October 11

(DON'T Come Down!) -OR- (Why Should God's Work Cease?)

Today's Reading - Nehemiah 4 - 6

(Neh 6:3 KJV) "And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"

In today's reading, we come across this great statement that Nehemiah made to the enemies of the Cross. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gesham hated the fact the Work was progressing so quickly that it was nearing completion. Their main tool of attempting to quash the Work was threats and fear. Here, they tried a tool that has been very successful through today. If Satan cannot hinder the work of God through threats and fear, then diversion will be just as effective. If you have children that have homework to do, how many times have you caught them doing something else instead of their homework? Have you ever prayed, and then all of a sudden, you find your mind dwelling on something else? Or you are in the middle of prayer or Bible study, and then all of a sudden, a thought of something which has to get done pops into your mind, so you are diverted from the task at hand. Nehemiah had himself under control, as he had his eye on the goal, for which he was laboring. He knew that the emissaries of Satan wanted to meet with him, not for the purpose of helping in this mission, but for the purpose of stopping the Work. Nehemiah had a good handle on the scope of his mission. He called it a "great work." This is the mindset the Christian must have.

The great Work that we do is to continue the Great Commission until the Lord returns. We are to become involved in the things of the Lord, and remain dedicated with the same ferocity that Nehemiah had for his task at hand. Too many Christians have been diverted from that worldwide task of evangelism. The pursuit of health, wealth, and prosperity has overshadowed the quest for world missions. Many go to Christian colleges with the view that they will graduate and get a big paying job. Then they can fund missions. The problem is that if no one goes to the field, who and what are you funding? Christianity has been diverted from its reason of existence.

(Mark 16:15 KJV) "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

In your own life, is there a time that you came down from the Work and compromised with worldly Christianity, and then lost that fire you had? It can happen to all of us at one time or another. We must view that we are in two battles: The first one is to get busy in the outreach of evangelism. The second is that we are battling with the forces of Satan who want us to come down from the Work.

Have you ever encountered the following scenarios?

- Don't go to church today, let's hit the shore - COME DOWN!

- Don't go to Wednesday Night Service, let's go shopping - COME DOWN!

- Don't study your Bible, take a nap - COME DOWN!

- Don't pray in public, it is embarrassing - COME DOWN!

- Don't leave a tract, they will think you are a fanatic - COME DOWN!

- Think about your future, don't consider full-time Christian service - COME DOWN!

- You can marry an unbeliever and witness to him or her later - COME DOWN!


Whenever you are tempted to compromise your Christian beliefs, it is Satan telling you to come down and meet with him. Don't do it! Stay strong as Nehemiah did and avoid the pitfalls of "conciliation Christianity." DON'T come down.


October 12

(Enjoying The Fruits Of Labor) -OR- (The Joy Of The LORD Is Your Strength)

Today's Reading - Nehemiah 7 - 9

(Neh 8:10 KJV) "Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

In today's reading, we come across this very encouraging verse, where the people are told to begin to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The wall was finished in fifty-two days, which exemplified Nehemiah's principles for work and his astuteness in avoiding the satanic pitfalls, which would have hindered the Work. So as Ezra was reading the Word of God, the Levites were explaining the book of the law to the people. This was a time of great joy for all the people. The above verse is directing the people to "eat the fat." That phrase simply means they are to eat the choicest foods of the land. They were also told that they should be drinking sweet drinks. When I was down South, Sweet Tea was one of the best drinks I ever had. However, one must be careful. A friend of mine went to Alabama and lived on drinking the Sweet Tea, and it shot his sugar up to 400. When he came back home to New Jersey, his sugar level went down to 106.

Then the passage declares that those who have prepared some of the best foods in the land should send some to those who do not have anything. It was a time of great sharing. It was a holy day unto the Lord. The verse tells the people do not be grieved. Then one of the most encouraging phrases in Scripture occurs, "for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Here is something that we Christians need to read over again.

(Prov 10:22 KJV) "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."

How many of us never draw on that well in our lives? When God saves us, He not only imputes salvation to us and indwells us with the Holy Spirit, but He places in us His joy, which should imbue us. Can you imagine the Holy Spirit who indwells a believer for twenty five years, and that believer just walks around with a long face and never smiles? Did you ever wonder how God feels about those Christians who refuse to experience joy and are only happy when they are miserable? The word "joy" is used 165 times in the Bible. This verse tells us that we are not to grieve on joyous occasions. Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. God's joy can undergird us during the worst times in our life, as we know that God is taking care of us in any situation. Joy, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, gives the believer strength during rough times. As a matter of fact, the last phrase in Verse 10, "your strength" actually carries with it the meaning of "your refuge." If you are true Child of God, then the Joy of the Lord is our refuge. Joy is the inward stable fruit that God plants in us, and happiness is the wavering emotion, which many mistake for joy. Sometimes the happiest people can really be the most miserable. This is why God gave us a joy as a divine fruit, because those fruits of the Spirit never waver or cave in to situations.


October 13

(Cleansed, Purified, And Returned) -OR- (Be Ye Holy)

Today's Reading - Nehemiah 10 - 13

(Neh 13:30 KJV) "Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;"

In today's reading, we come across this verse, which is really a prophetic verse couched in earthly terms. First, we look at the situation that Nehemiah faced. It was the three enemies of God who had attempted to abort the work of the rebuilding of the temple and walls. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gesham were allied with Satan to do what they could to hinder God's Work. Now the boldness of sin is seen in the fact that the same person, Tobiah, who had tried to hinder God's Work, was now living in the very building he opposed. He was given a room because he was allied with Eliashib, the High Priest. Now, here was Satan's emissary allied with the High Priest, who should have known better. Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem at the time this alliance took place, but when he returned, he was angered, and he threw all of Tobiah's goods out of the chamber and to add insult to it, he had ordered the chamber cleansed. Then they returned the Vessels of the Lord to their proper place in the temple.

The next thing Nehemiah had to contend with was that the men of Jerusalem were still marrying foreign wives. I get a kick out of the next few verses where Nehemiah must have been a man of strength and showed it. He was so angry with these men that he even attacked them and tore off their beards. --OUCH! That must have hurt, but sometimes even in ministry, some people have to bleed for God to get their attention. No, I am not advocating bringing a gun or a knife to do witnessing. However, I do have a little story connected with this idea. Some years ago, I was at a friend's home here in NJ, and we were having a Bible study. This fellow sat next to me, and he was a very new believer, if he was a believer at all. He was an ex-cop from Jersey City, NJ, and he was a very rough man. As a Cop, he took nothing from anyone. So we were sitting around the table, and the subject of witnessing came up. This fellow began to speak about someone who did not want him to witness. So he told us that he said to this person, "No one tells me I can't witness about my Lord, or I'll throw battery acid in your face!" Now, this is definitely a case of misguided zeal, but I think it represents the frustration that many of us feel in ministry. We would never do anything to hurt anyone, but sometimes --and let's be honest-- we wouldn't mind for certain people to be out of our way, permanently, but those hindering people are there for our testing program.

Now, at the beginning I wrote that our daily verse was a prophetic verse. This picture we have here is of the Lord giving the sanctuary a final cleansing. Since the Christians are the Temple of the Lord, we have in view here a picture of the final cleansing of the Christian. Now let me explain. Every true Christian has been cleansed in their soul, and we have a perfect, sinless soul, which is why when the believer dies, they go directly to Heaven. Their body goes into the ground and suffers corruption, while the believer is in Heaven with the Lord. The final cleansing of the believer will take place on the Last Day when every living believer is changed in the twinkling of an eye, both body and soul. One can read these Scriptures in 1 Corinthians 15. The body, as we know it, now is riddled with sin.

(Rom 7:18 KJV) "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

On the last day, the Lord is going to cleanse both the body, along with the already purified soul, and the two will now be in concert, instead of opposite one another.

(Dan 8:13-14 KJV) "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? {14} And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

When we look at this passage, we see it is speaking about the temple being cleansed. In the New Testament, we see God define the temple as the Church, or His Elect:

(1 Cor 3:16 KJV) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

(1 Cor 6:19 KJV) "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

In Daniel 8:14, the Hebrew word used to translate "cleansed" is also the same word which is translated "justified." It also means to be "made righteous."

(Isa 50:8 KJV) "He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me."

(Dan 12:3 KJV) "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

We see that in Daniel 8:14, the individual believer is in view. Those that God did not choose for salvation will never be cleansed, only His Elect will be cleansed. When a person is saved, are they not cleansed? The answer is yes, but we still have a physical body, which is subject to sin. In Romans 7:14-25, we read about the struggle Paul had with the sins of the flesh, while he remained in his physical body. The final cleansing of the believer is going to take place when we are raptured into Heaven on the Last Day. Notice Daniel 8:14 says after 2300 days, then shall the temple be cleansed. This points to the Last Day. When the believer has received the resurrected body, they are at that point fully cleansed, and the body of sin is no more.

In Daniel 8:14, we see the word "sanctuary." This is the word "qodesh." which means something which is holy. This does not refer to a physical temple. As we see this principle is carried over into the New Testament when God saves us, He makes us holy, but our full holiness will come when we receive our resurrected bodies on the Last Day and when sin will have been completely destroyed.

(1 Pet 1:16 KJV) "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

(Eph 1:4 KJV) "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"

Basically, we can say in concert with Daniel 8:14, "that which is holy will become justified." Full justification, holiness, and righteousness will only be attained in the New Heaven and New Earth. I realize today's Zion's Gate was a little longer than normal, but I wanted to develop this idea a little more deeply.

October 14

(Messengers Sent Before Christ Returns)


Today's Reading - Malachi 1 - 4

(Mal 3:1 KJV) "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."

As we read the book of Malachi, we come to the end of the Old Testament. As you read the last verse, we see that it ends with a curse. The Bible does teach that those who are under the law are under a curse.

(Deu 27:26 KJV) "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen."

But we can be thankful that for those of us who are in Christ, we have had the curse of the law removed since Christ kept the righteous demands of God's Holy Law perfectly. As we look at today's verse, we see a prophecy of the Lord Jesus who would suddenly come to His temple. The Book of Malachi was written approximately 440 years before the incarnation of Christ. The Old Testament took about 1,000 years, and the New Testament about 65 years, ending with Revelation at about 95 AD. The Apocryphal books were written between the Testaments, but are non canonical and are not part of the inspired Word of God. (Purgatory is found in 2 Maccabees.)

Even though the Jews had the prophecies of a soon-coming Messiah, their teachings were so confused, they did not recognize Him and His fulfilling of about 300 prophecies. So when Christ finally came on the scene, He was rejected as being the Messiah. Now, the second time the Lord Jesus comes to this earth, we can use this text as part of the prophecy of His Second Return, because of the use of the word, "suddenly." In the First Coming, it was not very sudden, as there was much announcing, plus the star was over where He was born. In contrast, the second time the Lord returns, He will return as a thief in the night. However, the prophecies of the return of the Lord Jesus are just as much in disarray today as they were back in the time of Christ's birth. Every evangelist and preacher has written book after book with their own view on eschatology. There is pre-, mid-, post-tribulation, A-millennialism, Preterism, and who knows how many more?

The Bible gives us three hints as to the return of Christ. First, He will suddenly return. Secondly, He will come when no one expects Him. And Thirdly, He will return on the Last Day. But no matter when the Lord is returning, we must continue to stay busy in sending forth the Gospel. Let us never get involved with date-setting, as this is a very sinful practice. Let us look at the first part of today's verse, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me." This was speaking of John the Baptist, but today, the messenger that is preparing the way for the Lord's return is you, and it is me. Yes, the Body of believers has been preparing the way for the return of the Lord for two thousand years by sending forth the Gospel. And that preparation will end when He suddenly comes to His temple, His Bride!


October 15

(Face Temptations With Scriptural Defense)

Today's Reading - Matthew 1 - 4

(Mat 4:8-9 KJV) "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; {9} And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."

In today's reading, we come across the temptations of Christ. We see in these temptations how bold Satan is to actually approach the Creator of the Universe and tell Him that if he bows down and worships him, then He will get all the kingdoms of the world. The created being is actually demanding worship and obedience from his Creator. How bold can one be? This shows the power of the deceitfulness of sin in all its brashness. If Christ was not fully God to go along with being fully man, can you imagine what kind of temptation that would have been to Him? When we look at the offer made by Satan, in our own day, there are men who desire to take over the world. We call them the "Globalist Elite." Many of them belong to societies, such as the Yale order of the Skull and Bones, which President Bush (Herbert Walker, not Dubya) belonged. Many of these One World societies are descendants of the Illuminati. By joining these esoteric organizations, they are pledging their allegiance to Satan who will help their globalist plans. Satan is alive and well in the One World Movement. Of course, Jesus, being God, was already the full Owner of the entire world. So it must be realized that these globalists can do nothing unless God allows them to.

(Psa 24:1 KJV) "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."

As Christians, whenever we are tempted, and if we give in, that obedience for the duration of the sin is actually worshipping Satan. In essence, for a temporary time period, we are changing allegiance. These three temptations teach us a vital lesson. When Satan had tempted Jesus, did Jesus yell at him or rebuke him? No, the Lord just quoted Scripture, which when quoted correctly, can dissolve the temptation that Satan is trying to snare us with. This is why it is imperative that we know our Bibles. If Satan has the audacity to tempt God, do you think he and his fallen angels will not come after you? Jesus did not eat anything for forty days, and his physical strength would have been near nothing at this time. Yet, He did not allow the flesh to override His spiritual strength. Sometimes we are the most spiritually strong when we are the most physically weak. This can only be accomplished if we stay strong in the Word, which will help us recognize large, as well as small, temptations. Satan always uses the things of this world to tempt us and try to throw us off track. After all, that is his job, to be an adversary to the Christian. This why Peter warns us that he roams around trying to see who he may devour. Jesus did not succumb to temptation by keeping to a simple procedure, and that is, Scriptural defense. --Try it!

(1 Pe 5:8 KJV) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"


October 16

(Biblically Judging Others)

Today's Reading - Matthew 5 - 7

(Mat 7:1-2 KJV) "Judge not, that ye be not judged. {2} For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

In today's reading, we come across these verses, which deal with the subject of judging. As Christians, I am positive that we have all heard the accusation levied against us by someone saying, "Don't judge me!" I am sure that at one time or another, we have all made rash judgments about people and have been rightly rebuked for it. The question remains: Are Christians never to judge? The word, "judge," as used in the New Testament is the word "krino," which carries with it a wide spectrum of usage from "decision" to "condemn." The way the word "judge" is used in the New Testament is determined by its usage. In the above verse, the Lord is speaking about a condemning or railing judgment. We also notice that in the context of these passages, the Lord is reproving those people who make condemning judgments by referring to them as hypocrites. These are hypocrites who have their own problems and sins, yet condemn others for the same thing.

To answer our question above, it would be a resounding 'Yes' and 'No.' No, Christians are not to nastily condemn or excoriate another person, because that is not in keeping with the Christian way. However, a Christian must exercise proper judgment all their life. If we do not make judgments on people's teachings, we will fall for false teachings. Christians are told to make judgments, but those that lead to edifying resolutions.

(1 Cor 6:4 KJV) "If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church."

The Bible teaches that the Believers are going to judge angels, so we are told that we should set up spiritually astute people in the church to make judgments. We make judgments every day of our lives. The majority of those judgments have to do with our earthly lives. So do you not think that we need to make judgments which pertain to our eternal, spiritual lives? Of course we must. But sometimes we make judgments without having all the facts at our disposal, and it comes back to bite us.

(Joh 7:24 KJV) "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

The word "appearance" means "sight." Sight is only one of the five senses. Whenever we need to make a judgment on anything, it behooves us to have all the necessary facts or input to make a proper judgment. Some things that we need to judge are obvious, such as false teachings, a guy with six earrings picking up our teenage daughter for a date, etc. Some judgments require more in-depth study, such as should I or should I not go into business, or should I marry this person or not. So the next time you judge, make it a proper judgment with principles from God's Word and confirming all the facts --and not a railing, hate-filled condemnation, which Satan would be proud of.

(Laborers On Equal Footing) -OR- (Not Working For Heavenly Rewards)

Today's Reading - Matthew 20 - 22

(Mat 20:14 KJV) "Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee."

In today's reading, we come across the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. This parable is definitely speaking of the Lord sending out laborers into the world for the harvest of souls. This is speaking of the Christians throughout all the ages who have been entrusted with sending forth the Gospel to their own contemporary generation.

(Acts 13:36 KJV) "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:"

Yet, inside this parable the Lord is having trouble with some of His Workers. Those that were in the field from the early hours of the day had received the same wages as those who were hired in the last hours of the work day. They thought they would receive more since they had worked longer. Normally, in today's economy, that would be the case. However, the Lord, in His Parable, is not speaking about a physical vineyard. As with all parables, they are speaking earthly things with heavenly meanings. What the Lord is openly showing here is that all those who have become saved, regardless of age, will share in the same reward. This parable is teaching the equality of all believers. The thief on the cross was probably saved an hour. He will share the same reward in Heaven as those that have been saved for fifty years.

One of the most cruel and evil doctrines ever created by self-centered man is this idea that the Christian is going to receive rewards for their service. This cruel doctrine states that all the saved who are sickly, mentally impaired, physically challenged, or some other hindrance are ineligible for any rewards and will be the last in heaven. Those who tout this doctrine are usually the ones who have big ministries and churches. Basically, they are blowing their own horn and writing their own ticket to heavenly rewards.

There are only two rewards which all Believers will equally receive. The first reward that every Believer receives is God Himself. HE is Our Reward:

(Gen 15:1 KJV) "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."

The second reward that all Believers equally receive is Eternal Life:

(Luke 18:30 KJV) "Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."

The Parable of the Laborers is showing us that all Christians stand on the same footing and are equal. If one person becomes saved at the age of 10 and works in the Gospel ministry for seventy years, and then another person becomes saved at 79 and only works 1 year in the Gospel, they will both receive the same two rewards. There is NO heavenly reward or bonus programs in Heaven.

(Luke 17:10 KJV) "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

This is how we are to view our service, not as servants working on a bonus plan. Woe unto those who think they are serving the Lord for some type of rewards. That is transferring earthly thinking to Heavenly reality. If the fact that God being your Reward is not enough, you have serious spiritual problems. Re-check and re-think your motives for Christian service today. It will free you in your service. Those that believe in rewards will probably murmur against the Truth of this Parable, as those who murmured against the owner of the vineyard. --Some things never change!

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