Death is a fact of life on earth. The primary premise of Christianity is that
God loves us, and has given us his son so that we might have eternal life, as
John 3:16-18 tells us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved. He that believeth on him
is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
While we can see the things happening on earth right now, we
cannot see into the future to understand what that eternal life will be
like. Prophecy gives us a glimpse of
what we can look forward to in eternity, but it also warns us about things that
will happen in this life and our role here on earth. Paul prophetically warned Timothy of dangers
of false prophets and modifying our teaching to fit the times, in I Timothy 4
and II Timothy 3-4.
Peter shared Paul’s concerns, reminding us that one day we
will be rewarded for our service for God, in I Peter 5:1-7. “The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither
as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto
the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
Those who are in leadership positions are responsible for
seeing that their people are taught the principles God has laid down, as Jesus
commanded in Matthew 28:20. “Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.” If we will
make that effort, we will please God, as Paul told Timothy in I Timothy
4:6. “If
thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good
doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”
Paul stressed the need to focus on the scriptures as being
god’s word, in II Timothy 3-4. Peter makes a similar statement, in II Peter
1:16-18. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known
unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses
of his majesty. For he received from God
the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the
excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we
heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
The Apostles message was not some story they made up, but
was what they had observed for themselves. They literally heard God say from Heaven that
Jesus is God’s son. They and countless
others saw the miracles and heard what Jesus taught. Matthew, John, Peter, James, and Paul were
all Apostles. Mark and Luke became
Christians later, and their writings recount what other people who were there
at the time told them. While there are
differences in their accounts, the basic story and teachings are the same. The differences indicate that the various
books were written independently, and were not copied from one another.
Peter then went on to state that the prophecies are equally
dependable, in II Peter 1:19-21. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy;
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this
first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
In II Timothy 3:16, Paul said all scripture, including the
prophecies is given by inspiration of God.
While God is perfect, the human languages in which the scriptures are
expressed are not. As a result, we
cannot interpret passages solely on what the passage itself says, but must
compare it with other passages to be sure what it actually means. As languages change over time and new
versions of the Bible are printed this becomes increasingly important. A proper understanding and that the prophecies
are true is crucial, because as Paul said in I Corinthians 15:19, “If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
We have given up much that the world offers in the belief that we
will earn greater rewards, and if it is not true, or if we have done the wrong
things, we have wasted our time.
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