Many
people say, "Yes, Jesus is not only the ticket to salvation or heaven,
He is also our ticket to health, wholeness, and prosperity too .."
Some
would go further and say that Jesus is like the ticket to a banquet or
cinema, and hence, once you are in it, you have the finished work of
Jesus. You are forever saved and you will just rest, relax, think of
nothing, do nothing, and enjoy life in Christ thereafter.
I will tell
them, Yes, you are right; but only half of 'you'. Your the other half
is still 'in the left', lol. You may think of Jesus as your ticket to
heaven, but Jesus would not think that He should be treated like a
ticket. It is a bad analogy and insult to gives the false impression
that God is like a ticket and you can just do nothing, watch all the
movies, and eat all that you can. No, Jesus would never want to give
that impression to His disciples even though He did use the 'wedding
dinner' to illustrate His invitation to God's kingdom:
Mat 22:4-14 KJV (4) Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner:
my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto
the marriage. ..(10) So those servants went out into the highways, and
gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the
wedding was furnished with guests. (11) And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
(12) And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not
having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. (13) Then said the
king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and
cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. (14) For many are called, but few are chosen.
Many may
argue and say, "Didn't God say that He would kill His oxen and fatlings
for us? It is a clear indication that God would just want all of us to
eat until we are full, drink until we are drunk, make merry until we are
satisfied, enjoy all that He would give us, relax .. ; but do nothing
else". I will tell them, Didn't Jesus multiply bread in His feeding of
the five thousand? Do you still think like the Jews that He did all
these just to encourage them to enjoy life, eat, drink, and make merry?
Joh
6:26-61 KJV Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat
of the loaves, and were filled. .. (60) Many therefore of his
disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? (61) When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
Many
disciples did not listen to Jesus long enough. When they realised that
Jesus had commands, warning, doctrine, or something more difficult for
them to 'swallow', they just reject Him and His words as 'hardsayings'.
Have we, the churches, entered into the 'wedding dinner' ?
Many
think that the wedding dinner for those who are invited in highways and
byways is the same as the marriage supper for those who are raptured in
the end time:
Rev 19:8-9 KJV And to her was granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
But the marriage supper is not same as the wedding dinner. The marriage supper is the end time event after the rapture.
But,
if we check the original text in Greek, the 'wedding dinner' and the
'marriage supper' are two different words. One could be before the
other. We may not need to work in the Marriage Supper. But before we
reach there, our churches today will still need to work and will still
receive command or instruction from the Lord to work. As those who have
accepted the Lord's invitation, we are commanded to work even more:
Php
2:10-13 KJV That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. (12) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
The command or the garment of the Lord is for the believers; not for the unbelievers
Jesus
showed us that all the guests who went for the wedding dinner must
still do or prepare something before attending it. It is a warning only
to His disciples or those who have believed; not to the sinners or those
who do not believe. That's why I have mentioned (in K056) that there
was a switch or a turn to His disciples, after the invitation given to
all the sinners:
Luk 14:23-27 KJV And the lord said unto the
servant, Go out into the highways and hedges .. (25) And there went
great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
(26) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and
wife, .. and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (27) And
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple.
So I will ask the believers now, Have we entered into the
'wedding dinner' ? Yes, according to Mat 22:4-14 and Luk 14:23-27, we
are the poor, the blind, and the undeserving in they highway and byway
who have responded and accepted the invitation and now we are enjoying
the 'dinner' while walking and living in Christ. But now will you
interpret that 'many are called but few are chosen' as:
1. Many of
us have accepted the Lord's invitation but only one does not have the
'wedding garment', and hence, few will be chosen for judgement, or
2.
Many of us have accepted the Lord's invitation but few of us can walk
with the true glory, garment, or commandments of the Lord forever until
we reach the great marriage supper in Heaven ?
Rev 19:9 KJV And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Rev
22:11-17 KJV He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which
is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (12)
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be. (13) I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first and the last. (14) 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. (15) For
without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (16) 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.
(17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely.
Hence, if we look at the
interpretation of the whole Bible eg. from Mat 22:4-14, Luk 14:23-27,
and Rev 19:8-9 instead of the interpretation of just one or two Bible
verses, we know that Jesus would never tell us to follow Him or accept
His invitation by thinking of Him as the 'ticket' to get salvation, to
enter heaven, or to do nothing in our lives (like going into the cinema
or banquet and just slumber to watch the movie and eat all that we
like). There are already many Bible verses which warn us about the wrong
thinking and wrong preaching:
1. Mat 7:15-24 KJV Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (17) Even so every
good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
(22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (24)
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
2. Mat 25:26-27 KJV His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful
servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I
have not strawed: (27) Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money
to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own
with usury.
3. Mat 24:37-40 KJV But as the days of Noe
were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38) For as in
the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the
ark, (39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (40) Then shall two be
in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. .. (45) Who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in
due season? (46) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh
shall find so doing. (47) Verily I say unto you, That he shall make
him ruler over all his goods. (48) But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart,
My lord delayeth his coming; (49) And shall begin to smite his
fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; (50) The lord
of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in
an hour that he is not aware of, (51) And shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
From these Bible verses, we are very clear why
the false prophets can never preach them. It's because they only want
to say (in their hearts) that these words are not for them, and hence,
they can just eat, and drink, and .. without doing the will or
commandments of God. They preach that inviting Jesus into their hearts
is like obtaining a free ticket to a great movie or buffet dinner where
they can just enjoy themselves effortlessly at the expense of God's son.
They think that this is grace or favour. However, this is a totally
different picture which contradicts the words and command of the Lord.
Hence, they preach Jesus, but they do not love Jesus. No wonder the Lord
will say,
Mat 7:23 KJV And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Joh 14:15 KJV If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Rev
3:15-16 KJV I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I
would thou wert cold or hot. (16) So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
If we
read all these Bible verses with God's understanding, we know that these
words were not spoken to the non-believers or the people of the world;
but to the believers who know the words of God and even preach the name
of the Lord.
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