What in the World Is Happening? – Part Sixteen

Let’s take a look at the past two decades.

Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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On 9/11, I was in a prayer meeting with about 25 fellow ministers.  The church where we had gathered had a giant screen on the stage, and as we prayed together, we watched (in real time) the second tower of the World Trade Center fall.  The moment it began to fall, the tone of prayer in the room changed for every man.  I could hear man after man, almost simultaneously, praying, “Father, give them breath,” or “Father, give them air,” or “Father, give them legs.”  For the gathering of ministers in that sanctuary, it was truly a Holy Ghost-moment.  

Within minutes, as I walked and prayed, my heart breaking for those who were in that devastation, the Lord began to speak to me.  I went to the foyer of the church, opened my Bible to the last blank page, and began to write as Holy Spirit spoke to me.  What I wrote that day was not an end-all revelation for me, but simply the revelation of the starting point for me to engage in a deep study of the Word of God to understand how the book of Job was a clear revelation of the current position of the church in the world today.  If we accurately understand what happened to Job, how it happened, and what the characters were engaged in doing, we will see a powerful revelation of what is happening regarding the church of today.  If there were only occasional parallels between the book of Job and today, this could be easily dismissed.  But we are not looking at occasional parallels.  Rather we are looking at consistent, point by point parallels that I am convinced are incontrovertible. 

From the opening events recorded in the book of Job, to the concluding words and results, we see a vivid revelation of the church, not a local congregation, nor a denomination, but THE CHURCH, and it is unfolding step-by-step today as the story of Job unfolded.  While we cannot pinpoint the precise moment of the parallel at which we stand, we can certainly recognize the key elements of the scene that is being played out at this moment.  Just as no one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return for His church, we can know the season.  The same is true in the relation of the church to the Job scenario.  Open your heart, my friend.  The best hour of the church is truly yet to come.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Job

What in the World Is Happening – Part Fifteen

Yet again, there shall be a time for hearing from Father.  Prepare yourself.

Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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If ever a time existed when this world, and especially the church, needed to hear directly from the Lord, it is the hour in which we live.  We can clearly understand from the Scriptures that Father NEVER reverses His authority or power.  He NEVER diminishes what He desires to do.  He is constantly and faithfully moving forward.  We are commanded to forget what is behind and to press forward towards the mark for the prize.  He is always raising the bar, making things better.  The New Covenant is more glorious than the Old Covenant.  The second draught of fish was greater than the first draught.  The second supply of wine at the wedding feast of Cana was better than the first supply.  He is forever making better, improving, and He is forever using His people to do the job.  He has not changed.  You who are alive today are here for a reason.  You are ordained for this hour to be the best model of the church that has ever lived, to do the greatest works, to bring to Father the greatest glory. 

We see the same thing happening with Job.  After the devastation Satan brought upon him, after his friends withstood and judged him, after Elihu had delivered his word from the Lord, and after Job had heard from the Lord Himself and obeyed Him,  the end of Job was far better than his earlier state.  All that was taken from him was restored two-fold.  For every ONE lost, TWO was restored.  And for the children he had lost, he received equal back.  And for his three daughters, the second three were the three most beautiful women in the land. 

Job had known the powerful blessing of the Lord.  He had known the powerful protection of the Lord.  But I am not sure he fully understood his full part in how all that was manifest.  He certainly did not demonstrate any real understanding of it when he lost all he had at the beginning of the story.  But after hearing Elihu, and then the Lord’s Word, he realized his own words were the key he needed to understand and use.  Having learned that, instead of debating WITH his friends, it would serve better to talk to the Lord FOR his friends.  And when he did, God turned Job’s captivity, restoring all he had lost two times over, and his family, too.  The story of Job is a prophetic picture of the church of the last days before the coming of Jesus for His Church.  We’ve yet more to examine in the days ahead.  Prepare yourself to be stirred.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Job

What in the World Is Happening? – Part Fourteen

I remind you again; if you truly want to hear from God, open your ears to the man of God.

Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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Once again today I want to deal with the man of God, Elihu, who set the stage for Job and his friends to hear from God.  Likewise, I want to put you in remembrance of a statement I made yesterday.  If you want to hear from God, especially when the atmosphere in which you live is a defiant, argumentative, self-seeking, self-justifying atmosphere such as that we live in today, you must first hear from the man of God.  In the Job scenario, they desperately needed to hear from the Lord, but before they could hear from the Lord, they needed to have their ears prepared by first hearing from the man of God, Elihu.

We have already discovered how closely Elihu was connected to the Lord in being able to hear and understand what we see plainly recorded in the narrative, but sadly, so often missed, overlooked, or even disguised by the traditions of men that make the Word of God of none effect (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:13).  Elihu saw through the traditions of men, and did not overlook the things God had said and revealed in the opening chapters.  His words were strong, insightful, accurate, truthful, and correcting.  Because Job and his friends listened to the words of Elihu, they were prepared to hear the voice of God when He began to address them at the close of Elihu’s reproof, rebuke, and instruction.

It is the close of Elihu’s words that we address today.  In Job 37:23-24, Elihu said, “Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.  Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.”  His closing words to Job and his three friends cleared up all their debate based on their thinking that God was doing all this to Job; that it was God Who was doing the afflicting.  Look closely at Elihu’s words.  He said of God that He was “excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice.”  God was not lacking in any of the things so often addressed by Job and his friends.  The Elihu spoke four words that should resound in our hearing today.  I’m sure these words were like arrows shot from the bow of a master bowman, hitting the center of the target.  Elihu said of God, “He will not afflict.”  Do you see that?  All along, Job and his three friends thought it was God Who was afflicting Job.  They were sense ruled, and tradition saturated.  But these words unlocked the prison of their minds that held them captive.  Hearing these words, they were finally ready to hear what God had to say to them personally.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Job

What in the World Is Happening? – Part Thirteen

Do your really want to hear from God?  You must first hear from the man of God.

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Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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The first two chapters of Job set the stage of Satan’s roll in stealing, killing, and destroying in the Job’s life.  From chapter three through chapter 31, we behold the two-way debate in attacking, accusing, defending, and self-justification of Job and his three friends.  At that point, when Job and his friends ceased their verbal dueling, a heretofore personality comes on the scene.  Apparently, he had been there as an observer all along.  His name was Elihu.  He had become angry with Job because of his self-justification, and his friends because of their ceaseless condemnation that accomplished nothing.  He became the forerunner for God in this scenario with Job.

Being younger than Job and his friends, Elihu had shown respect for them by not interrupting their debate.  But when he did speak, he wasted no time coming directly to the point.  He said, “Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgment.”  This was a cunning way of telling them they were unwise and without understanding.  He said to them with cunning words that he was fed up with all their useless words, empty, non-effective words.  And then for five uninterrupted chapters, Elihu stood in the role of the “daysman,” (mediator, intercessor) Job had sought.  He declared himself to be in communication with the Lord, and that what he said would be wisdom with understanding.  Job 33:14 shows how closely Elihu was listening and being made aware by the Lord of what to say.  As you read chapters one and two, you see that Jehovah had spoken on two occasions concerning Job.  The words of Job 33:14 still ring so true today as it relates to how Christians generally read Job and miss the great truth he (Elihu) spoke.  God had spoken twice in the opening chapters, but did not speak after Job and his friends began their discourse until they completely ceased, and Elihu, speaking for the Lord, spoke into the matter.

There is a great lesson to take from this.  Later we will see how Job is a perfect picture of what has happened to the church, especially since 9/11.  In the chapters of Elihu’s speaking, no one interrupted.  Elihu held the stage.  It was only when Elihu had finished speaking that the Lord spoke into the matter once again.  The lesson we should learn is this.  In times when men have rejected the wisdom of God for their own miniscule, diminutive intellectual attempts that lead to believing and embracing outright lies, men, as never before, need to hear from the Lord.  But until they have heard from a man (or men) the message sent by the Lord, they will not hear from the Lord.  Now is the time for the voice(s) of Elihu.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Job

What in the World Is Happening? – Part Twelve

What we need is a purifying of the words we hear, clearly distinguishing truth from falsehood.

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Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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As long as truth about God is mixed with lies about Him, misunderstandings of Him, and misrepre-sentations of Him being dispersed by those who claim to speak for Him, confusion, doubt, blindness toward Him will destroy many.  Job and his three friends were all deeply engaged in this process.  While they surely had some knowledge of covenant, their words make it clear that they were well-indoctrinated by traditions of men, and were strongly motivated by self-justification.  It seems that this quartet of “good ole boys” were all well-schooled in making false accusations against God because of their failure to discern between truth and lie, and failure to rightly divide the Word of truth.

Yet even in their confusion, doubt, misdirection, and unbelief, Job recognized the need of a mediator, and intercessor, or as the King James Version call it, a “daysman” (9:33).  This is someone who could stand between him and God, and lay his hand on both.  We must not forget in this dialogue we examine that most of their words came from a position of false assumption that it was God Who was doing all these horrible things to Job.  Remember, it WAS NOT GOD!  It was Satan.  One of the greatest lessons we can learn from Job is to “trust but verify.”  To walk in that way, we must KNOW the Word, STUDY the Word, MEDITATE upon the Word, WALK in the light of the Word, and RIGHTLY DIVIDE the Word. 

The four-man-dialogue of Job and his friends quickly became a constant attack-defend-attack scenario.  It was parry and thrust, parry and thrust; walk ten paces, turn and fire, reload, and repeat.  All were seeking to self-justify, Job was immersed in self-pity and his friends in one-ups-man-ship.  It was 29 chapters of fruitless argument and contention, judgment and self-justification, attack and defend; all in a poisoned atmosphere of ignorance, misdirection, lies, deceit, arrogance, and pride. 

Sadly, this is a common scenario in many Christian arenas today.  So many believers believe God has put sickness or disease upon them, or that He wants to keep them poor because He knows money will corrupt them.  Others, who know better, are often found to be critical and judgmental of such folks, and are themselves judged by others.  Christians are battling and arguing amongst themselves, society is battling within its own ranks, most of whom are following deceptive schemes and misguided people.  Does it sound familiar?  It’s the “Job Scenario.”  More to come.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Job

What in the World Is Happening? – Part Eleven

Friends can hurt you without intentionality.  Your prayer life is your key to success in those times.

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Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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While Eliphaz the Temanite was the first of Job’s friends to speak, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite had their times in the dialogue, too.  Each of them took turns speaking to Job, and Job responded to each of them in turn.  In every case, the outcome was the same.  The friends spoke based on the perception of their physical senses, and Job responded defensively, perceiving each of his friend’s soliloquy as a personal attack.  In the end of their dialogue, all we see is a debate among four men, each seeking to justify himself or his opinion.  In such debates, the usual outcome is confusion, not only among the debaters, but perhaps even more so among the listeners (and that includes is as the readers).  It is to that end that I write today.

In any debate, especially about spiritual matters like those faced by Job, you will likely hear bits and pieces of truth in some measure.  This often makes the content of what is said more palatable to the hearer (reader), but that does NOT mean for complete measure of what was said is right.  It causes the formulation of the following train of thought.  Water quenches thirst.  Therefore, if you are thirsty, drink water.  That’s simple.  But if you were thirsty, how much poison (arsenic) would I have to put in your glass of water before you would not drink it?  I can tell you for myself, I would not drink the glass of water if I knew even one drop of arsenic had been added.  It’s still poison.  Only if the poison were added without me knowing it would I drink it.  Many poisons are odorless, tasteless, and colorless.  Some may even have a tantalizing taste.  Such is the case with doubt, unbelief, and traditions and religions of men.  They may be odorless, tasteless, and colorless, or even have an attractive taste, but they are still  poison.  For that reason, when you’re uncertain about water, you need an effective filtration system.

For the child of God, the filtration system is the shield of faith that is made strong by the inerrant Word of God.  When we read and study the book of Job, we MUST NOT blindly accept every statement as doctrinally sound.  While every word in the Bible is accurately recorded, not every word is truth.  The lies and misconceptions of men are recorded Scripture to help us learn, through the Word, what is accurately the heart of God and what is not.  Job is a book that MUST be filtered through the light of God’s Word so we can “rightly” divide it for accurate understanding.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; 1 Corinthians 10:13;

What in the World Is Happening – Part Ten

All humans can change, even friends, especially in critical times.  Only God NEVER changes.

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Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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In the Job scenario, there were three men that are referred to as “friends” of Job.  They were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.  When the great crisis Job face initially unfolded into his life, they came to him to comfort him.  When they saw the horrible state of affairs he was facing, especially when they could not recognize him because of his physical condition, they even wept for him.  I believe they considered themselves to be friends, even when their words to him became critical of him.  You see, true friends will speak truth, but there are times when people speak what they believe to be truth when, in truth, it is not truth.  That was the case with Job at this point in his life.  We do not attack Job’s friends, but we do seek to identify their errors in judgment.  Even Job often spoke in error.  But in each case of speaking in error, whether it was Job, or one of his friends, the error is speaking was because of deception, religious thinking, or an attempt at self-justification.  We still deal with those things today, but dear reader, today, we are without excuse, for we have the completed Scriptures.  We can read the end of the story before the story is complete, a luxury Job and all those around him did not have.

Once again, I am convinced that these three men were true friends of Job.  It does not appear that they came with pre-conceptions of how or why all this came upon Job.  In fact, we read at the close of chapter two that they sat with Job seven days and nights while Job grieved about his situation.  But it seems that was the point that Job’s friends ran dry of compassion and moved into what I call the diagnosis-and-fix-it mode.  As soon as Job began to speak of his plight, Eliphaz answered him first.  He began by acknowledging Jobs good works, but immediately began to pass judgment based on his sense perception.  The Scriptures declare that one should not judge after his own sight, neither reprove after his own hearing, but should rather judge righteous judgment.  This is what all three of Job’s friends did throughout their speeches, and Job’s response to them was always on the defensive to justify himself. 

That is precisely what is happening today as ethnicities, races, and political parties attack one another.  There is a charge of blame followed by often caustic defenses.  Out of such behavior will NEVER arise any solution or healing, but only more bitterness.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; Job; John 7:24; Isaiah 11:3

What in the World Is Happening – Part Nine

People you love don’t always give the best advice.

Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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In Job 2:9-10, we are introduced to Job’s wife.  She is present for only a brief moment, but her words paint the picture of a lesson all believers need to know, especially when they find themselves in a battle against demonic forces in this life.  After all the initial attacks from Satan that had taken all Job had but his wife and his life, his wife says to him, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”  I can only imagine how such a statement from his wife could have impacted him emotionally.  Though Job held to his loyalty to the Lord, he was provoked to once again make a statement that accused the Lord of causing his troubles.  Once again, we MUST remember here that Job’s reason for making such a statement came from a deceived servant who told Job that it was fire that came down from God out of heaven that brought destruction upon his sheep and shepherds.  We, however, have a great advantage over Job in this story, for we read about it in hindsight.  Therefore, let us not be hostile towards Job.  At some point in our lives, we have all been deceived in some way by the enemy of our soul, and in that deception have said things that were not accurate.  That is why it is so imperative for the believer to read and study the Word of God, to rightly divide the Word, and to accurately interpret and speak the Word of God in a way that pleases Father.

The lesson we need to take from this portion of Job’s story is clear.  There are times when the enemy of our soul will try to use those closest to us, those who share our intimate lives, those with whom we have had years of life experience, in an attempt to distract us, cause us to speak wrongly, act wrongly, and in general, turn our backs on the Lord Who loves us with His great John 3:16 love.  In the scenario we examine today, we see that at perhaps its highest level.  It was Job’s wife, his lifelong partner, the queen of his home, the mother of his ten children, who attempted to provoke Job to “curse God, and die.”  But thank God, Job retained his integrity.  Even at the level of deception in which Job was found at that moment, he kept his integrity, giving honor to God.  I would rather be found giving honor to God, even though I was somewhat deceived, than to be found trying to justify myself and dishonoring my Father.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; Job

What in the World Is Happening – Part Eight

Lucifer, known as Satan, changed and fell.  He hasn’t changed for the better.

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Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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Yesterday we looked at God’s comments about Job at the beginning of the book.  Keeping in mind that God doesn’t change, God’s attitude towards Job, loving him, blessing him, and speaking well of him, never changed, and in the end of the story, we see it even more clearly as the Lord reveals His personal integrity.  Today, however, we want to get a clearer understanding of the plan Satan had for Job.

If you will note closely, Satan’s personal part in the Job scenario was played out by the middle of chapter two.  Of course, that’s the usual way he works.  He attacks, does all the damage he can, and then withdraws to watch, and if possible, gloat in the damage he has wrought, and watch as everyone else gets the blame, especially God.  That is precisely what he did against Job.

In the first two chapters where Satan is mentioned, please note the following revelation.  At no point did the devil ask God’s permission to attack Job.  For years I have heard many ministers, when speaking about the story of Job, talk about how Satan asked for permission to attack Job.  My friend, this is simply not so.  It’s not there.  You can’t find it in the Bible.  My point here is simple.  Satan does NOT ask God for permission to attack God’s children.  He tried to get God to do it for him.  He attempted on both his approaches to the Lord to provoke the Lord to attack, steal from, or injure Job, but he never succeeded.

What we do see is that in the Old Testament, after the fall of man, Satan DID have access to heaven to approach God on his attempts to provoke the Lord to hurt people, but he never succeeded.  There are some who preach that Satan still has access to heaven to do the same today, or, once again, as some wrongly put it, to ask God’s permission to hurt the people of God.  Again I say to you, this is patently false on both counts.  When Jesus arose from the dead, one of His first acts was to take His blood to heaven and cleanse the heavenly vessels of worship that had been tainted when Adam fell.  In doing that, Jesus set a barrier that prevented ANYONE from getting to the Father, except for one way.  NOW, the ONLY way to get to the Father is in the Name of Jesus.  The ONLY way to Father is now through Jesus, and there is NOW NO WAY that Satan can go there.  He can’t get by Jesus!  Oh, what a blessing that is for us! 

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; Job

What in the World Is Happening – Part Seven

When you read Scripture, read it for what it says, not for what you’ve heard someone say about it.

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Mark 4:3 & 26 – Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:….&…..So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

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The book of Job has been misquoted and misunderstood in more ways than one can imagine.  And perhaps the primary reason for that is a misrepresentation of Jehovah God that came through a deceived servant who was completely sense-ruled.  Let’s examine the person and character of God in this edition of the Second Miler, taking a close look at what He really said, and not what so many have said He said.

Job 1:1 describes Job as God saw Him; “…perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”  When we accept the truth of Malachi 3:6, we learn something keenly important for our understanding of the character of God.  God does not change.  God is a God of faith, calling things that be not as though they were.  He will NOT change His confession of faith about you as long as you live.  In Job 1:1 we see God’s description of Job, and even when Job had opened himself up to the destruction by Satan, God would not change His profession of faith concerning Job.  We see Him saying directly to Satan on two subsequent occasions exactly what is said in the first description in Job 1:1.  In Job 1:8, at Satan’s first approach, God said of Job, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”  Then upon Satan’s second approach to God, after the first series of attacks on Job, Jehovah says in Job 2:3, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.”  In the second statement, God brags on Job even more than in His first statement.

Now learn a great truth that many have missed.  At no time did Satan ask permission to attack Job.  Rather, his motive toward God is the same as his motive towards a child of God today.  He sought to tempt God to smite Job and take away all that with which He had blessed Job.  And in no case did God do anything that would harm Job.  What God DID do was to protect Job.  Satan wanted Job’s life, but the Lord told him that Job’s life was not his to take.  God had not blessed Job to take the blessing away.  Rather God preserved Job’s life so he could regain an even greater blessing.

Manna for Today – Mark 4; Genesis 3:7 & 21; Hebrews 9:22; Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:17; Ephesians 2:10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Matthew 24; Luke 17:26; Genesis 6:11; Job