August 11
(Pastors Who Scatter, Shepherds Who Feed)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 21 - 23

(Jer 23:1 & 4 KJV) "{1} Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD... {4} And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD."

In today's reading, we come across these two contrasting verses which deal with Pastors. In the time of Jeremiah, God's indictment was against the religious leaders who had adulterated their office and was causing the people to err, which eventually led to the captivity of the nation of Judah. It is unfortunate that those in leadership positions have the power of persuasion on their side. In too many churches, the hierarchy seems to be of the dictatorial mindset of 'believe our way, or else' --whether it be right or wrong. Whenever a true Christian comes into a church where they find a false gospel being preached, they are to leave that congregation and search for a church which is still faithful to the Word of God. We see in the two verses that God is pronouncing a woe or judgment upon those religious leaders, but then God also makes a promise that He is going to set up Pastors who will feed the flock. In other words, there are going to be a group of Pastors who will not be compromising the Word of God and the testimony of the Gospel. These will be hard to find, but God promises they will be there. God has a people in this world, and the Lord Jesus Christ promised that He would be with us until the end of the world. This is not only to say that we are secure in Him, but also since God commanded that we are to gather together on Sunday, He will not leave us without places where we can do that.

There are Christians who go to churches that feel their calling in life is to point out all the shortcomings of the individual congregations. These are the type of Christians who never settle in a church home, because they feel there is always something wrong in each congregation. There are some who are out for a long time, but God will be faithful to His Promise. I travel 28 miles to church. Many times we may have to travel twice that distance. Many drive long distances to work every day and then complain that the church is too far to drive to on Sunday, even if it is half the distance of work. God never leaves His People in a wilderness. There are many Christians in foreign lands that are unable to attend church, simply because there are none. In America, we have many churches, and there are still faithful ones out there. This is God's Promise, as we read in Jeremiah 23:4-6. For those verses speak of the coming church age when Grace will rule in the churches. We can thank God that those faithful congregations that are out there will remain until the last day, "when the church victorious will be the church at rest."

If you cannot find a church and you have a home, then you can start one in your home and you do not have to be seminary-trained. I do not find in Scripture that education is a requirement to serve God. Faithfulness is the requirement to serve God. Now, I am not saying that a Christian should have no education, but it should not be the criteria for pastoral work. Knowing psychology and sociology does not have anything to do with the True Gospel. Just start the meetings and stay faithful, and allow the Lord to work in that little gathering. We do see the house churches in Scripture. They may not have been large gatherings, but God mentions them. God is as concerned with little groups as He is for big groups. (Zec 4:10 KJV) "For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth." God will raise up faithful Pastors and Elders from that group. He promised Pastors after His own heart. (Jer 3:15 KJV) "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." That knowledge and understanding does not come from a textbook, but the Bible. Try it and leave the results to God! Print out and read yesterday's ZION'S GATE and keep it with you, because you will face the same hindrances that Jeremiah faced, and you may want to give up. --Don't!



August 12
(Speaking Truth No Matter What)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 24 - 26

(Jer 26:8 KJV) "Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die."

In today's reading, we come across this verse which pits Jeremiah against the people. Jeremiah was prophesying the Truth which God gave him to bring, but the people did not want to hear it. Again, one can see their attitude of belief that God would never do anything against His People. Since Jeremiah was doing his job so well, the people wanted to kill him. Some of the heaviest indictments were against the leaders, such as the prophets and priests. They were living very well, and they would not have the applecart upset with the preaching of a coming Judgment by God. This condition prevails today. There are many Christians who bring the Truth, and they are literally silenced --either by other Christians, or by the church hierarchy. There are "love" churches out there who want absolutely nothing to do with the preaching of the Final Judgment by God, which is going to come upon the unsaved of the world. The neutralized gospel of today has completely shunned the teaching of judgment, and replaced it with the false gospel of the universal love and salvation of God. This was the attitude of the leaders in Judah. (Zep 1:12 KJV) "And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil."

If there is one thing that we can be sure of is that God is never neutral. There is also no in-between either. You are either doing God's Work God's way, or you are believing you are doing God's Work, but Satan's way. There is a big difference between the two. The leaders of Judah thought they were doing God's Work God's way. They didn't want to hear that they were wrong. This is the unteachable spirit, and this is why God has to bring the chastisement. The leaders wanted Jeremiah dead as much as those who you bring the truth to also. People do not want to hear they are wrong. The leaders of Judah didn't want to hear they were wrong. Their attitude was that everyone else were sinners but them. Remember how the blind man in John 9 was treated by the leaders? They accused him of not being able to know the Scriptures, because he was altogether born in sin. Well, weren't the leaders born in sin also? Of course, they would not acknowledge this point. Maybe this is why Paul stated in Romans 7:9 that he was alive without the law, because the leaders probably considered themselves to be exempt from keeping the law. If they kept the law of God, the nation would not have strayed so far. The next time that you bring the Truth, and someone rebukes you for it, then know you have faced the Pharisaical spirit. There is probably a little of it in all of us, but the key is to bring it under submission before God does it for us. No matter what the result is, stay faithful on the Word of God.

August 13
(God's Intention Of Peace, Not Of Evil)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 27 - 29

(Jer 29:11 KJV) "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

In today's reading, we come across this verse which shows God's intentions toward the nation of Israel. In the context this verse is in, God is speaking to them and assuring them that after the seventy-year period of judgment they suffered, they would return to the land from where they were taken. Their captivity was not the end of the nation of Israel, but it was a cleansing, as they went through this time so God could speak to them about their pagan ways of worship. God did not make a full end to the nation of Israel, because through them came the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why in our verse of the day, we see that God was promising them a future and a hope, which is what the term "expected end" means. The promise of a future and hope was not one of taking rest in the law. It was a promise of the coming of the Messiah who would give His Children rest in Grace. The language of this portion of Scripture is looking forward to the time when the Lord would reign Grace on those He came to save. The Bible even teaches that a remnant of saved people would come from the nation of Israel. God's eternal promises are always to His Redeemed Children.

When we run into tough times, or when God is chastising us and we respond correctly to that chastising, we can be sure that there will come a time when it will end. Even as a believer is going through a tough time, they can be encouraged that God's thoughts toward them are not evil, but filled with hope and a grand future. Of course, we must always take into consideration that God is also including Heaven in His discourses on hope. There are many believers on earth today who are in a state of perpetual suffering, whether it is sickness or political. Their hope can never be on this earth. There may be times of refreshing, but the majority of time is spent in suffering. This is why God assures us that our end will be filled with hope and peace. God wasn't telling the Israelites that their return to the land was going to be filled with worldly peace. He was telling them that those who become saved will have the real Peace. The real Peace comes internally at salvation, so when the outside circumstances start heating up, the inside can remain cool, and the believer will not suffer a core meltdown. If a Christian has responded properly to chastisement, then God may restore them to their previous place. Or maybe the chastisement may be a watershed experience, and God will send the Christian into a different place of service. Whatever God does with His Children, we must keep in mind that it is for our own good, but it is always under the thoughts of good that God has toward His Children. Remember, God NEVER has an evil intention for His children!!!!

August 14
(With God ALL Things Are Possible)

August 15
(Cutting Up & Casting Off God's Word)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 33 - 36

(Jer 36:23 KJV) "And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth."

In today's reading, we come across this verse which shows us the foolishness of King Jehoiakim through his servant, Jehudi. This shows the arrogance of the king and his total disregard for the Word of God. The narrative goes on and says they were not the least fearful for what they did to the Word of God. God had Baruch pen the words to give to those in charge of Judah at that time to begin a time of national repentance. They did not concern themselves with the Word of God and had the brazenness to cut it up and throw it in the fire. Well, before we condemn them, let us ask a question. Do we have the same attitude toward God's Word? We may not rip it up and throw it in the fire, but when a decision needs to be made, or when we need to be convicted of a sin, do we ignore the Bible? Even as Christians, we tend to avoid the Bible whenever we feel convicted about something.

Jehoiakim destroyed the direct words of God and defied God by doing it. This was another incident on their slide into apostasy and eventual captivity. God gave the Bible to us as a gift to guide us, and we must always remember that the Bible is not just a regular book, but it is a Holy Book which conveys the mind of God in a manner we can understand, with the help of the Holy Spirit. We see Jehoiakinism today. Scholars are writing new versions and taking out what they don't like and neutralizing the convicting nature of the Bible, until it becomes just another religious book on the shelf. Many of those scholars who are re-writing the Bible are unbelievers and are damaging the faith of many Christians by offering neutered versions. If your Bible has many verses in brackets and/or omitted, then you have a false version. I personally use the King James Version because nothing is missing. God gave you a full salvation, and you need a full Bible to go with it. Beware of those who are trying to cheat you for money. Do not become a victim of Jehoiakinism. Stand firm in the faith and in the complete Word of God!




August 16
(A Faithful Servant Of The King)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 37 - 39

(Jer 38:8 KJV) "Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,"

In today's reading, we come across this passage which is a part of a discourse focusing on a faithful servant. His name was "Ebed-melech," and it means "Servant of the King." When Ebed-melech heard that Jeremiah had been treated harshly and was committed to the dungeon, he immediately went to King Zedekiah and asked for the release of Jeremiah. Ebed-melech was a brave soul in that he went directly to the king concerning Jeremiah. Normally in ancient days, the king was a protected person, and no one could gain an audience with him unless it was his top advisors, or by invitation. Ebed-melech was a eunuch and didn't seem to have a top position in Zedekiah's government. For a servant to approach the king, and then make a demand, was almost unheard of. However, another scenario may have taken place. Maybe king Zedekiah knew Ebed-melech as not only a servant, but a confidant, since it seems that he was able to gain access to the king. No matter what the relationship was, it seems that Ebed-melech had good insight into who Jeremiah was, and who he represented. He knew there was a conspiracy against Jeremiah, and that is why he went to the king to have him released before it was too late. Zedekiah hearkened unto the word of Ebed-melech and Jeremiah was brought out of the dungeon.

One of the great principles that we gain from this event is that Ebed-melech had come to the aid of Jeremiah in his time of distress. He did not act out of a desire for personal gain, for what would he have gained by helping Jeremiah when the nation was angry at him for prophesying the coming captivity? Ebed-melech exhibited the true servant spirit. He was willing to help in this situation. We, ourselves, need to capture that mindset in our own lives. Are we willing to help when it is for the greater cause of the salvation of souls? --Even if it means we are to take a back seat? In God's Kingdom, everyone is equal, and there is no job which is more important than another. We see this frame of mind whenever there is a disaster. Everybody pitches in and everyone's job is equally important. Sometimes we feel that what we are doing may be insignificant, especially if it is done behind the scenes.

Ebed-melech acted out of concern for Jeremiah and to possibly avoid further consequences that the prophet's mistreatment would bring on Judah. Ebed-melech's faithfulness to the Lord was noticed by the Lord, and he was delivered from any retribution from his enemies. (Jer 39:17 KJV) "But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid." He was a true servant of the Lord, in that he rose to the occasion of helping God's prophet when he needed it. Now, let us ask ourselves if we are willing to do the most menial tasks at church. That is, are we willing to take second chair? --Because remember, in God's economy, position is ancillary to faithfulness where you are right now, and in what you are doing! If you keep this in mind, your Christian Walk will always be fulfilling.

August 17
(Obedience Through Chastisement)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 40 - 42

(Jer 42:6 KJV) "Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."

In today's reading, we come across this verse, which shows us another attempt at some of the inhabitants of Judah who tried to escape the coming Judgment of God by going to Egypt. They were even so bold as to ask Jeremiah to intervene between them and the Lord to see if their plan would be accepted. Jeremiah had done as they asked, but he did not bring them a response for ten days, which was a time of testing to see if they were really sincere in their desire. For they had even claimed that they would serve the Lord whether God allowed them to have good times or be in a difficult situation. Their petition was denied, and they were told that anyone who attempts to go to Egypt would die by the sword. God had a plan to deal with the rebellious of Judah, and God would not be swayed by anyone who wants to escape it. God was in essence telling them if you try to escape My chastisement, you will face worse than what is in store for you if you do not follow My plan. Here is the essence of the principle that we must grasp. God was going to chastise Judah, and some wanted to escape that chastisement by developing their own plans.

This is why so many Christians seem to be in the furnace of affliction longer than normal, because too many try to escape the chastisement of God by their own methods. God may be trying to expunge something from a Christian's life, and that person may try to escape the situation by maybe increasing works or doing other things. These types of things only pacify the flesh and the conscience, but does nothing to bring one back into spiritual step with the Lord. Too many times, we want to neglect God's ways and try to function independently, but instead, it does our spiritual Walk harm instead of good. God wants to work with each Child of His to bring them back into spiritual cadence with Him, so that He may once again use them in the Kingdom to their fullest capacity.

This is what God was trying to do with Judah, but they wanted to do an end-around run and avoid the payment for their sins. But God would not allow that. In fact, God was so immoveable regarding this that death was threatened to those who disobeyed Him. How quickly they forgot God's words to them through Jeremiah --that His thoughts toward them was for a future with hope. It is the same with us. God does not chastise us to make an end to our Christian Walk, but He does it so we may return in obedience and to be stronger than before. When David was chastised for his adultery with Bathsheba in Psalm 51, he said he was going to teach sinners the way of the Lord. This is one of the reasons that God chastises us, so that we may share the experience with others before they derail their Christian Walk and go into the furnace of affliction. God is really showing a kindness by chastising us, because that is a great sign of His love for us. In reality, if we attempt to spurn His corrections, we are really spurning God's love. (Heb 12:9 KJV) "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" --So don't despise correction, but welcome it as part of God's training program for you.

August 18
(Not Unpunished, But Corrected In Measure)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 43 - 46

(Jer 46:28 KJV) "Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished."

As you read through the Book of Jeremiah, I am sure by now you realize that it is a book of judgment. God is showing us that there is a price to pay for willful and prolonged disobedience. Judah and Israel believed they were exempt from punishment, because they were banking on their history. If a person or nation has become disobedient to the Lord, the past performance will not influence the penalties they must pay for their defiance. However, in judgment, God gives mercy. As we see in this verse, God gives a principle of how He disciplines someone or a whole country. Notice God is saying that He is going to correct them "in measure." This means that God's discipline will neither be excessive, nor will it be so minimal that no lesson will be learned. God also says that the disobedience will definitely be dealt with, as He states that He was not going to leave them "wholly unpunished." This is how God deals with His Children. It is a good principle. If we cross the line of disobedience, we can be sure that God will intervene in our life, if we allow things to progress to the point that disobedience becomes a way of life.

However, if a Christian crosses the line with a serious offence, it is dealt with by the state also. Let us say a Christian got into an argument with another person and pulled out a gun and shot him dead. That sin will be forgiven by God, if they are a true Christian, but that person will have a debt to pay society. They could get the death penalty or spend life in prison. We can see the principle in this verse in our own penal system. Different punishments for different crimes, according to their severity. What if everyone who stole, no matter what it was, received ten years in prison? When was the last time you brought home a paper clip or a pen that belonged to your employer? --See you in 2012!

God is also assuring us that whatever the discipline may be, it is definitely going to teach us a lesson and to get us back on the straight and narrow, and hopefully keep us there. If we don't learn our lesson, then God will turn up the heat until we learn. That is the reason for discipline. God's goal is to get us to stop aligning ourselves with the ways of the world and to align ourselves with Him. This is because we have the greatest task before us of sending out the Gospel to the world, and God cannot use unclean vessels. If you were in a restaurant and a waiter bought your food, and you noticed that he was filthy from working on his car, how quick would you be to eat that food? It is the same principle in witnessing. How can people take us seriously, or our message seriously, if they know we are playing around with the world? Many years ago, I met a Christian in a Bible Study group I attended. He told us that he used to go to the VFW and drink at the bar with his buddies. We asked him, "Why?" He stated something to the effect that that was the only way he could reach them. --Bologna! He liked to drink, and after you have a few, are you going to tell me that you are going to open your Bible in the bar and have a study on salvation? This is the kind of thinking that has to be redirected, and God will do it according to His Will, and will get the results He desires. Let us just check ourselves to make sure we are not making excuses for sin.



August 19
(Beware Of Deceitful Works)


Today's Reading - Jeremiah 47 - 49

(Jer 48:10 KJV) "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood."

In today's reading, we come across this verse which gives us a stern warning about being truthful in God's Work. The present time we live in is yielding many false teachers and religions, including many false methods with false promises. Recently, I have received a spate of mailings from a place called St. Matthew's Churches, promising me great wealth and health if I send them money. They couch their avarice by saying a person needs to step out in faith with their money if they are going to get things from God. If you want to step out in faith with your money, then send it to the mission field and not some thieves who will promise you everything, in God's name, if you pad their pockets. These people are doing the work of the Lord deceitfully. Another example is that the President of Family Radio in Oakland, California (Harold Camping) is telling everyone that, "the church age is over." He counsels everyone to leave their churches --even faithful ones-- and to listen to his radio network as the only source of Truth in these last days.

(Mat 24:5 KJV) "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." This verse is not only teaching that some will come and proclaim themselves to be Christ, but there will be those who will come in the Name of Christ, pretending to be Christians, and deceiving many.

Some years ago, Jesse Duplantis claimed to have been in Heaven for five hours. I recently was able to view the video where he gave his description of what he saw. --Did you know there are trolley cars in Heaven? Did you know that Jesus is about five foot eight inches tall? This man was deceived by Satan with a demonic vision, and yet this video of his "heavenly" experience is still one of his top sellers. Christians are too gullible when it comes to the embellished gospel. This is why Satan has an easy time deceiving Christians. Lazarus and Paul spoke nothing of Heaven, but this man is allowed of God? --No Way! Deceit is on the rise in the Christian community as we approach the Day of the Lord's Return.

Be warned, as there are many charlatans out there pretending to be speaking for God. I especially become alarmed when someone says to me, "God told me..." God speaks through His Word, and does not give any verbal words, or signs and wonders. Satan uses these things to deceive us as best as he can. Once we realize that God speaks through His Word, we will be less likely to fall prey to those who claim they have some kind of "special relationship" with God. In our Jeremiah verse, we read that God calls a person cursed who does His Work deceitfully. This means that a person who is cursed, is unsaved. God never speaks about a curse being upon His true Children, only the children of Satan. Let us keep our spiritual antennas up when listening to people speak in person and on the electronic media. Beware of deceitful works! Compare not only what they say, but what they do to Scriptural guidelines for Christian Living. You may save yourself a lot of heartache.

August 20

(No Escape From Judgment) -OR- (Ye Be Not Partakers)

Today's Reading - Jeremiah 50 - 52

(Jer 51:36 KJV) "Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry."

As we end up the book of Jeremiah, we see in our verse above that although God had used the Chaldeans to punish Judah for her sins, God was not going to allow Babylon to escape any judgment that she had coming to her. Now the punishment that was coming to Babylon was going to be meted out by God. Remember how we saw that God was going to punish Judah in measure according to their sins? God is also going to punish Babylon according to her sins too. The Babylonians were a fierce and cruel people and would have a lot of sins to answer for. God stated that He was going to plead the cause of Judah. God as the righteous Judge would be able to judge much better, because He has an objective view of all their doings. Babylon would get away with nothing.

In verse 45 of this chapter, God is calling His People out of Babylon so they will not partake in the judgment to come. After the captivity, many Jews stayed in Babylon, because they were running prosperous businesses and didn't want to return to Israel. This has been documented by Cuneiform Tablets, which were unearthed. Babylon is a picture of the world, and God is calling His People out before the world will end. We see this same scenario in Revelation 18:4:

(Rev 18:4 KJV) "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

The plagues that were coming on Babylon were God's judgment. The ten plagues on Egypt were ten judgments on Egypt. God is calling all His Children out of the world system, and then when that happens, the Final Judgment will come upon the world. Jeremiah's prophecy of the physical nation of Babylon was a foreshadow of the worldwide judgment that will come at the end of the world on the Last Day. Just because God had used the Chaldeans to punish Judah, it did not mean that the Babylonians were exempt from punishment for any crimes or sins they may have committed against any other people in the region. Their judgment would be complete, and they, too, would be a conquered people. One of the things which God judged the Babylonians for was their idolatry (Vs. 47). This was one of the causes of Israel's downfall. Whenever a nation begins to adopt idols, the destruction of it is not far behind.

This is the same with any person. If a person begins to follow idols, their declension begins, and then it mushrooms as they go farther downhill. So let us learn a message from the grave book of Jeremiah that departing from the Lord is a serious thing and will lead to dire consequences. Remember: Seek ye the old paths!

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