A MEDITATION FROM JOHN 15

John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Now Jesus tells them that He has loved them in the same way the Father has loved Him.  “Continue ye in my love.”  I think that this is saying that He wants them to love each other as He has loved them, to follow His example.  Next, He tells them how—by keeping His commandments (again as He has set the example for them by obedience to His Father’s commands).  Then He tells them why; He gives them a motive—that their joy may be full and complete.  

Note the word “remain” in verse 11.  The new believer is always full of joy and enthusiasm.  Jesus is saying that we never have to lose that first joy.  I think that is the very thing He is addressing in His letter to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 when He speaks of their leaving their first love.  It was their choice to leave.  Keeping His commandments is the key.  Once we begin to compromise or take back control of little sections of our life, we begin to lose joy; we begin the process of leaving our first love.

In verse 10 Jesus makes a direct connection between obedience and abiding in the love of God.  I think we have a hard time with this concept because obedience carries a negative connotation today.  It is associated with rules that we don’t necessarily like and forbidden pleasures.  We haven’t been taught that obedience to one who loves us and establishes rules for our benefit and protection actually gives us more freedom to enjoy life.  The commandments of the LORD Jesus are an expression of His love for us.  The fact that He has established boundaries around us by giving us those commands proves that we are important to Him.  It’s like He has erected a fence of protection for us.  By staying in the fenced-in area established by His commands, we are protected from experiencing the consequences that accompany actions taken outside that fence. We can enjoy complete freedom without fear inside those boundaries.  When you get a vision of that word picture, you can better understand how keeping His commandments equates to abiding in His love.

A second thought that hit me was that Jesus the man lived within those same boundaries and knew from experience the truth that He was teaching.  As always, He was teaching truth revealed to Him by the Father.  He was not telling His disciples to do one thing and then doing something different Himself.  He lived the truth He taught.

The third thought that jumped out to me is that our joy is directly connected to His joy.  The closer we stay to the heart of God through our willing obedience to His commands, the greater will be the joy that we experience in life.  I believe that joy is an attitude of heart that comes from knowing we are loved and watched over by a Father who is in complete control of all that is allowed to touch our lives.  When we go outside the “fence,” He allows us to experience the consequences of that action so as to teach us not to do that again; but He also willingly takes us back into the fold and makes something good come out of that something bad.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

A MEDITATION FROM MATTHEW 14

Matthew 14:22-31 “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

We are so much like Peter.  Often, with the smallest storm in our life, we begin to sink into the sea of doubt.  What we need to do is keep our heart and mind fixed on the LORD, and we will know that we have nothing to fear as a believer.  His promises are sure, and His love is never failing.  The angels are ministering to us, Jesus is interceding for us, the Holy Spirit strengthens and comforts us, and the Father is ever working out His plan for us.  

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 1:13-14 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Romans 8:34 It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 

John 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

2Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began….

A MEDITATION FROM MICAH 6:16

Mic. 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people. 

Omri and Ahab, his son, were evil kings.

1Kings 16:25-26 & 29-30 “But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.  For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities….And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.”

This is a terrible indictment from God.  He is declaring that His people have chosen to follow the example of these evil kings rather than obey Almighty God.  Because of their wickedness and rejection of Him, He is going to bring the nation to ruin and make His people an object of shame and derision among the nations.

I can’t help but want to make application to America today.  No matter how the revisionist historians try to paint it, we were founded as a Christian nation, a people that honored God.  We have steadily and purposely chosen to follow a path of rejection of God and His Word through the leadership of those in our government and judicial system.  God is not going to allow our rejection of Him and our disregard for His word to go unpunished.  He will hold us accountable just as surely as He held Israel and Judah accountable.  I personally believe we are already feeling the effects of judgment, but I also believe that there is much worse to come.  I am also reminded that the LORD established a principle in His dealings with Israel, and it’s found in the book of Chronicles.  And since He never changes, I believe that principle applies to all who are called by His name.  

2Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 

Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

This verse has been echoing in my thoughts a lot recently.  The principle is that if God’s people, we who claim His name, who call ourselves Christian, will—

• Humble ourselves
• Pray
• Seek God’s face 
• Turn from our wicked ways

--then God will hear, forgive and heal the land.

The call is to God’s people, not those who have rejected Him.  I can’t help but wonder how many of us are quick to condemn the heathen in our nation without consideration of our own responsibility and where we are falling short.  Have we as Christians truly humbled ourselves to make God the LORD of our life?  Are we fervent in prayer with a burden for the church and our nation and ALL its leaders?  Do we seek God’s face in asking Him to identify where we need to change and what we need to do differently?  Do we seek His face as to how we can encourage other Christians to yield to Him as LORD?  Are we willing to give up our own sins—no matter how minor we might consider them to be?  Do we discern and identify what is wicked and what is good according to God’s word rather than the world’s standards?  Do we justify compromises in the name of tolerance and political correctness?  The LORD wants each one of us to examine ourselves and make corrections where we don't measure up.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”

A MEDITATION FROM KING DAVID

1Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

1Chronicles 16:35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

1Chronicles 16:36 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD.

David closes his song by giving thanks to the LORD because of His goodness and the truth that His mercy endures forever.

It is because of the pity and compassion of a long-suffering Father that we can experience mercy, His willingness to spare us the treatment we deserve.  How thankful we can be as His children that His mercies and compassions are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22–23 “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

David urges the people to cry out to God for His salvation and deliverance from the heathen (those that do not recognize Him as LORD).  We should pray for Him to gather us together so that we may give Him our thanks and rejoice in praising Him.

Again, David reiterates that the LORD God of Israel is to be adored (from the Hebrew for blessed) forever.  What does it mean to adore the LORD?  Webster tells us that it is to “worship with profound reverence…to honor as deity….to love in the highest degree….”  Thought:  Does my life reflect my adoration for the LORD?

All the people affirmed their agreement with David by saying “Amen” and praising the LORD. 

“gather us together and deliver us” – David’s words concerned Israel.  I read those words and look forward to the soon coming of Jesus to take His family home to heaven in glorified, sinless bodies to live with Him forever!.

THE CASE FOR A JEWISH ANTICHRIST

 This is just another one of those topics in the study of eschatology in which the views are varied.  I have personally always adhered to the view that the Antichrist will be Jewish, primarily based on the words of Jesus in John 5:43—“I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”   I believe the statement He made was in reference to His identity as the Jewish Messiah.

In his book, “The Antichrist,” Arthur Pink provides scriptural and logical support for the Jewish heritage of the Antichrist and the understanding that he will present himself as the Jewish Messiah in the quotes below.

• “In John 5:43 we have a further word which helps us to fix the nationality of this coming One. In speaking of the false messiah, the Lord Jesus referred to him as follows, ‘Another shall come in his own name.’ In the Greek there are four different words all translated ‘Another’ in our English versions. One of them is employed but once, and a second but five times, so these need not detain us now. The remaining two are used frequently, and with a clear distinction between them. The first ‘allos’ signifies ‘another’ of the same kind or genus - see Matt. 10:23; 13:24; 26:71, etc. The second, ‘heteros,’ means ‘another’ of a totally different kind….the striking thing is that the word used by our Lord in John 5:43 is ‘allos,’ another of the same genus, not ‘heteros,’ another of a different order. Christ, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, had presented Himself to Israel, and they rejected Him; but ‘another’ of the same Abrahamic stock should come to them, and him they would ‘receive.’ If the coming Antichrist were to be a Gentile, the Lord would have employed the word “heteros,’ the fact that He used ‘allos’ shows that he will be a Jew. 

• The very name “Antichrist” argues strongly his Jewish nationality. This title “Antichrist” has a double significance. It means that he will be one who shall be “opposed” to Christ, one who will be His enemy. But it also purports that he will be a mock Christ, an imitation Christ, a pro-Christ, a pseudo Christ. It intimates that he will ape Christ. He will pose as the real Messiah of Israel. In such case he must be a Jew. This mock Christ will be “received” by Israel. The Jews will be deceived by Him. They will believe that he is indeed their long-expected Messiah.  

• At every point he is the antithesis of Christ. The word “Antichrist” has a double significance. Its primary meaning is one who is opposed to Christ; but its secondary meaning is one who is instead of Christ. Let not this be thought strange, for it accords with the two stages in his career. At first he will pose as the true Christ, masquerading in the livery of religion. But, later, he will throw off his disguise, stand forth in his true character, and set himself up as one who is against God and His Christ. Not only does anti-christ denote the antagonist of Christ, but it tells of one who is instead of Christ. The word signifies another Christ, a pro-Christ, an alter christus, a pretender to the name of Christ. He will seem to be and will set himself up as the true Christ. He will be the Devil’s counterfeit. Just as the Devil is an Anti-theos - not only the adversary of God, but the usurper of the place and prerogatives of God, demanding worship….

In contrast, many of the prophecy teachers that I listen to and for whom I have great respect hold the view that the Antichrist will be a Gentile.  These arguments are rooted primarily in the reference that Daniel makes in chapter nine.  

Daniel 9:26-27 “…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate….”

Just as they, I believe “the prince that is to come” is a reference to the Antichrist, but I do not believe that means the man can’t be Jewish.  He may be a Jewish man that is a citizen of another country that is located in what was part of the area that conprised the Roman Empire.

It’s interesting that they like to quote the early church fathers to support their positions in other areas of study, but seem to ignore the views of these same men regarding this subject.  My research revealed that most of the early church fathers believed that the Antichrist would be Jewish and many believed he would be a descendant of the tribe of Dan. 

The earliest church father for which I could find documentation that he held the belief that Antichrist would be Jewish was Irenaeus, who was taught by Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John (who wrote the book of Revelation).  He posited that Antichrist would be a Jew and claim to be fulfilling prophecy in “Against Heresies.”  Irenaeus mentored Hippolytus, who stated that the Antichrist would be a counterfeit of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  In his “Treatise on Christ and Antichrist” he states the following.

“For the deceiver seeks to liken himself in all things to the Son of God. Christ is a lion, so Antichrist is also a lion; Christ is a king, so Antichrist is also a king. The Saviour was manifested as a lamb; so he too, in like manner, will appear as a lamb, though within he is a wolf. The Saviour came into the World in the circumcision, and he will come in the same manner. The Lord sent apostles among all the nations, and he in like manner will send false apostles. The Saviour gathered together the sheep that were scattered abroad, and he in like manner will bring together a people that is scattered abroad. The Lord gave a seal to those who believed on Him, and he will give one like manner. The Saviour appeared in the form of man, and he too will come in the form of a man.”  (Note:  “the circumcision” is a reference to the Jews.)

At truecatholicfaith.com in an article labeled 8.127.12 regarding the Antichrist, I found the following statement:  “The consistent testimony of the Fathers, Saints, and theologians of the Church teaches that the Antichrist will likely be of Jewish origin, and that he will be initially welcomed and aided by many Jews, especially as a false messianic figure.  This belief is not based on racial prejudice or antisemitism, but rather on Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and centuries of Catholic theological commentary. It reflects the tragic fact that, as a people, the Jews rejected Christ and continue to await a messiah of their own — one who fits their worldly expectations.”

Not that it matters to true believers who will be raptured before Antichrist is revealed, but it is food for thought in trying to put together the prophetic puzzle.