Unpacking Galatians: Chapter 1

 Background to the Churches in Galatia

Galatia is situated almost across the centre of modern day Turkey. When the apostle Paul went on his first missionary journey with Barnabas in about AD46-48, they established churches in various cities in Galatia, namely Perga – Acts 13:13, Antioch in Pisidia – Acts 13:14, Iconium – Acts 13:51, Lystra – Acts 14:6 and Derbe – Acts 14:6. When they had finished preaching in Derbe they then returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch is Pisidia and strengthened the believers there - Acts 14:21-28. These churches are the recipients of Paul's letter to the Galatians.

The Churches is Galatia were made up of both Jews and Gentiles. The main reason Paul writes his letter to the Galatian churches is that those churches were listening to and succumbing to the Judaizing false teachers that had crept into the Church who were undermining the central New Testament doctrine of justification by faith in Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:28-31 (NKJV)

28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

These false teachers were specifically teaching that Gentiles must first become Jewish proselytes and submit to all the Mosaic law before they could become Christians – thus nullifying Christ’s death on the cross for the salvation of mankind! Paul wrote his letter to counter these false teachings, to defend justification by faith in Christ Jesus alone, and to warn those churches of the dire consequences of abandoning this essential doctrine.

Note: in the body on this article the verses from Galatians are in italics, the explanation of the verse/s follows in straight text with additional scriptures shown in bold italics.

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

In the first verse above, Paul confirms to the Galatians that he is an apostle not appointed from or through men but appointed directly through Jesus and God the Father under the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is an apostle to the Church in Galatia whose members are both Jews and Gentiles who are now Christians! In Christ Jesus there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.

Acts 13:2 (NIV)

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Romans 11:13-14 (NIV)

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.

Romans 15:15-16 (NIV)

15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In verse two above we see that Paul has addressed his letter to all the churches is Galatia and not just to one particular church. The same problem was facing all the churches that he and Barnabas had established in Galatia. They were all being led astray by false teachers who were preaching a different gospel than what he and Barnabas had first preached to them, that is faith in Christ Jesus alone!

If we look around us at the Church today you will say that the Church across the world is facing the very same problem. False teachers and prophets are coming in nineteen to the dozen! They are all around us and are wolves in sheep's clothing and they are leading good people astray in their thousands! The Church needs to wake up and expose these demonically led teachers!

Matthew 7:15 (NKJV)

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 

Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In verses 3-5 above Paul is pronounces a prayer of blessing over the Galatian churches. His pronouncement is one of grace (unmerited favour) and peace (the peace of Jesus that surpasses all understanding) is to them from both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

Paul stresses to the Church that because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins, the Lord delivers us from this age of evil and that this sacrifice and our redemption is according to the will of the Father to whom eternal glory belongs. What a blessing to all of His children! Let me assure that this blessing is for us today as well as Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Only One Gospel
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

In verses 6-10 above Paul cuts to the chaste and gets right to the point of why he is writing this letter to the Galatians.

In verses 6 and 7 he says that he marvels or is astonished or in modern day English vernacular, he is gob-smacked that they have so quickly turned away from the true gospel of faith in Christ Jesus to a perverted gospel that he calls no gospel at all! And I must say that I feels the same way about those who are led astray by todays wolves in sheep's clothing and there are so many of them!

And in verses 8 and 9 Paul shows how strongly he feels about their desertion from the true gospel and says that even if we (being he and Barnabas) or an angel from heaven preach another gospel other than the one that they (he and Barnabas) first preached to them. Then let that person be accursed. And in verse 9 Paul says the same thing again to give the message more impact, "let that person be accursed!”

The word accursed in verses 8 and 9 is translated from the Greek word ‘anathema’ which is pronounced an-ath'-em-ah and it refers to someone or something that is cursed by God and without hope of being redeemed. In other words, anyone who perverts the gospel and preaches a different gospel and leads people away from the true gospel, teaches a gospel according to man’s thoughts, is cursed of God! Beware you all you false preachers out there!

This perverted gospel is one that is still being preached in many churches to this day. A gospel that is politically correct but so far from being Biblically correct. The preachers and teachers of this perverted gospel come under God’s curse! These false teachers, preachers and prophets are responsible for leading thousands of people astray and as such will be judged harshly and bring destruction upon themselves. These men and women will go to hell if they do not repent!

2 Peter 2:1-3 (AMP)

But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false arguments and twisted doctrine. Their sentence [of condemnation which God has decreed] from a time long ago is not idle [but is still in force], and their destruction and deepening misery is not asleep [but is on its way].

And in verse 10 to finish off this section, Paul let’s the Galatians know that he is telling them these things because he is not a pleaser of men but because he is devoted to pleasing God in Christ Jesus and desires them to be the same as he is, just like he says in his letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

And the NIV Bible interprets this verse as Paul saying, “follow my example as I follow Christ’s.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Paul's Call to Apostleship
11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Now, in verse 11 and 12 above, Paul tells the Galatian churches in no uncertain terms, of the authority he has to preach the gospel to them, and which authority did not come from man but was given to him directly by the revelation of Jesus! A powerful and compelling statement indeed!

13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

In verses 13 and 14 above Paul reminds the Galatians of who he was in Judaism before his conversion to Christianity. In his letter to the Philippians Paul tells us all about who he used to be before his conversion.

Philippians 3:4-11 (NKJV)

4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul makes this reminder of who he used to be to the Galatians to emphasise the fact that they should not listen to the false teachers who have infiltrated the Galatian church as they are trying to turn them back to Judaism and are thus perverting the truth of the gospel by trying to convince them that the should still be bound to the law from which they had been set free by the gospel of faith in Christ Jesus alone! Jesus is all we need, He is the way, the truth and the life!

John 14:6 (NKJV)

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

In verses 15 to 17 Paul tells us that it pleased God to ‘call’ him to preach Jesus to the gentiles. He goes on to emphasise the fact that even though he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and a persecutor of the Church, he was actually called by God’s grace right from his mother’s womb and was predestined by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and that he came to ‘know’ Jesus at the time when it pleased God! God is a changer of hearts!

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NKJV)

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 

It is only once we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, once we are born again, that our Godly calling can be fulfilled in the power of the Holy Spirit and lead a life that will bring glory to Jesus! Our past, present and future sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus!

In verses 16 and 17 Paul confirms to the Galatians that his calling is not of men but by God as he did not immediately confer with the other apostles in Jerusalem but went into Arabia to preach to the Gentiles in the power of the Holy Spirit and only after a period of about three years (see verse 18 below) did he go to Jerusalem to confer with a few of the other apostles.

Acts 9:15-16 (NKJV)

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

In the above two verses from Acts 9, the Lord is talking to Ananias a disciple of the Lord’s who lived in Damascus. The Lord instructs Ananias to go and pray for Paul as Paul has been chosen by Him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Ananias goes to Paul in obedience to the instruction from the Lord, lays hands on him and prays for him. During this prayer Paul is then filled with the Holy Spirit and is water baptised!

Acts 9:17-18 (NKJV)

17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

It was after Paul received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and his water baptism that he immediately went out and preached the gospel to the Gentiles in the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did when He was filled with the Holy Spirit after His water baptism. Paul’s sending out was not by man!

Mark 1:9-13 (NIV)

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Paul’s calling affirmed in Jerusalem
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

In verses 18-24 above Paul reiterates to the Galatian churches that his calling was not of man but from God, He wants this fact cemented in their hearts and deems it worthy of repetition. 

He lets them know that when he was in Jerusalem specifically to see Peter three years after his calling, that the only two Apostles he met with were Peter and James the brother of Jesus. He stayed with Peter for 15 days and afterwards he went into Syria and Cilicia to preach the gospel there. Paul goes on to say that the believers in Syria and Cilicia were amazed at his dramatic conversion and gave God all the glory!

The idea that Paul the persecutor, who had been throwing fellow believers in jail and allowing them to be stoned to death, had now become a fellow believer was incredible, almost beyond belief. But the believing Jews in Judea had to rejoice based on what they had heard from the believers in Damascus and Jerusalem, including Peter and James, because he was unknown by sight to the churches in Judea which were in Christ. 

“Judea” refers to the southern part of Israel, which includes the city of Jerusalem. So, clearly Paul’s authority could not have come from man directly or indirectly. Paul’s authority as an apostle came by revelation directly from Jesus!

Prayer
Dear Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me wisdom and discernment so that I will not be led astray by the errant teachings of false prophets and teachers. Reveal to me, I pray, the wolves in sheep’s’ clothing that I may not stray from your path – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Amen!

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!

An Introduction to the End Times

 

What is ‘The End Times.’
‘The End Times’ in Christianity has been a hot topic for many years with many differing views being proposed.

However, with all these different views, there is one absolute certainty that all born again Christians know and that is that Jesus Christ is returning, the second coming of Christ, and the evidence suggests that He is coming soon!

There are many Bible verses both in the Old and New Testaments that refer to ‘The End Times’ and this is a topic that is worthy of a series of teachings, but for the purposes of this workshop we will mention only a few scriptures that will pique our interest in the topic for our future walk to Christian maturity!

The study of ‘The End Times’ is commonly referred to as Eschatology. This word is made up of the Greek word ‘eschatos’ which means, the last things, the final things or the end of things and ‘ology’ which in the English language means ‘the study of.’ Hence for our purposes Eschatology is the study of ‘The End Times.’

When will Jesus come again?
We don’t know. The Bible clearly states that only God the Father knows the day and the hour, but it will come suddenly like a thief in the night. It will be a terrible day for the unsaved.

Matthew 24:36-39 (NKJV)

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the daythat Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

We don’t know when this day will be, but we must recognize the signs of the end times and we must be ready, we must know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We must be born again. Our spiritual zeal as born-again Christians should always burn with an intense flame! If we are not born again, we will not enter heaven!

John 3:3 (NKJV)

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The Age of Grace
Since the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension or His return to heaven, the world has been living in a time of God’s grace. This means that God has not yet brought His judgement upon all mankind, and He has not yet poured out His wrath! This will only happen when Jesus returns. A number of happenings or events need to take place before Christ’s return. The Bible prophecies regarding the end times primarily relate to the time of Tribulation that is coming on the earth, this being the seven years immediately before Jesus returns to earth.

The Rapture of The Church
This is time when Jesus comes specifically for His Church and all believers that are alive on the earth will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus together will all those who have fallen asleep (died) in the Lord. This will occur before the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (NKJV)

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Christ’s Judgement of His Church (believers).
This is where the believers will stand before God to be judged for their actions whether good or bad. This is not a judgement of punishment, as all unbelievers will face, but a judgement to determine reward, our crowns of glory, for the righteous acts we have done in Christ Jesus!

Romans 4:12 (NKJV)

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

2 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV)

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

1 Corinthians 3:13–15 (NKJV)

13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

We have seen that when Jesus comes for His church at the Rapture, all true members of the church, both dead and alive, will be changed to receive new resurrection bodies fit for us to be with the Lord forever. While the world is
enduring the Tribulation, the raptured believers will be judged for their works. Unbelievers will be judged later, as we will see.

Matthew 12:36 (NKJV) – Jesus speaking

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Romans 14:12 (NKJV)

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The Great Tribulation – a period of seven years
This 7-year period begins at or shortly after the rapture of the church. Satan is unrestrained and the Holy Spirit is removed. Satan will wreak havoc throughout this time and this period will culminate with the Second Coming of Jesus and Battle of Armageddon.

Revelation 3:10 (NIV)

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

When will the Age of Grace come to an end?
The church age will end with the Rapture of the church. There will still be grace for salvation during the Tribulation, but this will be a time of the worst suffering that the world has ever known, for God is judging the earth. As mentioned before, only the Father knows when the Rapture will occur, but the Bible tells us there will be signs that will tell us that the Lord’s second coming is near. These signs will happen in what we call ‘The End Times’ and during these times a number of ‘End Times’ events will take place.

What are the signs of the End Times?
Now, let’s have a look at what Jesus said about ‘The End Times.’

Matthew 24:3-8 (NKJV)

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

In the above verses Jesus is talking to His disciples about the signs that will come when ‘The End Times’ are upon us.

Let’s take a look at one more Bible passage from the New Testament and see what the signs of ‘The End Times’ will be.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

In the above five verses it is the Apostle Paul telling us about what men will be like in the ‘last days’ or ‘end times’ and he goes on to warn us that these days will be perilous or dangerous.

From verses 2 – 5 he gives us a list of nineteen evil and ungodly characteristics of what men will be like during the ‘end times.’ Men in these verses refers to mankind, both male and female!

If we look around us at the world today it becomes quite evident that we are very much into the ‘end times’ already!

And in the second half of verse five we are warned to stay away from such people. Bad company corrupts good character! We, when we become born again, are God’s children and are thus children of the light!

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV)

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NIV)

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

The light of course is Jesus, who is the light of the world!

John 8:12 (NIV)

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Bible tells us that there will also be physical signs of the earth being in stress during the end times.

Matthew 24:4-8 (NKJV)

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

So, from this we can see that besides the deterioration of man’s behaviour, the earth itself will be deteriorating with devastating effect.

As already mentioned, a number of significant events will also take place during these times. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in all of the signs that Jesus mentioned, as the scene is being set for the Tribulation period.

The Second Coming of Christ and The Battle of Armageddon
The Battle of Armageddon will take place at the end of the Great Tribulation period on the plains of Megiddo and at the second coming of Christ. It is the final showdown in this age between good (Jesus) and evil (Satan).

Satan will muster His forces through the Antichrist and his earthly forces against the Lord, but he will not prevail. The Lord, coming with His angelic hosts and the resurrected Church will destroy this vast army of the nations that will come against Him.

Revelation 16:16 (NKJV)

“And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”

Revelation 19:19 (NKJV)

“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

Matthew 24:29–31 (NKJV)

““Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Psalm 145:5-9 (NIV)

5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor

and sing for joy on their beds.

6 May the praise of God be in their mouths

and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7 to inflict vengeance on the nations

and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with fetters,

their nobles with shackles of iron,

9 to carry out the sentence written against them—

this is the glory of all his faithful people.

Praise the Lord.

The Separation of the Sheep from the Goats – Matthew 25:31-46
This is the separation of the nations and their judgment for how they treated Israel during the Tribulation period. The sheep are believers and the goats are the non-believers.

The sheep will enjoy eternal life and will inherit the kingdom that Jesus will set up, and the goats to eternal punishment in Hell with the devil and his fallen angels.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
This is the celebration of the Church as the Bride of Christ and will take place just after Jesus returns to the earth. The Old Testament saints will be invited to enjoy this supper.

2 Corinthians 11:2 (NKJV)

“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

Revelation 19:6–9 (NKJV)

“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’”

The Kingdom Age and Millennial Reign of Christ
Following His return to earth, Jesus will reign for 1000 years on earth, from Jerusalem. This is the glorious Kingdom age foretold in many of the Old Testament prophecies. During this time, Satan is bound and put into the abyss along with his fallen angels.

The martyred believers from the tribulation will join the raptured church and together will rule and reign with Jesus for 1000 years. The believers from the Old Testament period will also be resurrected at the time of Jesus’ return.

Revelation 20:4 (NKJV)

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Satan is Released from the Abyss (Rev. 20:7-9)
At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be released to deceive the nations once again. People born during the 1000 years will need to make a choice about who they will follow. Some will choose God, and sadly others will reject Him.

Revelation 20:7–9 (NKJV)

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”

Great White Throne Judgement
There will be a judgment of all unbelievers before Jesus’ throne.

The books that contain the deeds of men are opened and the dead stand before God to be judged and if their names aren’t found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they are cast away forever into Hell.

Revelation 20:11–15 (NKJV)

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And

the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Destruction of Present Heavens & Earth
At the end of the judgement of men, the present earth and heavens will be destroyed by fire.

Matthew 24:35 (NKJV)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

2 Peter 3:3–7 (NKJV)

“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

The New Heaven, the New Earth, the New Jerusalem and Eternity
After the destruction of the old heaven and earth, God will provide the new created heaven and earth and all God’s children will live in eternity with Him and Jesus will rule as the Lord of Lords and the King of kings from the New Jerusalem!

Who knows what great works and blessings He has in store for us for eternity? No more tears, no more sickness, no more death!

Revelation 21:1–5 (NKJV)

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven

saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.””

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly

I pray that you would give be wisdom and discernment to recognise the signs of the End Times and that you would help me to prepare to be rapture ready. Strengthen my faith Lord to withstand and overcome all that the devil will throw at be during these times and fill me continually with your Holy Spirit and to be always dressed in the full armour of God! Let me always keep my eyes on Jess and not on the things that are happening in the world. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!

Idols of the Heart

 

What is idolatry?
Before we examine our topic let’s have a quick look at what idolatry is as it will set the tone of our examination of ourselves in respect to ‘Idols of the Heart.’

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘idolatry’ as something like this: “extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.”

From a Biblical perspective a Christian should only worship God in this way and no one or nothing else! God should have first place in everything in our heart in our soul, spirit and in every fibre of our being!

Exodus 20:3-5 (NKJV)

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them (or worship them). For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting (or punishing) the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

And we should love God in the same way!

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden man has been making carved images out of stone, wood and various metals and bowing down to them and worshipping them and making sacrifices to them both animal and human. Gods like Baal, Molech, Dagon, and the many Egyptian, Babylonian and Medean gods.

And in much the same way these practices are continued today in many modern forms of religion like Budhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Satanism and Islam. Even today man bows down to myriad of false gods created by their own hand and minds. Many Roman Catholics bow down and worship the Pope and bow down and pray to images and pictures of Mary and angels and the so-called saints of different things!

All these things man has used to replace the one true God within their lives and culture! God who is the creator of all things, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God considers this type of worship of false gods as rebellion against Him and this rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and our stubbornness to change, He considers to be iniquity (or sin – a wicked act) and idolatry

1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

As I have already stated, Idolatry has been part of man’s sinful nature ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Idolatry is evident in all tribes and nations in all recorded history and on all earth’s continents from the pyramids in Egypt to the pyramids in South America. From the stone statues on Easter Island to the Stonehenge in Wiltshire, United Kingdom and from the cave paintings in Africa to the cave paintings in North America.

Ancient idols come in all shapes and sizes and are made of various natural elements and shaped by man’s hands and vain imaginations.

Modern day idols come in different forms as well from money and possessions to humans in the form of Church and Community leaders and various other so called celebrities.

But all idols have one thing in common, they all come from one source – the devil!

An idol is something that a person devotes him or herself to or trusts in for so called self-satisfaction, happiness, security or a false sense of salvation. An idol is anything that is loved more than God and takes you away from worshipping God. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart, “If I have that I will be happy, my life will have meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.”

We will not find our purpose in life in idols of the heart or false religion, we will only find our purpose in life in Christ Jesus who is the giver of life, the bread of life the author of our salvation and perfecter of our faith. Our one and only provider is our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus. Only God knows what we need and what is truly good for us!

1 Chronicles 29 12 (NKJV)

Both riches and honor come from You,

And You reign over all.

In Your hand is power and might;

In Your hand it is to make great

And to give strength to all.

1 Samuel 2:8-9 (NKJV)

8 He raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,

To set them among princes

And make them inherit the throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

And He has set the world upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of His saints,

But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.

“For by strength no man shall prevail.

Matthew 6:26 (NKJV)

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Now, getting back to the main topic of this article:

What are the modern-day idols that we set up in our hearts, the things that we place before God and that draw us away from putting Him first in our lives?

Idolatry goes much deeper than bowing before carved statues of false gods.

Idolatry is found in a heart that loves and desires something more or other than God.

Idolatry of the heart is found in the person that is led by fleshly desires and not by the Holy Spirit.

John 3:6-7 (NIV)

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

Romans 8:5-8 (NIV)

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

The phrase “idols of the heart” comes to us from Ezekiel 14.

Ezekiel 14:4-8 (NKJV)

4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

In the above five verses God tells us that anything we put before our worship of Him and hold them in our hearts is idolatry and is something that He will not put up with and urges us to repent of these ‘idols of the heart’ and to return to Him wholeheartedly. He tells us exactly what happens to us when we hold on to these ‘idols of the heart’:

• They cause us to stumble into sin – verses 4 and 7.

• We become separated from God, we separate ourselves from Him – verses 5 and 8.

• All forms of idolatry is an abomination in the sight of God – verse 6.

• The Lord will deal with us himself – verse 7.

• God will set himself against us – verse 8.

• God will cut us off from Himself – verse 8.

God evaluates idolatry based upon the attitudes of the heart, not just the actions of the individual. God views heart idolatry to be as severe a sin as external idolatry – the worship of craven images and statues etc.

A person can maintain all the external features of faithful worship of God and still secretly carry in his heart a pantheon of false gods – some of these heart idols are shown in the above diagram but there are many more. If we carry idols in our hearts, then our hearts are far from God regardless of our outward appearance of faithfulness.

Matthew 15:8 (NKJV)

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

As born again Christians we need to examine our hearts and our motives for doing things! Would we rather watch a sporting event than study our Bible or go to a Church meeting at our local place of fellowship or a Home Group meeting?

Are we driven to strive for more money just to get a bigger bank balance or do we spend more time at work than we do with our families and with God? Are we driven by self gain and strive for recognition and position in the workplace, a striving that is all consuming?

Do we put our wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters or friends before our relationship with God? These relationships are all very important but none are more important than our relationship with God. Our relationships with each other should be first and foremost rooted in a strong relationship with God first!

Do we take our children to play sports on Sunday mornings rather than teaching them to put God first and go to Church so that everything else can fall into place? Do we please the cravings of their flesh which lasts only momentarily rather than teaching them to honour God, feeding their spirit which leads to eternal life rather than feeding their flesh which leads to death!

Matthew 6:33 (AMP)

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Do we put our ministry before our personal relationship with God? Don’t let anything come before your love of God and your personal relationship with him? And if you are a married Church leader – do not neglect your wife and family either for they are your calling too!

Dear readers, stop doing the things that prevent you from having a personal relationship with God and prevent you from having a Godly order in your life and in particular your marriage if you are a married leader!

The greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Mark 12:30 (NKJV)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Loving something more than God not only breaks the great commandment, but God also considers it to be idolatry as well. To love something more than God is to worship idols. The Apostle John warns us to keep away from idol worship that come in many shapes, forms and sizes!

1 John 5:21 (AMP)

Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart].

Luke 14:26 (NKJV)

26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Hate in the above verse is a purposely exaggerated figure of speech indicating that we should have a lesser degree of love for others than we have for God, not actual hostility or aversion toward one’s earthly family. We are still to love each other but our love for others should be rooted in our love for God first!

God knows your heart, you cannot hide anything from Him!

Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Psalm 139:13-16 (NKJV)

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NKJV)

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;

Who can know it?

10 I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give every man according to his ways,

According to the fruit of his doings.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father
I bow before you now and repent of the idols I have kept in my heart, forgive me Lord of this sin and help me to sin no more. Lord, help me to remain in you always. Lead me and guide me in my daily walk in the power of your Holy Spirit. When I slip, Lord, help me to return to you quickly with a true repentant heart as your servant David did. Help me to be a man/woman after your own heart that my lifestyle, my actions, and my speech may glorify the name of Jesus. Help me, Lord, to love others as you love me and to lead a Godly and ordered life, keeping my eyes always on Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit. Help me not to harbour idols in my heart, Lord and to keep you first in all things. In the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!

Jesus the Name above all names!

Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!