The Unjust Shall Die By Faith

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)

It is written, "The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:7, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38)". This is repeated four times in the Bible, once by Habakkuk in Old Testament, and quoted three times by Paul in the New Testament.

In reality, everyone lives by faith. We all have faith in the usual. We just take for granted that everything will just happen as per normal. Nothing extraordinary will happen and nature will take its course. When we take our next step, we never fear that the ground will give way and swallow us up. When we sleep, we assume we will wake up. When we sit on a chair, we do not expect the chair to give way.

We cannot live without faith because we are not all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscience) and all-present (omnipresent). We have no time and no means to prove everything. We just have to trust that the information we have is true.

The Bible never teaches that doing good will save you. The Bible teaches that you are saved by believing in the truth, the saving truth, the historical event that Christ had died for our sin.

What you do will not save you. What you put your faith in will determine whether you have eternal life or eternal death.

The just shall live by faith. The wicked shall die by faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

God Spared Donald Trump For a Reason

Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces all these metals, so it will break in pieces and crush the others. In that you were seeing feet and toes partly of wet clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it, for you saw iron mixed with wet clay. In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. And in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed with one another without adhering to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. (Daniel 2:40-44 NET)

"Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,' to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth. (Ezekiel 38:10-12 ESV)

From Trump: 'God spared my life for a reason -- to save our country and restore America to greatness' | The Times of Israel:
QUOTE
"God spared my life for a reason," Donald Trump says in his victory speech, referring to the two assassination attempts he survived on the US campaign trail.
"And that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness. And now we're going to fulfill that mission together," he says.
UNQUOTE

I think God spared Donald Trump to do two tasks:

1. To revive the Judeo-Christian civilization to prepare for the Roman Empire 2.0.
2. To bring peace to the Middle East so that Israel can live securely, creating the conditions for Gog and Magag to invade Israel.

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These kings have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13 NET)

Therefore prophesy, son of man, and tell Gog that this is what the Lord GOD says: On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not take notice of this? (Ezekiel 38:14 BSB)

Son of Man

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. (Daniel 7:13 BSB)

And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62 ESV)

Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. (Revelation 14:14 CSB)

Unlike many religious leaders and founders of religions who popped into history without warning, the coming of Jesus was predicted in advance in the Old Testament. He came to fulfil the prophecies in the Old Testament (Psalm 40:7-8, Hebrews 10:7). He came to be King, as prophesied by Daniel. Jesus Himself also quoted Daniel's prophecy.

He is the Son of Man, who will be seated on the cloud when He comes again.

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11-16 CSB)

Saved By Luck - 2

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31 ESV)

When told of the good news of the salvation by Jesus Christ, many people like to ask, "What about those who have never heard of Jesus?" They feel like God is so unfair.

If you strike the first prize in lottery, would you ask questions like, "What about the other people who did not strike first prize? God is so unfair! I strike first prize and others don't. Maybe there are those who are dying of cancer and may need the money more than me!" You would never ask this question, right? You just accept the money! And you will thank whatever god, gods or good luck charms that you believe in, right?

Here we are offering something better than money, which you cannot bring beyond the grave. You are offered eternal life. So why is this question asked? Is it not the same for all religions and how they spread? The gospel, religions, ideas and diseases spread in the same way. It depends on population density, geographic location, communication technology and the fullness of time.

Today we have handphones and communication is so easy. Five hundred years ago, even a person as privileged as the emperor of China cannot communicate like us. And neither would he have the chance to hear the gospel.

But you are so lucky today. You heard that Jesus saves! Now is the time of God's favor. Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Accept it now! Don't wait till tomorrow. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow (James 4:14). Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:31).

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11 BSB)

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. (Proverbs 16:33 ESV, NIV)

For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One. (Ephesians 1:4-6 BSB)

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 BSB)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)

Gods of the Gaps

Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." (Jeremiah 10:11 ESV)

Secular humanists believed that gods were created to fill our gaps in knowledge. When they did not know how rain was made, they created a rain god. When they could not explain the thunder, they created a thunder god. As our knowledge increase, there will be less and less requirement for divine explanation. Eventually, when we know everything, god or gods will cease to exist.

And this is exactly what the Bible said about the so-called gods who did not make the heavens and earth. They will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens (Jeremiah 10:11). And exactly as the Bible said, there is one God who stubbornly refused to go away. This is the God that created the heavens and the earth. Till today, science could not come up with a satisfactory answer to creation. So, the God that created the heavens and the earth is still keeping His job.

For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18 NASB95)

Father-in-Law

My father-in-law passed away today at 6 pm Singapore Time 5 pm Vietnam Time in Saigon.

Israel Knows Your Every Move

The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, "Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?" One of his servants said, "No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom." (2 Kings 6:11-12 CSB)

The king of Aram was very angry because all his moves were pre-empted by Israel. As it was, so it is. This time, Israel will never be uprooted again. The LORD has spoken. So, it is not wise to quarrel with your Creator.

I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them. The LORD your God has spoken. (Amos 9:15 CSB)

"Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'? (Isaiah 45:9 NIV)