Look At What's Happening To You!

But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. [Daniel 12.9-10] 

There are the wise and the wicked. 

The wicked continue in their wickedness. They will not understand end times.

The wise will understand end times. They will understand end times because they turn away from wickedness. They embrace the trials they encounter for purification, cleansing, and refinement. The wise are repentant.

So, whether we understand end times or not, we can be sure of this fact: repentance makes all the difference in the outcome.

Judging by current world events, I would say it is the 'eleventh hour' for repentance. There is only one solution for the chaos that lies ahead: repentance. In fact, any understanding of future events is withheld from all but the repentant.

Unless we have a crystal clear understanding of all Daniel and all the other prophets predicted regarding end time events, we would do well to spend our time in repentance. In repentance, the meaning of end time events will become clear.

What is repentance? Repentance is rightly understanding curses/trials as God's way to turn us back to Him. Repentance is turning back to God. Whatever it is that we must "turn away from" in order to "turn back to God" (the essence of repentance) is an idol. Idolatry is disobedience in raw form and is the repeated downfall of God's people addressed throughout the Bible. To understand this however, we must open our eyes to God's Word in contrast to the knowledge of man. 

What God's Word specifically says about "curses" is found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68. In broad terms, everything listed in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 is everything that man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology remediate. What God calls curses for disobedience, man, in his advanced knowledge, calls "life," "just the way it is," or "happenstance." Finance, insurance, medicine and technology do not call us to repentance - instead they demand money in payment for "making things better."

Only those who are wise accept their trials (curses) from God recognizing them for what they are and repent.

The wicked continue in their idolatrous ways treating their trials (curses) with man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology, never understanding God's call to repentance because they do not know or they choose to ignore God's Word. They look at their circumstances through carnal eyes instead of through the eyes of the Spirit based on God's Word. They continue in their wickedness - unrepentant. And, they will never understand end times until it is too late.

Similarly, in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, Haggai said it like this:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [Haggai 1.5]

And, he repeated it:

This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! [Haggai 1.7]

And, what was happening to them? They were experiencing all manner of financial failure and they were doing so without recognizing that they had turned away from God neglecting His Temple - they were only taking care of themselves. They had effectively made an idol of themselves thus turning away from God. And, God said, Look at what’s happening to you!

Every curse found in Deuteronomy 28.15-68 screams out "Look at what’s happening to you!" calling us to repentance!

But only the wise will know what it means. Only the wise (who know God's Word) will see and know that Jesus called for no less "turning away" from ourselves and our idolatrous ways in order to "turn to" and follow Him - the Incarnate Son of God.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

To give up our own way is to "turn away" from any and every solution of man's design and "turn to" Jesus. The very definition of repentance is to "turn away" from any and everything and "turn to" God. Repentance is as much or more relevant today than ever before!

Father, Your Word is not unclear regarding curses. Every curse we experience today is Your call to repentance ...but instead we turn to finance, insurance, medicine and technology - continuing in our wickedness of idolatry. May we see the error of our ways before it's too late. May we be found repentant so that we might be found wise concerning end times. So be it.

Who Wants To Follow Jesus?

The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel. So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” [Ezra 4.1-3] 

Idolatry is all about dilution. Idols are enemies of God, and, as such, all they need to do is infiltrate pure trust in God to taint it rendering it ineffective and powerless.

This dilution with idols is the repeated story of the Bible and it is the very thing Jesus recognized and called His followers to avoid.

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

"Your own way" is the way of man - the way of idolatry. When man makes for himself something to do for himself what God said He ALONE would do for man, it is an idol. God has a 'zero tolerance' policy toward idolatry:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.2-6]

When questioning why the Church today is powerless when compared to the early Church, this important lesson from Ezra 4.1-3 should be considered. The Church has allowed the idols of the world to infiltrate and 'work alongside' its Kingdom work rendering that Kingdom work diluted, powerless, and worldly. 

There is but one solution for the modern Church to return to any form of God's power: get rid of the world's idols! Idols abound today and they are easily identified. All one has to do to identify modern idols in the Church is to simply listen to what the Church justifies as "from God." In other words, what follows the words, "God uses..." will almost certainly be an idol. Instead of decrying the infiltration of idols, the Church today (by and large) fully embraces them making bold statements that "God uses finance (debt)," or "God uses insurance," or "God uses medicine," or "God uses technology."

To be clear, God did not give us finance, insurance, medicine and technology. Man made all these things in his impatience to wait upon God! And, just to drive this point home, if God "gave" these things, then why do we "pay" for them? Furthermore, even if we somehow twist "give" to mean "sell," then, why don't we pay God for them? Who is selling what?

What could it hurt for God's people to be helped by man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology as long as he believes God provides all these things? Let's just back this same question up a few centuries to Ezra 4.1-3: What could it hurt for God's people to be helped by the enemies of Judah and Benjamin as long as they believe God provides that help?

We need to remind ourselves here that man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology lead the way in promoting self-centered lifestyles that make them enemies of God! Just watch their advertisements! Never once do they promote a disciplined, chaste, God-centered lifestyle. Instead, they promote all manner of sin typical to idolatry. And still we insist they are "gifts from God" and should be employed to help us???

The military tactic "divide and conquer" has stood the test of time. Sadly, it has worked effectively on the Church - God's people. There is no need for an indisputable miracle from God when finance, insurance, medicine and technology are considered 'miracles from God.' Again, the issue of paying for these miracles should cause alarm...

What's even worse is that among God's powerless people, there exist those who adamantly preach and teach that God's miracles have "passed away" while insisting that finance, insurance, medicine and technology are today's miracles from God. Just how diluted have we become? And, somehow, in the mix of this dilution, the clearly defined curses of Deuteronomy 28 are no longer seen as curses attached to disobedience at all, but are just "the way of life." The inconsistency of this theology is astounding and even more so when considering that the overwhelming majority of God's people today embrace it so vehemently!

The solution is this: God's people need to recognize that the curses they remedy with man's industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology are in fact, God's call to repentance for not trusting and worshiping Him ALONE as God. Then, like those in Ezra 4.1-3, God's people today need to reject the world's help - man's way - altogether. Jesus' words could not be more apropos:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Now, who wants to follow Jesus? 

Father, I know I sound like a broken record on the topic of idolatry - kind of like the entire Bible! I realize my own hesitancy to live what I preach is glaring... May I be found giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus. That's all. So be it.

The Moment You Began Praying

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. [Daniel 9.23] 

I suppose we don't really have many accounts of Daniel receiving accolades for his prayer life. In fact, his persistence in prayer got him thrown into a lion's den. But Daniel remained faithful. He continued to pray. And, today's One Year Chronological Bible reading reveals something else: Daniel was a humble student of God's Word:

It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the LORD, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years. So I turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. [Daniel 9.1-3]

God's Word was the inspiration behind Daniel's prayer. And, what a prayer it was! Daniel 9.4-19 provides an excellent model for our prayers today.

Daniel began with humble confession.

I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O LORD, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land. [Daniel 9.4-6]

Daniel continued with humble acknowledgement that his and his people's suffering was the direct result of their sin and, that it was well-deserved.

“Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O LORD, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. “So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Therefore, the LORD has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The LORD our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him. [Daniel 9.7-14] 

Then, Daniel took humility to a level most of us today do not understand (let alone, practice). Daniel appealed to God's mercy rather than pointing out that he had just repented.

“O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. [Daniel 9.15-18]

And finally, in confidence of God's mercy and the fact that Daniel and God's people bore His name, Daniel specifically asked God to hear, to forgive, to listen and act, and, not delay.

“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.” [Daniel 9.19] 

Let's dig deeper though, shall we?

As a student of God's Word, Daniel pointed out that Jeremiah's writings led to his prayer. If we miss what is said here, the rest of Daniel's prayer carries only abstract religious meaning and nothing concrete relative to our relationship with God today. 

If Jeremiah's writings are summarized, we find these three facts valid and true: 1) God's people had turned away from God to idols, 2) God's people were suffering all manner of curses resultant to their idolatry, and 3) God's people were called to repentance with the promise of restoration.

Daniel's humble confession above was a confession of idolatry. Nothing more than the reference to Jeremiah's writings confirms this fact. A deceived, idolatrous heart however will never see this.

Daniel's humble acknowledgement above was an acknowledgement that God's people's suffering was not random, but rather the well-deserved and just direct result of idolatry. Again, the reference to Jeremiah's writings confirms this. But again, a deceived, idolatrous heart however will never see this.

Daniel's humble appeal to God's mercy was an appeal of reliance upon the character of God, not reliance upon the repentant heart of man. Without doubt, Daniel understood the importance of this request because of Jeremiah's writings:

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? [Jeremiah 17.9]

It was this kind of humble prayer that warranted Gabriel's visit and reassuring words:

The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. [Daniel 9.23]  

We can be sure that our humble confession, our humble acknowledgement that curses are directly resultant to idolatry, and our humble appeal to God's mercy instead of our own acts of repentance, will insure that our prayers are heard the moment we begin praying them. We can be sure that in this humble prayer, God issues directives immediately on our behalf. Really, all we have to do is humble ourselves before God. Daniel's prayer is the perfect outline for what that involves...

Father, may we, like Daniel, be found studying Your word, repenting for our idolatry (that leads to all manner of sin), acknowledging that curses on our lives are justified (signaling the need for repentance - not further idolatry), and understanding, in complete humility, that our hope rests entirely in Your mercy and not our 'effective repentance,' for our lives to reflect the distinction of being Your people. May we see how every bit of this points us to Jesus Who demanded that we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.

Interesting Developments

But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever.” [Daniel 7.18] 

There are some interesting developments on the world stage right now as AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming increasingly prominent.

The "big deal" that seems to be gaining increasing attention is the development of "super intelligence" identified as ASI. As of this writing, ASI has allegedly not been achieved, but, by the "nature of the beast" it is not certain that ASI is not already a reality.

By all accounts, the realities that could develop as a result of ASI are potentially devastating to humanity as we know it.

As Daniel's vision in Daniel 7 is explained, it could be that the fourth beast (that was different than all the others) might indeed be ASI. Time will tell...

What is important however for those who are God's people is verse 18 of Daniel 7 above. The Kingdom ultimately belongs to them for eternity. They will lose ground and people in the meantime, but the people of the Most High will rule in the end and for eternity.

Father, as we witness Your Word unfolding before our very eyes, may we understand the importance of Your word. May we recognize what is taking place and calmly but intentionally learn more of Your Word - knowing You - every day. So be it.

Just Ask Ancient Egypt

And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” [Ezekiel 30.19]

As much as mankind wants to deny or ignore God, He is unavoidable.

God's people today find it easy to attribute a beautiful landscape filled with good things to God, but struggle to see Him in a complete disaster.

As a person begins to know God - really know the Most High God of the Bible, that person recognizes Him as the God of blessing AND the God of curses. God's holy character (holiness) is on display in a beautiful sunset AND in a devastating earthquake. This character of God is established.

While it may be a struggle to see any consistency in God if at once He blesses people, then at once He curses people, to really know God however, one understands that it is not God Who is inconsistent, but man. God's character of holiness is unchanged. Holiness rewards obedience with blessings and rewards disobedience with curses (see Deuteronomy 28). In this, God's character of holiness is both consistent and even predictable.

Man, on the other hand, swings from obedience to disobedience with very little persuasion. While man fluctuates between good and evil, God remains consistently holy. In this way, blessings upon obedience and curses upon disobedience should NEVER EVER be confused; God's holiness is the definitive and consistent litmus test for man's heart and actions.

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

Is it any wonder that the great deceiver, Satan, would try to confuse man on the issue of good and evil?

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. [Isaiah 5.20]

Without firmly understanding that blessings follow obedience and curses follow disobedience EVERY TIME because God is holy, man's sorrow is immeasurable. 

God's holiness, demonstrated through blessings, calls for the worship of thanksgiving and praise. God's holiness, demonstrated through curses, calls for the worship of repentance. A true believer in God does not argue with God regarding blessings or curses, but rather, worships God either way. 

He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. [Job 1-21-22]

God decides what is right or wrong, good or evil.

In the present condition of mankind and the earth from a Biblical perspective, it might be argued that man should be repenting all the time. Most people take issue with this. Let me re-phrase that: most people proudly take issue with this. The pride of man exalts itself against the very Word of God denying that curses are justified indicators of the need for repentance. While religion may indeed present all kinds of work-arounds for this Biblically established fact, religion will burn in hell because God's holiness is not to be trifled with. Just ask ancient Egypt.

For everyone bursting at the seams right now to say, "Yeah, but Jesus!" let us be Biblically clear:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

There is a "catch" however... Jesus' work on the cross only belongs to those who "believe."

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [John 3.16]

"Believing" in Jesus means following Jesus:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

"Our own way" is the way of self-preservation, self-love, self-promotion, etcetera. Everything that has anything to do with this focus on "self" is an idol and God will not tolerate idols. By "not tolerate" it means that God's holiness rewards idolatry with curses. Jesus' call for would-be followers to give up their own way is the 2.0 version of God's 2nd Commandment. 

Belief in Jesus is obedience to God. Disbelief in Jesus is disobedience to God - Jesus described this as the default condition of man:

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [John 3.18]

In plain language, curses, as the reward for every disobedience, are the standing work of God's holiness upon every "unbeliever" but ONLY upon "unbelievers" (remember, Christ has rescued believers from the curse pronounced by the law...). We do well to understand this contrast!

So, why do bad things happen to "believers"? Because, regardless how good they are estimated to be, there is need for repentance. Religion will not teach this! But, God's Word does! Jesus put the whole "good person" idea in the trash:

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. [Mark 10.18 (& Luke 18.19)]

What would be wrong if God's people constantly repented? Would that not put them in a perpetual state of humility? Is not humility the very essence of selfless living? Is not selfless living what Jesus called every would-be follower to (to give up your own way, take up your cross...)? Religion, at this point, changes the subject... and how many souls have been damned to hell because of it?

All the hardships of life we experience (curses for disobedience) that we remediate with our idols of finance, insurance, medicine, technology, and yes, even religion are God's call to repentance. They are God's call for us to intentionally trust ONLY in Him - giving up our own way (which is the essence of repentance), taking up our cross, and following Jesus - to KNOW that HE IS THE LORD!

And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” [Ezekiel 30.19]

I may be wrong, but God's Word is not wrong. Please, dear reader, be sure of God's Word regardless what I say!

Father, may Your truth shine bright in these days in which we live. Darkness has been embraced by much of the world, the "fields are white unto harvest..." Send Your Word out today - may it cast Your Light upon the gross idolatry of our day including the idolatry of religion! May Your true followers be found giving up their own way, taking up their cross, and following Jesus... unmistakably, undeniably following Jesus. So be it.

God's Holiness Remains Unchanged

He explained, “This is where the priests will cook the meat from the guilt offerings and sin offerings and bake the flour from the grain offerings into bread. They will do it here to avoid carrying the sacrifices through the outer courtyard and endangering the people by transmitting holiness to them.” [Ezekiel 46.20] 

Why would holiness endanger people?

Holiness is the character of God.

It is the character of God to bless people who obey Him. Note God's character below in bold:

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6 bold added]

Go to Deuteronomy 28.1-14 to see what God's blessings are.

It is the character of God to curse people who disobey Him. Note God's character below in bold:

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6 bold added]

Go to Deuteronomy 28.15-68 to see what God's blessings are.

The same character of God that blesses obedient people curses disobedient people. This explains why Adam and Eve hid themselves in the Garden of Eden - they rightfully feared death. This also explains why, after the introduction of disobedience into mankind in the Garden of Eden, that every subsequent instance of people encountering God (or even God's angels) frightened them - they rightfully feared death when encountering God's holiness. 

This all seems foreign to mankind today because mankind does not fear God. Man lives in a constant state of undesirable conditions and yet never attributes those conditions to disobedience to God (why would he?). Man, ignorant of God's Word, does not trace his condition of suffering to disobedience to God, but leans on worldly knowledge explaining that his curses are "natural" and therefore "normal" to what he calls "life." Without God, man can only rely on his worldly knowledge about his undesirable conditions. As naturally as man today sees his undesirable conditions, he just as naturally deals with them with solutions of his own design.

I would like to be able to offer here an exception regarding mankind as explained in the preceding paragraph - a contrast, if you will, for those who are God's people ...but I cannot. The reason I cannot offer this contrast is because God's people today, like the world, do not actually fear God either. They, like the world, believe their conditions of suffering to be "natural" and therefore "normal" to what they call "life" even though the Bible glaringly says otherwise. Consequently, "God's people" (if they might even be called that) have formulated all manner of religious nonsense to "explain away" everything the Bible teaches about God's holiness. Consequently, they too, like the world, remedy their undesirable conditions (curses) with the exact same man-made methods the world does. Therein, "God's people," like Israel of old, remain in unrepentant idolatry powerless against the curses upon the world.

Even with the clarity given by the Apostle Paul, "God's people" still "don't see it":

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

The real reason "God's people" today are so "God-damned" religious (this description is 100% Biblically accurate) is because they too, like Adam and Eve, have believed lies about God and His holiness "releasing the Kraken," if you will, of God's perpetual damnation (curses) upon their unrepentant disobedience. These same "damned" religious people literally (in dollars) pay homage (just like the world) to the world's solutions (idols) while the Bible (that they claim to honor but do not know) defines their disobedience and idolatry in explicit detail. The 2nd Commandment (Exodus 20.4-6 mentioned above) is the 2nd Commandment for a reason. Every sin of man earning God's curses originates in idolatry - giving the idol of "self" transcendence (priority) over God and His Word. This is, in fact, the fallen way of man. For this reason, Jesus "cut straight to the chase" demanding God's way over the way of man:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

But, rather than giving up his own way, man made religion so he could explain why the Bible doesn't mean what it says and thereby justify all his other idols. Religion has all sorts of explanations for Matthew 16.24 EXCEPT what it actually says. God's holiness, however, remains unchanged.

Father, as I measure and weigh my life against Your Word, I am found desperately wanting. I want to give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Jesus, but it is a lonely road as far as life on earth is concerned. I know trusting Jesus no more allows idolatry than Your 2nd Commandment allows idolatry - Your holiness remains unchanged. I want to be true to Your Word... but I know my words are meaningless unless my actions follow suit. May all who read this, like me, be challenged to give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. May we find encouragement in each other as we give up our idols willing to face any worldly consequence for doing so - even death itself. So be it.

Absolute Holiness

“Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done. Describe to them all the specifications of the Temple—including its entrances and exits—and everything else about it. Tell them about its decrees and laws. Write down all these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them. And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness! The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy. Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple. [Ezekiel 43.10-12] 

Once again, as I read the passages assigned to today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, I found myself focusing on the passage above.

The details found in the rest of today's reading describing the dimensions of the Temple shown to Ezekiel seem insignificant to me. But therein seems to lie a problem...

Considering the unholiness all around us today, holiness is a foreign concept. In fact, most give little thought to the idea of holiness. And yet, in the passage above, the concept of "absolute holiness" is presented. If we cannot process "holiness" in our minds, how will we ever process "absolute holiness?"

Question: Why does holiness seem so far from people today?

Answer: Probably for the same reason God's miraculous power is so far from people today: IDOLATRY.

Whether we understand it or not, idolatry was mentioned in the verses preceding the passage above:

The LORD said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place where I will rest my feet. I will live here forever among the people of Israel. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer by their adulterous worship of other gods or by honoring the relics of their kings who have died. They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger. Now let them stop worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings, and I will live among them forever. [Ezekiel 43.7-9]

God's "I will live among them forever" statement is contingent upon His people NOT "worshiping other gods and honoring the relics of their kings..." 

We are taught, in New Testament times, that God's Temple is now the body of a person who believes in Jesus Christ. We are taught that God lives in us. Where did we ever get the idea that absolute holiness is no longer the basic law of the Temple of our bodies?

If my writing seems scattered, it should. I shudder at the thought of what modern thinking has done to God's requirement for absolute holiness especially as the veil in the Temple was torn at Jesus' crucifixion signaling God's holiness now abiding in His people...

Father, may the words of Ezekiel have meaning to us beyond our carnal thinking. May we have a distinct sense of Your holiness. May we understand that Your presence does not live among idols. May we rightly conclude that our powerless condition today is directly related to our unholy, idolatrous ways. May we find new meaning in Jesus' demand to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.