Matthew 22:1-14 contains the parable of the wedding feast. Verses 1-7 describes a king whose son is to be married. He has planned a grand feast and invited an honored few. Despite the honor of being invited to the wedding feast some ignore the invitation and others mistreat and kill the messengers announcing the feast, in his fury the king sends his armies, executes the murderers and burns their city. This portion of the parable is a reference to God’s chosen people, the Jews. God chose the Jews to be his people, he led Abraham out of the land of Ur, he led Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt, he led the people out of their captivity in Persia. He sent them prophets and judges, blessings and curses. They ignored and killed the prophets and judges, or forgot their wisdom in a generation. They forgot about the blessings and wailed at the perceived injustice of the curses. When the Son of God came he was rejected by his chosen people.
Tag: Obedience
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life,and may enter through the gates into the city. (Rev. 22:14)
All of God’s creation must respond to the Creator. The creation is set within the bounds God designed. There is no circumventing.
To be saved you must believe that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) There are many scriptures that echo this message. The confession that Jesus is both Lord and Christ is the “Rock” on which your faith must be built. (Matthew 16:15-18) You must believe!
You may have heard people say that the Bible blames Eve for bringing evil into the world. That is patently untrue. Paul wrote in R0mans 5:12 that it was by the actions of one man (Adam) that sin and death entered the world. Did Eve play a part? Certainly, but the onus is place squarely on Adam’s shoulders.
As has been shown in earlier entries on this site, prophecy provides proof that 1) the prophet of old prophesied truth, and thus 2) spoke of the future in a way that no man, apart from the power of an all knowing being, could. Therefore, we can deduce that if the prophets of old were confirmed by what they spoke, there must be a Higher power providing these men with the ability to foreknow.
Have you ever known someone who says they love you, yet their actions demonstrate that they do not love you? I know I have been guilty of such hypocrisy. Perhaps you have as well. Just as a living faith requires works, so too a living love requires action, “let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18) If you asked the average religious person, “Do you love God?”, I venture they would say, “Yes.” Of course, there might be some question as to WHICH god they love, but for those who believe in a monotheistic Creator, most would likely affirm their love. But then the question becomes, “What does it mean to love?” Is our love for God merely a verbal expression, a warm feeling, a sentimental tear? How do we express our love for God? How does He want us to express our love for Him? If God is Your Father, You Must Love the Son
Saved? Are you sure? In a world with so much change and instability, it’s sometimes difficult to have confidence in anything. Even in spiritual matters, our faith often fails to provide us with any real confidence in our eternity. The promise of salvation is certain and secure, but are you sure you’re saved? If you’re not sure, why not? If you are, how do you know?
I thought it was a divine revelation, a visitation from the Holy Spirit. A skeptic challenged me and a long conversation ensued. I found myself saying things I had never put into words and a rapid shift in perception occurred. I had this certainty, the Lord was moving me to a higher plane. It seemed to have been from the Lord. . . until I started reading the Bible and found out differently.
In II Samuel 6 David makes preparations to bring the Ark back from Baale Judah to the Temple, where it belonged. David, accompanied by thirty thousand men, went down to the house of Abinadab and set the Ark on a new cart to transport it. Steering the Ox cart were two men, Uzzah and Ahio (the sons of Abinadab). Ahio went in front of the Ark, and Uzzah followed behind the Ark. This large procession sang and danced, joyfully carrying the Ark back to its proper place. However, along the way (at Nachon’s threshing floor), the oxen stumbled. In an attempt to steady the Ark and make sure it would not fall, Uzzah reached out and put his hand on the Ark. Immediately God’s anger was aroused against Uzzah and God struck him dead.