SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/28/2015
7:12 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Antichrist’s Admirers PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
13:8-10
Message
of the verses: “8 All who dwell on the earth will
worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the
foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9
If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to
captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be
killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”
Let us look at Rev. 13:4 to give us
a reminder to who the admirers of Antichrist are: “4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave
his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is
like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"” We couple this with the highlighted portion
of verse eight and we see that all who dwell on the earth will worship him with
the exception of those who are true believers that is those who have been “written
from the foundation of the world in the book of the life of the Lamb.” We have no idea of how many believers there
will be on the earth when the Antichrist begins to persecute them along with
the Jews, but it has to be a fairly large number, and will probably be a part
of the largest number of people who will be saved that ever was saved in that
amount of time, that is the three and a half years. Now I want to go back to the highlighted
portion of verse four and say that when we see the words “all who dwell on the
earth” it speaks to unbelievers for it has been seen also in verse 12, 14;
3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 17:2, and verse 8 of chapter seventeen. John even goes on to write about those whose name
have been written in the Lamb’s book of life so show the difference between
those who dwell on the earth. Why is it
that those who dwell on the earth are not saved? Because and with all the
deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as
to be saved (2 Thess. 2:10).” Just because salvation is a free gift of God
does not mean all will receive that gift, for many will reject the gift even
though they know that it is true that if you accept it you will be saved. John MacArthur writes “Scripture also teaches
that the faithless will be judged because they ‘did not believe the truth, but
too pleasure in wickedness (2 Thess. 2:12).
While the eternally elect are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ (John 3:16; 5:24; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Rom. 3:22-30; 4:5; 10:9-10; Gal.
3:22-26; Eph. 2:8-9), the non-elect are lost because they refuse to believe the
gospel (John 3:36; Rom. 1:18-32; 2:8; 2 Thess. 1:8-9; 1 Pet. 2:8; 4:17). Unbelief and rejection always indicate those
persons whose names are not ‘written…in the book of life.’” These truths that MacArthur writes here are
true, but at times difficult to understand, however salvation is a gift
accepted by faith, faith that we are given by the Lord yet nonetheless faith
and so there are many things in the Word of God that we must take by faith.
MacArthur goes on and we will
conclude this SD with this paragraph: “Seven
times in the New Testament, believers are identified as those whose names are
written in the book of life (cf. 3:5; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; Phil. 4:3). The book of life belonging to the Lamb, the
Lord Jesus, is the registry in which God inscribed the names of those chosen
for salvation before the ‘foundation of the world.’ (This phrase is used as a synonym for
eternity past in 17:8; Matt. 13:35; 25:34; Luke 11:50; Eph 1:4; Heb. 9:26; 1
Pet. 1:20; cf. 2 Thess. 2:13; and 2 Tim. 1:9.)
Unlike unbelievers, the elect will not be deceived by Antichrist (Matt.
24:24), nor will they worship him 20:4).
Antichrist will not be able to destroy believers’ saving faith, for the
Lord Jesus Christ promised, ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white
garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will
confess his name before My Father and before His angels’ (Rev. 3:5; cf 1 John
5:4). Believers have been in the keeping
power of God since before creation, and they will be there after the
destruction of this order and the establishment of the new heaven and new earth
(21:1ff.).”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I am
thankful for the truth of salvation that I have been reminded of here in a very
deliberate way from the pen of John MacArthur and mostly from the Author of the
Word of God. I know that there is no way
I deserve the salvation that Christ paid for while on the cross, but I am so
very thankful for it and pray that I will walk worthy of what He has done for
me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the
Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Answer
to yesterday’s Bible question: “Herod”
(Acts 12:20-23).
Today’s
Bible question: “What are three great
Christian virtues?”
Answer
in our next SD.
6/28/2015
7:47 AM
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