If God was to open all of our eyes (spiritual) and we saw what was the reality of our existence and condition, it would no doubt alter the way we think, act, and live. I can’t explain all why God has it laid out like this....all I know is I can trust Him, be confident of His love for me, and the whole world, given He wants no one to perish but for all to come to repentance. He also made a way in which ‘all men might be saved’. (2 Pet. 3:9; John 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4).
The sad news is...more will reject His plan of salvation, than embrace it. (John 3:19-20; John 6:66; Matt. 7:19-20; 2 Tim. 4:3; Matt. 23:37). But that does not stop Him from reaching out which He continues to do today. He came to light our way with His truth. We are told that the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who are perishing, but when we turn to Jesus, those blinders are removed. (2 Cor. 4:3; 3:16)
I would again like to attempt to ‘sketch out a picture’ of what I am confident the bible supports; with accompanying scriptures to back up. And may I again remind you, I am merely pointing out the abundance of scriptures for you to read yourself as to what Your bible actually makes known. I could not make this up.
Because sin entered the world, this place fell under the dominion of Satan who ruled this world with his host of fallen angels and demon spirits. We are told this whole world is under his influence and power. He is the prince of the air and he and his minions, the powers of darkness, have had mankind held in bondage and captivity. They are, in effect, the wrath of God that fell upon us all since all had sinned. What was the mission of Jesus? To come and to seek and to save the lost and lead them out of bondage and captivity. He came to set captives free.
Imagine if you will, being a prisoner in some primitive camp deep in the jungle of another country having zero hope of ever being rescued. Those who held you captive were the epitome of evil and wickedness and were plotting ways in which to add to your painful misery and horror with a gruesome death by torture. Then one day, your rescuer appears and releases you from your cage or place of captivity. It is the first time in years you have walked outside the small confines of this prison that had you bound for so long. You are elated and hopeful of maybe one day returning home to see your family after all these years of imprisonment.
Your rescuer makes it known to you that it is critical for you follow him closely. It’s not like he eradicated or destroyed your captors...his plan is to deal with them at a later time. For now, even though you have been ‘released’, you are not home yet; and listening, following, and obeying will be life or death for you. Have you been freed? Yes. But you are just beginning this journey back home...you are not there yet.
It is told to you by the one leading you out of the darkness and suffering in which you endured, that the path you will be taking is narrow and dangerous. There is much danger and evil lurking in the shadows as you traverse narrow mountain passes and jungles filled with ravenous beast, not to mention your captors who are in pursuit. But your liberator assures you as long as you do as he says, no harm will befall you. Should you stray from the path thinking you have a better idea on how to get home quicker, you will surely be destroyed.
[ Rev. 12:9; 1 John 5:19; Eph. 2:2-3; Rom. 3:23; John 3:36; 2 Tim. 2:26; Acts 26:18; Luke 4:18; John 3:17 Luke 19:10; John 10:27; Heb. 5:9; Matt. 24:13; Heb. 2:1, 4:1; Prov. 16:7; Ps. 91:1-13; Luke 10:19-20; Matt. 7:13-14; Acts 3:22-23]
That, in a nutshell, is a ‘sketch’ of what this walk of salvation is all about. You may have experienced some new ‘freedom’ when you first turned your heart towards Jesus, but this was only the beginning, not the end. As I’ve said before, analogies and such can be flawed, but can still serve a purpose.
This world is crawling with demonic activity, demon spirits that are bent on destruction, stealing, killing, and destroying. They are agents of God’s wrath. (Ps. 78:49). God does not have a problem with them. We do. And unless we meet the conditions of this gift of salvation and truly surrender our whole heart to Jesus, it will not end well for us. Unless you repent, you will perish. (Luke 13:1-5). And just as Moses warned them back in Deuteronomy to be on guard lest their hearts lead them astray, the message is clear and the same today. It can happen to us...and has happened on a large scale given we are living in a time of what Paul refers to as the ‘falling away’ from the faith. (2 Thes.2:3). And just like in the days of Noah, where sin abounded and a flood of destruction was unleashed on the earth...so will it be prior to the return of Jesus who told us this exact thing. (Matt. 24:37-40).
But this time, it will not be a flood of water. It will be worse. It is the horrors of hell being released on the earth...a spiritual flood of sorts to sweep people away. (Isa. 59:19). Many of the OT prophets described this day, likening God’s wrath being poured out like ‘fire and flood’. And the only ones who will withstand this onslaught of spiritual destruction are those who are abiding in the ‘ark’ who is Christ. You might review Matt. 7:24-27 to see which house withstood this ‘flood’ of attack...it’s the ones who are not just hearers of the word, but doers.
And what is probably the most tragic part of this drama that is sure to unfold (and already is)...is how many will never even see it until it’s too late, just like in the days of Noah. (Luke 17:27; Matt. 24:39; Dan. 12:9-10; Isa. 42:25)
Does all this sound so dramatic and ‘out there’? Yeah...pretty much. In fact, it sounds so ‘out there’ that our senses immediately tell us there is no way there could be any truth to this. I mean, after all...if what I am sharing with you was anywhere close to being legitimate, then a lot more folks and churches would be talking about it. We’ve been conditioned to reject such seemingly isolated cries of warnings like this. I get it. But I will continue to blow this trumpet.
This path that Jesus leads us on is a pathway of peace. (Luke 1:79) Isaiah referred to it as the ‘highway of holiness’.(Isa. 35:8) as well as being led forth with peace. (Isa. 55:12). It is this abiding peace that guides us.(Col. 3:15). And how is it that we are able to walk in such peace even in the midst of a stormy, dark world? God sets His hedge around us as we abide in Him. (Matt. 21:33; Job.1:9-10; John 14:27) It is a peace that surpasses all human understanding.(Phil. 4:7)
But despite what you may hear from false teaching, we cannot walk in this place of peace if we have yet to surrender our whole heart to Him. As one who thought he had it before, I can assure you it is a world of difference between His genuine, abiding peace, and that ‘false peace’ that the prophets warned us about. (Deut.29:19; Jer. 23:17; 1 Thess. 5:2-4)
It is important to realize, that despite God’s loving warnings to us, many will still reject His offer of salvation to escape the wrath that is on the earth today and will only increase.(Rom. 1:18) I only point you to a few passages that speak of those having loved this world more, and the darkness that inhabits it- 2 Tim. 4:10; John 3:19-20; 6:66.
Something else we should make note of: When God wants to get our attention, or ‘chasten’ us, He does it by lowering the hedge, so to speak. When we step out of this path, allowing our hearts to drift, or stray, or yield to temptation, we lose our peace. God does this because He loves us and freely admits it is not a pleasant or joyful experience. (Heb. 12:6-10). And, in a worst case scenario, His judgements come about when He ‘lowers the hedge’ and allows the ‘enemy to come in like a flood’. (Isa 59:19). For an even more dramatic reading, go spend some time reading Isaiah 5. And take your time with that one.
I posted recently about how God for sure will test the hearts of His people. (1 Thess. 2:4; Deut. 8:2; Prov. 17:3; Jer. 20:12). Why He even tested Jesus’s heart as well. (Luke 4). And guess who God ‘allows’ to test our hearts? Yep...the ‘tempter’. (James 1:2-4, 12-16). And in the process of these ‘tests’, our flesh, or old man, is put to death as we ‘suffer in the flesh’ when we demonstrate to God that we love Him more...than whatever the tempter offers up to us. But we don’t overcome or pass these tests alone. God provides enough grace to stand in the time of testing so that we can overcome the wicked one who has to flee when we resist him. You think those three Hebrew boys survived that fiery furnace test on their own? Absolutely not. In fact, King Nebuchadnezzar looked in and who did he see was in there with them? (Daniel 3) (Heb. 2:18, 4:14-16).
So when Peter warns us to be vigilant and alert because of a roaming enemy (1 Pet. 5:8-10), he speaks from experience, having been tested in/near the fire himself. (Luke 22:32-32)
Paul wrote that we are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes. (2 Cor. 2:11). God willing, we will discuss those tomorrow.
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