A CHALLENGE

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)


Bible teachers and theologians today argue over what signs are the right ones that signal the coming end. Some look to old calendars from long dead races, others to prophecies from so-called prophets who aren’t even godly. And each one thinks they have the end and the tribulation and the rapture figured out down to the day. But these teachers and leaders are corrupted, blinded to the real truth by their denominational glasses. They can’t see the real “signs of the times” because their denomination says what is right and wrong.

Denominations: (“Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc.”) are all manmade creeds set up by men. These men who began these things were trying to bring a group of people together under what they thought the Bible says. But, in the end, these teachings aren’t right with the Bible. These denominations explain away the cost of discipleship and the gifts of the Holy Ghost because of their inability to receive and do them. They kill walking in the gifts lined out in Corinthians 12 with an excuse, because they don’t understand it. They kill the cost of discipleship, which is giving all your life living holy and blameless to God, with it doesn’t matter, you can sin all day and God won’t hold it against you. Some think moving in the Spirit of God is generated when you feel “giddy” or excited, and they replace human emotion with the power of the Holy Spirit, which originates from God, not your emotions.

All these poisons inhibit their ability to warn you, lead you thru the traps and trials of the coming tribulation. And these leaders know this, so their attempt to get out of this is to explain away the tribulation. Most on TV and radio now will tell you, “You will be raptured out of here before it gets bad”. And the ever popular: “God doesn’t let his people go thru the judgment”. WRONG! Read your Bible for yourself, you will find not one instance where God delivered somebody before the trouble, before the persecution came.

Daniel went into the lion’s den
3 Hebrew boys went into the fire
Joseph went into prison
Jonah went into the whale’s belly

And the greatest witness of all, Jesus Christ, warned us we would suffer persecution, we would be delivered to the hands of sinful men, and to count it an honor and privilege to be treated this way! And one of the greatest signs of the coming end, the state of men’s hearts, are at the place where the end will come. Read the Bible for yourself, throw away what your denomination, your church creed, your section leader pastor says. Read and judge for yourself what is truth. And know this, God’s truth can stand against all manner of questioning and trying to tear it down. You cannot tear down the truth of God, but you can tear down manmade denominations and creeds. Get to the truth of God, before it is to late.

FREEDOM FROM THE OLD

The comparisons made in this letter indicate that the provisions of the Old Testament Mosaic law and the system of the Levitical priesthood were interdependent. Thus, when the priesthood was eliminated, the Mosaic law passed away also. The writer's summary is clear: "The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God" (Hebrews 7:18–19).

What does all this mean to us in our Christian lives, our Christian faith? Thankfully, it means that we do not stand under the shadow of those laws given through Moses. We do not stand under the shadow of the imperfections of the Old Testament Jewish priesthood and mediation. Instead, we stand in the light and authority of Jesus Christ. He is superior to all Old Testament priests. He has fulfilled the Law—dismissed it, if you will—by the institution of the new covenant based on a superior sacrifice.

This new covenant, sealed in the blood of Jesus, our Savior and Mediator, introduces for us a great spiritual freedom. We should rejoice daily. No one can lay the burden of the old law upon us—a law that Israel was unable to fulfill.

In his letter to the church in Galatia, Paul dealt with this very problem. He states the principle of God's grace and righteousness through faith with telling effect. He condemns those who followed the Galatian Christians around, trying to make Jews out of them. "Stand firm, then," he says, "and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. . . . You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Galatians 5:1, 4).

By A.W Tozer

HOW IS YOUR VINE TODAY?

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. (Song of Solomon 2:15)


Solomon here was speaking of something else in context, but I want you to think about his statement of “spoiling the vine”. This is such a powerful truth. How is your vine this morning?

He proposed the fact that something small, insignificant, could just as easily kill the precious life giving connection the grapes have to survive. When these grapes are cut off from the main branch or vine, no life giving nutrients can come to keep them living. I believe this can be applied to our Christian walk.

The bible teaches us that it is not the “big” top ten sins that so easily trap us. It is easy to see adultery, fornication, etc. coming at us. Unless you are far away from Jesus, those things are easily avoided. But what about hatred for someone? What about looking at that girl at work when she is in a provocative position? How long has it been since you have prayed till your eyes are filled with tears and your heart is broken? How long has it been since you have been to church and heard God speak to you?

I challenge you, look at your life right now. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. If you are beginning to feel bad right now, this message is for you. Before it is to late, get back in the vine. You can connect back to the life giving vine (Jesus Christ) while the door is open. There will come a time when the vine will be gone, and all opportunity to repent will be over. I beg you, don’t let Satan’s little foxes spoil your life and walk with God. Turn now, while you still can.

CHRIST OUR ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST

Long before the time of Moses and Aaron and the sons of Levi, the Genesis record notes the appearance of a mysterious yet compelling personality, Melchizedek. Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the most high God. When Abraham returned from the rescue of Lot, his nephew, he was greeted and blessed by Melchizedek. And Abraham gave to Melchizedek the tithe of all the goods he had recovered (Genesis 14:17–20).

The Genesis appearance of Melchizedek is brief and without explanation in Old Testament history. More information is offered by the writer to the Hebrews. When he notes that Melchizedek was "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life" (Hebrews 7:3), the writer simply was saying that Melchizedek had no "family tree," no genealogical records through which his origins could be traced. In short, we do not know where he came from.

Melchizedek is not mentioned again until Psalm 110. There he is referred to as the type of an eternal priest of God who would yet appear in Israel’s national development.