ONE GOD, ONE BOOK

By the Word of the Lord, the end times will be like the days of Noah prior to the flood. In those days, God was sorry that He made mankind and He destroyed the world by water…

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created … for I am sorry that I have made them.” Gen 6:5,7

…the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 2Pet 3:6

God will destroy the world again soon — but this time by fire…

But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2Pet 3:7

How does God describe mankind — especially the church — in these last days?

…in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. 2Tim 3:1-5

You only have a short time to find God in truth. Judgment is coming. What should your attitude be toward God’s Word, and what will you see in these end times?

What is your attitude toward the Word of God?

There are three ways you can approach the Bible. The first is to go into the Bible thinking it is just silly stories. If that’s how you view it, that’s what you’ll come away with — silly stories.

The second is to read it just to say you’ve read it. If that’s your purpose, you will have read the Bible.

But what would happen if you actually go in thinking that the Bible is God’s way of reaching you, communicating with you, getting you to Him? You might find out that He is the One and only Teacher, and He is the One and only God.

“there is a God in heaven who reveals” Dan 2:28

“for One is your Teacher” Mt 23:8

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures Lk 24:45

Where should you start in His Word?

God has shown that the Law, the Prophets, and the writings of John are the key parts of His Word. For example, this is where:

God writes (on the stone tablets, on the wall in Daniel, on the ground in John);
God tells men to write His words in a book (Moses, Jeremiah, John);
God boasts about Himself (His “I Am” statements);
The Lord is the Light (Genesis, Isaiah, John, Revelation); and
The Lord’s name is revealed as being the Word (only in John’s writings).

Father first. The Law (Moses) and the Prophets are the Word of The Father. They are where you must begin. The Father uses these books to teach the foundation of how He creates, separates, judges, and destroys — and what He thinks of man. You must believe and learn from The Father first before He will send you to His Son. If The Father grants you access to The Son and the New Testament, it is Revelation, John, and 1John that reveal the most about Jesus. Why do you think John was called “the disciple whom Jesus loved”? Because the Lord revealed His deepest mysteries to John.

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Jn 5:46-47

And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” Lk 24:25

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” Lk 16:31

“Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” Jn 6:45

“no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.” Jn 6:65

Do you understand what the Bible truly is? It’s a Book about the battle over the Word of God.

From the beginning of mankind, there’s been a battle over God’s Word. When God gave His Word to Adam and Eve, the evil one came against God’s Word. Adam and Eve disobeyed the Word of God and consequently were cut off from God. When Jesus began preaching the Word, the evil one immediately tempted Him, using the three lusts of 1John 2:16, as he did with Eve. But the Lord overcame him by using the Word of God as His defense.

The point is, when the Word of God comes, immediately there is a battle. The battle over the Word of God is what the parable of the sower is about, and what life is about. Jesus said if you don’t understand this parable, how will you understand all the parables? The seed is the Word of God. As soon as the Word is sown, the battle immediately begins. The Word can be plucked, scorched, or choked. But if it is held fast, in time the person may bear fruit.

Persevere until His final judgment. A person can believe for a while, but then fall away. That’s what the parable of the sower shows. God has a growth process: believe the Word of God, understand the Word of God, and eventually speak and do the Word of God (bear fruit). However, a person can fall away at any point during this process. Who you are won’t be revealed until the Lord is revealed. The best you can do is begin the process and endure to the end. The Bible is a battlefield. You want to have only the Lord at the front of the battle.

The Word of God will judge you the last day. How do you think you’ve treated THE WORD OF GOD?

And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?” Mk 4:13

“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.” Lk 8:11

“…they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.” Lk 8:13

“And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word … and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” Lk 8:15

“it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” Mt 10:22

“…the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” Jn 12:48