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“Blessed is he who reads 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.” (Rev. 1:3)

In 2 Peter 3:12, Peter commends us to both look for and hasten the coming Day of God. He commends us to do more than wait for it. He exhorts us to hasten it – that is to speed it up. Our choices in faith and for righteousness really do affect the timing of the coming of the Lord. We have the capacity to either partner with the Lord for the speeding up of the coming of the Lord or through compromise to slow down His return.

However, the Body of Christ is presently only in tune with a quantitative hastening of the Lord. The missions’ movement within the Church is aware of the Matthew 24:14 promise – “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Presently, the missions’ world is rallying for the last great thrust of the gospel among the nations.

At the Call-to-All Conference in Orlando, Florida in 2008, Steve Douglas, the president of Campus Crusade for Christ declared that the Great Commission could be realized within the next ten years. Wow! What an amazing time we are living in! What an honor that we are part of the move of God on the earth which can hasten the Day of the Lord.

However, hastening the Day of the Lord is not merely a numbers game. There is also a qualitative dimension to it. Ephesians 4:13 informs us that we will come “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Revelation 19:7 tells us that the Bride has made herself ready, dressed in the white linen of righteous deeds. Again, Revelation 5:8 – 10 and 22:17 reveal the Church in a bridal identity functioning as a House of Prayer in full agreement with God’s Spirit for Jesus to open the scroll and loose its seals.

One of the major points of revealing Jesus’ majesty and glory in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:1) is to create desire in the hearts of His believers for His return. Jesus will only return to a people from every nation who cries out for Him to come. In His first coming, Jesus revealed Himself in such a way that created a longing for Him above all earthly pleasures and ambitions. They considered the honor and delight of loving Him and knowing Him to be above all earthly honors and joys. They labored only to bring Him back to the earth, for it would be better if He were there. Such was the power of His revelation and their witness that the first two centuries of the Church longed for His appearing.

In Acts 3, Peter appealed to Jerusalem to repent. If they repented, the times of refreshing would come, and God would send Jesus back (Acts 3:19 – 20). We were made for the presence of Jesus, specifically designed for intimate communion with the God-Man and when He’s not here, we feel it. Jesus’ strategy was to addict them to His presence so that they would do anything to get Him back.

In Titus 2:11 – 14, Paul called the second coming of the Lord Jesus the Church’s blessed hope, and at the close of his life, promised the crown of righteousness to all who longed for and loved the Lord’s appearing.

However, Wayne Grudem states in his book, Systematic Theology,

“The more Christians are caught up in enjoying the good things of this life, and the more they neglect genuine Christian fellowship and their personal relationship with Christ, the less they will long for his return. To some extent, then, the degree to which we actually long for Christ’s return is a measure of the spiritual condition of our own lives at the moment. It also gives some measure of the degree to which we see the world as it really is, as God sees it, in bondage to sin and rebellion against God, and in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19).”

The propensity of fallen human beings is to want God out of our immediate proximity so that we can enjoy our temporary lives and our temporary stuff. John warns us against this natural love for the things of this world in 1 John 2:15 – 17. But, the Book of Revelation contains within it the necessary revelation of Jesus to overcome the greatest obstacle to Jesus’ return – the lack of desire by His Church for Him to come.

To many believers, the return of Jesus is merely a doctrine. It is not personal. But the second coming of Jesus was highly personal for the disciples and soon will be for the church worldwide in our generation. Revelation 22:17 speaks of a time when the Spirit and the Bride will be in complete unity in their desire for Jesus to return and rule on the earth.

At the End-of-the-Age, the heart cry of believers will be one of longing for their King and their God. God will release revelation about His Son that will produce the highest expressions of longing and love from the Church. John closed Revelation with this divine dialogue. Jesus gives the revelation of His coming with the specific battle plan to establish the Kingdom of God among the nations. For John receives the revelation and responds back with the cry of yearning, the heart given to love: “Come, Jesus! I miss you!” in Revelation 22:20.

The Invitation to Read the Book of Revelation – Revelation 1:3
The Book of Revelation contains seven beatitudes or blessings (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). The other five encourage faithfulness in the face of fear, persecution, and deception in order to receive the blessings of the marriage supper of the Lamb, the millennial reign, and the New Jerusalem.

Two of these (i.e. Rev. 1:3 and Rev. 22:7) deal specifically with the blessing that comes to the person who keeps the words of the prophecy. For the prophecy is an encouragement to believers to take the prophecy serious, to receive the revelation of Jesus’ majestic personality and plan, and to engage the content of the book in active partnership.

This verse contains a threefold path for eating the scroll, for digesting the message at a level which brings change and produces the faith necessary to live out and bring forth the content of the book (read Rev. 10).

He who reads – Revelation 1:3
Most commentators point out the public reading aspect of this verse. The charge to read the book publicly was a statement about the book’s rightful place of being in the center of the community. The content of the book is vital for godliness and the formation of genuine Christian community. The Church must read, study, and meditate upon this wonderful gift given to the Body of Christ.

Christian community is severely hindered by the loss of this prophecy. The Church’s view of Jesus diminishes. Jesus as the Word of God and Lord of lords is replaced with an unusual spiritual man who gave a unique but not supreme revelation of God. As the sovereignty and supremacy of Jesus fades to more sensible modern notions, singing from an overflowing heart gives way to intellectualism and stale religion.

Then Jesus’ return becomes an abstract concept not a concrete plan to hasten His coming through dynamic partnership. An eternal perspective gives way to the increase of temporal pleasures. The centrality of prayer and worship and its governmental role is exchanged for leaders with natural talent and gifting. Strategizing, rather than intercession, becomes the tool for Church growth.

The fear of the Lord and His judgments are forgotten and the scandal of sin is replaced with sociological and psychological reasoning. Perseverance is no longer necessary as evangelism gives way to syncretistic notions of all religious ideas and expressions are equal.

He who hears – Revelation 1:3
This is the reception of divine insight by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Hearing takes place when the spiritual senses of the person are awakened to the truths contained in the book and suddenly the content shifts from the realm of principles to be pondered to the place of living understanding that demands a response.

In Isaiah 50:4 – 5, Jesus is described in this servant song as having an awakened ear. The awakening enables Him to hear as the learned. Immediately, the verse connects the listening ear with right response. What you hear and how you hear will always display itself in behavior. Why? Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Mark 4:24 points to the importance of what you hear and Luke 8:18 points to the importance of how you hear. Seven times in the gospels (Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35) and once in Revelation 13:9 Jesus exhorts, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” Eight times in the Book of Revelation Jesus exhorts, “If anyone has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.”

Along with the parable of the sower, Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9 – 10. In it, Jesus sets forth the value of God’s Word. Have you considered the infinite value of the revelation of God? It is to be cherished, pursued, and sought after like hidden treasure. Those who attain through hunger will always receive more and those who do not treasure what they have received; even what they have will be taken away.
For God gives more to the hungry. To those who scorn His wisdom and His Word, even what they have will be taken away from them. Wisdom is given to the wise, not the foolish who scorn the treasure of God’s counsel (Dan. 2:20 – 22).

He who keeps – Revelation 1:3
God’s word is not simply meant to be understood; it is to be kept. The Greek word means “to guard from loss”. Blessed is the one who guards the content of the book in a way which takes the details seriously. The content of God’s word is to be activated in the life of the believer (John 14:23 – 24).

Blessed is the one who hears and keeps the word of God. Blessed is the one who takes the details seriously, who searches enough to understand in a way that impacts behavior (Luke 11:27 – 28).

The keeping in this passage is not associated with a general obedience to the general commands of God. A general keeping of the God’s commandments is quite clearly stated in Revelation 22:14, but this keeping is specifically related to the words of the prophecy.

This prophecy is an invitation for hastening the day of the Lord through active participation. Which generation will read, hear, and then keep the prophecy? Which generation will come into the revelation of Christ that produces the faith to keep the prophecy? The End-Time generation!

Thus, Jesus reiterates the invitation in Revelation 22:7 again. Who will come into agreement concerning the time is at hand and will embrace the Lord’s desire to come establish justice on the earth? One generation will come into faith concerning the person and work of Jesus presented in this prophecy.

The Invitation Restated and a Severe Warning Given – Rev. 22:7 and 22:18 – 19
In Revelation 22:7, 18 – 19, Jesus reiterates His quick return, and invites a generation to believe the prophecy and keep its content. When John falls down to worship the angel in the next verse, the angel stops him and announces that he is John’s fellow servant, and of his brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. He then commands the book not to be sealed. The book remains unsealed. The understanding is available, yet who will read, hear, and activate the End-Time plan through prayer and obedience.

John ends the Revelation with a sober warning concerning the content of the book. He warns of two types of corruption to the book.

Firstly, He warns against those who would add to the content of the prophecy – either changing the revelation of Jesus or making the book too complex for the common person to understand.

Then he warns against those who would take away or diminish the content of the prophecy, thus relegating to basic good versus evil principles while neglecting the specifics which may have eternal consequences.

Why is the warning so severe? There are two reasons for such severe warning.

Firstly, doing so will leave the Body of Christ unprepared for its greatest threat and most intense persecution (2 Thes. 2:1 – 10).

Secondly, the Book of Revelation contains within it the necessary revelation of Jesus to overcome the greatest obstacle to Jesus’ return – the lack of desire by His Church for Him to come. There are 79 descriptions of Jesus in Revelation 1 – 5 and within it, His person and work are set forth. For the Book is rightly titled the Revelation of Christ (Rev. 1:1).

Currently, very few persons in the Body of Christ want Him to come back and make all things new. Presently, the Body of Christ is so inundated and perverted by the spirit of this age that they have no desire for His return. This is only because they have not received a revelation of Christ and His glory. This is going to change and the place of prayer and worship is going to escort us into this bright revelation of Christ and His glory.

If the Church does not read, hear, and get a vision to keep the content of this prophecy, it will continue to be malnourished on the very revelation of Jesus which creates the longing for Him to come and will leave portions of the Church vulnerable to the deceptive schemes of the enemy.

The Praying Church hastens the Day of the Lord and Keeps His Word
The prayer and worship movement is springing up all over the earth precisely because the end is near. The Lord’s Prayer for His Father’s kingdom and will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” is coming forth. Heaven has both unceasing prayer and adoration in the context of unending enjoyment of Jesus. As the veil is beginning to diminishing between this age and the next, the earth finds itself in transition. Revelation 5 gives us a glance of this transition.

Revelation 4 and 5 gives us a view into the government of God and how His rule is released. This passage gives John and us a picture of how God will administrate His government in closing out this age and ushering in the next.

In it, the Book displays the heavenly throne room as Jesus takes the Scroll from His Father. The scene begins with a view into the One who sits on the throne, the Father of glory and ends with the worship of the Holy, Holy, Holy and the proclamation of the worth of the Father in creating all things for His pleasure.

Revelation 5 begins with the question of who is worthy to open the scroll and loose its seals. Who is worthy to administrate the Father’s plan to liberate the earth and release the judgments necessary to do so? Just as the Father is worthy of all glory and honor in creating and sustaining all things, so too the Son will be seen as worthy to recreate and restore all things.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah prevails, and as a Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes who is in the midst of the throne, Jesus takes the scroll and prepares to administrate the Father’s plan. This Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes. He is perfect power and perfect wisdom, yet before He opens the scrolls and looses its seals, something on earth must be in place. Something must be offered up to heaven from the saints on the earth.

Revelation 5:8 – 10 gives us insight into what is necessary to come forth from the Church before the Lamb transitions the age – identity of the Church as a House of Prayer. The 24 Elders and 4 Living Creatures offer to the Lamb harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. The Church has to come into her identity as a House of Worship and Prayer (Rev. 5:8).

The highest identity of the redeemed throughout all eternity is to walk as a House of Prayer or in intimacy-based intercession as sons of God and as the Bride of Christ ruling with Jesus. Worship and prayer are eternal realities. Intercession is the primary means that God has chosen to release His government both in His relationship with Jesus within the fellowship of the Trinity and with His people now and forever. The majesty and mystery of intercession is seen first and most in Jesus’ relationship with the Father in Psalm 2:8.

God is waiting for our persistency in prayer before Him. Isaiah taught that He longs to release His grace and power, but actually waits until He hears the cry of His people in intercession (Isa. 30:18 – 19). God is going to take prayer meetings out of the Church and put within it a prayer lifestyle and culture. Currently, Islam has a prayer culture and the Church only have occasional prayer meetings. Maybe the more radical ones have a prayer event.

But the Spirit is producing a great hunger in the Body of Christ for intimate fellowship and ruling effectiveness through prayer and worship.

The Church will sing a new song and come into an intercessory cry of the worth of Jesus to administrate the close of this present age and usher in the new age as set forth in Ephesians 1:9 – 10. The Church will come into a revelation of Christ’s worth specifically concerning His need to return and loose the judgments necessary to fulfill the Father’s plan for world redemption.

One generation will read, hear, and keep the words of this prophecy. One generation will read and hear Jesus saying, “Behold, I am coming quickly!” and have the revelation of Him necessary to engage the content of the book and activate the battle plan of our Lord as set forth in the prophecy.

May it be said of our generation that we hastened the day of the Lord and joined the chorus of Peter, Paul, and John, “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

“If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Cor. 16:22 – 24)

MP3 recordings from a Forerunner School on the Book of Revelation are below.

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In Romans 9 – 11, Apostle Paul deals extensively with the Roman believers’ response and understanding towards Israel. While the passage has been debated by many through the centuries, it is important for us to clearly understand certain truths. The failure of the Church historically to do this has sadly allowed anti-Semitism to grow and flourish among the Body of Christ. We should carefully examine all these truths constantly.

One New Man

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for all people. There is no separate plan of salvation for Israel.

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Rom. 4:1–3)

God only has one people, one Body, one Bride, and one redemptive plan. The end of that plan is that both Jew and Gentile would be united into one new man As Ephesians 2:15 says,

“…having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances so as o create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace..”

There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile from the standpoint of the Gospel. While God maintains His election of Israel as His redemptive vehicle in the earth, He enforces no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Even from the Old Covenant God always desired all nations to enter into that covenant and be grafted into His set apart people (Acts 15:9; Rom. 3:22; Rom. 10:12; Col. 3:11)

It’s Not about Israel — it’s All about Israel

Standing with Israel does not mean agreeing with everything they do! Very much like a parent will stand by their child to the end, no matter what, but strongly disagree with that child’s wrong decisions, so we are called to stand (as God Himself does) by Israel’s side through everything, even though we might and should disagree with some of their policies.

Standing with Israel does not mean adopting their culture. Flying the flag and blowing the shofar does not mean we stand with Israel. In like manner, not flying the flag and not blowing the shofar does not mean we don’t stand with Israel. If you like the culture, enjoy it. If you don’t like the culture, don’t worry about it. It’s not about the culture.

The Real Issue about Israel is God’s Sovereign Election. The issue about Israel isn’t actually about Israel! It’s about God and His sovereign right to elect (or choose) a people through whom to reveal Himself.

“For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.” (Rom. 9:11)

This issue goes back to the Garden of Eden, where God elected a tree and demanded that man would honor His election. Man rebelled against this, and we are living the rest of history as a result. But God had a plan! God elected or chose to confine Himself to a course of action on earth. That course was to bring Himself forth in the flesh through a woman. That woman would have a single lineage, which God would elect. The whole of history from Adam through Christ, and even until now, is about God exercising His right to choose.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:15)

Election of Israel

Israel exists because God elected a gentile, pagan, idolatrous Iraqi named Abram. God chose him, set him apart, changed his name to Abraham, and made a covenant with him. God did not choose Abraham because he was Jewish, or even righteous. Rather God chose a man through whom to reveal Himself to the nations of the earth, and set that man apart to be the father of a new nation that was not a nation. God chose that salvation would come through Abraham.

“Since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?” (Gen. 18:18)

God elected Isaac, and not Ishmael. God elected Jacob, and not Esau. It was not because of anything about the individuals, but it was God choosing a lineage through whom to bring salvation. There could only be one line through which Jesus was going to be born in the flesh.

“For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.” (Rom. 9:11)

Out of the nations of the earth, God called forth His very own nation. It was never about THEM, it was always about God creating a context for His birth and to bring salvation to the nations. It was about God declaring Himself to the nations.

When we speak of Israel, we must understand that we are speaking of God’s sovereign election of a people through whom the light of revelation and eventually the Light of Christ would be brought into the world. We must tread with reverence on the holy ground of Israel, knowing that we tread in the realm of God’s Right to Choose. We must not become arrogant against God and those He chose, and wise in our own estimation, and question God’s choice. We must have a holy fear over the issue of Israel, because we tread in the realm of the kindness and severity of God (Rom. 9:20; 11:17–22).

God is Not Finished with Israel

God has not rejected Israel. The God of the Bible has never cast away His beloved nation, Israel. Romans 11:1–2 says,

“I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew…”

This means that He has a redemptive plan for Israel. He has not forgotten them and has a surprise in store for all of us! Just as Elijah thought that all was lost and hopeless (Rom. 11:2–5), so even today the LORD is allowing a remarkable miracle to unfold in Israel. He is more than active in Israel’s present journey and coming salvation.

Also, it is clear from Romans 11:11 that Israel’s rejection of God in Christ is neither full nor final.

“I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”

Israel has experienced a partial hardening and God has called us to embrace this mystery in Romans 11:25.

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in…”

There is a glorious future for Israel! Her failure is currently partial but (and) one day, all Israel will be saved. Romans 11:26 says,

“…and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘the Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.’”

Israel’s journey is fully bound up in the sovereign plan of God. His ways are beyond our understanding but they are clear to the extent that out of Zion a Deliverer will come and bring great blessing to Israel. This vision of Israel’s future will not fail because God’s calling for Israel is irrevocable.

“From the standpoint of the Gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:28–29)

Jesus is Returning to the Jews in Jerusalem to Rule the Earth

We must understand that Jesus is coming back to the earth, to rule forever, from a throne, and that throne will be in Jerusalem. We must further understand that He is returning to the remnant of Israel that will survive the Great Tribulation, and then repents and believes in Him. He is not returning to “the Earth” in a vague way, but to Jerusalem specifically. He is not returning to “humans” generally, but specifically to redeem Israel. Many Scriptures in the Bible testify of that.

“In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east…” (Zech. 14:4)

“The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.’” (Ps. 110:2)

“This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem…” (Acts 1:11–12)

“At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD…” (Jer. 3:17)

“Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them.” (Zech. 14:16–17)

“For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.’” (Ps. 132:13–14)

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isa. 9:6–7)

“Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more.” (Joel 3:17)

Israel Was and Will Be God’s Vehicle of Salvation

The reason that Israel is “the chosen people”, or God’s set apart nation, is not because they are Israel. Rather, they are Israel because God chose a people through which to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. His original plan was to bring “salvation” (justice, righteousness, peace, order) to the earth through Adam and his descendants. After the fall, God once again set apart a people through Abraham and Sarah, through whom to bring salvation to the Earth.

“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” (Jn. 4:22)

“I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.” (Rom. 11:11)

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Gen. 22:18)

“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my Gospel…” (2 Tim. 2:8)

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh (Jesus) comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Gen. 49:10)

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through the forehead of Moab, and tear down all the sons of Sheth.” (Num. 24:17)

Satan’s Rage Against Israel

Satan has always sought to destroy the Jews. He knows that God has ordained that he be cast into prison, then into the lake of fire for eternity. His first desire is to avoid this imprisonment and unbearable eternal punishment. From the start, he has set out to destroy Israel, because Israel is God’s vehicle to restore His divine order on the earth.

Satan is seeking to exploit Jesus’ “prophetic loophole”. Jesus, pronouncing a judgment upon the blind guides of the Jews at the end of His ministry, declared that He would not return for His Second Coming until the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem welcomes Him back as the Messiah and the Son of God.

“For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'” (Matt. 23:39)

From Genesis until now, Satan has sought to stop the prophesied “Seed”, Jesus, from being able to come forth. While this battle is inevitably futile, it is still very real. Throughout history God has narrowed down the way in which He would come, and each time, Satan set out to destroy the people through whom Jesus would come. In this prophecy, Jesus gives Satan a clear target. If Satan can destroy all the Jews, and annihilate Jerusalem from the earth, then Jesus has no Jewish leadership in Jerusalem to return to. Then Satan would be able to accuse God of being a liar. (Read Revelation 12:3–17)

Little does Satan realize that his rage is working in cooperation with and under the leadership of God to refine and ultimately redeem the nation of Israel as it is being mentioned in the book of Zechariah.

“Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. ‘It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.’” (Zech. 12:2–3)

“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.” (Zech. 14:2)

God’s Litmus Test for the Church, the Nations and the True Apostles

A litmus test is “a crucial and revealing test in which there is one decisive factor.” God will use the issue of Israel as the litmus test to reveal the truth of the inner nature of both the Church and the remnant of the nations especially in the End-Times.

After the second coming, all the people of the nations who were not killed and did not accept the mark of the Beast will be brought before Jesus and judged by their treatment of the Jews through the Great Tribulation. It is not that their “works” toward Israel gain them merit, or that their failure toward Israel damns them, but rather that their response to Israel reveals the truth that has always been deep in their heart. Matthew 25:31–46 says,

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory…then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him… ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat…”Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You…”The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat… “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry…”Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

The Church will also be judged according to their stance towards Israel. Paul gives a very dire warning to the Gentile Church in Rome concerning their attitude towards Jews who are currently rejecting Jesus in Romans 11:18–22.

“…do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”

Paul boldly says that if these Gentile believers become arrogant toward unredeemed Jews, that they are in danger of departing from the faith. By looking at Jews who, by rejecting Christ have been cut off, and then arrogantly comparing themselves to the Jews and thinking that they fare better, they are then standing before God on the basis of works, and no longer on the basis of faith in God’s goodness. At that point, they are no longer in the faith, and hence no longer saved.

Many believe that Nazi Germany in World War II was a dress rehearsal for what will be coming. The Church in Germany, for the most part, failed to stand for the Jews against the Nazi’s. They preferred their comfort, status, and lives over that of the Jews. A lack of proper understanding and passion for Israel led them to betray Jews to death. We must cultivate a theological understanding and a passion in our heart for the Jews, so that we will have an unyielding resolve to stand with them.

The Bible calls the Church to provoke Israel to jealousy through signs, wonders, and the prophetic spirit, as well as sacrificially stand with them. Under the Antichrist’s mark system and persecution, we will take Jews into our homes. They will see our bare cupboards and ask what we will do about food. We will pray to Jesus, and God will provide supernaturally. They will see us prophesying and praying to begin and end plagues, and praying to be spared from plagues, and they will see God answer.

This will cause them to think, “This is like Moses and Elijah! This is what Yahweh does!” This will be their provocation to jealousy. We must build a theology and a passionate heart NOW concerning Israel so that we can operate in this way in those days.

In Romans 10:1, Paul made it clear that his ministry revolved around his desire to see the Jews come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

In this day when we believe and long for the restoration of the Apostolic ministry, let us remember that Paul himself – an eminent authority on Apostolic ministry, declared that the point and heart of Apostolic ministry was the salvation of Israel. Paul went so far as to wish that he himself could be condemned to eternal damnation in the lake of fire, if only that would bring Israel to salvation.

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh…” (Rom. 9:3)

“But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.” (Rom. 11:13–14)

We should evaluate our heart and our ministry by this standard. Do we feel for Israel what God feels for Israel? Do we shape our prayer, our preaching, our ministries, around the hope that Israel would be moved to jealousy and be saved?

A Challenge

God has not forgotten Israel and we should be a people filled with love and gratitude to this beloved people of God. I would like to end by issuing this challenge to each of us: if this view of Israel is a new thought to you, if you know that you are lacking in your passion to see them saved, consider spending a day a week in fasting and prayer, and read through Romans 9 – 11 over, and over, and over again. Throw in the rest of the book of Romans and do this for a year. Get Romans 9 – 11 deep in you. Feel the heart of Paul. Feed yourself on biblical truth about Israel. Allow God to work in your heart through prayer and fasting.

May God grant you revelation and understanding about the beloved people of God – Israel!

There are many ways in which we can approach the Christ-Child and the Christmas story in general.

Many of us approach it through the lens of the movie, The Nativity, where we “fall in love” with Joseph. The reproach of the birth of Christ captures our hearts. Why would God choose a scenario that would bring dispute and shame upon the birth of the Son of the Highest? Why does God choose a betrothed young maiden? Why not a single girl living in Bethlehem? Why a girl from Nazareth with the suspicion of fornication? The reproach and sting of Mary and Joseph losing their reputations are intertwined with the Christ-Child. This reproach would follow Jesus for the rest of His life (John 8:39 – 41).

Many of us fell in love with Joseph. We fell in love with a man who would lay all things down for love. He would lose his reputation, his honor, his safety, and his control for the love of Mary, the love of God, and the love of the Child – Israel’s only hope. In this way Joseph becomes the perfect model for the Son of the Highest who would lay all things down for love – His reputation, His honor, His safety, and His control. Only the inward satisfaction of pleasing the Father would comfort both Joseph and Jesus. Joseph puts pressure on us all to love to the depths and to love at all times.

A Theological Lens

We can also approach the Mystery of the Incarnation through a theological lens by analyzing its significance to the overall purpose of redemption. The Incarnation has much theological significance and only eternity is long enough to explore the depths of what God has done in Christ Jesus.

The Incarnation secured and guaranteed the Christian revelation of God. Whoever sees the Son sees the Father. Stanley Jones, a famous missionary to India stated, “The Incarnation is the Great Divide.” For in Christianity, the Word became flesh. Other religions speculate about what God is like.

The Incarnation revealed the passionate, zealous, pursuing heart of God. If He will take on the human form and become a man, to what other lengths will He go? The Incarnation demonstrates the unrestrained love of Yahweh.

It secured and guaranteed Christian redemption. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). When God took on flesh, He was making an emphatic statement that He would redeem humanity.

It secured and guaranteed the possibility of our regeneration and participation in the divine life. When Christ came into the world, eternal life became embodied in human form and became a fountain of life for all who would receive Him.

The Incarnation alone secured Christian fellowship. The Body of Christ is connected by one mutually shared life. We have One Head, the same Brother. The Church is that place where someone chose Jesus and got one another.

It secured and guaranteed the Christian meaning and final outcome of history. The Incarnation makes possible a linear understanding of history. The Incarnation is the center of all history. From the sacred point of the Incarnation, faith could look forward and backward through all of human experience matters. History is not cyclical. Time is moving us somewhere. Time moved us to the Incarnation of Jesus and it will move us towards His return.

The Incarnation once again re-established human dominion and government on the Earth. What was lost in the Garden of Eden has now been restored by and through the person of Jesus. A human King came through Judah’s line from the House of David, and will have an everlasting dominion. The image bearers are restored to their created place in the Incarnation.

Advent

However, besides exploring the theological depth of the Incarnation, we must do something more holy and sacred. We must do something more earthly and tangible. We must join in and do what Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, and the magi did. We must ponder who this Child is and lift Him up in our arms like Simeon and weep like the shepherds who could not figure out why the angels came to them and not the Sanhedrin. We must feel grace!

The implications of Jesus’ life are always impacting us in various seasons. In fact, the church calendar is set up precisely so that the life of Jesus will ever be before us. Yes, if you are a believer, you commune with Him always by the indwelling Spirit, but His actual life instructs us on the great truths of God, ourselves, and of redemption.

Jesus’ ministry reveals His Father’s true nature, and His passion for the Father’s plan and for the freedom of humans from the oppression of sin, sickness, and devils. Passion Week and Good Friday remind us of God’s commitment to judge sin, crush His Son, and offer us a free gift that we do not deserve.

But the advent and the birth of Christ do something quite different. Christmas beckons us to come closer and join in the mystery where God is close enough and small enough to get around.

For Luke 2:1 – 20 says,

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Glory in the Highest Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

In the birth of Jesus, God comes near. He is no longer distant. On Christmas morning God is not making a list and checking it twice. He is lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. Angels are telling shepherds of good tidings of great joy, announcing the birth of Christ the Lord, a King who happens to be the Lord Himself. Multitudes of angels burst in praise, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Christmas is the most popular holiday because it celebrates the generosity and approachability of God.

God is Emmanuel! God with us! For the Word became flesh!

Standing in awe of God is one thing. Loving Him is quite another. We can go through life obedient and struck by His awesomeness, but it’s quite another thing to be struck by His tenderness and to be tender towards Him in return. When we know His humanity and tender acquaintance with our frame, our hearts feel safe to move towards Him and ask questions we normally would not ask. Sheer joy is to engage with our Brother in dialogue and in worship, free to love Him with our particular personality. This is joy – to be safe enough to enjoy ourselves enjoying Him.

St. Alphonsus Ligouri says in The Practice of Loving Jesus,

“When the Son of God became man for our sake, He could have come on earth as an adult man from the first moment of His human existence. But the sight of little children draws us with an especial attraction to love them, Jesus chose to make His first appearance on earth as a little infant.

God wished to be born as a little baby in order that he might teach us to love and not to fear Him.

The prophet Isaiah had long before foretold that the Son of God was to be born as an infant and thus give Himself to us on account of the love He bore us: ‘A child is born to us, a son is given to us…’

My Jesus, supreme and true God! What has drawn Him from heaven to be born in a cold stable, if not the love which He has for men? What has allured Him from the bosom of His Father, to a hard manger? What has brought Him from His throne above the stars to lay down on a little straw? What has led Him from the midst of the nine choirs of angels, to set Himself between two animals? He who set the stars in the sky in motion, now cannot move unless others carry Him in their arms! He who gives men and beasts their food, has need now of a little milk to sustain His life! He who is the joy of heaven, but now whimper and cry in suffering! Tell me, who has reduced Him to such misery?”

The Great Mystery of the Incarnation

The Incarnation is more than just a doctrine; it is an object for contemplation. It is the place where angels and humans alike stare at a mystery as deep as the Almighty Himself. As soon as understanding enters your mind, cognition loses its grip and recedes into the abyss of non-comprehension. This is true joy – to ponder that which cannot be fully fathomed.

Paul emphatically stated that the greatness of the mystery of godliness was a non-controversial issue. Paul was not speaking as one uninformed. 2 Corinthians 12 tells us that Paul had been to the third heaven. He had seen the Lord. Yet Paul emphatically proclaimed that there was no room for debate around the magnitude of God becoming a man. No one gets it. Paul proclaims that both heaven and earth are in agreement concerning the God-Man, Jesus Christ. Angels are baffled and long to look into such things (1 Peter 1:12) and humans cannot fathom that which God has done.

Great is the mystery of godliness! Have we ever wondered, “What is it about the human frame that pleased Him so much that the One who made all things could dwell in flesh?” Jesus is not only your divine King and Maker. Now He’s your Brother. What has God done in His Son?

What is this desire of God which resulted in the taking on of humanity for all eternity to govern as a human king? Where is the origin in the mind of God of such a scheme as the Incarnation? How did it begin? How did it grow? What was the dialogue among the Trinity when, before the foundation of the world, a Lamb was slain in the heart of the Majesty of heaven?

How mysterious is this plan that was birthed in the pure heart of the infinite, holy God, a perfect plan begotten by a perfect God – to have the God-Man sitting on the throne in government. Have we ever thought of that right now, that within the Trinity, there is a human body? Oh, what a great mystery! At the center of the throne dwells, a descendant of David, born from the loins of a young Jewish maiden.

This is a great mystery that is designed to bring us to worship, not just to comprehension; it’s the ecstasy of non-comprehension. This mystery has been the object of great affection throughout church history. God became man. He took on our frame for the love of us. The Church is unable to explain its depths.

The birth of the God-Man has the highest mystical elements surrounding it. Angel Gabriel announces it to Mary that the Holy Spirit come upon her and the power of the Highest will overshadow her and she will conceive a child who is the Holy One, the Son of the Living God. He ends His announcement with the most wonderful words, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” A barren woman is pregnant with John and a virgin is pregnant with God. Angels sing, shepherds marvel, and Mary ponders. Look at Luke 2:19.

Jesus Grew

The Gospel of Luke goes on to tell us that Jesus was not only born with a human body. In fact, He grew up. The pondering continues. I love to imagine this. What did Jesus’ awkward seasons look like? Can you imagine the time when His ears had outgrown His head and he sat through two more years of rabbinical school before His head caught up? Have you ever thought about that? He was just like you, except without sin. What did it look like when Jesus lost His first tooth and had his first haircut? What was it like when Jesus as a boy had awkwardness in each of His stages? What was it like? Luke says that the child grew and that Mary was amazed again and again. This is all we know about Jesus until we find Him at age 12 in the temple. He simply grew. He was confined to human weaknesses.

Jesus also grew in the Spirit, was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. He grew mentally and spiritually. He grew. What was it like as He slowly discovered that He was the unique God-Man? What was it like when His capacity mentally and spiritually got to the point where He began to have remembrance of the throne room? What was it like for Him as a human to read the Word in all His Diety and start to remember it? What was it like for Him growing up when He could see all the angels around everybody else? What was it like on the day when the Father decided that Jesus was ready to see spiritual realities? I think of His first angelic encounter. Trembling with fascination.

This is reality. This is your God, and this is your King, and this is your Brother and your Groom! You can fall in love with Him! Did you know that? You really can fall in love with Him for this. We’ve been robbed of Jesus for far too long. It is time to ponder. It is time to enjoy the depths of His mystery and the richness of His shared life.

We have so many unfilled blanks. All we know from the Scripture is that He grew (Luke 2). He was fully God, yet He grew. He is fully man. Mary pondered these mysteries (Luke 2:19).

Max Lucado’s Twenty Five Questions For Mary says,

“What was it like watching Jesus pray? How did He respond when He saw other kids giggling during the service at synagogue? When He saw a rainbow, did He ever mention a flood? Did you ever feel awkward teaching Him how He created the world?

When He saw a lamb being led to the slaughter, did He act differently? Did you ever see Him with a distant look on His face as if He was listening to someone you couldn’t hear? How did He act at funerals? Did the thought ever occur to you that the God to whom you were praying was asleep under your own roof?

Did you ever try to count the stars with Him and succeed? Did He ever come home with a black eye? How did He act when He got His first haircut? Did He have any friends by the name of Judas? Did He do well in school? Did you ever scold Him? Did He ever have to ask a question about Scripture? What do you think He thought when He saw a prostitute offering to the highest bidder the body He made?

Did He ever get angry when someone was dishonest with Him? Did you ever catch Him pensively looking at the flesh on His own arm while holding a clod of dirt? Did He ever wake up afraid? Who was His best friend? When someone referred to Satan, how did He act? Did you ever accidentally call Him Father? What did he and His cousin John talk about as kids? Did His other brothers and sisters understand what was happening? Did you ever think, ‘that’s God eating my soup?’”

Jesus is the Hope

Luke 2:10 – 14 says,

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’”

This Child has much wrapped up in Him. He is the promised seed. The One prophesied about from the first moment of our fall. The hope of all the ages rests on this One. Behold, the One destined to free His people from sin and to crush the head of the serpent. The One to ransom Adam’s fallen seed and usher in a Kingdom of everlasting righteousness.

Today we stand post-Crucifixion and post-Easter – forgiven and filled – but the manger beckons us to come look again. It is the place where we first hoped. That God in all of His kindness could stoop so low and cast His lot in with us. The manger is the first glimpse where we believed God could take us in. The humility of it all causes us to bow but it is the tiny fingers of the King that allows our hearts to reach. If He can become like me, then just maybe He will make a way for me to become like Him. Maybe this will be good news after all – just as the angel said.

At the manger, we will lose our crankiness and our religious hardness that is built up from defending righteousness. At the manger, we will soften and begin to commune with a God who dared to come for us all. In that tender exchange He invites to dream with Him for all those who have never heard.

When Jesus taught on the subject of End-Times, He warned us to beware of false teachers who could gain a large following, thus starting new cults. A cult is a group or community of people with an unusual devotion to one leader and his set of beliefs that are not found in Scripture. Jesus said in Matthew 24:4 – 5, 11, 24,

“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many… Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many… False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

The ultimate conflict in the End-Times will be a battle for truth. Satan’s weapon will be deception and our defense will be love for the truth. This battle will focus on defining who Jesus is and how we are to love Him. We must love God on His terms. Our love for God must be expressed in allegiance to Jesus and the Bible.

There will be three truths about Jesus that will offend humanists. These truths are:

1. Jesus is the only true God and therefore, He has the right as God to establish absolute standards to which the nations will be held accountable to Him for.

2. Jesus is the only way of salvation.

3. Jesus possesses the wisdom and love to judge sin in time and eternity.

Paul warns us of a falling away in the End-Times in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that can be avoided by loving the truth which he emphasized in 2 Thessalonians 2:10.

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin (Antichrist) is revealed… according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth.” (2 Thes. 2:3, 9, 10)

Love for the truth is more than adherence to it. Love for the truth means that we will take a firm stand for it regardless of what it costs us. Loving truth requires that we commit to accept any new ideas as long as they are substantiated in the Scripture regardless of how different they are from our religious background.

Paul prophesized in 1 Timothy 4:1 – 2 that some believers will fall away in the End-Times as people pay attention to doctrines inspired by demons. He also spoke about false teaches who would start cults by drawing people after themselves. He admonished the elders to be alert to this in 1 Timothy 1:3 – 11; 4:1 – 8; 6:2 – 7, 20 – 21 and 2 Timothy 3:1 – 17.

Peter also warned of the dangers of false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1 – 18 who deny the main tenets of our faith. They can be detected most easily by their covetousness and immorality (2 Peter 2:9 – 14; Jude 8 – 10).

Who are the False Teachers?

False teachers do not hold to the main and plain doctrines of Scripture. They pervert the teaching about the grace of God by either legalism or lewdness. Legalism seeks to earn the grace of God. Lewdness reduces the message of grace to receiving forgiveness without turning from our sin. The true grace message should inspire us to deny lust and empowers us to walk godly (Titus 2:11 – 12)

We must accept the main historical Christian doctrines which include:

1. Jesus as God’s only son who is fully God and fully man, born of virgin birth, without sin.

2. Jesus’ death and bodily resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand.

3. The one true God exists in three Persons (Trinity) as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

4. Salvation is by faith alone, through grace alone and in Christ alone.

5. The infallibility of Scripture as our final authority for all matters of faith and practice.

6. The unity and diversity of the Body of Christ.

Seven Characteristics of Cults

Any group that embraces one of the following seven characteristics is likely to be a cult or have cult tendencies.

1. They oppose critical thinking

Cults teach:

Their members must accept what they believe without challenging their doctrines. They do not want their members to think critically for themselves.

The Bible teaches:

We must all challenge each teaching that we hear by the light of Scripture. Loyalty to a ministry involves challenging it with humility. Do not believe a teaching that you cannot see with your eyes in your Bible. Think for yourself and do not quickly accept ideas. Do not say, “Our leaders say…” but rather say, “The Bible says…”

Test all things; hold fast what is good. (1 Thes. 5:21)

They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:10 – 11)

2. They penalize people for leaving their community

Cults teach:

People will be judged by God or will lose God’s best if they leave. Rejection, shunning and warnings of judgment are given. People are taught to make lifelong commitments to the group and/or to seek permission to join another ministry.

The Bible teaches:

The first concern of a leader is for what is good for the people under them. Therefore, leaders are to help them succeed as they seek to follow God’s will for their life, regardless if it means joining another ministry. The foundational value is that God owns the people, not the leader or the group in which they serve.

3. They emphasize special doctrines outside of Scripture

Cults teach:

Cults emphasize the special revelations of their “anointed” leader who presents himself as having unique insights that no one else has.

The Bible teaches:

We must emphasize supremacy and infallibility of Scripture as the final authority of truth. We must emphasize the main and plain themes of Scripture as the love Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle, prayer, reading the word, winning the lost, healing the sick and serving others, etc.

4. They seek inappropriate loyalty to their leaders

Cults teach:

Cults require loyalty to the leaders instead of to Jesus. Faithfulness is defined as supporting the leader instead of obeying Jesus. This loyalty is expressed in forbidding them to correct the leader who does not freely admit his faults or errors. They warn the people to “not touch God’s anointed”.

The Bible teaches:

Our first loyalty and connection is to Jesus. We serve together with weak and broken leaders who do not have all the answers and who are in need of insight and correction from others.

5. They dishonor the family unit

Cults teach:

The children are taught to be more loyal to the leaders than to their parents. The women are taught to be more loyal to the leaders than to their husbands and the husbands are taught to accept this as normal behavior.

The Bible teaches:

The first relational priority of commitment is to one’s marriage, children and parents. The sanctity and identity one’s family is far more important than the ministry in which they are involved.

6. Lack of biblical boundaries in behavior

Cults teach:

Cults emphasize special revelations that especially allow their leaders to cross biblical boundaries in areas of immorality. They usually insist on owning the money and property of their members who “join the community”.

The Bible teaches:

Sexual purity and private ownership of finances and property. In Acts 4, the disciples laid their money and property at the apostle’s feet as a one-time free will offering, not as a permanent economic arrangement.

7. Separation from the Church rather than promoting a culture of honor towards the whole Church

Cults teach:

Cults criticize and exclude the larger Body of Christ and claim to be the only ones truly saved. They separate from the wider Church with an elite spirit.

The Bible teaches:

We love God by loving the whole Church that is so dear to Him. We are to cultivate a culture of honor in our midst that emphasizes blessing other ministries without criticism and a spirit of inclusion without elitism.

How to Discern a False Prophet or Teacher

In Matthew 7:15 – 20, Jesus compared false teachers to wolves because they are dangerous in their effect on people and deceptive in how they influence people. A wolf is a natural enemy of sheep who can not defend themselves. A wolf disguises himself as a sheep by claiming to uphold the Scripture. Then Jesus changed his metaphor from wolves among sheep to fruit on trees.

We may not immediately discern a wolf, but it is clear if edible fruit is on a tree. We must know or test fruit in a teacher’s life. There is a moral and a doctrinal test. Sound doctrine and holy living are the sure fruit of a good leader. It is not possible to examine fruit from a distance. Thus, Jesus is not exhorting us to become critical of others as a self appointed “heresy-hunter”.

How to Avoid Deception

Colossians 2:19 says this,

“Holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”

Therefore, We can all avoid deception by doing the followings:

1. Loving the truth. (2 Thes. 2:10)

2. Growing in our relationship to Jesus as we regularly read the Bible and set our heart to obey it.

3. Staying in relationship with others with a teachable spirit that receives the truth without defensiveness.

4. Serving the truth by witnessing to unbelievers as well as ministering to the needs of others.

How do we yield to the Holy Spirit so that we may walk in the intimacy and power that the NT Church walked in? Part of the answer is to embrace the fasted lifestyle. This speaks of walking in the spirit of fasting in food, finances, use of our time, our words, and our energy.

What is Fasting?

Fasting includes the restraining of our natural pleasures or strengths with the purpose of positioning ourselves to receive freely from the Holy Spirit. Many fear fasting. However, the fear of fasting is worse than fasting itself. It is a lie that the demands of our modern pace of life make fasting impractical for today’s Christian.

Fasting is part of the normal Christian life. But it is often thought of as an optional discipline. Jesus said in Matthew 6:17,

“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face…”

The verse implies that fasting occurred in the regular course of a disciple’s life.

In Matthew 6:16 – 18, Jesus also emphasized that the Father will reward fasting. His proclamation makes fasting important. Jesus called us to fast because He knows that its rewards will far outweigh its difficulties. Some of the rewards are external, as our circumstances are touched by God’s power. Some of our rewards are internal, as our hearts encounter Him.

More importantly, we fast both to walk in more of God’s power to change the world and to encounter more of His heart to change our heart! For God will give us grace to fast and if we ask for grace to fast we will receive it. (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18)

Throughout history, men have fasted with a wrong spirit as they sought to earn God’s favor or man’s approval. Some embrace extreme self-debasements to try to prove their dedication to Him or to earn His favor. This is not what God is after. He delights in our pursuit to love Him and to believe His Word. We do not fast to prove anything to God or to deserve His favor.

Seven reasons to Fast in Scripture

There are seven biblical reasons to fast. They are:

1. We fast to experience the power of God in personal ministry.In Matthew 17:21, when the disciples could not set a demonized boy free, Jesus told them that kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting. The power of John the Baptist’s preaching was connected to his fasted lifestyle (Matt. 11:18).

   Many who led the great revivals practiced regular fasting. Examples include John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, and Charles Finney. John Wesley fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays each week. He said,

   “The man that never fasts is no more on the way to heaven than the man who never prays.”

   John G. Lake sought God with much prayer and fasting. God released powerful miracles through him. In South Africa, within a five-year period, he witnessed 500,000 healings.

2. We fast for prophetic revelation of the End-Times.Daniel sought God with fasting and prayer and received revelation of Israel’s End-Time destiny (Dan. 9:1 – 3, 20 – 23; 10:1 – 3, 12 – 14). After fasting for 21 days, an angel told him that his prayers were heard because he set his heart to understand (Dan. 10:12). As he sought the Lord, the angel Gabriel gave him “skill to understand” in Daniel 9:20 – 23.

   There will be an unprecedented release of prophetic revelation before Jesus returns (Acts 2:17 – 21). Daniel prophesied that in the End-Times God will raise up “people with prophetic understanding” who will teach multitudes (Dan. 11:33 – 35; 12:4, 10). These people will have mature understanding of what He will be doing in those days (Jer. 23:18 – 20). These people will live a fasted lifestyle like Daniel and John the Baptist.

3. We fast for the fulfillment of God’s promises to our city or nation.The LORD has prophetic plans and promises for each city and nation. God’s prophetic promises are invitations, not guarantees. We must actively seek the LORD for their fulfillment.

   Daniel prayed and fasted for the fulfillment of God’s promise to release Israel from captivity to return to their land (Dan. 9:1-3; 10:1 – 4). God answered Nehemiah after he fasted and prayed for God’s promises to his generation (Neh. 1:3 – 11; 9:32 – 38). After Cornelius fasted and prayed, his whole house was saved and a door of grace was opened for the Gentiles to be saved (Acts 10:1 – 4, 30 – 31).

4. We fast to stop a crisis (i.e. individual or national).Fasting to seek God for mercy during a personal crisis is seen throughout Scripture. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, being distressed by her barrenness, prayed with fasting. God answered her by giving her a son who grew up to become a prophet (1 Sam. 1:7).

   On many occasions, God reversed Israel’s desperate situation after they turned to Him in corporate prayer and fasting. Joel prophesied that God would judge Israel using locusts, and then later by an invasion by the Babylonian army (Joel 1:2 – 18; 2:1 – 9). On both occasions, Joel called Israel to turn to God in prayer and fasting (Joel 1:13 – 14; 2:12 – 15). When there is no human remedy for a nation, we must call a fast.

   Jonah warned the wicked city of Nineveh that God was going to destroy them. When Nineveh repented with fasting, the Lord showed mercy and spared the city (Jon. 3:3 – 9).

5. We fast for protection.Before Ezra led a group of Jews from Babylon back to Israel to help rebuild their nation, he fasted and prayed to God for protection on the journey because it was so dangerous (Ezra 8:21 – 23). Travel was dangerous in the ancient world because bands of thieves often attacked groups to take money and supplies.

   Esther called the Jews in Persia to fast for three days after Haman set into motion a plan to kill all the Jews (Esther 3:13; 4:7). Esther first needed protection because she was going to approach King Ahasuerus (i.e. Xerxes) without a royal summons (the penalty was death). Many cried out in prayer and fasting (Esther 4:3, 16; 5:1 – 6). The LORD spared Esther’s life and then reversed the situation among the Jews concerning Haman’s evil plans (Esther 9:1).

6. We fast for direction.Throughout the NT, the church fasted for supernatural direction. We fast for direction for our personal life, family, ministry or our assignment in the marketplace, etc.

   Paul and others fasted and prayed for direction for their ministry (Acts 13:1 -2) and before selecting and commissioning elders of the new Churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

7. We fast to grow in intimacy with Jesus, which we refer to as the Bridegroom fast (Matt. 9:14 – 15).Being the Bride of Christ speaks of the position of privilege to experience God’s desire. As sons of God, we are in the position to experience the power of God’s throne. As the Bride of Christ, we are in the position to experience the desires of God’s heart.

Understanding the Bridegroom Fast (Matt. 9:14 – 15)

Jesus spoke of the Apostles fasting out of the desire to encounter Him in Matthew 9:14 – 15,

“Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the Bridegroom mourn as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’”

We call this the Bridegroom fast. It is motivated by desiring Jesus rather than by a desire for more power in ministry or to be delivered from a personal crisis, etc. This is a new paradigm of fasting.

For the disciples enjoyed Jesus’ presence, feeling loved by Him and rejoicing in their relationship with Him. Jesus told them that the joy they experienced in His nearness would manifest as mourning or longing when He was taken from them by His death. Yes, when the joy of His immediate presence had been taken from them, they would be heartsick. Then they would fast!

The disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with a sincere question. They were confused and troubled by the lack of fasting among Jesus’ disciples, because John taught his disciples to fast often. Jesus answered with a question,

“Can the friends of the Bridegroom mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them?”

Jesus was referring to His death on the cross when He said that the days were coming when He, as the Bridegroom God, would be taken from them. Then His disciples would fast with the same consistency and intensity that John’s disciples did. Their fasting would flow out of desire to encounter the Bridegroom God.

This is fasting for great intimacy with God and for spiritual renewal. We do not fast to motivate God to pay attention to us, but rather to receive the affection that He already has for us – it is not to move His heart, but to move our own. The Bridegroom fast causes our spiritual dullness to be diminished.

Jesus established the New Covenant by His death and resurrection, in which the Spirit would dwell in each believer. Then fasting would take on a whole new dimension because the depths of God would be revealed to His disciples by the indwelling Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10; Heb. 10:19 – 22).

Fasting that is centered on hunger and desire

A mourning heart is fiercely discontented and desperately hungry for God – this is the Bridegroom fast. We refuse to accept the current state of our spiritual barrenness and dullness. The Bridegroom fast is primarily centered on desire – both understanding God’s desire for us and awakening our own desire back toward Him. God imparts new desires to us. Once we taste the nearness of God’s presence, we cannot live without more of Him.

Fasting sets our hearts to be expanded as we encounter Jesus as our Bridegroom God. Our spiritual capacity to receive from God increases. Fasting before our Bridegroom God is a catalyst to speed up the depth and the measure in which we receive from the Lord. We receive greater measures of revelation at an accelerated pace, and with a deeper impact upon our hearts.

The idea that fasting changes us internally is a new idea to some. Fasting results in tenderizing our hearts. When this occurs, we make different choices, which lead to different outcomes in the places we go and the people we meet. When our values are different, it affects who we marry, how we raise children, how we spend our money, and what focus we have in ministry.

Our desire for God is His gift to us, both the sweet and painful sides of our desire. Our craving for Jesus causes joy and pain in our hearts. We are exhilarated and wounded in our love for Him. The painful longing has a divine purpose: spiritual hunger is a divine agent that leads us to greater love. It results in making room for love and purity to have their full way in our hearts.

Five Rewards of the Bridegroom Fast

Fasting restrains our physical pleasure, but it enhances our spiritual pleasure. Our greatest pleasure comes by feasting on the Person of Jesus. Fasting is an exchange where we abstain from certain things to “feast” on God’s word and prayer, whereby we experience more of His grace.

God rewards those who hunger for righteousness (Matt. 6:17) and there are five rewards of the Bridegroom Fast:

1. Fasting leads to tenderizing our hearts so that we feel God’s presence more.
2. Fasting leads to changing our desires and enlarging our desire for righteousness (Heb. 1:9).
3. Fasting leads to increasing our understanding of the Word and receiving prophetic dreams.
4. Fasting leads to making our body healthier and changing what we desire to eat and drink.
5. Fasting leads to strengthening our sense of identity as sons of God before the Father and as a bride before the Son. Our identity is rooted in the knowledge of God’s affection for us.

Embracing Voluntary Weakness

Fasting embraces voluntary weakness in order to experience more of God’s power and presence. It is a paradox that we become weak in the natural in order to receive more strength from the Spirit. Jesus revealed to Paul that the release of God’s power in his life was connected to his willingness to embrace weakness. This revelation is foundational to understanding fasting.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

This kind of weakness is not moral weakness, but voluntary weakness as a godly choice. This weakness includes prayer, fasting, giving, blessing our enemies, and enduring persecution. The “strength made perfect” refers to Paul experiencing more of God’s power. Many desire to walk in “perfected power,” but do not want to embrace the necessary weakness. The most challenging issue in fasting is the physical weakness it produces. We become physically weak and cannot function in the way we usually do (Ps. 109:24).

Five different types of food fasts

1. The regular fast is going without food and drinking only water.
2. The liquid fast is going without solid food and drinking only light liquids (like fruit juices).
3. The partial fast, or Daniel fast, abstains from tasty foods and consists of eating only vegetables or nuts, etc.
4. The “Benedict Fast” established by Saint Benedict (525 AD), consists of only one meal a day.
5. The absolute fast or “Esther Fast”, abstains from food and water (Esther 4:16). Exercise caution!

Conclusion

Fasting is a gift that we should embrace as part of our lifestyle. It is not meant to be used as a “shot in the arm” several times a year, but is designed to be a consistent part of our lives. All people who are healthy should fast at least one day a week.

Those with a forerunner messenger calling should seek to live a fasted lifestyle. For the Early Church fasted twice a week (i.e. Wednesdays and Fridays) and fasting was a regular part of Paul’s life (2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27; Acts 9:15; 22:21; 26:17 – 18).

Fasting is always voluntary. Though leaders may invite others to join in corporate fasting with a specific goal in mind and for a specific time, it can never be forced or mandated.

It is also a false notion that fasting is radical Christianity, and thus is optional to Christianity. Fasting is basic to the Christian life. We are called to fast regularly.

Points to Note:

There are obvious exceptions to fasting. People who are pregnant or have health problems should consult their doctors before fasting.

The level at which a person engages in fasting from food should be determined according to age and with regard to any physical limitations. Those with a known or suspected physical disability or illness, or with any history of an eating disorder should never fast except in consultation with, and under the supervision of, a qualified physician.

Minors are discouraged from fasting food and should never engage in even a partial fast without express parental consent and oversight. Minors who desire to fast are encouraged to consider non-food abstentions, such as TV programmes, movies, internet surfing, video games and other forms of entertainment. The Bible never speaks of or calls children to engage in fasting.

Participation in regular fasting as a lifestyle necessitates a healthy lifestyle on non-food fasting days and should include exercise and a proper diet. A “fasted lifestyle” is a disciplined lifestyle, in which we steward our bodies and time with wisdom and diligence.

What is God looking for?

God has everything! Yet, He is searching for something. What could God, who has everything, possibly want? One of the most important questions you and I can ask is, “What is God looking for?” When we discover what He wants, we then realise what we are looking for and understand life (John 4:23).

Jesus tells us what God is looking for – LOVE. He is looking for reciprocal love. He is looking for love responses from our heart. He is after our heart (not our talent or money, etc.). He desires voluntary wholehearted love from us. This love is fueled by the spirit of abandonment to God. He wants us to give our lives to Him. God created us for a specific purpose and designed us with longings to fulfill that purpose. (2 Chron. 16:9)

God desires that we love Him with all our heart and strength because He loves us that way. We can know the “why” behind the “what”. His glory is always the first reason for His actions in creation and redemption. However, YOU are also a significant reason. You are part of the “why” behind the “what”. He pours His love on us and receives it back from us. He does it all for love.

Our highest calling is to move God’s heart with our love. Our highest purpose is to love God. This comes ahead of seeking to make an impact or to be successful from man’s point of view. Many want to build a big ministry for God. But He wants our love first. It is the currency of heaven. My spiritual identity is that, “I’m loved by God and I am a lover of God and therefore I am successful”. This is who we are to God, for we are not defined by our accomplishments.

The Church of Ephesus was a great revival center in the early Church (Acts 19-20). Yet, they did not sustain the freshness in their love for Jesus. They became workers for God more than lovers of God. Lovers will always out work the workers. When we work without intimacy we work as a slave. A heart of a bride is refreshed as she labors. Service without the foundation of devotion leads to burn out, disappointment, and wounding. Thus, the service is not sustained over decades (Rev. 2:1-5).

The First and the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37 – 38)

The Holy Spirit is restoring the first commandment to first place in the Church worldwide. First Commandment: loving God is the first priority to God. Jesus did not call it the first option for it is a commandment. Jesus makes it clear that cultivating wholehearted love for God is the highest and greatest lifestyle. Loving God is a glorious end in itself, however, it never ends with loving God but always overflows with loving ourselves and others (believers and unbelievers).

Great Commandment: loving God is the greatest impact of anything that we do. It is the only way to enter our greatest destiny because it has the greatest reward. Loving God always has a great impact on God’s heart, our heart and others. It is a dynamic means to an end.

We need revelation of the supremacy of the first commandment. It is the standard of evaluation at the Judgment Seat of Christ. In a desire to stay up with popular ministry trends, some regularly change directions in their ministry. We must not get our ministry focus from the latest trend, but from God’s Word.

Our primary goal in God’s will is to grow in love. God measures life differently than man because He has all the money, wisdom, fame, influence and time. Our greatest reward is to know and feel His love, to love Him and then to overflow in love for others.

God loves us in the same way that God loves God

The foundational truth that equips us to love God is to know and feel His affection for us. God loves us in the way that God loves God (John 15:9; 17:23). The Father feels the same intensity of love for us as He feels for Jesus. The Father has delighted in Jesus from all eternity. Do you know the way you move God’s heart? We are His greatest prize and the apple of His eye! (Ps. 17:7 – 8). When we know the King loves us, we are unmoved even when others overlook or mistreat us.

The measure of the Father’s love and affection for His Son Jesus is the measure of His love for all His sons and daughters. This is the ultimate revelation of our worth. This truth gives us the right to stand before God with confidence as one of “His favorites”. Our confession is, “Jesus, You love me like the Father loves You”. This makes our life great and meaningful.

Defining Wholehearted love for Jesus (Mark 12:30)

Love with all our heart means to love God with all our affection and emotions. We “set” our affections on anything we chose. We change our mind and God changes our emotions. Our emotions will follow whatever we set ourselves to pursue. We can set our heart to be filled with zeal for God. Lord, take the reigns of my heart to direct it into the ocean of Your love. Ask yourself, “Why not me?”

Love with all our soul means that our personality and being. Our personality and being is expressed most dynamically by our speech. Therefore, we must determine to express your personality by speaking and acting in a way that enhances and not diminishes love.

Love with all our mind means that we fill our minds with long and loving meditation on God’s Word and resist putting anything in our minds that diminishes love for Jesus and quenches the Holy Spirit.

Love with all our strength means that we give our resources (time, money, talents, reputation, and influence) unto the LORD.

How to love God?

All of God’s commands bring with them the promise of His supernatural enabling to obey them. However, we must actively cultivate extravagant devotion to Jesus. This takes time and effort. Love does not automatically grow. It diminishes unless we intentionally cultivate a responsive heart. There are four important principles in cultivating our love for God.

1. Determination

We must make a determined decision to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Our love is expressed through our obedience. No one can give God all your love. Denying our lustful desires is the theatre God chose for us to express our love to Him. Each of us has a different struggle, thus, a different assignment from which we offer our gift of love to God (John 14:21).

People seeking extravagant love to Jesus ask, “What is the most that God will empower me to give to Him?” We are not content with the minimum requirement of salvation.

We must choose the good part as Mary did. No one can choose it for us (Luke 10:42).

David declared that he would love God. The intention of our heart is important to God (Ps. 18:1).

John leaned on Jesus’ heart or set his heart to love and be as near to Him as possible. John was saying, “I am one who leans on Jesus’ heart because I love Him”. (John 21:20b)

2. Revelation

Revelation of God’s love equips our heart to love Jesus. We love God with all our heart only as we see that He loves us with all His heart. He empowers us by revealing His love (1 John 4:19). We gain revelation of God’s love by mediating on it from God’s word. We position ourselves to receive from His heart by feeding on His Word.

We will sit long hours before God in His Word because we are hungry to understand the affections of His heart. We can behold or be attentive to how the Father feels about us by meditation on the Word. For Jesus gives His secrets to those who desire them enough to sit for hours before Him (Ps. 25:14).

3. Impartation

It takes God to love God. The Father will give us supernatural impartation to love Jesus. (John 17:26; Rom. 5:5; Eph. 3:18 – 19; Phil. 1:9)

4. Confession:

“Jesus, I am Your beloved, Your favorite one. I am a disciple You love. Your delight is in me. You feel about me as the Father feels about You. I belong to You and You are mine”. We confess, “I’m loved by God and I am a lover of God. Therefore I am successful”.

5. Fellowship

We receive much of God’s love in serving and sharing and in receiving it from others. God’s love is only seen in fullness when the whole Body functions together. Part of our inheritance and healing is in the hands of others who reveal and release God’s love to us. (1 John 1:7; Jas 5:16; Eph. 3:18 – 19)

Setting our heart to love Jesus

We must have a sustained vision to go deep in God. It takes focus and effort to go deep in God. Our soul prospers as we grow in the anointing to love. To walk in this requires that we must be focused on pursuing it more than gaining things and influence.

Satan’s first priority against the Church is to lead us astray from cultivating the ability to be responsive to God with wholehearted love and extravagant devotion. If Satan leads us astray from the purity of devotion to Jesus then our service and love for others will eventually fail (2 Cor 11:3).

Sustaining a fresh walk with God through decades is the definition of living radically before God. We are not radical because we do something unusual for a few weeks or months. David sustained his passion for God for decades that he referred to as “all” the days of his life (Ps. 27:4). Daniel sustained his prayer life with passion for decades – from about age 16 to 82 years old (Dan. 6:10).

What does it look like to love God with all our heart and mind?

God is Love that burns as an all consuming fire of jealousy. He wants to totally take over our life. He wants to consume us from the inside out by dominating our affections, thoughts and words. This is love that is not passive but passionate.

Love is loyalty to God’s Word. It stands up for truth. Do not allow any substitute for the real thing. We must not allow our experience to be reduced to just language about being extravagantly devoted.

What is going on behind our face? Each of us has a ‘universe in our inner thoughts’. This is where life really takes place. What are we day dreaming about? What do you wake up thinking about? The internal is more powerful than the external.

The End-Time Church will be anointed with a heart of spiritual violence (Mt. 11:12). With passion for God and spiritual violence we declare war on the inside. It is to burn from the inside out not just to dance in worship.

People in love are untouchable. True freedom is found in the yoke of Christ. People cannot really see the love that is growing in your heart. Eternal rewards will show forth the love you have now. The fire you have now on the inside will be worn openly in eternity.

We set our heart to live as extravagant lovers of God without getting trapped into bitterness because of those who mistreat us. We do not want to get caught up into making wealth and fame our primary goal in the Kingdom. We are in a race to win a prize of being a lover of Jesus. The more we seek to live for love the more broken we will be with true humility. You can be one of the greatest people in history simply by living in deep love for God which overflows in love for people. You will not be the most famous but can be one of the greatest.

The Lord values our journey to grow in love. The reach of our heart to love Him moves Him. If you do not quit then you win. We do not find our identity in our failure but in the fact that He loves us, in the gift of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:12) and in the cry of our spirit to love God.

Kay-Chong Yeo
Founder & Director
One Thing Ministries
International House of Prayer (Singapore)
20 August 2008