Ephesians 4 "Forgive Each Other"

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (v.32)

Many people struggle with forgiveness and hold on to grudges for years. And some find it difficult to apologize, even though their words or actions have hurt others deeply. They simply can not see anything or anyone other than themselves. Even to the point of alienating family for their own self-righteousness.

While struggling with either side of this issue, it would do us all good to remember; our own sins against God were even greater, yet He forgave us. Then, having tasted His forgiveness for sin, how can we withhold our forgiveness from another person, who has inflicted such unreasonable pain against us? Love says, we can not.

Forgiveness for others reveals the extent to which we have grasped the significance of God's forgiveness in our own lives (vv. 32-35). He holds no grudges. Once we confess our sin He simply forgives and remembers our sin no more. But the key is to have a heart of love, for love conquers all. Love is gentle and kind, not rough or insensitive toward others, it does not demand its own way. Therefore brothers and sisters in all that you do, show compassion to one another and treat others as you would desire to be treated and you will cover a multitude of sin.

The Truth: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Ephesians 3 "Access Through Christ"

Through faith in Him (Jesus) we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (v.12)

The Law no longer determines human identity. Because of Jesus' shed blood, human identity is first and foremost determined by one's relationship to Him. Instead of Jew versus Greek, the unifying power of Jesus' heavenly and earthly authority, makes the key distinction being “included in Christ” or not. All one needs to do to be counted “in Christ” is believe the gospel.

This wonderful truth means that, whereas the Law limited access to God, those who are “in Christ” may approach God with freedom and confidence (v. 12). Why? Because God loves Jesus, and this love graciously overflows to all those who are identified in Jesus (Ch.1:6).

The question then becomes, where does your identity lie? In Christ or not? If you are not yet "included in Christ" and would like to be, just pray the prayer located to the right on this page (Connect With God), and God will graciously welcome you into His family, because you have accepted in His Son.  

The Truth: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Ephesians 2 "The Blood of Christ"

“You who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (v.13)

The presentation of the blood in Old Testament sacrifices by the high priest, provided cleansing and purity for the people of God. It provided atonement, and allowed the high priest to enter the Most Holy Place once every year. However, it had to be repeated continually. For without the shedding of the blood (bulls and goats,) their existed no other atonement for sin.

However, Jesus did what the high priests before Him could never do: He entered a better tabernacle (that was not of this earth), as a superior high priest, and He offered a superior sacrifice. The presentation of His own blood brought eternal redemption that could cleanse us spiritually, and needed to be offered only once. For He was the perfect sacrifice, the spotless lamb of God, who's innocent blood was shed for the remission of our sins..

Therefore, our eternal destination will be in a better place, because Jesus offered a better sacrifice, to pave a better way. to eternal life with Him in glory.

The Truth
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Ephesians 1 “Redemption”

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (v.7)

Redemption conveys the idea of delivering a man from a situation that he is totally powerless to liberate himself from. It is releasing someone from a penalty they could never pay. That’s the picture Paul is painting in this verse.

Jesus paid the price for our freedom with His own blood. It was a sacrifice that cost Him His life, but provided life for us – something we could never do for ourselves. Why?

Paul gives us the reason right here; it was “according to the riches of His grace.” We have redemption, forgiveness, and freedom because of the free gift of God’s GRACE – which He gives freely to all men, who do not deserve redemption.

The thing is, you must bewilling to receive it. See the prayer, “Connect With God,” to the right of this page and receive His gift of redemption today.

The Truth: “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Daniel 12 “Israel’s Time of Trouble”

“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (vv.1-2)

Here Daniel is telling us that, “at that time,” the time of Israel’s future great trouble – referring to the calamity known as the Great Tribulation, also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), a time of such trouble that no nation has ever seen, the angel Michael (also called the archangel), shall stand up. And every one whos name is found written in the book, shall be delivered.

The Jewish people have known many times of trouble through their history. From the horrors at the fall of Samaria and Jerusalem to the terrors wrought by Antiochus Epiphanes, to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, to the persecutions from the church during the Dark Ages, to the pogroms of Europe, to the 20th Century Holocaust. One could say Israel’s history has often been a time of trouble. Yet this time, it will be different. Jesus described it in Matthew 24:21 saying: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

However, despite the terrors of that coming time, deliverance is assured. No matter how great the attack is against the Jewish people, God promises to preserve them (a remnant). He will never break His promise to Abraham: “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7).

So how will this deliverance occure? Well, we know that; 144,000 (12k from the 12 tribes) are sealed by God and protected from the plaques of the Great Tribulation, and those who flee to the wilderness – to the “rock” city of Petra as directed by Jesus (Matthew 24, Mark 13) will also be preserved by God (Isaiah 16). But, those that do not flee, the antichrist will then go and make war against the remnant of the people that stay in the land, and there will be a horrible devastation of those who remained until Jesus comes and ends it all. And Daniel tells us that exact time in verse 11, “‪From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days,” until His coming.

Then, 45 days later (v.12), He will gather together the nations for judgment and separate them as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And to those in His right hand, "Come ye blessed of the Father. Enter into the kingdom that was prepared for you from the foundations of the earth." To those on His left, "Depart from Me, workers of iniquity, into the everlasting darkness which was prepared for Satan and his angels."

"He that has ab ear to hear, let him hear."

The Truth: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

Daniel 11 “The Anti-Christ’s Predicted End”

“He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” (v.45)

Here in chapter 12, Daniel lays out details of the battles which take place before Armageddon, along with the defeat of the anti-christ and his rule. During the great tribulation, the Antichrist will be attacked in a pincer movement from both the north and the south, yet he will be successful, sweeping through like a flood (v.40).

He will also invade Israel, the beautiful land, ignoring some nations that are in alliance with him but conquering others, including Egypt, Libya, and Sudan (the Cushites) (vv.41-43). Then, reports of nations from the east and the north coming to attack will both terrify and infuriate him, leading him to pursue a course of genocidal warfare against his enemies, especially many of the Jewish people (v.44; Zech 13:8-9).

The Antichrist will then establish his military capital in Israel, pitching his royal tents between the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Jerusalem, situated on the beautiful holy mountain (v.45a). There the nations of the earth will gather (Zech 14:2) at Mount Megiddo to begin the campaign of Armageddon (Rev 16:13-16).

At that time, when the nation of Israel calls on the Messiah, Jesus will return (Mt 23:37-39) to deliver them, and the Antichrist will meet his end, with no one to help him (v.45b).

The Truth: “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast (anti-christ) was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (Revelation 19:19-21)

Daniel 10 “Daniel’s Words Were Heard”

“Then he (an angel) said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.” (v.12)

Like Daniel, our prayers are heard and like him we must be both patient and persistent. We must strive, in our prayer life, to understand what God wants to accomplish in our present situation. Humbling ourselves before the creator of the universe is a good start, as God is not some genie we can summon for our three wishes. 

True revelation and understanding will come as we truly seek His will and not our own.

The Truth:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.....” (Matthew 6:10)

Daniel 9 “Daniel’s Prayer”

“Then I set my face before the Lord God to make request in prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” (v.3)

This is one of the great chapters of prayer in the Bible. Here Daniel is interceding for the nation of Israel, asking God to have mercy on them and forgiveness for their rebellion and disobedience. By all indications this prayer may have taken days, as we see in the latter part of the verse it was done with fasting.

Interestingly enough, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national fast in the midst of the Civil War. He said of this nation, “We have forgotten God, we have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, multiplied, enriched, and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, and too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

Daniel did precisely that. His prayer, offered during the Exile, is one of the Bible’s great intercessory prayers. To demonstrate his humility and sorrow for the sins of the nation, he fasted and put on sackcloth and ashes. His prayer revealed; faith in Jeremiah’s prophecy that the Exile would last seventy years, it showed humility and a submissive knowledge of God’s person and Law, along with an understanding that God’s punishment was just.

Today, the most important area of service that we can do for the state of our country, is to pray – and more so as we see the Day of the Lord approaching. For His punishment will be just.

The Truth: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36”)