Check # 666

Scripture Reading:
Eph 1:12-13 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
In whom ye also trusted, [Christ] after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Whenever you hear the numerals in continuity "666" the mind of man goes in all directions. It actually proves the fact that there can be no denial of God in the mind of man. Mankind fears this unlucky number. They fear it with intense superstition. They will do strange things like never buy anything that amounts to $6.66, or write a check that has the number "666." They don't know why intrinsically, but the world does know it has some evil to it. To acknowledge that, they must acknowledge the Bible and its truths. And of course as we know perfectly well as believers, if the Bible is true in one point, then it is true in all points.

The number 666 is spoken of the in the book of Revelation as the number of a man, particularly the Anti-Christ, or, the man of sin. It is referenced by many theologians as the numeral portion of the condemning mark of the Beast. The number itself is shrouded in mystery to some, but for those of us who know Christ, there is not much mystery, and it is NOTHING we need to fear or side step in our Christian lives. We do not need to give in to superstitions regarding this number. Let me say that this number is Literal and is factual in the Scripture, but it has nothing to do with the believer in Christ or should superstition cause us to fear.

Superstition is a tool of the devil to further blind the minds of the blind and deafen their ears to the glorious hope of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Superstition can also be used to prey on the Christian who has an at best shallow knowledge of the Scripture. The role superstition plays is that the evil world takes a true principal or idea and twists it to make the Christian fear. Now let me say that the Devil is a real person, with real power, and our most formidable enemy. He is nothing to be laughed at or make light of. It is only by the shear protection of Jesus Christ that we are not devoured of the Devil. However, when we know the Scripture, Jesus said in John 8:32, the TRUTH is what sets us free. Free from what? Free from fear of misunderstanding is one point. I see a lot of Christians who look at the number 666 as bad luck or something to withdraw from. I just shake my head. Not because I am judging them, its because they need not fear it. Here are some reasons why...

This number is not for us because we have a BETTER seal of Redemption.
Quite simply believer, when we receive Jesus Christ in our hearts, we get a "mark" if you will. The mark is not of a beast but of the Blessed One that will not take it away. The seal of Christ as Paul mentions is ours until the day of Redemption. The Devil cannot steal you away nor can you become somehow corrupted beyond forgiveness. Remember it is Christ's finished work on Calvary in which we have this surety. The Devil cannot have us unto condemnation, because his hand has no power over the Authority of Jesus Christ. When you are sealed with that kind of power, by the Person of the Son of God, moreover, by I AM, who can take it away? Take heart.

We have the Spirit of TRUTH living in us as our GUARANTEE.
There are times I get discouraged and even to the point of wondering if I am truly redeemed. Its because I forget the awesome power that binds me to Christ. Let me share with you one of the most powerful Truths and verses to back it up. Simply, the Lord does not speak to the heart of a unredeemed sinner with the exception of convicting them of their need of Him. Moreover He does not talk to them with encouragement, He does not reveal Scripture to them, He does not give understanding to a sinner until they repent and ask Him in their heart. He does this for me because I am redeemed by His Grace. The work I speak of is by the Holy Spirit and the verse He showed me is

2 Corinthians 1:22 (New King James Version)

²² who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

The old King James Version uses the word "earnest." This word for the above reminds me that the presence of the Spirit in our lives is likened unto a the crowning jewel on a Royal seal. The seal is there, but the Spirit is that defining mark that takes precedence above ALL else.
If you have Christ in your heart, you have HIM!

Because Jesus tells us plainly that in His presence we have nothing to fear of condemnation. If you have never memorized Romans 8:1 which says, "There is no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus," please do so. This is a freeing verse. Paul later goes on under inspiration to write that nothing, nothing, can separate us from the Love of God IN Christ Jesus. One day, all the world will stand before the Lord of Glory. Those who do not have Christ at this point forever will not have Him. They will stand in fear for He who wished to be their Saviour is now required by Holiness to be their Judge. But for the Christian whom the number 666 has no power He welcomes us with open arms when we meet Him. Recall in Revelation 1, the glorified Christ that John the Divine saw. What a awesome yet terribly fearful sight that caused Him to be so scared and afraid that John fell as though he were dead. Yet this awesome and terribly fearful Figure did something remarkable. Jesus Christ laid His right hand, don't miss that, the hand of Power and Authority. He laid His right hand on John's shoulder without harshness and said to John, "Do not be afraid." WOW! The literal fulfillment of Romans 8:1 that belongs to EVERY believer was made manifest in John and will be to us!

There are many fearful things in this world. However, do not let the ignorance of the Word of God fuel those fears, especially the contrast between being Christ's and being caught in the condemnation of the evil "666."

By the way, the title, "Check # 666" was the number in my Grandma's check ledger of her next check. She wrote that check to our local church, and guess what, that night we had a record offering from the people of God!!!

Thank You Lord for not allowing us to be eternally entangled in something that will play a role in condemning the unbelieving world. Help us not to place any fear but trust in YOUR seal of the Holy Spirit and point others to Christ for the same seal made available by Your most precious blood. Amen.

Herod: Puppet On A String

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-18

Once the Messiah Prophecy was fulfilled, it made no small stir in the community. Many people rejoiced, many scoffed, but one man became really worried, really fast. Herod, set up ruler of Israel under Caesar Augustus. Herod is an interesting character in the Scripture.

Three things are interesting to note about this "king."
First, Herod wasn't a Jew. Second, Herod wasn't a royal member or even a distant cousin nine times removed of King David. Lastly, Herod was a coward in a brave man's throne. The most significant realization of Herod is that he was controlled by the Devil, for the Devil's purposes, while all the time Herod thought he was acting on behalf of his own interests.

In the latter middle ages, many carols came to life in England. Many of these carols have found a place in our Christmas traditions. One of these is the "Coventry Carol." It is of a stark contrast to traditional carols in that while they speak of joyous tidings, Coventry recounts and remembers the "massacre of the Innocents," carried out by Herod. One of the carol's lyrics defines Herod as "this man of might in his own sight." How true. Man sees only himself and what he does. Man's centralized thinking writes God out of plans and actions. Man does this because he is blinded by Satan and has no concept of Divine matters. Naturally then man sees his own affairs of paramount importance. This is why mankind is largely self centered, desperate, controlling, fearful, obstinate, and overly wise in their own rationale and perception (for this is all they have).

Like Herod, all sinful mankind is but a puppet on Satan's string. Man does as Satan voluntarily or involuntarily directs. Man thinks himself or herself to be acting on their own impulses (which they do) but are unknowingly fulfilling Satanic purposes against themselves and Christ all behind the curtain they are blind to. So why talk about Herod at all in this time of the Christmas season? Simply, Herod plays an important role in helping us see that the King of Kings has nothing to fear or compete with from earthly rulers. Let's see why.

First, God's Kingdom doesn't advance on the fear of loss. When Herod heard what the Messiah, this new King, would do, one thought crossed his mind. "I am not the rightful King of Israel, I will lose my position, my castle, my status, the new King must be killed, or I will be." All Herod could see is what lay before him. God's Kingdom on the other hand looks at not only what is ahead, but what will last for eternity. Herod didn't really, I think, sort out all the spiritual implications of the Messiah's birth, he just saw a threat. When a man cheats or gets somewhere unlawfully, deep down inside the thought plagues him that he will lose eventually to the right person or manner. So Satan capitalized on this and used Herod. As long as Satan could keep the status of King dangling in front of Herod's eyes, Satan could mask a more sinister plan to kill the Infant King Jesus. Who is it then that can steal anything from the Lord? Who has seriously challenged the security of His Kingdom and stands a chance against Him? No one. Yet a helpless cooing baby was enough to unnerve a puppet king to rash fearful action. In the end, God's Kingdom will triumph and that never taking thought of loss. Jesus said that the Church will crash through the gates of Hell and never be defeated.

Second, God's Kingdom doesn't resort to duping its servants to do God's will.
Though God doesn't always fill us in on the complete details of every plan, He never has us do one thing in order to unknowingly do something else. There is no guile in God's camp. When God spoke to the prophets, He gave them a clear message to tell. The standards of God's law do not change. This is so opposed to a world swallowed up in change. God never tells us to do something against His own standards. We ought to have and can have an open relationship with God. None of the Devil's servants are the Devil's friends. Yet Jesus in John 15:15 plainly told His disciples, "I have not called you servants, but My friends." Friends have a relationship not formed in deceit. Herod had very little friends. Those he did have probably were such out of fear or want. To live under a tyrant breeds no true friendship. But it was all the Herod knew being the child of darkness. We have it better, we as believers are children of Light. Light always reveals, it never disguises.

Thirdly, God's Kingdom doesn't rely on earthly power solely to accomplish its goals. But wait a minute! Didn't Jesus send out twelve ordinary men? Didn't God promise Abraham the seed of the nation of Israel? Wasn't it John the Baptist who prepared the way of the Lord? The answer to all these is "yes." The important thing to remember though that God is not dependent on us, He chooses to use us. Satan on the other hand does depend on human involvement. Satan influences man to wreack havoc in the world. The reason is that Satan is bound to this world. On the other hand, God directly rules everything and everywhere. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Satan is none of those things. Satan is powerful, much too powerful for even the strongest of Christians to take on single handed. Yet, in all his rage and power, Satan MUST use flawed beings. If God solely depended on such, the world could not and would not have any justifiable hope in Him. We see from the text that Herod had to send out the Wisemen to find Jesus. Herod had to use soldiers to slaughter in order to preserve himself. Herod had to rely on religious men to tell him the Truth recorded by Micah the prophet, for he had no knowledge himself. The king of any nation is nothing without his servants. God is the Supreme Exception!

Lastly, God's Kingdom doesn't have to shoot in the dark to achieve its needs. God has no "Plan B" for the salvation of mankind. It has never entered in the mind of God to desperately try to hold control over everything. When God acts, it is intentional and direct. Satan on the other hand could not quite kill baby Jesus directly. Herod's grand plan was to kill every male child born in a certain time frame. Herod figured that he would surely end this threat to his rule by carrying out a massive shotgun raid. All he managed to do was fulfill a prophecy in spite of himself (Jeremiah 31:15). Though in all that sadness that cannot be accurately described, comes the Prince of Peace and the Giver of Life. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He didn't wonder, "now will this do it?" Sovereignty shoots a straight arrow and hits the mark every time. Satan is not Sovereign, nor are his servants.
Blanket attacks, endless attempts, redirected strategies, vain endeavors, all this has no place in God's Kingdom. Even in the last hours of the known world, Satan will try to rally a force against King Jesus. It is interesting that the Saints coming with Christ in the battle of Armageddon wear no weapons. We simply watch God wipe out evil with His words. God spoke the world into existence in a single purposed manner, likewise He can speak them out too.

So here we are. Its Christmas time, lots of busy preparations. In all this consider the power of God. After all, had God not acted purposefully and sovereignly as He did, we would flounder with all the world in a never winning battle. We would all be led along by the Old Liar never knowing who was really controlling our movements, thoughts, or blinded us from our condemnation. But God who is rich in mercy, saved us from all our sins and cut our strings by the love of His heart, the shedding of His blood, and the Resurrection of His body.

How about you today, are you trusting in your own wisdom or desires above God's? Does the attitude of your life reflect a life dependent on God, or, strung along by Satan? I urge you to consider the fate of a life not placed in Christ. If your life is in Christ, let's humbly show the world there is a better life with no strings attached!

Heavenly Father, thank You for not being such a one as the Devil. Thank You that You love us and have no plans to condemn those who trust in You. Forgive us when we falter and turn our hearts once again to the great all encompassing wonder of why You came just for us. We have in You a Sovereign who is not disturbed with fear, duping, or rash behavior. Thank You for the privilege of calling You Father and Jesus, Brother and Friend. Help us to keep this in mind this Christmas. In Your Name, Amen.

Image by: Meul