At Ease In Zion

God spoke through the prophet Amos saying, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). The prophet is warning the Israel that their ease and laziness, their comfort and complacency, would bring them much sorrow. Christ taught us the same thing when he warned, “Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” (Luke 6:25).

God has blessed us in so many ways and with so much in our society. Most men have become accustomed to these “beds of ease” and have forsaken their Creator. Would it be a surprise if we were to learn that the Lord was moved to sorrow that he had made man on the earth, and that it grieved him at his heart, as was the case in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:6)?

We may look at society around us, and the sinful heathen of our day, and not find this too far-fetched an idea. But it is far too common to see the same ease in the church today. You and I are all too often guilty and hypocritical when it comes to being ungrateful for all that God has done for us. We cry out to the lost to do something about their souls salvation and forget to be busy ourselves in the kingdom doing the Lord’s will.

It is time to wake up brethren, “for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11). It is time to wake up “and arise from the dead” so that we might be able to see and receive the light of Christ (Ephesians 5:14).

If we are at ease in Zion it is not because there is nothing to do! I remember my father telling me when I was growing up that there was always something that could be done. When one job was completed there was always something else to do. This admonition came as a result of finishing one job and sitting around waiting to be told what to do next. What was the acceptable alternative? LOOK! Too many Christians are sitting around today waiting to be told by the preacher or elders what to do next. Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields” (John 4:35). Why? Because the harvest is plenteous (great) but there are too few who are willing to work (Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2).

If we are at ease in Zion it is not because there is plenty of time! The young don’t seem to understand and the adult soon forgets that we should not “boast of tomorrow” for we “do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). Paul warned the brethren that time is short (1 Corinthians 7:29), and James warns, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:13-14). Our time here on earth is meant to be spent in service to the King of kings (Ecclesiastes 12:13: Revelation 17:14) and David said “the king’s business required haste” (1 Samuel 21:8).

If we are at ease in Zion it is not because the pay is small! Heaven will surely be worth it all! A mansion, a crown, the glory of the Lord, eternal life, what more could we ask for? God loved you so much that he gave His only begotten Son to die for your sins and asked only that you believe and obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9). Yet so many are at ease in Zion. How very sad indeed!

Will you not look up and see the work that is going undone? Will you not wake up and become wise; realize how short time is? Do you not realize how great is your reward in heaven, or how horrible the punishment is in hell? Will you not obey him and serve him today? Be faithful!

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Marriage Covenant

Relationship Problems with David and Michal

All marriages suffer difficulties and problems of some sorts. Husbands and wives will have differences of opinions from time to time, and must communicate and compromise to work through tough times. Thus, it should not surprise us to see the king of Israel come home from a victorious day to a turbulent home (2 Sam. 6:12-23). Let us see if we can understand this dubious passage.

First, we introduce the story with a death—the background to this incident in Second Samuel 6 is the familiar account of Uzzah touching the Ark of the Covenant and God punishing him with instant death. Of course, the Law of Moses was quite clear that only Levites (specifically, the descendants of Kohath) may bear the Ark of the Covenant upon their shoulders. Yet, they tried to transport the Ark of the Covenant on an oxcart, and death resulted.

Then, we note the displeasure of David (6:8). David questions God, but after a respite of three months at the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, to which David learns that God blessed the bearer of the Ark of the Covenant during this time, evidently David enquires from the Law of God how to transport properly the Ark of the Covenant and correctly brings it into Jerusalem as he should have done it the first time (cf. 1 Chron. 15:26).

Then, we note the occasion of dancing (6:14-16). As the Ark of the Covenant enters Jerusalem, there are sacrifices commemorating the occasion (6:13). All of the pomp and ceremony is not for the purpose of glorifying David, but for the purpose of glorifying God—the focus is on God! There were the sacrifices, singing (1 Chron. 15:27) and musical instruments likely being played, trumpets blaring and people shouting (6:15), celebration with food (6:19) and David dancing. Of course, the fact that we see David dancing is strange to those of us who live under the new covenant, but we should understand that God allowed (to be more specific, authorized by inspiration) this physical, carnal form of worship under the old covenant. Not only do we find this type of glorifying God from Miriam and the women in celebration of their victory over the Egyptians in Exodus 15:20-22, but we also see David, by inspiration, writing many psalms that indicate such: “Praise him with the timbrel and dance” (150:4). No, David was not dancing with other women. No, David was not dancing in the same fashion as we typically think of dancing that we would consider to be a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). Yes, he was dancing and rejoicing to God (along with all the house of Israel) in an acceptable fashion under the old covenant, because the occasion called for it!

Then, we note his dress—David wore a linen ephod (6:14). This was a garment usually reserved for the priests (cf. 1 Sam. 2:18; 22:18). It is strange for him to wear such, and it very well could have been considered an undergarment (cf. Ex. 28:42; Mark 14:51-52).  Nevertheless, it may have typified his humility on this occasion, being grateful after all that has transpired up to this point in time, and after the Ark of the Covenant being gone from the tabernacle for such a long period of time—decades if we go all the way back to the events of First Samuel 4-7—to finally see the Ark of the Covenant rest in the city of Jerusalem that he would establish as the city of God.

Finally, all of this prepares us for her despising (6:16-23). There she is, looking out the window—Michal sees her husband, David, “leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.” Here is the key to the rest of this passage. While the entire nation, with David as their leader, celebrates this victory to God, his wife watches it all and despises him (in the midst of what is ongoing). Does this not remind us of her father, Saul? We have heard the axiom, “Like father, like son,” but maybe here, we ought to think, “Like father, like daughter,” for we see this same type of reaction from Saul after David’s victory over Goliath. While David and the people are rejoicing over their victory from the Philistines, Saul is seething over how the people are cheering over David, and this seems to be what is happening here in the reaction from Michal. Thus, when she sees him next, we not only hear sarcasm dripping from her words, but it is possible that she chooses words to exaggerate: “How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!” (6:20). It is because of her despising that she exaggerates what she thinks to be a fault within—he may have worn a garment that one may construe to be inappropriate, possibly even an undergarment, but this does not mean that he was lewd, neither does it mean that he sinned. Anytime one tries to find fault in others because they are filled with despising, we usually always see little specks exaggerated! He responds that he did nothing wrong, the things that he did were focused towards God, that he was the rightful king, not her father, and that because of her attitude, she would likely never view him again without some sort of disdain, although he clearly did nothing wrong (6:21-22).

Thus, we see the account end sadly in the fact that she bore no child unto her death (6:23). This is what harsh attitudes may do, even in relationships of husbands and wives. Whenever one person begins to despise another (for whatever reason), we see a breakdown within the relationship, exaggerated mistakes, motives judged and harsh accusations. May the breakdown between the relationship of this husband and wife teach us some valuable lessons within our own relationships.

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The Real Boogey Man

It seems that people have always loved to be frightened. The feelings of fear and fright causes our heart rate to accelerate and gets a little adrenaline flowing, thus causing a heightened sense of awareness. We begin to feel more “alive” when we are fearful. To some this feeling is quite pleasurable, at least for a short while. We should note that there is a difference between fear or fright and terror. Fear or fright is a feeling we get while we watch a spooky movie or read a horror novel in the safety and security or our own home or a movie theater. Terror, on the other hand, is something experienced. Terror is a mortal and realized fear for our own life, or that of another person. Most victims of violent crime, police officers, fire fighters and combat veterans have felt a sense of terror at some point.

All Hallows (Saint’s) Evening, a.k.a. “Halloween” is the evening before All Saint’s Day, which is a catholic holiday in honor of all of their “saints.” Halloween has its roots in paganism. However, today it has little or nothing in common with the pagan celebration. This day and age, Halloween is just a time for children to dress-up in costumes and get tummy aches from eating too much candy. It is a day when being frightened is fun. It is a day for hearing and telling scary stories by the light of a campfire or by the light of a flashlight held beneath a chin.

The spooky stories we hear and tell on Halloween are full of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, witches, were-wolves, vampires, and worst of all – the Boogey Man, or when I was kid the, “Booger Man.” We tell these stories, knowing full well that there is no such thing as a vampire, or a ghost, or a Boogey Man. They’re all just stories. We all know that, don’t we? However, the scary elements of the stories (ghouls, goblins, etc) all have at least one thing in common – they all represent evil and darkness. The “Boogey Man” of the story is always an evil, sinister being that wants to kill and destroy.

The stories are make-believe, but Boogey Man is real! He has a name – Satan, the Devil. He is an evil, sinister being who only wants to kill and destroy souls. He is an angel, who led a revolt against God and was cast down, along with his fellow rebel angels. For him and his angels, God has “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). However, as of yet, the Devil is allowed to roam free. Our adversary Satan, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (2 Peter 5:8). He is the “Father of Lies” and a murderer. “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44).

He knows that he has been condemned to everlasting fire in Hell and seeks to take as many souls as he can into that fiery pit with him. He is the source of all that is malicious, despiteful, evil, hateful, malevolent, malignant, nasty, rancorous, spiteful, vicious, wicked, poisonous, venomous, virulent, baneful, detrimental, noxious, pernicious, envious, jealous, mean or petty. He is the ultimate liar and deceiver. He is not a physical being who stalks and kills his victims like Jason (“Friday the 13th”), Freddy Kreuger (“Nightmare on Elm Street”), or a monster in a story. He seeks to kill and destroy in other ways. He tempts mankind into sin just as he tempted Jesus, “Who did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22). He seeks to have us kill ourselves in sin, knowing full well that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).

We need to fear and be in terror of him and his influence. He can destroy us if we allow him to. However, in our fear and terror of him, we must not panic! We must stand firm against him and resist his temptations. Soldiers in combat experience terror, but they stand firm in the face of it. Fire fighters and police officers experience terror and fight against it. Christians face the terror of Satan and his evil works and overcome them through faith in God and the assurance of eternal life in Christ Jesus. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28). Satan cannot snatch away your soul unless you let him. Fear him. Be wary of him. Nevertheless, stand up to him! “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

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Hell

1 – Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word Sheol is derived from a root-word meaning “to ask,” “demand;” hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered “grave” thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.). The Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have reversed this rule.

In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this word is rendered “ hell ” the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants of Sheol are “the congregation of the dead” (Prov. 21:16). It is (a) the abode of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Ps. 9:17; 31:17, etc.); (b) of the good (Ps. 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13, etc.).

Sheol is described as deep (Job 11:8), dark (Job 10:21, 22), with bars (Job 17:16). The dead “go down” to it (Num. 16:30, 33; Ezek. 31:15, 16, 17).

2 – The Greek word Hades of the New Testament has the same scope of signification as Sheol of the Old Testament. It is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19), with gates and bars and locks (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18), and it is downward (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15).

The righteous and the wicked are separated. The blessed dead are in that part of Hades called paradise (Luke 23:43). They are also said to be in Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22).

(3.)  Gehenna, in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the lost (Matt. 23:33). The fearful nature of their condition there is described in various figurative expressions (Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 16:24, etc.). (See HINNOM.)            …. Easton’s Dictionary

NOTE: The word most often that refers to the place of eternal punishment is “Greek — Gehenna”.  Whenever we look at the words that generally refer to the grave we find that the word in the Old Testament is “Sheol” and in the New Testament is Greek, “Hades”. When looking for word meanings, consider these distinctions. The three words must be translated in their proper place according to context. Remember this: there are three words in the Hebrew and Greek languages that are to be considered as we seek an understanding of the grave, the intermediate state of the dead and the eternal state of the wicked.

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Divisions and Denominations

QUESTION: “If there’s only one God and only one Bible, then why are there so many different churches or denominations?”

Excellent question! Certainly that’s not the way God intended for it to be, nor is it the way things were in the first century between 33 A.D. when Christ established His church (Matt. 16:18-19) on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-47), and the writing of Revelation by John, somewhere near the end of the 1st century. During that time the Scripture shows us but one church in existence. The church was the body of Christ, and there was only one (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:4-6). During that time all the ‘churches’ (that is to say, local congregations of the same, one, exclusive, New Testament church over which Jesus was Head – Eph. 1:22-23) all taught the same things (1 Cor. 4:17, 7:17, 11:16, 16:1). They were expressly, exclusively, and unequivocally committed to the apostles’ doctrine only (Acts 2:42), as the apostles alone delivered by divine authority the very commandments of God (1 Cor. 14:33-38; 1 Thess. 2:13, 4:1-8; 2 Tim. 1:13).

Divisions (or denominations) were thoroughly condemned (1 Cor. 1:10-13), while unity was achieved only by simply standing together as one on the absolute truth of God’s Word just as Jesus had prayed for (John 17:6-23; Phil. 1:27-2:2). For 200 years or so thereafter there was but the one church Jesus built as seen in Scripture. Emperor Constantine later (313-337) began departures from the Scripture that led to the foundation of the Catholic Church being laid, and it wasn’t until 1517 that the first major protestant denominations began to be built by mere mortal men (Matt. 15:7-9), which did not resemble the church of Christ as seen in Scripture (Rom. 16:16), its having been established some 1484 years earlier. Most people are stunned to learn that in fact, none of the modern-day Protestant denominations (i.e. divisions) are more than 500 years old, being founded and established by mere, mortal men instead of Christ and His hand-picked, divinely-inspired apostles.

Bottom Line? There is one and only one God, one faith, one Lord, one baptism, and one body/church, according to God Himself in His holy word – period (Eph. 4:4-6). Want to learn more about the Lord’s one N.T. church as established and experienced in Scripture; the same one the apostles worked and worshipped both with and in respectively?  Come and see and check us out. Ask for a study. Ask questions. We’re easy to find, both in the phone book, and, unlike the denominations, also in The Book (Acts 2, Rom. 16:16).

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