Many may say that the end is near, the time for the tribulation, etc. I believe it is very near. However, even if it were a thousand years away, God’s judgment could come on any person or any nation at any time. So even if you don’t believe the end is near for this world system, don’t question that God’s judgment is due on any number of people and/or nations. Let us not become as these in Judah were before the Babylonians took them away into their judgment. Jeremiah 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: (KJV) They had gone so far astray from God’s will that the Lord told Jeremiah not to even bother praying for them. Jeremiah 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. (KJV) Now at this Christmas season we have a time for decorating trees and buying gifts. Though we do not know the exact date of the birth of Jesus, Christians from years ago chose the 25th of December to remember His birth. Christmas trees may be pretty and something for the family to gather at, but we should certainly remember that it is only a decorated tree, not an object of devotion (worship). People can become so caught up in the “Christmas Spirit” that they become engrossed in such concepts as “Christmas Magic” or other such notions. This holiday brings no magic of itself and the tree and other decorations are just that, decorations and “ONLY” decorations. Our Creator and remembering the birth of Jesus is the only power to be served by Christians. Note this warning to the people of Judah who had become involved in the worship of other nations as in this example of taking a tree and decorating it with silver and gold and worshipping it (much like is done with Christmas trees). Jeremiah 10:1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the LORD, Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them; 3 For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. 4 They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good. (NASB) Again Jeremiah was reminded by the Lord not to pray for this people because they had become carried away by the ways of this world, and not God’s will. Jeremiah 11:14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble. (KJV) Jeremiah 14:11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. 13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. 14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. 15 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. (KJV) Remember that prophets were not just people who ‘predicted’ the future, but people who spoke on God’s, or gods’, behalf. The word ‘god’ from the Old Testament may refer to any power or authority. Though Christians may use the term “God” to refer to our Creator, in the Biblical context it may refer to judges, rulers, even teachers, or others in power or authority. The term may often be used synonymously with “shepherds” in their authority over the sheep. People were sometimes referred to as sheep and their leader as their shepherd. The shepherd could be a legitimate prophet from our Creator or a false prophet, or any religious or civic leader in authority. Jeremiah 50: 6 My people hath been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting-place. 7 All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said: We are not guilty; because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers. 8 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks. (JPS) Ezekiel 12:2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. (KJV) Ezekiel prophesied at the same time as Jeremiah, though Jeremiah was in Jerusalem and Ezekiel was in Babylon with some from Judah who were already carried into captivity by God’s judgment upon Judah. Let us not become a part of any house that is rebellious against our Creator.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:34:52 +0000
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