2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’”
8 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
It is inevitable that false teachers will produce false followers. When their teachings encounter truth, they
mock and make fun of those whose truth does not agree with them. Mockers have ungodly impulses that require the destruction of truth in order that they may pursue their ungodliness. When they ask, “Where is the
promise of His coming?” they are not really wanting to know. They are simply trying to escape the truth
that would keep them from their ungodly behavior.
What, then, are we to do when they behave in this manner? Keep your mind on his basic thing: as the LORD reckons time, there is no difference between a day and a thousand years. He is not “busy,” so that He has become slow in fulfilling His promise. Rather, He is patient, giving sufficient time for the lost to repent of their sin and come to Him for their salvation. In the meantime, He is also giving us time to share the Gospel with those
who are still living in sin.
The Associated Press is reporting today that a 69-year-old Korean-Chinese woman living in China close to
the North Korean border is sharing the Gospel with North Koreans; and when become Christians, she urges
them to return to North Korea and share the Gospel with the people there. She is constantly monitored by
both Chinese and North Korean authorities, yet for 20 years she has continued to share Christ under those
perilous conditions. Under what “perilous conditions” are we sharing our faith? And how much time do we
truly have?
Our daily prayers include each of you, whom we truly love,
2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
When I was a kid, I can remember thinking that singers and preachers had to be “really good” to get on
radio. As I grew older, I came to know just how wrong that concept was. Bad singers only had to shout
to get the following of listeners. And it is also true of many preachers. How carefully do you listen to what
you hear? Crowds hailed the philosophy of the late Dr. Stephen Hawking. What he said and wrote was
often so convoluted that many, who never understood him, hailed him as a genius. Is that intelligent?
Peter warned us of “false teachers.” False teachers are not just wrong, they intentionally mislead those
who listen to them. They “secretly introduce destructive heresies” that eventually lead to a denial of Jesus Himself! When people become more avid followers of these teachers than they are of the Savior, they have
replaced the Savior with the teacher! False teacher and preachers have their own agenda. They may purport
to speak of spiritual things, but eventually their “destructive heresies” bleed through on those who follow
them. Peter says, “…by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Peter 2:19).
But how are we to know who is telling the truth and who is sowing heresy? Read the Word carefully! Many
people have been genuinely saved by simply reading the Bible. Then, listen carefully to what pastors and
evangelists say. The Holy Spirit will prompt you when error creeps in. And when it does, stop listening to
those teachers! They will ultimately deny the truth of Scripture and lead you away from Jesus!
We love you and want you to stand strong for Jesus Christ,
1 Peter 4:7-11, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
The Resurrection and Ascension of our LORD Jesus Christ was not the end of all thing. Peter experienced
both and yet says that there is more to come. Exactly when “the end of all things” is to come, we are not
told. One certainty is that each day brings us closer to the end than the day before. Sound judgment means
“keep your thinking straight.” Sobriety means “be clear-headed.” Think things through thoroughly so you
can pray as you ought. Love smothers a lot of sinful things that others have done to us.
In addition, be hospitable, kind, helpful within your own group without grumbling. You have been given a
special gift that enables you to serve one another. When you speak, speak spiritually, using the Word of God. Don’t try to use human philosophy or arguments; let the Word do its work in the hearts of others. All things
that we do should glorify the LORD. Make today better and more glorious than yesterday. Let everything
John 20:11-17, “But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
14 When she had said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”
Our celebration of the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ has just passed. But, it had not passed
for Mary Magdalene. The greeting of angels did not erase her sorrow. Yet, while she spoke with the
angels, she saw Jesus –but in her agony she mistook Him for the gardener. It was only when He spoke
aloud her name that recognized Him. Instantly, and in pure love, she grabbed Him. “Teacher!” It was
understandable that she loved Him. Had He not forgiven her of many sins? Then, somewhat surprisingly,
He lovingly rebuked her saying, “Stop clinging to Me.” The King James translators unfortunately elected
to use the words, “Don’t touch Me!” It was not her “touch”; it was that she would not let go. I have found
You, LORD! I will never let You go!
But Jesus had other plans. Say, what about that repentant thief? Didn’t Jesus say to him, “Today you will
be with Me in paradise?” Where was that man? Is paradise heaven, or did Jesus mean someplace else?
I have attached some information, some visual, that will hopefully open your thoughts about paradise.
Meanwhile, there was something for Mary to do: “go to My brethren.” What He had told her was not to be
kept secret. It was to be shared –shared, so that others might share Him with those who had never heard. How
appropriate for us, as well! And in this age of electronic communication, it is easy for us to express our joy in
knowing Him with others. Remember His final thought to Mary: “…My Father…your Father…, My God… your God.”
We continue to hold each of you in our daily prayers,
Matthew 28:5-7, 11-15, “And the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid;
for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen,
just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that
He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him;
behold, I have told you….”
11 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to
the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled
together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, ‘You are to say, “His disciples came
by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.” 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we
will win him over and keep you out of trouble.’ 15 And they took the money and did as they had been
instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”
The most incontrovertible fact of human history is that Jesus Christ arose from the dead! The maxim
is also true that “None is so blind as him who will not see.” The women who went early to the tomb
heard the angel say, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” But the guards reported to the
chief priests all that had happened. They were the first eye-witnesses. Fear must have struck the priests
just as it had the guards; nevertheless, to protect their position against their Messiah, they concocted a
lie –a lie that continues to this very day.
What proofs do Christians (and others) have that Jesus actually arose from the dead? I offer you 10 indisputable proofs. Read them carefully, then archive them on your computer for future reference.
PROOFS OF
THE RESURRECTION
OF JESUS CHRIST
Once again Resurrection Sunday is upon us. Of all the precious doctrines encompassed by the Holy Scripture, none is more vital than the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ.
When it became necessary for our LORD Jesus to state in unequivocal terms precisely why He had come to Earth, He said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
The Apostle Paul explained yet more precisely how the LORD’s salvation was to work, he wrote, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Romans 10:9). The apostle further supports his thesis with evidence cited in First Corinthians 15, the “resurrection chapter.”
Someone in more modern times stated that “the most incontrovertible fact in human history is the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ from the dead.” Quite evidently, it is so because with the passing of some 2,000 years, the fact of Jesus’ Resurrection has suffered no refutation.
Considering everything, we can offer the following spiritually logical truths in support of Jesus’ literal, physical, bodily resurrection from the grave:
I. First, Jesus’ body was not stolen!
1. Jesus’ enemies would not have stolen His body because that would have propagated the very prediction that He would rise from the dead.
2. Jesus’ disciples could not have stolen His body because Pilate established Roman guards to stand watch over the tomb lest His body be stolen.
(1) Ironically, many of Jesus’ disciples were not fully convinced of His Resurrection itself until His post-resurrection appearances.
(2) The very character and the later history of the disciples compels us to believe that they neither stole nor secretly carried away the body of Jesus.
II. In nearly 20 centuries, no body –except the Resurrected body of Jesus Christ– was ever found. Thus, the evidence needed to disprove Christ’s prophecy is missing.
III. The mathematical probability of anyone being able to perpetrate any hoax –especially concerning Christ’s Resurrection– over 20 centuries is astronomically negative!
IV. The prophecy prediction record of the Old Testament is 100 percent accurate!
V. Notice that the chief priests and the elders never questioned whether the tomb was empty. There is no record anywhere that they even questioned whether the guards’ report were true. They knew it was true!
VI. Notice that the soldiers were told to say that Jesus’ disciples came and stole the body away while they (the soldiers) were asleep! How could they have known what was going on if they were asleep?
VII. The leaders of Judaism in Jerusalem, who had put the LORD Jesus to death, had nothing to offer to contradict these disciples as they continued to preach Jesus and His Resurrection– because all Jerusalem knew the tomb was empty. If there had been trickery involved, sooner or later it would have been suspected, then proven.
VIII. Had fraud occurred, surely one of the disciples, even most of them, would have confessed it under the horrendous persecution they underwent. It may be possible to live a lie, but men seldom die for a lie –and most of these men died for what they believed.
IX. The result ultimately would have been that the message that Christ had risen would have suffered the fate of all such unfounded stories– it would have lost its power. Instead, this truth has swept the world, closed pagan temples, won millions of disciples, brought hope to a despairing humanity, was the very foundation truth of the early Church, and is as freshly glorious as ever!
X. But not only did Jesus come alive again, He did not disappear to leave the disciples speculating through all the subsequent days as to what had happened to Him. Instead, He appeared to them literally, visibly, frequently and in bodily form –to more than 500 believers following His Resurrection from the dead.
After more than 60 years in the Christian ministry, it has been my observation that those who persist in denying the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, are in the grip of some personal sin which they are unwilling to surrender in order to lay hold of Christ. As with physical survival, it is in the nature of man to embrace hope, not to disparage or deny it. Thus, when men engage in unmitigated attacks upon the only One who offers true hope to all mankind, it is undeniable proof both of man’s own decadence and of his love of sin. (– Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.).
