Servanthood

Philippians 5:11 ……… Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Without a heart to serve others we cannot live a Christ-like lifestyle. To reach others with the reality of Jesus we must be prepared to serve them.

A minister of the gospel is not only someone who preaches from the pulpit; a true minister is simply one who serves others.

Jesus laid aside His deity and came to earth to show us the way to absolute victory in life and a prerequisite of that victorious life is to serve.

A major part of The Way Christian Ministries’ (TheWayCM) Training for Life course (TFL) is to develop a heart to serve within and among our trainees. To do this the lifestyle that we aim to live should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Our TFL course aims to develop the whole person. It is an holistic course. Why not consider coming along for a two weeks ‘sampler’ or a ten weeks semester; for details see: http://www.thewaycm.com/tfl.html.

You may even want to consider coming on a mission with us. There is a mission opportunity at the end of each ten weeks semester. We will be going to Andhra Pradesh in Southern India at the end of the first semester 2009, for the first two weeks in December.

At TheWayCM we believe in ‘doing the word’. Wherever your mission-field is; your own home, your neighbourhood or the other side of the world, if you have a Christ-like attitude to serving others, you will be to them the tangible gospel that they can see, hear, taste, smell and touch. Jesus plainly told us in Matthew chapter 25 verse 40 that if we do this for others, we do it for Him.

Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching us by example. Amen

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSmkvILPO0k&feature=channel_page

What is Faith?

’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered... ‘I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ Mark 11:22, 24

What is faith? The Bible says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen....Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone that comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

Faith that saves you is believing in God and in His Son Jesus Christ and asking Christ into your life. The opposite of faith is unbelief — you choose not to believe in God.

True faith in God means you not only believe in God, but you also trust and obey Him. God is wonderful and loving and kind; how can we not trust our very lives to Him? He is worthy to receive our praise and adoration and love. If you trust someone, you do not doubt or question them but you believe that they are who they say they are. We can trust God as the creator of the universe and as our loving heavenly Father who sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us.

If you are tempted to doubt, rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ. When Jesus was tempted, He resisted and He quoted scripture. You should study the Bible, the Word of God. The Bible says “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” So God’s Word the Bible in your heart can help you grow in faith.

So this week, let us pray and ask God to

• Give us strong faith so that we may always love and trust in Him
• Pour out His spirit and help us reach 1 million people a day with the gospel
• Bless financially all our partners
• Keep from evil and fill with His Holy Spirit all our Global Media Outreach staff

THANK YOU so much for your prayers.

May God bless you,

God Is Unconstitutional

Is there anything wrong with declaring that we believe in God as our protector in our official documents?

This week, God was declared unconstitutional by a judge in the state of Kentucky.

Can you believe that? It was determined that God was a "religion" to be avoided in all state documents.

Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate ruled that references to a dependence on "Almighty God" in the law that created the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security is akin to establishing a religion, which both the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions prohibit. Ten Kentucky residents and a national atheist group sued to have the reference stricken.

The judge wrote in the 18-page ruling: "The statute pronounces very plainly that current citizens of the Commonwealth cannot be safe, neither now, nor in the future, without the aid of Almighty God."

Wingate interpreted this statement as forcing citizens to depend on God. Because of that interpretation he ruled the statute unconstitutional.

Forcing citizens to depend on God? Is that true and is there anything wrong with declaring that we believe in God as our protector in our official documents?

The Kentucky state office of Homeland Security was created after the 9/11 attacks. In the intervening years there have been two amendments to the law. One required that training materials must emphasize a "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth." The other called for a plaque to be placed at the entrance to the state's Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort stating, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

This language was added in 2006 by State Representative and Church of Christ pastor Tom Riner.

He has steadfastly refused to change the language in the law, declaring that he would not water down the principle in order to win over the atheists who filed the lawsuit.

Representative Riner stated in defense of the current wording: "This is no small matter, the understanding that God is real." He went on to say, "There are real benefits to acknowledging Him. There was not a single founder or framer of the Constitution who didn't believe that."

United States history is clear in showing that the founding fathers looked to God—the Supreme Creator and Protector of human life—for their support and defense. Our nation is currently in the process of distancing itself from the creator God, who promises great blessings for obedience, including our protection.

The Bible tells us that when a people reject the knowledge of God then they will get what they asked for – a society from which God removes Himself. That means a society that no longer has His protection or His blessings. The prophet Hosea writes "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge I will also reject you…" (Hosea 4:6) It is the knowledge of the true God that people are rejecting today.

Considering all the tragic events that have occurred within our country in the past few years, one must wonder if we haven't given up our title as "one nation, under God"…and along with the title … the blessings and protection.

Can You Know God's Plan?

Only a few realize that these biblical festivals are a teaching tool God uses to reveal His plan.

In early October my wife and I will join thousands of other Christians in a weeklong celebration. We'll gather at locations from Argentina to Australia, from Canada to Cameroon, from Malawi to Mexico, in a biblical observance that's been around for at least 3,400 years.

Although it will be a family time, with lots of family activities, greeting old friends and making new ones, our primary focus will be on learning more about God. We'll hear a number of biblically oriented messages and presentations addressing what God is doing—right now, in the near future and throughout the history of mankind.

The celebration in which we'll be participating is the biblical Feast of Tabernacles. Most who identify themselves as Christian have never heard of it. Although this feast is mentioned several times in the Bible, many have probably read right over the words with it never registering.

Yet Jesus Christ Himself observed this Feast, even risking death at the hands of His enemies to travel to Jerusalem to keep it (John 7:1-14). The apostle Paul thought God's festivals so important that he left the fledgling church in Ephesus, telling them, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem" (Acts 18:21).

So why has so much of Christianity ignored the biblical festivals? Most take the position that these celebrations were only for the Jewish people or ancient Israelites—though God Himself proclaimed them "the feasts of the Lord" and said, "These are My Feasts" (Leviticus 23:2, emphasis added throughout). God tells us they are His feasts, not those of some particular cultural, religious or ethnic group.

Some think these have no relevance at all to Christians. Yet the apostle Paul, using language plainly showing he was referring to another of God's biblical feasts, told the mostly non-Jewish Christians in Corinth, "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8).

Are we missing out on a message from God? Yes. By ignoring His biblically mandated celebrations and observances, we have lost sight of what God is doing.

Only a few realize that these biblical festivals are a teaching tool God uses to reveal the great plan He is working out with human beings here below. For example, the first of God's annual festivals is the Passover, when God directed that a lamb be slain (Exodus 12:3-14; Leviticus 23:4-5). What did this signify?

John the Baptist recognized that Jesus was "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29)—making it possible for us to be saved from eternal death. Paul understood that Christ was "our Passover, [who] was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7).

The first and most foundational step in God's plan of salvation, "foreordained before the foundation of the world," was that we could be redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18-20). Similarly, God's other festivals go on to reveal the other major steps in His great plan through which He is working with mankind.

In this issue we examine how God's feasts reveal how He will at last bring about the kind of world for which man has always hoped and dreamed—a world in which suffering will be no more.

Visit our Web site at www.ucg.org/feast if you'd like to learn more about the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles. Perhaps we'll see you there!

Cash for Clunkers: Worth the Price?

The "Cash for Clunkers" program may have helped sell some cars, but one thing's for sure: the energy problems aren't going to be magically erased by this government program.

So did you cash in your clunker? Or are you still clunking? Nearly one half million gas-hogging cars were traded in under the government's "Cash for Clunkers" program, which ended Monday night.

It worked like this: if your car got below a certain mileage in fuel usage, the government subsidized the sale and replacement of your old clunker, with a new, more fuel efficient model. The subsidy came in at $3,500 or $4,500 per car, and it generated lots of interest in car dealers' showrooms.

By some estimates, the average mileage per gallon of "clunkers" turned in was 15.8, while the replacement vehicles yielded a "greener" average 25 mpg. But the effects of the now-ended program are debated.

For one, the removal of the clunkers from the road has had the effect of pushing up used car prices, which of course impacts poorer drivers. Also, car dealers reported that most of the new cars purchased under the program were imported brands, while about 80% of the "clunkers" were domestic branded automobiles.

What's more, even counting the more than 460,000 fat cars now out of commission, that's barely a dent in the total 136 million cars on the roads of the United States. And with a total price tag to the government of $3 billion. Oh, well, with the federal deficit this year now estimated at around $1.6 trillion, I suppose we can just "put it on the tab."

It may have helped sell some cars, but one thing's for sure: the energy problems aren't going to be magically erased by this government program. With much of our imported oil now coming from unstable parts of the world, and a tight world market for hydrocarbons expected for years ahead, we can expect the cost of running a car to remain high—clunker or no clunker!

Europe and the Church, Part 7: Charlemagne, Father of Modern Europe

Over three centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, was crowned by the pope in the year 800. The second mountain "on which the woman sits" (Revelation 17:9) was set to inspire Europeans for centuries, including those behind today's European Union.

He may have been crowned over 1,200 years ago, but Charlemagne still inspires people. The people of his capital city of Aachen, the spiritual and political capital of Western Europe 1,200 years ago, each year present the Charlemagne Prize to the person who has contributed the most to the fulfillment of the present-day goal of European unity. This coveted award was named after the man who is considered the founder of Western culture.

Readers of the British newsmagazine The Economist see his name every week at the end of the European news section. "Our weekly column on the European Union is named after one of the continent's early unifiers: Charlemagne, born in 742 and crowned first Holy Roman Emperor in 800," states the magazine's Web site.

This column about the development of the EU's "ever closer union" illustrates the link between Charlemagne's medieval empire and today's EU.

Charlemagne is a towering figure in European history. Crowned by the pope on Dec. 25 in the year 800, his dream of a united Catholic Europe, a revival of the Roman Empire, still inspires millions of Europeans today.

After Justinian

Following the death of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in 565 (see part 6 of this series in the November 2008 issue), the reunited empire again fell apart. For a brief moment, the "two legs" of West and East had been brought together once again under the leadership of one emperor, but after his death "the imperial restoration" crumbled.

The Eastern Empire, ruled from Constantinople, continued to decay until 1453 when it fell to the invading Turks, one of the monumental events that led to the creation of our modern world.

In the West, the empire fragmented into warring kingdoms and tribes. Eventually, a powerful kingdom rose in the West, the kingdom of the Franks, ruled by the Merovingian kings. Founded by Chlodio in A.D. 427, their most famous monarch was Clovis (481-511), who was baptized a Catholic on Christmas Day in 496 along with 3,000 of his warriors.

Clovis's baptism makes him the first Catholic king of the dynasty. The distinctive mark of authority of these dynastic kings was long hair, from which they believed they received their great power.

In 751 the dynasty was overthrown in a palace coup that was inspired by the pope. Replacing the last of the Merovingians, Childeric III, was Pepin the Short, the first monarch of the Carolingian dynasty.

Pope Stephen II (752-757) later commanded that the last Merovingian king's long hair be ritually shorn. He then ended his days in a monastery. However, the bloodline of the Merovingians survived through marriage, in the line of the dukes of Hapsburg-Lorraine. The Hapsburgs ruled Austria for centuries until 1918 and remain a powerful European family to this day.

The Carolingian dynasty

The name of the new dynasty derived from Pepin's father, Charles (Carolus) Martel, who had served his king as mayor of the palace before Pepin. Charles was known as "The Hammer" for his defeat of the Saracens at the Battle of Tours in October 732. This famous battle stopped the advancing Muslims from conquering the whole of Europe after their subjugation of most of Spain. In celebration of the Frankish victory, the bakers of nearby Paris created the croissant, shaped like the Islamic symbol of the crescent moon.

Thanks to this victory, the Franks were seen as the greatest power in the West and the saviors of Western civilization against Islam. The papacy was deeply grateful, long since having given up on the decaying power of Constantinople to the East. The Catholic Church now looked to the Carolingians as their protector.

The next threat to the Catholic Church came from the Germanic Lombards who were occupying much of Italy and wanted the rest, including the temporal Papal States ruled from Rome. When the Lombards threatened Rome, Pope Stephen II crossed the Alps seeking Pepin's winter camp to request assistance. He personally anointed and crowned Pepin as king and blessed his sons and heirs, thereby establishing a close relationship between church and state that was to continue after Pepin.

Pepin responded positively to the pope's request and defeated the Lombards, granting the conquered territory to the pope as a gift that became known as the "Donation of Pepin."

Following Pepin's death in 768, his sons Carloman and Charles succeeded to the throne. In 771 Carloman died under mysterious circumstances, and Charles became sole ruler.

At age 27, Charles was a commanding figure. He was at least a foot above average height at 7 feet, stately and dignified, warmhearted and charitable. He spoke a form of Old High German. He was well known for his zeal and devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. His goal was to reestablish the political unity of Western Europe, an area that had been largely fragmented and divided since the fall of the Western Empire.

During the following three decades, Charles the Great (Charlemagne) fought 18 campaigns against the last remaining stronghold of paganism, the German Saxons. In 804 the defeated tribes of Saxons were forcibly Christianized and incorporated into Charlemagne's empire.

During his long reign, Charlemagne conducted 53 military expeditions in wars against 12 different nations, thereby uniting by conquest most of Western Europe.

When the Lombards again threatened Rome and the papacy in 772, Charles received an urgent appeal for help from Pope Adrian I. Defeating the Lombards in 774, Charles became master of Italy. Charles took the title Rex Francorum et Longobardorum atque Patricius Romanorum ("King of the Franks and Lombards and Patrician of the Romans"). The Iron Crown of the Lombards became one of the great symbols of Europe and was to be used by many European sovereigns, including Napoleon over a thousand years later.

Charles had now united Italy for the first time in centuries. He donated even more territory to the papacy. The monarchy of the Franks and the papacy were now partners in the defense of Western civilization!

"What Charles was not prepared to do was yield to the pope any degree of political preeminence. He had responded as a dutiful son to the [pope's] appeal. He had invested an enormous amount of energy and time in disposing once and for all Rome's enemies. But he was determined to set his own agenda. He would not be dictated to by the pope, no matter what spiritual arm-twisting the latter might try to use.

"In this nascent Christian empire claims were already being made, and questions posed, about the balance of spiritual and temporal power. On the one side was the authority claimed by Hadrian and succeeding popes to dictate, in the name of God, even to kings and emperors. On the other was the divine sanction that Charlemagne and his heirs asserted as men exercising rule under God in all the affairs of their subjects...The first round of this contest, which was destined to run for centuries, was clearly won by Charles" (Derek Wilson, Charlemagne, 2006, p. 42).

Charlemagne's relationship with the papacy was clearly an uneven one and set the tone for centuries, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Revelation 17:1-2: "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters [the false church], with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication..."

Unlike a marriage, where a husband and wife give themselves to each other in a committed and lasting relationship, fornication is based on each partner trying to get, seeking his or her own advantage! So it has been in the relationship between church and state in Europe for most of the last 2,000 years.

Emperor of the Romans

In 795 Pope Leo III was given protection by Charlemagne after accusations of adultery, perjury and simony (attempting to buy one's way into religious office) were made against him. In November 800 Charlemagne presided over the trial in Rome. After swearing his innocence on a copy of the Gospels, Pope Leo was cleared and reinstated on Dec. 23.

On the same day an emissary of the caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid, arrived in Rome carrying keys to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The keys were presented to Charlemagne, thereby symbolizing the caliph's recognition of him as the protector of the Christian holy places in the Holy Land, now under the caliph's rulership.

Remaining in Rome, the king of the Franks attended a nativity service on Christmas Day, two days later. The central event of the Middle Ages was about to take place! As Charles knelt before the altar in worship, there was a hush throughout the church. As the king rose from prayer, the pope turned suddenly and placed a golden crown on his head, proclaiming him Imperator Romanorum, "Emperor of the Romans."

More than three centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, the West once again had its own emperor!

The idea of a united Western and Catholic Roman Empire had been revived. Once again, a Roman Caesar reigned, only this time he was of Germanic origin! The foundation of the medieval Holy Roman Empire had been laid. Charlemagne was a German inspired by the spirit of ancient Rome. A close relationship between Germany's leaders and the papacy had begun and would continue down to modern times.

Edward Gibbon, looking down the long corridor of history, insisted: " Europe dates a new era from [Charlemagne's] restoration of the Western empire" (quoted by Derek Wilson, p. 82).

Charlemagne's empire was the second of the "seven mountains on which the woman sits" (Revelation 17:9). Because he was crowned by the pope, the people saw him as having been crowned by God. The implication was that the pope had the authority to give power and to take it away. This was to lead to much conflict between church and state throughout Western Europe in the centuries that followed. For a while following the coronation of Charlemagne, the two were joint sovereigns of the world!

In 803 Charlemagne had the words "Renovatio Romani Imperii" ("Renewal of the Roman Empire") stamped on his official seal. Charlemagne began organizing his empire on the Roman model, setting a precedent for future European monarchs down to the 20th century.

In 812 he received recognition from the Eastern Roman Emperor Michael I. The two halves of the empire were equal. However, the relationship between East and West was never to be the same again (see sidebar "The Making of Emperor and Empire").

But the power of Charlemagne's empire was not to last. On Jan. 28, 814, Charlemagne died at the age of 71. He was succeeded by his weak and ineffectual son Louis, who reigned until 840. Following Louis's death, the empire was racked by civil war as Louis's three sons fought among themselves. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 divided the empire into three parts, and Western Europe fell into warring feudal states.

The second imperial restoration had fallen! More were to follow.

Faith

Hebrews 11:1 ........ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Faith is powerful and active. Faith is awesome. This passage from Hebrews chapter 11 tells us that if we believe we have what we hope for, even although we cannot see it, we will have the substance, the elements; the tangible reality of it.

This supernatural provision from God all hinges on the dynamic of divine faith and that means that we http://thegist.weebly.com/ have heard God speak to us on the matter. Faith comes by hearing from God (Romans 10:17).

We have already talked previously of what it means to live by faith. The essence of this requires that we are constantly in dialogue with God in the same way that Jesus taught us to live.

In The Way Christian Ministries God is our provider for everything. As long as we are in God’s will, doing what He tells us, He will provide all that is necessary. Although we believe this, it requires us to hold fast, not wavering through unbelief, to be fully persuaded that God will be faithful to do what He has promised (Romans 4:20).

God manifests His supernatural provision through natural channels. He uses people to distribute His wealth. Real people with real hands to distribute real money, people like you and me. That can be a faith challenge. Often our giving can require just as much faith as our faith to believe we will receive what God has promised.

Faith is outworked in the natural. We can see the evidence of it with our eyes, we can touch it. However, we have to see it, smell it, touch it, hear it and taste it in the spirit first before it becomes a reality.

As Christians we are God’s catalysts for faith both in the provision and in the receiving. The kingdom of God is all about faith from first to last (Romans 1:17). Therefore we are called to live by faith.

Has God challenged you to believe for the ‘impossible’? Has God challenged you to provide for the ‘impossible’? Has God challenged you to do the ‘impossible’?

Live the dream; by faith all things are possible.

Thank you Jesus, you have taught us to live by faith. Amen

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySkGcOzPqwk&feature=channel_page

God is the source of our life

God is the source of our life. “In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men.”

If you have asked Jesus Christ into your heart and life to be your Savior, then you have the life of Christ in your life. What does this mean? It means that God Himself, through the Holy Spirit in the person of Jesus Christ, now lives in you. God is the source of all good things — of life, of love, of peace, of joy, of happiness. You can ask Christ to live His life through you -- “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

God gave life to plants and all living things. He fills the earth with beauty and with trees, and birds, and flowers and animals. He gave life to mankind and He is the source of our life. But best of all, in Jesus Christ we have the promise of eternal life — of living forever as God’s children in Heaven with Jesus Christ. When we accept Christ as Savior, we are born again spiritually — we have new life. And when our bodies die, we will go to heaven to be with God forever. This is not because of our own good deeds — it is because our sins are forgiven and we have asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.

So, this week, let us pray and

• Thank God that He is our life and the source of our life.
• Ask God to help millions of people find Christ and the gift of eternal life through our websites
• Ask God to raise up many churches to join with us to help follow up new believers
• Ask God to protect and provide for Global Media Outreach and our staff team

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. We are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ together with all who have accepted Jesus. It is a privilege to partner together with you as we try to give everyone on earth many chances to accept Jesus Christ.

May God bless you,

The Tenth Commandment: True Righteousness Comes From the Heart

The last of the Ten Commandments—against coveting—is aimed directly at the heart and mind of every human being. In prohibiting coveting, it defines not so much what we must do but how we should think. It asks us to look deep within ourselves to see what we are on the inside.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exodus 20:17).

As with each of the previous nine commandments, it is directed toward our relationships. It specifically deals with the thoughts that threaten those relationships and can potentially hurt ourselves and our neighbors.

Our motives define and govern the way we respond to everyone we come in contact with. Our transgressions of God's law of love begin in the heart, as Jesus confirmed. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness," Christ said. "All these evil things come from within and defile a man" (Mark 7:21-23).

Therefore, it is fitting that the formal listing of these 10 foundational commands, which define the love of God, should end by focusing on our hearts as the wellspring of our relationship problems. From within come the desires that tempt us and lead us astray.

What is covetousness?

Covet means to crave or desire, especially in excessive or improper ways. The Tenth Commandment does not tell us that all of our desires are immoral. It tells us that some desires are wrong.

Coveting is an immoral longing for something that is not rightfully ours. That is usually because the object of our desire already belongs to someone else. But coveting can also include our wanting far more than we would legitimately deserve or that would be our rightful share. The focus of the Tenth Commandment is that we are not to illicitly desire anything that already belongs to others.

The opposite of coveting is a positive desire to help others preserve and protect their blessings from God. We should rejoice when other people are blessed. Our desire should be to contribute to the well-being of others, to make our presence in their lives a blessing to them.

Humans' nature is selfish

Our natural inclination is always to think of ourselves first. We are far more interested in what we can get rather than what we can give. That is the essence of what God is denouncing in the Tenth Commandment. He tells us to stop thinking only of ourselves, to quit seeking only our interests. Coveting is the selfish approach to life, and selfishness is the root of our transgressions of God's laws.

". . . Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed," as James explains. "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (James 1:14-15). James notes how dangerous out-of-control desires can be. "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:1-2).

As James points out, coveting can be a root cause of many sins, including murder and warfare. If not controlled, what begins as a thought becomes an obsession that leads to an act. All of us have "conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind" (Ephesians 2:3). We have all let our desires rule our behavior. Accordingly, we have all sinned (Romans 3:10, 23).

A universal plague

The apostle Paul's description of covetous people in the last days is instructive. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" (2 Timothy 3:1-5). This is a vividly accurate description of our world.

Our society is not unique in history. Covetousness has always cursed humanity. Speaking of one of the last kings of ancient Judah, God said, "Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, and practicing oppression and violence" (Jeremiah 22:17). The problem was not limited to the kings, "because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely" (Jeremiah 6:13).

God expressed His abhorrence of Israel's covetousness and warned of its ultimate outcome: "They covet fields and take them by violence, also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks . . .'" (Micah 2:2-3).

One glaring example of the almost universal acceptance of covetousness is the burgeoning popularity of government-run lotteries. Millions of people surrender part of their paychecks each week hoping to win a fantasy life of ease and luxury. Likewise, the gambling meccas of the world are hugely popular vacation resorts, specializing in entertainment appealing to our baser instincts.

Promoting covetousness is big business. Advertising agencies and research firms make a science out of manipulating the selfish appetites of consumers. Like ancient Israel, we are a covetous society, from the least to the greatest.

A form of idolatry

Covetousness is much more serious than just a social malady. When we put greed, lust and self above God, coveting becomes idolatry.

Paul warns us, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience" (Colossians 3:5-6).

Paul elsewhere links the sins of coveting with idolatry, pointing out that these and other sins can prevent us from entering God's Kingdom. "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Ephesians 5:5).

Combating covetousness

Jesus commanded His disciples to "beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). Likewise, Paul tells us, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

God's way, the way of love, is to practice this kind of concern for others. "For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:9-10).

To combat covetousness, we must have faith that God will provide a way for us to satisfy our legitimate needs. We have good reason to have such confidence. The Scriptures promise that He will never abandon us if we obey and trust Him. "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5).

Paul expresses the same principles in other words. "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:7-10).

Covetousness cannot be defeated without help from God. The negative pulls of human nature are simply too powerful for us to overcome by ourselves.

To receive the help we need, we must ask for it—especially requesting that God will give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Then we must allow God's Spirit to work in us to change the way we think. "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh," Paul writes. "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Galatians 5:16-17). Acts 2:38 explains how we can receive the Holy Spirit. (Be sure to request our free booklet The Road to Eternal Life.)

Directing our desires

We need to orient our desires in the right direction. Jesus explained that we should "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). He also instructed us: ". . . Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:20-21).

Proper and profitable relationships, spiritual understanding and wisdom are examples of the lasting treasures that God wants us to desire. "Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:3-5).

God says that "wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her" (Proverbs 8:11). His Word describes some of wisdom's rewards: "My fruit is better than gold . . . I traverse the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice, that I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries" (verses 19-21). It pays to seek wisdom with righteousness.

Wanting to excel in our life's pursuits can be an appropriate ambition. If being useful to others is our objective, God approves of our gaining the necessary skills and knowledge that bring favor and advancement in this life. As a wise servant of God wrote: "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men" (Proverbs 22:29).

God wants concern for others to be the motivation for our desires. Sometimes our service to them will result in wonderful rewards for us. But only if our hearts are focused on giving rather than getting will our desires be channeled in the right direction. We must replace coveting with service and love for other people.

The book of Hebrews reminds us not to forget "to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:16). We should look to the example of the apostle Paul, who said, "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel . . . I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:33-35).

Europe and the Church, Part 6: The First of the Seven Mountains on Which the Woman Sits

After the uprooting of the three little horns (Daniel 7:8), with the growing power of the papacy, Europe was now set to witness the first attempted restoration of imperial Rome under the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian. This was to be the first of the "seven mountains on which the woman sits" (Revelation 17:9).

Daniel 7:7-9 showed that the Roman Empire would continue in different forms right down until the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

There were to be 10 horns or 10 revivals of the Roman Empire. A horn is symbolic of aggressive strength, and it is associated with political authority and power. It can also symbolize royalty.

In addition, an extra horn was prophesied that would not be a military power like Rome and the other 10, but would be a "mouth speaking pompous words" (verse 8), a reference to the false religious system based in Rome.

Before this horn reached preeminence, the same verse says "three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots," a prophecy that was fulfilled in the three barbaric tribes that briefly subdued Rome in the fifth and early sixth centuries.

The other seven horns prophesied in Daniel 7 were to follow the ascendancy of the Roman church. This church, pictured as a woman in the book of Revelation, was to "sit" on the seven, in an uneasy relationship likened to "fornication" (Revelation 17:2).

In contrast to the marital relationship where a husband and wife give themselves to each other, fornication is purely "get," with each participant looking out for him or herself. So it has been with the European church-state relationships down through the centuries.

The remaining seven horns of Daniel 7 are described with different symbolism in Revelation 17:9: "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits."

The woman is the "great harlot who sits on many waters" (verse 1), "with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (verse 2). This false church was prophesied to play a major role in politics down through the centuries.

A constant theme running through the last two millennia of European history has been the church-state relationship. It has not always been an easy one. The analogy of "fornication" is apt as the two were only committed to each other as long as it served their own interests.

During that 2,000-year period, the Roman church has been a constant. No dynasty or political institution has lasted as long as the church has. The power and influence of the church has had its ups and downs, but it remained in some form and remains to this day.

One reason for its great political role has been its political status—the Papal States in the Middle Ages and Vatican City today have been secular political powers as well as spiritual forces. This makes the Roman church unique out of all the religious systems of the world. It is the reason Scripture highlighted its future role in prophecy.

During the fifth century the Roman Empire in the West declined and fell even as the spiritual authority of the church increased. Eventually, the church replaced the secular power.

"Though the administrative centre of the Empire had been transferred to Byzantium, the state religion was still centrally conducted from Rome. Already indeed its chain of command, and its contacts with outlying regions such as Britain, were maintained in a more regular fashion than the political and military functions of the Empire. Christianity still had a working international infrastructure.

"This religion, by its very nature, was centralized, universalist, authoritarian and anti-regional. It was run by a disciplined priestly caste, commanded by bishops based on the imperial urban centres, under the ultimate authority of the Bishop of Rome itself, the spiritual voice of the western Empire. Its doctrines were absolutist, preaching unthinking submission to divine authority: the Emperor and his high priest, the Bishop of Rome, in this world, and a unitary god, who appointed the Emperor, in the next" (Paul Johnson, The Offshore Islanders, pp. 29-30).

Herein lay the origins of modern European history. Continental Europe has always tended toward authoritarian forms of government, whereas the peoples of the British Isles, "The Offshore Islanders" in Paul Johnson's words, developed somewhat differently, with a greater emphasis on individualism and equality, symbolized by the medieval King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

"The Roman Church strongly and repeatedly condemned Round Tables" (ibid., p. 51). The church taught a strictly hierarchical system, inherited from the Roman state. The church was and remains the prophesied mirror "image of the beast" (Revelation 13:15).

Well into the last century the church taught the divine right of kings, that God put the king in power and that the people should obey his dictates. In the same way, the people were taught that the church was the Kingdom of God, and the head of the church, the pope, the "Vicar of Christ."

The word vicar means "in place of." His dictates were ex cathedra, a Latin expression meaning "from the chair," referring not to a literal chair, but to the pope's office. The Roman church teaches that when the pope speaks in an official capacity, his words infallibly carry the authority of God.

Between the king and the pope, the people were subjugated for well over a thousand years. Only with the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century did we see the beginnings of religious and political freedom.

Thanks to the church, the Roman system never went away. Directly or indirectly, the church enabled ambitious political figures to attempt revivals of the original Roman Empire. These seven attempts at resurrecting the Roman Empire are the prophesied "mountains on which the woman [church] sits" (Revelation 17:9).

First revival of the Roman Empire

The first revival of the Roman Empire was less than a century after the fall of the Western Empire in A.D. 476. Following the "first three horns that were plucked out by the roots" (Daniel 7:8), the Roman Empire in the East still thrived under Emperor Justinian, one of the most important figures of European history.

His empire, ruled from Constantinople, dominated the Eastern Mediterranean and included the Holy Land and Egypt. Constantinople was the New Rome, also built on seven hills. The empire in the east was to last another thousand years, until the year 1453.

Justinian's dream was to restore the western provinces of the empire to his dominions. In order to achieve his goal, the emperor realized the need for religious unity. But Christendom was divided, primarily over the issue of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

The Monophysites believed that Jesus Christ had only one nature, a divine one. Catholics believed that His nature was dual, both divine and human. Led by the pope in Rome, this view prevailed in the West, while Monophysitism was popular in the East.

The Council of Chalcedon (in modern-day Turkey) declared Monophysitism a heresy in 451, just as the Council of Nicea over a century earlier had ruled about Arianism. However, this left the Eastern Church torn between Catholic orthodoxy and the heresy of the Monophysites.

Justinian's predecessor, his uncle Justin, had reconciled with the church of Rome in 518. His prelates had signed a letter of reconciliation supporting Rome and the decision made at Chalcedon, but the heresy continued.

Justinian, who came to the throne in August of 527, supported the decision of the Council of Chalcedon and of Catholic orthodoxy, but he did not want to alienate the Monophysites who were dominant in the provinces of Egypt and Syria . His wife, the influential and powerful Empress Theodora, was also sympathetic to the Monophysite cause.

Scheming with a Roman deacon called Vigilius, Theodora agreed to help him become pope in exchange for a promise that he would negate the decision of the Council of Chalcedon. Vigilius did indeed become pope but failed to fulfill his promise.

Justinian was finally forced in May 553 to convene the Second Council of Constantinople (the Fifth Ecumenical Council), in yet another attempt to reconcile the Monophysites. The Council finally agreed on a compromise that basically upheld the previous decision but leaned toward satisfying the Monophysites. Few were satisfied with this compromise.

Pope Vigilius initially refused to accept the decision of the Council, but finally yielded under pressure in February 554. By way of thanking him, Justinian granted the pope an imperial document known as the Pragmatic Sanction, which confirmed and increased papal temporal power. The papacy was under the thumb of the Eastern emperor, but only temporarily.

Religious divisions between East and West were to continue for five more centuries, before the two halves of the old Roman Empire formally and finally divided in 1054. The Catholics and Orthodox remain divided to this day.

However, even though Justinian failed to resolve differences between the two largest factions of Christendom, the old pagan religion supposedly ended during his reign through a combination of new laws, discrimination and persecution. In truth, many of the beliefs from the old pagan religion had already been incorporated into the new state religion.

It wasn't just in religion that Justinian profoundly influenced the future course of European history. His legal code, commonly called the Code of Justinian, also left an enduring legacy on the continent of Europe. It is still the basis of civil law in many countries. This further helps us understand the historical divide between the English-speaking countries and the continental Europeans.

"Because of the deference granted to whomever writes the Laws, and the absence of a jury to rule on matters of fact, the Civil Law tradition is fundamentally friendlier to tyrannical regimes than the [English] Common Law...

"As Lord Coke put it, under the Common Law, every man's house is his castle; not because it is defended by moats or walls, but because while the rain may enter, the king cannot; under the Civil Law, the king is bound by nothing at all. Justinian left the European nations that grew out of Roman soil more than just the law; he bequeathed them autocracy, as well" (William Rosen, Justinian's Flea, 2007, p. 131).

"By establishing the position of the emperor—by extension, any anointed ruler—as the legislator of divine will, the Lex Sacra, the Code was an essential, perhaps the essential, endorsement for what would eventually become the divine right of kings" (ibid., p. 130).

Victory and defeat

Justinian saw himself as reviving the Roman Empire with himself as the emperor, once again uniting both East and West. When the persecuted Catholics of North Africa appealed for aid against their Arian Vandal oppressors, Justinian sent the greatest general of his age, Belisarius to achieve victory. He quickly succeeded and the territories that had once been a part of Rome's Empire were now added to the territory of the New Rome, Constantinople.

Soon after, Justinian set his eyes on recovering Italy from the Ostrogoths, where the Arian King Theodoric had turned against his Catholic subjects. After Theodoric's death this persecution only intensified. Once again, Justinian sent Belisarius to take care of things. It took until 554 for Italy to be subdued.

So 78 years after the fall of the Western Empire, the "deadly wound" was healed (Revelation 13:3).

The imperial restoration that he achieved was the first of a number of attempts to revive the empire, as we shall see.

In spite of his military triumph and his ecclesiastical and legal achievements, Justinian's reign paved the way for the ultimate fall of the Byzantine Empire, the eastern Roman Empire founded by Constantine. His military conquests did not last long after his death on Nov. 14, 565, at the age of 83. He had reigned for 38 years.

It was to be almost a thousand years before Byzantium fell, but the seeds of its destruction were sown in Justinian's time, due to a factor totally beyond his control. For during his long reign the world experienced the first outbreak of bubonic plague. The fact is that in long term, Justinian's dream was defeated by the simple flea.

"In the middle of the sixth century, the world's smallest organism collided with the world's mightiest power. Twenty five million corpses later, the Roman Empire, under her last great emperor, Justinian, was decimated" (Rosen, book cover).

The deaths of 25 million people paved the way for the triumph of Islam in the following century. Less than a century after Justinian's death, much of his empire had been conquered by the followers of the prophet Muhammad. Eventually, the descendants of those conquerors wiped the entire Byzantine Empire off the face of the earth!

But the Roman Empire in the West was to see more revivals down through history.

This is the Way... Not One Stone!

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ shocked His audience with one of the most incredible statements ever uttered. He made a startling declaration that the religious centerpiece of His people would come tumbling down.

He framed the statement by saying, "Assuredly, I say to you." Next, He broke the news—"Not one stone shall be left here upon another" (Matthew 24:2).

What was He talking about? He was pinpointing the total destruction of the sacred temple, which was the crowning jewel of a massive religious complex. It is hard for the modern mind to grasp the impact of such words on His audience.

Why did Christ declare such a target-specific prophecy? This statement is often regarded as the opening salvo to the Olivet Prophecy of Matthew 24. But unfortunately, as with other biblical studies, people are prone to start studying from verse 1 of any given chapter rather than exercising a basic key of Bible study, which is to find "the beginning of the story." The context often begins in previous chapters. Matthew 24 is no exception. In this case, the story actually begins in chapter 23.

Let's understand the setting

The setting of Matthew 23 places us in the last days of Jesus Christ's human existence. He had only a few days to complete His calling as the "Son of Man." Jesus foresaw this moment and knew what He had to say. He directs His message to the religious audience, to people of the covenant who should have been more spiritually aware and mature.

He chides them by saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).

He was basically saying, "Spiritually speaking, you are empty suits, and on top of that, you stink in how you proclaim your own spiritual self-worth." You know, sometimes, religious folk, even those who sincerely believe they are doing God a favor by their devotion, just need to be whacked with a strong verbal two-by-four to understand that God is much more concerned about who we are inside than He is about the outward appearance of righteousness. Here, Christ supplied the whack!

Your house is left to you desolate

Jesus completes His thoughts by stating His judgment, tempered with love. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew 23:37-38).

Christ is basically setting up the parallel reality that as their hearts are empty and apart from God, so too their houses are left empty. That is, God is removing His presence and blessing from that spot until they would recognize that He is the One who "comes in the name of the Lord." This is pretty sobering stuff to absorb if you had been in earshot.

Immediately after such stern judgment is rendered, let's ask ourselves, "What course of action will the disciples embark upon?"

Matthew 24:1 sets up the rest of the story. "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple." It was like saying, "Hey, we're in the big city. Let's look at the sights!"

Not all that glitters is of God

William Barclay in his commentary paints a picture of what the disciples beheld. "The summit of Mt. Sion had been dug away to leave a plateau 1000[-foot] square [that's more than the length of three football fields each way]. At the far end was the temple built with white marble, plated with gold, that shone brilliantly in the sun's light so brilliantly that at times it was hard to view.

"The temple area was surrounded by great porches, Solomon's Porch, and the Royal Porch. These porches were upheld by 38[-foot] high solid marble pillars cut in one piece—so thick that it took three men to wrap their arms around them. At the corner of the temple's angles, stones have been found that measured 20[-foot] to 40[-foot] in length weighing up to 100 tons. How they were cut and placed in position is one of the mysteries of ancient engineering" (Barclay's Commentary, Matthew, Vol. 2, p. 305). It is little wonder that the disciples said "wow" and wanted Jesus to join them on the tour.

That's when Christ has to whack them with a verbal two-by-four just as much as the previous audience. In effect, He says, "Take a look! Soak it all in, real good. Not one stone will remain standing. It's all coming down."

Here, Christ is attempting to rouse His followers from the powerful spell of distraction from discipleship. Here, Jesus is days away from His death. He is challenging His disciples to view, review and renew their thoughts as to what they will choose to build on for a spiritual foundation. Will it be the massive stones of a temple that they can see, touch and feel? Or will it be a different structure with a different foundation that will require their total focus and life's devotion?

Now that He has their attention, they ask the big question: "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).

Now, Christ reveals in advance the broad prophetic overview of world history from the time of His ascension till His second coming. He describes the pattern of human history apart from worship of the true God. He reveals a cyclical pattern of religious deception, warfare, famine and pestilence that ultimately comes to a final global crescendo before the return of Christ.

The brutal honesty of Christ

It is noteworthy that He not only informs them about world events affecting others but also what lies in store for His followers. He told them, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (verse 9).

Here, as always, Christ is brutally honest about what this new supreme loyalty to Him might entail. It would divide His followers from others who could not understand or would not accept the truth.

Christ's own words and devotion to His Father's will would cost Him dearly. Is it any wonder that His followers could expect similar treatment?

The religious people of His day would twist Jesus' words regarding the resurrection of His own body, which He referred to as "this temple" (John 2:17-22), as an immediate act of destruction on their holy shrine. Ultimately, they would claim that His statements were a sacrilege worthy of death.

Their hatred of Christ puts into play the prophetic reality that the temple of His body would be destroyed and yet be raised to life in three days. Just a short time later, the first Christian martyr, Stephen the deacon, would be led to execution over a charge centering on the destruction of the temple (Acts 6:13). Prophecy is coming true.

It came to pass as He said

Eventually Jesus' words did come to pass regarding the most beautiful building in Jerusalem. Some of those same people who heard those chilling words were alive when the temple was sacked and the Roman General Titus hauled off its sacred instruments of worship to Rome in A.D. 70. The prophecy of "not one stone shall be left here upon another" had begun.

But prophetic development often comes in stages. In A.D. 130 Emperor Hadrian decided to change the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina in tribute to Jupiter whose major temple was situated on "the Capitoline" in Rome. He further cleared the ruins of the previous holy structure and built over it a temple to Jupiter.

This caused a tremendous revolt among the Jews known as the Bar Kochba rebellion. The Romans decided to finish what they had begun nearly 60 years before. Christ's words had come true—the house was left desolate.

The big question needing your answer

But allow me to conclude with a question that only you can answer: Is there a broader application for what appears to be an event-specific prophecy whose time has come and gone? Does the phrase "not one stone" touch our present circumstances and reach into our future?

Just like the disciples of old, we, too, can pretend that Christ's prophecies about our times are not really going to come to pass. We, too, can suffer from momentary disbelief. We, too, can call a spiritual time-out and become bedazzled by what seems so big, so beautiful, so very permanent.

We, too, can receive the word of God by eye or ear but then, just like the disciples, want to go on our own "temple tour" of what God says has been found wanting and will pass away.

I believe Jesus designed the words of "not one stone" for a modern audience as well in order to jolt us from a world of distractions that can lure us from the high calling of being transformed.

The words the apostle Peter expresses in 2 Peter 3:11 seem to concur with this broad application, as he grabs our spiritual attention by declaring, "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?" He's not just speaking of a few stones on a hilltop in the Middle East; he is saying that "not one stone" of society as we know it will exist.

God doesn't want to see you tumble down like those stones of old. He is building a new temple made out of flesh and blood and, yes, Spirit.

What do I mean? Let the apostle Paul fill in the details. He said, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Oh no, this time stones won't do! He wants heart. And He shows us the way by pinpointing what eternal foundation He is building on to secure His dwelling in us, even as the exterior world of alluring sights and sounds comes tumbling down.

So where do we start? The encouraging directive of Isaiah 30:21 ("this is the way, walk in it") is mirrored by the apostle Paul's encouragement in 1 Corinthians 3:11, which gives us the foundational blueprint of the new temple: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Woodstock—Forty Years Later

Wouldn't our society now feel more stable and more secure, if we hadn't gone to Woodstock?

Did we miss someone's birthday? Yes, someone just hit the big 4-zero. Do you remember the Woodstock Festival back in 1969? "I'm going down to Yasgur's farm, gonna join me a rock and roll band." So the song went. And they came – by the hundreds of thousands, with some estimates as high as half a million, to White Lake, New York, for what was billed as "three days of peace and music."

As it turned out, those three days back in August of 1969 became more like three days of music and mud. It rained! And it rained! And it rained some more! It got cold and muddy, though that didn't stop some 500,000 young people from feasting on rock music from many of the most popular bands and singers of the time. There were Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Country Joe and the Fish, Janis Joplin, the Who, and Jimi Hendrix, among others.

I suppose it's sort of an age test to ask someone if he or she remembers all those names. The rock stars have mostly gone now, with some having succumbed to drug overdoses, and with varying levels of celebrity these 40 years later.

But what of the influence of Woodstock, and the cultural revolution it epitomized back then?

What of Jimi Hendrix appearing on stage drugged and unable to present the musical talent he was capable of? And Country Joe and the Fish spelling out an expletive that still shocked the older folks? And all the talk of "free love," really a euphemism for free sex? Where are we left, in the aftermath of Woodstock and its influence?

During the festival, an anarchist group pulled down the fence that was intended to limit access to the farm. Was this a metaphor for the fences and restraints then being torn down by this youth-led rejection of traditional values? And are we better off for it all?

40 years, and the fences have come down, that's for sure. Fences of sexual morality, drugs, propriety, values. It all looks quite different in 2009. One has to wonder whether we might have been better off sticking with the old values. Wouldn't our society now feel more stable and more secure, if we hadn't gone to Woodstock?

It's worth considering, and asking ourselves about our values now. Values needed to carry us through this twenty-first century. "Woodstock, who do you think you are?" And who do we think we are now?

Arms Race—In Space?

Will there be a space-based arms race? And if so, what would that bring for humanity?

An arms race in outer space? That was just what one statesman warned of this week at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.

On Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi warned the 65-nation conference of the possibility of an arms race developing in outer space—and implicitly blamed the United States for not joining Russia and China in opposing it. The US, in turn, asserts that Russia's and China's ground-based missile systems have already created an arms race, even though those two nations don't have space-based weapons.

Mr. Yang declared that "outer space is now facing the looming danger of weaponization. Credible and effective multilateral measures must be taken to forestall the weaponization and arms race in outer space."

In these days of localized wars, news like this is unnerving. Will there be a space-based arms race? And if so, what would that bring for humanity?

After all, one is hard pressed to point to any weapon of war that hasn't been used at one time or another.

It's hard to predict whether an arms race will develop in space, but human efforts to avert catastrophe haven't ever been truly successful. Humanity seems to be simply incapable of bringing lasting peace to this earth. As the prophet Isaiah declared "The way of peace they do not know" (Isaiah 59:8, NIV).

One thing's for sure: times of great danger lie ahead. Jesus Christ told us "if those days"—the last days prior to His return—"had not been cut short, no-one would survive" (Matthew 24:22, NIV). The same verse goes on to identify a group of human beings referred to as "the elect," for whose sakes there will be divine intervention to avert catastrophe.

And that's really the good news. Humanity won't be allowed to destroy itself in a cataclysm of war, either space-based or earth-based. God Himself is going to intervene to save us from ourselves. Isn't it time for you to learn about this good news?

Health Care Reform

So what's all the fuss about? Aren't there millions without health care? Shouldn't we all have it?

Town hall meetings! Over one thousand pages of the House Health Care bill! Confusion over its contents! The rush to get this legislation passed. Insurance companies are worried. What is the projected cost of the reform? Will the quality of health care suffer? All of these issues have been flooding the news as Americans seek to understand the overhaul in the healthcare system and what it will do to them.

So what's all the fuss about? Aren't there millions without health care? Shouldn't we all have it? Exactly how many don't have healthcare who actually desire it. Estimates range from two or three million to forty-seven million if you include illegal aliens and those who do not desire health care because they are young and vigorous and don't feel they need it. The question is should all Americans pay for illegal aliens to have healthcare? But, shouldn't we care for those who need healthcare and can't afford it? I believe so. The biblical principle was to set aside funds to care for those who needed help.

Here are some of the issues from the health bill that cause concern: Senior citizens are troubled they may be denied the care they need. Pro-life supporters don't like the wording regarding funding for abortion. Small business owners don't like the prospects of being taxed for lack of the public health plan. Insurance companies worry about being forced out of business. Will the government be involved in individuals' private accounts? Will the government decide on your treatments and benefits? Should doctors' salaries being monitored?

What about the cost of such a program as currently being proposed in the House of Representatives? Figures range from six billion to over one trillion dollars. Who will pay for this? Will this add to the already sky-high deficit? President Obama has said he will not sign a bill for healthcare reform that adds to the deficit. But how will this all-encompassing program be paid for? Higher taxes, maybe?

While healthcare is very important, passing on its debt to our children and grandchildren is also extremely important. Many do not want their families' future saddled with more debt.

As the debate continues in town hall meetings and in the media, one thing is clear; there is much opposition to the current plan. Health Care is important, but there has to be a system that will not penalize over sixty per cent of Americans who are currently happy with their present plans.

Will Congress rush this bill through to support the President's zealous agenda or will they carefully read the thousand pages of the bill and decide that this is too ambitious for the American people to handle at this time?

Soon, we will know the answer when our lawmakers resume their work in September!

Time of Trouble Bible Study (7)

In Bible Study 6 we noted the parallels between the ten plagues that fell upon Egypt (Exodus 7-10) and the seven last plagues destined to fall upon the entire world prior to the visible return of Jesus Christ (Revelation 16). The period of the seven last plagues is "the time of trouble, such as never was" predicted in Daniel 12:1. We know that this fearful time will strike shortly after the last crisis hits, after the mark of the beast is enforced (Revelation 13:15-17), and immediately after Heaven's door of mercy finally closes (Revelation 22:11) just like it did in Noah's day before the flood came (see Genesis 7:16; Matthew 24:37-39).

The focus of Bible Study 7 is the 10th plague that fell upon the Egyptians and how that plague contains the key to our protection during the time of trouble.

After nine plagues had ravaged Egypt's countryside and practically ruined his nation, amazingly, Pharaoh still stubbornly refused to let Israel go. The time for the 10th plague had come. Read these verses prayerfully:

Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. 12 'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13, NKJV, emphasis added).

It was the crimson blood of slain lambs splattered upon their doorposts that protected the firstborn of Israel when the 10th plague struck Egypt. "When I see the blood," the Lord declared, "I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

The truth is that ever since Adam and Eve first listened to the snake in Eden (see Genesis 3:1-6), blood has been at the heart of the Great War between our Creator and Lucifer over the salvation of our souls. On the night of the 10th plague, the blood was a sign of protection, and deliverance.

On the Day of Atonement, God also instructed His High Priests to enter the Most Holy Place of His Temple and to sprinkle warm blood on the mercy seat that sat on top of the ark containing the Ten Commandments (see Leviticus 16:14). In this case, blood above the law typified full cleansing from sin.

On His last night in Jerusalem before He died, Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples. After distributing the juice of crushed grapes to the twelve, our Lord announced. "For this is my blood of the new covenant that is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). He was the ultimate Passover!

The next day Jesus hung crucified on a hill called Calvary. As He hung dying, drop-by-drop, and stain-by-stain, His own blood soaked the splintery wood of a tree supporting His beaten body. The Bible alone can explains the mystery. Paul explained,

"…we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7, emphasis added).

The book of Revelation also identifies those who beat the devil. Don't miss it:

And they [God's people] overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11, emphasis added)

When you put all of these verses together, it becomes clear that salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ is Heaven's battle cry in the Great War. And just like the "sign" of the blood protected the firstborn of Israel when the 10th plague struck, even so will the blood of Jesus Christ protect God's people when the seven last plagues decimate planet Earth.

But we must do our part too, just as the Israelites did on their last night in Egypt. In our next study (number 8), we will look at the meaning of eating the flesh of the lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, shoes on the feet, staff in the hand, and eating in haste (see Exodus 12:7-11) before "the Lord's Passover."

May God help each of us to respond right now to Jesus Christ's love, and to trust fully in His blood, so that the final plagues will "pass over" us during the time of trouble!

Europe and the Church, Part 5: The Identity of the Little Horn

Who is the little horn of Daniel 7:8, the horn with "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words"? Since this article is the fifth in a series that began in the May 2008 issue, readers should be aware that some of the content builds on information explained in previous installments.

The prophet Daniel, receiving a vision from God, was "considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words" (Daniel 7:8).

The "fourth beast" of Daniel 7:7 is described as a great military power that was to be "dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong...[with] huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet." As explained in part 2 of this series (June 2008), this prophecy is fulfilled in the Roman Empire. Many students of prophecy recognize that the historic world-ruling kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome were pictured by the great beasts in this vision. In contrast now we read of another "horn," again symbolizing royal power and authority, whose strength is not in military might, but in its "mouth speaking pompous words."

Later in this chapter we read more detail of this horn.

"Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them" (verses 19-21).

Again, we see here that the military power comes first. The Roman Empire began in the pre-Christian era. But again we read that this other nonmilitary horn comes out of the Roman Empire. It's described as "a mouth which spoke pompous words." We are also told that it would make "war against the saints," the true followers of God.

Continuing in verse 25, we read that "he shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law." Who could this be talking about? Who could have changed "times and law"?

The answer to this is found in history. Remember, Daniel was writing hundreds of years before these events were to happen. Even skeptics who don't believe the book of Daniel was written in the sixth century B.C. have to admit that it was in existence at least one or two centuries before Christ because that's the accepted dating for the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the book of Daniel. So this prophecy clearly long predated the events it describes here.

Verse 25 ends with these chilling words: "Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time." The true followers of God were to be persecuted for a long period of time by this little horn.

In the book of Revelation, written six and a half centuries after Daniel, we read again of this persecution of God's true servants. Again, it's in the context of the Beast powers.

The book of Revelation is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ" to the apostle John (Revelation 1:1).

John writes: "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion" (Revelation 13:1-2).

In this vision, John sees a composite of the first three beasts of Daniel chapter 7, the lion, bear and leopard, reflecting that the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greco-Macedonian empires rapidly succeeded one another and that they had similar characteristics. Could it be that they all shared a common source of their power? Notice, "The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2). Satan is the great dragon who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). He is also the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4) who wields great power over human affairs.

John continues: "I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast" (Revelation 13:3). The Western Roman Empire suffered an apparent mortal wound when it fell in A.D 476. But unlike most powers that fall and disappear, its "deadly wound was healed" and it would be resurrected. Notice in verse 4 the religious dimension: "So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?' And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

"It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (verses 4-8).

In verse 11 John sees "another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon." Jesus Christ is described as the Lamb of God, while Satan is a dragon. So this Beast with "two horns like a lamb" is a tool of Satan trying to pass as a representation of Jesus Christ. "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Here we see described a false religious system, which comes out of the fourth beast and tries to pass itself off as Christian. It is a counterfeit form of Christianity. As Daniel 7:25 says, it would "change times and law." A study of church history reveals that in the first four centuries after Christ died, doctrinal upheavals occurred in the Christian church that centered on changing the God-given day of worship from the Sabbath to Sunday (changing times) and teaching that the law of God was done away (changing laws).

Jesus Christ did not teach either of these things. Rather, He said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill [that is, to live to the full, thereby setting an example for all people]" (Matthew 5:17).

In Revelation chapter 12, we read that the false religious system, inspired by Satan, "went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 12:17). This points to an end-time continuation of a centuries-old tactic. History shows us that the true Christian apostolic Church was nearly wiped out by this false form of Christianity that became the official church of the Roman Empire in the early fourth century.

In Revelation 13:15 "the image of the beast" is associated with worship and with religious persecution of those who will not worship in that way. It should be apparent that this image is a religious organization allied with the political power of the Beast. This religious power is brought to life by the one who "exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed" (verse 12).

The image, that is, the religious institution reflecting the power of the state, was to coexist with the empire from the conversion of Emperor Constantine until the fall of the Western Empire almost two centuries later.

Who is the little horn?

"The true successor of the Western Empire was the Papacy." These words were written by L. Elliott Binns in an introduction to his definitive work The Decline and Fall of the Medieval Papacy (p. v).

Binns' book cover states: "Not only was the Papacy the true successor to the Roman Empire; it was also the Empire's mirror image."

Writing of events that occurred in the latter half of the seventh century, historian Paul Johnson observed: "The Roman Church still spoke for the Empire" (The Offshore Islanders, 1972, p. 57). "Politics and religion were inseparable" (ibid., p. 49). Does the papacy fit the Bible description of "the image of the beast" (Revelation 13:15)?

Notice the similarities between the empire and the successor church.

"Though the administrative centre of the Empire had been transferred to Byzantium, the state religion was still centrally conducted from Rome. Already indeed its chain of command, and its contacts with outlying regions such as Britain, were maintained in a more regular fashion than the political and military functions of the Empire. Christianity still had a working international infrastructure.

"This religion, by its very nature, was centralized, universalist, authoritarian and anti-regional. It was run by a disciplined priestly caste, commanded by bishops based on the imperial urban centres, under the ultimate authority of the Bishop of Rome itself, the spiritual voice of the western Empire. Its doctrines were absolutist, preaching unthinking submission to divine authority: the Emperor and his high priest, the Bishop of Rome, in this world, and a unitary god, who appointed the Emperor, in the next" (ibid., pp. 29-30).

There was, however, a difference.

"Under the pagan Empire the centre of unity had been political, the paramount authority that of the Emperor himself; so long as the supremacy of the state was recognized men might hold many different kinds of creeds and philosophies. The middle ages developed along exactly opposite lines; its centre of unity was religious, the Roman Church; whilst alongside this religious unity there might go any number of political variations" (Binns, p. 3).

In other words, religious freedom was nonexistent throughout the Middle Ages, the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the modern age at the end of the 15th century.

Church and state—an uneasy relationship

In Revelation chapter 17 we read a prophecy of the false religious system and its relationship with the governments of this world, a relationship that was to dominate the period from the giving of the Revelation to the apostle John, all the way to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

This relationship is starkly described: "With whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:2). When people are drunk, they don't know what they are doing. False religion is like that. Humanity is ignorant of the fact that Satan "deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).

When you look back at the history of the last two millennia, no institution has so dominated the world for such a long period of time as that of the papacy.

If the Church of Rome is the "image of the beast," then that church is mentioned fairly extensively because of its political role—a role made more formidable by the Vatican being a state as well as the headquarters of a universal church. Despite the fact that Jesus Christ said that His Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), here is a church that has played a major political role for two millennia. This false church is described as a "harlot" (Revelation 17:1), selling herself for temporal gain.

The ascendancy of the church began with Emperor Constantine (see part 3, August 2008), but the church really began rising to power when the Empire in the West fell. "When there was no longer an Emperor in the West and the link with the East was but slender, papal Rome took the place of imperial Rome" (Binns, p. 11).

The relationship between the church and the state dominated European politics right down until modern times. Even today, some European countries still maintain a close tie between the established church and the state.

The relationship has not always been an easy one, which is exactly what prophecy said would be the case. "Fornication" (Revelation 17:2) is never an easy relationship. Whereas the physical relationship between a husband and wife is based on love and commitment, two people fornicating temporarily use each other, each seeking what he or she can get from the other.

That's the way it has been with the church-state relationship throughout history. At various times, the two have come together for mutual benefit, but much of the time they have struggled for preeminence over each other.

In verse 7 of Revelation 17, we see a description of the false church, pictured by a woman, and the "beast that carries her." Again, the analogy here is an appropriate one. Anybody who has ridden a horse knows that the rider is not always in control. The church may think it can control the power of the state, but it often loses control. This Beast the woman rides is described as having "seven heads and ten horns." In verse 9 we see that "the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits."

In the Bible, a "mountain" is symbolic of a great nation or empire, compared with smaller nations depicted as hills. For example, in Isaiah 2:2 we see the coming Kingdom of God depicted as a mountain that "shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills." The government of God will eventually be over all the great nations as well as the smaller ones.

Since the Beast the woman rides would correspond to the Roman Empire, its seven heads or mountains would be revivals of the Roman Empire. The papacy was to continue the Roman system down through the centuries, often taking a political role, but also heavily involved in attempts to revive the Roman Empire, "the seven heads…on which the woman sits" (Revelation 17:9).

But before that, three kingdoms not controlled by the false church would be uprooted (see "Three of the First Horns Plucked Out by the Roots").

Remember, the little horn of Daniel 7:8 has "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." This little horn wields enough power to pluck up kingdoms, yet is not described as a true political power. It is a religious power, also described as "the image of the beast." Almost 2,000 years of history shows the consistent presence of a great Roman church allied with the various revivals of the Roman Empire.

Mercy

Matthew 5: 7 ......... Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Let us not, as often happens, confuse mercy with grace.

Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve; it is by grace that we have been saved. Whilst mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve; because of our sinful lives we deserve to go to hell.

God has extended to us great mercy. He has not condemned us, He has forgiven us. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, He has redeemed us and cleansed us. We have become sons of God and co-heirs with Christ.

We see from the Beatitudes that Jesus wants us to be merciful in the same way as we have been shown mercy and in doing so we will be blessed.

He does not want us to be judgmental. In fact, we read in the bible in the epistle of James 2:13 that, ‘mercy triumphs over judgment’, however, ‘judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful’.

Mercy, therefore, is a key element in our Christian life and in our Christian character. As Christians we are to reveal Jesus to others not only by what we tell them but also by what we show them.

Christ in us is not only the hope of glory for us but for other too. We give others hope when they see His character in us; His love and His non-condemning, non-judgmental nature.

Thank you Jesus for your mercy that is new every morning. Amen.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUC7Oa1LByU&feature=channel_page