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~ Rejecting the gods of our culture since 1998.

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Tag Archives: Prophecy

Prophecy Gap

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by braddahr in Observations, Spirituality

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God, Jesus, paulien, Prophecy, Revelation, second coming

Most people are interested in prophecy. Who wouldn’t want to know the future? This is from a series of posts but Dr. Jon Paulien who gives a valuable perspective on this topic. 

Q2. Has every apocalyptic prophecy already been understood or there are open gaps that are not understood yet?

A. In my book What the Bible Says About the End-Time, I studied fulfilled prophecy throughout the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation. The results of that study are also summarized in the second chapter of The Deep Things of God. In short, I learned that the fulfillment of many prophecies was quite surprising to those who had studied them in advance, for a number of reasons. God sometimes fulfills prophecies in a spiritual, rather than a literal way. Sometimes the prophecy is worded in terms of God’s past actions and does not fully disclose God’s plans for the future. Sometimes the prophecy is open-ended and depends to some degree on the human response to the prophecy. Sometimes God simply decides to “do a new thing” (Isa 43:16-19)! Prophecy is best understood at the time of fulfillment, not before (John 13:19; 14:29). 

 This leads me to believe that even when we have fully understood a particular prophecy, events may not turn out exactly as we expect. There will be surprises in the fulfillment of God’s prophecies at the Second Advent, just as there were when the Messiah came the first time. We need to keep on studying, but anticipate that there will be gaps in our understanding of the future right up to the time of fulfillment (1 Cor 13:9-12). Prophecy was not given to satisfy our curiosity about the future, it was given to teach us how to live today.

The Three – Marked by Sacredness

06 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration, Spirituality

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Angels, God, Jesus Christ, mark of the beast, Prophecy, Revelation, Sabbath, Satan

In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.

What happens when we worship something? We become who we worship. If we choose to worship the beast, we will become like the beast, we will manifest his character; we will receive his mark.

Some are very adamant that the mark of the beast has to do with what day you worship on. Specifically some say that worshipping on Sunday, instead of on God’s Sabbath, will lead to being marked by the beast. Is that true?

Remember how we receive the mark – it’s about who we worship. Worshipping God leads to sealing. Worshipping the beast leads to marking; a false sealing. Words that end in “ship” are talking about a way of life. Worship is an everyday event. If you only worship one day a week for a hour or so – be it Sabbath or Sunday – your spiritual life is  will be empty and lack the power of God.

On the other hand, “Sunday sacredness” is distinctly different than “worship on Sunday” and it’s a problem. Sabbath was established on the seventh day by God. God made it special time and it is overflowing with meaning. It points back to creation and God as creator. It points back to freedom from slavery and God as the bondage breaker. It points back to the cross and God as our righteous redeemer. It points forward to our complete restoration and reunion with God once the war is over.

Sunday sacredness is the replacement of Sabbath and it’s meaning.
It was not established by God but by men.
Sunday sacredness is not found anywhere in scripture.
It’s not a memorial for anything; there is nothing that it points back to.
Sunday sacredness was never set apart as special time.
It’s not commanded as a rest day by God; it’s commanded to be a work day like the other five days of the week.

Sunday sacredness ignores God as creator, undermines his word and his commandments, and ultimately is grounded in man’s desire to save himself rather than let God be his savior. For all these reasons, Sunday sacredness separates a person from God and makes it easier for the the beast to manifest his character – his mark – in the heart.

Sabbath worship won’t protect you from the mark of the beast, his name, or ensure you are sealed with God’s name. There are those who worship on Sabbath who are very beast-like. However, honouring Sabbath sacredness will protect against the mark of the beast because true Sabbath experience brings one closer to God, helps us discover the riches of his grace. Embracing Sabbath drives home our need for God; it teaches us that we cannot save ourselves; that everything we are, is found in Christ.

Would you be willing to try experiencing Sabbath sacredness?

The Three – Worship… Him Who Made

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration, Spirituality

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Angels, Glory, God, gospel, idols, Jesus Christ, judgment, Prophecy, Satan, Vision

I’ve been sharing some thoughts concerning the last message of warning given to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. Although this message is for “those who dwell on the earth,” people who are not in a relationship with God and don’t give God glory, the last part of the first angel’s message speaks to all of us: “Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Everyone needs to hear the call to worship him who made because human hearts are idol factories. With no effort at all we often look to people and things for what only God can give. We regularly turn good things into ultimate things.

Our idols are not easy to spot because they are entrenched in our lives; it’s to the point we like to pretend they’re not there. Sure we can pick on what we idolize culturally – sports teams, musicians, and TV stars. Sometimes we will rail against the big three idols of the world – Power, Money, and Sex. But the deeper we go, the less we like to talk about our idols and the harder they become to see. Family, traditions, nationalism like Jonah, our careers, certainty, and prosperity can all be idols to us. We can even make idols in our faith experiences such as the idol of successful ministry, the idol of correct doctrine, and the idol of moral performance.

How can we discover where are idols are so they can be rooted out? Try out these questions:

Is there anything in my life where I am saying: “If only I could _____________ then I’ll be happy” or “If only I had more ______ then I would be good to go; able to handle anything”?
Is there something I am pursuing at all costs; is there something I have been sacrificing the really important things to?
What do I daydream about? I don’t mean you dream about being on a beach somewhere warm when it gets cold. I’m talking about habitually daydreaming about having something that will certainly complete your joy.
How am I spending my money? Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is. “Your money will also flow effortlessly towards your greatest love.”
When I pray for something and I don’t get it, how do I react? Do I experience anger or deep despair?

Anything coming to mind? If so, take it to God right now and ask if it’s an idol to you. If it is, it needs to be uprooted and smashed; it’s sucking the life out of you. However, that’s not enough. You must plant something else in it’s place: The love of God. Meditate on it, daily receive it, give it out to others; let it saturate your being.

(I would like to give a nod to Timothy Keller whose perspectives on idols have been life changing for me.)

The Three – Glory to Obey

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration

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Angel, Beasts, God, Good News Gospel, Jesus, Prophecy, Revelation, Vision, Wrath

If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

What does it mean to give God glory?

Several commentators have noted that John pulls a great deal of content from the Old Testament so he can give context to and describe the visions he is given. When it comes to glory and it’s relationship to respecting God (what is often translated as “fear God”) it looks like John was thinking of Moses’ appeal to the Israelites as they were about to enter Canaan.

Here’s one example: Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Repeatedly, Moses connects being in a close relationship with God with keeping the commandments, obeying him, walking in his ways. This is the promise repeated throughout the Bible: When we are in a relationship with God he transforms us into people who don’t make things into little gods in our lives, we let our yes be yes and our no be no, we rest in him as Creator and Redeemer, we become respectful towards others and we release contempt and our desire to destroy others, we become faithful, don’t take what’s not ours, live with honesty, and be content with what we have.

In other words, when we allow God to transform us and restore his image in us, we give glory to God: who he is, what he is like, and what he can do.

If you’ve been around Christian communities for a while, I likely haven’t told you something you don’t know. And yet, just making this a matter of doing some things right is not seeing just how deep giving glory to God really goes.

The Three – God Gets The Glory

07 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration

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Angel, Beasts, God, Good News Gospel, Jesus, Prophecy, Revelation, Vision, Wrath

If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

As we consider the loud cry of the first angel, we hear the invitation: Give glory to God.

If you hang around Christians long enough you are going to hear the word glory more than a few times. One of the problems that comes when we use a word a lot is, it kind of loses it’s meaning and power.

A pastor friend of mine tells of a time when he was standing at the front door of the sanctuary and he could see a family driving up to the building. The parents were obviously upset with the kids and each other; he could see them shouting at each other. Then they parked and got out of the car, doors slamming, walked into the building muttering their irritation and impatience at each other. When the pastor met them he asked, “How are you this morning?” The father replied, “Wonderful, pastor, wonderful, all glory to God.”

Is that what the loud shout is calling people to do – simply add the phrase “Glory to God” into sentences? Is there something more? What difference does it make?

Artist Chris Medina wrote a song his fiancé who was terribly injured before they were married. The song, “What are Words” is about living the words we speak. The chorus goes:

“What are words
If you really don’t mean them
When you say them?
What are words
If they’re only for good times
Then they don’t?
When it’s love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we’re gone.”

Would you like to discover what it really means to give God glory?

The Three – Glory!

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration

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Angel, Beasts, God, Good News Gospel, Jesus, Prophecy, Revelation, Vision, Wrath

If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

As we consider the loud cry of the first angel, we hear the invitation: Give glory to God. Giving glory flows from giving God respect.

Why should we respect God? Because he said so: God said it so I believe it! Does God want blind obedience? He’s God and that demands respect but can you demand respect? The thing is these characteristics are part of Satan’s methods. God forces no one to love or worship him.

In the Bible, there is what I like to call the lovingkindness principle. God initiates a relationship with us by demonstrating his lovingkindness for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. What do we do? We respond by loving him back and in that love there is respect, reverence, and repentance. What happens when we love God back? We’ve engaged with him so he is able to pour out even more lovingkindness on us which inspires us to respond even more and so on.

When we embrace God’s love and begin to live in his grace – we are respecting him – giving glory will flow out from us naturally, almost unconsciously. The irony is, trying to give God glory without being completely grounded in God’s love and grace will eventually degrade into works righteousness – a position that makes us think God owes us.

Are you living in the stream of God’s lovingkindness?

The Three – NO FEAR!

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration

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Angel, Beasts, God, Good News Gospel, Jesus, Prophecy, Revelation, Vision, Wrath

If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

Last post, I asked you to consider the first angel shouting at those who dwell on the earth: “Fear God!”

The problem is, John also wrote that, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1John 4:18 Those who dwell on the earth already fear God.

Without getting too technical, in Revelation 14:7 the Greek word behind fear is phobeo. Phobeo comes up a handful of times in the Bible. Here’s an example from Ephesians 5:33: “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she phobeo her husband.”

When I noticed this, I went to my wife, pointed to the text and said: “Fear me, woman!” The rest of the conversation did not go well. Fear is not a good building block in marriage. This is a good thing to keep in mind because marriage is the deepest and most intimate pictures of our relationship with God. God is frequently pictured as a husband and his people are the bride. Fear seems very out of place in such a relationship, doesn’t it?

Maybe this helps. The English word for phobeo in Ephesians 5:33 is respect; in this case respect based on deep, unconditional, love – God’s love.

So how do we put this altogether? As I wrestled with this, a thought came to me from back in my lifeguarding days at the public swimming pool. When a person is drowning, he or she is out of their mind. Because of everything going on they can’t hear, they’re panicked, they don’t know what to do.

When you go into the water – which is a last resort because it’s a huge risk likely to get you killed – the lifeguard must approach the person and assume a defensive position. Then you shout in a loud voice – “Calm down, I’m here to help you, I going to grab on to you and take you to safety, and so on.” You have to risk coming across forceful because it’s urgent and you have to try and get through to the person so you can save them.

To me, this is another picture of our amazing God. He’s reaching out to people who have a terrible picture of who he is and yet he’s willing to take risks, even put his reputation on the line, do whatever it takes to rescue the perishing. Have you ever heard of a God so good? Have you ever seen such love?

Can you respect a God like that?

The Three – FEAR!

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration

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Angel, Beasts, God, Good News Gospel, Jesus, Prophecy, Revelation, Vision, Wrath

If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

The first angel says with a loud voice, “Fear God…!” For God to send a command to fear him is kind of strange. It seems out of character. Remember back in the beginning, after Adam and Eve broke relationship with God, they felt afraid; they ran and hid from God. The Creator didn’t lash out at them but instead sought them out, initiating the reconciliation process from the very start.

Years later the apostle John, the author of Revelation, is writing about a reconciled and healthy relationship with God and he says: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1John 4:18

To John, fearing God is a negative thing. If you fear God; your love relationship with your Creator is broken. If you fear God, you haven’t “been made perfect” – in other words, your heart is untouched by God’s love.

Now remember who the message is for: those who dwell upon the earth. Those who dwell on the earth believe the worst about their Creator. One author made this observation, “The law of Jehovah was burdened with needless exactions and traditions, and God was represented as severe, exacting, revengeful, and arbitrary. He was pictured as one who could take pleasure in the sufferings of his creatures. The very attributes that belonged to the character of Satan, the evil one represented as belonging to the character of God.” Those who dwell on the earth have bought the lie.

Wouldn’t it be really dangerous for God to command those who dwell on the earth to fear him?  Maybe he didn’t.

The Three – Context Part 1

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by braddahr in Spirituality

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Angel, Beast, God, Jesus, Love, Mark, Prophecy, Revelation, Symbolism

If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

Let’s begin by considering the larger context. This message is in what letter of the Bible? Revelation, of course! I was just making sure you are awake.

The letter is a Revelation of what or who? Let’s go back to the first chapter (verses 1-3) of the letter.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

Considering the intent of the letter, as we study it, we need to be always asking:

What does this teach us about Jesus?
What difference does it make to us right here, right now? What is it asking you, me – all of us – to do?

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