The Sword of the LORD

Jeremiah was a Jewish prophet who lived around 600 years before Christ.   He is credited with writing two books of the Bible: Jeremiah and Lamentations.   He is referred to by many as “the weeping prophet” because of the difficult judgments that he spoke against his nation, and the burden of grief that he carried for them.     During his ministry, God sent Jeremiah to the leaders of Judah to tell them that the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was coming against them to make war, and would defeat them in battle.   As a result, many of them would be carried into captivity and dispersed among the cities of Babylon.   All of this would happen because the Jews were no longer listening to God, but had, instead, turned to worshipping idols.   Jeremiah told them that God was bringing judgment on them and that they were not to resist Nebuchadnezzar or they would be resisting God.   The priests and so-called prophets of the time were outraged and reject...

About 95 A.D the Apostle John was banished to the Greek island of Patmos during the persecution of the Church under the Roman Emperor Domitian.  While there, John was given the Revelation of Jesus Christ and shown the events that would take place in the last days when Christ returns and receives the Kingdom prepared for Him by the Father.    In the beginning chapters of the book of Revelation, the Lord gave to John messages that the Apostle was to write down and deliver to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey).   They were the Churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.   The messages were very intimate and personal to the believers they were addressed to.   They contained recognition for the things that each Church was doing well, but also reprimands for things that they were not doing so well.   It is significant to note that John saw the Lord Jesus “in the midst of” the golden candlesticks wh...

"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them?  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations." (Exodus 3:13-15).   When Moses encountered God on the backside of the wilderness of Sinai, he asked Him what name he should use when the children of Israel asked who had sent him to them.   The name by which God referred to Himself was, in the Hebrew, "hayaw," I AM THAT I AM.   This name has been interpreted in various ways such as "I am what I am,...

When our first child was born, my wife, Terry, and I had not yet been converted to Christianity.  We were both very young, having been married the summer after we graduated from high school.  On the night that Terry went into labor we were still unclear about what we were going to name our new child.  At that time, there were no ultrasound images to reveal the gender of the child, and the fathers were not allowed in the labor or delivery room to support their wives.  So, I was delegated to a waiting room and anxious to hear any news of what was happening with my wife.  As I waited, I picked up a Reader's Digest condensed book that contained the story of Christopher Columbus' life and the discovery of the New World.  When the nurse came to inform me that I was the father of a healthy baby boy, I was overjoyed, and couldn't wait to see my new son and his mama.  While Terry and I were admiring our boy, it suddenly came to me what we should call him Christ...

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24).   God's salvation is perfect and all-encompassing.   Christ is able to save completely, or as the King James says, "to the uttermost , " those who come to God through Him. (Hebrews 7:25).   Saint Paul's prayer and desire for the Christians in Thessalonica - and for you and me as well - was that we be sanctified wholly , and that our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless until Jesus returns.     Many Christians are living far below their potential, however.   They are besieged by habitual sins that keep them in a state of guilt, anxiety, frustration, and doubt.   They find themselves overcome by the very things that Christ came to save them from.   Lust, addiction, anger, bit...

"The voice of my Beloved! behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.  My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, He standeth behind our wall, He looketh forth at the windows, shewing Himself through the lattice.  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." (Song of Solomon 2:8-10).   Most Christians would agree that it is better to enjoy the mountaintop experiences of life than to go through the valleys of disappointment and struggle.   The mountaintops represent the blessings of life, and it is there that we have a clear vision to see where we are now, and where we are going.   Getting there is the problem, though.   We need to ask ourselves, "Just what is it going to take to achieve the summit?"   Mountains are formidable.   They are daunting.   It takes great skill and fortitude to scale a mountain.   Even with extensive preparation and training, it is s...

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20).   So, I woke up one morning with a desire to revitalize my prayer life.   I have never been the greatest conversationalist, I usually am a better listener, and this has translated to my prayer life as well.   I spend a lot of time waiting to hear what the Lord wants to say to me, but not as much time expressing my wishes.   On the surface that may seem like a good thing, a less selfish thing; but not when it comes to praying for others.   I also have a tendency to pray in my heart, and not out loud.   This isn't really an important issue, but I wanted to force myself to talk to God as if He were in the room with me (which He is, of course) rather than someone who is far off whom I was communicating with telepathically.   So I had this thought to invite God to tea.   I got out two porcelain mugs, and chose my favorite one for the...

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:51).   We Christians talk much about the precious blood of Jesus and its efficacy in cleansing our sins, and washing our souls white as snow.  There is no other agent in the universe that can atone for, and blot out, the sin of mankind.  What we do not talk as much about, however, is the body of Jesus Christ - that is to say, His flesh.    Jesus said, " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in Him ." (John 6:53-56).  Here Jesus makes it very clear th...