Revelation 11-13

Revelation 11 

11:1 –  “ I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told “ go an measure the temple of God and the altar and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court, do not measure it because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample the holy city for 42 months ( 3 ½ years).”

What temple does this passage refer to?  It cannot be the temple of Jesus’  time, commonly called the second temple . That temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Not one stone was left on top of the other and the articles of worship and precious metals were taken as loot to Rome.  John is writing what is being revealed to him in 95 AD – 25 years after the destruction of the temple, of a temple to be built  in the future.

Daniel 9:27 tells us “ He ( the antichrist- the world leader during the tribulation) will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. { a peace treaty with Israel and her enemies at the beginning of the 7 year period that ushers in 3.5 years of peace.}

In the middle ( 3.5 years in) he( antichrist/dictator) will put an end to the sacrifice and offering.  [ This means the  temple had to have been rebuilt- probably as a term of the peace treaty- because this is the only place the Jews can have an animal sacrifice.] In fact, verse 28 states: “ And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end that is decreed is poured  out on hm.”

LOCATION.

In real estate, they say the three most important  things about it are : location, location, location.  Jerusalem is the location. It is the most significant city historically in the Bible.  It is as old as Abraham, for Genesis 14, he meets the mysterious king-priest Melchizedek from Salem- a shortened form of the name Jerusalem.  It was captured and exalted as the national capital of Israel by King David over 3000 years ago.

His son, Solomon would build the temple there and turn the city into one of great beauty. The Temple and Jerusalem became the spiritual center of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. It was the only city, God ever referred to as ‘ my city.’ It is where Jesus was crucified; and  it considered holy by the three major religions: Jews, Muslim and Christians. Over the centuries countless crusades and invasions have taken place here.

Today, the location where the temple of Solomon and later the temple that Herod rebuilt where Jesus taught and was later destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, has been the location of the Dome of the Rock since the 1500’s.  This is the second most holy place to Muslims.  The mosque that sits there has within it a great rock . This great rock has two events associated with it that make it holy to Muslims and Jews.  They believe this rock is the location from which Mohammed ascended into heaven.

It also believed to be the very rock upon which Abraham offered Isaac to God as a sacrifice. ( Although the Muslims believe it was Ishmael he offered.) It is also the site of the threshing floor that  David purchased and sanctified as the locale for the Jewish temple, his son, Solomon would build.

The present Mosque sits squarely over the site of the front entrance to the ancient Jewish temple.

Until the War of 1967, the Jews had not had sovereign control over the Old City of Jerusalem for over 2600 years. But in June of 1967, the Jews liberated their beloved Jerusalem and took over sovereign control of the Old Walled City.  In that war, called the Six Day War, Jewish soldiers were seen racing thru the narrow winding street of the Old City to the Wailing Wall. This wall is all that is left of Herod’s temple and is holy to them. They were seen as they are today, kissing this wall and saying their prayers.  Moshe Dayan, the commander of the Israeli army said on that day, “ We have returned to our holiest of holy places, never to leave it again.”

Because Daniel 9: 27 & 28 puts together two facts- one a peace treaty is made for 7 years and in the middle the animal sacrifice is ended  and in verse 28 we are told  on a wing of the temple he (the antichrist) will set up an abomination.  We can conclude- a temple will be rebuilt where animal sacrifices, the heart of temple worship, is reinstated.  The temple and the ability to worship there would have been part of the peace treaty with the nation of Israel, that they could rebuild their beloved temple and reinstate worship.  This last for 3 .5 years and then is ended.

THE TWO WITNESSES.

11:3  “ I (the Lord) will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days ( 3 ½  years), clothed in sackcloth.”  This is the same power that Jesus told his disciples they would receive via the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8.  To prophesy means to speak the truth.

Who are these two witnesses?  Their names are not revealed.  Most agree one is most likely Elijah, because in Malachi, it is prophesized that Elijah will be sent before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  I believe this is who one of the witnesses is because of this scriptural prophesy. John the Baptist did not come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, he came ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah’ to announce the coming of the Lord the first time. Elijah was seen on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses.

Also Elijah never died. He was taken to heaven on a chariot in a whirlwind. The only other person from the Bible that did not die was Enoch.

I do not know who the second witness is…but I do believe one of them is Elijah based on the scriptural promise in Malachi 4:5. Elijah also had the power given to him by the Lord to bring down fire and withhold rain.

I also believe the message that Elijah proclaimed from Mount Carmel will be similar to the message he proclaims in the future in this period.  Elijah came to prominence in Israel during the reign of King Ahab, who was married to Jezebel. Jezebel’s influence on her husband, King Ahab, had led him to institute worship to Baal and actually build a temple of Baal in Samaria.  Because King Ahab had abandoned the Lord’s command and combined the two worships to form an apostate form of worship that recognized both deities that is the God of Israel and the god of Baal- Elijah had confronted them- first with drought in I Kings 17 and then to a challenge recorded in 1 Kings 18 on the Mount of Carmel.  It is this type of bold truthfulness that these two witnesses will exhibit in the face of overwhelming odds.

Elijah is one of the most confrontational prophets we meet in either the OT or NT.  I am not a confrontational person- I had rather reach a consensus than go thru confrontation. I believe much of the moral and ethical breakdown in our great nation is due to the fact that we live in the Laodecian Church Age. The Age of the Lukewarm- we choose to conform rather than confront. We choose consensus rather than conviction. We are swayed by the opinion polls rather than obedience to God and His laws.

Bill Clinton was one the most politically astute Presidents we have had in the history of this country. Combined with his intelligence and charisma- his ability to compromise led to some beneficial legislature that was passed with the support of the Republican party. He was a genius at reading the polls and the people.  He won his first election against incumbent president, George Bush the elder. He read the mood of the people and summed it up in one phrase- “it’s the economy, stupid.”

When it was discovered that he had an adulterous affair with Monica Lewinsky in the White House and consequently lied under oath and to the American people, charges were brought against him for impeachment. It is interesting what the opinion polls revealed regarding the attitude of the American people.  The overwhelming majority believed he lied under oath and committed adultery. But the polls also revealed they believed he was an effective president with high approval ratings for the job he was doing. So when charges were brought by Republicans that he was morally unfit to hold high office and there was an outcry from parts of the Christian community- the majority of the public called these people extremists, either mud slinging politicians or right wing- fundamental Christians who didn’t get it.

You know what Jesus thinks of the lukewarm Laodecian church? You make me sick- you make me nauseous, o that you were hot or cold? Hot and cold?  Those are extremes. You know what most people thought?  The economy is good, it’s booming- the stock market is up, unemployment is down- don’t go mess it up with these extreme antiquated views of morality. As if to say-what has morality and honest got to do with leadership?

It is interesting to note in I Kings- that King Ahab refers to Elijah as the ‘troubler of Israel’. In other words you, Elijah, and your talk of your God and what true worship is and keeping this God’s commandments are the source of all our trouble. That is exactly what the Anti Christ will accuse these two witnesses of in the last part of the Tribulation. The opinion pages of the media will rail out against these ‘trouble makers’; public opinion polls will reveal the majority of the people will agree with the Anti-Christ and the media. Elijah replies to those charges of King Ahab, that he, Elijah,  is not the source of the trouble but the King is, having abandoned the Lord’s command to follow Baal.  This will be the charges brought by the anti Christ against these two witnesses that they are causing all the trouble in Israel. In I Kings this charge  leads to a challenge put forward by Elijah.

In I Kings 18- Elijah summons all the people of Israel to meet him on Mount Carmel. Elijah warns the people of  Israel they abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed Baal, a false god.  He tells them to bring 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at the table of Jezebel.  The problem in that day and time will be the same problem in that day in the future Tribulation period.  An unbelieving, apathetic world and society has come to embrace a compromised apostate false religion that says both deities can be worshipped…both the God of Israel and the god of Baal.

This will be the challenge Elijah will make to the King, Jezebel, the people of Israel and the priest of Baal and Asherah.  The question he asks is the same one Joshua ask- whom will you serve?  The challenge is clear. There can be only one God. How long will you waver between two opinions?  You cannot have two masters.  If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.  One or the other- you cannot worship both.

In I Kings 18, Elijah proposes a contest to determine who is the real God. ( remember the game show ‘to tell the truth’… where 3 people claim to be the same person- but two are liars and one is the real person. The panel had to ask questions and make their decision based on their answers.  )  Elijah’s challenge is to take two bulls. Cut them into pieces and put the pieces on the wood but not set the wood on fire.  Both would do this.  Then let the prophets of Baal call on their god to send down fire, and Elijah would call on his God to send down fire.

The people gathered agreed this was a fair contest.( By the way this is what most Christians have become- spectators rather than participants.) The prophets of Baal called on their god from morning till noon without any answer. Elijah began to taunt them to shout louder maybe Baal was asleep. They responded by shouting louder and cutting themselves. By nightfall nothing had happened.

Then Elijah said to all the people come here and watch this.  He made an altar with 12 stones and dug a trench around the wood and sacrifice.  Then he poured 4 large jars of water on the wood and sacrifice…not once but three times until the water ran down the altar and filled the trench. Then Elijah called on the Lord  to send down fire. Elijah wanted what the Lord wanted – for the hearts of the people to be turned back to the True and Living God.

Then the fire came down and consumed the sacrifice, the altar and the stone.

We are told in this story that the people saw this and  they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord – He is God! The Lord – He is God!”

Facing similar circumstances in the future tribulation period of a world and society that does not worship the true and living God, but has embraced the worship of false gods- even the anti Christ and the devil himself, God brings forth these two witnesses.  God refers to this duo as olive trees and lamp stands.  They are given protection and power. No harm can come to them, fire comes from their mouth and devours their enemies. They have to power to shut the skies so no rain will fall and turn water into blood and strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.  What a thorn in the side of the enemy they are.  This goes on for the last 3 ½ years of the tribulation.

Then when the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast will come up from the Abyss and attack them, overpower them and kill them. The bodies of the two witnesses will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and half days.  Every person in the world will watch these events on television…they will be glued to their television sets.

The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over the two witnesses’ death, there will be celebrations and gift giving as if it were Christmas because these two who have tormented them are dead.

It would appear ( but remember things are not what they seem) the enemy has won. They believe their god has won the contest- thus people are celebrating that they have won the battle of the gods.

But as the whole world watches CNN and every network that show the death of these two- they will be startled after 3 ½ days that the breath of life from God enters them and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. When you read the account of the resurrection of Lazarus, he had been buried four days. We are told the result was many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.   It must have been like this when the Lord Jesus was in the tomb for three days following his crucifixion…when satan and the demons and the Lord’s human enemies celebrated until the third day when He arose with a mighty victory over His foes.  And like when Jesus arose there was a mighty earthquake in Jerusalem, so will it be when the two witnesses arise and ascend into the clouds.  John reports that 7,000 people were killed in the quake and 1/10th of the city of Jerusalem was destroyed.  However, the survivors were terrified and gave glory to God.

As a shocked world watches these events, they hear a voice come from heaven say to the two witnesses- COME UP HERE and they are taken up into heaven in cloud while their enemies look on terrified.

And then in Jerusalem there will be a great earthquake. This is the second woe. The third is to come soon and then the seven bowls poured out  and the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign forever.

We are told the nations were angry because the Wrath of God has come. The time of judgment has come for unbelievers and the time of reward for the saints who reverence your name.

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened and within his temple were seen the ark of His covenant.

Does this ark refer to the chest of acacia wood overlaid with gold that was in the holy of holies? No, that ark was a replica and pattern of what was in heaven which was actually the throne or mercy seat of God. In the temple and earlier in the tabernacle this is where the blood of the lamb was sprinkled by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement for the sins of the people. The throne of judgment became a throne of mercy.  This revealing of the ark, God’s golden throne, reminds them that God will be unconditionally faithful to His covenant of forgiveness that He makes with those who will accept the message of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus.

The seventh angel sounds the seventh trumpet and the last of God’s judgments will be poured out- the 7 bowls of wrath. But before that we will read about the woman and the dragon in Chapter 12, the beast out of the sea in chapter 13, and the Lamb and the 144000 in chapter 14.

We still live in the age of Grace.  The doors of heaven are still open- the mercy seat has not yet become a judgment seat.  Anyone can still RSVP their invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

In Chapters 10-14 are called parenthetic, in that they do not advance the narrative or time table but take us aside in the journey to reveal important persons who will be prominent in the end times, which will come with the seven bowls beginning in Chapter 15.  So before the final curtain comes down here is the list of important characters:

The woman = represents Israel.

The Man-child = Christ

The dragon = satan

Michael = represents the angels

The 144,000= the remnant of Israel

The beast out of the sea = the world dictator, the Anti Christ.

The beast out of the earth = the false prophet who supports the Anti Christ.

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Revelation 13

In the 1930’s Germany was in desperate financial straits. Inflation was so severe that thousands of people were on the verge of starving to death. There were riots in the streets and universities. Germany was for all practical purposes collapsing. No one seemed to be able to create order out of the chaos.  Then Adolf Hitler appeared.

Hitler spoke with such authority and passion. He wept as he spoke of the glory of Germany past. Then shouting he proclaimed that Germany would experience that glory again.

He put people to work, he built highways, and thru Porsche automobile gave the world the Volkswagen and people  started eating and experiencing a new sense of national purpose and pride. Then he began to explain who had caused their problems- the Jews.  Leaders always like to define the problem and assign the blame and then punish those who are blamed and satisfy the crowds.

“History teaches us that man learns nothing from history.”  Hitler will seem like a choir boy compared to the one to come during the Tribulation. This Anti-Christ will come at a time of great chaos and confusion. He will be a supreme humanist.  By that I mean he will believe man can solve his own problems. He will not accept the Bible’s evaluation that man is in this mess because of sin. He will scoff at the idea that this has anything to do with God. He will in fact label Christians and those who believe the Bible as part of the problem.

So let’s meet these two Beasts who appear in the Tribulation.

1.   The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. ( Remember who the dragon is- Satan.) and I saw a beast coming out of the sea, with ten crowns on his horns and on each head a blasphemous name. The sea represents the nations of the world.(Revelation 17:15) Notice the dragon is standing on the shore of the sea, so it is he who brings the Beast out of the sea. Blasphemy takes two forms- making oneself equal with God; and slandering God’s name in vain. The Beast does both.

2.   “ The beast I saw resembled ( was like) a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear, and the mouth like a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” John describes what appears symbolically as a composite beast. The beast will combine distinguishing features from three previous powerful empires.  The leopard represents the ancient Greek Empire under the leadership of Alexander the Great. Under his leadership, with great speed he conquered the known world in less than three years.  The bear represents the raw power of the Medo-Persian empire that featured a large, vicious slow-moving powerful army that struck fear like  a mighty bear. The lion represented the Babylonian empire famous for its splendor and construction of ancient wonders. The Beast will combine the best of these traits. Like most leaders, he has studied history and will strike with speed, raw power and construct mighty wonders.

3.   “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound has been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.” It appears the Beast exhibits a counterfeit or imitation resurrection. Thus establishing himself as the resurrected savior. Remember in II Thessalonians 2:11, we are told : “For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie.”

4.   “Men worshipped the dragon(satan) because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshipped the beast and asked, ‘who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”  At long last, Satan has what he has always wanted the worship of most of the people on earth. I believe this event will kick off the war that occurs 3.5 years into the 7 year period of the tribulation. Satan and his army of fallen angels are kicked out of heaven and come to earth. Now the war against the saints will begin as the last 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation begin.

5.   “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. (Note the phrase –‘was given’ is used in relation between Satan and the beast emphasizing the role of underling and puppet the beast plays.) Verse 6 tells us he(the beast) opened his mouth to blaspheme God and slander His name and those who live in heaven.  You can tell the beast is giving voice to the message of pure hatred satan has for God and the saints. Remember blasphemy manifests itself in two ways: making oneself equal with God, usurping His place and slandering God’s name in vain. The beast does both. He will be heard everywhere- on the radio, on television with editorials in the major newspapers. He will have the charisma of a Hitler combined with intelligence and empowered by Satan himself.

6.   “ He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people and language and nation. The Anti Christ ( the first beast out of the sea) rules over all unbelievers as the puppet of the satan.

7.   In verse 8, we are told all inhabitants of earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Lamb’s Book of Life is the book in which are written the names of every person who ever lived on the face of the earth. Ever patient and long suffering, the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. No one has an excuse for God has revealed Himself to them. In John 3, Jesus tells us sadly, this is the verdict, light has come into the world but men preferred darkness. They have made their choice. When a person rejects Jesus Christ and never changes their mind and goes to the grave without accepting Christ their name is blotted out of the Book of Life. Jesus spoke of the believer in Revelation 3: 5, ‘ he who overcomes will be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life.’   At the great white throne judgment, we read in Revelation 20: 15: “ If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” These are those who did not respond to the invitation- went to the grave deceived and lost like the rich man in Luke 16. For those unbelievers who survive the tribulation period they will come before the Lord. In Matthew 25, we are told by the Lord Jesus: “ When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.{This will be the beginning of the Lord’s Millennial Reign.} All the nations ( all the people who have survived the Tribulation) will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one  from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep ( saved) on his right and the goats( unsaved) on his left.  He will tell the unsaved, depart from me, I never knew you. They will go away into eternal punishment.

 

Satan is furious with those whose names are written in the Book of Life because they’ve trusted Christ. He will do all he possibly can to destroy every believer. Just like Hitler was obsessed with the extermination of the Jewish race.

Let’s look back at II Thessalonians 2: 7-12. Satan always wanted to be god and be worshipped. In many ways he copies or mimics God in order to deceive. The hand-picked Anti-Christ and the False Prophet, the other beast we are about to meet represent and create a delusion of an unholy trinity with satan as god. To convince the world satan displays all types of counterfeit miracles and signs including a fake resurrection.

Next in verses 9&10- tells us what happens to believers during this terrible time of the Great Tribulation. They will face captivity, abuses of all kinds and death- execution. The KJV states :** If any man have an ear, let him hear. Here again is the free will of man to decide what he wants to do. But they will be without excuse because – since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. Clearly seen. The heavens declare the glory of the Lord; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

Next we meet the second person of the unholy trinity, the second beast also known as the False Prophet. Just as the first beast, the Anti Christ was a political leader- the second beast is a religious leader.

Here is his origin and description. He comes out of the earth, he has two horns like a lamb but spoke like a dragon.

This person will be a religious leader- a prophet like Elijah and/or John the Baptist. His purpose will be to cause the inhabitants of the earth to worship the beast and the dragon who gives the first beast power. The horns like a lamb suggest this. The True Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ came to take away the sin of the world; this beast will come to multiply the sin of the world. The True Lamb of God came to do the will of His Father- the False Prophet comes to do the will of the First Beast.  Jesus told us to beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

The First Beast came from the sea- this second beast comes from the Land. The land refers in scripture to Israel. This False Prophet who  proclaims the first beast the one to be worshipped will come from Israel, he must be Jewish or of Jewish ancestry for the Jews would not accept one who is not their own.

The False Prophet will be the imitation Holy Spirit whose role is to cause the world to worship the First Beast, the Anti-Christ as the Messiah, with of course Satan as god – the Unholy Trinity.

Think about the role of the Holy Spirit. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that Christ was resurrected from the dead. This second beast plays a role in the fake resurrection of the Anti Christ. The Holy Spirit seals believers, this beast will mark them with the mark of the beast, 666. He will also perform miracles like Elijah and bring down fire from heaven.

In verse 14, we read : because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. Paul tells us the Jews demand miraculous signs.

Next the False Prophet ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword yet lived.  Where do you think this image is set up?  In the rebuilt temple.

Then in verse15, we are told all who do not worship the beast will be killed.

He also forces everyone, small and great to receive a mark on his right hand or forehead. You must have this number or be cut off from economic survival- for no one can buy or sell unless they have the mark of the beast- the number 666.  Six is the number of man…so 666 is man trying to imitate the trinity of God, three persons in one.

Did you see the key in today’s lesson?  The difference between those who are saved and those who are lost has to do with – hearing. He who has ears let him hear. If any man has an ear, let him hear.  If is one of those huge words. It is like the hinge of a door- that opens the way.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Jesus used this phrase( he who has ears let him hear) when teaching parables. Parables were great teaching tools- they were easy to remember and hidden within were the spiritual truths.

Why do some hear and believe and others hear and do not believe?  The reasons are explained in one of the greatest parables regarding hearing the Word of God in Luke 8 ( also in Matthew 13 and Mark 4)

Turn to Luke 8 and let’s read this short parable and the Lord’s discussion with his disciples as he tells us the meaning of the parable.

The seed is the word of God.

The soils represent the hearts, minds and attitudes of people who hear the word.

The birds represent the devil.

The farmer represents the believer who has been commanded by God to share the word. For if faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God – and how can they hear without someone preaching to them? So we as Christians are to sow the word.

You will also notice in the parable the yield does not depend upon the seed or the one sowing the seed.  The yield depends upon the condition of the soil.

Let’s look at the four types of soil which represent the souls, the hearts of people and their attitude- their mind and way of thinking.  The path or hard packed soil, the shallow soil with the rock beneath the surface, the thorny soil which choked the seed, and the good soil.

The path represents the closed mind, the hard heart the unteachable spirit. Hardened by selfishness, lust, pride, greed, or fear.  (Herod had a hard heart. It was hardened by pride in his position, and his lust for power. Funny thing- fear almost always goes with pride. His pride in his position and power made him fear anything that would take away what he valued so greatly.)

The shallow soil that represents the superficial mind. This mind moves from one new thing to another. It does not take root because once discipline is called for to grow- it falls away for it wants only the part that “feels good”. Guided by emotions and pleasures of the experience. Judas? Rich young ruler?

The soil that  crowds out the seed represents the distracted mind that chokes our fruitfulness. It is distracted by many things- pursuit of wealth, success, other relationships, preoccupied with things that keep the away from the main thing. Remember the parable of the man invited to the wedding who declined because he had bought some property that needed  his attention. Or the wealthy man who had so much he was going to have to build some more barns?

Then there is the good soil- the noble and good heart. This required a heart transplant, the removal of the heart of stone. The rock was dug up, the hard path was broken, the thorns were uprooted. We were all one type of the first three soils before salvation.  And in our lives we must constantly be on guard and allow the Heavenly Father who is the Constant Gardener to prune us and prepare us to make sure we do not revert to that way of thinking.
The hard heart must be broken- to become teachable and accepting of the seed, the word of God. God can certainly arrange the circumstances and storms that will soften the hard heart and break it up. Brokedness is a necessary step.  We often refer to cultivation as beginning with ‘breaking up the soil.” Or beginning a new building- by ‘breaking ground.’

The shallow soil must have the rock underneath the soil removed. I believe this rock represents impatience. It takes time and work for the root to take hold and produce fruitfulness.

The weeds must be uprooted. Cutting them off at the surface will not work, they will sprout up again. These types of works of the flesh, though they look good will not produce fruitfulness.  We must eliminate those distractions that choke out the word and thus fruitfulness and make time in our schedule to spend time alone with our Heavenly Father, the Constant Gardener to develop deep reaching roots so that we might be fruitful.

What kind of soil are you?  Has God’s Word taken root in your life?

He who has ears let him hear. Are you listening?

 

Copyright © 2010 Linda Benthal
Last modified: 08/12/14