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7-5-2020 weekly message

Meditation of the week: Psalms 91:1-16

Text: Psalm 46:1-11

Word title: Peaceful life for one that swells  in the tabernacle of God, the Refuge even in disasters

          Through the psalmist, the Holy Spirit prophesied about the time of trouble that will come upon the earth:

“Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.“(Ps 46:2-3)

      Where would we flee from such kind of disaster? Is there any safe place  anywhere under heaven? The book of Revelation also says, “Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”  (Rev. 6:14).  Bible speaks in many places  about such kinds of disasters shall happen in the future. However, if there is only a place to escape, there must be only heaven. But how will we go up to the heaven? If the day when this happens is obviously coming, there will be no other choice but to prepare to ascent to heaven. All the words of God are translated from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into almost all languages, so anyone who wants to read them can read them. However, it depends on the free will of everyone who believes and doesn’t believe in the Word of God.

” Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

10And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

14Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

15Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.“(PS. 18:7-15)

       In these verses, we can see that these things are not only going to happen in the future, but it is not that things like hail and charcoal or heavy snowfall and lightning in summer are just natural disasters. Of course, God uses natural phenomena to judge the world with these things.

          For example, a massive flood happened in southern China, fearful hails has fallen from the sky.  However, oddly enough, the shape of the hail was identical to that of the corona virus in Wuhan, China. In addition, the  hail of the same shape came down to Beijing.  Beijing is a place where there is little rain. Could this be just a natural disaster? The LORD God judged Pharaoh in Egypt sending hails, fire and locusts when he gave troubles unto the Israelites.

       A long time ago God asked Job a very strange question:

” Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

23Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? ” Job 38:22-23)

        God told Job the great fact that there are warehouse of  hail and snow in heaven. The time of trouble  refers to the great tribulation that was prepared to judge people in the world who not believe in God. Apostle John saw and witnessed this scene in the Holy Spirit:

” The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.…. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.…. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.  “Re 8:7; 11:19; 16:21)

             In Psalm 18, that we read earlier, we can find a man being saved and taken to heavenly refuge when he is in fear in the midst of  hail, charcoal, thunder and lightning coming down from heaven  to judge the world:

” He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

19He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

23I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight..” (Psalm 18:16-24)

        The saved person here typifies Christians who, shall be taken out of many people to the refuge in heaven when Christ appears in the air before the Great Tribulation. They are the Christians who shall be sitting at the right side of God with Jesus Christ spiritually.    These are the Christians who believe in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with the whole heart before the  great tribulation.   Apostle Paul testified that although their bodies live in the world, but their spirits have already been taken to heavenly refuge:

” Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9Not of works, lest any man should boast.“

         Suffering has been already coming to pass in this world.  God is waiting for any one  to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to come into the refuge of God before the great tribulation. The disasters that are happening these days should not be overlooked. Floods, hail, earthquakes, typhoons, epidemics in China, and severe droughts in Europe and locust plagues in Africa and Asian countries are increasingly covering the world. Psalmist testifies that God  uses these plagues to do his will:

” Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.….. 8Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:” (Psalm 11:6; 148:8)

      Before the great tribulation to come, Jesus also spoke of how great a disaster would be in this world:

” Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken..” (Luke 21:26)

         Psalms 46 tells about heavenly refuge:

” There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. ” (Psalm 46:4-5)

         That’s right! The house of Christians, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have been born again with the Holy Spirit and entered the spiritual kingdom of God, is now ready in heaven. The name of the house is New Jerusalem. When the Lord Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness rises  in the early morning in heaven, Christians who have entered the spiritual kingdom of God shall be physically lifted up to the New Jerusalem, the heavenly refuge (1 Thess. 4:16-18).

      So Apostle Paul testified to the Saints who were suffering in Rome about the spiritual kingdom of God where people born of water and Holy spirit enter into:

” For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.“(Rom. 14:17)   Amen! Hallelujah!