When the “unsinkable” Titanic hit an iceberg in the early 1900’s, there was great loss of life. Before the accident, there was an arrogant sense of security in the integrity of the ship. There was little time for evacuation instructions and drills. More time was spent on having good fun and arranging the deck chairs than preparing for an emergency. When the ship began to sink, panic filled the hearts of the passengers. Compounding the tragedy, there were not enough lifeboats for everyone. Consequently, hundreds drowned in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic. There are many who are sailing in dangerous waters today. But proper planning will spare many from God’s judgment on the earth.¹ Judgment is a part of end times. Just read the book of Revelation and you will see it. We are beginning a brand new series on that very subject of ‘end times’. This what the Lord said about that as I was getting ready to teach the podcast on the Life of John Alexander Dowie. He said these words, ‘I want you to teach the prophetic end-time events. I want you to teach Bible prophecy to my people.’ So, we are heading out that direction and obeying God. End Time Events, What the Bible Says, that’s what we are beginning to talk about on this week’s ‘Light on Life’.

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Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

God gave us His Word so you can be smart about the areas of life matter. Being committed to reading His Word is of utmost importance. Do you have a Bible reading plan? If you don’t here is one for you.

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Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

What other areas do you believe it is necessary to become smart in concerning God’s Word? Please leave your thoughts, in the comments section below.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Podcast Notes

The Command Against Ignorance

• The Word of God speaks of several areas where we are admonished not to be ignorant.
• The Greek word ignorant means to be lacking in knowledge or information.
• There are some areas where the Lord wants His children to be really smart.
• He wants us to have an A-plus average in certain Bible subjects.
• So, it would be wise for us to, at a minimum, to read the accounts and or the passages surrounding these areas so that we can become smarter, wiser, more in tune with these areas where the Lord has encouraged us.

The Lord Wants Us to Get Smarter about Spiritual Gifts

• One of these areas is the area of Spiritual gifts.
• You know, 1 Corinthians 12:1, now concerning spiritual gifts brethren, I would not have you to be ignorant.
• Spiritual Gifts means also things pertaining to the Spirit of God.
• We are not to be lacking concerning His movings and His manifestations.
• He wants us to be able to identify the work of the Spirit in our everyday lives.
• So in order not to be in a state of ignorance, At a minimum, read 1 Corinthians 12, and the work of the Spirit in John 14 and John 16.
• There are many other passages but these will at least get you started.

The Lord Wants Us to Get Smarter about What Happened to Israel in the Wilderness

1 Corinthians 10:1,5-6 (KJV) — 1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;… 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

• The entire story of the Exodus and God’s dealings with the children of Israel in the wilderness are examples to the body of Christ.
• Examples of which, the Lord wants us not to be ignorant.

The Lord Wants Us to Be Smarter about the Devils Devices

2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV) 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

• The enemy wants to remain ignorant of how he operates.
• Then he can just continue to take advantage and pull the wool over people’s eyes.
• But, God put His Spirit in you and He put information in the Bible of Satan’s ways so you can learn and steer clear of them.
• Look at Satan’s devices against Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as well as his failure to tempt Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew chapter four and Luke chapter four.
• Studying these passages will help make you wise against Satan’s wiles.

The Lord Wants Us to Get Smarter about Israel and the Fullness of the Gentiles

Romans 11:25 (KJV) — 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

• To this passage, you should read this verse found in Luke’s gospel.

Luke 21:24 (KJV) — 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

• God’s sovereign plan was to put Israel aside temporarily in order to show grace to the Gentiles.²
• Paul wanted the Roman Gentile believers to not be inflated with conceited pride over God’s favor to them.
• The apostle to the Gentiles didn’t want believers to be wise in their own conceits.
• Walking in humility is a wise choice which extends not only to this specific area but to all other areas of life.
• So, studying on the subject of pride and humility is a way of helping immunize against ignorance in this area.
• Look up passages in the book of Proverbs on pride and humility.
• There is also another area of study we should tune into and become wise in from this scripture in Romans 11:5.
• Note the phrase, the ‘times of the Gentiles’.
• What are the ‘times of the Gentiles?’
• It’s a part of the Dispensations of God and studying them gets us over into the area of end times and Bible prophecy.

The Lord Wants Us to Get Smarter about Time

Isaiah 41:21–23 (KJV) — 21 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; Bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. 22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: Let them shew the former things, what they be, That we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; Or declare us things for to come. 23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that ye are gods: Yea, do good, or do evil, That we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

• The Lord is able because of His omniscient foreknowledge to tell how any event today will impact tomorrow.
• Many events come about solely through man’s choices.
• But, there are some events that are stirred into motion by the Spirit of God.
• He instigates some events to bring into being the fullness of God’s plan.
• At times, events of today have a reference to tomorrow.
• Which events are those?
• Well, that’s what the Lord was saying to the little ‘g’ gods of verse twenty-three.
• He was challenging them to predict the outcome of the future based on the events of today.
• The Lord was calling on them to look at the former things and decree the latter end.
• “Prophesy little ‘g’ gods and declare the things which are to come.
• Of course, they have no ability in these areas.
• You know it’s the same thing today.
• The psychic hotlines would have you believe that they have this ability but they don’t.

The Law of Double Reference

• This ability the Lord has to show the things which are to come based on current events is on display many times in scripture.
• At times, the Lord weaves a pointer, a sign, into a current event that prophesies or speaks to what’s coming up in the future.
• This phenomenon is known as the Law of Double Reference.
• That means there is a current event that has great prophetic meaning to the future.
• Take for example the potter’s field prophecy.
• You know that Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Matthew 27:3–9 (KJV) — 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

• This potter’s field prophecy is attributed to Jeremiah.
• But, it doesn’t just include Jeremiah.
• The Lord moved on another man, the prophet Zechariah.
• Both Jeremiah and Zechariah were contemporaries.
• All of this took place approximately 650 years before this event occurred concerning Judas in Matthew twenty-seven.
• First, the Lord directed Jeremiah to go visit the potter.

Jeremiah 18:1–8 (KJV) — 1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

• Then, several chapters later, specifically in chapter 32, the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy a field.

Jeremiah 32:6–12 (KJV) — 6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. 8 So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. 9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. 11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: 12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.

• The Lord uses these two events and weaves them together via the mouth of Zechariah.

Zechariah 11:12–13 (KJV) — 12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

• This is just one ‘sign pointing prophecy’ concerning events in the life of Jesus.
• One reason they are in the Bible is to give infallible proof of the life and ministry of Jesus.
• Another reason is that God always declares the end of a thing from the beginning.

Isaiah 46:9–10 (ESV) — 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

• All these particular workings of God through these two prophets Jeremiah and Zechariah took place almost seven centuries before there fulfillment.
• So, here’s Jeremiah buying a field.
• Here’s Jeremiah visiting a potter.
• And, here is Zechariah prophesying of a potter’s field bought with money.
• Pointing forward, here is Judas betraying Jesus and feeling so guilty and overcome with grief about it. specifically that his plan didn’t work out, that he goes and commits suicide.
• And what happens to his body?
• The religious crowd piously trying to do the right thing, which is wild in its own right since they rigged the trial of Jesus from the very beginning.
• Now they are trying to do the right thing.
• That’s religion for you.
• They take the blood money of betrayal they used to bribe Judas into double-crossing Jesus because it wasn’t lawful for them to keep it.
• The Pharisees and scribes take that money and, with it, buy a potter’s field so they can bury Judas.
• So, that is one example of the Law of Double Reference as it relates to time.
• Now, you will find quite a bit of this as you look at the prophetic scriptures and end time events.

Time, Days, and Prophetic Events

• So, we said that the Lord wants us to be smart time, right?
• Here’s a direct verse for that.

2 Peter 3:8 (KJV) — 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

• There are over 550 references to the word ‘time’ in the Bible.
• Many are in the ditch on one side or the other when it comes to time.
• There are those who say, I never have enough time.
• You know Jesus said these words about prayer.
• He told us to ask, seek and knock.
• All of that takes time.

Matthew 7:7 (ESV) — 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

• Here’s a poem entitled ‘No Time to Pray’.

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. “Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered. He answered, “You didn’t ask.” I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn’t show me. He said, “But you didn’t seek.” I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.” I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.³

• Is reading the Bible a necessary part of your day or does it have a low priority in your life?
• George Mueller, after having read the Bible through one hundred times with increasing delight, made this statement:

“I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends often say, ‘I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.’ Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. For more than half a century I have never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For four years I have had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands. Then, as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been by care. Besides, I have had charge of five immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful.”⁴

• Then, of course, there are those who are on the other side of the ditch, people who say, “Oh, I have plenty of time.”
• Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God says otherwise.
• He said the time is short.

1 Corinthians 7:29 (KJV) 29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

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