March 14, 2007

John 10:10a The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy

Indubitably! He’s out there right now—looking for you. Hunting—just waiting for his laser pointer to lay its red dot on your chest. Who is this killer thief? Why, the deceiver himself—that old rapscallion Satan.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

Yeshua Himself spoke of this when addressing the Jews gathered in the Temple:

John 8:44a Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning

From the beginning? The very beginning:

Genesis 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Satan, in serpent form, took away from Adam and Eve the gift of eternal life with his lies. “Whoa! Hold the phone!” you might say. “Where did they lose their eternal life?” Well, read back a tad:

Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Every tree they might freely eat except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “So what?” There’s another very important tree in the garden:

Genesis 3:22-24 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The tree of life! Eternal life to whoever eats of it. Adam had permission to eat of this tree until the deceiver came and stole his life. Stolen life? Murder!Satan was a murderer from the beginning just as stated. If he wanted Adam and Eve dead, think how much more he wants us dead—we’re proof that his attempt to kill off all of mankind failed.

Now that we’ve proven there is a contract out on you after all—what? You think you can spot the hit man? He’s out there now—hunting; seeking; following; meddling; inquiring; snooping; prying; rummaging; trailing—you. Look over your shoulder. Is he there? Could be.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Sneaky blighter won’t even give God a straight answer. He’s got help, too.

Daniel 8:23-24 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

“Oh that’s just end-time tripe!” Verily. We won’t delve headlong into the whole end-time discussion—for now—but meditate on these verses from Matthew:

Matthew 24:6-8 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

The beginnings of the end. Here. Now. Then, the very next verse says:

Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

Don’t believe this is going on now? Try being a believer in China; Indonesia; Russia—try it in San Francisco. The murderer has helpers. Lots of them—all over the world as well as in your own backyard. You even get bombarded with his propaganda in your own home. Flip on the noisy idiot box and watch commercials for a bit.

You, yes you, have high cholesterol! You must have our drug to live!

Sneezing got you down? Buy our drug to live better.

Have you or a loved one been affected by Mesothelioma? Let our lawyers help you sue!

Pain—take a pill. Itching—take a pill. Toenail fungus—take a pill. You can’t possibly live without our pill!

Now try to read the fine print that whizzes by at the end—or better yet, grab a magazine and read, yes read! the fine print of the drug’s disclaimer:

Do not take this medication if you have an allergic reaction to its ingredients. May cause dizziness; muscle damage leading to kidney damage; muscle pain; blood in your urine. . . .

Need I go on? We’ve all heard the warnings. Get better while we slowly kill you. This from those professing to help us.

“How do we know who is whom?” Patience—I’m getting there.

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Guard your own words, too. “Huh?” Don’t go, “Huh?” It’s boorish. “What should we use? A thousand pardons, O writer?” Huh? Oh, never mind…just guard your own words:

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Speak life. Don’t give an inch to the murderer. Speak that you are whole and healthy. Not, “I think I’m coming down with a cold.” Instead, “Satan is trying to kill me with another one of his ploys and in Yeshua’s Name I refuse to accept it!”

Rebuke him. Refuse to give him and inch. God did:

Zechariah 3:2a And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan

Yeshua didn’t put up with his shenanigans either:

Matthew 4:10a Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan

Even when Satan got one of Yeshua’s disciples to spout off, He rebuked him:

Matthew 16:23a But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me

Don’t give him an inch. You are masters over him.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Resist his pawns, also:

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Remember the tools He gave you:

Ephesians 6:11-17 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye 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 armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

“But my back isn’t covered by that!” Don’t you think He didn’t notice that? God’s got your back. “Huh?” What’d I say about—oh, never mind. He’s got your back. Trust me:

Isaiah 52:12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. [Rear guard in NKJV]

God is on our side—and wants us quite alive.

John 10:10b I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil

1 John 3:8b For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

And let us not forget:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ah! Everlasting life! A reprieve from the death blow of the murderer! Finally Adam’s descendants get to taste of the tree of life—through Yeshua’s gift of the blood! What a crime drama this has been. Alas, I cheated. I already knew the outcome. See, I read the last pages of the book:

Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.Revelation 22:20-21 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Amen and Amen!

Shalom u’vrachah – Peace and the Blessing

Tim

Other verses to meditate on
(Not in any particular order)

Psalms 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Psalms 63:9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

Psalms 143:12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels