2 Timothy 4:1
1 I [ego] charge [diamarturomai] thee therefore [oun] before
[enopion] God, [theos] and [kai] the Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] who [ho] shall [mello] judge [krino] the quick [zao] and [kai] the dead [nekros] at [kata] his [autos] appearing [epiphaneia] and [kai] his [autos] kingdom; [basileia]KJV-Interlinear
1 I
solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge
the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: NASB
Solemnly charge, ‘diamarturomai,’
is a mandated order, and forceful order.
It is not a request. It is not a suggestion. It is not a plea. It is not a hint. This is an order, a direct
order, a forceful order, one in which you cannot, dare not disobey.
We are all living in
the battlefield of the angelic conflict. It is an ongoing and continuing battle
between good and evil. We are all
soldiers in a sense that we are combatants within this war.
When an order is given
on the battle field, it is expected to be obeyed and carried out. That preserves life. When an order is purposely disobeyed or
ignored, then the instant sentence of death is carried out. That makes obedience a very serious matter.
And so, when an
unbeliever rejects Christ, death is his destiny, death into the Lake of
Fire. That is serious.
When a believer rejects
Gods mandates, then death results in an out of fellowship state. This means the loss of spiritual growth, loss
of spiritual blessings, the loss of completion of ones life, and those
blessings which are to last forever, make them extremely valuable. This is a death in that ones spiritual life
is tossed away, and traded for a nothing substitute of worldly things.
This is a serious
matter.
In the history of the
human race, God has divided up history into era’s of time. We call them dispensations.
During our current
dispensation, life will gradually, if not quicker, move toward an apostate
world, such as the world has never seen nor experienced before. This is how our dispensation is going to
end. And when the Rapture occurs, then
there will be no believers, no restraint, and morals in society will run
rampant and out of control, like an accelerating bullet shot out of a gun.
Within my family, we
have foster children. They come from
varying backgrounds, but in nearly every case, they all lack structure, self
discipline, and moral awareness. These
things just have not been taught, nor do they seem important to them. But given time and a structured environment,
most of the kids come around, learn and develop an inner moral fabric within
themselves and they do well in life.
Imagine what society
would be like if there was no mechanism for correcting faulty behaviors. And that is exactly where the world is headed
sooner or later. Whether a decade or a
century from now, we do not know what Gods timetable is, but the statements of
doctrine are already set out in writing, so we know that the future whether
near or far, is not a good one.
Life is serious. Unfortunately most folks do not take life
seriously, or rather they do not take doctrine seriously, nor the implications
that their thoughts and actions and chosen pattern of life, will have on
others, much less future generations.
We know one thing
certain. God (Christ), is going to judge
everyone. He is going to judge the
living and the dead. And from Adam and
Eve’s time to now and to the end of history, whenever that will be, and it will
be, then Christ is going to be the ultimate and final judge of all.
Where will you fit in,
in all of this?
And that depends
entirely on your attitude toward doctrine and the daily study that has been mandated
and the spiritual growth that comes only from that daily study.
Paul charged Timothy,
and God (since all scripture comes from God), charges you with the
responsibility to advance in your life as He intended, and not throw it all
away because of a frivolous attitude that takes everything in this world seriously,
but taking all things spiritual with little regard.
The future is there,
not because God is going to force it, but because the vast majority of folks are
going in that direction by means of their own decisions.
You do not have to be a
part of that future, but can choose a very different and better future for
yourself as God has designed for you.
All you need do is heed these instructions and pursue them as though
they were the only thing left in life.
Which, they really are.
E-Books, E-Book Reader
Your Comments
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Subscription Options
Unsubscribe:
(applies only to mailing list recipients)
%unsubscribe%
