Who Hath Believed Our Report? How long, O Lord?

A few weeks ago I put a couple of my books on consignment in a local discount grocery store that had a rack of Christian books.  It was a self-described Christian establishment sitting in the middle of the Bible Belt, and I figured a local author with a Christian book–what’s not to like?

So I came back to the store a month later to see if the books had moved and noticed that they were not on the rack.  So I asked the assistant manager who made the deal with me about stocking the books, “Did they sell?  I don’t see them on the rack.”

He looked at me real funny and being the diplomat/merchant that he is, he began to hem-haw around, saying, “Well, the manager hasn’t had time to look them over and approve them yet.”

I said, “Your racks contain scores of books that I doubt he spent any time pouring over to approve.”

“Do you want them?”

“Of course,  I want them if you are not going to try to sell them.”

“I’ll go get them.”  In a moment he returned with my books.

And then I realized what had happened.  They had put them on the rack because they had a price sticker on them.  But a shopper had perused them and did not approve of the teachings found in them and complained to the manager.  Probably my Yah Is Savior book insulted someone’s churchianity quotient; perhaps they read the back cover which has summary of its contents.  And so they stopped right there and got indignant.  If they had read on, they would have found out much about how Christ, the Son of God, came in His Father’s name, Yahweh and what that really means.

The more truth He gives you, the less likely it will be received by the masses

But what did I expect?  That everyone really wants the truth about God and everything else?  How naïve of me.  How presumptuous, like Moses, who “supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not” (Acts 7: 25).  God had showed Moses a glimpse of the plan but not the power; that would come forty years later at the burning bush (v. 30-36).

After my little incident, Isaiah’s question kept coming to mind: “Who hath believed our report? (Isa. 53: 1).  Why is there so much rampant unbelief?  Why can’t people just believe?

It is the age old dilemma for men and women of God.  The more truth He gives you, the less likely it will be received by the masses.  You and I have had several revelations of truth and, excited about it, we share it immediately with probably the first person we meet, and it falls disappointedly on deaf ears.  The kicker is that we honestly believe that they at this time ought to believe the truth we are sharing.  But the vast majority don’t, and we wonder why.

But the scriptures state that most will not believe.  In fact, if everything you share garners a huge following and acceptance by the masses, you don’t have the right message. 

The Wide Gate and the Narrow Gate

That’s a bold statement, I know.  But, we are to “enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7: 13-14).  The masses are fooled and led to destruction through a wide gate; the few will find the true way.  These are the Savior’s very own words.

And how are the masses led astray by the tens and hundreds of millions?  Christ answers this in the very next verse: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (v. 15).  Sheep’s clothing.  They look like they are a Christian; they appear to be a bona fide spokesman for God, God’s helper, but Christ says they are ferocious wolves!  That’s how the masses are herded into the wide gate and destroyed.  By deceivers with their false teachings and old leaven concepts about God and not the true word of God.

In fact, Christ implores us to “strive to enter in at the narrow gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13: 24-30).  The word translated “strive” is rendered “fight” in many passages.  We must fight to enter through the narrow gate into the kingdom of God.  It is a fight, a struggle.  Fight against what?  Against the false doctrines and concepts taught by the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Because there will be many who went the easy way through the wide gate and  they will “seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”  Upon realizing that they messed up, they will knock on the Master’s door, but He will say, I don’t know you.  And they will be in anguish when they are rejected by Him.  Those that went in through the wide gate taught by the false prophets will be in big trouble.

But why won’t the masses believe this message?

So, the question remains.  Did I really expect when I committed my writing to God–did I expect to be believed?  Especially since what God keeps showing me is so different to the doctrines that organized churchianity teaches.

But why won’t the masses believe this message?

I found the answer, which lies in the fact that they did not believe the Savior Himself!  Very few “got Him” then, and very few get Him now.

“But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him” (John 12: 37).  It would be the same today if we had the same power to heal the sick and raise the dead.  Oh, the masses would clamor after a miracle for themselves, but they would not really take the truth in and believe it.

Nothing has changed.  But why?  Why at this present time in history won’t the people believe?

Verse 38 answers the question.  “That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: Lord, who has believed our report…Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them” (Jn 12: 38-41).

Why can’t the people just believe when truth comes their way?  Because the multitudes are unable to at this time in history.  What?  And why can’t they believe?  Because God–yes, God Himself–has “blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts” (Isa. 6: 9-10).  He has blinded the vast majority of fleshly Israel and the Gentile nations.  That is what the sacred writings of the prophets Isaiah and John tell us.

The masses are blinded by Him, but “the few” that Christ spoke about above are entering in by the narrow gate.  These are His elect, His chosen ones.  To Christ’s disciples He said, “It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them [the masses] it is not given” (Matt. 13: 11-16).  And then He quotes Isaiah 6: 9-10 to them.  Although not politically correct to say it, Christ is revealing precious mysteries at present as the masses remain blind and hardened to His truth (Rom. 11: 7).

How Long, O Lord?

But when?  God, how long will it be before You open the people’s eyes and soften their hearts so that they can believe You? When will their vision be restored and their hearts softened?  Isaiah asked, “Lord, how long?  And He answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land” (6: 10-11).

When the cities are wiped out, when the earth lies totally ruined and desolate, and when this world system is forever shattered and lying in rubble on the ground, then the masses will turn to God.  These are the disasters of biblical proportions.  This is the realization of all the disaster movies we’ve ever seen.  This is the great tribulation period that everyone alive on earth will go through, just before Christ’s return to earth to establish His kingdom.

When God unleashes His trumpets and vials of wrath upon the earth, then the masses will begin to awaken and believe.  They are asleep and deceived and “poor, wretched, miserable, blind and naked.”

God, please help us.  Spare thy people, oh God.  I am grateful for this knowledge, but it is a heavy burden to bear–knowing the sufferings that await the inhabitants of the earth.

The tribulation will come, and then more of the masses will have a softened heart to believe and love Him and they will repent and follow Him.

Of course, the false prophets and false teachers say that you won’t have to go through the tribulation period.  Of course, they would teach that.  How else are they going to get the massive numbers of souls through the wide gate that “leads to destruction”?  God, help us.      KWH

Peace and the Mind of God

Peace is the one commodity that is in short supply in this world.  For some, peace means no more war.  For others it means no more stress.

But one thing is certain; the whole world is crying out for peace.  The destroyer is ravaging the land.  Mothers are crying in Allepo because their government has just bombed their apartment building.   Lives in the third world are collapsing around the globe through war and economic woes, flattening any chance for peace.

Even in Western Europe and North America, peace eludes the people, who, awash in material possessions, do not realize the age old adage that wealth alone can’t bring happiness, that “money can’t buy me love,” that true peace only comes as a spiritual by-product, from a life directed by one’s Creator.

Peace.  What does the Creator say about it?  Peace is a component of the “fruit of the Spirit.”  When the Spirit of God resides in us, we will have peace.

But this peace still remains elusive.  What does the Word say about what exactly brings peace—complete and utter peace?  “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isa. 26: 3).  First, God keeps the peace there in us.  It is His doing.  Second, He does this as our minds steadfastly think on Him.

Some will say that this is impossible.  How can we think about God all the time?  But let’s think about this for a minute.  Even though our minds are occupied by a host of thoughts in any given day, the Savior tells us to not think on the earthly things that the masses are pre-occupied with—what to eat, wear, and all the other things like pleasure, jobs, etc.  Our earthly life should not be the center of our thinking.  It won’t bring peace.

So, what thoughts are we to think and to train our minds to think on?  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [earthly things like food, clothing, entertainment] will be added unto you” (Matt. 6: 33).

Christ just taught in verse 31-32 to “take no thought” about the earthly things.  This tells us that “thinking” turns into “seeking.”  So how do we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”?  We think about them.  We meditate on his rule and government that will soon fill this whole earth, and we contemplate on the state of being right with Him.

This is how we seek His kingdom—by thinking about it as much as we can every day.

But there is a caveat in all this.  Our thoughts must be based on sound knowledge.  If we are meditating on concepts that are in error, do we believe this is acceptable with God?  Our thoughts about God must be rid of false teachings, doctrine, and concepts about Him and His plan.  He commands us in many places to “purge out the old leaven,” and He many times warns us to not follow false teachers and false prophets (II Peter 2: 1-22; Jude 4-8).

But this is the hard part of the Christian walk—this ridding ourselves of false doctrines and concepts.  Difficult, but extremely necessary, if we are to be assured in our hearts and have confidence with God.

How do we know what is false and what is true?  Yesterday’s light won’t illuminate the path of the elect in these latter days, so you can’t depend on the light that your parents and grand-parents had, or the light your preacher has, who got it from teachers and preachers who haven’t received anything new in 50 years.  Depending on them won’t cut it.

How do we get rid of the false doctrines about Him and His plan?  By sincerely praying and asking God to reveal it to us, with a humble and repentant heart.  And He will do it.  He’ll show us.  But we need to break up the fallow ground of our heart knowing full well that when He answers, it will not be what we expected.  The elect will find the truth of His plan, if they are willing to lay it all, all prior knowledge under the knife of the husbandman.  For “every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, the Father purges it that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15: 2).  What is it that the Father will purge or prune out of our minds?  He will “purge out the old leaven” of malice, wickedness, hypocrisy, insincerity, and falsehoods (I Cor. 5: 8; Luke 12: 1; Mark 8: 15).

A spiritually young and immature Christian has got a lot of old leaven in there that must be purged by the Father.  He will do it, too, but we must submit to this procedure.  That is the difficult part.

But afterwards, “it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12: 11).  Peace that the Master gives.  Peace for us in our spirits, peace as one of the fruits of the Spirit.  Peace that comes upon thinking on His wonderful plan and purpose according to truth, after the old leaven is gone.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

When the King Returns

It’s not the nicest place to be–

A non-loyalist when the king returns

To assume his regal duties on his throne.

It’s better to believe his promise to us all,

Though now we see him not.

Those few who do will reap a great reward

Although they did not seek fame for themselves.

With pure heart fervent sought they to serve their king

And help him usher in a thousand years

Of peace and joy in kingdom bliss.

Casting Our Pearls Before Swine–When to Share the Sacred Names

A fellow Christian asked me one time, “Why don’t people believe me when I share the sacred names of God with them?”

I related to them that first of all, this walk that we have been called to is a lonely pilgrimage.  I have found that for the vast majority of people on the planet, their basic spiritual need is not the sacred names but the cross experience.  The sacred names are wonderful revelations, but they are “meat” and not the “milk of the word.”

People need to be brought to the “cross.”  For they cannot spiritually comprehend the deeper things of God without the “spiritual eyes” received by a true conversion to Christ.  They must first die with Christ, be buried with Him, and by faith be “raised to walk in a newness of life” through faith in His resurrection.  Then they will be ready to go deeper into the heavier spiritual food, the “meat of the word.”

That begs the question: How will we know when to share the deeper truths with someone?  What is the characteristic sign that shows us who needs “the milk of the word” and who needs “meat”?  The person who uses and needs milk are the babes in Christ, or children.  They haven’t grown into spiritual adulthood yet.  For they “are unskilful in the word of righteousness” (Heb. 5: 13-14).  The word of righteousness is present in a Christian when they have the gift of the Spirit called the
word of knowledge.”  This is the ability to explain and teach another how the righteousness of God is attained.  They have experienced the cross and “have been raised to walk in a newness of life.”

In that same passage we see that “strong meat belongs to them that are of full age.”  Through their many spiritual experiences, they with God’s help can “discern both good and evil.”  They can discern what is true and what doctrine is false.  A child of God is “dull of hearing” and lacks discernment.

We must “not cast our pearls before swine.”  The Savior knew that if we give stronger truth to those without a new heart, that they would reject it out of hand.  Paul, experiencing this very thing said that “he was determined to not share anything with them except Christ crucified”–or, the death, burial, and resurrection of their old selves with Christ.

I’ve done the same thing, sharing wonderful things of God to those who cannot receive it.  But I know that some will.  Those  nurtured through the apostles’ doctrine–the first two being “repentance from dead works” [the aforementioned cross experience] and “faith toward God” (see Hebrews 6: 1-2).

We must first lay the “foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God.”  In order for someone to be the spiritual temple of God, they must have a good foundation.

Those of us who have run into this experience should be encouraged that we are not alone in our spiritual trek, and that there is a reason why God has revealed Himself and His truth to us.  And, of course, our first reaction is to share it all with everyone.  We all have done this.  But He does not want all of it shared with everyone.  I know that is ironic, but it is true.  Just look at the parables, which are the “dark sayings” that deliberately cloud the meaning of the mysteries of His kingdom for those who are not meant to receive it!  Incredible.

We still need to witness the truth to others–but that part of the truth that really meets their true need, which usually is the cross experience.    KWH