The True Prophet, Priest And King

The bright morning star will return with the royal scepter to rule the nations.

Numbers 24:15-19 This is the message Balaam delivered: "This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, 16 the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

18 Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph. 19 A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors of Ir."

We have seen in the past few post about Balaam and King Balak that a false prophet, a false priest and an evil king cannot stand against the will of God. They were sure that God's people didn't deserve the promises after the way they have been behaving in the wilderness so they tried but failed to change God's mind.

There are a lot of images of Jesus seen in the Old Testament, types of Christ, but this is the only opposite type of Christ that I am aware of. Balaam and King Balak have formed an unholy alliance against God's people that looks similar to the unholy trinity that the Bible shows us in Revelation.

The Unholy Trinity

As a prophet and priest, Balaam is:

• A false prophet that is an unwilling messenger for God, he wants to prophecy that God's people are cursed in order to please the king but God is in control so he is forced to bless
• An unholy priest that used excessive sacrifices multiple times in high places the way the pagans did to manipulate their "gods" to try and get different outcomes

As a king, Balak is:

• Trying to be in control against God's will in order to protect his own interest
• Furious that his money, military threat, and religious activity are powerless (Numbers 24:10-11)

It is easy to see how Satan is using these men to imitate what is holy, these men give us a clear preview of what is going to be seen in the end times. Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be defeated as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit win the ultimate battle with a permanent outcome. (Revelation 16:13)

The True Prophet, Priest And King Comes With Blessings

Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."

Jesus came to earth on a mission to bless, he makes it obvious at the beginning of his ministry by applying the verses in Isaiah 61:1-2 to himself in Luke 4:18-19. It is interesting that Jesus stopped reading in Isaiah mid-sentence to omit the next phrase that talks about his second coming as the king that will judge the nations.

Jesus came to be Emmanuel, God with us, to be a blessing to us. Because of God's great love he came to redeem his people from slavery to the kingdom of darkness where we live still today. Scripture gave us a picture of this when God took his people out of Egypt and made them into a holy nation that would bless the world.

Jesus told us that he came to seek and save the lost to save us from the day of judgment that has been postponed until after the church age when grace and salvation will be replaced by judgment and wrath. (John 3:16-17, Luke 19:10)

Jesus is our:

• Prophet, Jesus spoke only what the Father gave Him, blessings instead of curses (John 7:16; 8:28; 12:49–50)
• Priest, Jesus blessed us by offering himself as the true sacrifice that became cursed for our sins (Galatians 3:13-14)
• King, Jesus established a new, eternal kingdom that is not of this world and he transferred our citizenship there (John 18:36, Colossians 1:13-14, Revelation 11:15)

Thankfully the prophet and priest came first, we need the true high priest to forgive us of our sins and the true prophet to help us know God so we can prepare ourselves for the arrival of the king. The same Jesus who came as the gentle shepherd to care for his sheep in this life as he prepares us will take care of us eternally as he prepares a place for us to live with him. (Revelation 19:9 21:4–5; 22:3)

The Bright Morning Star

Revelation 22:14-16 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs-the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star."

The end of the story, way back in the end of our Bible in Revelation, assures us that the star that was to come from Jacob really did come! When Jesus was with us the first time he told us that he is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46) and at the end of our Bible he makes it clear that he is the bright morning star.

The Bright Morning Star will return but this time he will arrive with the Royal Scepter to rule the nations. When the king returns to reign he will allow those who have washed their robes to enter the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. We will dwell with him in his kingdom where no sun or moon is needed as Jesus himself will be our everlasting light (Revelation 21:23; 22:5).

The same King who gently calls, "Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest" will one day say to the unrepentant, "Depart from me" (Matthew 11:28, 25:41).

This Christmas, as we celebrate the Star that rose over Bethlehem, the question remains: Will the King invite you in? 

Come to him today willing to accept him as your High Priest so that you can live with the King for eternity.

The Challenge Of The Eternal City

Heaven is my destination for eternity and it is my motivation for this life.

Revelation 22:3-5 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. 4 And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there--no need for lamps or sun--for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Titus 2:12-14 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

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At the end of the book of Revelation we see the ultimate end of our existence. We don't have to speculate or search Google to find the answer to the demise of humanity and our planet. Because we do know how it will end and we know that we will be answerable to God for this life we need to consider a few things.

First we looked at the idea that we should be excited to celebrate our final victory in Jesus and feel comfort in knowing that Heaven is in our future. We need to be encouraged to live joyfully so that other people will see the incredible hope and comfort that the world desperately needs.

Second we looked at the cause or the purpose of the eternal city and we learned that Heaven isn't supposed to be our great desire because we will get a more comfortable existence with a lot of great perks. My greatest desire should be to know God in a much more personal way.

Today I am looking at the third way that the reality of Heaven should affect our existence today. I should live a very different lifestyle with a new mindset because of wat has been done for me. I love to travel to other countries but it is always a tiny bit of anxiety while you wait to get through immigration. That anxiety is something that you don't need to have when you arrive at the eternal city.

I know that Heaven is a country where I could never get a visa without some serious help from somebody much better than myself. Since I have received such an awesome gift I should show my gratitude instead of acting like this life is all about me.

The king of the eternal city has a best selling book that tells us how to get through immigration and what is expected of the citizens of the eternal city. He wrote this book for our benefit yet there are many that have purchased the book and have never seriously thought about the author and what his intentions were for writing the book.

God's book makes it clear that the people that are looking forward to a better country are supposed to be patriotic representatives of the better country and it's King. These special people should live differently to promote our homeland and it's interest.

Romans 7:21-25 I have discovered this principle of life--that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

The challenge to live to please the king of our new country should create a tension between the new country and the country of birth. The new creation that I am in Jesus demands my loyalty but the fact that I am still stuck in this fallen world in my old carnal body is a conflict that I must deal with for now.

Titus 3:5-8 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of His grace He declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."

8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Thankfully I do not have to master this conflict alone! Besides the best selling book that the king wrote I also have unbelievable power to live above the standards of this world because he also gave me the Holy Spirit. When I utilize the power found in the Bible and the Holy Spirit's power I can rise up to the challenge and live in victory.

Jesus knows that the citizens of his eternal city that take his instructions seriously will struggle against the culture and it's attitudes. That is why he gives us good news at the end of the book: “My reward is with Me.”

Will you be ready for great gain or will you suffer great loss? (! Corinthians 3:13-17)

The Cause Of The Eternal City

How exciting does being with God for eternity sound to you?

Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. 4 And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there--no need for lamps or sun--for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Psalms 68:3-4 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy. 4 Sing praises to God and to His name! Sing loud praises to Him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD--rejoice in His presence!

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There are many reasons to take comfort in knowing that you are going to Heaven when you die. Most of us would list reasons such as seeing a loved one, getting a new body that isn't worn out and everybody's favorite, escaping Hell.

Heaven is going to be amazing. The eternal city won't have a temple, no more night (yet there won't be any lighting from the sun and no light bulbs) no disease or death and no more closed gates to keep our enemies out. Paradise lost has been restored!

But it is wise to see Heaven as more than just our destination. If you are just looking for a better place to live with a prosperous lifestyle then you are missing the point of going to heaven. My desire to go to Heaven should be much more than escaping Hell, enjoying the abundant life or desiring to be rid of the troubles that we have here on earth.

Jesus promised us that the pure in heart will be blessed to see God but how much do we really long to see God? I see how much some of the characters in the Bible desired to see God and be with him and I see a huge difference in my life. The lack of passion for him on my part is embarrassing to admit. (Matthew 5:8, Romans 8:18-30)

Exodus 33:16-18 How will anyone know that You look favorably on me--on me and on Your people--if You don't go with us? For Your presence among us sets Your people and me apart from all other people on the earth."

17 The LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name." 18 Moses responded, "Then show me Your glorious presence."

God has promised Moses that he would be with him and take his people to an awesome land full of many wonderful things but that isn't what Moses longs for the most. Moses used to live in the household of the richest man around but he already gave up all of that stuff. Moses wasn't looking for the abundant life here on earth.

All of this stuff excites most of us more than spending time in God's presence and knowing him intimately. It is so wrong that the idea of spending eternity with God doesn't excite me as much as it should.

We don't really appreciate what we have! In our sin filled minds we cannot love him, worship him or desire to be with him as much as we should. This song by Natalie Grant comes to mind and helps me question my motivation for desiring Heaven:

More Than Anything - Natalie Grant
Help me want the Healer more than the healing Help me want the Savior more than the saving Help me want the Giver more than the giving Help me want you Jesus more than anything

If I desire the things that Jesus can do for me more than I desire to know him then something is wrong with my desires. Jesus doesn't want to be accepted because of all of the things that he can do for me.

There are a lot of perks that come with going to Heaven but being with God and enjoying his presence for eternity should be our ultimate goal and our greatest satisfaction. It is absurd that we don't react to this awesome news and desire God more than we do.

My desires need to be checked regularly. It is too easy to begin to lose my first love and become more passionate for the things of this world. None of those other things are going to satisfy my deepest longings.

Lord help me to long for and keep my focus on you!

The Comfort Of The Eternal City

There is no greater comfort than knowing that Heaven is in your future.

Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. 4 And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there--no need for lamps or sun--for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

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The book of Revelation is such an encouragement for God's children, that may be a very surprising statement to you, very few people look at the book from that point of view but God's children really should. It is the greatest story ever told that should affect our lives for today and for eternity.

Instead we get too busy analyzing the culture that we live in and the characters that can be found in the news stories from around the world and we attempt to make our times be the end times. We study everything in the book and try to make a literal interpretation of it all that is based on current world events so that we can figure out God's timetable.

We fail to acknowledge that the writer was severely hindered in trying to describe things that are too great to communicate to humans so that they can comprehend and we forget that God didn't allow John to write down everything. (Revelation 10:4)

God didn’t give us the book of Revelation so that we could analyze our culture, so that we could pinpoint social and political analyses of current events. He wrote it so that we might catch the spirit of the coming of Jesus Christ and live in the light of it.

-John MacArthur

How can we think that we are so well informed that we can piece all of this together and figure out the details of Jesus return?

Satan likes us for us to look at the negative aspects of the book of Revelation, he will use anything to get us down, even the best news that God has ever revealed can be used against us.

Reasons to see this book as a source of comfort and encouragement:

✔ Revelation gives us an awesome view of Jesus that you don't get to see very often in scripture. Seeing the glorified Savior as he is today should give me great hope. ✔ Revelation shows me that God is on the throne and Jesus is at his side. The picture of God on the throne throughout the book of Revelation should be reassuring to us as we witness the chaos of this world around us everyday. (Revelation 4:2-10, 5:1-13, 6:16) ✔ I get to witness the final defeat of Satan, God's kingdom comes and the prayers of the saints throughout the ages has been answered. Jesus assures us three times in the last chapter of Revelation that he is coming back to take us to this glorious scene. (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20)

Satan loves for God's children to be deceived into worrying about future events and focusing on bad news. The bad news that you see in today's world will only get worse, don't fret about it, today's bad news is a part of God's timetable.

I need to celebrate the eternal city and my victory in Jesus! I need to be encouraged to live joyfully and let my light shine so that other people will see the incredible hope and comfort that the world cannot explain apart from Jesus.

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How Can I Find Comfort When An Unsaved Loved One Has Died? (gotquestions.org)
Billy Graham's Final Answer (billygraham.org)

Our Conqueror Will Rule

Satan defeated, unbelievers judged, God's kingdom come.

Revelation 20:10-15 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11 And I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.

14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:1-3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.

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In the daily grind and weariness of life it may seem that our prayers are never going to be answered, it seems that "thy kingdom come" is never going to happen. Because of the delay there are many people that have given up on his second coming. They fail to realize that the Bible proves over and over again that God's timetable moves very slowly and it isn't a sign that his promises will not come true.

We don't like delay anymore than God's children in the Bible. Noah thought the first ever boat would never be completed, Abraham thought that he would never have an heir, God's children thought that they would never stop being ruled by various world leaders.

It is easy to think that God is late and his second coming will never happen. Jesus will return and stop the plans of Satan, the people of Satan's kingdom will be judged and the children of God's kingdom will finally be satisfied forever.

For every time the first coming of Christ is mentioned, the Second Coming is mentioned eight times. And the Lord Himself refers to His coming twenty-one times and over 50 times we are exhorted to be ready for that great event. 

-John MacArthur

This event is so important that scripture makes it clear that we can trust God to come through on the Bible's promises about the second coming. The first coming miraculously fulfilled hundreds of prophecies so we can have confidence that the second coming which is predicted much more often than the first is sure to take place.

Jesus will begin his rule by defeating all of the opposition to his kingdom. 

World leaders will fight “against the Lord and against His anointed” but they will all be defeated. Their weapons prove to be worthless against the sword of the Lord. God created by speaking and it instantly happened and by the sword of his mouth his enemies will be defeated. (Psalm 2:1-3, Hebrews 4:12)

The beast, the false prophet and Satan are all doomed, first the beast and false prophet are cast into hell, then after the thousand year millennial reign Satan will follow them to the same fate. (Revelation 20:10)

The next defeat will happen to all those whose names are not recorded in the Book of Life. The sad reality of everyone that loved their life on earth too much to be concerned about what would happen in the next life. At the great white throne, there will be a Judge but no jury, a prosecution but no defense, a sentence but no appeal. God's answer will be final! (John 12:25, Revelation 20:15)

The prayers of God's children throughout the ages will finally be answered. The longing for "they kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven" will be fulfilled! All of the earthly kingdoms, no matter how good some of them are, will all be gone.

Jesus has told us how to avoid defeat as a citizen of his kingdom.

You don't have to go down in defeat. if you make the wise choice and you are ready for the king that is coming then you will be a citizen of the new kingdom with the only perfect king. There will not be any illegal immigration into God's kingdom.

The Bible is the story of God restoring the kingdom that was lost back when God walked with man in the Garden of Eden. The story continued as God abides with Israel in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Jesus came to earth and “tabernacled” among us and now lives within us. At the end of time the kingdom will be fully restored and God's children will take their place in this better country that they have been longing to see. (John 1:14 / Hebrews 11:16 /1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

When we enter the kingdom we will enjoy God's presence even more fully than Adam and Eve did in the garden. We will finally be home enjoying the presence of our father.

Are you a friend of the conqueror? You can find peace with God.

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Our Conqueror Will Return (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Our Conqueror Will Return

Jesus return is mentioned in the Bible more often than his first coming.

Revelation 19:11-16 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God.

14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

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The moment that all of Heaven and earth have been waiting for is finally here! The event that we have been waiting for ever since the consequences of sin became known. (Genesis 3:15, 2 Samuel 7:1-29, Luke 1:31-33)

The plans of Satan to destroy God's most precious creation will be stopped, Satan couldn't stand to see God enjoying time with Adam and Eve each day in the garden, he couldn't stand that they were made in God's image so he went after Adam and Eve and tempted them to make the same choice that he made.

In all 66 books of the Bible we see the story of God redeeming sinful man and the ultimate return of Jesus to restore the kingdom. Next to the subject of faith, there is no other topic mentioned more often than the return of Christ. Jesus first coming fulfilled hundreds of prophecies but that is nothing compared to the number of prophecies that will be fulfilled when he returns.

For every time the first coming of Christ is mentioned, the Second Coming is mentioned eight times. And the Lord Himself refers to His coming twenty-one times and over 50 times we are exhorted to be ready for that great event.

-John MacArthur

It is amazing that a lot of people believe in the miracle of his first coming to be with us and all of the prophecy that it fulfilled but they ignore the fact that much more is predicted about his return and the severe consequences for those that are not ready.

Revelation 19 announces the victory that God's children have longed to see. Our conqueror rides out of Heaven on a white horse to instantly obtain victory just by speaking a word. He will bring his bride with him but she will not join him in battle, we will only be spectators of this extremely short battle, our Savior will execute God's judgment quickly with just one weapon.

Our Conqueror's favorite weapon is the sharp sword of God's word, think about it, God's word spoke creation into existence, it caused a fig tree to wither away, his word spoke to a legion of demons and instantly they fled, and now He speaks a word and the war of all wars is instantly over! (Revelation 1:16, 2:12,16)

Use God's Weapons

Isaiah 11:4 He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of His word, and one breath from His mouth will destroy the wicked. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. 4 We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. Ephesians 6:17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Our Conqueror shared God's word with us and applied it to almost every situation he encountered, whether he was teaching, rebuking or doing battle with Satan, he almost always quoted the Old Testament. It is amazing that we don't have a higher regard for God's word and have more respect for its power.

We need to be digging into God's word everyday so that we will know what it says. One thing that the Bible shows us is that Satan knows God's word and he knows how to use it improperly, distorting the facts to try and trip us up. God's children need to be well acquainted with our weapon so that we will know how to use it well.

Our Conqueror is preparing a place for us, a place that we should be longing to see, a place where justice and righteousness will rule, when it is ready he will return to earth to setup his kingdom.

Is He Your Conqueror?
John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."

Don't be conquered by Satan and his deception! Don't be conquered by religion and all of it's empty rules! And don't be conquered by your self defeating thoughts and bad habits. If we view ourselves through the reality of the gospel, the fact that Jesus loves us and is preparing a place for us, then we should never feel defeated. (1 John 5:4)

Our Conqueror came the first time to offer us the opportunity to be victorious as one of God's children. We can overcome this evil world and have true peace because the battle has already been won.