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Mark 1:14-15:
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.

The day in which we live is one of very rapid change. The previous century began with tremendous enthusiasm for what new breakthroughs in technology might bring. Consider the advances in transportation beginning with train travel, followed by the automobile, the airplane and today’s rockets into space! The prophet Daniel could have never foreseen what was foretold to him by the angel of the Lord that in the time of the end, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4).

Consider the marvelous discoveries in the field of electricity and electronics. Edison’s light bulb paved the way for the electron tube which in turn made possible great advances in communication by radio and television. Eventually the tube was replaced by the transistor and then the microchip, which makes possible ultra portable cell phones to connect people from almost anywhere in the world.

At the same time the Twentieth Century revealed the horrifying reality of what mankind could do with technology in war. We have developed and used machines that have killed millions of our fellow human beings, and now have the capability of destroying all life on the planet.

So what time do you think it is?

Is it perhaps the time for Christ to complete what He started two thousand years ago?

Most every generation since the first generation of New Covenant Christians have prayed for and expected the Kingdom of God to come in power. Some even believed for a time that it had already come to their world.

The fact that believers have already been translated from darkness and into the kingdom of God’s dear son does not negate what He intends to do in this whole earth here in time and space, when He will ultimately put an end to the craziness that we see on the news every day!

The Christian life is a life of gratitude for what Christ has already done for us on the Cross, one of peace and contentment because of what is doing now, and one of anticipation for what He has promised to do in the future. Often we miss this point that Paul made concerning our participation in the Lord’s Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:26: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” NASB

Notice how we presently participate in the past, while looking forward to His future coming. We do not minimize the overwhelming cosmic consequences of His coming to earth two thousand years ago. Sin and death has been conquered by His crucifixion and resurrection. The world has been conquered by His ascension to the throne on high! Jesus Christ is NOW Lord of all! All true believers live in the victory of His glorious reign! Today!

He came that we might have life and that more abundantly now! If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. Old things are passed away, all things have become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17). This and many other passages indicate that we are in danger of missing out on the full experience that salvation in Christ is all about. Amidst all the struggles and sorrows that this life can bring, we have a present relationship with a present Savior by Whom we have become more than conquerors! (Romans 8:35-37).

Part of what sustains us is also the glorious promise He has given to those who love his appearing. We should encourage one another to press forward towards all that God has provided for us in Christ, for the best is yet to come! In all the confusion from the setting of dates on the calendar for when the Lord should come, I am concerned that many are being robbed of the joy of anticipating His true, actual, and ultimate coming to His people and to this earth. No one knows the day or hour, or every specific detail of what that will entail. What we do know is that we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is! (1 John 3:2).

Maybe to you it is all “spiritual,” or “metaphysical.” Maybe it does not matter to you if Jesus did actually come to live as a man, in the flesh. (John 1:14, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 4:2). Maybe it does not matter to you whether or not by the Word and Presence of the Lord the nations will eventually “hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” when ” Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3).

Maybe you are not expecting to see a time when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea . (Isaiah 11:9, Habakkuk 2:14) Maybe you are content to enter into your personal “quiet time” of meditation and learn to accept that things will always continue as they are.

For myself, I have decided to join with Paul in groaning and eager expectation for what God intends to do in and through His people – that for which all of creation waits. (Romans 8:18-25). The reign of Christ is real! His Kingdom is still coming! His will shall continue to be done in earth, as it is in heaven!

With Jesus, Paul, Peter, James Jude and others, we are praying that God’s desire will be fulfilled in more and more marriages, families, neighborhoods, cities, territories and nations! He must reign until all enemies are put under His feet, including death itself! (1 Corinthians 15:25-26).

This may sound like crazy idealism. But which is crazier? To embrace the folly, fraud, injustice, corruption, lies, conspiracy theories, and poor excuses of our generation? Or to tenaciously cling to a promise made by the only One Who is actually capable of making His promise good? You be the judge. He has never, ever, ever, failed me yet!

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Have you ever pondered the meaning of that question? When Moses told the Israelites to “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,” He was referring to their being saved from Pharoh’s armies. (Exodus 14:13). In 1 Samuel chapter 2, Hannah was saved from the taunting of her adversary Peninnah. Job trusted that God would save him from his afflictions. (Job 13:16). Countless individuals in the Old Testament sought God for deliverance from enemy armies like the Philistines and the Amorites.

Today our saviors can sometimes be doctors, firefighters, police officers and others who save us from disease, accidents and those who would do us harm. In the New Testament, however, we are confronted with a problem that is more serious than any of these. We need a savior who can save us from ourselves. That is we need someone who can save us from our sins. (Matthew 1:21)

The people of Israel in New Testament times knew of God’s promise of another existence beyond the grave, and that some would awake to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting contempt.(Daniel 12:2). Jesus was quick to remind them of the seriousness of the situation. (Matthew 5:29) He revealed the solution to the problem of both the present and the future. He proved that not one of us was on the road to eternal life, and that only He could change the direction to which we are headed.

Over the years I believe the emphasis has changed concerning the subject of salvation. On the one hand, some preaching is focused on avoiding hell. Salvation is more from hell than from the sin that sends us there. People want to know that their eternal destiny is secure, and many look for the steps to securing this security. Some may think that as long as they keep up on the premiums of their “eternal life insurance policy,” things will be good. So they attend church, read their Bibles, pray, pay their tithes and so on. Check. Check Check.

More recently we see another emphasis which presents salvation as the fulfillment of the “American Dream” of comfort, ease, material prosperity, popularity, happiness and long life. Sin is almost becoming a non issue. “I am okay. You’re okay.” We are all okay because of Jesus, and a “negative confession” that admits to any of our human weaknesses is counted as unbelief. Again we are encouraged to follow certain steps to obtain this goal. Anyone who falls short of this ideal has obviously overlooked one or more of the steps.

The best, real good news is simpler that all that. We need an encounter with Life Himself, Jesus Christ. His plan was to send those people who had experienced His power, presence and word first hand out to share that reality with others. Several have left their testimony in writings that survive to this day. The apostle John bore witness to what he saw in order that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we might have the same experience of eternal life in His name. (John 20:31).

The Spirit of God works through the witness, whether a live person, or the living testimony found in the Bible. He also moves in the hearts of the hearers, who can otherwise not comprehend a thing. All this is part of and leading up to an encounter with a Living Savior. The story of Jesus Christ, His life, death, resurrection, and the affect He has on sinful humans produces faith in the hearers. (Romans 10:17).This process is very mysterious and can be very different for each individual.

After we turn from self trust and come to the place of personal trust and confidence in Jesus to rescue us from our sins, there is so much more to understand. We must be fully established in the fact that we were never able to save ourselves, but that He so freely has offered salvation instead. Ours is to receive not only forgiveness, but justification. That is, we are declared to be righteous before God by faith in Him. Being now in relationship with Him our identification is now with his death, resurrection and righteous life. (Romans 6:4).

This is what it means to be truly saved! An immediate change has already taken place, from death to life. Nothing more can be done to justify a person before God, but to trust in the righteousness of Christ alone to save us. Sanctification is the process of taking that righteousness that has been applied to our account, and working it into our very experience. To God we are fully in Christ, but we need to be reminded at times. Ahead is a lifetime of learning what His grace has provided, and how to grow in it.

The knowledge of the Lord is more than the acquiring of information. The information we receive from Him in the Bible is life-giving understanding of His nature and ways. Every day we renew that confidence in His power, and every day we become stronger in our faith. The Holy Spirit gains greater and greater access to our thoughts, attitudes and actions. It is by the very life of Christ Who lives within us by which we are empowered to demonstrate our daily victory over temptation and sin!

That life is shared with every other believer in Him. We are not talking about merely attending church services, but a mutual love and support for every brother and sister we have in Christ. We too are the children of God by faith in Him!

The destiny that God has for you is beyond description! Are you a believer? Are you sensing the Spirit of God convicting you of your need for His forgiveness? Have you come to the point of truly believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is Lord of your life? This is the change of mind that will lead to a new and wonderful existence for you. Simply surrender your will and trust in His. He will accept you and fill you with His Abundant and Eternal Life!

For “whosover shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved!” (Romans 10:13)

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“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

These are days of amazing scientific advancements. Technology has changed our lives considerably, especially in the area of communication. Events both public and private can be immediately witnessed from almost anywhere in the world. As prophesied in the book of Daniel, many are going to and fro and knowledge has increased in these latter days. (Daniel 12:4)

Things that were once attributed to unseen spiritual forces are now commonly explained by the laws of physics. Even every aspect of human behavior is interpreted as simple reactions of chemistry and electrons. Not all of us are willing to look at life in terms of such cold, mathematical calculations, but we are more inclined to think of life in material, rather than spiritual terms these days.

Modern Christians, especially in the West are much less concerned about the devil than the Christians of the First Century. The concept of an evil being who works behind the scenes to trip us up seems to belong more in the area of horror and fantasy stories than the real world of our daily lives.

While a significant number attribute almost any problem in life to the devil, more are reluctant to discuss the subject altogether. But how are true Bible-believing Christians to deal with the subject? Are we to relegate the Scriptures concerning him to a more superstitious time in the life of the Church? Or are we to take a more sober, clear-minded look at the Scriptures and real life, and realize that we too need to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might!

An honest look at our lives and the lives of those around us should confirm that we do have an adversary, the devil, who really does roam about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour! (1 Peter 5:8) Consider the power of the human instinct for survival. People will struggle against impossible odds to live, with seemingly superhuman efforts, and yet some unseen force can draw others to suicidal habits and actions. Even some Christians who know the love of God have become so blinded by his lies as to enslave themselves to things that destroy their health, their families and their peace of mind.

The Christian has no cause to fear this adversary. The apostle John clearly announced that “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world!” (1 John 4:4). Satan is absolutely no match for God, Who lives within us! But wait, does that mean that we on our own can deal with him? We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13). That is why Paul urged believers to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Only by actively engaging His armor can we stand against Satan’s powerful deceptions.

Some would tend to overexaggerate the powers of this adversary. But it is a great mistake in any war to underestimate one’s enemy. The New Testament gives us the reality of the situation.

In Christ we are more than conquerors in every situation. (Romans 8:37).
Yet we are called stand against the devils schemes. (Ephesians 6:11).
We are to submit ourselves to God, to resist the devil and he will flee from us. (James 4:7).
And to be sober, vigilant, watching as if for a dangerous animal, resisting him in steadfast faith and humility, knowing how our Lord truly cares for us. (1 Peter 5:6-9)
A new convert must guard against pride, or he will fall into the condemnation of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:6).
An elder might even fall into the devils trap. (1 Timothy 3:7).
A humble, wise and patient servant of the Lord can be used by Him to advise those who are already slaves to the devil, so they too can escape his control. (2 Timothy 2:26).
Satan can trouble marriages. (1 Corinthians 7:5).
He can take advantage of unforgiving believers. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).
He can transform himself into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14).
He even physically buffeted and hindered the apostle Paul. (2 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:18).
And cast other saints into prison. (Revelation 2:10).
But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11).

The focus of our warfare is in our thought life.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

The greatest weapon we have is our relationship with Christ. We obey Him because we love Him. We are powerful because we put Him above the desires of our flesh. Our delight is His delight! We love every Word that He speaks to us through the Written Word. That knowledge if Him makes us stronger every day, and even enables us to defeat the enemy’s power in the lives others!

Christ’s victory is our victory! Praise His wonderful Name!