In the Parable of the Wedding
Banquet the king went in to see his guests and noticed one man was not wearing
wedding clothes, “‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here
without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king
told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the
darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For
many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matt 22:12-13 NIV). As I consider the
problem of illegal immigration the same question comes to mind, Friend, how did you get in the US without
the proper documentation? America has always invited immigrants to her
shores, but similar to the biblical example, immigrants must follow proper protocol
if they are to gain entrance.
3 comments:
Gail;
-----The angel told John the seven headed beast represented seven kings and their kingdoms, five which had been, one which was, and one which was yet to come. We can’t escape the fact that means this seven-headed beast has already had actuality throughout a large part of history. We can even name the first six, and by knowing the characteristics of those, we can even determine the seventh by looking for which kingdom shares their characteristics. Although this seven headed beast will be a specific person and kingdom during the Tribulation, it is obvious that it has also been a process within certain kingdoms throughout history.
-----Also another portent John saw has been a process through a large part of history - the woman clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet and the twelve stars at her head who gave birth to a child and had to flee from the dragon, being carried into the wilderness. Out of Israel Christ was born, then Israel fled into the nations as the sixth kingdom destroyed her city and temple and land.
-----I’m not saying these portents don't apply to specific actors during the Tribulation. I’m positing that all world history is a message directed by God, and that these portents represent processes in world history as well as specifics during the Tribulation.
-----So let’s consider what prophets are. First to mind comes prophecy, of course. And we think quickly of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Zechariah (which I like to call “The Book of Revelation of the Old Testament.) But Moses was also a prophet. And although he did deliver a few prophecies, his work was mostly delivering God’s people. So also with Jesus, who was a prophet. Then there are the prophets Paul treats in I Corinthians 14, and the station of “prophet” noted within the church. These are surely not prophets delivering scripture-type words of God or performing miracles and delivering people, but they are supporters of God’s Word and work and church with insightful, Biblical ideas and principals which gird up believers and blaze trails for their effects in God’s purposes. Now, seeing “prophet” in the sense we best know it, reverse that concept; turn all its white to black, all its holiness to evil, and consider the false prophet - the second beast.
-----Surely, during the Tribulation the false prophet will perform great signs to make most people drool after the first beast. And the nature of the first beast is accusation, deceit, and destruction, for the first beast is that old dragon -Satan. So there is a process heightening in the world today, specifically, rising greatly in the US of A to the effect of accusing the Lord’s people, both Jews and Christians, destroying the laws and culture founded upon their faiths, and certainly, and outright, and in our faces deceiving -lying, without shame, continually and deeply. Political correctness tears down righteousness and sets up evil; left-wing politics destroys freedom to worship God and enslaves to the service of debauchery -seduction away from virtue and duty. But even more in particular, western world left-leaning governments are clearing the way for the spread of radical Islam with the borderless mentality of their stupefying ignorance. They make deceit a way for the first beast to grasp the world as they invite its organizations to participate in their courts and security processes. And they assure us the beast is a religion of peace, a harmless child, a pleasant drink. As surely as Islam is the seventh head of the dragon, left-wing government is being the false prophet, and the Tribulation comes next.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
I sometimes think about this also when I see people coming to church to worship the God of the universe and can't be bothered to dress up like they would for a job interview.
Grace and peace.
Pumice;
Char and I had a friend who was briefly married to a rather attractive young lady. Every time we saw her she was in a T-shirt. And her T-shirt was always covered with spots and stains of who knows how many previous meals. It rather ruined her beauty. And it spoke volumes of her habits, her self-esteem, and her disregard for the people who had to associate with her. It isn’t like there’s a rule book on cultural proprieties. It’s like those proprieties simply are what people naturally think. At least until their common thinking gets mussed up.
But even then the natural truth is not destroyed. It doesn’t need people’s minds to be true or to exist. And that truth is that maintenance of self involves also what you wear in every aspect of its being protective enough as well as its being socially appropriate. Clothing is as much an expression as it is protection. What it expresses not only reverberates inside the individual, it impacts the sentiments of the people around the individual. When a critical mass of individuals alter their expressions, they change social aspects accordingly.
Worship is a practice involving humility, regard, and maintenance. Celebration is a practice involving glee and exuberance. Worship looks at to reflect. Celebration is merely a form of revelry. Therefore worship is filled with careful consideration, while celebration is a mere emotional fountain. Celebration needs worship for direction. Worship needs celebration for vitality.
What one wears to celebrate is not so socially important, since celebration is about the individual’s expression of his own emotion. But worship, being about the individual’s reflecting what is worshipped, is far different. The individual worships a pure and righteous God not by offering Him religious ritual, but by offering Him reflection of that purity and righteousness from the worshipper’s own soul being changed into a likeness of God‘s purity and righteousness. That necessitates humility, regard, and focus.
It is only good sense that an individual would want to go worship the Best while wearing his best. If he is not concerned about reflecting the best he can reflect, is he really humble, regarding, and focused? If he is humble, regarding, and focused on the best, will he be wearing last week’s dinner menu? What is obviously at play is a very subtle spirit piping for the children to follow it into self expressed celebration away from Holy Spirit expressed worship so the Lord’s body might break down into chaos of selves.
This whole contemporary church thing endangers the “built together” aspect of God’s holy temple. (I know a fellow who went to a job interview in a bath robe. He remained unemployed.)
Love you,
Steve
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