Who Are You?

 "Jesus said, I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."  Mark 14:62

"I AM"

God said these words to Moses in Exodus 3:14, "And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”  God established His identity to the Israelites at that time.  They would forever know that "I AM" means the sovereign Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  No mortal could make such a statement, a claim of divinity, as to declare equality with the Father.  

Yet, in Mark, as well as Matthew 18:20, 28:20, and John 8:58, Jesus claims this very thing.  It ends up being the final straw that condemns him to the cross.  Standing before the High Priest, Caiaphas, with Pharisees and Sadducees all around, they point-blank asked him, and in his response set his fate.  Their claims of blasphemy resounded through the halls that night, and without haste, they moved to have him judged by Pontius Pilate.

Pundits will say Jesus never claimed to be God.  This argument is empty, though, because they don't take the time to study the completeness of the scriptures.  Jesus made claims throughout his ministry that were relevant to the audience at that time.  These Jewish leaders knew without a doubt that Jesus was claiming to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.  In their understanding, this meant he was claiming to be equal to God the Father, and have the authority of God the Father.  Yet, they knew him as a humble man, from a small fishing village in the north, Nazareth, and the son of Mary and Joseph.  They could not in their simple minds, piece together the fullness of God's plan of redemption through this humble man.  They had seen him turn over the tables, argue pointedly with the Pharisees on the temple mount, and call them all hypocrites in the public square.  They despised him in his ministry for accomplishing miracle after miracle to the point that their authority had been challenged.  

When Jesus claimed I AM, they had one of three thoughts.  1) He was truly who he claimed, and they had been accused justly, therefor he was a threat to their authority, or 2) He was a deceiver, a con man, and therefore a threat to the children of God, or 3) He was crazy, insane, and needed to be removed.  Because of his wisdom of scriptures and his previous preaching in the temple, they knew he wasn't insane.  We all know they pressed in to have him crucified, claiming option 2 as their reason.  There must have been some concern amongst them, though that option 1 was a real possibility.  They had witnessed his miracles, they had witnessed his parables, they had witnessed his preaching, they had taught him in the synagogues as a young man, and were astounded by his wisdom.  They had respected his faith right up to the point that he started accusing them of unrighteousness.

I feel many of us are the Pharisees of today.  We believe we know the heart of God and what God would say in any situation, based on our understanding of the scriptures.  But, do we really?  There is only one authority over heaven and earth, and we are not it.  Jesus claimed to be the great I AM.  When he returns, he will judge the righteous and unrighteous.  Until then, we are to live by his words of truth and love our neighbor as ourselves.  Condemnation is the Lord's; we are here to serve and love.  Let us not fall into the trap of the Pharisees by allowing our perception of right/wrong and righteousness to become a judgment over our neighbor.

The Final Bowl is Poured Out

Revelation 16:17-21

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”  And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.  The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.  And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.  And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

The finality of the bowl judgments and plagues upon the Earth in the last days of tribulation.  This vision of John’s in the Throne Room of God details the final bowl being poured out by the seventh angel, bringing cataclysmic destruction through natural events.  Lightning, thunder, and earthquakes shake the globe to its very core.  Mountains and islands disappear, and the city of Jerusalem is divided into three.  In Ezekiel 38, there is a reference to great earthquakes in Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives when the Son of God returns, stating His foot will land on the Mount of Olives as the city is split into two.  Hailstones will fall and bring death upon people who have rejected God throughout the final days.  His final plague of destruction and devastation will once and for all show His power and authority over all things.

The wrath presented here in Revelation 16 is very similar to the prophecy in Ezekiel 38, describing the end of days.  Both discuss the great wrath of God being poured out upon those who oppose Him.  Both discuss the mountains being thrown down, earthquakes as never before, pestilence, disease, and great hailstones.  Ezekiel 38 presents the foe of God to come from the North and West, whereas Revelation 16 presents the battle being formed in the Valley of Megiddo between the Lamb and armies from the East.  God’s word through the Prophets describes what John also sees in his vision.

God has no pleasure in bringing death to the wicked.  He desires that the wicked will turn from their evil ways and return to Him.  Throughout the scriptures, God expresses His love to His people and wants that none should perish.  Unfortunately, right up to the end of the Tribulation, Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet will have a stronghold on many.  These are the ones that will join in the battle against the Lamb of God in the coming verses.  They are following the liar, the deceiver, into battle, without recognizing the ending is already written.  

For these people have access today to the scriptures, to the prophecies, to the Word of God, and yet choose to ignore or deny its authenticity.  You may know someone or many who are like this.  They live in denial that God is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and the Creator.  They enjoy living outside of God’s authority because it allows for their sinful nature to go unchecked and unrepentant.  Mankind, in general, does not want to align with a supreme authority and desires only to live within their own self-autonomy.  This self-centered, prideful, arrogant, and debased lifestyle that so many have decided to follow will only lead them to the destruction described in Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 16.

God is intentional with each of us to reveal His truth and plan.  He has given each of us the free will to accept or reject Him, though, and this will lead to many being subject to the Great Tribulation and the final battle with Christ in the last days.  It is my prayer that anyone reading this will come to realize that there is a God in heaven who loves you enough to send His only Son as a sacrifice for your sins.  Accepting this and putting your faith in Him is the only way to avoid the inevitable death and destruction identified here.  You are all in my prayers for this revelation to hit home.  Be blessed today with the good news. 

An Unmistakable Entrance

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but He himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” – Revelation 19:11-13

Isaiah 11:4 - but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Daniel 10:6 - His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

1 Timothy 6:14-15 - to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,  which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He came as a baby in a manger .  The world could not recognize him as the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords or the Lamb of God.  Many rejected him, and many still do because they can’t wrap their head around the logic of a baby coming to save mankind from our unrighteousness.
Had Jesus come then as He will come in the last days, would anyone have doubted that this is the Son of God?  No, people would have immediately fallen to their knees and begged His mercy and grace be upon them.  God could have forced His hand, and sent His Son to destroy the unrighteous on that day 2000+ years ago.  He chose not to, because His love for you and I is greater than that.  He realized that forcing someone to believe would never result in a lasting relationship.  He realized that mankind must come to love Him and want to be with Him of their own choice.

Do not underestimate His love for you or mankind.  He desires nothing more than to have you with Him in eternity.  But, look around you and tell me where you see God in today’s society.  The world we live in is trying to remove God from the throne and place mankind on it.  This will not be tolerated for long, for God will draw an end to this courtship and the Bridegroom will come for His Bride.  God is going to blow the minds of people one day by revealing Himself and there will be wailing in the streets for the choices we have made in refusing to follow Him.  This won’t be a video game and there is no reset button.  When the skies part and you see the Son of Man riding upon the white horse, you will have waited too long my friend. 

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
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