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THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. #2

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lion and lambBLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN… #2

 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4.

 

 

 

 

In our last article about the Sermon on the Mount, we stressed the need to understand that the church of this dispensation is not the subject or the intent of the sermon. All is about Israel, a remnant, the Tribulation, and the Kingdom of Heaven. We also underscored the importance of distinguishing between the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and the Church. Without right division, this is impossible. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

This Beatitude deals with those who mourn. This is not speaking of the mourning that is appointed to all of us. “22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:22-23.

The mourning, in this context, speaks to a specific remnant who will mourn because of their previous rejection of their Messiah, and their personal sins.  “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”. Zechariah 12:10.

Until a Christian is able, and willing to understand the purpose of the book of Matthew, he will never understand the content within. One must understand the structure of the book, then the scope will become evident. Right division is the key.

Again, there is not one word in the sermon that is doctrinally directed to the Body of Christ, the Church. Those Jews who mourn over their sins of rejecting their Messiah, will find great comfort when He returns to them. They will be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven.

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. # 1

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lion and lamb

BY Ken Blue

No doubt, the greatest blight on the church and its members, is the inability to rightly divide the Word of God. Sadly, many pastors have never figured that out, or they fear the wrath of the brethren, should they depart from the traditions of their fathers, or peers.

The three books in Scripture, that Christians have the most difficulty with are, Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews. The two reasons for the problems are, Christians have been taught for centuries that everything from Matthew, through Revelation is written to and about the church. Secondly, they fail to comprehend that Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews are transition books.

The purpose of this article is to consider one or two aspects of the Sermon on the Mount in light of what we have said about right division. We will not do as most interpreters, and force this book into the church of this dispensation. Although, I have some respect for the Scofield Bible, and Clarence Larkin’s, Dispensational Truth, they fall into the same trap. They spiritualize, when necessary, in order to fit the sermon into church doctrine.

 If one cannot understand the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and the present Body of Christ, which is the Church, he will forever be confused. First, the Kingdom of Heaven is the literal, physical, and earthly kingdom promised throughout the Scriptures to Israel. The Kingdom of God is spiritual, and in the heart. The reason the nation of Israel forfeited the Kingdom of Heaven, was because of their refusal to bring forth works “meet for repentance. (Matt. 3:8). Now, one may have the Kingdom of God without the Kingdom of Heaven, but, none will have the Kingdom of Heaven without first receiving the Kingdom of God. The Church is a different matter entirely, and we see no need to address it now.

“3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:3-12.

There are nine Beatitudes here. They are requirements and blessings for those who would enter the Kingdom of Heaven, if they obey them. Since Israel did not possess any of these, they forfeited the Kingdom of Heaven. There will be a remnant of Israel, in the Tribulation, who will repent, and obey the requirements of this sermon.

“Poor in spirit,” is not speaking of anyone in this dispensation. The promise is not “heaven,” but, the Kingdom of Heaven. Examples are: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15. “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Isaiah 66:2.

Several prophecies describe this scene by the remnant prior to the Second Advent.  “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9. “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.” Jeremiah 50:4.

The reader can see that these verses will include much in the sermon that will be required of Israel to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” These are “The poor in spirit.”

THE MAGNIFICENT TRANSITION FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

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darkness to light

 

 

By Ken Blue

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”, Colossians 1:13.

“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5.

 

Two worlds exist in one. They are like our moon; with one side always dark, and the other always light. We get a hint of this when God called “…the light Day, and the darkness he called Night…” Genesis 1:5. That dark side has a Prince who rules over all within his kingdom of darkness. Throughout Scripture we see this comparison. Righteousness is equated with light, and unrighteousness is equated with darkness.

It is obvious also that these two are contrasted as “understanding” and “ignorance.” Notice the usage in Ephesians 4:18.  “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart…” The “understanding” is “darkened” through “ignorance,” and “blindness.”

Paul accused his nation of the malady which contributed to their lack of salvation. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:1-3. Two key words describe the source of their problem; they lacked “knowledge” and they were “ignorant.” God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.

There are two great hymns that shed more light on the subject. One is, Amazing Grace. The words are, “…I once was blind, but now I see.” The other is, At the Cross. “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light…”

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6.

It is nothing short of a miracle. We come into life ignorant, blind, and lost. We are in a world of darkness. We live on the dark side of the moon. But God, who called the light out of darkness, has shined in our heart and dispelled the ignorance, the blindness, and the darkness, in which we lived. Not only has He delivered us out of darkness, He had translated us into His marvelous light! It is called “the kingdom of His dear Son.”  He has moved us from darkness to light.

We discover that people are not lost because of personal sin, but because of the ignorance, blindness, and unbelief in their heart. Faith in God’s Word is the switch that “turns on the light.” If you will “believe” Him, He will call you out of a world of darkness to light! These two worlds exist. Are you still in darkness?

LET’S STUDY REVELATION # 46

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REVELON BOOK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


BY Ken Blue   

      Daniel saw the “little horn” that took power from the ten kings and noted his ardent blasphemies against God.  “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things” (Daniel 7:8). (See verses 11, 20-25; 11:36-45.) His big mouth will be shut!

 

      He is permitted to continue his reign for three and one-half years, after which, the Lord Jesus Christ will come and take the kingdoms of this earth to Himself. This fact is repeated throughout the book of Revelation. (See also Daniel 12:7; 11:12:6, 14; 17:10.)

 “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, (Jews) and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  If any man have an ear, let him hear.  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”  (Revelation 13:7-10).

  • “No man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, name, or number (Rev. 13:17). On the surface it might seem that these statements prove Antichrist will be a world ruler, killing all on earth who do not take his mark, name, or number. But, the contrary is true because “all” in these passages is simply a figure of speech — synecdoche — in which a whole is put for a part, as we would say, “Everyone in town,” or “the whole country.” If the United States would make a law that “all men” of all nations, and tongues must register on a certain day or be killed, we would naturally understand the law to apply only to all people of all nations and tongues who are under the government of the United States, not to the people of these nations and tongues who are under other governments. The word “all” is used in a limited sense hundreds of times in Scriptures (Gen. 6:17; Josh. 6:21-25; 2Sam. 6:5,15; 1Ki. 11:16-17; Mt. 3:5-6; Lk. 2:1-3; Rom. 1:8; 10:18; Col. 1:23; etc.). Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments of the Authorized or King James Version Text.

 

      The events here are at the three and one-half year point in the Tribulation. The Antichrist has been at war with the surrounding nations for the first three and one-half years and has ruled from Babylon (Isaiah. 14:4-17).  After he conquers the ten nations within the old Roman Empire and establishes his own kingdom, the eighth, (“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Revelation 17:11), He moves his capital from Babylon to Jerusalem. There he desecrates the temple, defies the God of heaven, and seeks to destroy all who serve God and Jesus Christ.

 

      He turns his hatred on the Jewish saints within his kingdom, especially those in Jerusalem. He is permitted to overcome them and all others within his kingdom. (See verses 15, 16; Daniel 7:21; 8:24; 11:35-45; 12:1, 7; Matthew 24:15-22.) These passages confirm that the Jews are the objects of the Antichrist’s wrath, and that his activities will be confined to the area of the old Roman Empire.

 

 

PROTECTION FROM PEDOPHILES

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 Pedophile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


By Ken Blue

 “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:” Proverbs 24:3

No guarantees that your child will not be molested. A pedophile, a serial killer, a drug addict, or a thief can live under your roof without you knowing of their wickedness, or devices.  

  • According to a Community Information Packet provided by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in Washington State, one in four girls are assaulted by age 18. One in five boys is assaulted by age 18. Over 1/3rd of child sexual abuse involves children age five or younger. 85-90% of child sex offenders are known to the victims and their family.

Most pedophiles are male, but not all. Pedophiles love to play with and be around children. Obviously they feel safer, and find it easier to control and “groom” them. We will speak more about the grooming process later. Not every person who loves to play with children is a pedophile, but when they prefer to be with small children rather than adults, it might be a red flag.

Not all pedophiles are stalkers. They fall into three major categories. We will also deal with these in another blog.

In this article there are some things I believe you should consider in order to protect your church and children.

  • Submit a background check on every person who works with children under 18. You can secure these from the police department, county sheriff, or State Patrol. Explain to the one you are doing the background check, that it is being done, and why. If they refuse, you already know they have a past.
  • Do not give them the ministry until you get the background report back. Wait until the report is processed, and you have it in hand before you meet with the person. If the report is negative, never place that person in a ministry where they will be alone with children.
  • Have two male teachers in every boy’s class. Explain to each teacher, if he/she sees any inappropriate behavior they should warn the other teacher. Knowledge of actual sexual abuse must be reported to the police at once.
  • Have women teach girls, and men teaching boys.
  • Have windows in every classroom.
  • Do not allow any obstruction on the windows, for any reason.
  • Have the class arranged so you can see the teachers through the glass.
  • Have hall monitors to look through the glass twice during class time. Do not have a set routine for these checks.
  • Never allow teachers to go in the bathroom with a child. Have them stand outside the door.
  • Never allow students to sit on the laps of male workers.
  • Install cameras in key locations. If you need advice, ask a police officer for help.
  • You are required by law to report any sexual complaint from an adult or child.  
  • You could also contact your insurance company for advice. In some cases, your cost will go down when you impalement deterrents to sexual abuse. 

(Special thanks to Officer Mike McBride for suggestions, and providing the literature we are gleaning from).