New Song: I Know the Master of the wind
By Ken Blue
Tomorrow’s a new day
With problems of its own.
Now will be yesterday
With all its problems gone
The sun shines on the lost.
He sends rain to the just,
So I will not worry
In Him will be my trust
Since He feeds the sparrows,
Cloths lilies of the field,
I’ll not worry for tomorrow.
He provides every meal.
I’ll trust Him while I sleep
I know He cares for me
If I die ere I wake
With Him I’ll safely be.
SONG: WHAT WONDERFUL GRACE
BY Ken Blue
A church sign reflect who we are, and the kind of people we are trying to attract. Therefore, it should be clean, easily read, and interesting. It is the church advertisement. Bad advertisement is worse than none at all. I looked on the web for “stupid church signs,” and could not believe my eyes. The above is not the worst one, but one glance and you can see what is wrong. I’m sure the lost will flock to find out just what it means.
Seriously, we need to get the lost inside the church, get them saved, and then begin the teaching process. If someone comes in with a Sears Catalogue, we should be thankful they are there. If we can get them saved, in time, they will trade the catalogue for the Bible.
The name of the church should be bold and in clear font. The hours should also be easily read by those who drive by. If your sign will permit you to post your sermon title, it should be clear and interesting.
Personally, I would not put the following on a sign: Independent, Fundamental, Premillennial, King James Version, Dispensational, and Old Fashion. It is proper and right to hold these convictions, but those words have no meaning to unbelievers, and will send them down the road. Many Christians don’t even understand their meaning.
If you are trying to reach the unreached, make your sign simple and interesting. Now, if your church is not trying to attract sinner, you could write everything in the original Greek. Perhaps an original Greek will drive by and you will snare him. You will get what you go after.
NEW SONG: Fair Weather Friends
By Ken Blue
“The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.” Proverbs 19:12
“And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.” Micah 5:7-8
Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah in Judah, and of Amos and Hosea in Ephraim in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. He was a prophet of Judah to both Ephraim and Judah — Samaria and Jerusalem. The enemy that was “at the gate” was the Assyrian invader.
Micah alternates between the near prophecies of his time, and the distant prophecies of the coming Messiah. At the coming of the Messiah, their enemies would be consumed, the temple would be built, and Israel would be saved.
After the Tribulation the Lord will establish His Kingdom among the nations. His favor will be as the dew upon the grass, and His wrath will be as a lion among the flock. “1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalm 2:1-9.
In the book of Revelation, the “overcomers” will have this authority delegated to them also. “26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. Revelation 2:26-27. The churches in Revelation are Jewish assemblies.
The Jews will be assigned cities to rule. This explains the examples given in the Gospels. “ And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.. Luke 19:17. Notice the use of the word “authority.” These are literal cities in Christ’s Kingdom.
The above text speaks of the establishment of the Kingdom throughout the earth. Israel will rule the nations from Jerusalem. The obedient Gentile nations will be bless with the dew from heaven. The wicked will be destroyed as by a ravenous lion. The Sermon of the Mount will be enforced at that time.
Romans eleven speaks of the time when the dew will fall upon the nations that “kiss the Son.” There is no though of this present dispensation in this subject. “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” Romans 11:15.
NEW SONG: Fair Weather Friends
By Ken Blue
“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.” Matthew 10:23.
There is no doubt that the context is about the Tribulation just prior to the Second Advent. There is nothing about the church, the body of Christ in the setting.
There will be a remnant of Jews who will believe that Jesus is their Messiah. (See Isaiah 53:1-9) This remnant may be a group that will understand Isaiah 53 and other similar passages. The remnant could also be the sealed 144000. However, if we are consistent with the literal interpretation of the text, we must conclude that this refers to the Twelve Disciples. They were the ones He was addressing. That means that somewhere in the Tribulation, they must be resurrected. Also, the text demands that they will be in their natural bodies as was Lazarus. (See also Matt. 9:24, 10:8, 27:52; Mark 5:35; Luke 7:12, 22; Acts 20:9.)
We are sure that those who were raised were not in glorified bodies. If that is true, each one had to enter a physical death again. That leads to the conclusion, that the Twelve could be raised like these described above. They would continue the ministry given to them at the First Advent.
The Lord is assuring them that His coming will be quick and sudden. They will not have covered all the cities of Israel before He returns to deliver them. In the meantime, they were assured of persecution, and admonished to get out of any city that sought to kill them. A living dog is better than a dead lion.
It will take the wars of the Antichrist to bring the nation to its knees. The spectacular events surrounding The Second Advent will result in the conversion of many nations. Thus, the text is one of assurance to the Twelve.
The Two Beasts and the Dragon Chapter 13:1-18
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n chapter 11 we saw a beast come up from the pit and kill the two witnesses. In chapter 12 we were introduced to the “remnant” of Israel under the sign of a sun-clad woman with twelve stars, which crowned her head. In addition, Satan was introduced with the sign of a seven-headed red dragon and was cast out of heaven to the earth. In chapter 13 we are given greater details about “The Beast.”
We remind our readers that the title “beast” was not only given to the beast of the field such as, cattle, sheep, lions, etc.; but also, to angels, men, and their governments. When this title is applied to man and governments, it always has a negative connotation.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Revelation 13:1).
Keep in mind that wars are raging between the nations within and surrounding the old Roman Empire. John gives the imagery of a seven-headed beast rising up from a body of water. However, we know that the beast is not a sea monster, nor is the sea a literal body of water. A beast, as we have said, is at times, a mortal man, a group of men or their governments. The sea from which the beast arises consists of the Gentile multitudes. (See 17:15.)
The title “beast” is used interchangeably between a person or persons and their kingdoms. This beast, which comes from the masses, is a man who takes over the kingdom that has been formed by an alliance of ten kings within the boundaries of the old Roman Empire. That kingdom, consisting of the ten kings, must exist before the man designated “the beast” can rise to power. The ten kings comprise the seventh head on the beast.
This man rises to power through his craft, deceit, lies, and the aid of Satan. Through his diplomacy, he will over-throw three kings and capture the allegiance of the other seven. He is called “the little horn” and comes up after the ten horns were fully-grown. He will overthrow three of the ten because they resist him. He is the Antichrist who comes to full power in the days of the ten kings. He will overthrow three of them, and the others will submit to him without further resistance (Daniel 7:8, 23-24; Revelation 17:11-17).
Commentators are not in agreement as to who or which governments are represented by the seven heads. We have stated, that we believe they are:
1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Medo-Persia
5. Greece
6. The Old Roman Empire
7. The Ten Kingdoms that are yet to be formed inside the Roman Empire (Daniel 7:23-24).
Just as Daniel was given a view of the four world empires in one image, with the ten kings represented by the ten toes, so John is given a vision of seven heads, comprised of the seven Gentile powers who have persecuted Israel. These are given in the form of a single beast with the eighth head coming from within it.
“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” (Revelation 13:2-3).
John describes the likeness of the Antichrist’s new composite government as a leopard with feet like a bear and the mouth of a lion. Daniel gives the same description of these governments and tells us who they represent. He informs us that the lion represented Babylon, the bear represented Medo-Persia, and the leopard represented Greece.
Some commentators believe the leopard symbolizes the United States. They reason that its white underside represents white people, and that the black spots symbolize integration of blacks. Further arguments are given for this theory, but we forbear. Several writers point out that the spots on the Antichrist’s kingdom symbolize its wickedness in contrast to Jesus, God’s Lamb without spot.
Williams says, “The Wild Beast will be the fourth beast of Daniel 7 and will exercise the power of the Grecian, the Persian, and the Babylonian kingdoms; signified by (verse 2) the leopard, the bear and the lion.” He further says, “The future will reveal the meaning of verse 3.”
Tim LaHaye comments on this verse by taking the reader to chapter 17. He says, “… they represent five kings to the time of John; the sixth, Domitian, a Roman king at the time of John, he then skipped forward to the time of the seventh head, Antichrist.” He continues, “Others suggest that these are the seven phases of the Roman type of government through which the non-descript beast, which represents Caesarean imperialism, passed. In either case the whole animal represents a bestial kingdom that will be in the dominant control of the earth during the Tribulation.”
William McDonald says, “They combine the features of the four beasts of Daniel in 7:3-7.”
Dr. John Walvoord says, “…the final world ruler gathers into his power all the power of the preceding rulers and their territory…eventually becomes ruler of the entire globe, something that had never been accomplished before.”
Dr. Ruckman says, concerning verse 3, “One of the heads of the beast is cut off, and wounded. It is Nimrod (King of Babel), Pharaoh (King of Egypt), Sennacherib (King of Assyria), Nebuchadnezzar (King of Babylon) or Cyrus (King of Rome). One of these heads is ‘wounded to death’ and the ‘deadly wound was healed.’ One of those nations that was cut off is going to revive and take over.”
John Phillips says, “…this is evidently a reference to the revival of the Roman Empire as it will be in its final form.”
Dake believes the “beast” empire is ancient Greece. It is described as a leopard and a bear. He says both were symbols of ancient Greece. Greece is first symbolized by brass in Daniel 2:39b, “… and another third…”
It seems reasonable to stay with the Scriptural designation of the leopard as given by Daniel. He was told that the leopard symbolizes the Grecian Empire. (See Daniel 7:6.) In Daniel 7:6 the leopard has four heads. The four heads symbolize the four divisions of the Grecian Empire after the death of Alexander, as do the four horns of Daniel 8:8, 22-23. Heads always symbolize kingdoms. (Daniel 8:20-23; Revelation 17:9-11.) This kingdom is mentioned in Daniel 2:32,35,39,45; 7:6,17; 8:5-25; 10:20; 11:3-45; Zechariah 8:13.
Alexander the Great died at age 33. After his death his kingdom was divided between his four generals. The four kingdoms formed out of his empire are known today as Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Egypt. The Antichrist, we believe, comes from Syria.
The leopard symbolizes the Grecian Empire, which was one of the seven heads on the beast-vision, which John saw. Satan, who is here called “the dragon,” energized the whole beast from its inception to its destruction. One should note that the dragon is also said to also have seven heads and ten horns. This shows how unified Satan and his beast kingdoms are. They are inseparable. The Antichrist has great power and authority. Satan delegates these to him.
John says one of the “heads” on the beast had received, “as it were,” a wound to death (v.3). Now the question is which head was, “as it were wounded to death”? Dr. Ruckman said that we are forced to choose from the list. Was it Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, the old Roman Empire, or the 7th that made up the 10 kingdoms that are yet to be formed inside the Roman Empire? Some commentators believe the wounded head is Rome. Others believe it to be the Grecian empire. It seems more likely that it is the Grecian Empire, since it is from that head the Antichrist comes. This will be covered in more detail when we come to chapter 17.
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4).