Doubt
Doubt looks for ways God's word isn't being fulfilled. Faith looks for ways it is.
You cannot please God in doubt.
Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Jesus' return is "as in the days of Noah." Part of what that means is that a few faithful will see, by faith, the prophesied events.
Many will see, with eyes of doubt, that nothing is happening (for sure...doubt sees evidence, but it is never enough). The faith part of pleasing God means I choose to see something otherwise unseen. You will never get around this reality. If I wait for everyone to decide the Tribulation is happening before I believe it, I have taken faith entirely out of it. Most in the church will do this, even while many in the world are repenting. That is the promise of the Bible. There is a great harvest and a great falling away of the church. The same happened in Israel at Jesus' first coming.
The root issue of sin is a faith issue. Had Adam and Eve simply chosen to see that God was going to give them everything Satan promised in impatience...had they believed God would not lie and was fulfilling the promises already...they would not have fallen in to sin.
This is why faith, hope and love remain in 1 Cor 13. Heaven is a faith-filled environment. There is no section of the New Jerusalem for the doubtful.
Luke 12:46 “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
The point of your life is to learn faith...to see what is otherwise unseen. If you refuse to see all the ways Jesus is coming, you will loose so much...most likely your place with the faithful.
The way we overcome this is to get in a company of people trying to see, declare, and pray continually...drawn together into a body by the Holy Spirit who is speaking to the faithful. His sheep know His voice. When you ask Jesus about the timing of his return, what does He say? Have you ever, and do you still, talk to Him about this?
Luke 21:34“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
What is the prayer? To not be caught in a snare of unbelief! This is called repentance. Unbelief touches every aspect of our personality...our fears are rooted in it and so are our sins.
Going to prayer meetings is different than praying the will of God. The praying Jesus is referring to in Luke 21 is not praying whatever you feel needs to be accomplished in the world...the fallen-away church will pray (Read Mat 6 & 7).... We pray to change from unfaithful people to faithful people. Praying to not see with our eyes what the world hopes will happen, but rather to believe with our whole heart what the Bible says IS happening.
Matthew 24:43“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Believing Jesus will return is different than believing He IS returning. One makes you ready and the other lulls you into thinking you have more time...think Peter in Gethsemane: falling asleep at exactly the wrong time yet falsely feeling more faithful than anyone else.
Matthew 25:1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2“Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3“Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4“but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5“But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7“Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9“But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
12“But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Having once said yes to this, then pulling back is worse than having never said yes. It really is.
Matthew 24:48“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’
49“and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,
50“the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,
51“and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
2 Peter 3:1Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
3knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
There is no real hope or uplifting that doesn't look this truth squarely in the eye and respond in humility. Every false hope will fail in this hour. One thing will remain.
You cannot please God in doubt.
Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
7By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Jesus' return is "as in the days of Noah." Part of what that means is that a few faithful will see, by faith, the prophesied events.
Many will see, with eyes of doubt, that nothing is happening (for sure...doubt sees evidence, but it is never enough). The faith part of pleasing God means I choose to see something otherwise unseen. You will never get around this reality. If I wait for everyone to decide the Tribulation is happening before I believe it, I have taken faith entirely out of it. Most in the church will do this, even while many in the world are repenting. That is the promise of the Bible. There is a great harvest and a great falling away of the church. The same happened in Israel at Jesus' first coming.
The root issue of sin is a faith issue. Had Adam and Eve simply chosen to see that God was going to give them everything Satan promised in impatience...had they believed God would not lie and was fulfilling the promises already...they would not have fallen in to sin.
This is why faith, hope and love remain in 1 Cor 13. Heaven is a faith-filled environment. There is no section of the New Jerusalem for the doubtful.
Luke 12:46 “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
The point of your life is to learn faith...to see what is otherwise unseen. If you refuse to see all the ways Jesus is coming, you will loose so much...most likely your place with the faithful.
The way we overcome this is to get in a company of people trying to see, declare, and pray continually...drawn together into a body by the Holy Spirit who is speaking to the faithful. His sheep know His voice. When you ask Jesus about the timing of his return, what does He say? Have you ever, and do you still, talk to Him about this?
Luke 21:34“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
What is the prayer? To not be caught in a snare of unbelief! This is called repentance. Unbelief touches every aspect of our personality...our fears are rooted in it and so are our sins.
Going to prayer meetings is different than praying the will of God. The praying Jesus is referring to in Luke 21 is not praying whatever you feel needs to be accomplished in the world...the fallen-away church will pray (Read Mat 6 & 7).... We pray to change from unfaithful people to faithful people. Praying to not see with our eyes what the world hopes will happen, but rather to believe with our whole heart what the Bible says IS happening.
Matthew 24:43“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Believing Jesus will return is different than believing He IS returning. One makes you ready and the other lulls you into thinking you have more time...think Peter in Gethsemane: falling asleep at exactly the wrong time yet falsely feeling more faithful than anyone else.
Matthew 25:1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2“Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3“Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4“but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5“But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7“Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9“But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
10“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
12“But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Having once said yes to this, then pulling back is worse than having never said yes. It really is.
Matthew 24:48“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’
49“and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,
50“the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,
51“and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
2 Peter 3:1Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
3knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
There is no real hope or uplifting that doesn't look this truth squarely in the eye and respond in humility. Every false hope will fail in this hour. One thing will remain.
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