SELF-JUDGMENT IN LIGHT OF PROPHECY – 1 June 2002

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All believers in Jesus as Lord and Messiah are anointed by the Spirit of God.  According to the Tenach, the anointing was for prophets, high priests, and kings.  That Jesus is the Anointed One, is to say that He is the Prophet, the High Priest, the King of Israel.  The New Testament speaks of Jesus in this way.  As born-again believers, we abide in Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us gives us an anointing to function as prophets, priests, and kings.  The LORD has spoken, who can not but prophesy (Amos 3:8); all believers in Jesus are priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ and making intercessions on behalf of our people (1Pet 2:5); the Spirit of Messiah enables us to rule over our own spirits (self-control), being trained to rule with Messiah in His Kingdom (Prov 16:32; Rev 20:6).  With Yeshua, we shall be priests upon the throne (Zech 6:13).

A large part of ruling over oneself or over a people is knowing to judge between good and evil and between the holy and the profane (Gen 3:22; Jud 2:11-19; Ezek 44: 23-24; Mt 19:28).  We are to learn God’s ways and judgments if we are to begin to know how to judge righteous judgments in His sight.  What does our Father in Heaven have to say?  Prophecy is given to us not just so many books can be written, nor for us to ignore them.  If we believe what the Word of God says, it gives us hope, encouragement, patience.  As we see that God really does fulfill all that He says, it builds up our faith in Him and strengthens us through hard times.  The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus– of the Savior and the Kingdom of God.  Prophecy tells us what God likes and will bless, and what God hates and will condemn.  If we know God’s mind and heart about matters, it helps us today to adjust our own hearts and minds to be in accordance with His.  The Holy Spirit is working in us to conform us to the image of the Son of God, who is one with the Father.  Because of the cross of Messiah, we are called as priests to uphold the government of God:  His grace reigns through righteousness; sin without shame amongst God’s people against the holiness of YHVH must be judged.  If not judged by us, then as a Father judges His children to chasten them, so will God have to do to uphold His holy character both for Himself and for those who are indeed His children. (Num 25: 6-13; 1Cor 11:29-32; Heb 12:5-12).  As Dima taught last week, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, not to take it for granted, but rather to make our call and election sure (Philp 2:12; 2Pet 1:10).

With this in mind, let’s read together Rev. 18:1-10 (Jer 51:5-10) and 2Pet 1:1-13.

The Holy Spirit is letting us know what the end is from the beginning.  From God’s perspective of the cross, the world is crucified to me and I to the world.  The Lord Jesus says that we are in the world but not of the world.  His Kingdom is not of this world.  Babylon, which represents the kingdoms of this world (Dan 2:37-38; Rev 18).  Babylon speaks to us of the “good life” in this world, but to the holy judgment of the cross of our Lord, it is defiled and corrupt through lust.  It is no different in kind than Sodom and Gomorrah (Is 13:19; Ezek 16:49-50), which YHVH God has made an everlasting example to those who afterward would live ungodly.

Where do we stand, dear brothers and sisters?  If we are going to have any power to pray for the kehila or for the salvation of people in our city or nation, we must be clean before the Lord and before our fellow men.  This is our call and election as priests of God Most High.  This is our call and election as sons and daughters of God our Father.  This is our call and election as the Bride of the Lamb.  This is being a pilgrim and sojourner in this world, as our father Abraham.  This is being Messianic, holy unto God.  Let us examine and judge ourselves if we be indeed found in the faith, that we would know only goodness and lovingkindness pursuing us all the days of our life, dwelling in the house of the LORD forever.

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