I am sorry that I have not sent your daily Scripture reading, or my
Morning Message for the past couple of days. I love to think of it as a short Sabbatical, but the truth is that I had some minor physical limitations, but more predominantly, some computer issues (which haven’t been completely resolved, but remains a work in progress).
But during my time, I have been considering things happening in our world, but more importantly, our Lord’s Church. There is already the beginnings of a great delusion and falling away taking place, and it is very disheartening to see in a church I have been active in for many years. Friendships that were once dear, are now distant and very strained.
I realize that Paul warned us that times like these would come, but to witness in my own life if difficult. Remember what Paul wrote?
Let no one deceive you in any way, for a day will come where many who have professed to be Christians have fallen away from the faith (II Thessalonians 2:3)
but to actually see Churches embracing the lies and “wisdom” of the world; where the church views the desires of the world over the Authority of Scripture. We are not hear to make everyone feel comfortable with their sin, but to see their sin, and cry out for forgiveness and deliverance! As Charles Spurgeon encouraged us, “If the Lord gives you the grace to make you believe, he will give you the grace to live a holy life afterward.” Even Tozer found that “Christianity has been watered down until the solution is so weak that if it were poison it would not hurt anyone, and if it were medicine it would not cure anyone!”
Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to guide us into “all the truth” (John 16:13). But where do we find this truth? Obviously, first place we need to look in in the Word of God, the Bible. Jesus prayed:
Sanctify them, purify them, consecrate them, and separate them for Yourself; make them holy by the Truth; Your Word is Truth! John 17:17
If you have spent any time studying and searching the Scriptures you will know that there is ‘truth” in all kind things in our natural world. But, Jesus was speaking of truth from a completely different realm.
You see, our God’s truth does reveal facts about our physical realm, but I contend they are supported, or in fact, originated in the light of the spiritual. I have once heard this concept called: the Dual Realities. Basically, the idea of the Dual Realities that in the Scriptures and in the New Testament, physical things are often a shadow of something spiritual and if we have spent any time at all in Church, we have heard this term shadow used to describe many Old Testament things that Jesus eventually transformed into something of a higher order. But, what exactly does that mean — a shadow of something that is to come?
Well, think about it. A shadow is an outline of something, without all the details filled in. I am not saying that a shadow is not real because it certainly is not a mirage or an optical illusion. But, it is less real than the object that creates the shadow.
No, I am not trying to present some esoteric wisdom or anything, so let me try to explain this in a way that will help clarify what I am trying to say . . . pretend I am standing outside in the sun. I look on the sidewalk and there is my shadow. I am real and the shadow is real. But, I am the source of the shadow, I am the complete original and the shadow is arepresentation of me, that is incomplete. It doesn’t have any animation or power of its own; it doesn’t have life, and is stuck in absolute lockstep with me. My shadow is 100% dependent on my existence. If the sun quits shining, my shadow ceases to exist. But I can still exist, right? Whether the sun goes down or I go inside, my shadow disappears, but I‘mstill here! Now, if I cease to exist, it is impossible for there to be a shadow of me. So, I‘m preeminent; I‘m greater than my shadow; I‘m not a manifestation of my shadow, my shadow is an inferior manifestation of me. The shadow doesn’t cause me, I cause the shadow.
I am sorry for being so redundant, but like I said, it is easy to put into words, but difficult to understand. But when the physical and the spiritual attributes of something existsimultaneously, we must understand that the spiritual came first and is always preeminent. The spiritual is unlimited in its attributes and operates in a number of dimensions. All of us know that our entire Universe only consists of 4-dimensions: length, width, depth, and time. And, the physical can only partially mimic or reveal its spiritual counterpart. Which means that the physical is inferior to the spiritual!
The creation of humans is a fairly obvious example of this. Humans are simultaneously creatures that consist of the material and the immaterial: the physical and the spiritual. What I am saying is that each of us, you me and our neighbors are 4-dimensional beings. We are physical, we are certainly visible, and and we are subject to time, but we also have an invisible property as well! The Bible calls this invisible property soul and spirit. I have often stated that we are a spirit, that lives in physical bodies and possess a soul which comprise our intellect and emotions.
The ancient Hebrew sages point out that Yahweh formed Adam from the dust of the ground, but He created the Universe from nothing. So, we were created from something; something physical — dirt. Yet, in on top of that, Yahweh put the breath of life into His man, and put into him a soul and spirit which was not physical — it was spiritual. So, whether we are willing to admit it or not, we are a prime example of the Dual Realities. We are both spiritual and physical. Unfortunately, too many believers only consider our physical limitations as being the ultimate reality we live with.
Now, what we find in the Scriptures is that we are to take the Word of God, which is to be believed and the instructions followed, and follow the guidance and direction of the Spirit of God. He presents the Truth we must live by; it is a matter of divine authority. This wisdom comes to us from the voice and the hand of Yahweh — which we discover in the Scriptures. They contain the absolute standard of truth that is always right and the ultimate standard that is perfect and complete.
Oh sure, He could have communicated His Truths all kinds of ways, but as believers we accept a personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us directly. We are able to rely on His power for knowledge and motivation. We are not to look for signs from the Lord to nudge us in the right way. We don’t look to some accident or a strange event, roll our eyes toward Heaven and say, “Are you trying to tell me something?” Dear Lord, my brothers and sisters, we are not guided, like Pavlov’s dog, by a system of rewards and punishments, or by Astrology, or rolling animal bones. No, no! Those of us who profess to be children of God, are led by His Spirit! (Romans 8:14).
You are not going to discover His wisdom and guidance through any natural means or even on your own! As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:
However, we do use wisdom to speak to those who are mature. It is a wisdom that doesn’t belong to this world or to the rulers of this world who are in power today and gone tomorrow. We speak about the mystery of God’s wisdom. It is a wisdom that has been hidden, which God had planned for our glory before the world began. Not one of the rulers of this world has known it. If they had, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory (I Corinthians 2:6-13)
So, quit looking around at your circumstances to determine what the Lord’s will is for your life! Don’t roll the dice and hope you will discover whether the Lord wants you take this job or follow take that course of study. Quit relying on the wisdom of the world to determine your choices. Quit looking to what the headlines proclaim or what public opinion is. We are not here to please the world to be save the world. We are ambassadors of our King’s Kingdom, and it will offend and insult the pride of humanity.
Nickolas
(I send out messages like this each morning in emails, and if you are interested in receiving them, send me your email address and I will add you to the list:
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With these Morning Messages, I take you on guided tours to, as Bunyan described, the Celestial City. At times we linger at corners familiar and unseen. And explore the depths of our faith along the way.
The trail is long, but there’s no hurry. Though we do need to stock up on supplies for the way, and that’s where I need your help. If you enjoy these messages, please consider becoming a contributing member of this tour group. It will be very much appreciated.
NTEB is run by end times author and editor-in-chief Geoffrey Grider. Geoffrey runs a successful web design company, and is a full-time minister of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to running NOW THE END BEGINS, he has a dynamic street preaching outreach and tract ministry team in Saint Augustine, FL.
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Joel 3:16