Time with Jesus - Sunday, 24 February 2013
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| Jim & Phyllida Strickland |
Hi all,
Those of us who have taken time to look at church history and how it has intersected
with British history, know something of King Henry VIII. We know that he had
six wives. He wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The Pope
wouldn’t give him permission. So Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic
Church and began the Church of England. He declared himself head. Henry wanted
a son. His wife, Catherine, did not give him one. They had a daughter called
Mary. Catherine remained an ardent Roman Catholic and brought up her daughter
the same way. Her upbringing and the influence of her mother, molded Mary into
the cruel queen she became.
It’s not my place to list this king’s marriages and offspring. We do know
that Anne Boleyn gave birth to his “second” daughter, Elizabeth. Jane Seymour,
his third wife gave birth to Edward. She died shortly thereafter. The crux of
the matter, the line of succession was Edward VI, then Mary I,
then by Elizabeth I.
Edward VI died at the age of 16. After a nine day rule by Lady Jane Grey,
the throne was taken by Mary I. Mary was a devout Catholic and determined to
end the Protestantism of her father and Edward. She became known as “Bloody
Mary” because of the terrible bloodshed of Protestants during her reign. She
was only Queen for five years and died during a ‘flu epidemic. During her reign,
she married King Philip of Spain. (Was this perhaps not the chief reason for
the subsequent Spanish armada?)
The persecution of Protestants during her reign was terrible; very much a
“Tribulation” of the 1550”s. Among those she had burned at the stake, were the
Anglican bishops, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer, the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Further details of what transpired during the reign
of Mary I, can be found in “Foxes’ Book of Martyrs”. English Protestants of
those days would be forgiven for saying it was the time of the “Great Tribulation”.
The Huguenots and the Spanish Inquisition are but two other examples. There are
many more. It is interesting to note that the USA Founding Fathers sprang out
of the persecution of Christian Puritans. In South Africa we are grateful for
the French Huguenots to our history and culture. The RSA and USA have benefited from it!
Perhaps one of the greatest times of persecution inflicted on the Jewish
people, was during the Crusades. In this regard, the Christian “Church” has
little to be proud of. In many ways the Crusades are responsible for the mistrust
of Jews and Islam toward Christians in general. Some of those wounds are with
us today.
Will any of these times of persecution be exceeded by Christians during the
Great Tribulation? It’s just about impossible to give a categorical “Yes!” All
down the centuries since the days of Jesus and earlier, persecution of Jews and
subsequently, of Christians and Jews, has been consistently horrible. Will the
great tribulation be worse? It’s hard to imagine what could be worse than what
we have already seen in history. How can that be “cranked up” and made worse?
It’s hard to imagine.
Today’s meditation looks at tribulation. Can it possibly be crueler? You
tell me!
Shalom,
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Sunday, 24 February 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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Calvary for You and Me.
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The great tribulation!
Will the church of Jesus Christ be here when it happens, or will they have
been “raptured” out of the way? Called the “pre-tribulation rapture”, this is
the popular opinion today. Of course God is not subject to popular opinion.
So this continues to be argued by Christians internationally.
My opinion is irrelevant.
What is clear is that what has happened to Christians since the birth of the
Church, is liable to happen again. Furthermore, it follows that if it starts
again in western “Christian Nations”, it need not be part of the great
tribulation. I say this advisedly, because the persecution and martyrdom of
Christians today is a reality in many countries. In other words, persecution
is merely part of everyday life. It is reality for those who are committed to
Jesus Christ in the 21st century. It may not have been experienced by many of
us. But this does not make it any less real. There is also evidence, that persecution
of Christians, in one form or another, has been on-going since the days of
the early church.
I’m not in a position to
comment on the nature or severity of persecution of Christians during the
great tribulation. Frankly, the severity being currently experienced is bad
enough to intimidate many. Certainly the prospect of this breaking out in my locality
is not something I relish! What I can say, is that in those places considered
strongholds of Islam, Christians are being murdered for no reason, other than
they have rejected Islam in favour of Christ. To the North of us in Somalia,
Northern Nigeria, Northern Mali, Northern Kenya and Uganda, gangs of Muslim
fanatics kill, torture and burn Christians. The only reason is, the victims
are Christians. It is a similar story in India, Pakistan, and Malaysia and
throughout the Middle East.
As far as I am aware, the
Lord has allowed His church to be persecuted for the past ±2000 years. So if it calls
for us in South Africa, we should not be surprised. Nor should we jump to the
conclusion that such persecution is part of the great tribulation. Our attitude
should be, it is our turn to experience what much of the world has known for ±2000 years!
Those of us who are
serious about serving Jesus Christ, would be well advised to stop worrying
about the great tribulation. We should focus on what could take place
anywhere and at any time where you and I live. This tribulation is more than
enough for me. My own personal Calvary may not be part of the great
tribulation. But it will certainly be more than enough tribulation for me! In
any case, persecution and tribulation is not something you can measure and
say it is or isn’t the “great” one. Any amount is too much!
Jim & Phyllida
Strickland |
9 His wife said to him (Job), "Are you still
continuing to be faithful to the LORD? Speak evil things against him and
die!" 10 Job replied, "You are talking like a foolish
woman. We accept good things from God. So we
should also accept trouble when he sends it." In spite of
everything, Job didn't say anything that was sinful.
Job 2:9-10 NIrV
74 Those who fear you will see me and rejoice, because
my hope is based on your word. 75 I
know that your regulations are fair, O LORD, and that you were right to make
me suffer.
Psalm 119:74-75 GW
8 But now, O LORD, you
are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work
of your hand
Isaiah 64:9 ESV
18 So Samuel told him (Eli) everything and hid nothing
from him. And he (Eli) said, "It is the
LORD. Let him do what seems good to him." 19 And
Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the
ground.
1 Samuel 3:18-19 ESV
1 O LORD, even if I would
argue my case with you, you would always be right. Yet, I want to talk to you
about your justice. Why do wicked people succeed? Why do treacherous
people have peace and quiet?
Jer 12:1 GW
3 He will sit like a
refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites,
refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer
acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.
Malachi 3:3 NLT
6 The Lord disciplines everyone he loves. He severely
disciplines everyone he accepts as his child." 7
Endure your discipline. God corrects you as a father corrects his children.
All children are disciplined by their fathers. 8 If you aren't
disciplined like the other children, you aren't part of the family.
Heb 12:6-8 GW
25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are
to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household,
have been called the prince of demons, the members of My household will be
called by even worse names!
Mat 10:25 NLT
8 Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience
by what he suffered, just as we do.
Heb 5:8 MSG
13 Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with
Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of
seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.
1 Peter 4:13 NLT
14 And I said
to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows." Then he said to me, "These are the ones who died in the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
Rev 7:14 NLT
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There’s
things about the Master, I do not understand.
Things that have been taught to me,
that do not seem too grand.
We limit
God the Father and “stick Him in a box”,
Through things we only cling to if our
head is full of rocks.
So let us
take a look at things which people have believed,
To see if they are likely, or if we’ve
been deceived.
First we
must acknowledge that without the Lord above,
Nothing would exist and everyone could
not know love.
Everything
created is the product of His hand;
And this is true in heaven, the sea
and on the land.
There’s
nothing we can ever do and no where we can go,
That Jesus cannot look at, or hear, or
see, or know.
He knows
when we are suffering. He knows when we are well.
There’s nothing in existence, we can
think about or tell.
He doesn’t
know the circumstance; the tiniest detail,
Cannot be concealed from Him; He knows
it without fail.
Indeed He
is the potter; and we are just the clay,
And all that we have ever done, He
knows in every way.
There’s
nothing which He cannot do. We must accept this fact.
He always does what’s righteous,
regardless how we act.
He sits as
a refiner, of silver and of gold;
And purifies the people to do what He
has told.
He
disciplines severely, each and every child,
So we can be more like Him; pure and
undefiled.
We know He
is the healer; He wants to see us well.
But if we practise wickedness, He’ll
send us off to Hell!
He may
allow the devil to put us to the test;
But every time it happens, it happens
for our best.
He doesn’t
bring us sickness, but it is also true,
The trial of Job by Satan can happen
unto you.
And even
when we’re hurting more than anything we’ve seen,
He sometimes will allow it, for that
is where He’s been.
It
happened to the Master. Why not to you and me?
We have to learn obedience, to gain
the victory!
Our
comfort’s not important and Christians have died,
By facing up to torture and being
crucified.
Some have
died in agony; by burning at the stake.
Some have faced a cruelty far more
than we can take.
Millions
have died this way; and if God’s word is true,
The things that they experienced are
ripe for me and you.
Can it be
avoided? O Lord I pray it could.
But it appears the Father sees our
martyrdom as good!
It really
makes me tremble. I’m not a masochist.
But if it happens to me. Lord, help me
not resist,
The
martyrdom you’ve chosen and allotted unto me.
That I may follow faithfully and know
my Calvary.
Jim Strickland
Written 24 February 2012 |
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