A Daily Devotional

[Soldier4Christ]

Judgment In The New Testament (#19950617)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (II Thessalonians 1:8,9).

Many critics have decried what they contend is the Bible’s inconsistency. The Old Testament is a harsh indictment of human sin and warning of coming divine judgment, they say, whereas the New Testament stresses God’s grace and love.

The fact is, however, that the Old Testament contains numerous testimonies of the love and merciful loving-kindness of God (e.g., Psalm 103). Similarly, the most striking and fearsome warnings and prophecies of judgment to come are found in the New Testament. The above text for the day is an example with its revelation of the coming eternal separation from God of all who reject Christ and His saving gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself uttered more warnings of future hell than anyone else recorded in either Testament. He said, for example, that those “On the left hand” will be commanded to “depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Jude spoke of ungodly men “to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever” (Jude 13).

And, of course, the very last book of the New Testament, written by John, the disciple who stressed God’s love more than any other writer, focuses especially and in detail on the coming period of God’s judgment on a rebellious world. The climax of these warnings is Revelation 20:15: “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” God’s grace and full forgiveness are free to all who receive Christ, but certain judgment will come to all who refuse. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Patriarchs (#19950618)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And He gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs” (Acts 7:.

The word “patriarch” comes directly from the Greek and means “First father.” Thus the patriarchs begotten by Jacob were the first fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The Genesis patriarchs are types of all fathers. Adam was the patriarch of the human family. Through his sin, death came into the world, and death was first mentioned when God warned Adam he would die (Genesis 2:17).

But if Adam is the dying father, Noah can be called the righteous father. The word “just” (or “righteous”) is first used where it says “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (first mention of “grace”), and then “Noah was a just man” (Genesis 6:8,9).

Abraham is the believing father, for “he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). This is the first mention of “believe.” Abraham is thus a type of all who are justified by faith. The first mention of sowing (symbolic of witnessing) is with Isaac, the sowing father. “Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him” (Genesis 26:12; compare Matthew 13:23).

Jacob was named Israel because “as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). A single Hebrew word, only used here, is translated “power as a prince.” Jacob, able to prevail in prayer with the angel of the Lord, is the powerful father.

These are the honored patriarchs “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” (Romans 9:5). May all who are fathers today, like they, be believing, righteous, sowing fathers, powerful with God and men. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Waiting On God (#19950619)
by Connie J. Horn

“The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him” (Lamentations 3:25).

If ever there was a man who had to wait on God, it was Jeremiah. He watched while his whole world fell apart, and yet he could say “the LORD is good.”

The concept “wait” is interesting. It is an expectant, joyful waiting for the just resolution of all things by the one who created, redeemed, and sustains all things. The word “wait” in the Hebrew comes from an agricultural term meaning to bind together (as sheaves). This could either refer to the active employment of reapers in the field, or it could refer to the actual binding together itself. On the one hand, we can think of ourselves as always being employed by God: “As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that He have mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:2). On the other hand, we can see ourselves bound to our Lord by His great love and power: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

And what is the reward of waiting? “I waited patiently for the LORD: and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1). In this verse, the same Hebrew word is used twice, once translated “waited,” once translated “patiently.”

When we think we have waited on God long enough, we can take heart from this psalm that God can give the grace to wait longer than we ever thought possible. The result? God “inclined;” He bends down and He hears our cry. This word “cry” is not a feeble moan. It is an insistent cry that could also be translated help! or, free me! God will hear when His children cry because, as Jeremiah said, “the LORD is good!” CJH

[Soldier4Christ]

Asking And Receiving (#19950620)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:.

The tremendous resource of prayer is far too much neglected by far too many Christians. If nothing is standing between us and the Lord to keep us from asking effectively (sin, unbelief, selfish motives, etc.), then God has promised to act when we ask, either giving us our request or something better. Note just a few of the many promises to those who ask:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

“Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

“How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him” (Luke 11:13).

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (I John 3:22).

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (I John 5:14,15).

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall he done unto you” (John 15:7).

Obviously there are conditions. These marvelous promises assume that those who ask are abiding in His commandments, truly desiring His will, having His priorities, thinking His thoughts, and are asking in faith and in His name. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

The Joyful Sound



"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance" (Psalm 89:15).

Many have been the Christians who have joined in singing "We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves; Jesus saves!" Not all have known, however, that this beautiful phrase comes from a great psalm extolling God's marvelous works of creation and then His promises of redemption.

"The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created them" (Psalm 89:11-12). Earlier verses note that "the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord" (v.5), speaking of the angels, "the sons of the mighty" (v.6), literally, "the sons of God." It is exciting to realize that the very first "joyful sound" was heard when God "laid the foundations of the earth." Then it was that "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:4,7).

There was also a joyful sound when Christ was born, and the angel came bringing "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born . . . a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. . . . And suddenly there was . . . the heavenly host praising God" (Luke 2:10-11,13).

Whenever a soul is saved, there is another joyful sound: "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth," said Jesus (Luke 15:7). Finally, there will be a most wonderful sound of joy on Earth when the Lord comes again. "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isaiah 35:10). Therefore, even now, "my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation" (Psalm 35:9).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Doctrine of Christ


"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" (II John 9).

It is obvious from this passage that "the doctrine of Christ" is vitally important, for a person who does not "abide" (that is "continue") in this doctrine does not know God at all. In fact, the next verse forbids fellow Christians even to welcome such a person into one's home or into the fellowship of his church. That person certainly must not be permitted to teach his false doctrine there. "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed" (II John 10).

But exactly what is "the doctrine of Christ"? In context, it must certainly include the incarnation of God in Christ in human flesh (II John 7). In addition, however, the Greek word actually means "the teachings," and probably refers to everything the Scriptures teach concerning Him as well as all that He Himself taught. This breadth of meaning in the Word is illustrated by the Lord's warning against "the doctrine of Balaam" (Revelation 2:14), which obviously refers to Balaam's teachings. The "doctrine of Christ" thus embraces everything God's Word teaches about Christ's person and work, as well as what He Himself taught about everything else.

There may be questions that can arise about interpretation or proper translation of some portion of the doctrine of Christ, but not about its validity or authority. Once the teaching is clearly understood, it must not be questioned or diluted or explained away, but simply believed, practiced, and proclaimed. For any teacher that "abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God" and we must not have Christian fellowship with him or encourage his erroneous teaching in any way.

[Soldier4Christ]

Almighty God


"If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" (John 3:12).

Many who profess to be Christian intellectuals today are arguing that we should defer to the evolutionists in matters of science and history, since the real message of the Bible is spiritual. The Genesis account, for example, is not meant to give us details of the events of creation, for scientists can give us this information. It merely assures us that God is somehow behind it all. But if this were all that God meant to tell us, its very first verse is enough for that! What is the need to describe all the days and acts of creation at all if the record has no real relevance to history or science?

As the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus in our text verse, if we cannot trust God's Word when it relates "earthly things," how can we possibly rely on its testimony of "heavenly things"? To some extent we can check for ourselves whether or not it is accurate when it records facts of history and processes of nature, but we have no means at all of determining whether it speaks the truth when it deals with heaven and hell, with salvation and eternal life, or with God's purpose for the world in the ages to come.

The fact is that the Bible is accurate in all matters with which it deals, scientific and historical as well as spiritual and theological. It is a dangerous thing to listen to these modern "pied pipers" of evangelicalism whose self-serving compromises with evolutionary scientism have already led multitudes of young people astray in our Christian colleges and seminaries.

We yet may not have all the answers to alleged problems in the Bible, but we can be absolutely sure of God's Word. When the answers are found, they will merely confirm what He has said all along. He is able and willing to speak the truth, and He means what He says!

[Soldier4Christ]

The Counting God


"Doth not He see my ways, and count all my steps?" (Job 31:4).

God is surely the Great Mathematician. All the intricacies of structure and process of His mighty cosmos are, at least in principle, capable of being described mathematically, and the goal of science is to do just that. This precise intelligibility of the universe clearly points to a marvelous intelligence as its Creator.

God even "telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names" (Psalm 147:4). Astronomers estimate that at least ten trillion trillion stars exist in the heavens, and God has counted and identified each one! And that is not all: "The very hairs of your head are all numbered," Jesus said (Matthew 10:30). From the most massive star to the tiniest hair, God has counted each component of His creation.

Such countings are far beyond human capabilities, for "the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured" (Jeremiah 33:22). But God has also created "an innumerable company of angels" (Hebrews 12:22) and has promised that the redeemed will include "a great multitude, which no man could number" (Revelation 7:9).

No wonder David exclaimed, "Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered" (Psalm 40:5).

Perhaps the most wonderful of all God's counting activities is that implied in Job's rhetorical question: "Doth not He see my ways, and count all my steps?" If He has numbered the hairs on our heads, we can be certain He numbers our steps along the way, and guides them all. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

[Soldier4Christ]

Long Summertime (#19950621)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:.

The tremendous resource of prayer is far too much neglected by far too many Christians. If nothing is standing between us and the Lord to keep us from asking effectively (sin, unbelief, selfish motives, etc.), then God has promised to act when we ask, either giving us our request or something better. Note just a few of the many promises to those who ask:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

“Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

“How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him” (Luke 11:13).

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (I John 3:22).

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (I John 5:14,15).

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall he done unto you” (John 15:7).

Obviously there are conditions. These marvelous promises assume that those who ask are abiding in His commandments, truly desiring His will, having His priorities, thinking His thoughts, and are asking in faith and in His name. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Called Before Birth (#19950622)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him” (Galatians 1:15,16).

There is great mystery here. Paul was the human writer of much of the New Testament, yet he also claimed divine inspiration. “I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11,12).

It was only a short time before, however, that Paul had been bitterly opposing that gospel. “Beyond measure,” he said, “I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it” (Galatians 1:13). Eventually, he was converted and began to preach “the faith which once he destroyed” (Galatians 1:23). Yet, during all his years of fighting God’s truth, he had already been separated unto God, and called by His grace, even before he was born, as our text reveals. His teachers in the synagogue, his studies under Gamaliel, even his anti-Christian crusades, were all being orchestrated by God to develop Paul into the unique person he would be, the great Christian whom God could use to write much of His own written word. Paul’s epistles were thus truly his epistles, derived from his own experience, research, study, reasoning and concerns. At the same time, they came out as God’s word, inspired by the Holy Spirit, free from error and perfectly conveyed from God to man, because God had Himself ordained and planned all Paul’s experiences and abilities, and had implanted all these concerns in his heart.

And so it was with all the human writers of the Bible. God’s word (like Christ Himself) is both human and divine, yet meeting all our needs. This is mysterious indeed, but well within the capabilities of our omnipotent and gracious Creator. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Death Before Sin (#19950623)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:21,22).

Modern evangelicals have found it fashionable to accommodate Scripture to the concept of a very old earth. These views all do serious harm to Scripture, including the current compromise of choice, the “framework hypothesis,” which holds that the passages which seem to deal with science and early history contain only “spiritual” truth, but not factual content. Each such attempt to accept vast time before the appearance of man has many flaws, but perhaps the most damaging to the Christian faith is the problem of death before sin.

The Bible plainly teaches that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Before Adam and Eve rebelled, animals ate only plants (Genesis 1:30). Death came as a result of sin and the curse: “For in the day that thou eatest thereof (the forbidden tree) thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The first death in all of creation occurred when God provided Adam and Eve animal skins for clothing. Sin always brings death. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Indeed “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). That this is not referring to spiritual death only is clear from our text, which deals with physical resurrection from the dead. Just as Adam’s sin brought death on all creation, so Christ’s resurrection brings victory over death.

But here is the problem. If death existed before Adam, then death is not the penalty for sin. How, then, did Christ’s death pay the penalty for our sin? If death is not tied to Adam’s sin, then life is not tied to Christ’s death and resurrection, and the Christian faith is nothing. JDM

[Soldier4Christ]

Christ Our Rereward (#19950624)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am” (Isaiah 58:8,9).

Not only does our Savior go before us on life’s journey, He also protects behind us. Like the Shekinah glory cloud of old, He is a light to lead by day and a pillar of fire behind us to guard by night.

The picturesque old English term “rereward,” sometimes written “rearward,” actually meant “rear guard.” Thus God’s glory, like the glory cloud in the wilderness, is the Christian’s rear guard as he advances. The cloud was identified also as “the angel of God,” who both “went before the camp of Israel,” then “removed and went behind them” (Exodus 14:19). Note also the following gracious assurance: “For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward” (Isaiah 52:12).

We also, if we listen, can hear His word, both leading us in front and directing our steps behind. “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). This was how it was with the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10).

With an infallible guide going before us and an invincible guard behind us, why should we hesitate to follow Christ? He both “leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake,” and then also assures me that “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:3,6). HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

No More Sea (#19950625)
by Connie J. Horn

“I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:1).

In the book of Revelation is a startling verse about the condition of the new heaven and earth: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1).

It is difficult to understand an earth with no sea. The oceans play the major role in the earth’s hydrological cycle and are used by God to sustain a complex world of marine life. The sea has also been used by God in judgment upon His enemies, as in our text and, of course, the greatest judgment our world has ever seen was a watery judgment: “The same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened . . . (and) All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died” (Genesis 7:11,22).

Evidently many sea creatures escaped the judgment of Noah’s flood and remain to this day. But the sea itself and its creatures have not been exempted from God’s curse or His righteous judgment. In the tribulation period the waters of the earth will be turned to blood, and “every living soul” in the sea will die. Through the ages, man has told and retold the story of a great flood and how it judged the world, but in the final days of our world, the sea itself will be judged, and man is required to stand, not before that which the Creator controls, but before the Creator Himself.

No one can really know why there will be “no more sea” in the new earth, but we can know that then God’s righteous judgments will be over and the water supply will be “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the lamb” (Revelation 22:1). CJH

[Soldier4Christ]

The Urgency Of Christ's Work (#19950626)
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).

It is striking how often the Lord Jesus used the term “must” in connection with the different aspects of the work He came to do. Since He is our example, we also must be serious and urgent about our Father’s work. Even as a boy in the temple He told His parents, “I must be about my Father’s business” Luke 2:49).

Then early in His ministry, as He went from place to place, He said: “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent” (Luke 4:43). Toward the end of His earthly ministry, He said one day: “I must walk today, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). He also said that “He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” Matthew 16:21).

He had told the great teacher of Israel, Nicodemus: “Ye must be born again.” To explain how this could be, He then said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:7,14,15). Before we could ever be born again to everlasting life, therefore, Christ must be lifted up on the cross to die for our sins.

Still, all “the Scriptures must be fulfilled” (Mark 14:49), and accordingly, “He must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9). Yet, even this did not fully complete “the works of Him that sent me,” for Christ had said that “the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mark 13:10). Therefore, we also must work the works of Him who sent us, before our days of opportunity are gone. HMM

[Soldier4Christ]

Blessed Is He (#19950627)
by John Morris, Ph.D.

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity” (Psalm 32:1,2).

What true believer is there who is not eternally thankful for the truths found in our text? Sins of omission, sins of commission, sins of deliberate action, sins of the heart, youthful sins, covert sins, big sins, “little” sins, etc. What a thrill to know that the penalty for our sins has been paid in full, if we but accept His free gift. What rejoicing and freedom forgiveness brings.

Note that there are three different expressions for wrongdoing in our text—transgression, sin, and iniquity. The differences in these words are not insignificant, but precise differentiation is beyond the scope of this discussion. Suffice it to say that they can be understood to mean the whole gamut of sinful activity.

Likewise, there are three separate aspects of God’s forgiving grace mentioned “forgiven . . . covered . . . not imputed.” In every way possible our sin is removed from us, and no more payment is necessary.

However, God’s forgiveness must be conditioned on the individual’s action. A lack of action results in the bearing of the sin, the guilt, and the consequences, again specified in a three-fold manner. “My bones waxed old . . . my roaring . . . thy hand was heavy upon me” (vv.3,4).

In keeping with the pattern of the psalm, three such actions are mentioned. “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD” (v.5). The result? “And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”

Because of all this, we should have a three-fold response, “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (v.11). JDM