The Heaton File

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning, ‘Made them male and female.'” (Matthew 19:4)

Male And Female

There is no doubt the moral compass of the world has turned social norms upside down. The acceptance of the free sexual identification platform forces on the stage of human opinion an awareness of those who wish to “identify” in whatever passion they desire. In the 70s, it was the hippie movement for open sexuality. This has now born the grandchildren of a culture identifying themselves with a long list of letters representing whatever fetish their flesh desires and calling themselves by names derogatory to the natural order of things. A transvestite is a person, especially a male, who adopts the dress and often the behavior typical of a woman for emotional or sexual gratification. The dilemma of those who identify themselves as transvestites must clarify they are ‘trans’ because they cannot call themselves males any longer, although at birth they were males. Each time they identify themselves as ‘trans,’ they admit they were born male.

God created an organized and efficient world that has existed for thousands of years in the same manner and the same order. Boys and girls are born every day. Men and women live in every community in the world. Women can get pregnant, but men cannot. There is a difference in the anatomy of males and females. Men generally are stronger physically than women. God created man first and then formed woman from man. Adam called God’s creation “Woman” because she was taken out of man. There are only two kinds of humans that become obvious with minimal effort.

Because of the self-serving, hedonistic, pleasure-seeking passions of the human spirit, efforts are made to justify the lifestyles of those who desire same-sex, immoral, and decadent identification. The final irony is that at the end of the day, a person who identifies as a transvestite is merely a man wanting to be a woman; they try to deny the difference between a man and a woman. Every person is born a male or female. They are not born transvestites or homosexuals or adulterers or sodomites, or pedophiles. These passions come from the fleshly desires to go against nature created by God. When the Lord created man and woman, He designed their bodies so uniquely that when an archeologist finds skeleton remains, they can determine whether the deceased is a male or female by examining the bones. It does not matter what kind of clothing they had on or how much makeup they wore; the bones tell the story of male and female.

God said He created male and female. Moses wrote the story about males and females. Jesus confirmed the words of Moses when He declared, in the beginning, there was only male and female. Denying the identification of male and female denies God, the Holy Spirit, the Son of God, and the Word of God. One thing is sure: to reject the identification of males and females is to deny eternal salvation. The individual may enjoy his pleasure here in this life, but denying God will sentence them to the endless darkness of perdition. Sadly, common sense is more prevalent to answer the question, but the appeal must be made to the reality of God’s word. The Lord created male and female. That’s it. Nothing more.

And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:1-7)

God Will Make You Laugh

Many things in life are impossible and without answers. Sometimes a thing may seem impossible, but through the fortunes of life can be achieved. The four-minute mile seemed impossible, but it happened in 1954 and is now the standard for all male professional middle-distance runners in several cultures. Landing a man on the moon was beyond the imagination of human wisdom. Neil Armstrong stepped on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The power of human wisdom achieved the impossible. When something is genuinely impossible, nothing within the framework of man’s knowledge, power, and technology can achieve it. Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, but it was impossible to walk to the Moon. A man can’t live in the sea without an artificial device to give him oxygen. Contrary to today’s culture, a man can’t give birth to a child. God created only the woman for that role.

In the arena of impossibilities, a ninety-year-old woman cannot give birth to a child. This is especially true for a man one hundred years old. Before the flood, men lived nearly a thousand years. After the flood, life expectancy changed. Giving birth to a child could only happen when the woman’s womb was full of life. In the creation of Eve, God ordained a time when the womb would no longer bear children. When the Lord first appeared to Abraham and told the patriarch he would be the father of a great nation, Abraham was seventy-five. Sarah was sixty-five. When Abraham was ninety-nine, God appeared to remind him of His promise of a great nation. God tells Abraham He would make him the father of many nations. He tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son and be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be from her. Sarah was eighty-nine at the time God spoke to Abraham. Abraham fell on his face and laughed.

God can make a man laugh. Abraham was feeling the pains of living for almost one hundred years. He believed in the promise of God, but to consider the possibility of him having a son at his age was an impossibility. He suggested God consider Ishmael as the son of promise. Abraham had good reason to think it was impossible to bear a son. And he was correct. At this time, the womb of Sarah was dead, and Abraham’s body was dead, so far as having a son. Abraham and Sarah couldn’t have a son. Modern medical science could not have changed the impossibility. The condition of Abraham and Sarah was permanent. And then God made Sarah laugh.

Soon after telling Abraham that he would have a Son, God sent three angels to Abraham to inform him of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As the men sat with Abraham in his tent, they reaffirmed the promise of a son. Sarah had been busy making provisions for the men when they asked Abraham where she was. Abraham said she was in the tent. They told Abraham according to the time of life, Sarah would give birth to a son. Sarah was listening at the tent door and when she heard what the man said, laughed within herself at the possibility of a child being born to her. She knew she had passed the age of childbearing. Hearing the news, she laughed within herself. She could not believe it. The angels knew she had laughed and reminded Abraham that nothing was impossible for God.

Nine months later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac and laughed. She had a baby at the age of ninety. It was the impossible made possible by the God of impossibilities. Her laughter was the amazement at what God’s power can do. It must have been an amazing thing for everyone to see a pregnant ninety-year-old woman walking around and then hear of her son’s perfect birth. Everyone was laughing – seeing the power of God to do the impossible. She bore Abraham a son in his old age. At the age of ninety, she nursed her son. Sarah laughed with wonder and joy at the power of the Lord. No one could believe it, but it was true.

The possibility of a ninety-year-old woman giving birth to a healthy baby boy remains impossible. Human wisdom will never craft medicine or technology to allow this. The virgin birth of Jesus was the highest of impossibilities made possible by the power of God. These miracles are among a host of signs of what God can do if the heart is willing to laugh and believe the impossible. Not to laugh in derision, but belief. There is nothing God cannot do to change a person’s life. The grace of God saved Paul. The magicians in Ephesus gave up their trade and burned their books worth millions of dollars for Jesus Christ. Paul refers to saints at Corinth as fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners. They were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ. Impossible? Not with the power of God.

There is nothing in your life God cannot make possible. You may face the impossible. Let God change your impossible to possible. If He can give life to a ninety-year-old woman to give birth to a son in her old age, what kind of possibility can He accomplish in your life? Trust in Him. Seek His power. Trust in His grace. Let God make you laugh.

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:12)

How Could They Say That?

The members of the body of Christ in Corinth were in a dilemma. Paul referred to them as a church of God. They were called those who had sanctified themselves to Jesus Christ. The letter is addressed to those who were the saints of God. Their example was known everywhere as those who called on the name of Jesus Christ. The Corinthian church was enriched in everything by Christ. As people of God, they had been called into the fellowship of the Son of God, Jesus Christ the Lord. In his letter, the apostle Paul refers to the Corinthians as brethren multiple times. For all practical reasons, the church at Corinth was a model church with all the proper credentials of the pattern of New Testament teaching.

Paul commended the church for their good character as a church of God. Still, he began a long discourse rebuking, chiding, admonishing, instructing, and seeking to correct many false ideas that had permeated the church. Among the many issues facing Corinth, Paul tries to understand how some brethren in Corinth taught there was no resurrection of the dead. There are many things fundamental and essential to the doctrine of Christ. Believing that Jesus was the Son of God is paramount. Accepting that Jesus was crucified on a cross, died, and was buried, arising on the third day, was without question. The whole tenor of faith rested upon a risen Savior. If Christ did not rise from the dead, faith was futile. It is impossible to be a baptized believer if one does not accept that Jesus rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God.

Remarkably, there were those in the Corinthian church that did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. The text does not indicate they denied the resurrection of Jesus. They were teaching the impossibility of the resurrection from the dead in its general sense. Gnostic influences may have led the Christians to try and explain how a man could rise from the dead, what body he would have, and how a person could live in a spiritual body. Paul would address all of these questions. It seems they were trying to unpack the wisdom of God with the tools of men, which is an exercise in futility. Paul will explain through the Holy Spirit the nature of the resurrection, but there are still many questions at the end of the day.

Obviously, if there is no resurrection of the dead, all the stories in the Old Testament and the stories of Jesus and His disciples raising the dead were lies. The greatest lie would have been the resurrection of Jesus – if the dead do not rise. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, faith would be useless. Go home and eat, drink, be merry, and die. There is no purpose to life – if there is no resurrection from the dead. Everything a Christian lives and dies for is useless when the resurrection is denied. There were saints in Corinth who were abandoning their faith for the wisdom of men.

When men turn away from Bible study and prayer, their hearts fill with the wisdom of human reasoning. In time, left unchecked, this will lead the simple-minded away from the only truth that will save them. It is hard to imagine people of God teaching there is no resurrection from the dead. To hear that taught today would be incredible but not surprising. The people of God deny many basic tenets of the gospel—obedience, marriage and divorce, righteousness and holiness, church leadership, and worship. The church of Corinth was a place of great trouble because they began to listen to the wisdom of the world instead of the message of the cross. There is no hope in the cross if there is no empty tomb. An empty tomb means that all of God’s people receive a tomb that will be emptied one day for an eternal crown. Praise God and come quickly, Lord.

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. (Matthew 16:27)

Three Things True

The Bible is the story of Jesus Christ from Genesis to the Revelation. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John unveil the nature of the Son of God in earthly form. Throughout His ministry, Jesus told His followers He would go to Jerusalem and be betrayed. He would be mocked, spit on, flogged, and then killed. On the third day, Jesus said He would rise again. Jesus was arrested, crucified, and rose on the third day. The work of spreading the gospel of redemption was given to twelve men. After forty days, Jesus ascended to His Father. The apostles carried the message of Jesus Christ until every creature under Heaven had heard the good news. A vital part of the message of Jesus was the belief He arose from the dead and that He was coming back.

It seems the early disciples believed so strongly in the return of Jesus they thought He would return in their lifetime. After two thousand years, He has yet to return, and no one knows when God will send His Son.  Jesus affirmed three things to be true. First, He was coming in the glory of His Father. Second, He would be accompanied by the hosts of angels. Third, all souls will receive the divine judgment of salvation or condemnation upon His return. No man knows the time of the return of Jesus, but there is no doubt that day will come when least expected, like a thief in the night.

Jesus said He was coming back. The angels testified Jesus was returning. Paul and other writers wrote to the first-century disciples encouraging them to continue in the faith with the knowledge that Jesus would return. There is nothing more specific than the second coming of Jesus. Paul described the return of Jesus with a great noise and the instantaneous destruction of Earth and the hosts of heavenly planets and stars. Nothing will be left. All will be burned up in a giant conflagration. Some people believe in a rapture where Jesus returns secretly. The only thing right about that false doctrine is that Jesus is coming back, but there is nothing secret about it. Every eye will see the Lord coming. There will be no one who does not hear the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God. Rest assured – Jesus is coming back.

When Jesus returns, He does not return alone. He will come in the glory of His Father with His angels. A heavenly host of divine beings will attend Jesus. Angels have always been a vital part of the redemption story. One angel in one night killed 185,000 trained warriors. Angels have cared for God’s people, and when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying, an angel appeared to Him from Heaven, strengthening Him. Jesus died on the cross, but He returns with a host of angels. The world rejected the Son of God, and one day the Son of God returns with the authority of Heaven. A carpenter’s son, considered a criminal, was mocked, spit upon, beaten, and crucified, and when Jesus returns, He will be the Son of God as the eternal Judge of all men. He is coming back, but He is not coming back alone.

When Jesus returns, all men will be placed before the judgment bar of God to receive the things done in the body, whether good or evil. Everyone will receive their reward according to his works. Salvation by faith alone will not be a measure. The salvation of the soul will be according to the works of men in the context of their obedience. Judgment will be measured by faith, grace, mercy, and love but also obedience, works, action, and diligence in doing the will of the Father. For most people, the return of Jesus will be a day of dread. There will be no joy, happiness, or excitement when the trump of God sounds. The return of Jesus ends human history and begins eternal terror for those unprepared. Few will be saved. Only a few will be happy to see Jesus. Most men reject the word of God. Jesus will judge all men according to divine truth. Most of humanity will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. The few who are saved will enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Jesus is coming. He is bringing angels. His judgment will be complete. Are you ready for Jesus to come – today?

Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day. (Genesis 19:36-38)

The Man In The Cave

At the entrance to the cave sat an old man carrying years of disappointment and heartache. He sat in a reflective mood looking back over his life wasted for something he could not attain and gaining everything he did not want to get. His life began in a beautiful family of God-fearing, devoted people to the one true God. As the nephew of Abraham, Lot was privileged to sit at the table with the patriarch of a great people. His aunt Sarah was a beautiful woman inside and out who showed her faith in God. When his grandfather Terah told the family they would leave the Ur of Chaldee to go to Haran, Lot gathered his family and joined the procession. While in Haran, Terah died, and as the oldest son, Abraham became the family patriarch.

The journey for Lot was not completed. God came to Abraham and told him to leave his country and his father’s house to a place the Lord would show him. Abraham obeyed, and Lot went with him. Traveling in the company of Abraham was a time of great faith for Lot and his family. The influence of Abraham and Sarah was pleasant. Lot would travel with Abraham to Egypt and then return to the land of Canaan. Abraham was very rich in livestock, silver, and in gold. Lot was also a wealthy man enjoying many of the fine things of life. Being associated with a godly man like Abraham enhanced the life of Lot tenfold. Abraham was a man of great faith.

When the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot began to dispute where their flock could graze, Abraham offered a compromise to his nephew. Abraham did not want strife between him and Lot over the herds of animals. In the act of mercy and grace, Abraham gives Lot a choice of where he desires to live. Abraham could easily have told Lot where to live because, as the family patriarch, Abraham was like a king. Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan that was well watered everywhere. The land was like the Garden of Eden. In a moment of greed, Lot chose the best land for himself. He should have honored the headship of Abraham by begging his uncle to choose first, but Lot could only see the prospect of prosperity before him. Lot and Abraham separated.

At first, Lot pitched his tents as far as Sodom. Lot knew the reputation of the cities of the plain. Sodom was a place of exceeding wickedness and immorality. This was not a secret. The area around Sodom and Gomorrah was exceedingly sinful and corrupt. His years with Abraham should have told him to turn away from such a place, but in time Lot moved his family into the city and became a community member. The righteous soul of Lot was vexed daily with the world he had moved his family, but he never took them away. He continued to live in a city filled with homosexuality at every level. His judging rebuke went unheeded by the people. But Lot remained in Sodom, and his family made a home there.

The old man in the cave looked back and realized he had given up everything for the pottage of riches, prestige, popularity, and what he thought was important. His uncle Abraham had been blessed far removed from the influence of Sodom. When the kings came against Sodom and Gomorrah taking the people hostage, including Lot of his family, Abraham came to rescue them. Did his uncle exhort Lot to leave Sodom? The record does not tell, but Lot returns to Sodom. He faced certain death as a captive save for the bravery of Abraham. Living in Sodom was a dangerous decision, but he returned to his wicked city after he was released. Now he sat with head in hand, lamenting his choices. God had sent His angels to protect him and his family. He saw the grace of God with his wearied eyes, but it was too late.

When Lot and his family fled the city of Sodom, Lot’s wife turned longingly to her home and was immediately killed by the hand of God. The angels warned against looking back. Sodom had become the home of Lot’s wife, and she looked back and became a pillar of salt. Lot’s decision cost him his wife. When he and his daughters fled to the mountains, they sat in terror as the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and overthrew the cities of the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. Their world came to an end. When the old man in the cave looked out the entrance to the two little boys playing in the sand, his heart was crushed to know his grandchildren were his children. Believing no man was left on earth, the two daughters of Lot got their father drunk and conceived children by him. The man sitting in the cave with his head in his hands looked over his life and saw all the wasted opportunities and the shame of his decisions. A righteous man was living with the consequences of unrighteous choices.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the Moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

The Moon

Located 238,900 miles away, the Moon is the solitary satellite revolving around the Earth every 29.5 days. The Moon has a diameter of about one-quarter that of its parent planet. It lacks any significant atmosphere, hydrosphere, or magnetic field and consists of an uninhabitable rock surface. Created on the fourth day, God placed the Moon in the night sky to rule the darkness. The greatest influence of the Moon is the gravitational pull on the tides worldwide. God placed the Moon in orbit around the Earth precisely and perfectly, which has continued non-stop since the fourth day of creation. Adam and Eve were the first to see the beauty of the Moon in the night sky. The phases of the Moon have guided the people of Earth from the beginning. Throughout history, the Moon has been worshipped and revered.

On a clear night when the Moon is shining brightest, the Earth is filled with the radiance of the Moon’s glow. This is a misnomer because the Moon cannot create light. The Moon’s only purpose in shining in the darkness is the reflection of its larger parent, the Sun. God ordained the Sun to rule the day and the Moon to guide the night. The only light given off by the Moon is what is reflected from the glowing of the Sun. Nothing is redeeming in the Moon’s character that allows it to shine of itself. Every ounce of light glowing from the Moon is a reflection. Examining the character of the Moon shows it to be nothing more than a piece of rock floating in space. Nothing can grow on its surface. It influences the Earth, but that is because of its proximity to Earth and the magnetic pull. All the light of the Moon originates from the Sun. The beauty of a moonlit night is because of the light of the Sun.

There is a lesson about the child of God found in the story of the Moon. Men are created in the image of the divine for the glory of God. There is nothing inherently good in the nature of man, and he can only find his true worth when he realizes the only glory he can share is the glory of the reflected Son of God. The Moon has a purpose, but it has no light. A child of God has a purpose, but they can only fulfill the purpose designed by God when they reflect the light of Jesus Christ in their lives. That light will vary from time to time. The closer one comes to Christ, the brighter the light. A diming Moon suggests a further distance from the Sun. When the influence of a man lessens in the eyes of the world, it is because they have distanced themselves from the glory of Jesus.

Few things in life are more fulfilling than waking to an early dawn to see the soft reflective light of the Moon hanging gently in the sky. On a night when the Moon is full, it is a glorious time of contrast as the darkness is thrown away for the glory of the Moon. There are few things in life more complete than when the Christians let their light shine among men so they can see the glory of God. The darker the night, the brighter the reflection. Everything about the life of a Christian is the amount of reflection of Jesus Christ. Let your light shine among men so they may see your good works and glorify God.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:18-22)

Faith And Prayer

The humanity and deity of Jesus are found in the story of the fig tree. During the final days of His life, Jesus returns from Bethany to Jerusalem when He notices a fig tree by the road. As it was morning and He had nothing to eat, He went to the fig tree for a quick breakfast. To His surprise, what He thought was a tree burdened with figs was a tree barren of figs with only leaves. He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. If Jesus were all deity (God), He would have known immediately if the tree had figs or not. His humanity desired food, and He walked to the tree expecting to find fruit. When there was no fruit on the tree, Jesus cursed the tree, and it immediately withered away. This astonished the disciples who witnessed the event. Using the opportunity to teach a lesson, Jesus taught them about faith and prayer.

Jesus performed miracles by the Finger of God, the Holy Spirit. He healed all manner of diseases, walked on water, raised the dead, rebuked evil spirits, and performed signs and wonders before the people. His power was not limited to exercising miracles simply through the force of the Holy Spirit but His deep connection with the Father. Prayer was a central part of His life. There were many times Jesus would find a quiet place to pray. When it was time to choose the twelve apostles, He prayed the whole night. Offering prayers to the Father cannot be rote arrangements of words and thoughts without the power of God gleaming on its surface. True prayer is presented with a heart entirely devoted and committed to the Father.

When Jesus prayed for the tree to die, He exercised an avenue of faith established with His Father learned since childhood. The lesson taught to the disciples was to move away from the ordinary prayers of a humdrum spiritual kindergarten to prayers that can move mountains. Jesus told His disciples they had the power to curse a tree or say to Mount Hermon to be cast into the sea, and it would be done. The object lesson was not for the men to go around cursing trees or throwing hills and mountains into the sea. Jesus was teaching the need to feel the power of mountain-moving prayer. Faith must believe in the character of prayer that God always answers prayers, and His answer is always “yes.”

What makes praying difficult is that God seldom gives the answer to prayer sought by men. When we say God always answers yes in prayer is to understand that prayer is accomplished according to the word of the Lord. The yes answer by God may be perceived as a no statement from the Father, but if He knows best what His children need, His answer is always the right answer; thus making it always a yes answer. That is power. Jesus is teaching His disciples to realize the power of prayer that can move mountains.

Accepting and believing that God will always give the better answer will change the manner of praying in the heart of the humble. God is not a vending machine where someone can demand a certain outcome. When a man bends his heart to the will of the Father in deep and faithful prayer, he will know and believe God will always answer that prayer. The answer is not how prayer is measured. Prayer is measured by faith. Allowing God to work through the avenue of prayer changes the petitioner’s heart. Find a fig tree and pray about it. You will be amazed at what happens next.

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

The Return Of Jesus Christ

There is nothing more exciting than thinking about the day Jesus returns. It will be a day unlike any day in the history of the world because the history of the world will end. The day Jesus returns is when everything that man knows about life is destroyed in the blink of an eye. This will not be a day where an earthquake demolishes a town or destroys a region. It will not be a tsunami that wipes out a town on the coast or a volcano erupting in a massive ball of fire like Krakatoa. The day the Lord returns is when the sun, moon, and stars are obliterated into a vapor in an instant. All the stars. The big bright moon and the burning sun will disappear instantly. As for the earth, it will be pulverized into a vacuum of empty space. No more seas and no more mountains. Every human being on the face of the earth (in the billions) will immediately know the same thing – Jesus Christ has come back.

The first-century Christians lived in a unique time of history. Many of the early Christians had been with Jesus during His ministry. Some had witnessed His death, and many more His resurrection. People were living in the church’s early years that could testify to being with the resurrected Christ. Everyone knew Jesus had returned to the Father just over a month after His resurrection. What remained in their hearts was the promise He would return. It seems the disciples’ minds rested upon the notion Jesus would return soon – in their lifetime. They all died without Jesus coming back. Two thousand years have passed, and Jesus has yet to return. This does not change the promise that He will return. Jesus Christ is coming back.

Paul explains the coming of the Lord. First, there is no doubt the return of Jesus is ordained by the Father. Jesus taught it, the early church embraced it, and the Father assured the persecuted saints of the Revelation the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would be victorious. Believing Jesus died and rose again assures the heart that God will bring with Him all those who have died in Christ (asleep in Jesus). The word of the Lord declares Jesus Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. Not quietly or by stealth or by some raptured false notion of unawares. Whatever the voice of the archangel is will be heard by every soul. The trumpet call of God is included in the loud announcement of the coming of the Lord. That should be sufficiently loud enough to wake the dead and the living – all of them. When Jesus returns, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. The dead in Christ rise first. Then, together with them, all those who remain alive on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

There is comfort in the knowledge of the coming of the Lord. For most people (the majority), this day will be one of terror and horror. To those in covenant with God, the coming of Christ will be long desired and longed for and welcomed with spirits filled with eternal joy. The day will come. It all becomes a matter of who is ready for the day. There will be no second chances. The coming of the Lord will bring an end to all things. Nowhere in the Bible is the doctrine of the Rapture taught because this will never happen. Those who are waiting for the Rapture will be surprised when it all ends in an instant at the coming of the Lord. It will be a noisy affair with God’s shout, voice, and trumpet sounding. To the child of God, it will be a blessed welcome home. The coming of Christ will be better than death. What follows the return of Jesus is the Father wiping away the tears and sorrows of this life and the destruction of death in the second death. Jesus is coming back. Lord – come now.

And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. (Exodus 12:29-30)

A Night Of Death

The nation of Egypt had been rocked by nine plagues that crippled the economy, devasted the land, and destroyed the spirit of the people. Few realized the frogs, lice, and flies filled their homes because of a stubborn leader. They watched their cattle die. Boils covered the bodies of the innocent. Hail rained down from heaven, followed by a plague of locusts stripping the land of foliage, greenery, and fruit. Pharoah stubbornly refused to acknowledge the one true God, and the people suffered the consequences. Then came the night of thick darkness for three days. The darkness could be felt. Gloom and despair filled the hearts of the people. And then it was gone.

What the people did not know was that as terrible as things had been with nine devastating and destructive pandemics, one final plague would reach every home in Egypt. Pharoah hardened his heart with each plague, refusing to submit to the Lord God Almighty. There was a final plague that would change the heart of Pharoah but only for a short time. The people of Egypt tried to find a way to piece their lives back together. Reeling from the devastation of the nine plagues, the people could not imagine anything worse. They went to bed one night, hoping the rising sun would bring relief from the epidemics that plagued their lives. Little did they know that something more terrible would come upon them at midnight.

The hour of midnight came. At first, it was a slight tremor of sound. A neighbor discovers their firstborn has died, and a wail of grief fills the home. And then another neighbor and another and another, rising into a crescendo of unparalleled horror as home after home is filled with death. Animals are dying unexpectantly. Children suddenly die. Husbands and wives fall over dead. The Egyptian landscape is filled with a great cry, and there was not a house where there was not one dead. In the stately palace of Pharaoh, the firstborn dies. Prisons filled with enslaved subjects find death on every hand. Throughout the land of Egypt, animals fall over dead for no reason. The night of death is darkness filled with the grieving hearts of families finding their loved ones dead.

God warned Pharoah of the consequences of rebellion, but the Egyptian leader rebelled. The judgment against Egypt would be its final blow. After the tenth plague, Pharoah agreed to let the Hebrews leave. He faced a nation brought to its knees by the God of Moses and Aaron. There was nothing he could do, and now he faced a nation overcome with an incredible number of dead sons and daughters and so many, many animals. The Hebrews leave and make their journey toward the Red Sea. When the king of Egypt heard the Hebrews had fled, he assembled his army of six hundred choice chariots and all the chariots of Egypt with their horsemen to attack the Hebrews. Pursuing the Hebrews into the Red Sea, which had parted by the hand of God, allowing the people to walk across on dry land, the mighty Egyptian army tried to overtake their slaves. God took off their chariot wheels and then told Moses to release the waters of the Red Sea to its banks. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Everyone died. The waters filled with the dead bodies of the Egyptian army.

The night of death was the destruction of human pride and wisdom. There is nothing man can do when he tries to stand against God. While God destroyed the Egyptians, He saved the Hebrews. The wrath of God destroyed idolatry and, by the same power, delivered the people from bondage. In Christ, the night of death came when the Son of God was nailed to a cross. The darkness of the day Jesus died is the judgment against all unrighteousness and the deliverance of all those in sin. There is nothing man can do to save himself. Only through the power of God can one find salvation. The Hebrews obeyed the word of the Lord as the destroyer passed over the blood placed on the doorpost and lintel. God said when He saw the blood, He would pass over. In Jesus Christ, when God sees the blood found in the waters of baptism, He will pass over. If He does not see the blood, a night of death begins. There are two kinds of people in the world: those saved in the blood and those still in darkness. Where are you?

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (Matthew 8:1-4)

A Leper’s Faith

Leprosy was a scourge in the days of Jesus. The disease is a slow process of mutilating the body, deforming the features, and leading to death. It was said the leper was a “walking tomb” and “a parable of death.” When leprosy was identified in a person, they were shunned from society to live in seclusion with others of the same sort. There were no cures. The diagnosis of leprosy was a sentence of death. Under the Law of Moses, the lepers were to remain apart from others crying out their death sentence to others lest they also become contaminated. Leprosy was a physical disease destroying the body slowly and methodically, but it was also a psychological shunning that must have been impossible to bear. Lepers were plenty in the days of Jesus.

After spending time on the mountain, Jesus is surrounded by a multitude of people anxious to hear His teachings and, if possible, find healing through the touch of His hand. Many sick people were coming to Jesus for relief. The blind, lame, mute, deaf, and maimed were healed, and the dead were raised on occasion. A blind man coming to Jesus was permitted because he was not unclean. When a leper desired to be cleansed of their disease, their faith had first to be strong enough to walk through the judgments of the nation to come to Jesus. The backstory of one leper is described in what faith he had to consider the multitudes surrounding Jesus and his desire to go directly to Jesus within arm’s length.

The life of a leper was secluded and avoiding crowds. A leper believes with all his heart Jesus has the power to do the impossible – heal leprosy. Healing leprosy was an incredible miracle visible to all who saw the immediate cleansing of the body. The leper would have felt immediate relief when healed by Jesus. First, the leper had to find his way to stand before Jesus. How can he do this with the multitudes surrounding the Lord? He could argue against approaching Jesus because of his leprosy. There were many reasons to conform to the world and not put himself in the way of Jesus. The leper that came to Jesus first overcame the strong prejudices of his disease to seek relief from the only One who could take his leprosy away.

Finding Jesus was the first evidence of his faith. The leper comes to Jesus and worships Him. He recognized the power of the man called Jesus, testifying that only God could do what Jesus had done. It is unknown how long the man had suffered leprosy, but he knew there was no cure and he would die. His approach to Jesus was not measured with doubt or fear. He boldly came to Jesus and proclaimed with complete assurance that Jesus could take away his leprosy; if Jesus was willing. He did not demand Jesus heal him. The leper pleaded with Jesus to heal him. His worship was with a humble spirit. He bowed himself before the only One who could take away his disease.

Jesus was filled with compassion. He did something bold and unheard of. Jesus put out His hand and touched the leper. Lepers were not to be touched. Others had not touched them for a long time. Jesus not only healed the body, but He also healed the soul. The leper came humbling, asking for mercy, and Jesus granted the man of faith with cleansing. His healing was immediate. There was no delay. It was not the next day or the next hour. The leper had his disease taken away by the touch of Jesus without delay. He had shown his faith by coming to Jesus surrounded by the multitudes. His belief in the power of Jesus accepted an impossible task. The man walked away cleansed and whole through faith, mercy, grace, and love.

Sin is the spiritual shadow of leprosy. As leprosy slowly destroys the body without any means of cure, sin destroys the soul, and there is no cure in the medicine cabinet of human wisdom. There is nothing man can do about sin. The multitudes of human wisdom stand in the way of the sinner and Jesus. Walking through the world’s prejudices takes faith to seek healing in Jesus Christ. Coming to Jesus requires worship. Trying to demand forgiveness will bring judgment. Like the leper, salvation will only be found when the heart is humbled by the severity of sin and the acceptance of the touch of Jesus. The Lord demanded obedience from the leper. That same obedience is required of men today. The power of Christ took away leprosy. Sin can be taken away by the power of Christ’s blood in the waters of baptism. There will be no other cleansing of the spiritual disease all men possess. Have faith like the leper. Come to Jesus for healing.