1 Corinthians 10:1-13
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition,upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (there you go!)
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
There’s a sad irony to Christians clubbing the unredeemed with the word of God. It was written for us, so we could speak to the world of the hope of Christ, the salvation of Christ, the return of Christ. It was written for us.
Paul goes so far as to tell the brethren (that would be us) he didn’t want us to be ignorant as to how God operated in the Old Testament – He was, is, and will always be, serious. I believe, in part, this Pauline chapter is a pre-emptive prophetic strike against the soft-gospel doctrines that have always infiltrated church, but will infiltrate even to greater degree, as the day of our Lord approaches. Paul told that to Timothy – deceivers would grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Meanwhile, here in Corinthians, Paul is affirming it’s the same God in both testaments, who has called us to holiness and Spirit-led obedience. Our roles on earth, as ambassadors for a Holy God, have to be holy roles.
The world still does not think there will be a flaming-fire return of a righteous God who will judge all men, set things straight, reward the faithful, punish the wicked. And sadly there’s a lot of good folks in church who still want to far-fling the return of our Lord into the deep and distant future. Peter tells us about that in his second letter, citing people saying: “where is the promise of His coming?”
Most people, churched and unchurched, fail to have much of a signs-of-the-times grid. Eclipses are excuses for drinking parties (stay tuned: there’s another one in 7 years that, with the recent one, draws an “X” over America). I’m confident the September 23 constellational alignment modeling Revelation 12 will simply go as a stellar-wow as opposed to perhaps yet another bulletin from the Creator. I do see that National Geographic (who often writes about our “billion year old world”) at least acknowledges some very special stuff is happening in the skies, in September. Off-hand I personally don’t know enough to correlate these occurrences to anything biblical, but I’m of the mind our great God is beginning to move to get our attention. The heavens declare His glory.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/09/skywatching-guide-september-equinox-planets-moon-science/
Too bad National Geographic fails to correlate the holiest time of year in the Jewish calendar (“days of awe”), with the yet-unfulfilled fall holidays that surely will be fulfilled, just like the Spring holidays were surely fulfilled during the first appearance of our Lord.
But perhaps we can humbly and in the fear of the Lord press into what God might be doing in these days, and shine brighter as a light now, than ever.
All scriptures NKJV.
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