The Sword of the LORD

The story of Noah and his ark reveals some important principles about God's Kingdom and its relationship to the world.     We cannot overstate the corrupting influence that the world has on mankind, or the insidious way in which it infiltrates every area of our lives.   The world often comes to us innocently, dressed in its finest clothes, full of lofty promises and with its best intentions; and we are often duped by such a masquerade.   We should not be surprised, "...for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14).     In Noah’s day, the whole world had become so corrupted that God determined to destroy everything.   Man's condition was so vile that God was grieved, and He regretted making man.   "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually .   And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the eart...

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).   " Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).   “And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, LET MY PEOPLE GO, THAT THEY MAY SERVE ME IN THE WILDERNESS. ” (Exodus 7:16).    In His Word, God has provided us with types and shadows: historical accounts that also reveal deeper spiritual truths concerning the Kingdom of God.  These accounts illustrate and reinforce the basic principles of the Kingdom of God and point us toward our King and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Wh...

The message of the Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, is one that is central to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   The Kingdom of Heaven is a place we hope to inhabit after we die, but we are often unclear about just what it is and how it has any relevance to us in this present world.   Without a proper understanding of the heavenly Kingdom, we fall short of living a truly Spirit-filled life, and we become entangled in a temporal system which God has condemned and intends to ultimately destroy.     When John the Baptist began his preaching in the wilderness of Judea, his message was simple and direct.   He said, “Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. ” (Matthew 3:2).   His purpose was to announce the imminent appearance of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the ushering in of a new dispensation of grace.   He was also announcing a shift from the importance of an earthly, visible kingdom (the Jewish nation) to an invisible...

Sometime around 600 B.C., according to the Bible account, Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had a dream.   The problem was, while he thought the dream might be significant, he couldn’t remember either the dream or what it might have meant.     Having many “wise” councilors in his employ, Nebuchadnezzar called them together and demanded that they tell him what the dream was that he had dreamed and interpret the meaning of that dream also.  After all, wasn’t that what he was paying them to do?  Oh, and as a little incentive, if they couldn’t produce the dream and the interpretation, then the King was going to have them cut in pieces.  No pressure.    The councilors naturally urged the King to reveal the dream to them and then they would gladly interpret it for him, but that was useless because the King had truly forgotten it.  Anyway, this seemed like a good test to see if his wise men were truly wise, or not.  After their reaso...