IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT IN THE END (MARANATHA 5)

Now we wait to receive the blessings God has for his children. These blessings are kept for you in heaven. They cannot be ruined or be destroyed or lose their beauty. – 1Pe 1:4 (ERV)

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. – 1Co 15:57,58.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:16,17.

And there shall be no night there; and they need no lamp, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign forever and ever. – Rev 22:5

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. – Rev 21:4.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. – 1Co 15:26

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him – Rev 22:3.

Therefore comfort one another with these words. – 1Th 4:18

Greetings beloved, and MARANATHA!

GREG ELKAN

THE FEAR OF THE END (MARANATHA IV)

“Therefore comfort one another with these words.” –1Th 4:18

There’re two main reasons the early believers greeted one another with “MARANATHA”. The first is as an admonition to live godly lives in this evil world. Phi 4:5  says, Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. and Rev 3:11 says, Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown.

The second reason is as an encouragement to each other.

Unfortunately, this second aspect of the Rapture is all but lost in today’s Church. The subject of the “Rapture” is taught with fear and threatening. Christians are told Jesus would leave them behind, and the message is then buttressed with extra-biblical ‘testimonies’ of people who claimed they saw visions of so-and-so Man of God in Hell, etc.

But the End-of-Days is meant to inspire hope, not dread. In the Old Testament, the coming of the Messiah was something the covenant nation of Israel looked forward to. When the prophets spoke of the last days, it was to encourage them that a time of national glory lay ahead.

The same is true of the New Testament authors. Indeed, the book of Revelations, the same book that many Christians are scared to open, was primarily written to encourage the believers in Asia minor who were undergoing sever persecution.

If the end of the world is being seen as bad news by both believers and unbelievers alike, what then is the hope of our salvation?

Our Lord, speaking on the Mount of Olives about the signs of the end times, said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near.”

In 1 Thessalonians, the most eschatological of Paul’s letters, he says, TWICE, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Th 4:18 and 1Th 5:11). Those “words” were prophecies about the rapture and the end times. In fact, he adds, as though understanding the hearts of modern-day believers, that “God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”.

If over 2 decades of Left Behind teaching has taught us anything, it is that scare tactics does not produce lasting holiness. Biblical salvation is what qualifies for the Rapture. If a pastor spends his time grounding his congregation in that, then the Last Day would be something they would look forward to – along with the rest of the believers worldwide.

MARANATHA

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

AT LEAST ONE CROWN, GUARANTEED (MARANATHA 3)

The scripture speaks severally of the righteous being rewarded with “Crowns” because of the feats and achievements they effected while they were on earth, (e.g. 1Co 9:25; Jam 1:12; 1Pe 5:4; Rev 2:10; 3:11).

Some of the crowns are even specifically mentioned; like the Crown of Life, the Crown of Glory, and the subject of today’s devotional: the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

I used to worry if I would be worthy of any crown in heaven (it’s ridiculous, I know) but one day I stumbled on Paul’s final charge to Timothy, and I realised that at least I can share in one crown that Paul has. He says:

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. – 2Ti 4:8.

Do you realise that not many believers are looking forward to Jesus’ return? Anytime you mention the Rapture, their hearts skip a beat. Shout on the rooftops that “Jesus is coming soon” and they look at you like a fanatic. It bothers me why anybody would be afraid that this mess we live in is about to end.

Maybe it’s because they have their spiritual priorities mixed up, or because they have a wrong understanding of salvation. But whatever it is, it’s not really a good sign that you’re scared that your LORD is coming back.

Paul says there is a Crown of Righteousness waiting for  those who eagerly long for Christ’s appearance. That is why the ancient believers used to greet each other with Maranatha. They wanted the Lord to return.

Beloved, do not join those who mock songs like “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through...” It really is NOT your home!

A time is coming when all the things we are striving for daily would amount to dust.

When the trumpet sounds, will the first thing that comes out of your mouth be

“Oh No!” or will it be

“YES!!!”

The response can't be faked. How we’ll respond that day is determined by our living philosophy right now.

My prayer is that ours will be the latter response. And to think that God is so gracious as to reward us with a crown, just for that alone.

Halleluyah. Maranatha.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

SEE THE ACTION, NOT THE REACTION (Maranatha 2)

ISIS, Boko Haram, Same-Sex Marriage, over 50 Million legally murdered babies, global financial meltdown, sexual slavery of children, climate change, resurgent viruses, militant liberalism/atheism, historic slaughter of Christians ... the list definitely goes on. And these are just the mild ones that the average news consumer can stomach.

Evil seems to be working on overdrive. “Where is God in all this?” is the unuttered fear of Christians around the world. But if we despair and lose faith, then we have fallen for the trick of the devil.

There’s a marked difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and that of an evil spirit. God is gentle and unobtrusive; the devil will always go for dramatics and attention.

Satan is the consummate showman, the master illusionist, the skilled magician. For him it’s all about the optics, the control of the narrative, the sleek prestidigitation. Have you ever seen a magician in modest dressing? Does he perform tricks without lots of shouting, smoke and fanfare?

No!

Anytime you hear the devil shouting, ask yourself what is he trying drown out. Anytime you see evil trying too hard to grab your attention, ask yourself, “What is God doing on this planet that the devil wants to distract me from?”

Do you remember what happened at the birth of Christ? When Herod realized that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood who were two years old and younger ... (Mat 2:16 GNB).

Can you imagine the carnage and sorrow in Bethlehem then? “Where is God in all this?” the people would scream. But they’re expecting God to REACT to the evil, not knowing that the evil is the reaction to what God already did (in this case, sending the Messiah into the world).

Beloved, the kingdom of God is making giant strides in these endtimes; in the Middle East, in China, and yes, even in the West. Just look at the places the devil is striking – whether violently or ideologically – and you’ll have an idea where God is working.

There’re no shortages of things to worry about; if it’s not Al-Qaeda then it’s ISIS, if it’s not Ebola then its Zika, if it’s not Communism sending believers to the Gulag, then its liberalism persecuting them with the power of the State... how long are we going to keep looking at the distraction?

Our Lord is coming.  Let us spend our energies in working for the King.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2Pe 3:9).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

MARANATHA

I pray that God will put a curse on everyone who doesn't love the Lord. And may the Lord come soon,  – 1Co 16:22 (CEV).

This week, we shall divert from our usual devotionals to meditate on the next most important event in the calendar of the cosmos: the 2nd coming of Christ.

The phrase “may the Lord come soon,” in our opening verse is left untranslated in the KJV as “Maranatha”. It is an Aramaic word that has several connotations and import based on how one divides the word.

It could be an injunction to the Lord, asking Him to come soon, Our Lord, Come (marana-tha); just as the Apostle John prayed in Rev. 22:20).

It could also be read as a declaration that “Our Lord has already come” (maran-atha). This is used in the evangelical sense,  declaring the first advent of Christ when He came as a man to die for our sins. It is the proclamation to the world that their expected Messiah or Christ isn’t in the future, but has already come in the past.

The 3rd understanding of Maranatha, (and seemingly most popular), is “Our Lord is coming”. This declaration is seen as both a motive for Christian service and an encouragement for believers in every age.

Regardless of the reading, one thing is certain; we have a Saviour who is intimately involved with the affairs of humanity. That is why we should not relent on the work of the Great Commission. We have a message for the world, and every man, woman, boy and girl needs to hear it: THE LORD HAS COME (to die for our sins). THE LORD IS COMING (to judge all who reject His offer of salvation).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN