Mattan

Gtcotr/053120

Pentecost is a New Testament word meaning 50 that refers to what the Old Testament calls the Feast of Weeks. 7 weeks after the Feast of Passover equals 49 days. On the next day, day 50, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost begins. This day is also known as the Day of Mattan.

The Children of Israel celebrated the first Pentecost at Mount Sinai 50 days after the first Passover. They celebrated because it was the day on which God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. 1500 years later, on this same day, God sent the Holy Spirit and the Church was born.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the Sunday on which we celebrate the birth of the Church as recorded in Acts 2. The Book of Ephesians tells us that Jesus died for the Church and He is coming again for the Church. When I use the word Church, it will be important to know exactly what I am talking about today. Allow me to briefly define two major functions of the Church.

The Church is:

·        The Body of Christ

o   Jesus is the head and the Church is His Body.

1 Corinthians 12:27  Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

o   This is the picture, an image if you will, of both our personal and our corporate relationship with Jesus.

o   Each one of us are individual members joined together in Christ to make up the whole Body.

o   Every member is important but so is the body.

§  Members cannot live without the Body

§  The Body cannot live without the Head

§  There is an intentional interconnectedness implied in the scriptures. I do not portend to understand how it works on every level, but I cannot deny the implication.

·        The Bride of Christ

o   We have been bought with a precious price.

1 Corinthians 6:20  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

o   God paid for us with His own Son and then raised Him from the dead to and betrothed us to Him.

o   The Church is engaged by covenant to Jesus and He has gone away to prepare a place for us to live with Him in His Father’s house.

o   One day Jesus will come again and take His Bride back to heaven.

§  This event is known as the rapture of the Church.

§  There will be a wedding feast in heaven that will last for seven days.

Note: Do not get confused about Jesus coming again for His Bride and Jesus coming again for the battle of Armageddon.

·        In the rapture Jesus comes in the air.

·        For the battle, Jesus sets His feet upon the Mount of Olives.

·        In the rapture Jesus and His Bride go to heaven for a 7-year wedding feast.

·        After Jesus wins against the Anti-Christ at the Battle of Armageddon, Jesus sets up His 1000-year reign at Jerusalem.

·        The next time we see Jesus, at the rapture of the Church, it will happen like a thief in the night … on clouds of glory … only the redeemed will hear His voice and know Him.

o   The trumpet of God

o   The dead souls will receive their glorified bodies resurrected from the graves.

o   The living saints will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

·        When Jesus comes to battle the Anti-christ, the whole earth will see it and know it.

o   Armies will gather and use the Valley of Jezreel as a staging area for their armaments.

o   Jesus will be riding a white horse and a two-edged sword will be in His mouth and written on His thigh will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

o   No one will miss it! CNN, NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS, NPR, and the Washington Post will all have their reporters on scene.

·        The next time the Church sees Jesus, He will be a joyful Bridegroom.

·        The next time the world sees Jesus, He will be a Conquering Warrior-King.

Good news … we will have a front row seat for both occasions!!!

But for now … let’s get back to Pentecost and the birth of the Church …

Most Gentiles are not familiar with the culture and customs of the weddings referred to in the Bible. Today I will not go into all the details and proof texts but plan on giving just enough to establish the importance of the Feast of Pentecost to these end time events which are rushing towards us at the speed of light.

First: The Father of the groom picks the bride and pays a dowry for her called a “mohar” in Hebrew. (Genesis 34:12)

Next: Next the bride and groom are introduced and if all goes well … they make a covenant and become betrothed. This is not like a modern-day western engagement … this is a covenant and the couple are legally and morally married at that time. The exceptions are that they cannot consummate the marriage until the groom goes back to his father’s house and prepares a place for him and his wife to live.

When this is completed to his father’s satisfaction, the father will tell his son to go and get his bride. This usually happens at midnight and the grooms friends blow a trumpet and shout “the bridegroom is coming.”

While the groom is gone the father prepares a wedding feast to be enjoyed upon their return. The groom collects his veiled bride and they go out of the city to the mansion he has built for her and they enjoy the wedding feast and a 7-day traditional consummation.

Oh … one thing I left out … the mattan. Mattan in Hebrew means gift, or giving. This word is also used to identify something a groom does before he leaves his betrothed bride and goes away to build her a mansion. Before he goes away, he gives her mattan, a special gift. This gift is meant to remind her of the covenant she has with her husband and the promise he will come again to take her away to live with him. This gift is also given to help her should she need anything while he is away.

Once a year the Jews celebrate God giving the Law. On that same day, the Church celebrates Jesus giving His mattan to His Bride to take care of her while she waits for Him to return.

·        God gave the Children of Israel His word written in stone as a promise of things to come.

·        Jesus gave the Church His word written in their hearts and minds as a promise of things to come.

·        The Law of God was a schoolmaster designed to teach Israel how to please God.

·        The Holy Spirit is a teacher, counselor, comforter, and friend designed to teach the Church how to please Jesus.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is a sign of His love for us. It is a pledge and guarantee the He is coming back to claim His Bride, the Church. This mattan is a promise of things to come.

John 14

1 ¶  “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2  “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

On the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus became our Passover Lamb, the promised gift was given, and the Church was birthed. Peter preached his first sermon that day and concluded with an altar call saying:

Acts 2

38 “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39  “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

I give that same altar call today … Recognize you need a Savior; Repent of your sins; and Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit as the promise of your eternal inheritance. He will be your teacher, counselor, comforter, and friend until Jesus returns for His Bride!

The Living Dead

Gtcotr/ss052420

This morning we are going to be reading a passage from 2 Corinthians chapter 11. While you find your place, allow me to chase a thought just a little. My thought:

The best way to die for something is to live for it.

According to Biblical Historians and Church tradition, the 12 Apostles of Christ lived in difficult times, endured great persecution for their beliefs and died in various ways, all were either tortured or executed by the very people they were trying to lead to Jesus.

·        Peter – He was crucified in Rome under Nero in about AD66/67. We are told that Peter’s last request was to be crucified upside down, not feeling worthy to die the same death as did His Savior, Jesus.

·        Andrew – It is believed that Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece. His crime was the preaching of the Gospel to the lost. It is said that he continued to preach salvation and forgiveness of sins while hanging tilted to one side until he finally drew his last breath.

·        Matthew – It seems he was arrested in Ethiopia while attempting to evangelize that part of Northern Africa, where few missionaries would dare venture. It was there that he was staked to the earth by spears and beheaded.

·        Bartholomew (Nathaniel) – Sadly, most agree that while he was preaching the Gospel in Armenia, he was arrested and flayed to death by whip, where he was literally torn to shreds. How agonizing that must have been.

·        Thomas –  Not very much is known about the method of Thomas’ execution but only that while he was establishing a church in India, he was stabbed with a spear and died from the wound.

·        James the son of Zebedee - He was put to death with a sword by Herod Agrippa I  shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44. (Acts 12: 1-2)

·        James son of Alpheus - According to tradition, James the less was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned and his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.

·        Jude (Thaddeus) -  Jude taught in Armenia, Syria and was martyred by the magi in Persia.  Tradition tells us he was buried in what is now Iran.

·        Phillip - According to most historians, Philip’s death was exceedingly cruel. He was impaled by iron hooks in his ankles and hung upside down to die.

·        Simon the Zealot - Once again, very little is known about him inside or outside of the Bible. All that is known about his death is that he was also was crucified.

·        John - This is the disciple whom Jesus loved was imprisoned on the island of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation. After being released, returned to Ephesus and was the only one that died a natural death…that is by old age and not martyred. He was near 100.

How about the 12^th Apostle? Well, it depends on who one considers the 12^th Apostle. Acts 1:20-26 records the account of the remaining 11 Apostles choosing a disciple named Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot.

·        Matthias - was apparently stoned and beheaded late in the 1st century.

However, if the prophecy of Psalms 109:8 refers to Judas declaring that another Apostle would take his place and, looking back on the very fact that no less than 16 times Paul declared himself an Apostle of Jesus Christ, called, anointed and appointed by the Lord Himself, as a man born out of time (1 Corinthians 15:8), we might conclude or at least consider that Paul was that 12^th Apostle.

Be glad we don’t have to take a history test to get into heaven … Bible or otherwise. Nonetheless, the study of the scriptures and the preserved writings of early Church fathers intrigue me so as  to make me hunger for the day when I can sit at length with those patriarchs of the faith and listen to them give the details they were unable to include in their written accounts.

So, just in case Paul is the 12^th Apostle of the Lamb, how did he die? Well, just like these other Apostles we have just talked about, Paul did not just up and die for Jesus and the Gospel of Christ on a whim one day … he, like they, lived for Jesus every day. The best way to give your life for a cause is to live for it. That is what we are called to do and that is exactly what Jesus and His Apostles did.

2 Corinthians 11

24  From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

25  Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — 

28  besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

Paul did not just die for Jesus and the Church … he lived for it, every day. Sharing the Gospel of Christ and telling others about Jesus was his life. Whether he was teaching in the Church or making tents in his workshop; whether he was in the palace talking to a King or in the prison talking to a thief; whether he was arguing his point with Greek philosophers or sharing his perspective with a run-a-way slave, Paul was always talking about Jesus. He said:

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Yes, Paul did die a martyrs death … not just once … but over and over, every day and with each decision to live for Christ.

Philippians 1:21 ¶  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

We are told that in about the year AD67, Paul was beheaded by order of the Emperor Nero in the city of Rome. However, that was only the moment when the Apostle Paul was swallowed up by life … he died a long time before that.

In closing today, allow me to read one of my favorite scripture combinations. A scripture combination is where you put two or more Bible passages together in context to make a chain of encouragement from the Bible. This combination can be found in Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 3:1-3. I have used these words to encourage myself so many times … I even sing them together often to gird up the loins of my mind and strengthen my spirit. Let me just quote them to us from my heart.

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Colossians

1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Come on saints … let’s live to share the Good News about Jesus!!!

If you miss any of these notes you can always either go back and listen again or you can read, download or print a copy of my teaching notes at EzSermons.com – Several thousand ministers and lay people use this resource which we have made available for free each month. This website is one of the many websites of our GTCOTR. You can find other resources as well at cotr.com.

The Coming of The Lord Series Part 4 - Why?

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This is the fourth in a series entitled “The Coming of The Lord”. We began our study in the Book of 2 Thessalonians under the concern shared by the Apostle Paul to the Believers in the Church of Thessalonica. He simply said:

2 Thessalonians 2

1 ¶  Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,

2  not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

Paul told these Believers that it was not yet time for the Lord to come again. But that was over 1900 years ago. As well, Paul informed the readers of his letters to the Church to understand that one day the Lord would come and on that day, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the last trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will rise and those who are alive and remain will be changed and caught up in the air to forever be with the Lord. What a day …

Paul wrote his letters to the Thessalonian Church in about the year AD52, give or take a few months. Over 40 years later the elder Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John, 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd, John, and the Book of Revelation. In these writings John expounded on the last days and the return of Christ both for His Bride and for the final battle with the Anti-Christ.

Last week we began Part 3 of our series by reading something John wrote.

1 John 2:18  Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 4: 3  Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

The Word of God agrees that the spirt of the antichrist is already at work in the world. This is the spirit behind the ongoing Covid19 problem and the spirit behind the “dry run” if you will, softening up the population of the world to accept stringent control of everything from personal wealth to physical separation to spying on one another and even to accept the mark of the beast without concern. We are definitely in the last hour … even the last minutes … and perhaps even in the last seconds.

The world has never seen a day like today and neither has the Church. I like what Pastor Casey Sitter said at the end of the message last week. He said: “I’m not shocked when the world acts like the world … but I am surprised when the Church acts like the world.”

We should not be shocked to realize that we are in the last hour. The devil knows his days are short and we should also recognize our time on earth is limited as well. Many are dying and many more will die as a result of the world-wide crisis we are facing. Nations will not be able to provide the answers or the resources needed in time. This week we have received calls for help from all over the world. People are praying for help while preparing for greater hardships to come.

God has a long history of using nations to accomplish His will. Not one nation has ever continued to serve Him for long. Israel; Judah; Persia; Rome; Germany; Spain; Portugal; England; America … all like sheep have gone astray and every one of them has turned to their own way. Do not misunderstand me, I do not think what is happening today is the judgement of God on America … I believe it is the prelude to the coming judgement of God on the whole world. We read about it in Daniel, Zachariah, Revelation and even in the book of Psalms. Speaking of the book of Psalms, that is where our message will come from this evening.

Make no mistake … the only way to save a nation is to introduce its people to Jesus. I call it the Nineveh Project. God never set out to save Nineveh, He set out to save the people of Nineveh. When the people of Nineveh repented and turned to the Lord, God saved their city, saved their homes, saved their jobs, and saved their families. The one thing God needed to save that nation was a preacher who preached “Get right with God!” If you do not, worse things are coming.

We could also call it the Noah Project or the Sodom and Gomorrah Project or the Abraham Project or any number of other people, places, or nations in history. Only, this time I believe it’s for keeps! We are in the very last hour!

While you turn in your Bibles to Psalms chapter 2, allow me to read the verses we ended our study with last week. I told you I’d get back to them.

Acts 4

25  “(Lord, You are God) who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

26  The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.”

When Peter and John, and the leadership of the Church in Jerusalem were threatened by the spirit of the antichrist and all they held dear was subject to being taken away from them, they went to prayer. During this most anointed and pointed prayer for God’s intervention, the Holy Spirit gave them direction, courage, counsel, and comfort from the Word of God.

Right in the middle of the prayer, the person praying prophesied straight from the book of Psalms. Specifically Psalm 2. Let’s turn our attention to the Word the Holy Spirit gave to the Church in their hour of need.

Of course this Psalm points to Christ and to the Church age, the last day and this last hour in which we are now firmly established.

There are four voices in this Psalm. In other words, 4 different people’s perspective, using 3 verses each. The first voice is asking a question about the nations of the world. I do not believe it is the voice of the world but rather, the voice of the Church. I know it is a question I have, as did many of the prophets, and a question perhaps many of you have asked God.

Psalms 2

1 ¶  Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3  “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”

How can people who say they believe in God set themselves against Him? Perhaps I could understand if they did not believe in Him but to believe in God and take up arms against Him … that is crazy! “Let us break God and Jesus’ bonds … Their guidelines … Their words … Their will …

Now we hear the reply as though the writer is speaking from God’s perspective.

4  He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5  Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6  “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

God laughs at the so-called rulers of the earth … God is the One Who elects and appoints the King over all the earth.

Here we see a change. Jesus is speaking …

7 ¶  “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

8  Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

The concluding voice must be none other than the voice of the Holy Spirit which is on the earth during the last hour to guide, guard and direct the work and the plan of God.

10 ¶  Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

When the nations take counsel, rage, and set themselves against the One True Living God and against His Son Jesus, and say they are no longer going to follow His commands and cast away all restraint … Look out!

God laughs at them. He will confuse their plans and send them great distress.

God has anointed a King over all the earth and His name is Jesus!

Jesus has inherited all the earth for an everlasting possession, and He will rule those who plot against Him with a rod of iron. He will dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Only now, be wise. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son … do not make Him angry even a little …

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

This is what Peter and John said. This was their go-to. These are the scriptures given to them by the Holy Spirit to give them direction, courage, counsel, and comfort.

They prayed for boldness to preach the Word of God in the name of Jesus. All they wanted was to put their trust in God that He would take care of their enemies while they followed the Great Commission. They had confidence that God would do His part while they did theirs. They knew that God was at the helm of the ship … not the antichrist! And …

Acts 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Now, let’s put our trust in God and go out tomorrow and tell others about the plan of God and the love of Christ!

After all … it is the last hour! It could be the last call … at least for someone you know.

Not all news is good news … but we always have Good News to share.

John 10:32  Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

The Storms of Life

Gtcotr/ss051720

Jonah 1

1 ¶  Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2  “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

3  But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

4 ¶  But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

Interesting to note that the Lord God Jehovah sent out this great wind that caused a hurricane-like storm to trap the ship in its tempest. When the men sailing the ship realized that Jehovah had sent the storm because Jonah was trying to get away from Him … they became exceedingly afraid.

10  Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

11 ¶  Then they said to Jonah, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”  — for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

12  And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”

13  Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.

14  Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, “We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.”

Bless these mariners hearts … they tried everything they could do to keep from throwing Jonah overboard but alas …

15  So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

16  Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.

It is a sad day when the only way to stop the storm is to get some person off the boat. But … it happens …

Fast forward about 850 years to the time of Jesus and there was another boat filled with skilled mariners who were in the middle of a great storm. Only this time the storm seems the storm had not been sent by God but rather by the devil.

Matthew 14

22 ¶  Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

23  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

24  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

25  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

32  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Jonah – The Lord sent a storm …

The Disciples – The devil sent a storm …

The storm stopped when they got Jonah off the boat.

The storm stopped when Jesus and Peter got in the boat.

Seems like many times, life may not be any more complicated than either getting somebody either off of or into your boat.

The Good News …

Salvation

·        Get the “old man” off your boat.

·        Get Jesus and the “new man” on your boat.

You may say Preacher … I have been saved and following Jesus for a long time, but I am in the middle of a storm that feels like it is going to tear my ship apart. What should I do?

Well, glad you asked.

You see, there is a third storm spoken of in the Bible. You can find it in the book of Mark, chapter 4. This works every time …

Mark 4

35 ¶  On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

36  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

38  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

40  But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

This time the storm came up to try and keep Jesus and His followers from bringing deliverance and salvation to people who were lost and afraid. This storm was not the work of God but clearly was the work of the devil. Jesus had given His followers their orders to take Him to the other side. They were busy doing the will of God and Jesus was right there with them … nonetheless, the storm came.

When things finally got so bad that the disciples imagined they were going to perish they cried out to Jesus and He did two things:

1.   Jesus rebuked the storm and it ceased.

2.   Jesus rebuked His disciples for not rebuking the storm themselves.

This gives us a clear picture of what Jesus expects from us and what He is yet willing to do for us.

So, what is our take-away from the message God gave us today?

·        Sometimes you need to get the wrong person off the boat.

·        Sometimes you need to get the right person on the boat.

·        Sometimes you just need to rebuke the storm yourself in the mighty name of Jesus.

·        Still … when all else fails - - - call on Jesus and He will save you!

The Coming of The Lord Part 3 - The Last Hour

Gtcotr/ws051320

1 John 2:18  Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

Last Wednesday evening we left off at a critical point in our series entitled concerning the coming of the Lord. The last verse we read was from 1 John, chapter 4.

1 John 4

1 ¶  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits … whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2  By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

3  and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

According to John … The spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the earth. Evidently this antichrist spirit had already been working against not only the Church, but also against Jesus Himself and was responsible for resisting and even crucifying our Lord on the cross of Calvary.

And even before, at the birth of Jesus, this same spirit tried to murder the Son of God born King of the Jews by using Herod’s jealously and insecurity. Herod sent his soldiers to Bethlehem and killed all the male children 2 years and under but missed killing Jesus. No doubt Herod was but one more world leader in the clutches of this unholy spirit raging against God.

We can go back farther … back to David and Moses and Jacob and Isaac and Abraham and even farther back to Noah and all the way back to the Garden of Eden to the time when God cursed the serpent, that old dragon who is the devil and sealed his eternal fate and revealed that one day the seed of a woman would bruise his head and ultimately defeat his claim over mankind and the earth which God made for His children.

This same evil spirit, the spirit of satan, the rebel cherub who has set his sites on exalting himself above all that is called God, once it was evident he lost the keys to death, hell and the grave, and knowing he had but a short time, began persecuting the Church of the Living God and all those who believe on the name of Jesus.

In Acts 3 and 4, Peter and John were singled out by this spirit of the antichrist and arrested by the civil and religious leaders of that day, thrown in jail, put on trial, were beaten and then threatened before being released the next day. What had Peter and John done to deserve such treatment? They healed a poor crippled 40-year-old man in public by faith in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John were threatened with worse if they dared to tell anyone else about Jesus and His love for all mankind. These threats were directly inspired and orchestrated by the spirit of the antichrist. The Bible records:

Acts 4

23 ¶  And being let go, Peter and John went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

24  So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

25  “who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

26  The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’

Hold that thought … we will come back to verses 25 and 26 in a moment. For now, let’s follow these continuing scriptures … there is something very powerful written here that applies to us today.

27  “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together

Now look at this …

28  “to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

See that? Let’s read it again. “To do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.”

Make no mistake, God is at the helm of this ship. No one but Almighty God is in control. No king, no president, no dictator, no potentate and no person, even those possessed, empowered or inspired by satan himself can thwart the plan or dislodge the people of God from their appointed destiny.

In 1787, during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the 81 year-old Benjamin Franklin, widely regarded by historians as one of the least, if not the least, religious of our Founding Fathers of our nation, made what many regard as one of his best arguments. Listen to what he said:

“Mr. President … I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this ; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”

God has a job and you can bet He is doing it. Despite the desires and the dictates of the spirit of the antichrist against the saints of God and the Church of the Living Christ, we, the servants of the Lord cannot be stopped. What is our duty? What is our call? What does the antichrist trying to do? He is trying to shut us up and shut us down in hopes we will stop telling people about the love and salvation found in Jesus alone.

That is what the devil inspired leaders of the world have always been trying to do. What did Peter and John pray? They did not make their appeal to Caesar; they made their appeal to God.

29  “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,

30  “by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Peter and John did not ask for justice or for the permission of man. They did not seek revenge, write or start a riot. These faithful disciples of Christ had been with Jesus and they knew exactly what to do … they prayed for the power of the Holy Spirit to embolden them to preach the Word of God!

31  And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Now, let’s get back to our main subject for tonight … The Last Hour! Remember I said earlier to put a place marker at verses 25 and 26 and we could come back to it. Let’s read those verses again …

Acts 4

24  So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

25  “who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

26  The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’”

“Who by the mouth of Your servant David said …” Where did

David say  that the kings of the earth took their stand against Jehovah, the One Supreme God, and against His Messiah? In Psalms 2.

Psalms 2, like Psalms 1, is without any title affixed to it and without any authorship identity contained therein. However, we know David was the author because Luke records Peter and John and the disciples of Jesus testifying to that fact right there in Acts 4:25. Now, in the remaining time we have this evening I hope to simply read this Psalm, which needs very little commentary to understand its meaning.

Of course this Psalm points to Christ but also to the Church age, the last day and this last hour in which we are now firmly established.

There are four voices in this Psalm. In other words, 4 different people’s perspective, using 3 verses each. The first one is asking a question about the nations of the world. I do not believe it is the voice of the world but rather perhaps, the voice of the Church. I know it is a question I have, as did many prophets, and a question many have asked God.

Psalms 2

1 ¶  Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3  “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”

Now we hear the reply as though the writer is speaking from God’s perspective.

4  He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5  Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6  “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

Here we see a change. Jesus is speaking …

7 ¶  “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

8  Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

The concluding voice must be none other than the voice of the Holy Spirit which is on the earth during the last hour to guide, guard and direct the work and the plan of God.

10 ¶  Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

When the nations take counsel, rage and set themselves against the One True Living God and against His Son Jesus, and say they are no longer going to follow His commands and cast away all restraint … Look out!

God laughs at them. He will confuse their plans and send them great distress.

God has anointed a King over all the earth and His name is Jesus!

Jesus has inherited all the earth for an everlasting possession, and He will rule those who plot against Him with a rod of iron. He will dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Only now, be wise. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son … do not make Him angry even a little …

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

This is what Peter and John said. This was their go-to. These are the scriptures given to them by the Holy Spirit to give them direction, courage and comfort.

They prayed for boldness to preach the Word of God in the name of Jesus. All they wanted was to put their trust in God that He would take care of their enemies while they followed the Great Commission. They had confidence that God would do His part while they did theirs. They knew that God was at the helm of the ship … not the antichrist! And …

Acts 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Now, let’s put our trust in God and go out tomorrow and tell others about the plan of God and the love of Christ!

After all … it is the last hour! It could be the last call … at least for someone you know.