“Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according
to the tradition of men, according to the
basic principles of the world, and not
according to Christ…”
Colossians 2:8

Thirteen years ago, with much pomp, ceremony, expectation and celebration, our world embraced the arrival of the New Millennium. Hope for a better world was expressed everywhere and events giving expression to this longed for expectation were launched at key global sites like that of the Pyramids, Table Mountain, Ayers Rock, and Stonehenge etc. Sadly, all of these endorsed by the United Nations, politicians and civil leaders of note, were New Age and multi-faith in nature. Indeed, weird medicine men, wackos, gurus, witches, fairies and strange mystics officiated at these ceremonies. The fact that the world was actually celebrating 2000 years since Jesus came into it was totally ignored and thus, once again, He was shut out of the Inn! Since then of course the celebration of all things New Age has accelerated. Our world is filled with magic and more and more people speak of things like Karma, positive energy, mother earth and harmony vibrations.

The Origins of the Modern New Age Movement

Naturally the philosophy behind the New Age Movement can be traced back thousands of years to Babylon and Egypt but in recent times the persons and organizations most responsible for its codification and systematic thought patterns have been:

1. Madame Helena Blavatsky (Russia)
2. The Theosophy Movement. Most researchers agree that the Theosophy movement is and has been one of the major “root systems” of the New Age movement.
3. Houston Chamberlain (England)
4. Dietrich Eckhart (Germany) of the Thule Society and believe it or not…
5. Adolf Hitler.

It was Helena Blavatsky and the others who postulated the thesis in a modern form but it was Adolf Hitler who implemented the thesis. Does this startle you? It should! Nazism was the direct product of the New Age Movement. It is the end of the “chain reaction.” Don’t be fooled—Nazism was not a radical right wing philosophy as some would have us believe. No, it was a radical left wing philosophy, a progressive socialist party (NSDAP) that embraced on a national scale in Germany what the current New Age Movement embraces on a world-wide scale.
It involved Tibetan, Celtic and Nordic beliefs and all manner of magic rituals and it endeavored to transform Christianity into a multi-faith system. Indeed Hitler became the new “Teacher” of all these systems. He was even regarded as the “New Messiah” of a revamped Christianity.

Nigel Pennick writes: “The whole Nazi ethos grew out of a magical view of the world, and the history of Nazi Germany was forged by strange fanatics whose actions can only be explained in occult terms.”
And a German theologian of the time, together with many German Christians, formulated the following creed-like statement: “Thanks be to Hitler, the time of the German people has come, for it is by Hitler that Christ our Savior God has become powerful among us…”
It is to be noted that the modern new Age Movement espouses the same things exactly. It is nothing less than a child birthed by Madame Blavatsky, Theosophy, the Thule Society and Hitler!
It venerates holy sites said to radiate energy from Mother Earth, brings fringe religious systems into the mainstream and seeks to unify them with the three great religious systems of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Note the language below giving notice of just one event of many like this that took place all over the world in the year 1999:

Mountain Service Marks Equinox

Tomorrow, the spring equinox, marks the start of the 100-day countdown to the millennium celebrations—and it all seems to be happening on top of Table Mountain.
The Cape Times One City Festival, the World’s Parliament of Religions, the Cape Town City Council and the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company have joined forces to mark the event on the mountain, where a multi-faith service will be held from 4:30 pm tomorrow.

Two praise singers will accompany the dignitaries to a terrace below the restaurant. Religious leaders will offer songs and prayers at the gathering let by Gordon Oliver, South African co-director of the Parliament of Religions.
Cape Town mayor Namaindia Mfeketo will light a candle, the first of 100 candles to be lit each day until December 31 at different venues and events around Cape Town as part of the millennium countdown.
Tomorrow’s event marks the launch of the One City Festival and is a prelude to the convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in the first week of December, when more than 6,000 religious leaders, scholars, activists and laity will gather in Cape Town to “celebrate the diversity of the world’s spiritual community.”
Tomorrow’s event is open to the public. Tickets, which include the Cableway fare, are R60,00 for adults and R32,00 for children under 12, and are available from the Table Mountain ticket office. – Staff Writer, the Cape Times, September 1999.

The New Age Spider Web

For New Agers, the earth is a type of god having thus a life of its own. So they will frequently refer to it as “Mother Earth” or Gaia—the Goddess of Earth. This earth god communicates with all life forms on this planet, and especially Homo-sapiens, by way of energy vibrations. These vibrations are said to be strong at certain sacred sites (Stonehenge, Table Mountain…etc.) and can also be connected by so-called “Ley Lines” and by meditation techniques. Well-known New Ager Jose Arguellos says: “What EC 2000 (Earth Celebration 2000) is all about is articulating the power, the earth itself, first as an image and then, as a living breathing being we all depend on…”
New Age philosophy teaches that unless there is new global consciousnesses in the world the planet will self destruct. A New World Order (Hitler called it Reich) has to be brought in and mankind must thus experience a paradigm shift, or quantum leap, to get to it. Earth’s energy vibrations must be brought back to harmony with mankind. A psychic world grid must be built in the years to come and thus the “Old Order,” especially the Judeo-Christian one, must be left behind or, as some of them put it, “eliminated,” since it vibrates negative energy!!

Through a new harmony—the term used by New Agers is “harmonic convergence”—forged with Mother Earth, a more perfect man and happier earth will emerge. The old age of Pisces with its monotheistic belief systems of absolute truth must be banished, and a New Millennium (1000 year Reich) or Aquarian Age must be ushered in. Here all truth will be relative and global consciousness and world government will be a reality. Those who stand in the way of this new day will be considered under-developed and will be somehow neutralized. At the very least, they must be prohibited henceforth from radiating negative energy.
This author has personally been confronted by diplomatic officials representing one of the most powerful nations in the world, and was told that he is out of step with reality and that his belief in the absolute truth system of the Bible makes him an under-developed species of the human race! He was then showed a rainbow-colored flow chart that outlined nine steps to the New Age and to global government. The meeting was designed to leave him with the impression that he should change, or at the very least, consider himself as having been warned!

So in the light of the above, another New Age leader sums it all up this way: “A paradigm shift in the very manner in which humanity perceives reality must be effected. Then the world will enter into the Age of Aquarius, the New Age. Globalism will flourish, national boundaries will blur so mankind will realize its own divine ‘Godhood…’”

The Nazi Model

Now a careful study of the belief systems of Nazism will reveal that they believed exactly the same things! The definitive work on Nazism called The Occult and the Third Reich by Jean-Michael Angebert clearly shows this, as does the BBC television series based partly on the book and by the same name.

New Age literature speaks of drastically reducing the world’s population (the culling of human beings), eliminating undesirables and of developing the “New Global Man.” The Germans called him an Aryan! The crucial difference is that whereas for Hitler it was a national thing, in that he believed that “Mother Earth” was calling upon Germans to evolve into this higher race by “quantum leap vibratory consciousness,” now it has become a global thing. Yes sir, global Nazism has arrived and we are just at the beginning. The year 2000 was its first official birthday. This time however it will come out of the closet dressed in a rainbow!!
Just before Hitler shot himself, one of his aides asked him, “Who shall we follow now?” The response from the Fuhrer was, “This is just the beginning. A new man will come. Follow him!” Just the beginning!!

Hitler’s SS elite were invested in a dungeon called Valhalla, meaning Great Hall of the Warrior Dead, situated underneath a castle in Germany. The energy from Mother Earth was said to be very strong in that dark abyss of the earth. With this we can agree, for a few years later, 51 million people and six million Jews had died as he followed through on the dictates of Gaia, the Goddess of Mother Earth!!
The energy that was released from Valhalla dungeon was not liberating, evolving and peaceful. No, it was foreboding and filled with terror. You’d want almost to say Satanic, wouldn’t you?
To be sure Darwinism (1859) was a gift to Hitler and his New Age thugs as it confirmed his racial thesis and condemned “under-developed species,” like Jews, gypsies and evangelical Christians, to gas changers, firing squads and ovens.
Darwin’s Origin of the Species describes many people groups like blacks and South American Indians as inadequately evolved Homo-sapiens!
Indeed Darwin wrote that “civilized societies” should seek to find ways and means to eliminate “un-civilized societies,” or at least to control their breeding habits. He stated:

“With savages, the weak in mind or body are soon eliminated…We civilized men, on the other hand, build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed and the sick; we institute poor laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of everyone to the last moment. Thus the weak members of civilized societies propagate their kind. No-one who has ever attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man…”

The modern evolutionists will never own up to the evil racist implications of this belief system. Only man made in the image of God, as taught by the Bible, assures our equal dignity, survival and equality of treatment. It was a Christian evangelical called Wilberforce that freed the western world from the tyranny of slavery.
To put it bluntly Nazism, like the New Age Movement of today, had bought into the lie of evolution and other earth mysteries and as a result it endeavored to move man forward in the process of evolution. The vulnerable, weak and disabled would be left behind or removed (murdered)! That’s it! They called this “eugenics.”

Indeed the New Age Movement is Nazism and Nazism is the New Age Movement. Constance Cumbey, in her book The Secret Dangers of the Rainbow, proves this beyond any doubt.
Modern New Agers will most certainly deny this but try as they will, their “root systems” are exactly the same and it is time someone said it.

So as you watch countless millions from all over the world gather at high energy sites and peace poles, remember that you are looking at the same things that millions of Germans looked at and marveled at in the early 1930s. The swastika looked so much like a cross and magic was everywhere. Those that spoke out then were ridiculed. They were shouted down in all the euphoria, mystery and excitement. The energy of Gaia (Satan) spoke through Hitler and everyone followed, followed, followed, followed…to an early grave!
The “energy” is going to speak again! It is simply preparing its new mouthpiece and you may say that surely it cannot happen again. Well, history has always repeated itself because the real enemy is not man but his sin, sins and the Devil. Until we learn this lesson we are destined to be the prisoners of time and ultimately of a lost eternity. Those who worship creation are destined to create dirty gods, and with them fall into the abyss.

The Perfect Man

One perfect man did, however, arrive on this planet 2013 years ago. He, by virtue of his perfection, destroyed the Devil’s power and paved the way for a real New Age when He died on the cross for every man, woman and child. His name is Jesus. He is the only, one of a kind, unique, God-man. It is, in fact, His life and times that we celebrate each 31st December and thus let us do so by making Him Lord of our lives and by extending equal dignity to all men. Only the Bible and its revolutionary message about God’s love for all men, regardless of their race or station in life, can save us from the darkness of the New Age Movement with its black magic and many chambers of horrors.

I wrote much this article in an apartment on the 15th floor of a building overlooking the eternal city of Jerusalem. It was night and the moon was almost full. The Feast of Tabernacles was approaching. I looked over the many dwellings below me that make up the leafy suburb of Rehavia. Lights glittered everywhere and gave a sense of warmth as they bathed the Jerusalem stone with their glow.
Here, I thought to myself, are a people that survived Hitler and his dark New Age hordes. They had been to the Abyss of New Age evil and many of them returned, still having tattooed on their arms the number of the Beast. I couldn’t help but think of Revelation 13 where the Bible warns of another coming Beast. He too will have a mark and he too will win the world by magic. The world awaits him and joyfully rises to greet him with mantras, spells and incantations from Apollyon, but he will lead them to hell in a way that Hitler never did. I say to one and all—wake up!

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,
Priest of the Most High God, who met
Abraham returning from the slaughter
of kings and blessed him, to whom also
Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first
being translated “King of righteousness,”
and then also King of Salem, meaning
“King of peace,” without father, without
mother, without genealogy, having
neither beginning of days nor end of life,
but made like the Son of God, remains a
priest continually.”
Hebrews7: 1-3

Jerusalem first appears on the pages of scripture as a mysterious town/city that is ruled over by a very unique person called Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:18-20) He is a Priest/King without beginning or end that reigns over a city the name of which means place of righteousness and peace. This Melchizedek is honored and served by Abraham the great Patriarch of Israel and he is thus, according to scripture, a type, picture or symbol of Christ. So, Jerusalem is the City of God and therefore, from the very dawn of time, it is elevated to symbolize an eternal and perfect dwelling place. By serving Melchizedek Abraham gives recognition to the ideals that the City sets forth.

These are:
1. That humankind is fallen and lost in the valley of darkness and war.

2. That the great need of humanity is to find its way home to the city. The place where God dwells with His people forever. This is a real city not a fictitious one. Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you. “ (John 14:2)

3. That this way home is only by atonement. The King of the city will give the world bread and wine! That is, He will sacrifice Himself for the fallen world. What a beautiful picture of the atoning work of Jesus for each of us.

4. That Abraham and his people, Israel, will serve the world with the message of the city. The Bible says that he went out looking for a city that has foundations whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews11:10) He found Jerusalem and Melchizedek, Priest of the most High God!

5. That the right of passage to the City is righteousness and peace. That is, God’s righteousness and peace! The two go together and thus there will be no peace in this dark world until the city gives these to the world. Any peace formula until then is destined to fail because it is unsustainable without these two “ingredients.” (1Thessalonians5:3) Some peace, however imperfect, is better than no peace because it gives opportunity for the message of the city to be preached! (1Timothy2:1-4) This is why we should hope and pray for the success of “fleeting peace.” God’s righteousness and peace cannot be attained by human political endeavor. God has to give these by His grace as Melchizedek did to Abraham. (Titus2:11)

6. That the longing of the redeemed of the earth and all of Heaven is for the day when the city will become, “a praise in the earth.”
These are the ideals that undergird the city of Jerusalem. Sadly the City today sits astride a fallen world. This “fallenness” is characterized by an unrelenting hatred of God and its messenger Abraham and the Jewish people. Therefore the City has been and will be assaulted by all peoples. They will seek to destroy it and remove it from Abraham’s children. Indeed it has suffered more assaults and destructions than any other city on earth but it still stands because the God of heaven is her founder. She will yet again endure a global assault and survive. (Zechariah12:1-3)

In this final assault the nations will be judged and weakened, Jesus will come and reign over the nations, enforce peace with a rod of iron and they will learn war no more. (Isaiah2:1-4; Isaiah11:1-5; Revelation12:5) The City will become a praise in the earth as the nations ascend to it year by year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles! After one last battle it will merge with the New Jerusalem and forever, those who live there will walk in perfect righteousness and peace! Behold all things will become new! (Revelation21:1-5) These words are “faithful and true.”

However, the city’s journey toward this day of praise and glory will be successful and triumphant partly because of the faithful prayers of God’s people who know her and love her. This eternal Jerusalem will forever be a reminder of Abraham, the messenger, for on its gates will be inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and on her foundation stones the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb and He the Lamb gave bread and wine to the world! (Revelation21:12-14; Luke22:17-20) Blessed be the Lamb and blessed are they who will be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb! Here, in a New Jerusalem, they will eat bread and drink new wine with Him for He declared that He would not drink from the fruit of the vine again until He does so with His redeemed people in the glorious city of God. (Mark 14:25) Even so, Lord Jesus, come!

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps
the words of the prophecy of this book.”
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to give to everyone according to his work.
“Surely I am coming quickly.”
Revelation 22: 7; 12; 20

It is with these words that Jesus concludes His message to the Seven Churches in Asia contained in the Book of Revelation. It is to be noted that He imparts some significant exhortations to His people as He closes this prophetic oracle. They are:

1. An absolute certainty
Three times Jesus reminds us that He is coming quickly in one short chapter. With the Lord a day is as one thousand years (2Peter 3:8-9) and so now we have entered the third day and He could come at any time. The important thing is that Jesus is coming for sure and this coming will be visible, physical, dramatic and spectacular according to scripture. Every eye will see Him even that of those who pierced Him. (Revelation 1:7) It will be an awesome day, a blessed day and indeed a terrifying day for those who have not prepared themselves for it. We must therefore live each day with an eye on the eastern sky for scripture affirms that as the lightning flashes from the east to the west so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:27)

2. A call to take heed
The Book of Revelation is the most neglected, and even scoffed at, book by many elements of the Church. Actually it has played a key part in many revivals including the great Reformation led by Martin Luther. We neglect it to our peril and thus Jesus calls us to take specific note of its contents. Actually, He promises that that those who do so will receive a special blessing. This in itself should alert us to its importance; more so today as we see so much of its message unfolding before us. How strange it is then that, at a time when it holds great significance for us, it is being neglected and hardly ever referred to in most pulpits!

3. A reminder of eternity
Jesus affirms that when He comes He will do so with a reward for His saints. This reward will give them a special office and authority through all eternity! Scripture teaches us that we shall all, as Christians, stand before the Judgment Seat of Jesus to be rewarded for our faithful service to Him on earth. (Romans 14:10-12; 1Corinthians 3:11-15) We will not escape this appointment and it will set in place our eternal position in the eternal Kingdom of God. In short, those receiving a good reward will be those who truly honored Jesus as Lord and who were faithful in pursuing His will for their lives. Now is the time to awake from our spiritual sleep and serve Christ! (Ephesians 5:14)

4. A thought to ponder
By repeating the same thought three times in just one passage Jesus is bringing home to us the idea that the order of things on the earth, as we know them today, are temporal and will pass away. We must then set our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God His Father. (Colossians 3:1-2) This is a daily process that involves prayer, reading of the Bible, fellowship and breaking of bread. (Acts 2:42) It is by these activities that the grace Of God is brought to our lives. It may appear to be a daily “slog” but it will pass away quickly since our lives are like a vapor. We must take hold of Jesus, focus on Jesus and live for Jesus.

Conclusion
When Jesus came the first time His people were quite unprepared for His appearing. Jesus upbraided them for not rightly discerning the signs of the times. (Matthew 16:1-3) It could be that His second coming will find His people today also unprepared and preoccupied with other things. A frequent read of the Book of Revelation will cure this problem and keep us close to Him.

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“For the Law was given through Moses, but grace
And truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John 1:17

No subject has confused Christians more than this one. That is, the relationship between Law and Grace in the Bible has never been adequately dealt with by the Church. If anything Christians tend to write off the Law as being irrelevant but, by contrast, Jesus said that anyone who diminishes the importance and significance of the Law will be called “least in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19) Paul reminds us that Jesus died on the cross in order that the requirement of the Law may be fulfilled in us! (Romans 8:3-4)

What then does all this mean?

1. Definition and nature of the Law
The Law or Torah of God can be divided into three parts. That is, the Civil Law, the Ceremonial or Liturgical Law and the Moral or Majestic Law. The Civil Law deals with the regulation of social or national life and so concentrates on disease control, behavior, the dispensing of justice and taxation etc. The Ceremonial Law is embodied in the sacrificial system and Temple ritual and the Majestic or Moral Law constitutes the demands of God’s character. It is a written description of His glory and is thus chiefly contained in what we call the Ten Commandments. We sin when we break this code of conduct. (Romans 3:23) It is to be noted that the Civil Law and the Ceremonial Law have both been abolished. (Hebrews 8:13)

2. The Moral Law
When Paul writes about the Law in the New Testament he is in fact writing about the Moral Law or Ten Commandments. This Law is good, spiritual and if perfectly kept will impart eternal life! (Romans 7:10; 12) Jesus Himself expounded this Law in Matthew five, six and seven and warned that heaven and earth would pass away before its significance and importance would. (Matthew 5:17-18) We would do well to take note of this. Of course no one can or ever has, except for Jesus, kept this Law. We have all failed in this regard and so this Law also becomes our teacher. That is, when preached it confirms that we are law breakers or sinners; thus guilty before God and subject to the penalty of eternal death. (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:24; Romans 6:23) In short the Law becomes our enemy, though it is good and spiritual, and it condemns and places us under the wrath of God. (Romans 8:21-24) It is because of this negative function of the Law that Christians tend to write it off! It should be noted that Gospel preaching that excludes it is false because such preaching will not convict of sin and lead people to repentance. Only by the Law does the knowledge of sin come to our hearts and we are to repent of our sins in order to be saved! In fact God commands us to repent. (John 16:8; Acts 17:30; Luke 24:46-47) This was at the very heart of the preaching of John and Charles Wesley and it was precisely why they were called “people of the method.”

3. The New Covenant
The goal of the New Covenant is to get this Majestic Law, in the person of Jesus, into our hearts. Please read Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:7-13. Also Paul teaches us that the purpose of Jesus’ death was to bring us to a place where this Law is fulfilled in us spontaneously and with joy as we walk in the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4) The gift of eternal life is the Moral Law embodied in the person of Jesus living in our hearts! (Romans 6:22-23) It is only His finished work on the cross that makes all of this possible. For this reason He teaches us, by expounding the Moral Law, as recorded in Matthew five, what “born again living” looks like. We would do well to note this. Jesus’ death on the cross frees us forever from the condemnation of the Law; it meets all the Law’s requirements on our behalf and is all sufficient in that in encompasses the behavior of our entire lives. This is what we mean by grace, but not cheap grace as it has come to us at a huge price. God died for us! (1Corinthians 6:20) We who receive such grace hate sin and do not “play” with it but when we sin we have an Advocate Who will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Jude 20-23) (1John 1:8-9) It is worth noting that in the Hebrew the words “New Covenant” really mean “a Restored or Renewed Covenant.” That is, the New Covenant, ratified by Jesus’ spilt blood, is the power or ability of the Law. What was good and spiritual but weakened by our flesh has now been given ability through Christ. This is precisely why John’s Gospel opens with the statement, “The Law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus didn’t abandon the Law, He fulfilled it perfectly, in His life, and then in ours by His presence, but this made possible only by His death!!

4. The Construction of the Bible
An alternative way to understand our Bibles would be to see its composition thus:
The Five Books of Moses-The giving of the Law
Joshua, Judges, Kings, Chronicles etc-The history of the Law
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes etc-The rejoicing over the Law
The Major and Minor Prophets- A commentary on Israel’s obedience and disobedience to the Law
The Four Gospels-The ability of the Law
The Acts of the Apostles-The spreading of the Law
The Epistles-The inward nature and presence of the Law
The Revelation- The triumph of the Law
It is interesting to note that when Jesus comes again and sets up His earthly Kingdom the Moral Law will be the foundation of His global kingdom. (Isaiah 2:1-4) It is also worth noting that the longest “chapter” Psalm in the Bible is Psalm 119. This amazing Psalm is all about the importance of God’s Majestic Law and constitutes a call to live one’s life by it. We thank God for Jesus Who has, by His cross, made this possible. Blessed be His name!

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

2Thessalonians 1

After giving his normal greeting to the believers at Thessaloniki, Paul addresses the subject of the believer in trials, persecutions and troubles. Essentially he talks about three cycles that “role’ through the believer’s life all the time. We need to learn this as we too will pass this way as we walk with Jesus.

1. The Cycle of Growth
In verse three Paul commends them for their growth in character and faith. The primary focus of the believer is to become like Jesus. This means living His life and demonstrating His life by works of faith. Faith here is not saving faith, or the gift of faith but fruitful faith. We have each one received a measure of this faith that we are to grow like a muscle. (Romans 12:3)

2. The Cycle of Judgment
From verse four onwards this matter constitutes the main burden of the text. Paul tells them that that their on-going trials, persecutions and troubles are evidence of the judgment of God over their lives. This is God’s loving and very present judgment designed to purge sin and carnality from their lives and it is not to be confused with the judgment of believers that will take place after Jesus comes a second time (Romans 14:11-12). It is thus internal in that it changes us and purifies us and so it is also external in that it makes us worthy of the kingdom of God and it is ironic because, the people prepared for hell are the people that will God will use to prepare his people for Heaven! Wicked people will be finally dealt with on the Day when Jesus comes in flaming fire to judge the earth. This is also the Day when we will see Him for the first time! This is not a secret rapture!

3. The Cycle of Glorification
In verses eleven and twelve he assures them that a time will come, in the present, when Jesus will be glorified in their lives. In other words people will see the transforming power of His power and presence in their lives. They will shine for Him just as the early Disciple did when their antagonists took note “that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) What a wonderful time this is and we do thank God for it and for His mysterious way.
It needs to be stressed that these cycles will continue to “run” through our lives until Jesus comes or takes us home. We are to be patient, full of trust and faithful knowing that all things do work together for good for them that love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Certainly every man at his best state is but a vapor.”
Psalm 39:4-11

David who had an intimate knowledge of God considered his life on earth a mere vapor! Vapor is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as, “Moisture that for a brief moment is suspended in air!” Given that this is our lot we would do well to take stock of our lives and employ them in eternal values and matters. There is no doubt that the idea that we are just vapor means that we are here today and gone tomorrow. We should therefore number our days well and not squander them on useless pursuits. (Ephesians 5:15) For David this meant:

1. Putting our hope in God
This requires that each day we cast ourselves completely upon Him and live in a way that pleases Him. (Colossians 1:10) Our focus must be upon Jesus (Colossians 3:1) and should take the form of deliberate prayer, meditation, thanksgiving and service. (1Thessalonians 5:15-22) We need to think more deeply about this than we do and close each day with a short time of evaluation before God.

2. Being delivered from transgressions
Paul exhorts us in 2Corinthians 7:1 to cleanse ourselves from all “filthiness of the flesh and spirit.” Desisting from outward sins in the flesh is easy but what about the sins of our spirits? These lurk like rats in the corridors of our hearts and defile us. This is the source of Christian defeat and failure and we must let God’s light shine upon our spirits before what is lurking in them becomes observable in our actions. (Revelation 3:1) All this means, walk close to Jesus and keep short accounts of sin with Him. (1John 1:9)

3. Accepting heavenly correction
The Lord disciplines us for our good so that our lives that are just vapor may have importance and significance. All discipline is not joyous at the time but it does yield a harvest of righteousness in the lives of those subjected to it. Happy are those who are trained by it for if we are not partakers of it we are not real sons and daughters of God. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Being a mere vapor reminds us of how special the days allotted to us are. We are just like flowers that bloom and fade almost immediately. (1Peter 1:24-25) It is amazing to think that which starts out as nothing more than vapor and a withering flower can end as an eternal “stone” in God’s glorious kingdom. (1Peter 2:4-5) How wonderful the grace of God is!

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

2Thessalonians Chapter two

News from Thessaloniki convinced Paul that the Church there was experiencing a type of “second coming mania.” So rampant was this expectation of Jesus’ second coming that some of the believers had even abandoned their regular jobs and were becoming a nuisance to the church. While having a solid and balanced understanding of Jesus’ soon return is healthy; and indeed is the blessed hope of the Church (Titus 2:11-13), if one becomes idle and refuses to earn a proper living then this is counterproductive and not helpful to one’s testimony of being a Jesus follower. Paul writes to correct this problem.

He essentially begins his appeal to them by telling them that the second coming of Jesus will not take place until three things become manifest and evident in the world. Thus the chapter begins with him saying in effect, “Now we will give our attention to the second coming of Jesus on the Day of the Lord and our gathering to him in the sky.

This day will not take place until:

1. The days of apostasy are upon us V3
That is scripture foresees a massive falling away of believers before Jesus comes again. I know that this contradicts the triumphalism of some believers but Paul clearly warns of it and so did Jesus. (Matthew 24:12-13) This apostasy will not so much be turning away from following Jesus and going back into the world as it will be embracing another corrupt and compromising form of Christianity. (1Timothy 4:1-2 It will constitute a denial of biblical truth and thus it will be a “form of godliness denying the power thereof.” (2Timothy 3:1-5) These days are certainly upon us.

2. The days of blasphemy are upon us V4-10
Paul warns that before Jesus comes again the believers must not only witness a great falling away from the faith but also the arrival of the “son of perdition”; in other passages of scripture referred to as the Beast and Antichrist. (1John 2:18; Revelation 13) He will invade the Temple in Jerusalem and declare that he is God. His actions will be validated by remarkable signs and wonders all satanically inspired! Paul then reminds them that when he was last with them he told them these things. In other words, they have no excuse for their sloppy and undisciplined behavior! The son of perdition will be revealed when angelic restrainers release him upon the earth! Note: They are to look for these two signs as confirmation of Jesus’ near coming and if they are not evident in the world they are to get on with business!

3. Days of delusion are upon us V11-12
All these things will happen by the sovereignty of God and so, from one angle, He will send this strong delusion upon the earth to sort out the “truth lovers” from the “sign lovers.” We believe in supernatural healings and miracles but all done in the context of biblical truth. Jesus warned about loving signs without loving truth. (Mathew 7:21-23)

4. Days of transformation V13-17
Paul concludes the chapter by reminding them that God expects them to be transformed because of:

1. The choice of God V13
God has uniquely chosen them for salvation through a process of sanctification and love of the truth. This “choice of God” is complex and wonderful and cannot be easily explained as some attempt to do. That is, it is not solely based on the free will of people but on a deliberate choice of God from eternity. Romans chapter nine introduces us to the mystery of God’s election of His people and leaves us with a notion that we are humbled and greatly privileged to be saved.

2. The purpose of God V14-15
The purpose of God is that we should obtain “the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This means being transformed into His image.(Romans 8:29-30) It is this that is to chiefly consume us and not the second coming no matter how important and glorious this may be. Also, Paul exhorts them to recall his teachings and traditions so that they will know how to properly live for Christ. The early church had no Bibles so much of their instruction was modeled by their leaders and contained in letters sent to them, as in this case.

3. The expectation of God V16-17
If the Thessalonian believers respond appropriately God will bring His comfort and peace to their hearts and they will live lives that demonstrate their obedience to Christ by their good works and honest living.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put
On tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness,
Longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving
One another, if anyone has a complaint against another;
Even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
Colossians 3:12-13

These are the opening words of a passage that concludes at verse seventeen and therefore gives us a concise and powerful understanding of what it means to be a Jesus follower. We would do well to use this passage as a check-list as we can so easily drift away from the things that really are important in our faith. I desire then to bring the following to your attention:

What we are V12a
Paul states that we are the elect of God, holy and beloved. Election is an important teaching in the Bible and it definitely holds mystery. That is, there is no simplistic answer to our understanding of it just as there is no simplistic answer to understanding the biblical concept of Trinity when it comes to appreciating the unity of the Godhead. While we should avoid extreme positions on the matter of election it is true that, from before time, God chose us in Christ to be His. (2Timothy 1:8-9) This means that were are precious and unique! We are also holy and beloved of God. Here Paul is telling us the position that God takes with us once we have made Jesus our Lord and King. How wonderful to know that our Father always sees us as holy even though we unwittingly sin. We should rejoice and never give in to a poor image of ourselves if this is how God sees us! This is what we are.

What we should be V 12b-14
Imputed righteousness is one thing but our dear Lord also wants us to enjoy imparted righteousness. Thus from verse twelve “b” onwards Paul tells us to “put off’ the characteristics of our evil nature and “put on” the image of Christ. This means appropriating “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering” and love and forgiveness. It must be underlined that Paul commands us to embrace Jesus’ character; this is definitely not a suggestion! In short, since Jesus lives in us we have the capacity to change! Or, to put it another way, do what you cannot do and God will do it for you. This means that with our minds we build spiritual scaffolding and God will pour “the concrete” of His character into our lives. (Ephesians 4:17-24) Do not accommodate carnal behavior in your life. I often hear Christians saying, “Well this is the way I am and thus you will have to bear with my anger.” Yes we do but there comes a time when you have to change and should. Paul says, put off these things and be Christ like. This is what we should be!

What we allow to be V15-17
From verse fifteen onward Paul changes tact again and now uses the word “let.” That is, do not hinder what God wants to bring naturally out of your life like a fountain. Here Paul mentions two things; first of all that we allow (let) the peace of God to “rule” our lives. Because Jesus lives in us His peace protects and guards us like a soldier walking up and down the ramparts of a Castle. (Philippians 4:6-7) We all have this peace and we should obey it all the time. It must rule our lives and so dictate our actions and decisions. Because we are willful we very often “drive rough shod” over it and thereby bring a lot of unnecessary trouble and stress to our lives. Don’t do it! Paul lived by this rule and so when he wanted to go northward in Asia Minor the peace of God stopped him and instead he went over to Macedonia. He acknowledged this by stating that the Spirit forbade him to go north. (Acts 16:6-10) This work of the Spirit was the settled peace that ruled over his heart! What rules your heart?

Secondly, we must let the word of Christ dwell in us; thus inspiring us to sing, rejoice and make melodies in our hearts to our Lord. This is what the life of Jesus in us will produce if we let it! What are you allowing to come forth out of your life?

What we want to be V 17
Finally Paul concludes his concise overview of the Christian life by telling us that we are to be a people who glorify God and give thanks to Him. When we are no longer grateful to God for all that He has done for us, and is doing for us, we run the risk of descending into spiritual deception. (Romans 1:19-24) This simply means that we have become self centered and not God centered. By contrast we want to be a thankful people and by so doing keep our lives in a place that pleases God. Happy are they who live like this. What do you want to be?

Take time to think on these things, read this passage again and ask yourself the questions reflected in the teaching above. It will be worth doing a little spiritual “stock taking.”

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall
Into various trials, knowing that the testing
Of your faith produces patience. But let
Patience have its perfect work, that you
May be perfect and complete, lacking
Nothing”
James 1:2-4

Life’s journey is not easy and the older one gets the more one discovers this. In fact many lives are set on a course for ruin at an early age and unless God’s redemptive love by Jesus Christ “steps in” calamity, bitterness and death, at all levels, is the end result. I have seen much of this over the years. I had friends in high school who were determined to embrace everything corrupt and wrong and now have ended up in tragedy, poverty and premature death. Years ago they thought they were cool as they took drugs, played around with sex and generally took great delight in ungodliness. Their end was dismal and shocking!

Embracing Jesus does not exempt one from life’s trials and troubles but if we live right before Him these become redemptive and a blessing and will accrue for us a harvest of God’s pleasure if we do what is right before Him. Herein, lies the challenge to God’s people. We must not draw back in dismay but always push through and the consequences will be blessed and more than we could ever imagine. James is reminding us of this in this passage and we should therefore give it our close attention.

The forward looking and godly Christian should therefore take the following advice when trials arrive at their doorstep:
1. Determine to be joyful V2
This is not easy but is important as embracing joy constitutes a recognition of God’s sovereignty over one’s life. If Jesus is truly Lord of your life then your trial is His problem and not yours and surely the greatest power in the universe can handle it and walk through it with you. Joy is a decision that springs out of the peace of God in your life and so we can all opt for it in times of trial.

2. Determine to be informed V3
As God’s children our trials whether they are circumstantial or medical will have a positive result for our lives. That is; we will emerge better because of them! This is the truth that James sets before us. Someone once said,” Know that God can take your mess and turn it into a message.” The trials we have to endure will produce something good and so here James says that this will be patience. Patience is the urgent and necessary foundation upon which all of God’s promises and blessings are delivered to us. We therefore need to learn it; no matter how old we might be.

3. Determine to be faithful V4
Too often Christians question God and so withdraw from Him in times of trial. Their question is: “Why did God let this happen to me?” The answer is; because He has a plan to complete what is lacking in your life.” We really do not know ourselves as God knows us and this “knowledge gap” is something that we must recognize and accept. When we do we can become faithful because we know that through our trial we are being perfected and completed. Our glorious Savior is preparing us for better things now on earth and for eternity in Heaven. Blessed indeed is the person who has been perfected by trials.

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Back in Heaven

Ephesians 1:1-14

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is considered the high theological point of the New Testament. It concentrates on what theologians call the mystical union between Christ and His Church. Thus as one reads it the words “in Christ” appear constantly and designate the unique standing before God that we all enjoy because of our faith in Christ. The first three chapters then explore what it means to be blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” We should pay close attention because if we do not fully grasp what Paul is conveying by means of this letter we will live our Christian lives at a level lower than God intended for us.

So, here in these first fourteen verses Paul is telling us that we are back in Heaven now because of what the God of history has done for us. Being back in Heaven or, back in the garden if you will, means that we are the recipients of everything that God can possibly give us. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing not some! All of this because of:

1. What the Father has done V3-6
He has chosen us before the “foundation of the world.” Our election in Christ began before time, space and matter existed. This means that creation is merely God’s opportunity to create a perfect man. This also means that God exists outside of creation and can observe it from the beginning or end. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. (Isaiah 48:12-13) Creation is like an egg moving through nothing at millions of miles per hour! All of this is required to “manufacture” you! This demonstrates the unique dignity and destiny that you enjoy. Our Father in Heaven made everything so that you could be “holy and without blame before Him in love.” This also implies that we were certainly castaways and blamable because our natures had become evil and wicked and therefore the exact opposite of all that God is. In spite of this He has adopted us in Christ meaning that He bestows upon us all the powers and privileges of the Son by birth! This means that whatever Christ is before God we are as well! All of this is undeserving and so we should live in such a way that we give praise and glory to His grace.

2. What the Son has done V7-12
Jesus, before the foundation of the world, gave His Father the promise that He would, in time, come into the created world and die for its sinful people. (Revelation 13:8) He would thus buy back the repentant sinner by the spilling of His blood. (1Peter1:18-21) That is, by an act of vicarious suffering He would assume the sinners place before God, be subject to the sinner’s eternal penalty and thereby remove the wrath of God from the sinner’s life. (1Thessalonians 1:10) He could do this because His life was sinless and therefore indestructible. (2Corinthians 5:21) More important still He did this willingly and because He loved us. This is called grace or God’s unmerited mercy and can also be interpreted as God’s riches at Christ’s expense i.e.; G-R-A-C-E. Jesus’ death not only rescues humankind from sin but it also rescues the universe from “cosmic pollution.” (Romans 8:18-22) A redeemed man under God becomes the Landlord of Creation and so in Jesus’ death we have the buying back of all things in heaven and on earth! All that is evil will be evicted! This naturally means that by redemption and sonship in Christ we have an eternal inheritance that has to do with ruling over all of creation. (Hebrews 2:5-9) No wonder we should live in a manner now that enables us to give praise and glory to His grace!

3. What the Holy Spirit has done V13-14
The way back to God is to trust in Christ. That is, to exercise living faith in what He has done for us. When the Bible states that we should believe in Christ it means “believe into Christ.” This in turn means that by a conscious decision coupled with repentance we give all that we are over to Christ. When we do this we are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit of promise. That is; we are assured of our inheritance; we are secured for our inheritance and we are partly given our inheritance. (Acts 15:8) A little bit of Heaven becomes our real experience. (Hebrews 6:5) God our Father, by the Holy Spirit and on the grounds of what Jesus has done for us, gives us a “down-payment” of the future. The world has a right to “taste” a little bit of Heaven when it encounters us! At some point by death (sleeping) or Jesus’ second coming we will enter into everything that God bought us back to be. Until then we must live to the “praise of the glory of His grace.”

It should thus be noted that all three persons of the Godhead are involved in our redemption. This is one of the clearest statements in the Bible about the fact that God is Triune in nature. That is; one God but three persons in one. The peculiar work of each person in the Godhead is delineated by the phrase “to the praise of the glory His grace.” Indeed we are back in Heaven!

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries