Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the End come.
Mark 13:23-27
But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send his angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Luke 21:25-27
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: For the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with Power and great Glory.
John 12:46-48
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the Last Day.
Revelation 22:12-16
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star.
Churches are made of men and women, boys and girls. Jesus is the cornerstone and foundation of the Church. Jesus wants a radiant, Holy Church without a blemish. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We Christians are the only living Bible that people will see. The Church us to represent Christ and tell the Gospel of Jesus. It is to tell of the Faith in the Lord God Almighty and Jesus Christ. People should be willing to die for their Faith in Jesus. We must have a strong level of commitment to the Lord.
**Elements of a Radiant & Glorious Church:
1) Love:
Jesus loves the Church. The Church loves and obeys God. Love is a vital characteristic of the Church. A loving church draws people together. We are called to love one another. We have the same savior, the same God and we should love one another. We must hate the sin but love the one who has gotten dirty with the sin.
2) Have a Heart for the Lost:
The Church must reach out for the souls of men. The Church must want to reach everyone with the Gospel of Jesus. The need to reach the lost is what we should all have inside of us.
3) Unity and Oneness:
In the Church, everyone must be unified in doing the tasks Jesus left for us to do. Jesus prayed that we all would be one in Him and one in God. There should be no divisions in the Church. No church can be strong if it is divided. If the Church is to win the victory against the evil of this world, then we must all work together. Together we can become one. The Church is the Body of Christ. The Church must be united in their effort to let Jesus be made known to this world. We should throw aside every prejudice, every issue and come together unified to share the Gospel. We should be unified in sharing the Salvation and Life in Jesus Christ.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him, for He careth for you. Be sober, vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into Hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.
The Biblical Apocrypha from the Ancient Greek: ἀπόκρυφος, denotes the collection of apocryphal ancient books thought to have been written sometime between 200 BC and 400 AD. Some Christian Churches include some or all of the same texts within the body of their version of the Old Testament.
The seven books which compose the Protestant Apocrypha, first published as such in Luther's Bible (1534) are considered canonical Old Testament books by the Catholic Church, affirmed by the Council of Rome (AD 382) and later reaffirmed by the Council of Trent; they are also considered canonical by the Eastern Orthodox Church and are referred to as anagignoskomena per the Synod of Jerusalem. The Anglican Communion accepts "the Apocrypha for instruction in life and manners, but not for the establishment of doctrine.
King James Version
The English-language King James Version (KJV) of 1611 followed the lead of the Luther Bible in using an inter-testamental section labelled "Books called Apocrypha", or just "Apocrypha" at the running page header. The KJV followed the Geneva Bible of 1560 almost exactly (variations are marked below). The section contains the following:
• 1 Esdras (Vulgate 3 Esdras)
• 2 Esdras (Vulgate 4 Esdras)
• Tobit
• Judith ("Judeth" in Geneva)
• Rest of Esther (Vulgate Esther 10:4 – 16:24)
• Wisdom
• Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach)
• Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy ("Jeremiah" in Geneva) (all part of Vulgate Baruch)
• Song of the Three Children (Vulgate Daniel 3:24–90)
• Story of Susanna (Vulgate Daniel 13)
• The Idol Bel and the Dragon (Vulgate Daniel 14)
• Prayer of Manasseh (Daniel)
• 1 Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees
Modern editions
• All King James Bibles published before 1666 included the Apocrypha,[41] though separately to denote them as not equal to Scripture proper, as noted by Jerome in the Vulgate, to which he gave the name, "The Apocrypha. In 1826,the National Bible Society of Scotland petitioned the British and Foreign Bible Society not to print the Apocrypha, resulting in a decision that no BFBS funds were to pay for printing any Apocryphal books anywhere. They reasoned that not printing the Apocrypha within the Bible would prove to be less costly to produce. Since that time most of the modern editions of the Bible and re-printings of the King James Bible omit the Apocrypha section. Modern non-Catholic re-printings of the Clementine Vulgate commonly omit the Apocrypha section. Many re-printings of older versions of the Bible now omit the apocrypha and many newer translations and revisions have never included them at all.
It is no secret that there is a virus that is currently affecting the world. We have been in a pandemic for several months with no end in sight except we get a miracle from the Lord. There is another sickness among us that people need to watch out for and this sickness is very dangerous. This sickness many may wonder if they have it or will they catch it. This sickness is called Destination Disease. Destination Disease can destroy even a great church like the Miami Seventh Day Baptist church. If it starts spreading, it can cause pandemonium to break out. You may ask what is Destination Disease? Well Destination Disease is worse than a cold, it’s far worse than the Flu and it makes systemic virus seem like a walk in the park. Destination Disease is a disease that says I cannot be happy and full of joy right now because my current situation right now does not allow me to be happy. My current situation does not allow me to be happy or joyful.
Destination Disease says I can only be happy when I get a new job. Destination Disease says I will only be happy when I get a new car. Destination Disease says I will only be happy when I get a new husband. I will only be happy when my wife submits to me. I will only be happy when I make $10,000 more per year. Destination Disease says I will only be happy when I move out on my own. I will only be happy when get married. I will only be happy when I get divorced. I will only be happy when I move to a different city or get a new church. I will only be happy when I get a better church, better congregation and better pastor. I will only be happy when I go on vacation or when I win the lottery or when I pay off all my bills. Destination Disease says I will only be happy when this pandemic is over. Destination Disease says I will only be happy when I lose weight or when I gain weight. In short, Destination Disease says I cannot be happy right now and I cannot be joyful right now. Something has to change or happen for me to be happy. Destination Disease is a serious matter because in the same way you don’t feel like yourself when you are physically sick, you don’t act like yourself when you have Destination Disease.
**Three Observations about Destination Disease:
1) Our Outlook goes up or down depending on our Emotional state:
It is not the reality of bad things happening in our lives but it’s the perception of it. The stress and worry about bad things affect our emotional state. Even the weather can affect our emotional state.
2) We often forget that this Life down here is Temporary and Heaven is Eternal:
In Romans 8:18 Apostle Paul said even our present suffering is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. This life right now is temporary. What you are going thru right now is temporary. The situation that is causing you to be unhappy and have no joy is temporary. What you are going thru right now is temporary and God’s Kingdom is Eternal.
3) Uncertainty increases our Insecurity:
When we don’t know what is going to happen next, we have a tendency to worry. When we worry we have a tendency to get uptight. When we get uptight we get unhappy and lose our joy. So the key is to understand that God IS in Control and NOT us. This puts us back into the situation that we have to Trust God and have Faith in Him for the future.
**Three Cures for Destination Disease:
1) Understand that Happiness and having Joy is a CHOICE.
Don’t cringe when I say this. We have been so conditioned to believe that happiness is a state of being and is out of our control. We need to know that happiness is a choice and is not based on outside factors that happen to us. The truth is that happiness or joy is what happens inside of us and that in turn affects the outside things like our attitudes; like our emotions, like our being in a rage or being calm. We, all of us, myself included, need to understand that happiness and joy is not an emotion, but it’s a decision. I decided some time ago that no one is going to make me unhappy. Not my parents, not my dear wife, not my children, not my employer, not my church and not the President of the United States. I simply will NOT give any human being that kind of power over me!!
Now someone may say that sounds like a bunch of self-help or hocus pocus stuff. But, no it is a very biblical principle and it is in Phil 4:4 and verse 8. In verse 4 Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. In verse 8, Paul says whatever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and whatever things are of a good report; think on these things. Spend your time reflecting on these things. It sounds like Paul is saying happiness and joy is a choice. Rejoice in the Lord always. Happiness is not an emotion but it is a decision and a choice. The Apostle Paul could have said he had way too many problems to still be happy. He was beaten, shipwrecked, had been on the run and sometimes had no food or clothes. Paul had lots of reasons to be unhappy after he became a Christian. Yet Paul says happiness is a choice and not an emotion or a destination. Happiness is a choice. What kind of Christian are you, I ask you today. Some say Christians are like wheelbarrows. They are no good unless they are pushed. Some say Christians are like kites and if you don’t keep a string on them, they will fly away. Some Christians are like kittens who are more contented when they are petted. Some are like a football and you cannot tell where they will bounce next. Some are like balloons, full of hot air and ready to blow up. Some are like neon lights, they keep going on and off. The Apostle Paul said he had learned to be content, to be happy and to be full of joy no matter what his situations were.
2) Being Unhappy Won’t Change Anything:
When things get difficult, we can become unhappy but being unhappy does not help the situation. Instead being unhappy hurts the situation. Example-suppose I’m unhappy with my job. I take my unhappiness to work and it starts to affect my job performance. My job performance goes down, I’m critical of my boss, of my co-workers and our customers. I don’t want to show up for work anymore. Apply this example to your life at school, at church and see how being unhappy makes things worse. Choose to be happy and choose to have joy. When we are tempted to be unhappy, choose to rejoice in the Lord always. The Lord is the only thing that’s lasts forever.
3) Learn to Live One Day at a Time:
We control how we live. Remember the three “C” words. Choice: we choose our attitude, our responses and our decisions. Change: we really don’t change anything when we choose to be unhappy. Control: there are things in our control. The psalmist said “this is the day that the Lord hast made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” He is saying this is the day that God has given to me and my choice is to rejoice in it! I don’t care whether it is raining or sunny or snowing or a hurricane. I will rejoice in this day. Notice he didn’t day tomorrow or next week I will be happy. He said this is the day, today is the day God wants me to be happy. If we are going to wait for an event to make us happy, we will spend our whole life on waiting because something will always NOT be right in our life. Every day we must make the decision to make the most of our situation and to be happy and rejoice in the Lord.
We need to trust God that He will change our circumstances at the right time and at the right moment. We need to believe this and to appreciate each and every day. We need to choose to be happy and not be sick with Destination Disease. God wants us to know that we can rejoice every day because there are three things that no person or problem can take away from us.
1. No one can take away the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
2. No one can take away our close relationship with Jesus Christ
3. No one can take away the Hope of our Eternity that will be spent with Him.
What kind of Faith do you have? How do we get over the Destination Disease? By applying the Word of God. Nothing that happens in this life can take away our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Receive the Lord, be in Christ Jesus and let His joy fill your heart.
1. And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers and Cyrus of Persia received his kingdom.
2. And Daniel conversed with the king, and was honored above all his friends.
3 Now the Babylonians had an idol, called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour and forty sheep and six vessels of wine.
4. And the king worshipped it and went daily to adore it; but Daniel worshipped his own God. And the king said unto him, “Why dost not thou worship Bel?"
5. Who answered and said “Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh."
6. Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?
7. Then Daniel smiled and said, O king, be not deceived; for this is but clay within and brass without and did never eat or drink anything.
8. So the king was wroth and called for his priests and said unto them, “If ye tell me not who this is that devoureth these expenses, ye shall die.
9. But if ye can certify me that Bel devoureth them, then Daniel shall die; for he hath spoken blasphemy against Bel.” And Daniel said unto the king, Let it be according to thy word.
10 .Now the priests of Bel were threescore and ten beside their wives and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.
11. So Bel's priests said Lo we go out; but thou, O king, set on the meat and make ready the wine and shut the door fast and seal it with thine own signet.
12. And tomorrow when thou comest in, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death; or else Daniel, that speaketh falsely against us.
13 .And they little regarded it, for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they entered in continually and consumed those things.
14. So when they were gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes and those they strewed throughout all the temple in the presence of the king alone; then went they out and shut the door and sealed it with the king's signet and so departed.
15. Now in the night came the priests with their wives and children, as they were wont to do and did eat and drink up all.
16. In the morning, betime the king arose and Daniel with him.
17. And the king said Daniel, are the seals whole? And he said, Yea, O king, they be whole.
18. And as soon as he had opened the door, the king looked upon the table and cried with a loud voice; Great art thou O Bel and with thee is no deceit at all.
19. Then laughed Daniel and held the king that he should not go in. And said Behold now the pavement and mark well whose footsteps are these.
20. And the king said I see the footsteps of men, women and children. And then the king was angry,
21. And took the priests with their wives and children, who shewed him the privy doors where they came in and consumed such things as were upon the table.
22. Therefore the king slew them and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed him and his temple.
23. And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.
24. And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? Lo, he liveth, he eateth and drinketh. Thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship him.
25. Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God; for he is the living God.
26. But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said I give thee leave.
27. Then Daniel took pitch and fat and hair and did seethe them together and made lumps thereof. This he put in the dragon's mouth and so the dragon burst in sunder; and Daniel said Lo, these are the gods ye worship.
28. When they of Babylon heard that, they took great indignation and conspired against the king saying the king is become a Jew and he hath destroyed Bel. He hath slain the dragon and put the priests to death.
29. So they came to the king and said Deliver us Daniel or else we will destroy thee and thine house.
30. Now when the king saw that they pressed him sore, being constrained, he delivered Daniel unto them;
31. Who cast him into the lions' den, where he was six days.
32. And in the den there were seven lions and they had given them every day two carcasses and two sheep; which then were not given to them, to the intent they might devour Daniel.
33. Now there was in Jewry a prophet, called Habakkuk, who had made pottage and had broken bread in a bowl and was going into the field, for to bring it to the reapers.
34. But the angel of the Lord said unto Habakkuk, Go carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lions' den.
35. And Habakkuk said Lord, I never saw Babylon; neither do I know where the den is.
36. Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown and bare him by the hair of his head and through the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den.
37. And Habakkuk cried saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee.
38. And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek thee and love thee.
39. So Daniel arose and did eat and the angel of the Lord set Habakkuk in his own place again immediately.
40. Upon the seventh day the king went to bewail Daniel and when he came to the den, he looked in and behold Daniel was sitting.
41 .Then cried the king with a loud voice saying, “Great art Lord God of Daniel and there is none other beside thee. “
42 .And he drew him out and cast those that were the cause of his destruction into the den. And they were devoured in a moment before his face.
For the rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee.
And thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
