October 19, 2006 - Isaiah 56-58 and II Thessalonians 2
God is concerned about all people having an intimate love relationship with Him. He disdains those who just practice religious rituals. I urge all of us to consider this fact as we read these two passages.
Isaiah 56 begins by affirming that God would save the eunuchs and the gentiles who would come to Him sincerely with a faithful and obedient heart. That is why I say that God cares for all people. However, the chapter ends by saying that the priests and the leaders of the Israelites were not seeking Him. They were supposed to be the example for the other peoples of the world, but they had forsaken God. Isaiah 57:8 tells us that the people of God were making covenants with idols, instead of following God's covenant. What an insult to God. They were self-satisfied and disobedient children. Isaiah 58 tells us that they would fast and expect God to bless them, while at the same time, they were breaking His laws. That is just practicing religious rituals. God can't bless us when we are sinning willfully, even if we are coming to church and even fasting. We are not listening to Him. We are trying to manipulate Him with our rituals. God always sees through those insincere religious rituals.
II Thessalonians 2 tells us about how the man of lawlessness or the Antichrist will come before the Lord Jesus comes again. It will be a terrible time, but the key word is lawlessness. There will be a huge majority of people who believe that God's laws do not pertain to them. God will have to come in judgment against these people. He will be trying to show them His truth, so they will turn to Him. However, I believe many Christians even fall into the trap of lawlessness. We select the laws we want to keep, and we forget the rest. Can God bless that type of behavior, even if we are going to church? If He blessed us when we did that, He would be leading us to sin. He would be blessing us in our religious rituals. I urge all of us to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ; be true to Him and obey Him with all of our hearts. That is the only way to live in harmony with the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 59-61 and II Thessalonians 3.
Isaiah 56 begins by affirming that God would save the eunuchs and the gentiles who would come to Him sincerely with a faithful and obedient heart. That is why I say that God cares for all people. However, the chapter ends by saying that the priests and the leaders of the Israelites were not seeking Him. They were supposed to be the example for the other peoples of the world, but they had forsaken God. Isaiah 57:8 tells us that the people of God were making covenants with idols, instead of following God's covenant. What an insult to God. They were self-satisfied and disobedient children. Isaiah 58 tells us that they would fast and expect God to bless them, while at the same time, they were breaking His laws. That is just practicing religious rituals. God can't bless us when we are sinning willfully, even if we are coming to church and even fasting. We are not listening to Him. We are trying to manipulate Him with our rituals. God always sees through those insincere religious rituals.
II Thessalonians 2 tells us about how the man of lawlessness or the Antichrist will come before the Lord Jesus comes again. It will be a terrible time, but the key word is lawlessness. There will be a huge majority of people who believe that God's laws do not pertain to them. God will have to come in judgment against these people. He will be trying to show them His truth, so they will turn to Him. However, I believe many Christians even fall into the trap of lawlessness. We select the laws we want to keep, and we forget the rest. Can God bless that type of behavior, even if we are going to church? If He blessed us when we did that, He would be leading us to sin. He would be blessing us in our religious rituals. I urge all of us to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ; be true to Him and obey Him with all of our hearts. That is the only way to live in harmony with the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 59-61 and II Thessalonians 3.