Author: Pastor Carroll Parish

Suffering may take many forms. It could be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, family, or financial. Usually, we want to be delivered from all of it, and sometimes, we are willing to pay almost any price to be free of it. 

SOME CAUSES OF SUFFERING

The causes of suffering may have one or more causes.  Sometimes, we suffer from the bad choices we have made. It may be that we are at the wrong place at the wrong time. Some are caused by the time and place where we live. Other times the cause may be disobedience to God and His Word. Or the attack of the evil one who is trying to kill and destroy us!!

HEBREWS 11

Let’s look at some great examples from God’s Word.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac, your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she had received the spies with peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again.

Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, and were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Having read all the things that happened to these people, we see mentioned over and over again that they had at least one thing in common, they all believed and trusted in God to bring them through what they suffered by FAITH! They believed His Word. And that is what we should do when we are suffering, believe God’s Word, and declare it’s promises that God has made. 

Keep believing and standing even when things are difficult. God is for you. He is with and IN you. He has promised to never leave nor forsake you!

John 19:30 “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

INTRODUCTION: This indicated that redemption was accomplished, even though He had not gone through everything that would be done, in His mind and the mind of the Father redemption was accomplished.

All that redemption provided was available. He would never die for sin again! He would never take stripes on His back for our healing again! Etc.  (Romans 4:17 “As it is written ‘I have made you a father of many nations’ in the presence of Him whom he believed – God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”)

What I am about to say is NOT a formula but the result of a relationship.

KNOW IT

To enter what Jesus has provided for us we must first know about it. Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

This applies to being born again, healed, filled with the Spirit and everything God has provided for us. There may be exceptions when God just does something and we find out about it later, but usually, it follows this path.

BELIEVE IT

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

PROCLAIM IT

Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.”

Numerous passages in Scripture indicate the power of our words. For example: the book of Proverbs alone has 63 verses that indicate this. One well-known passage, Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

CHALLENGE

Find an area of your life that you would like to see changed.

What does the Bible say about this?

What do you need to do to meet the conditions?

Begin to declare the promises about this area.

I. WHAT TONGUES ARE

 A. Language of men or angels. I Cor.13:1

B. Language one has not studied and does not know.

C. Expression of divine presence and ability – Acts 10:44-46

II. HOW THEY OPERATE

A. Speaking is a learned ability.

B. With the infilling of the Holy Spirit we have His ability.

C. His knowledge and ability are not limited to ours.

D. This ability comes through the human spirit – 1 Cor.2:12-14

E. Working together – Spirit gives utterance – the person does the speaking.

III. REASONS TO SPEAK IN TONGUES

A. Initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Spirit – Acts 2:1-4, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:6

B. Personal edification – 1 Cor.14:4

C. Keeps us aware of His presence.

D. Eliminates selfishness entering into our prayers – Rom. 8:26

E. Helps our trust in God – builds us up – Jude. 20

F. Keeps us free from filthy contamination.

G. Provides a way to pray for things otherwise not able to.

H. Doorway into the supernatural.

I Helps to tame the tongue – James 3:8

IV. REASONS FOR THE GIFT OF TONGUES

A. To get people’s attention – Acts 2.

B. Makes us aware of the supernatural presence of the Lord.

C. One of the avenues that God has chosen to use to allow His children to speak to Him – 1 Cor. 4:2.

D. Spiritual weapon – 2 Cor. 19L3-5

V. ITS ORDER IN THE CHURCH – 1 Cor. 14:27-28

John the Baptist was sent as a forerunner for Jesus’ coming. The Lord had instructed him to baptize people who showed they had repented (Luke 3:7,8) He was also told that he would recognize Messiah by seeing the Spirit descending from Heaven upon Him (John 1:32-33). And He would be the one who would baptize with or in the Spirit, which occurred at Pentecost (Acts 1:5,8).

NEW BIRTH

Being born again is the work of the Spirit. Jesus said, “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) He also said, “…unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6) Being born again is the work of the Spirit within the human spirit.

Jesus said to the Samaritan women at the well “But whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. ( John 4:13-14) Jesus continued teaching the woman about true worship and how it is done. “But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipper will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24).

OUTFLOW OF THE SPIRIT

Jesus said in John 7:37-39 “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirt, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

JESUS PROMISES A HELPER WILL COME

While teaching His disciples how He would go to the Cross, be buried, rise, and ascend to the Father, He said, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in You. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18). Jesus further said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I said to you.” (John 14:26).

THE SPIRIT GLORIFIES JESUS

Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me.” (John 15:26) Jesus said about the work of the Spirit, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14)

JESUS COMMISSIONS HIS DISCIPLES

Jesus, after He was raised from the dead with the disciples in the upper room, “Said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'” (John 20:21-22). The complete fulfillment of that command was manifested on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

There is often an enthusiastic discussion between cessationists and continuationists about the topic of supernatural works of power. The cessationist believes they no longer occur as they did in the first century, while the continuationist believes they are still active today. I see that some of the differences in beliefs are our definitions of them.

The cessationists do not believe that the gifts of the Spirit spoken of in Scripture are still active today because the canon of Scripture is closed. Yet, they do believe that God is active today in saving people today which is, no doubt, the most supernatural thing because the one who was spiritually dead is now alive in Christ.

The continuationlists believe those gifts mentioned in Scripture are still operational today but sometimes fail to see that the Fruit of the Spirit is just as supernatural as those gifts are in their creation and operation. In my humble opinion, I believe one should believe in both gifts and fruit as being the work of the Spirit and not contradict or displace the other! I believe that the work of regeneration (being born again) is the work of the Cross in our lives. I also believe the Spirit is working in our midst to help humanity by the working of spiritual gifts (power). At the same time, I believe that the fruit of the Spirit, as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, is the continual work of the Spirit to create the character of God (Galatians 4:19) within us to be expressed in daily life!

If God is involved in anything it will be supernatural for He is supernatural, that is, He is greater than the natural realm that He created. The creator is greater than the creation (Hebrews 3:3).

At this time of year, many people begin to think of Christmas purely from a secular, commercial perspective. Very little thought is given, even among Christians, about the Biblical revelation given in the Bible about Jesus’ incarnation. And sometimes, when it is mentioned, it is interpreted through natural reasoning instead of what the text says.

In this brief article, I want to look at the texts and see how everything had God’s hand upon it. It was completely inspired and carried out by the Holy Spirit through dreams, visions, and God’s voice with people responding at the right times.

NOTICE THE FOLLOWING

1. Announced and named by the angel Gabriel. Luke 1:26-35.
2. An angel speaks to Joseph in a dream. Matt.1:20.
3. Wise men obey divine direction to not report to Herod. Matt.2:12.
4. Angels appear to the shepherds. Luke 2:8.
5. Angel in a dream to Joseph to go to Egypt. Matt. 1:13-15.
6. Angel in a dream to Joseph to depart Egypt and go back to Israel. Matt. 2:22-23.
7. Angelic hosts. Luke 2:13-14.
8. Revelation to Simeon. Luke 2:25-28.
9. Anna bears witness. Luke 2:36-38.

WHY JESUS CAME

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus laid aside temporarily His glory to become the perfect God/Man assume our sins, die in our place, and redeem us by His precious blood (John 17:5, 1Pet.1:18-19).

He could not redeem us as an angel or God, but as a man fulfilling all the requirements of the Mosiac law, a sacrifice acceptable to the Father. He paid a debt He did not owe but we did. He died for and AS us. He was our substitute.

For those who believe IN Him, not just mentally, but with their inner being, He accepts (John 1:12-13). “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

TODAY is the day of salvation!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear,(timidity or cowardice) but of power and love and a sound mind.” 2 Tim.1:7 NKJV

If God did not give us fear, who does? I suggest that Satan is the culprit by interjecting thoughts into our minds as a result of the fall. Our limited knowledge about the future allows our thoughts to run wild about the possibility of bad things happening from which fear develops. So, how do we deal with our fears? By meditating in the promises of God enables us to get a clearer vision of what God is like and what He has provided for us.

So What Has He Given Us?

He has given us a spirit of power (dunamis). The Holy Spirit is the power of God revealed for us, to us, and in us. Jesus told His disciples to wait in the city of Jerusalem to be endued with the power of the Spirit before they began to carry out the great commission (Luke 24:49). He knew they could not do His work successfully without His power. Neither can we.

He has given us a spirit of love (agape). His love is the type of love He uses as He loves us and all of humanity. We are to love people with the same love as we minister to them on His behalf. It is the only type that can allow us to look beyond their sinfulness and see their potential in Him when they are redeemed.

He has given us the spirit of discipline or self-control. As a disciple of Jesus, if we allow the new nature (His nature) in us to be in control we discover that we will have the discipline we need to resist the flesh, and Satan’s temptations, to live an overcoming life in all areas. (2 Cor.5:17-19, 2 Pet.1:3-4)

1 John 3:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:7-11 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also out to love one another.”

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…”(Rom.8:1).

Condemnation is often the work of the enemy – Satan and his cohorts. He likes to condemn the people of God in his attempts to make them feel that God is against them thereby limiting their effectiveness in service to God. But the above passage, as well as those forthcoming, reveals that to the disciple of Jesus, there is NO condemnation. Why? Because Jesus already took it on the Cross (Col.2:11-15)! The sin, failures, and every wrong thing that we were guilty of has been forgiven! He has no more memory of it!

YOU ARE ALREADY CONDEMNED

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-17). Every person who has not believed in Jesus has a sentence of condemnation (statement of impending doom) on his life. That sentence will be removed when he turns to Jesus Christ as His Savior.

YOU ARE FREE

But to those who have made Jesus their Lord, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Rom.8:2, Col.1:13). We are just as free from the law (the overcoming power of sin and death) as we will ever be, regardless of the way we may feel! “…But those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit (Rom.8:5b). “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom.8:8-9). This last sentence speaks not only of the third person of the Trinity but the very character and nature of Jesus Christ. (2 Pet.1:4) This freedom from condemnation or wrath is also true during the end times. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess.5:9, Rom.5:9, John 3:36, 1 Thess.1:10) but it is not limited to just the end times but for all our life.

When our sins are forgiven, God never reminds us of them nor holds us accountable for them ever again. Too often, we are more sin-conscious than we should be (Heb.10:1-4). We act as if God is mad at us and releasing His anger at us. NO, Jesus took all that on the Cross!

Rejoice today, for all your sin is gone; you have been justified and declared righteous, and His Spirit lives in you. You are more than an overcomer (Rom. 8:37-39)!

There is a statement often made on talk shows, “speak your truth.” Which is taken to mean speaking what you believe to be true for you, which may not be true for someone else. In other words, “your opinion.” Opinions are often far removed from the truth! It seems to me (opinion) that the internet, talk shows, movies, etc. are often more opinions than actual truth. This causes us to ask, “What is the source of truth?” and “Where can I find it?”

Temporary or Eternal Truth

I may say that today in Louisville, Kentucky, at this moment, it is 31 degrees. That is a true statement but it is temporary, wait a few hours and it will no longer be true. Lots of things in our world are this way.

Eternal truth can only be found in God. He is the truth personified! Jesus claimed to be the truth (John 14:6). He said His disciples were set apart by truth – His Word (John 17:17). The only source of Eternal truth is God and His Word. Because no one else is God. No one else knows everything about everything! Even knowledge revealed by the Spirit of God is partial (1 Cor.12:10, 1 Cor.13:9) a word of knowledge or a word of wisdom.

Opinions, at best, can be partly true with either temporary truth or eternal truth because none of us know everything there is to know about anything!

A Know It All

Have you ever known someone who seemed to think that their opinion, related to whatever the topic of conversation happened to be, was the absolute truth? To them, they freely offer medical advice without any specific training or knowledge, or political opinions because they watch political shows on TV, or Bible knowledge because they recently read three books.

Perhaps we need to be like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to determine if what they were hearing was true! (Acts 17:11)

While our beliefs about the end time are important, they are not essential for our salvation. Nor does anyone know the day, hour, or season when it will occur (Matt.24:36, Acts 1:7). We should be spiritually mature enough to discuss the topics without anger or insults. Our differences should not be used to divide us nor be a point of fellowship or disfellowship. Eschatology is the study of end-time events. Within that study, there are several areas covered, which means there are many different viewpoints covered.

TERMS

Millenium = 1000 years.

Premillennial = Jesus’ return is before the Millenium.

Postmillennial = Jesus’ return is after the Millenium.

Amillennial = Millenium is not an actual 1000 years.

In this short article, I will confine myself to just the premillennial positions because there are several variations of them.

No one knows when Jesus will return! Speculation abounds and has for 2000 years. Yet, Christians have been divided over the various viewpoints about His return, and whole denominations have sprung up around varying beliefs about it. My purpose here is to basically define the terms and what is meant by them and perhaps challenge our thinking about some of them.

Premillennial pretribulation – Jesus’ return will be before the millennium and before the Tribulation.

Premillennial mid-tribulation – Jesus’ return will be before the millennium and in the middle of the Tribulation.

Premillennial post-tribulation – Jesus’ return will be before the millennium and after the tribulation.

One can hold either one of these three positions and still be known as premillennial.

The tribulation is a seven-year period often divided into two sections of three and one-half years each. The first three and one-half years is often called the tribulation and the second section is called the wrath of God.

Two Greek words that are often used in referring to Jesus’ return are harpadzo which means to seize or snatch. It is found 13 times in Scripture. The most familiar one is in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds…” This is often referred to as the rapture of the saints.

The other word is parousia which means appearing. It is most often referred to as the Second Coming of the Lord.

The most common belief among the Premillennial pretribulation adherents is that Jesus will come in a secret rapture and then sometime later return with His saints and set up His earthly kingdom.

But, there seems to be a growing trend toward the belief that Jesus will return before the millennium either in the middle or at the end of the tribulation. He will come at the last trumpet (1 Cor.15:52, Rev.11:15) and take up His saints (those who have previously died and those still living) to meet Him in the air and return to the earth to set up His Kingdom. It was a common practice when a victorious king would return from defeating his enemies, the citizens would go out to meet him and follow him home in a victorious procession.

Many are surprised when they discover that many Christian leaders such as Augustine, Luther, and Calvin were amillennial; that Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney were postmillennial, or that most of the early church fathers were premillennial but post tribulational.

All of us are affected by how we were raised and taught at home, church, schools, and experiences. Often, it is difficult to see beyond these teachings. Perhaps looking at the plain statements of Scripture can help us understand what was said to the early church and how they understood it. It has also been said if we lay aside how we have been previously taught and read Scripture as if we were reading it for the first time, it is amazing how we will grasp things that we may have missed before. 

I was taught at the church I was raised in, the Bible college I went to as well as seminary that the most Biblical view was a secret rapture before the tribulation and wrath then the second coming. We put a lot of emphasis on the notes in the Scofield and Dakes’ Bibles. But in recent years I have intensely studied the same Scriptures again and have modified my beliefs slightly on His return.

I still believe in the premillenial return of the Lord, which will not be a secret to the believers (1 Thess.5:4) but will be to others. But my beliefs about the timing of the rapture and second coming have changed. I see the rapture and second coming as two parts of the same event.  Based on my understanding of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 I see that they occur after the seven-year tribulation. Jesus will return with His saints who have previously died (Jude 14) and raise the dead ones ( 1 Thess.4:17) who will meet the Lord in the air and then immediately land on the earth to fully establish His kingdom!

Immediately the question is raised by many American Christians, “But God has not appointed us to wrath.” I agree there is no condemnation or wrath for the people of God during this time or any other.  But if we are here during it He will protect us in the midst of it as He did the Israelites in Egypt! He has not changed nor will He!

Something to think about!