Blog Archives
3. Light in a Dark Place of the Church Militant
By John Thiel, Light in a Dark Place Seminar, Study 3, mp3
Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
We are living in dark, trying times for God’s genuine people, and we need God’s word to illume our pathway. The light that shines in a dark place must illuminate our pathway. In our previous study we looked at a personal dark spot, which is our human heart where God brings Jesus into close, inward proximity, so that in the dark place of our heart the light of Jesus, His face, His truth, can shine. In this study we want to examine the dark place in the church militant. This may sound strange. In God’s church? Is there a dark place in the church militant? How does the scripture that we have been quoting relate to the subject of the church militant? Read the rest of this entry
Loyalty to the Church of God
Isaiah 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that [are] in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures [shall be] in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. 13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls [are] continually before me.
The Lord has a people on earth and they are accumulatively called Zion. They have been blessed and redeemed by the one spoken of in Isaiah 49:8 who in an acceptable time was heard as he was hanging on the cross. He was preserved and uplifted again and given for a covenant of the people to release the prisoners. As we read above, the prisoners didn’t feel like being released as Zion said the Lord has forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me. We then see the object lesson of a woman caring for her suckling child. The Lord cares for us through his church, through his woman he cares for his children as has been demonstrated in past years, the faithful children have been forsaken by the woman. She became an harlot. But God is still caring even though the church played the harlot. This reality is written of all through Isaiah. Read the rest of this entry
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