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Revelation 13:9
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9 If any man [ei tis] have [echo] an ear, [ous] let him hear. [akouo] KJV-Interlinear
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. NASB
When Jesus told the apostles that he was going to be killed, it was Peter that protested this destiny, to which Jesus said:
Matt 16:23
23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." NASB
God has a plan. God has a plan for all of humanity and God has a plan specifically for each individual. God has a plan for you. If you oppose Gods plan (truth), then you are an agent for Satan (lies). For lies oppose truth.
If you are one of those folks that cannot see why God does not put a stop to all of the inhumanity and trouble in the world, then you are a long way from understanding life, history, and certainly Gods plan.
For it was Satan who rebelled and who brought all of the problems and prejudices and inequities into the world.
It is Satan who protests all that believers believe and do. It is Satan who brings charge after charge against God and Christianity. And God allows Satan to have his day in court, so to speak, as Gods plan rolls right along without a hitch.
Neither you nor I can know all of the intricate details of Gods plan for ourselves, let alone everyone in all of human history. And when you combine all of the interactions and possible interactions among humans, then the plan gets really complex. And when you add to that, all of the events of nature, and all of the actions of Satan and his demon band, then history gets really complex.
As we have studied in the Psalms, Gods objective for every individual is to bring them blessings (plural) and completion in their life. God gives every individual the opportunity to rise to spiritual maturity and achieve these blessings, but most people do not pursue that goal.
God allows them to make the choice, for or against their spiritual life.
If you wonder why God does not step in and do that which is right (in your opinion), then you probably want him to step into your life and force you to think, say, and do the right things as well. Or, were you probably thinking of everyone else and not yourself?
In eternity past, God looked down the tunnel of time and determined the best historical timeline which would result in the best destiny for all, even given everyone's choices that they would make. God chose the one which we are living right now, because it will give you your best life possible, given the choices that you will make throughout your life. Any other life for you, would have ended in less than optimal results for you.
But now, you can choose and maximize your life, by complying with Gods mandates for you to study and learn and grow to spiritual maturity. Of course you can decide against that course of action and end up with less, but that is your choice.
Today, we live in the Church Age. In our dispensation, we live in an age of responsibility and the letter of the law. God does not bend down and part the seas for us, we have to maintain law and order, courts, militaries, training, education, jobs and experience, marriages and families and so forth.
In other words we have to do those things that comply with the right way to do things, the right way of defend ourselves, the right way of care for our families, the right way live life. We carry insurance, locks for doors, diet properly, obey the laws and such. And if we recognize the divine establishment principles of life, then we get along reasonably well in life. Studying doctrine and growing up gives us an edge in life as well, but God does not bend down and make the choices for us.
When the tribulation arrives, at some point in the future, then that method will change as mandated in the upcoming verses.
Rather than taking up the usual precautions in life, God is going to ask every believer who will be alive during the reign of the anti-christ, to not fight back, to not organize, to not rebel, but to let fate and God (who defines fate), take care of them as God sees fit.
That is going to be a tremendous challenge, to sit back and let God do it all.
Today, we need to work to earn money and pay our bills. We need to go to the doctor to get treatment for our physical condition. We need to have insurance, get an education, mind our manners and so forth. The course of life now, is guided by doctrine in the soul, from which we learn our responsibilities.
But in the future that will all change. The doctrine and the learning will remain the same, but social and political responsibilities will change.
And so John interjects here a principle of understanding, ‘Listen and learn, and do not sit back and be a critic or try to second guess God or His plan.’
He knows what He is doing. You and I do not, when it comes to the intricacies of all people who have , or do, or will ever live.
Faith does not mean to do nothing, for faith is proactive and based on specific and certain knowledge, not wishes and hopes. Faith is confidence.
So, have an ear, and be teachable, not opinionated. Listen and learn. Be open minded and wait on knowledge if you do not understand something immediately, for understanding will come if you pursue your daily studies with an objective and genuine attitude for learning truth.
Learning means that you may have to place all of your preconceived ideas behind you and learn truth correctly, which means that you may have to undo some of the beliefs that you already have. That can be a difficult task if you are not really interested in knowing truth.
But if you are willing and open minded (have an ear), then you will learn and grow up (let him hear). But you have to set your opinions aside and assume a learning posture and attitude.
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