Web Chapel

Serving the Saints

Category: A Word With Friends

These are short devotional studies based on a single word or short phrase. Most are observations and lessons discovered in the life my family and me.

  • King of Kings

    “…Which in His times He shall shew, Who is the Blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.”
    1 Timothy 6:15-16

    The end of verse 14 speaks of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes Him the subject of verses 15 and 16. These verses say that in His timing, Jesus will reveal Who is the Blessed and only Potentate, and King of kings and Lord of lords.

    Jesus is, and will one day be, King of Kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19 reports the coming of the Lord Jesus to the earth. In verses 11-16 John says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” All earthly kings will bend the knee, as will all inhabitants of the earth.

    In his dream of a great statue, which represented the kingdoms of the world, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone that was cut out without hands which struck and destroyed the statue. In Daniel 2:44, through Daniel the Lord revealed that as “…in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

    Even before the time of Daniel the Lord had promised that He will reign on the earth. When that happens, His kingdom will last forever. God’s kingdom will destroy all the others, but it shall never be destroyed, and it will stand forever. He only is Blessed, and He only is the great authority over the earth, even now. The day will come when He will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.

    Mankind thinks that their governments will make things right. The truth is that all the kingdoms of the world are established by God. In Daniel 4:25 Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar, “…the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” Paul told the people of Athens in Acts 17:26, God has “…made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation…” Not only does God dictate the boundaries of the kingdoms, He dictates how long they will last. In His time Jesus shall reign, and human governments will be but a memory. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

    In His time Jesus will reveal Him Who “…only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto…” There is no overstating the greatness and the glory of God, Maker of Heaven and Earth and all that is in them. Almost every contact between men and God recorded in scripture resulted in the men falling on their faces as dead. Scripture says that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

    In His time Jesus will reveal Him “…Whom no man hath seen, nor can see…” In Exodus 33:18-20 Moses requested that he may see God’s glory: “And Moses said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” His presence and brightness are so great, that no mortal can endure it. Wonderfully, in Revelation 22:3, 4 were told, “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

    Concerning Jesus, Philippians 2:9-11 tells us, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In His time Jesus will show Him, “…to Whom be honor and power everlasting.” Jesus is that one that will be honored by all.

    The day when Jesus will reveal these things is yet to come. World events suggest it will be soon. Since it is impossible for God to lie, no doubt He will surely come again and establish His kingdom on the earth. When He comes, He will be the Blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And He shall reign for ever and ever.

    Lift up your heads, pilgrims aweary,
    See day’s approach now crimson the sky;
    Night shadows flee, and your Belovèd,
    Awaited with longing, at last draweth nigh.

    Refrain
    He is coming again, He is coming again,
    The very same Jesus, rejected of men;
    He is coming again, He is coming again,
    With power and great glory,
    He is coming again!

    Dark was the night, sin warred against us;
    Heavy the load of sorrow we bore;
    But now we see signs of His coming;
    Our hearts glow within us,
    joy’s cup runneth o’er!

    Refrain

    O blessèd hope! O blissful promise!
    Filling our hearts with rapture divine;
    O day of days! Hail Thy appearing!
    Thy transcendent glory forever shall shine.

    Refrain

    Even so, come, precious Lord Jesus;
    Creation waits redemption to see;
    Caught up in clouds,
    soon we shall meet Thee;
    O blessèd assurance, forever with Thee!

    Refrain (Mabel J. Camp)

  • No Plan B?

    “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
    Revelation 21:1

    “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

    The bumper sticker read, “There is no Plan B.” But this, and many other scriptures say differently. God’s plan from before the creation was to put in place a new heavens and a new earth.

    Why would he have to do that? It started with the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God’s command in the garden of Eden, as recorded in Genesis 3. In Genesis 3:17-19 we read about the curse that God put on the earth because of their sin, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The creation was cursed by God because they disobeyed.

     Romans 8:19-22 reveals the same thing, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” There needs to be a new earth.

    But why new heavens? There are at least three times in scripture where it is recorded that the enemy, satan, is in God’s presence: Job 1, Job 2, and Zechariah 3. Apparently, in God’s mercies and humility the enemy is allowed to have access to God’s presence. But the day is coming when he will be removed from heaven. Revelation 12:7-10 tells us, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

    Here we learn two things. First, the end of the passage tells us that the enemy of our souls uses his access before God to accuse the saints. And he does it day and night! This reminds of Zechariah 3. The other thing we learn is that his access will end on the yet-to-come day when he will be cast out of heaven, with all of his minions, never again to enter there, as told in Revelation 12. Their next destination is the lake of fire. Never again will they come before God to accuse the saints, or for any other reason!

    Those hallowed halls have endured the footprints of the enemy and his demons ever since the fall of man, perhaps even before. The glorious presence of the Lord God Almighty has been assaulted by the comings and goings of him who is not only the enemy of mankind, but the enemy of God! Revelation 12:10 shows rejoicing in heaven at the enemy’s departure.

    So, there is also a need for a new heavens. God’s plan from before the foundation of the world was to provide redemption for mankind, and to undo His great creation and replace it with another: both heaven and earth. In 2 Peter 3:10 we read, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” According to timing revealed in scripture, this verse covers around 1,007 years. The end refers to the heavens passing away, and the earth being burned up. This will make way for the new heavens, and the new earth, described in Revelation 21 and 22.

    Concerning that coming time of the end, in Revelation 22:12, 13 Jesus said, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” He is the beginning and the end. John 1:3 says of Jesus, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.,” revealing that He was the beginning of all of creation. In that He is the end, this suggests that the end of all things, discussed above, is also in His almighty and capable hands. We can do nothing to coerce Him or force His hand. The day of the end will come at the time that He has set, and not a minute sooner.

    Unlike a “Plan B” as we call it, where the first and best plan fails, so contingencies are put in place, God’s new heavens and new earth will be better than what we know now. As Peter tells it in 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” There is the difference. This earth seems void of righteousness, and as noted above, the enemy and his minions have access to God’s presence for a while, which will end in God’s timing. But the new heavens and the new earth will be characterized by nothing but righteousness! The new heavens and new earth will be glorious!

    At the end of the verse above we read that there will be no more sea. This interesting comment reminds of Micah 7:19 where we read, “He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” According to this, until the day of the new heavens and new earth, the depths of the sea contain the sins of those that are redeemed. And in the new heavens and new earth, there will be no more sea. It and its contents will be taken away, never to be seen again. How wonderful is that!

    John saw the Heav’n and earth made new,
    The first had passed away,
    The holy city coming down,
    The new Je­ru­sa­lem.

    And God Himself shall dwell with men,
    And wipe away all tears,
    There is no sorrow, pain or death,
    Throughout the coming years.

    Behold, I make all things anew,
    These faithful words are true,
    To him who overcometh sin,
    On earth with God shall rule.

    In beau­ti­ful Je­ru­sa­lem,
    God’s glo­ry gives it light,
    All kings and nations walk in it,
    For there shall be no night. (Louise Lapp)

  • Malcolm’s Musings

    A new link appears on the links page to the entire series of devotionals and other resources provided by Malcom Horlock (UK).

    LINKS PAGE

    They are hosted on Voices For Christ.

    Click her for a direct link to the series.

  • Consider Your Ways

    “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.” Haggai 1:7-8

    The book of Haggai was written in the second year of Darius, the king of the Medes. The Israelites had been in captivity in Babylon for seventy years. As the LORD had promised through Jeremiah, the time had come for them to be returned to their land.

    The book of Nehemiah tells how Israel had rebuilt Jerusalem. The book of Ezra tells how they rebuilt the temple. As they were returning to their land, they were told by King Cyrus to rebuild the temple. But as they built, their enemies convinced Cyrus’ successor, King Ahasuerus, to stop the work. Ezra records that the work sat idle for about ten years.

    During those ten years, King Ahasuerus died and King Darius took the throne. And Haggai was sent by the LORD to prophesy and to get the Israelites back to work on the temple. In the context of the verse above, the LORD rebuked them for what they were doing. They had moved back into the land of Israel by God’s command. And they were getting comfortable. But because of the stop-work order from the king, who was now dead, God’s house was being neglected. They had their comfortable houses, but God had nothing. So, Haggai told them to consider their ways. Why were they neglecting God?

    What God wanted was not what one might think. The temple that Solomon built was a large, gold-covered structure with many glorious features. But through Haggai the LORD told them to simply go and bring wood and build. He did not require gold, like Solomon had used, or silver or marble floors. The God of the universe is certainly worthy of that.

    But since they had recently come from Babylon, they did not have the resources that Solomon had. So, what the Lord asked them to do was to go and get wood: to go up the mountain, cut trees and bring them for building His temple. These materials were readily available. They were not fancy or eye catching. But it was wood which God had provided. The trees on the mountain were tended by God. He provided the rain and sun needed for their growth, and He made them to flourish.

    Wonderfully, God promised to take pleasure in that temple. God always desires to dwell with His people. It is seen time again in scripture. So, wood cut from the hills and used to build a plain temple for the LORD in their midst would please Him.

    In the book of Numbers, the Lord gave directions about how the camp of the Israelites was to be arranged. The tribes camped in a specific order to the north, south, east, and west. Inside of that the Levites were to camp according to a specific order. And, in the middle of them would be the tabernacle. Numbers also describes how they were to be arranged as they travelled. The tabernacle and the ark of the covenant were to be in their midst as they went. He was always to be in their midst

    And that was what God wanted in Haggai’s day. Jerusalem was the city where He put His name. Now that they were back in it, He wanted His place, too. He promised them that He would take pleasure in what they built. He also said that He would be glorified in that building. As plain as that wooden structure may have been, God would be glorified in it.

    His exhortation to the Israelites speaks to us today. God deserves glory from His people. He wanted the Israelites to do at least something for Him: to build Him something through which He could be in their midst. Work done for Him is always noticed by Him. It does not need to be fancy or expensive.

    A repeated theme in the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 is the Lord telling them that He knew their works. Some were praised for what they were doing for Him, and others were rebuked. But in all cases Jesus knew what they were. He is fully aware not only of what they did, but the thoughts and intents of their hearts in the doing. Even works that may seem to be trivial do not escape His notice.

    1 Corinthians 3:11-15 speaks of a coming day, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” On that day, that which the Lord knows of our works will be made manifest, and rewards will be given.

    What is the littlest thing we can be doing for the Lord? He notices and takes pleasure in it. In Mark 9:41 Jesus said, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Our efforts need not be on a national or international scale. How gracious of Him! How kind and caring He is!

    All to Jesus, I surrender;
    All to Him I freely give;
    I will ever love and trust Him,
    In His presence daily live.

    Refrain

    I surrender all, I surrender all,
    All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
    I surrender all.

    All to Jesus I surrender;
    Humbly at His feet I bow,
    Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
    Take me, Jesus, take me now.

    Refrain

    All to Jesus, I surrender;
    Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
    Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
    Truly know that Thou art mine.

    Refrain

    All to Jesus, I surrender;
    Lord, I give myself to Thee;
    Fill me with Thy love and power;
    Let Thy blessing fall on me.

    Refrain (Judson W. Van DeVenter)

  • He is Righteous

    “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” Psalm 145:17

    Sometimes even Christians balk at these statements about God’s character because of what seems to be the testimony of the Old Testament. One might ask, “What about the many nations that were conquered by God through Israel?” or, “What about those that God had commanded to be utterly destroyed, including women and children?”

    But this is not the only scripture that tells us that God is righteous. Psalm 71:19 says, “Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!” and Psalm 116:5 says, “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.”

    If we were to start with these scriptures as fact, and then consider the Old Testament, what kind of light do they shed on these questions? How is God’s righteousness and holiness revealed in those situations?

    Speaking about Israel, Jeremiah 16:10-13 says, “And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; and ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favor.”

    Here we see that the judgment that God promised to bring was because of their disobedience of Him and His law. God had called them His people. He brought them out of Egypt in a mighty way. He gave to them the Promised Land, and they turned their back on Him. They ignored Him, turned away from Him, and took up idolatry, in violation of the first commandment (Exodus 20:2-6). In fact, within a month of hearing this commandment from God’s lips they were worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 32:1-5). Ezekiel said that they had carried idols out of Egypt when they left (Ezekiel 20:7, 8). It is clear from what Jeremiah said that they were being judged because they followed idols, and ignored God and His ways.

    There are multiple prophets in the Old Testament. For hundreds of years, they wrote warning Israel about their idolatry. Time and again God warned them about turning away from Him. Time and again He told them what would happen if they ignored His warnings. God was righteous in giving them warning after warning. But time and again they ignored His warnings. God’s promise to judge was not an empty threat. Lawlessness must be met with justice. Legally speaking, the only righteous thing God could do is to make good on His promises. He certainly was not being unpredictable. He gave hundreds of years of warnings from multiple prophets, some of whom were killed and all of whom were ignored.

    Though focused on Israel, the scriptures above can be generalized to all of mankind, for God does not change. He Who had made us, and has given us what we need to live, have we refused and ignored to this day. Romans 1:18-21 says “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Just like Israel, mankind has ignored God’s clear laws, choosing their own way.

    Romans 3:21-26 says, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” God’s dealings with mankind regarding sin are the whole point of scripture. Sin is the reason for the coming of Jesus to the earth. God has sent His Son to reconcile mankind with Himself. Like the prophets of old, many ignore Him. What more should God to do? The day is coming when He will judge in righteousness because lawlessness must be met with justice.

     1 Peter 1:18-21 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” God has judged Jesus in our place. Refuse that, and we will bear God’s righteous wrath against our sin.

    Great God of wonders! all Thy ways

    Display Thine attributes divine;

    But the bright glories of thy grace

    Above Thine other wonders shine:

    CHORUS

    Who is a pardoning God like Thee?

    Or who has grace so rich and free?

    Who is a pardoning God like Thee?

    Or who has grace so rich and free?

    Such deep transgressions to forgive!

    Such guilty sinners thus to spare!

    This is Thy grand prerogative,

    And in this honor none shall share:

    CHORUS

    Pardon, from an offended God!

    Pardon, for sins of deepest dye!

    Pardon, bestowed through Jesus’ blood!

    Pardon, that brings the rebel nigh!

    CHORUS (Samuel Davies)