|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

The synagogue of Satan is a confusing topic, buy it is easy to understand if you look at the full counsel of the Bible. The synagogue of Satan grows out of the seed of Satan, and it hates the true body of Jesus. Both the synagogue of Satan and the body of Christ believe they are the real church. It is important to know how to tell the difference! I love the footnotes in my Bible. Seeing the connections between passages is so powerful to unlock what they really mean. The Bible is telling a continuous story. It is not a cookbook with a bunch of recipes for successful living. If I tap into the story God is telling and learn the basic principles, it unlocks the Man who the Word is about. The synagogue and seed of Satan both find their roots all the way back at the fall of mankind in Genesis 3. Genesis 3:13And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done

God is always taking a people from a people, or sifting out those who want to follow Him. He invites, and people begin following.  Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. Of all those who start following, only some will stay on track. This has always been true. The further we follow, the more narrow the leadership gets. This is because to him who much is given, much is required. A good example is Moses. As we watch Moses lead Israel out of Egypt, we see many start heading to the promise land along with Moses. Some quit wanting the leadership of God along the way. Real Israelites followed through the course of their lives. We hear about some of them in Hebrews 11. We see that simpling calling oneself Israel, even being born into a Jewish family wasn't the same as living into the true leadership of that identity. No one can replace Israel, but many Israelites walked away from what that identity means. In t

God is always taking a people from a people, or sifting out those who want to follow Him. He invites, and people begin following. Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. Of all those who start following, only some will stay on track. This has always been true. The further we follow, the more narrow the leadership gets. This is because to him who much is given, much is required. A good example is Moses. As we watch Moses lead Israel out of Egypt, we see many start heading to the promise land along with Moses. Some quit wanting the leadership of God along the way. Real Israelites followed through the course of their lives. We hear about some of them in Hebrews 11. We see that simpling calling oneself Israel, even being born into a Jewish family wasn't the same as living into the true leadership of that identity. No one can replace Israel, but many Israelites walked away from what that identity means. In the ti

Jeremiah 3:14“Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15“And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the LORD, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore. 17“At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts. This is a passage speaking directly to our day...to the generation that will see the return of Jesus. God promised to raise up shepherds after His own heart...leaders like David, the man after His own heart. Many in t

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. -Elie Wiesel The silent politeness of the church, the body, to it's own wounds and divisions is not Godly. It is easier to be polite than real, but people will really perish thinking they are just fine because so many choose to not cause a stir. When we ignore bad behavior in our midst, we will be punished: Revelation 2:20“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21“And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22“Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23“I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

What the Lord requires is to be heard and obeyed. When I don't believe I can hear God, then I am tempted to look for direction from what is easier to receive from...other people, my appetites, my rights, my own selfish desires... If I will, in faith, believe I can hear God, then over time, more and more, I become familiar with His voice. He leads me to streams of living water, but generally in a way I wouldn't choose myself. His leading is contrary to my logic and my default thinking. That is the point. I need a different leader. I need a savior. Once I start knowing I can hear God, even as difficult as it can be sometimes, I am obligated to obey Him. If I follow God in obedience, then I will hear Him more. If I am faithful with a little, then more is given. If more is given, more is required. This is how the knowledge of God grows: by hearing and obeying. This is how I get ready for the return of Jesus: I learn to hear and commit to obey. Jesus does all of the impossible aspec

What the Lord requires is to be heard and obeyed. When I don't believe I can hear God, then I am tempted to look for direction from what is easier to receive from...other people, my appetites, my rights, my own selfish desires... If I will, in faith, believe I can hear God, then over time, more and more, I become familiar with His voice. He leads me to streams of living water, but generally in a way I wouldn't choose myself. His leading is contrary to my logic and my default thinking. That is the point. I need a different leader. I need a savior. Once I start knowing I can hear God, even as difficult as it can be sometimes, I am obligated to obey Him. If I follow God in obedience, then I will hear Him more. If I am faithful with a little, then more is given. If more is given, more is required. This is how the knowledge of God grows: by hearing and obeying. This is how I get ready for the return of Jesus: I learn to hear and commit to obey. Jesus does all of th

Rightly handling Biblical prophecy should result in more conversation with God, not less. If I wrongly think of myself as "having the understanding" of what the Bible is prophetically describing, I will likely miss the actual thing promised to happen! Humility is required when dealing with the Humble King! The experts on Biblical prophecy in Jesus' day did not believe Jesus was the fulfillment of any prophecy they knew of! Because they had so over-developed their expectations of the prophetic requirements for the coming of the Messiah, then entirely missed the ONE prophecy all others hang on! John 7:40Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” 41Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” We see SO dimly. That is the point of prophecy...it's an invita

Rightly handling Biblical prophecy should result in more conversation with God, not less. If I wrongly think of myself as "having the understanding" of what the Bible is prophetically describing, I will likely miss the actual thing promised to happen! Humility is required when dealing with the Humble King! The experts on Biblical prophecy in Jesus' day did not believe Jesus was the fulfillment of any prophecy they knew of! Because they had so over-developed their expectations of the prophetic requirements for the coming of the Messiah, then entirely missed the ONE prophecy all others hang on! John 7:40Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” 41Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” We see SO dimly. That is the point of prophecy...it's an in

Ignoring the truth that tribulation is unfolding only prolongs the inevitable confrontation with truth. The longer you wait for that confrontation, the harder it will be, because trouble is compounding. If ignoring the news makes you feel less stressed, that is a sign that you don't know how to deal with the Great Tribulation. Tribulation is good if you know how to deal with it. That is where true hope is found. True hope doesn't ignore what is happening. True hope faces it knowing God is greater in the midst of the trouble. Shadrach, Meshack, Abednego, Daniel, David, Peter, John...every great person in the Bible didn't ignore the news, they confronted the trouble and the news of the trouble with truth and "overcame." Overcoming the tribulation is the point of Revelation. That is why it starts with letters to the church, each one ending with a promise to those who "overcome." Romans 5:3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tr

Like all prophecy, the Great Tribulation will be seen in hindsight, as it unfolds. After it is finished, it will be understood: Daniel 12:9And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10“Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. The point of prophecy is to get us to believe, watch, and pray...to wait, like Jesus told Peter to do in the garden of Gethsemane...the point of prophecy is not to get people to figure out what will happen then disconnect from God and wait to see, like Jonah overlooking Nineveh. The most important prophecy...the prophecy every other prophecy po

Like all prophecy, the Great Tribulation will be seen in hindsight, as it unfolds. After it is finished, it will be understood: Daniel 12:9And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10“Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. The point of prophecy is to get us to wait on the Lord...to believe, watch, and pray...to wait, like Jesus told Peter to do in the garden of Gethsemane...the point of prophecy is not to get people to figure out what will happen then disconnect from God and wait to see, like Jonah overlooking Nineveh. The most important prophecy...the prophecy