We are in a time of great turmoil. Everywhere we look, there are wars and plagues. It’s always been somewhat of a joke about crooked politicians, but it’s not a joke anymore. It’s impossible to know truth by listening to the news media. It’s important to study all sides of a news item to decide for yourself what’s the truth. Even the foundations of our faith are being attacked, as we are forced to accept sin and lies as “normal.”

The only way to know truth is to study Scripture. Unfortunately, a very different Gospel is being preached from the pulpits today. Pastors are more afraid of offending liberal politicians than offending God. Jesus spoke to His disciples about following the Master. If we follow Christ, then we need to respect Him. If we say we are Christians but bow to other masters, then we need to rethink our faith.

“It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household…. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but ae not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:25 & 27-28).

If you respect and fear any master other than Jesus, then you have misplaced your loyalty.

There are many messages of deception found in the liberal news today, and from liberal pulpits. Deception was the first warning Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked for signs to look for, signaling the end of the age.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4).

We are living at this final time of history, and if we don’t hold fast to our faith in God Almighty, we will be deceived by Satan instead of standing firm on God’s truth. We live in a time when fear is strong. We need to be sure we run all things through Scripture. Jesus told us these things would come to pass, so why do we fear Satanic devices rather than holding fast to our faith and Biblical truth?

There are many Scriptures that tell us to hold fast, and we need to pay attention. Paul wrote to the young pastor, Timothy, telling him that he needed to be true to the Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles” (2 Timothy 1:8-11).

Young pastors and older ones, take heed. If you are tempted to water down God’s word in order to appease liberal lies or to protect your tax-exempt status, then you are doing a huge disservice to the One you call Lord. Preach the Gospel as it is taught in Scripture. Teach line upon line through the Bible in order to not miss any important teachings of God.

“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).

Paul, who once persecuted Christians, renounced his evil ways and became the strongest evangelist we’ve ever known. His letters are a guide to living for Christ. He never compromised his faith but spread the Gospel by speaking God’s truth. He held fast to the end.

If we hold fast to the truth of God, we won’t open ourselves to the wiles of the devil. If we don’t study Scripture, we can easily be deceived.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

How do we “prove all things”? By prayerfully testing it by God’s word.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

If man’s laws contradict God’s truth, then hold fast to God’s truth. If you use Scripture as your guide, you know that “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), and you won’t allow the lie of evolution to confuse you and draw you away from God’s truth. By holding fast to God’s truth, you will understand that there’s no “gender choice,” only male and female, and you are one or the other; no amount of lying, hormone tampering, or surgery will make you what you aren’t.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27).

You may be confused, but God isn’t. You’re special because you’ve been created in the image of God. Prove all things by Scripture, and hold fast to God’s truth.

We are living in the end times. How do I know that? Scripture gives many prophecies that make it obvious that time as we know it is coming to an end. There are many things that make this life worthwhile, but I long for the Rapture. It will happen soon. Will it happen this year? Many Bible scholars think it may, but others believe it will happen a few years from now. Whether this year, next year, or a hundred years from now, don’t waiver in your faith but trust in Jesus. Jesus Christ was God incarnate and loves you enough to have given His life for you. If you profess to be a Christian, hold fast to God’s truth, and don’t allow Satan’s deception to confuse you into compromising your faith.

“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Revelation 3:3).

This verse comes from a letter to the believers in Sardis. Jesus had dictated it to the Apostle John. It’s one of seven letters that summarize the history of the ecclesia (the congregation of believers throughout history). This was in the letter to Sardis, and it contained warnings because they were slipping away from Truth. They weren’t paying attention to prophecy and were living life apart from God.

“Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God” (Revelation 3:2).

Not all the people in that congregation had turned from God’s truth, and we need to heed Christ’s warning to them. They were compromising their faith, and God wasn’t pleased. There’s more than a bit of Sardis in the world today, which is shameful.

The Jewish priesthood was just a foreshadowing of the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. It was the priests who made the sacrifices according to God’s Law. There were qualifications for the priesthood regarding age and Tribal restrictions, but Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, and He is our eternal High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, who was a priest long before the Law was given and is without restriction.

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession” (Hebrews 4:14).

Jesus is the Creator of everything, yet He is aware of you. He loved you enough to enter His creation, knowing full well that He would be rejected, beaten, and mocked. He knew He would be crucified, but He gave His life so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life through His righteousness. Do you believe?

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

If you’ve made that profession of faith, then you need to understand what it means. Your life should change. The old lifestyle of sin needs to change as you hold fast to your new life in Christ.

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

In this verse, the word “conversation” doesn’t just mean the way you talk, but it means the way you live. Paul is saying to live for Christ, not for sin. Before confessing Christ for salvation, the world approved of you raging in anger, gossiping, following sexual promiscuity, and many other sinful actions. Your new life in Christ should reflect forgiveness instead of anger, not talking about people, and understanding that God made people male and female, and a one man/one woman marriage is the only place for sexual relations.

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)” (Hebrews 10:23).

Jesus paid a huge price to redeem you. You’ve confessed Him as your Saviour and expect Him to give you eternal life; now hold fast to Scriptural truth, and live for Him.

It can be easy to slip away from Scriptural living when we make friendships outside of the Christian faith. We have to be around lost people in order to witness to them and share the Gospel, but we need to assemble with Christian friends in order to keep each other grounded in Scripture.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

See what day approaching? The Rapture. The signs of the times are screaming that Christ will call us Home soon, but many Christians don’t care. Our children are sent to public schools, where a witch’s brew of lies is fed to them daily, and the Scriptural foundation of Biblical truth is broken. Most Moms and Dads are busy building their fortune with worldly treasures, and those treasures don’t include assembling together with fellow Christians or caring about their children’s salvation. It’s the world and its allure that matters to most people.

It isn’t too late to turn away from the world and turn back to Christ. It isn’t too late to hold fast to Scriptural truth. This world and all that’s in it will soon pass away, but Christians need to hold fast to eternal things that will never pass away.

Don’t turn away from Christ. Look to Scripture and see that the signs of the times are here. Understand that events of the Great Tribulation are falling into place today. Unless you hold fast to Jesus and His truth, you will fall for the lies of Satan. Don’t let any man deceive you, but hold fast to God’s truth.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

Ezekiel was a prophet of God, and he had very active prophetic revelations. Instead of just seeing a vision or hearing the voice of God, Ezekiel became a part of the prophecy. His vision of the dry bones, recorded in Ezekiel chapter 37, is one of the eeriest prophecies in Scripture. We see the dry bones coming together today as we watch the nation of Israel coming together, as the Jewish people are returning to their God-given land. It isn’t eerie to see it happening, but it is a reason to praise God for giving us prophecy in Scripture so we can understand current events as they fulfill Biblical prophecy.

In Ezekiel chapter 8, Ezekiel was in his home, and “the elders of Judah” were there. Then he saw a being stand before him. “And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy which provoketh to jealousy” (Ezekiel 8:3).

Ezekiel saw “an image of jealousy” in the temple grounds. This image was allowed by the priests, those who should have only served God, and God wasn’t pleased with what they allowed in the temple. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Anything that’s worshipped in place of God Almighty, or is first in our life, is an abomination. There was more to this vision, and Ezekiel was shown more evils. “He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? Even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? But turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations” (Ezekiel 8:6).

The things he was shown just kept getting worse. He was shown a hole in the wall and told to dig. So, Ezekiel dug until he came to a door and was told to enter. “So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about” (Ezekiel 8:10).

The things he saw would make my skin crawl, as should any idolatry which is brought into the house of the Lord. He saw elders in the temple who looked pious, but he was shown the chambers of imagery… what went on inside their minds. “Then said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth” (Ezekiel 8:12).

These men put on a public show as upstanding leaders, but in the darkness of their thoughts, they didn’t fear God nor honor Him. This is a lesson for us today. The religious leaders had abandoned God because they said He wouldn’t see what they did, and they justified their sin by saying God had forsaken the earth. The fact that Ezekiel was shown this abomination is evidence that God was well aware of what was going on and hadn’t forsaken them. They had forsaken God. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8).

People seem to think we can sin all we want, and God should bless us anyway. Our world today is wallowing deep in sin, but we still want God’s blessing as we turn farther away from Him.

There was more to this vision, but let’s talk about the temple. Are we off the hook for idolatry because there is no temple in Jerusalem? “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

When you accept Christ for salvation, your sins are forgiven. The Holy Spirit indwells you, and, as Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, we are now the temple of God. Corinth was a city filled with sin, and the abominations of the pagan world were being accepted by the congregation in Corinth. Just as God saw the abominations happening in the temple in Jerusalem, He sees the abominations we try to hide in our own life. It’s easy to justify sin when we ignore God’s word and put other gods before Him. One sin leads to another, and it’s a slippery slope that leads to our downfall. Our sins have been forgiven, but there are still consequences for sin. If you rob a bank, you still need to go to jail. We can usually justify our own sin but condemn others for theirs.

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:12-14).

Presumptuous sins are those of pride. It was pride that caused Satan to fall. He wanted to be like God. When we start hiding sin in the temple that is our body and mind, we can pridefully believe that God won’t see our sin and that He doesn’t really care. God does see, and He does care. He cared enough to give His life for our salvation. Be careful what you hide in the temple.

Most people can see that the evil in this world has risen to unimaginable levels. Has God forsaken us? No, He hasn’t. Have we forsaken Him? It seems as if we have. Christians keep silent as public schools teach all kinds of sinful ideas of gender choice, racial intolerance, wrong history, and many teachers live in fear that the one true God will be mentioned in a classroom. If you’re a Christian and this is all OK with you, then you have a lot that you’re hiding in the temple of your heart. The next time your children sit through Storytime with a transgender storyteller, read through the first chapter of Romans and see what happens when God is not honored.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Romans 1:22-23).

Sounds a bit like the hidden things that Ezekiel was shown. When God isn’t honored, all manner of sin is accepted, and we see that sin at center stage today. If you’re a Christian and hold God’s plan for marriage as truth but think it’s just an individual choice or “people are born that way,” then you’re hiding sin in the temple. You know God’s truth but find sin acceptable. “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32).

Read the full chapter to see what God thinks of lifestyles today and why you, as a Christian, can’t accept this sin.

We all need to be careful of acting pious but having thoughts that are contrary to a Christian lifestyle. For instance, the Ten Commandments tell us not to commit adultery, but Jesus said that even looking at a woman with lust is adultery. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

What movies do you watch, what websites do you visit, and what music do you hear? Those wicked thoughts are hidden in the “chambers of imagery,” but are they really hidden? God knows your thoughts. If your thoughts are filled with lust, anger, and pride, then it’s time to draw closer to God in thoughts, words, and deeds. Make God’s word part of you.

Clean out the clutter of idols in your heart. Don’t provoke God to jealousy by trying to hide sin in the temple of your heart. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.