NO.17/ ON ANTICHRIST #8b LIGHT
“This latter feat can be observed by imagining yourself in a room so dark you can’t see your hands. Once the light is turned on, the question becomes, ‘Where did the darkness go?” The answer is, “It got consumed or absorbed by the LIGHT.””
There are two things each of my children came to know growing up about God. The first is that the word AMEN did not mean "One Adam Twelve; over and out!" It meant SO BE IT! The second thing is that LIGHT has TWO functions: it "Makes manifest" (Eph. 5:13) and it consumes darkness.
This latter feat can be observed by imagining yourself in a room so dark you can't see your hands. Once the light is turned on, the question becomes, 'Where did the darkness go?" The answer is, “It got consumed or absorbed by the LIGHT.”
Which brings me to an encounter I had with the Lord one morning while in prayer. I had just finished worshipping Him with praise when He spoke up inside me with a frightening and thunderous voice. He said, "I AM AN ALL CONSUMING GOD.!" If the truth be known, it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I almost jumped out of my skin.
As I sat there truly afraid to move (if you know what I mean) ... He then asked me a question in a voice not so unnerving. He asked what I thought He consumed? Hmmm ... I had never thought about that before. I had read in Hebrews where it said God was "a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29), but had not given much thought (if any) to what that meant. I knew fire consumed what ever it was burning but had never applied a spiritual principle to it.
After a few moments spent pondering the question, the Lord again spoke up and gave me the answer. I CONSUME EVERYTHING THAT'S NOT OF ME! I can't tell you how frightening THAT last communication was, but if I thought I was going to jump out of my skin before, I certainly leapt then! Thinking about this encounter still gives me the willys ... and big smiles of gratitude.
God is not one to fool with. If I had any doubt about this before, this experience made me a believer!
Paul said it this way.
"For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The LORD will judge His people." IT IS A FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD." (Heb.10 30-31)
I bring these things up today as a follow up of my previous POST on God's WRATH. The church is all over the map when it comes to what we think it is. Some believe it is the just reward of the wicked and cite Scripture where we're told God is requiring "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." I'm not saying this isn't correct. HOWEVER, let me offer another perspective using the example of LIGHT and what it does to darkness as a contextual foundation.
In 2 Thessalonians, we're told the "son of perdition" (antichrist personified) is going to be revealed at some point in the future. When that happens, "the Lord will consume (him) with the breath of His mouth (His Word) and the brightness of His coming." (2 Thess. 2:8).
This word "coming" is rendered from the Greek word parousia and was translated "coming" 13 times throughout the New Testament and PRESENCE twice. In this instance, it should have been rendered PRESENCE with the implication that God would need to be wherever the son of perdition was (His "coming") for His PRESENCE to CONSUME him.
This is also a great example of the two functions of LIGHT. The son of perdition will be "made manifest" and CONSUMED all in one fell swoop.
Still, what is important about this example is what really happened; the son of perdition experienced God's wrath simply by God being present and the son of perdition being contrary in His Presence. Make sense?
Let me provide another example that illustrates this point perfectly. Found in the fifth chapter of the book of Acts, I would that you read what unfolded when Ananias and Sapphira sold one of their properties and held back some of the proceeds, telling Peter they sold it for one price when they actually sold it for much more. As Peter told Ananias, "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:4). Once Peter uttered those words, we're told, "Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last." (v. 6). It didn't fare better for Sapphira, who met this same end and for the same reason.
The point?
Peter didn't curse these people. He simply pointed out that each of them lied to the Holy Spirit ... then they died. Let me add that Peter was also the one who's shadow healed the sick (v.15) Yes! He lived that close to God. He was so filled with God's PRESENCE that when Ananias and Sapphira were near him, they WERE THAT CLOSE TO GOD TOO! The result? The atmosphere of that room was full of the Presence of God requiring that they be accountable and they chose not to be. The lie within them could not withstand the consuming light of Truth. Their action to lie directed their own judgement against themselves. They died. And that’s the point! If we're to come into God's PRESENCE, we are to be holy too!
"As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all YOUR conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." (1 Pet. 1:15-16)
Ananias and Sapphira passed away because they came into God's PRESENCE and lied. NO CAN DO. Even the Old Testament priesthood understood this. When the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies to atone for the sins of the people on the "Day of Atonement," (once a year), the other priests would tie a rope around the High Priest's ankles to pull him out (No one could enter this third court but the High Priest) if he did something wrong and died.
That's the HOLINESS the Lord is demanding of us. Peter walked in it and subsequently brought God's Shekinah glory to the church that brought both blessings and discipline.
No wonder Paul said it was a "fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." God's wrath is exercised once pure HOLINESS meets UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. We've gotten away with it up to this point because there are not any (that I know of) who carry such HOLINESS within them ... YET!
I'll end it here, but not before expressing lament for those within the church who have a blood-thirstiness in their hearts and look forward to that time when God's WRATH will be known to the world. While we are told we can be angry, we're also told not to sin "Be angry, but sin not." (Eph. 4:26). God's Wrath will never be placed in the hands of blood-thirsty Christians. NEVER! We will all learn to LOVE first. Once full of His compassion and MERCIES, we will clearly see how to administer such HOLINESS TO AN UNREPENTANT GENERATION at the appointed time.
Till then, we are all better off concentrating on the task at hand - reconciliation!
