Where Is My Head?

Have you ever asked and worried yourself over, "Have I lost my salvation?" Or, "Have I sinned so repetitively in one thing that God will not forgive me?" Or, "What if I wasn't one of the ones predestined or chosen by God?" These questions all amount to one thing; Am I accepted by God?

What a great question! What does God accept? Many times we associate God's acceptance as being given when we possess certain behaviors, life styles, attitudes, works, and beliefs. The truth is God does not accept any of those things. A better question is who does God accept?

Throughout the Old Testament we see that God only accepted sacrifices from His children. The Father accepted nothing else from His children but sacrifices and faith. The sacrifices were always a lamb or dove.

Why a lamb? The lamb represented a person. Who is this special lamb God kept accepting? Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the lamb of God. By accepting a lamb from the Israelites God was accepting a token, a picture, of Jesus Christ from them.

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’" John 1:29-30.

"'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'" Rev 5:12-13.

The first picture of the slain lamb was with Cain and Abel. God refused to accept Cain's hard work from the fields, but accepted Abel's slaughtered lamb.

"Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." Genesis 4:2-5.

Why was God pleased by Abel's gift? Because Abel gave the gift with faith. What is faith? Many times Christians throw this ambiguous, often occurring, scriptural word around without really understanding the meaning of faith. In the Greek faith means belief or conviction of the truth.

God was pleased because Abel gave God the lambs with a strong belief in something. What was this belief? Abel believed that only God's Son pleased God the Father. Abel was convicted of the truth that only Christ in himself would please God. Abel then gave the Lord a few slaughtered lambs to represent his belief, the truth, that only Christ pleased God. God credited it to him as righteousness.

"By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead." Hebrews 11:4.

Cain did not understand this concept. Instead of understanding that only Christ pleased God, Cain thought he could please God by the fruits of his own labors.

" In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD ... but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor."

The fruit of Cain's labor was his works. Why is God not pleased by our works? Even our best works, our most righteous acts are like filthy rags to God. Why? Are they really so filthy? Yes, our works are very filthy. Our righteous acts are not filthy as in sinful. They are filthy as being everything but what God desires to have.

When I was a little girl I wanted to do nothing else but learn how to ski. My mother enrolled me in all the girly activities like ballet, tap dance, cake decorating. She even enrolled me in soccer! Everything but what I longed to learn to try. I found every moment of these seemingly fun events frustrated, bored, agitated, and repulsed. None of it was good enough until I could learn to ski like I wanted to. After my mother finally gave in and allowed me to learn to ski I found all the other events pleasing and fun. But only through the context of getting what I really desired.

Our righteous acts are much like this to God. What God desires is not us trying to be like Christ or doing righteous acts. Until God receives Christ from us, for He is in us, God will find all our attempts to please Him by our actions repulsive. All our attempts to be like Christ or live like Christ will be disgusting to God. God doesn't want us at all. God wants us to die to ourselves and let Christ live through us. Again, all God wants is His Son.

More specifically God wants to magnify (blow up) the image of His Son through us because of The Father's great love for His Son. God desires to glorify (enlarge) His Son. Each one of us, when in Christ, are a piece of Christ blown up. Hence why we who are many are the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-26). We are all a bunch of pieces of Christ blown up and then sown back together to enlarge the image of Christ. All The Father desires is Christ and Christ enlarged (glorified).

"Jesus answered, 'If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’;'" -Jesus, John 8:54.

"He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,'" John 17:1.

"'Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.'" -Jesus, John 17:5.

"For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." -1 Cor. 6:20.

Only when Christ is in us and living through us, whatever those works might look like, will God be pleased and accept us. Us being Christ and ourselves as one. Christ's works through us then will be an additional pleasure to what The Father desires most. Without Christ in us the works of Christ are a repulsion to God for He desires His Son most, not the works of His Son. With every beating of His heart God desires His Son.

The answer to whether or not "have you lost your salvation," or, "have I sinned so much since becoming a believer God will reject me," or, "was I one of the predestined ones," is not yes or no. The answer is are you in Christ? Is Christ in you? God will only accept His Son. God will reject everything else. If you are in yourself your salvation, who is Jesus Christ, will be lost. If you are in Christ you are saved for HE is salvation.

Paul spoke of this to the churches. Paul warned the churches to be careful to run the good race and not become cut off from Jesus Christ. We have to refuse to be distracted by our own works, our own attempts to be like Christ, and the distractions of the world so that we can be IN Christ and have Christ IN us.

"You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith (belief) the righteousness for which we hope... You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ''” Galatians 5:4-5,7-9.

As Jesus said, you won't be cut off as long as you abide, live, in Him! If you live in Jesus, He will live in you. Everyone who doesn't live in Christ will lose their salvation, be cut off, and thrown into the fire.

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." -Jesus (John 15:5-6).

Instead of worrying about your actions learn to abide in Christ. Worry about whether or not you are living in Christ. Let the Holy Spirit dwell within you. Stay in Christ! Christ in us the hope of glory!

The Mediator

Let's face it ... Mankind has always loved to have a mediator between themselves and God. The mediator can be a pastor, a priest, a Bible, anything. But what has God always asked for? God and mankind together as one with no mediator.

One example, God asked all the Israelites to come up on the mountain, for them all to be a royal priesthood and kingdom unto Him. Exodus 19:3-6,

"Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”"

Every single last Israelite were to be God's priest and king. What did the Israelites do? Did they go as their magnificent Lord had called them? Did the accept the tremendous gift of this relationship with the Almighty God?

No. They refused sending only Moses to mediate on their behalf. Then God designed the Levitical Priesthood to communicate to the Israelites through a mediator. Exodus 20:18-21:

"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

²¹ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."

The Levitcal Priesthood was never God's plan or desire. God's plan was to have all the Israelites be a priesthood. Because of their refusal to be a priesthood and insistence on Moses being a mediator between them and God, the Lord picked one family, Levi's, to mediate between Him and mankind until Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again.

Today God is asking of us the same as He was asking of the Israelites. God has asked us to be a royal priesthood before Him. God has asked every single person who abides (lives) in Christ to join together as one and be a royal priesthood before Him. This is made possible by Jesus Christ mediating on our behalf.

What has been our answer historically? Our answer has been the same as the Israelites. A flat out refusal. We have insisted God give us a mediator as He did the Israelites. Our mediators are exactly the same types as the Israelites. Scripture, pastors, priests are our chosen mediators.

You have a choice today. Will you please God? Will you be a royal priesthood without any mediator besides Christ? Or will you follow the path of the Israelites? Demanding a mediator between the Body of Christ and God? Demanding a pastor or priest and scripture to be a barrier, a modes of communication, between you and God?

Or will you let Christ teach you in all things through the Holy Spirit? Will you, with the rest of the Body as one, commune (live) with God? Only one thing will please God, us being royal priesthood together and one with Christ. A mediator, other than Christ, between us and God will never please the Lord. Its like dividing Christ in half.

Seeking the Supernatural.

Today we have people seeking God for the "supernatural." It is common in Neo-Pentacostal circles to hear the people crying out, "God we want the supernatural! We want to see your miracles! We want to see angels! God give us your angels! Give us your miracles! God give us your supernatural!" Almost seems as though they were begging God for His power to be shown. They are begging God to show Himself in His power.

Jesus had a similar problem with the Pharisees. When Jesus told them that He would do something they asked Jesus for a sign. Not just a sign, but a miraculous sign. Why were they so caught up on miraculous signs when they had Christ in their midst? Was Christ not enough?! If you truly understand that God was standing before you in a man's body that should be enough! Because they did not recognize God in the form of man.

In fact Jesus answered the Pharisees request for a miraculous sign with a rebuke. Matt. 12:38-40,

"Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

The Pharisees were not just asking anyone for a miraculous sign. The Pharisees were asking Jesus for a miraculous sign. Jesus told them that a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign. Why did Jesus say an adulterous generation? Did that mean the Pharisees were cheating on their wives?

No! The Pharisees were adulterous to Jesus. Instead of remaining pure and living entirely for Christ they commited adultery against Jesus. How did they do so? By puffing themselves up with pride and sinning without repentance. The entire chapter of Matthew 23 records the sins of the Pharisees. They were proud, they took the seats of honor, they caused other believers to sin, they stole from God's people, lied, were hypocritical, the list goes on.

Jesus told the Pharisees something very interesting. The only sign the Pharisees would be given is Himself. The sign of Jonah Jesus related Jonah to Himself dying on the cross, remaining in the belly of the earth for three days, then rising against to defeat Satan and death! Jesus' reply to the Pharisees' request of a miraculous sign was Himself dying on the cross for them.

The meaning of "supernatural" is "above or beyond what is natural." Only God is above the natural. God created all that we know to be natural (Genesis 1-3). Why are we then asking for the outpouring of Christ instead of Christ Himself to dwell in us to a full measure? Jesus Christ only did what He saw His Father doing. John 14:9-14 explains how miracles and healings will happen,

"Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? ¹⁰Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. ¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

Jesus was able to do the miraculous and "supernatural" because God was IN CHRIST doing the works through Him. God is the supernatural, He is the only thing above the natural. When we see a miracle or sign it is God speaking. It is God Himself made evident in a situation and the natural obeying and changing to a command from the supernatural God.

The supernatural can be described by one person; GOD. God is the supernatural. Angels have no power and authority apart form God. Miracles are not powerful and have no authority. Signs are not powerful and have no authority. Miracles, signs, wonders, etc are only our recognition to the natural obeying the command of a supernatural God. Angels are a created natural spiritual being, just as we are, obeying the command of a supernatural God.

If you want to see signs, miracles, wonders, etc then you need to ask God for more of Christ in you. Jesus Christ promised us that we would do even greater things than He did if only we would seek Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind. If we would love Jesus and obey Him then God will begin to speak through Christ, and consequentially through you, and command the natural to obey. Then we will see the signs, miracles, wonders, etc. But again these workings were done out of obedience to God prompting the disciples' and Christ's heart to allow God to use them for those works. They were not performed by man prompting God's heart.

Seek Christ and the works will follow. Don't seek the miracles, signs, wonders, etc. Seek Jesus Christ because He will then be dwelling in you and able to command the natural through you. They will happen spontaneously and in the way that God wants to work them at that given time. Let go of the control and let God take control of all of you. Then God will be able to work through you in signs, wonders, and miracles.

Hard-Hearted Divorce.

In mist of a society that deems divorce for any reason acceptable, we must learn to ascertain what Christ claimed was valid reasons for divorce. Today people file for divorce because one person or both in the marriage are unhappy. Is this what Christ said was acceptable for us as His children?

Adultery results in seventeen percent of all divorces in America. A shockingly low percentage! Surprisingly, fifteen percent of all divorces in America are filed due to "incompatible personalitiess." Nearly just as high as the rate of infidelity that causes divorce.

People file for divorce for vast reasons like a lack of commitment to the marriage, lack of communication, abandonment, addictions, physical and emotional addiction, sexual abuse, inadequate conflict resolution, "incompatible personalities," careers, financial difficulties, disagreements over household tasks, conflicts over having or raising children, family interference, immaturity, "sexual incompatibility," feminism, lack of love, religious conversion, mental illnesses, and incarceration or criminal behavior. 

The list is exhaustive. Many reasons are heart breaking like abuses and criminal behavior. Many of the other excuses are ridiculous and selfish like "incompatible personalities," immaturity, and "sexual incompatibility." When an unbeliever divorces for these reasons it is permissible. They do not know better.

A Christian does know better. Yet many pastors teach that divorce for reasons like pornography addiction, unhappiness, or sexual abuse is permissible. To divorce for any reason other than infidelity is a sin. Christ instructed us that divorce for any reason other than adultery or death is a sin. Matthew 19:7-12 records the words of Jesus,

 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

 The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

If you have divorced a spouse for any reason other than adultery, then you have a hard heart. Praise God that He forgives us! Christ died on the cross to wash us clean of that sin as well. We cannot help past mistakes, but continue on in righteousness. If you are looking for a divorce because your spouse doesn't respect your feminist views, a difference in opinions about children, unhappiness, etc do not get a divorce! 

Christ encouraged us to instead stay married to our difficult partners. Paul encouraged us that when our spouses are difficult and we stay married to them, that they may become saved! Your spouse could become sanctified, meaning saved by grace, by your commitment to love them as Christ has! If you continue to love your spouse and remain married, God promises to try to change the heart and behavior of your spouse! 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 holds the promise for us,

"If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."

In fact, God does not even desire for us to divorce because of adultery. Christ taught us that it was not a sin to divorce a spouse for adultery. But Christ did not teach us that divorce in this matter was pleasant to God. Quite the contrary, God is sad to see His people divorced even because of adultery. Divorcing your spouse because of unfaithfulness leads to a hard heart still, unless your repent. Christ taught us in Matthew 19:3-6,

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

  "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

What Christ taught here was that a married couple should never be separated! That death was the only separation that did not result in a hard heart, because death is something we cannot control! Otherwise God desired for us to remain joined together for forever. Whether our spouse has been unfaithful or just plain lousy to us. God can redeem a marriage even after adultery. 

I know a couple where the husband cheated on his wife for six months, she loved him through the whole thing. The wife refused to divorce her husband and kept fighting for him, even while he was still having an affair. Her husband quickly left the other woman because he was changed by his wife's unfailing love. If only most believers had that kind of faith! The faith that God can change their spouse's heart and cause them to truly repent of their adultery. Meaning to turn fully away from it forever.

Christ believe marriage was sacred, meaning between one man and one woman. Because God created man and woman to become one. God also uses our earthly marriages as a depiction of the marriage that will occur between Jesus Christ and the Church in the end times. We are Christ's fiance awaiting our wedding day. One day we will be married and never separated. 

Thus why marriage was so important to Christ. It is a reflection of the truth. Christ never forsakes His bride, the Church, even when she sins against Him. In fact when the Bride of Christ in scripture sins it is called adultery and she is called a harlot. Yet Christ remains chasing after her hoping she will repent and change. If not then when she dies she goes to hell. The only true divorce of Christ and a believer. 

Let us love our spouses through the hard times! Stay committed to your spouse whether or not they are difficult. Stay committed to your spouse whether or not they have committed adultery. Christ has loved you through all of that and more! 

We Have All Failed.

A motto stamped upon our hearts. A caress to our ears that soothes the aching of the ravages of sin. A complete lie. All these are true of the belief, "We have all failed."

What is the truth? Christ told us we have all fallen short of the glory of God. A misshapen belief became of this that we are failures and all have failed. But was this truly what God was trying to say to us in that verse? Romans 3:21-26 teaches us,

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

When Paul said that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, he did not mean we have all failed. Paul was saying that no matter what sin you have committed it is forgiven by Christ's death on the cross! If you have faith in Jesus Christ and believe, which means to obediently follow God, then you are justified and forgiven! No longer is your sin held against you, no matter what the sin may be! The point here wasn't that we have all failed or fallen short, but that we are all forgiven and justified by Christ no matter our past sins.

What about when we disobey Christ after knowing Him? Does that then make you a failure? Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him three times. Yet Jesus entrusted His children, disciples of Christ, to him! Jesus did not seem to think that Peter's sins when knowing Him as savior was a failure.

Paul was a man who knew what it was to sin. Paul said he was the worst of sinners! That what he wanted to do, he didn't do, and the sin he didn't want to do, he did! But yet Paul was able to teach us that we are not failures but over-comers! In Romans 8:31-39 records Paul's lesson for us,

"31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: 

   

"For your sake we face death all day long; 

      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Paul believed that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! The truth is we are not failures, nor have we failed. We are conquerors and even better than conquerors, we are the friends of Christ! As so Christ termed us with loving endearment. There is only One who can bring a charge against those who know Christ, that one person is God. People can accuse us, remind us of our sins and mistakes, but they cannot make a final decision on it! God is the only one who can pass judgment on our actions. What is God's judgment? To condemn us? No! God justifies us! God knows that our obedience after the sin or mistake changes our hearts, brings fruit, bring glory to Him, and helps us to overcome temptation! God sees the end prize that He has in store after our mistakes!

A mistake does not equal a failure. Only the giving up of trying to do right in a situation where we have sinned or made a mistake equals a failure. That is because we refuse to hear God's voice and continue to obey. We step out of obedience and relationship with God then. But if we come back and try to do what is right, we have not failed!

When we do right after a sin or mistake we have triumphed over a temptation or stronghold of Satan! This is how we become more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! By obeying Him, doing what is right despite our past mistakes, and never giving up thus overcoming Satan.

Let us do what is right now matter our mistakes! Let us overcome Satan so we will be given the crown of life! Let us run the good run as though we were running for the only prize! Let us Praise God who justifies us despite our mistakes! We have a life to do what is right and overcome our mistakes! Praise God for that!

Forsaking Your First Love.

A great concern I have heard from many Christians is when to know whether or not you have forsaken your first love. Most of this concern comes from the letter Christ writes to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2::2-7,

"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 

But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

The general fear is that our love for God becomes tainted in some way. At first we have an awed wonder type of love. Just beginning to trust, to understand, and completely full of passion and excitement. As we mature in our relationship with Christ we have more of a trusting, mature, solid love for God. A love that trusts, has faith, hope, perseverance, still has passion, but is more mature and stable. We have been taught that this verse is showing us that the first love, excitement and passion filled love, is much better. That we should never forsake that type of love and if we have we must come back to it. 

This is not the truth. The word forsaken in the Greek is "afiemi" which means "to leave." Christ was saying here that the church of Ephesus left her first love. First love did not mean a type of love for Christ. Rather it meant a person you love. The first love of the church of Ephesus was Christ. This verse is literally saying, "Yet I hold this against you: You have left me, your love." 

How could the church of Ephesus have left Christ and still be doing good works? Would not they have then turned back to sin? The church of Ephesus in the time of Paul and John, who wrote Revelation, was a healthy and mature church body. Full of the love of Christ, full of the works of love, and was an example to all the other churches of a mature people of God. We see the recording of this in Paul's letter Ephesians which was written to the church of Ephesus. This changed at about 200 AD when the Church of Mary was established.

At some point after John's death, about 70-90 AD, and 200 AD the church os Ephesus left Christ. The church of Ephesus became inflamed with love and passion for Mary, hence the naming of the Church of Mary. They believed that Mary was a great woman, worthy of praise, because she gave birth to Jesus Christ. That she had to have been a most holy and perfect person, to have conceived Christ. Though this may be true, we were never supposed to praise anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father. 

The church of Ephesus warped in the Church of Mary who praised Mary instead of Jesus. In fact, the Church of Mary is noted as being a church who performed the "work of the saints." Meaning that they took care of the poor and widows and orphans, tried the false prophets, and preached the truth. But they did it to honor Mary and not Christ. Meaning that they had left their first love, who is Christ. 

The Church of Mary (aka church of Ephesus) performed the works out of duty. They came to believe that by their works, including praying to the saints, they would be saved, thus they performed the works out of duty to save themselves from hell. Instead of performing the works out of an overflow of love for Christ and others.

Unfortunately we cannot be saved by works alone. Paul in fact warned the church of Ephesis when it still loved Jesus that they could not be saved by works alone! In Ephesians 2:8-10 Pauls warns the church of Ephesus of tthe danger of this reasoning,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

God has prepared good works for us to do in advance and we do need to do those good works! But we are not saved by good works! We are saved by grace from God and faith in Christ! Good works mean nothing unless they are done out of obedience and love for Christ. Paul warned us that good works without love mean nothing. Faith, good works, and amazing miracles mean nothing without love for God and others. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 warns us of this,

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

The only way to ever become like the church of Ephesus is to stop loving Christ and others. As long as you love both Christ and other people with the love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13, then you will not forsake your first love. But if you become caught up in performing good works, having faith, and other things you will leave Christ. You must keep your heart, mind, and soul focused on loving Christ and others. Christ knew the secret in this and shared it with us when He said,

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." -Matthew 22:37-39.

Assembling the Scattered People of Judah.

Isaiah prophesied that the Root of Jesse would stand as a banner for the nations. This was to occur after the Anti-Christ was dethroned. Isaiah prophesied what God had to acomplish with His chosen people, the Israelites, before Jesus ruled the earth for a thousand years. This prophecy is found in Isaiah 11:12-14,

 12 He will raise a banner for the nations 

       and gather the exiles of Israel; 

       he will assemble the scattered people of Judah 

       from the four quarters of the earth. 

Ephraim's jealousy will vanish, 

       and Judah's enemies will be cut off; 

       Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, 

       nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.

 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; 

       together they will plunder the people to the east. 

       They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, 

       and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

We see a scattered people of Judah. The Jews became scattered at some point throughout all of Europe. They had no country of their own. The Jews had lost their promised land and been scattered. Then Hitler came through and attempted to kill all the Jews on the earth. This was unsuccessful and in mercy to the Jews the United Nations gave them the land of Israel. The Jews then moved to Israel because it was still their promised land and it contained their temple in Jerusalem. 

By receiving the country of Israel we can see how God called the Jews from the four quaters of the earth and assembled them. Ephraim in the time of this prophecy was just north of Jerusalem. Today Ephraim is part of the country of Israel. Thus the prophecy that Ephraim and Judah would no longer be hostile towards one another has occured! They have both become God's chosen people and live at peace!

The next verse has not yet occured, but will before the end times. The land to the east of Philistia is now the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is where the present day Palestines live. The lands of Edom and Moab are the Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Ammonites would be present day Iraq. 

In other words, before the Antichrist arrives Israel will plunder the Palestines, they will make war against the Jordans and Saudi Arabians, and the Iraqis will be subject to them. Just another forewarnig of the end times.