“The Same Old, Same Old” Part 2 By Rayola Kelley

We do indeed live in some very challenging times. We are watching much of prophesied events unfold before our eyes. For generations we have been hearing about the coming of Jesus. To each generation it seems like the same old, same old warnings that their parents and grandparents before them heard and yet we are still here, and Jesus has not come.

Today the scoffers of Jesus coming is growing even among those who call themselves Christians. Some are looking to usher in the Millennium where they will reign and rule, and not for Jesus’ coming when He will set up His kingdom to rule for a thousand years. The truth is we have been living in the last days for over 2,000 years. The countdown of the last days started right after Jesus’ ascension and was clearly brought out in Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2:16-18 after the Holy Spirit came down and empowered the people in the upper room to proclaim the Gospel in different languages. Each succeeding generation in times of great trials have been reminded and found comfort that Jesus is coming.

Waiting for the coming of the Promised One is not new. The Jews were in a waiting pattern when Jesus came the first time. They were looking for one like Moses who would deliver them from the Roman oppression, as well as a prophet like Elijah that would foretell the future and forthtell in powerful preaching and wise instructions. Prophecies had also described Him as a lawgiver who would serve as the great Judge of all those who oppressed them, and a King that clearly would set up the ever-lasting kingdom for His covenant people as promised by such prophets as Isaiah and Zechariah.

For those waiting for their Messiah the first time, they had their own ideas as to what His rule would look like. They saw Him as a warring king who would defeat their oppressors and set them free to oversee their own affairs. We know the rest of the story. As a nation they rejected Him because He did not come as a conquering King, but as a sacrificial Lamb, a humble Savior who would redeem us, and after His death become a risen Lord who would oversee the affairs of a spiritual household. John 1:11 describe it in this way, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

Like the days before Jesus, there were many claiming to be “the Messiah” that would rescue the Jewish people from their plight. As a result, many followed these false “Messiahs” and the outcomes were devastating. Likewise, the same environment is present today, where many are running around claiming to be the Messiah or promoting a false Messiah (Matthew 24:23-26). The prophets of old forewarned the Jewish people of the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus along with the New Testament writers have been forewarning us of His second coming. These forewarnings were backed up by forthtelling of instructions of what it would mean to be ready for His coming.

Today, there is the onslaught of “prophets” with “so-called” foresight into the future that often proves generic, often based on previously released information, or something that would be quite obvious to anyone who knows what the Bible says about the end of the last days. Much of the claims coming from prophetic ministries fail to address the real spiritual problems and fall very short of preparing the people for His coming.

The influx of prophetic happenings provides a great platform for pillow prophets that tickle itching ears to take advantage of the vulnerable, the misinformed, and those who lack a strong foundation. There are endless voices of religious nonsense filling the airwaves, leaving many in confusion and despondent. Many of the sheep are hungry, thirsty, and weary of the days they live in, but sadly, they do not know where to turn or where to go to truly hear the voice of the true Shepherd, Jesus, in sermons and teachings. The problem is that the hearts of many have become hardened to the message of salvation, the ears closed to the urgent warnings to flee the wrath of God to come, and the eyes dull because there is no discernment. People seem to be wandering in some type of quasi-state that may be religious but is surreal. It also seems that those who have evil agendas are flourishing because discernment is missing (Ezekiel 13:19-22; Matthew 13:14-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-2).

This brings us back to the real source behind this ignorance. The solution to this problem is the same old, same old that I dealt with in the last article. We must know the Word of God, but to properly handle the Word, we must know the author of the Word. I love what the Apostle John stated in 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life.” We know that who John heard, looked upon, and handled was Jesus Christ. In the very beginning He was the Word, and in His incarnation, He could be heard, looked upon and yes even man’s hands could touch Him. In fact, Jesus told Philip that when he saw Him, he was seeing the Father (John 14:9).

What needs to be handled properly at all times is Jesus. We must handle in reverence who He is as God, in faith what His instructions are as our Master, and in purity of heart worship and service to Him as our Lord. We must walk in fear of Him as our Judge, and be conscious of our conduct as ambassadors in this age who are representing our King and His kingdom. As I have stressed time and time again, “If you don’t get Jesus right, nothing will be right in your life, theology, and practices.” Jesus is our only sure foundation and anything apart from Him, guarantees a complete collapse and ruin (1 Corinthians 3:11; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20).

This brings us down to a harsh reality: that many religious people have a wrong foundation. People are not founded and grounded on the foundation of Christ (Matthew 7:24-27). For many their attitude is any old God or Christ will do, but the fruit of it reveals that these individuals are erring in their own heart. The reason for this error is that they have erected a god or Jesus to their own liking.

Jesus dealt with this matter in His day. Imagine, He was the real deal and yet people would not believe Him. He said this in Mark 12:24, “Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?” We live in the days where it seems many are falling into some type of Scriptural error because they do not choose to believe what Scripture states. Keep in mind, Jesus was not talking to those who were void of religion, but to those who touted some type of religion. In this particular case Jesus was talking to the religious Sadducees because they did not believe in resurrection in spite of the fact that the saints of old such as King David, Job, and the prophet Daniel specifically made reference to it in Psalm 17:15, Job 19:25-26, and Daniel 12:1-3.

Such error should not surprise us because deception has plagued mankind since Satan deceived Eve in the Garden in Genesis 3, and in his fallen state man can easily fall into deception without realizing that his premise is wrong. We also must not forget Jesus’ various warnings in Matthew 24 about deception in the last days. We are living in the last days and the deception that will be predominate will not only come out of ignorance of God and His Word, but there will be many substitutes claiming they are “the Christ,” when in fact they are imposters who possess an anti-Christ spirit (Hosea 4:6;1 John 2:21-23; 4:1-3).

Error of any nature is subtle and hard to recognize unless one is able to properly discern it because they know God and His Word. They clearly stand strong and immovable on what His Word says about all matters concerning life and godliness (Daniel 11:32; 2 Peter 1:3). Above all, they love God’s Word because it is a revelation of who He is.

In Hebrews 3:10, we are told that the children of Israel erred in their hearts because they did not know the ways of God. However, in this Scripture in Mark 12:24, we are told the people erred in a couple of ways. The first one has to do with not knowing Scripture. If one does not know the Word, they will err in their heart because Scripture shows us how God operates. In other words, it shows us the ways of God. He will never stray from His ways because they are righteous since they are in line with His holy attributes, His perfect will, and His eternal plan of redemption.

When we understand the ways of God, we can properly follow how He addresses and deals with matters in Scripture, confirming that He never misses a step or a beat when it comes to fulfilling His plan. When people do not know the ways of God because they are ignorant towards Him, they fill in the blank spaces with their own sentimental ideas of Him, causing them to reaffirm or erect a wrong concept of Him in their heart. Sadly, their heart will win out when it comes to who God is regardless of what the Word states. After all, the issues of life are determined by the heart attitude (Proverbs 4:23).

Finally, those who do not know God, will never believe the extent of His power, trust Him to show Himself mighty when necessary, and stand assured that all that God does will reflect His goodness that will prove to be beneficial to all involved. We know that God’s power is manifested in and through our lives as believers by the Holy Spirit. Nothing is too great for God to deal with nor is anything too small for God to overlook. The key is not what God can do, but that He does all things well in light of who He is. He wields His power to fulfill His will and bring forth His plan to perfection for His glory.

We can always become bored when it comes to the same old, same old. I have to admit, the drudgery of this world can be a bit tedious and demanding, but when it comes to God the same old same old is because God never changes and neither does man. Due to man’s independent choices, preferences, and fleshly ways, he finds himself in the same patterns of self-destruction. The result is that God is forever pulling man out of the stormy waters of this world.

The only thing that changes the drudgery of man is God. God proves to be the surprising aspect in life. His blessings are sweet, His promises eternal, His ways perfect, and His doings bring pleasant surprises. We can know what God might do in some situations, but we can never correctly guess how He will do it. His sovereign ways are beyond any worldly calculations and His works are so incredible they are past understanding and describing.