“Our God is a Consuming Fire”
“For our God is a consuming fire.” -Heb 12:29 (KJV)
Western Christianity, especially in America, has downplayed the seriousness of Almighty God. This is an overwhelming statement and should be taken in the context of how you view God and His Son Yeshua – Jesus Christ. I think most will agree that we don’t know who God is in reality. I attended church for decades, engaged in [somewhat superficially] reading my Bible although not as regular as I wanted. And by this I missed knowing just exactly who He is. Only since immersing myself deeper in His word and deeper in prayer and deeper in knowing Bible Prophecy do I now get a real glimpse of the magnificence, mightiness, reality and seriousness of God. And yet I am only skimming the surface of who He is.
I think that western Christianity has missed the boat on teaching and realizing who the God of the Bible is. We go to church but really want to be entertained or lulled into Christian complacency more than engage is serious worship – the worship that God wants. We attend church so we feel good about ourselves with the preaching of the sermon; we want not to be offended and return home happy and without worry. Please step back and examine what you hear and learn about the Lord in your service. You see God is serious; He doesn’t joke or kid around about our sin nor is He about the glamour and glitter displayed in many of our houses of worship today. God doesn’t soften His word to make it tolerable. Instead He speaks truth, a truth that so many don’t hear in their church.
We Have Misplaced God
And as a result, I believe that we’ve de-fanged God and forgotten just how mighty and serious He is about His creation. About sin and repentance … well …, we seem to have swept them under the carpet. Look what the Lord did with Noah’s generation and why and also what He did with Sodom and Gomorrah and why. We have tossed many of the truth-solid doctrines of what the Bible says aside because it’s seems negative, alarming and scary. Oh and God forbid if a rock-solid, no compromising, not-afraid-to-offend pastor is (oh my … wait for it …) raises his voice in passionate pleas for his listeners to return to God in acknowledgment and repentance of their sin in his sermon. And the really sad situation is that I know people that have said this and take this view. Sorry to say that today many Christians are sleeping snowflakes and cannot stomach the fact that God will allow people to do as they wish and finally end up in a Godless eternity called HELL! Those type of “Christians” need to come face-to-face with the Bible … all of it, not just the happy and feel-good stuff. Reminds me of this prophetic verse of the last days –
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,” -2 Tim 4:3 (ESV)
What about Moses who was not allowed to enter the promised land…? Moses – the great man of God that proclaimed ten horrible plagues that befell the land of Egypt. He was the man picked by God to lead the Hebrews out of Pharaohs’ grip in the land of Egypt. Read about the “why” here – Numbers 8:8-12. God is not about being our homey or someone just like us. He is God and there is no other – Isa 45:5. We need to recognize that He is God and deserves honor, praise, respect and fear with trembling.
God is Serious – He Ain’t Kidding People!!
He is serious about your sin and mine. He is deadly serious about repentance – amending of our ways and returning back to Him – to holy living. Turning away from worldly ways, thoughts, desires and attitudes. He is by all means against idolatry and folks this can be as simple as loving your cell phone or constantly giving more time to Facebook than to God. Yes, this is idolatry and can be described as anything that puts God second or further down your list. He wants to be first, the number one position in your life. He addresses it in the first church reprimand in Rev 2:4. When we lose our love for Him as we had when we first became saved, we are in danger of being entrapped and falling away to worldly ways. And yes we can fall away and lose our salvation. This is stated in many places in the Bible. Do not be deceived by those who claim that you can escape the fires of hell living the way you want without continual repentance of your sins and without living in holiness.
Yes, there are some big-named Bible teachers that believe and preach that you cannot lose your salvation. They proclaim that if you were to fall away, you were never saved to begin with. Bunk! Their theology on this is in gross error. They must read all the Bible – OT and NT – and find out that God will allow you to fall back into the world if you don’t obey His word. We have free choice to believe and follow Him and turn away again after receiving the knowledge of the truth turning again to unrighteousness. For example, read 2 Th 2:3; there is coming (and I think here now) a great apostasy or falling away. Folks, if you fall away from the faith, you had to have the faith to begin with. The NT is replete with warnings of being careless in our Christian walk and end up forfeiting our eternal soul for that of casual Christianity and convenient carefree OSAS (once saved, always saved) living. You cannot compromise your faith with one foot in the world and the other foot in His word. This is lukewarmness and He will vomit you out of His mouth – Rev 3:16.
“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” – Rev 2:4 (ESV)
God is Coming Again But This Time…
God is returning to earth again but this time not like as the [subtle] Lamb of God that took upon Him the penalty of our sins and provided a way for our salvation in His sacrifice on the cross and thereby a path to eternal life. This time friends He’s coming in flaming fire to destroy those that do not obey Him or know Him. This is absolutely no joke – this is the word of God – 2 Th 1:8-9. If you are engaged in fornication with other gods (spiritual whoredom) or idolatry (even with an idolatrous heart) or in sexual immorality or a host of other things listed in the NT –1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Rev 22:15, you will not make it to heaven. If you did not know these things it’s (1) because you don’t read the Bible, and/or (2) your church fails to teach them. Flee that church and seek God in a no-kidding Bible-preaching church.
This is Serious Stuff
God is serious, hugely serious and yes, He has has teeth! He means what He says, and says what He means and is not kidding around, does not endorse, condone, or approve of any sin. His word is sure and He requires us to read it. He without question, interpretation or negotiation is serious about repentance. Without it in our lives, we will not enter His rest – Luke 13:1-5. In other words, we will not make it into heaven if we do not repent! Friends, this is serious stuff and you will these days only find the real truth of God and what and who He is like in the Bible. For many Christian churches do not teach who God is and just how serious He is about sin.
If you are serious and sincere, you will find Him and He you – Jer 29:13. Casual or cultural Christianity followers will not find their home in heaven. In fact, this concept and doctrine is absolutely destroying and killing the church. Many people are headed for hell thinking they are secure in their ‘easy-street’ form of worshiping God. Take a look at Matt 7:13-14. Now this is the reality of fake Christianity and what the Lord says about it. Wow, that’s powerful! Yes, but 100% true!
Conclusion
If you feel comfortable in church and at ease with your flavor of Christianity you are in the wrong place. If you go there and almost fall asleep, you’re in the wrong place.
If you go to church and are not impacted with the degree and severity of your sin before a Holy and Righteous God, you’re in the wrong place and your Christianity is fake, feel-good, false or ‘casual’.
GET OUT OF THAT CHURCH!! And find one that preaches the full council of God – Acts 20:27, and not the feel good Christianity that infects so many of our churches today.
Many men of the Bible when approached by God or saw visions of Him became weak – had no strength, fell down as dead men, collapsed, turned pale, etc. Should we be any different? God is God and Almighty is He. He’s not about soft and cushy. His word is not milquetoast or like Koolaide and neither should our church sermons and ministry be softened to be easily swallowed to taste good. He’s mighty, longsuffering and loving, yet just. We need to remember this and come boldly, as needed, before His throne with fear and trembling. We need to engage in daily asking forgiveness for our sins in repentance with sincerity. We need to practice mourning for our sins and the sins of our nation. These things God desires. It’s time to get really right with Almighty God.
“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” -Psa 51:17
-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman
JESUS CHRIST IS RETURNING – ARE YOU READY?
