod.

                     the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said,

                                              “No, but we will have a king over us,

                                            that we also may be like all the nations"

                                            They heard , what they wanted to hear.

The people who supported this savior of hope and change salivated at the premise of getting something for nothing. Simple idolatry laced with the sweet tasting nectar of greed. They bowed down and worshipped at the feet of a false and lying messiah who never intended to deliver on his promises.

Alas as the preacher said, " There is nothing new under the sun." Or, as to what has been attributed to P.T. Barnum, showman extraordinaire of the three ring circus, (Executive, Legistative and Judical???).. supposedly uttered in a rather cynical and crass phrase..."There is a sucker born every minute."

Can this debacle into the oblivion of affortable healthcare, so called, be assuaged before the noose of incompetence is tightened to where it is impossible to unloose? Or will the words delivered unto the people of God through His prophet Samuel ring true again,

                              "And you will cry out in that day because of your king

                                           whom you have chosen for yourselves,

                                        and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

We shall see.

You Must Be Perfect?

     Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor 5:20)
     The Apostle tells the  Corinthians  that though they die (in the flesh) they shall be present with the Lord. That all must stand before the judgement seat of Christ  and knowing the  terror (yes, terror) of the Lord we persuade others, to be reconciled to God.  He ends the chapter with "God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 
    Reconciled  (Katallasso) to return to the favor of God.
    Terror (phobos) awe, fear, reverence. But in this context as Jesus said" do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt 10:28). for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:26)
    The righteousness of God is imperative for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Let's visit the first letter to Corinthians chapter 6  where the Apostle expounds  what  unrighteousness looks like....
    Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators (any sexual activity outside of marriage), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,  nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-11)
    People want a god who will allow them to continue in these things. Paul in Galatians 5 calls them the "works of the flesh (that inherent sinful nature, the Adamic nature)
    Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery (Pharmakeia--from which we get our English word pharmacy-the use of drugs in magic in connection with idolatry)  hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
    God is love yes, for we didn't love God, He loved us (his people who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God)  and sent His son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
    Jesus, from above, came down from heaven, took on a body of flesh and blood and bones to do what no human being born of Adam could. Take away our sins. That is why it is imperative, absolutely essential, vital, that one confess, repent, believe, trust and believe in Him.
    He Himself said it,  "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved."...“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ....  "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."...."I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.".... "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (a direct reference to His own divinity and those Jewish religious leaders knew it, for they picked up stones to stone him for of course, blasphemy...saying "you a mere man make yourself out to be God)
    In the Chronicles of Naria, there is a a sentence spoken about Aslan the Lion (a type of the lion of Judah,the Messiah, Jesus) that sums it up so succinctly....
    “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
     God is good, holy, righteous, gracious, merciful and just. You must be perfect, as the Father in heaven is perfect. The only Way to acquire that perfection is through the perfect and only Savior Jesus Christ. 
     God made Him who had no sin to be  a sin offering  for us. So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 cor 5:21)
      There is No Other Way.
     He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”(John 3:36)

mother nature?

     Talking about Lyme disease on talk radio overnite,  the host asked the guest "why did mother nature create ticks? They serve no purpose," yadayadayada....Excuse me? mother nature? The fallacy of human invention. The trite ramblings of intellectual cretins. Educated to imbecility in the most  prestigious  echelons of higher learning.  Take God out of the equation. Take His Word and relegate it to obscurity and you birth the ramblings of miscreants.
     Truth be mankind, represented by Adam and Eve, preferred a lie rather than the truth of God. Eat fruit of the tree and die. Obey and live. The words of the serpent, dragon, devil,  satan  "You shall be as God, knowing good and evil" became the path chosen by the human race, and thus the Scripture proclaims, " the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him (God)  who subjected it in hope;  because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption.
     This is a perishing creation. It will be burned up, wiped clean,  when the Lord Jesus returns in flamming fire. ( 2 Peter 3:10-13; 2Thess 1:7-9; Rev 6:12-17; 20:7-10) Then regenerated anew. A new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. You must have the righteousness of God  to abide there. It is His nature. He is Holy, Holy, Holy. We are  unrighteous, contaminated by sin. And all our righteous acts are filthy and worthless before God. For without Jesus Christ, as He said, "you can do nothing." Nothing of any worth, or value in the sight of a Holy God.  That is why Christ came.
     The Word who was in the beginning with God, and was God, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us...(John 1) who being in very nature God,  came in the likeness of mankind, humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death...(Phil 2:5-11)  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:16-18) 
     And when I saw Him, (The Son of God)  I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.  I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Rev 1:17-18; Is.44:6 notice God will not give His glory to another)
    The religious leaders knew what Jesus was saying.... Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him. Why?  The high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”  Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! (Matt. 26:  62-65)
      Now back to those ticks. They are bloodsucking, vile, disgusting, repugnant creatures full of disease that they spread to others. Gee, sort of sounds like the human condition in the sight of a Holy and Righteous God.  Both physically and spiritually.
     Our nation is following that Romans road not to salvation but damnation,   Worshipping, working and serving  the creation rather than the creator,  with   mother nature being  nothing different from that which the ancient pagans  worshipped including  Asherah, the Queen of Heaven, which included  Anat, Isis, Innana, Astarte,  the Greek goddess Artimis or Roman goddess Diana.
     It seems we are a nation quickly spiraling down,  sinking deeper into a cesspool of spiritual corruption so  that we might throw off the God of The Christians and Jews to pursue  every vile and wicked perversion imaginable.
    And worse yet, much of the Church is  compromising and accepting a  watering down of the Gospel message so that it might not  offend or speak the truth about our sinful condition.
    Has God given us over to a reprobate mind? You be the judge......"They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:29-32)
    These are troubling times, but God is weeding out the wheat from the tares. He is still calling His people from darkness to light from death to life. Why? Because He has a people He calls His own, a people He loves and cherishes and wants to come to Him. The only Way is through his only begotten Son, so that they  might have life and have it more abundantly. Eternal life. A citizenship in Heaven and a place where His people will hear the words of their Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord."
     Take heart. Stand firm on your faith. Remember these words of the Apostle Paul. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
     "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:17-18)
     

Transfiguration

     Great message from Dr Rc Sproul at church today. The Transfiguration of  Jesus. (Luke 9:27-36) Dr Sproul mentioned  there was a  metamorphosis  "his face shone like the sun" Matt 17:2. Recalling that moment Peter  said they  " were eyewitnesses of His majesty." Peter , James and John saw in Christ the divine glory of God.
     It bought to my mind the book of Hebrews where the  author states of Christ  "who being the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person." Not just a reflection  but  a visible manifestation of the divine presence. The Shekinah of the Old Testament-- that manifestion of God  Himself in the tabernacle, manifested Himself  in the Son Of God  the Word that became flesh and dwelt (literally tabernacled) among us.
     I thought of when the soliders came to seize Him, they called out His name He responded "I Am He ." The soliders drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:6)
    I was reminded me of Paul's words in Phil. 2 "at the name of Jesus every knee will  bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
                   "this is  my beloved Son in whom I am well please, Listen to Him! "
Have you listened to the the only Name by which anyone can stand in the presence of God? By which anyone can be saved from the torments of hell itself?
                                                       Jesus the Christ is:
The only door to eternity , the narrow road to redemption, the living bread that came down from heaven to give us eternal life; the light of the world, who offers the light of life; the Word who was in the beginning with God and was God;  the One by whom all things were created, in heaven and on earth; the resurrection and life-- The one who believes in Him will live, even though He dies and whoever lives and believes in Him will never die; The Way The Truth and the Life; The One Who claimed  "I am from above, you are from below, you are of this world, I Am not  of this world;  The Son  of God. Before Abraham was, I Am.  The Father proclaimed "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!
      We must all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.....Will you stand before Him in your own righteous acts which are filthy rags to a Holy, Just creator? Or will you be covered by the righteousness of the Savior in whom God is well pleased?  
     Will God say "depart from Me, I never knew you. Or by the grace offered freely to you--but bought with a price, the precious, perfect blood sacrifice  of Jesus in our place--will John's words resonate:
     Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:1-3)
     Behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation.
Jesus said,  "Come to me all you who are labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."  A peace that transcends all understanding. Repent and believe the Good News!
    Jesus, who can not lie proclaimed  "Whoever hears My Words and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life."   Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. From Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.    
  

Nations Rage

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations rage,

And the people plot a vain thing?

"the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, "(1 Tim 4:3-4)

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the Lord and against His Anointed, (Messiah-The Christ)

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, (the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one ) to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. “(Rev 16:14-15; 1 John 5:19)

saying,

3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces

And cast away Their cords from us.”

“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3:4-5)

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. (scorn--unworthy--anger aroused by something unjust--contempt--something regarded as worthless)

"There shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation,Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Dan. 12:2)

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:

"the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thess 1:7-9)

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges (the Father judges no one but has committed all judgement to the Son) and makes war. (“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!) His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword,( “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.) that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND

LORD OF LORDS.

(Rev 19:11-16; John 5:22; Lu 12:49;Mt. 10:34; )

6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." (Heb 12:22-24)

7 “I will declare the decree:

The Lord has said to Me,

‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You."

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say:

“You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You”?

And again:

“I will be to Him a Father,

And He shall be to Me a Son”?

But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:

“Let all the angels of God worship Him.

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

They will perish, but You remain;

And they will all grow old like a garment;

Like a cloak You will fold them up,

And they will be changed. (So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory...")

But You are the same....( Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.)

(Heb 1:1-12; Matt 19:28; Heb. 13:8)

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You

The nations for Your inheritance, 

"He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied Is 53:11"

And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

“the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt. 24:30-31”

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;

You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.

“out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Rev 19:15”

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;

Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear,

And rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss (pay homage--worship) the Son, lest He be angry,

And you perish in the way,

When His wrath is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Same Family, Same Message

I saw this billboard today on OBT Apopka....
                                                     "Same family, Same message"
                                                              Abraham     Moses
                                                              Jesus            Mohammed
      I know a lot of people are now saying all religions are one and the same. Especially when it comes to Islam, Judaism and Christianity. But Jesus made some very profound statements about Himself  which Isalm would never accept.  Now to Mohammed. 
     There was a different message in Mecca from Mohammed when he first claimed to recieve revelation from God. (though when the vision first appeared  he believed he was a majnun (possessed by a jinn..the Koran's name for a demon)  
     Surah 73:10 "have patience with what they say, and leave them with noble (dignity.)
     Surah 2:256 "Let there be no compulsion in religion."
     Surah 29:46  "dispute ye not with the People of the Book (The Bible) ....We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam). Suran 29:46. 
     Mohammed  left Mecca, where he was weak and struggling to be accepted, often mocked and ridiculed.
     He went to Medina;  his followers grew in strength and number, he became a relentless warrior, intent on spreading his religion by the sword. And he wrote  in his Medinan Surahs...
     2:19 "slay them wherever ye catch them and turn them out from where they have turned you out."
    Surah 2:193 "Fight (Kill) them on until there is not tumult or oppression and there prevail justice and faith in Allah."
    Surah 9:29 "fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day......Not acknowledge the religion of truth (Islam), even if they are of the people of the Book, (until they pay Jszya (tribute tax) WITH WILLING SUBMISSION and feel themselves subdued."  
    In Islam there is a law of abrogation. The recent verses in the Koran  (cancels and replaces) the old verse and renders it null and void. (Surah 2:106) The Meccan verses that call for love, peace and patience are made null and void by the Medenan passages that call for killing, decapitating and maiming.
     The Isalmic terrorism we see today are from so called good (pious) Muslims, who wish to follow and obey the Koran   where:
Jesus is only a prophet.
Jesus will deny having ever claimed divinity at the Last Judgment, according to Islam.
                                                    What does Scripture say?
     Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your  God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8:54-59) Notice they picked up stones to stone him. Why? For Blaspheme.
     But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18)
     "I and the Father are one."   The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"  The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." (John 10:30-33)
     "And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh." (Matt 2:11)
     "And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God’s Son!" (Matt 14:33)
      In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
                                                         The Apostolic letters
     See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,  and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. (Col. 2:8-10)
     Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: (The triune nature of God) (1 Peter 1:1-2)
     God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;  who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.  And:“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.(Heb 1:1-4; 8;10)
     Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (Phil 2:5-6;)
     Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)
                                                 and in the Old Testament ....
     Isaiah 44:6 - "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me." 
                                Repeated in the New Testament from Christ Jesus Himself
      Rev. 1:17-18 - "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,  and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."
      Islam can claim to have much in common with Christians (or Jews) but the reality is another matter.  Not all religions are the same. There are not many paths to God.  There is One Way, one Truth and One Life, and no one comes to God the Father except through His Son Jesus Christ.
                                      But know this, even Isalm is an exclusivist religion.
     Whoso desireth any other religion than Islam, that religion shall never be accepted for him, and in the next world he shall be among the lost. (Surah 3:79) *
                                  Jesus proved he was indeed the very unique Son of God.
     Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of  his disciples  and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matt 11:1-5)
             And attested to by those who were eyewitnesses of those things. (Acts 10:34-43)
     Abraham looked forward to the day of Jesus Christ, to the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. To the blessing that would come upon all the nations of the earth because he believed and God accounted it to him as righteousness. 
     By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,  choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,  esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.(Heb 11:24-26)
     In  obedience Jesus Christ came down from above, not of this world, took on human flesh  and dwelt among us. And as Peter exclaimed, "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  (2 Peter 2:16-18)
   "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life...but the wrath of God abides on him.” (1 John 5:12 ; John 3:36)
     Does this offend you? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (Jesus The Christ) 

note: credit to Abdullah Al-Araby "Islam Unveiled"  for verses,  and info on Mohammed.*
Surah 3:79 from my personal copy of  Everyman "The Koran" published 1909*
  

The Day Draws Near

How familiar all this sounds to me. Hearts grow hard and more wicked each day as they drift further away from the One True God.  Practices once shunned, contrary to God's created order,  now accepted and lauded.  Romans 1:32 as relevant today as 2000 years ago, "who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." And Solomons words ring in my ears, "there is nothing new under the sun." There is no fear of God before their eyes. Paul proclaimed to the idol worshippers  in Athens "God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”(Act 17:31) But there is Hope. Real Hope, for there is real Truth. I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind and now I see. I have been rescued and brought from death to life....eternal. Not because of anything I have done or will ever do. God saw to it to open my heart, I cried out have mercy on me , a sinner.  Confess, repent (turn from your old life--Ro. 8:12) believe God has raised Jesus from the dead, and you will be saved.  This world is passing away.  A new Heaven and Earth approaches closer each day. He will come as a thief in the night. He will not strive with mankind forever.    

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ...So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Gen 6:5)

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,  and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matt 24:37-39)

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Heb. 11:8)  Noah believed God....Noah was a just man, a man of integrity--a preacher of righteousness--a man who walked with God. (Gen. 6:9; 2 Peter 2:5)

For this they (unbelievers, mockers, profane) willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ( 2 Peter 3:5-8)