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WitW 2023 Fall Study

4:09 AM

Are you hungry for more of God's truth and wisdom in your life? Then join us this fall starting Sept. 4th for our online Bible study called A.C.T. (Absorb, Contemplate, and Transform) Together we’ll dig into God’s Word and fill our souls with the transforming messages of the Lord that only the Bible can provide. So if you’re looking for a convenient and engaging platform for you to deepen your faith, share insights, and build lifelong friendships with like-minded women, look no further! Grab your Bibles, tell your friends, and get ready for God to move mightily in your life! And don’t forget to head over to Facebook to our WitW group and join in on the discussion! https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2

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The Unholy Trinity Could Becoming in Just a Few Years {Revelation 13}

9:24 AM

 Scripture Reading: Revelations 13



Satan has been called many things - Liar, Deceiver, Murderer, the Enemy, the Evil One, even the Antichrist. These are just a few of his names, and not one is ever flattering. He was revealed as the dragon in Revelations 12:17, and now here in chapter thirteen we see something more about his character that I want you to always remember.  

Satan is a counterfeit, who never has an original thought.

He has little to no imagination of his own, and often merely copies what God has already done. He demonstrates this here for us when he decides to create an unholy trinity. 

Satan, as the dragon, will set himself up as the anti-god of the “trinity” and then he recruits two helpers to join him in this war against God’s people. Together they will try to imitate God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

The Beast from the sea (Rev 13:1, 4) will resemble Jesus as the anti-christ. This antichrist will be the political “beast” of vs. 1. He will get his power and position from Satan (vs. 2), and will even suffer a fatal wound and come back to life (vs. 3). Although the anti-christ will deceive many into thinking his power comes from God, it will come from Satan (vs. 2).

The Beast from the earth (Rev 13:11-12) also called the False Prophet (Rev. 16:13, 20:10) will resemble the Holy Spirit. This beast will cause all on the earth to worship the anti-christ (vs. 12), and will also have supernatural powers, that will enable him to call fire down from heaven (vs. 13) and preform other miracles (vs. 14). The beast of the earth/false prophet will order men to create an “image to the beast” (vs. 14). His powers will even give the idol life, and the ability to speak (vs. 15). A one-world religious system will be forced into place, and he will have all that do not worship the anti-christ killed (vs. 15)! He will also demand that all must have a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads in order to buy or sell (vs. 16,17). The mark will have something to do with the number 666 (vs. 18).

I know this all sounds frightening, but thankfully this will all take place at the middle point of the seven years of tribulation. God's people will have already been raptured 31/2 years prior. 

What IS frightening is that if Jesus were to come for us today, these events could only be three and a half years away! Have you thought of that before? If Jesus came back for us today, do you personally know others who will be left to face this unholy trinity?  The Deceiver, this fake and fraud, will be able to deceive many and cause many to worship him rather than turn to a holy God. 

As I thought on this, my mind went back to Deuteronomy, chapter 6 and the Shema: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deut. 6:4-8)

The Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). Also, it is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night. (Wikipedia)

The chapter goes on to warn us and command us over and over again to study, obey and teach His Word to others throughout, "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.  Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;  for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land... Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.  Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you..." (Deut 6:13-18)

In light of all we read in Revelations, and knowing that God could see the end just as clearly as He saw the beginning, I now understand God's sense of urgency as He commands us to study, obey and teach others His commands. Can't you?

Blessings,

sue

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Weighing the Cost of Following Jesus {John 12}

9:00 AM

Scripture Passage for today is John 12: 1-11


I’ve always marveled at Mary’s tenacious act here in verses 1-11 and wondered if I would have been so bold had I been in the room that day. 

Watchman Nee,  the late Chinese preacher, points out in his pamphlet titled, Why This Waste, that by looking at this story in the other gospels, we can tell that all the disciples joined Judas in scolding Mary for wasting this expensive perfume on Jesus when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus defended Mary by replying (Matt. 26:13), “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”  

John goes on in the rest of chapter 12 to contrast Mary’s act of devotion with not only Judas’ self-centered focus, but with the evil plans of the chief priests and Sanhedrin, who now not only want to kill Jesus, but Lazarus also, whose resurrection has caused many to believe in Jesus. 

Nee also adds (and this is what started me thinking...),
“Several days after Mary broke the alabaster box and poured the ointment on Jesus’ head, there were some women who went early in the morning to anoint the body of the Lord. Did they do it? Did they succeed in their purpose on that first day of the week? No, there was only one soul who succeeded in anointing the Lord, and it was Mary, who anointed Him beforehand. The others never did it, for He had risen. Now I suggest that in just such a way the matter of time may be important to us also, and that the whole question for us is: what am I doing to the Lord today?”

In light of Mary’s costly act and Judas’ and others reactions to Jesus here in this chapter, plus what Jesus explains in John 12:25,

“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”

And also in Mark 8:35-36,

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

I thought a good theme or summation for this chapter would be something like: 

A life spent in complete devotion to Jesus is never wasted, but a life spent on self is a total waste!

For we know that Judas will go on to greedily sell Jesus for a small pittance, and take his own life very shortly after. 

If only we could stop here! But there is another theme that seems to resonate with Mary's actions, and that is:

Selfless devotion to Jesus is costly.

Mary’s anointing Jesus with this perfume was costly in at least three ways that I can see:

1.) Selfless Devotion can Cost Us Financially:

The perfume she used was very expensive, which made me wonder just how much am I willing to part with for Jesus' sake?

2.) Selfless Devotion can Cost Us Socially 

Like Mary, we may be called to do things that others won't understand at the time and may even face criticism for it. Are we willing to set our pride aside to follow completely, or do we still care too much about what others might think?

In closing, I want you to see something I found in what Jesus said as He defended her from the others, “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:7 emphasis mine)

Did Mary know about Jesus’ death? Whenever we encounter Mary in the gospels we see she was always at Jesus’ feet! Did she know more than His own disciples at this time? That’s a question I’d love to ask her one day.

I truly believe it was her personal knowledge of Jesus, gained by sitting at His feet that led her to this selfless act of devotion, and the beautiful fragrance of that act filled the room so that everyone that was there was impacted by what she did and thousands of years later we are still marveling over it.

I would love to be like Mary. I would love my devotion to my Savior and Lord to impact everyone I come in contact with, and now I know if anyone is to be like her we must start by spending time sitting at His feet.

Blessings, 
sue