* SIGN OF THE TIMES: NOT QUALIFIED

 

Now more than ever in history perhaps we have this irrefutable truth made abundantly clear:

 

People on their own are not qualified to rule.  They cannot be good kings or any other type of top ruler.

 

We have this guidance given us way back in the early books of the Bible.  The Israelites kept pestering the spiritual leader of their time, Samuel, for God to give them a king.  They wanted to have a king like all the other nations.  Of course, God was their leader.  They were his people.  And no nation could compete with Israel when they were truly following God.

 

Still these Israelites kept demanding a king.

 

So God decided to give them one.  Samuel was so ashamed, but God pointed out to him it was not Samuel they had rejected but God himself.  Imagine.  What if you or I had that choice?  Would you take God over President Biden or President Trump or any other worldly leader?  Of course you would, if you are a true believer.  Otherwise, probably not.

 

So Samuel told the people all the horrible things a king would do to them.  You can read all this in 1 Samuel 8.

 

And then he went forward and anointed Saul as God had led him to do.  And the rest is history.  Saul had some good points but also some very bad ones.  And David finally became King.  He too had some good points.  But not entirely.  And so it went.  King after king, in Judah and Israel.  Good and bad, but often really bad.

 

No doubt many of their problems could have all been avoided but the people chose to have a king. 

 

And here we are today with our human top leaders.  The current government obviously doesn’t know what to do with the key problems of the day.  It is a matter of stumbling along.  That is true throughout the world.  And it is apparent the leaders – at least most – don’t know where we are in time and what is soon to happen with the Lord’s return.  They are just lost in their confused and jumbled world.

 

Jesus has promised to his believers that we will rule with him.  We will sit on his throne with him!  How wonderful is that!  And how wonderful is it that we will rule with him, not by ourselves.  With him!

 

And Jesus will be King of all the earth.

 

 

 

February 2024

 

Copyright © 2024 by John Newlin

 

 

 

Please forward copies of this to whomever you would.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!

JOHN NEWLIN MINISTRIES
P O BOX 1038
CARY, NC 27518
https://johnnewlinministries.org
email: john@johnnewlinministries.org
Twitter.com/johnnewlinmin
Blog: johnnewlin.blogspot.com
tel 910 395 1465

* SIGN OF THE TIMES: NOT AN INFANT BUT KING OF KINGS

  

When Jesus was born more than 2000 years ago, he came into the world in the humblest of circumstances.  He was born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn.  His earthly father was a carpenter.  For some time he and his earthly family lived in Bethlehem and then in Egypt, staying away from the evil Herod before returning eventually to live and grow up in Nazareth.  Jesus surely was trained in and learned Joseph’s craft of carpentry, and when he was thirty he left home to become an itinerant preacher.

 

For three years he went around teaching, preaching, and healing, bringing the kingdom of God to those who would believe, amazing people with his healings and miracles and with his casting demons out of people.  Finally, he went to the cross, carrying all the sins, sicknesses, diseases, pains of the human race and overcoming all that, along with death, shame, regret and more.  He overcame all that by his death and resurrection, restoring the right for people to have a relationship with God – if they will just recognize who Jesus is and have him as their Lord.

 

People this Christmas season again are in so many ways celebrating the baby that was born in the manger so many years ago.  And surely that event deserves all the celebration we can muster!  But that baby is not there.  He has not been there for more than 2000 years.  Several years ago Cathy and I were sitting in a Moravian Church on Christmas Eve, and while the service was underway the Lord spoke to me so clearly:  These people are celebrating my birth, and here I am getting ready to return.

 

In our day this Lord is returning to earth, first to collect his believers and take them with him and then to lead an army of his holy ones – his angels and believers – to fight at Armageddon against all the evil forces arrayed against him. He is not returning as a baby in a humble situation.  He is returning as the King of the Kingdom of God and the ruler of the government of that Kingdom.   He is the King of all kings.  Everything is under his feet.  At Armageddon he is completely victorious, destroying the enemy with the sword coming from his mouth, the WORD.  All soldiers in the opposing army are killed, the antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire for eternity, and the devil is locked in a deep pit.  The Lord then sets up in Jerusalem the government of the Kingdom of God, with believers holding positions of authority in that government.  He will be King over the whole earth. 

 

And we will then see the line in the Lord’s prayer fulfilled:  thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

 

And also the words of Isaiah written so long ago:

 

…the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever. – Isaiah 9:6-7

 

 

 

Be ready.  Stay in the right relationship with the Lord. 

 

 

 

                   December 2023

 

 

 

                   Copyright © 2023 by John Newlin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please forward copies of this to whomever you would.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!

JOHN NEWLIN MINISTRIES
P O BOX 1038
CARY, NC 27518
https://johnnewlinministries.org
email: john@johnnewlinministries.org
Twitter.com/johnnewlinmin
Blog: johnnewlin.blogspot.com
tel 910 395 1465