See the series here
Part 1 is a wake-up call, especially to all bona fide Christians living in these closing years of the 3rd age of history, the Church age. Many may assume Jeremiah 9:23–24 focuses only on people who are ‘wise, mighty, and rich’. But we often miss the insight that The Lord actually expects us, His people, to influence them. Imagine that!
Here’s proof of my assertion:
1. The Bible is a spiritual book, written for spiritually-alive, spiritually-perceptive people—us believers. Though much of it speaks about non-believers, it is not principally written to them, but to us, so we can discern Heaven’s perspective about them and their pending eternal damnation—unless we take our assigned roles seriously.
2. In some profound and perhaps unknowable ways, The Lord will hold us accountable for not performing both our general and personalized roles in His grand strategic plan to help minimize the number of non-believers He must cast into His brimstone-lit lake of fire. Imagine that!
In light of this, here is a paraphrase of Jeremiah 9:23–24 that I intuit reveals the insight we likely miss:
‘To My bona fide Christians:
Perform your assigned roles in preventing the wise from glorying in (being proud about) their wisdom; the mighty from glorying in their might (whether physical, political, or celebrity); and the rich from glorying in their riches. Rather, through your obedience, testimony and demonstration effects about Me, help them come to recognize that pride in these things is sin.
Instead, they should learn to glory in this alone:
— That they understand and know Me,
— That I, The Lord God Almighty, am in all the Earth, exercising:
a. Lovingkindness [My long-term Grace to all],
b. Judgment [My short-term, intense responses when My Grace expires], and
c. Righteousness—because this is how I both ordain and achieve righteousness.
In these three things I delight,’ says The Lord.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and 1 Timothy 4:1, Apostle Paul warned that a surge of Christian lukewarmness and apostasy would precede the close of this current age. That surge has been underway for decades. But… did you notice the explosion of global reports on this during and after the COVID pandemic? I sure did.
Years ago, I asked The Lord: How will Your 144,000 anointed Jewish witnesses during the short, 7-year tribulation age (the 4th age of history) be so incredibly successful in winning souls, when the testimony and demonstration effects of the church will have mostly faded (lost its spiritual saltiness) by the end of the 3rd age? (These witnesses will produce the first of two multitudes John ‘saw’ in The Book of Revelation. See: Missed Insights from Revelation 20.)
His response: PERSECUTION, J! Many who will have become lukewarm and apostate during the closing years of this current age will rush back to Me when they realize they’ve missed My next, predicted resurrection/rapture event. Many will choose martyrdom by beheading, than to receive the ‘mark of the beast’from the anti-Christ’s global regime. (See: Christians in the Apocalypse.)
The final footnote in Part 1 asks: Who or what are the other recipients of The Lord’s Grace and Judgment, intended to bring about Righteousness?
Answer: The Earth and all creation.
2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 21:1 confirm our current planet and the entire universe are recipients of The Lord’s time-limited Grace. When His Grace to them expires, He will destroy them, in favor of a new, eternal Earth.
Many posts in this blog warn of the dangers of Christian lukewarmness and apostasy during this unique time in history. I believe we may be navigating days like those described in Genesis 6.
The post, Are You a Prophet? (Q&A), explains that all bona fide Christians are called to be prophets, not necessarily foretelling the future, but living lives that boldly testify about Jesus to our on-looking world.
‘The testimony of Jesus is The Spirit of prophecy.’
Revelation 19:10
So...
Are you a prophet?
(Fake, CINO believers excepted…)
