Why Do Jews Reject Jesus As the Messiah? Here Are 2 Reasons

By Xia Wei

As we all know, the Jews were God’s chosen people, Israel was the birthplace of God’s work, the Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would lead the lives of the Israelites, and thus the Jews had eagerly yearned for the coming of the Messiah. But why was it that when the Messiah—the Lord Jesus—truly came to work, they didn’t accept Him, yet opposed Him and even crucified Him? This is what we will talk about today. May the Lord guide us.

The first reason was that the Jews relied on their imaginings and notions to understand the prophecies and delimit God’s work.

It is recorded in chapter 9, verses 6–7 in the Book of Isaiah, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.”

Bible Study | What’s the Meaning of the Verses Revelation 22:18–19 About Not Adding Things?

By Chiheng

A good friend of Christian Xu Min sends her a book—she feels spiritually freed after reading it, and it seems to her like a book of God’s utterance. However, her pastor says that according to a prophecy in Revelation 22:18–19, no one can add anything to or remove anything from the Bible, so God couldn’t possibly speak aside from through the Bible. Xu Min is really confused and wonders, what does the verse about not adding things in Revelation 22:18–19 really mean? Does “not adding things” apply to the entire Bible or just the Book of Revelation? After a fellowship, she understood the truth and mystery in it. Read this article to understand the truth within, lest we miss His return due to treating the Lord’s return according to our notions and imaginations.

Can Those Who Are Saved by Faith Enter God’s Kingdom?

By Saverio, Italy

Some Christians believe that as long as they accept the Lord Jesus’ salvation of the cross, verbally acknowledge the Lord and believe in Him in their hearts, then they are saved and will be able to enter the heavenly kingdom. There is also a biblical basis for this belief, which is: “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). They therefore believe even more strongly that those who are saved by faith can enter into the heavenly kingdom. But there are some Christians who remain confused, and they think that, seeing as we are capable of becoming hot-headed and losing our tempers at people every day, so much so that we are not even able to show our family members tolerance and patience, and we are capable of telling lies to deceive others in our everyday lives, can people such as this who live in sin enter into the kingdom of God? Let’s fellowship about this topic today.

As all who sincerely believe in the Lord know, in our belief in the Lord we must base everything we do on God’s words, for the word of God is the foundation of our faith in God and the benchmark by which we shall enter the heavenly kingdom. So what does God say about us getting into the heavenly kingdom? The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). “Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). According to God’s words, we can ascertain that people who just believe in the Lord in their hearts, who verbally pray to the Lord but who commit sins frequently every day cannot enter the kingdom of God. Because God is holy, absolutely no sinner is permitted to enter His kingdom, and this is decided by God’s righteous disposition. We are therefore able to reflect on ourselves in the light of God’s words to see whether or not we meet the criteria to enter the heavenly kingdom.

What Does God Imply Us in Amos 8:11 by Mentioning the Church’s Desolation in the Last Days?

By Qiulin

Editor’s Note: Do you know why the faith of many believers has grown cold and why they cannot feel the presence of God when praying? It is because the spiritual famine that Amos 8:11 prophesies in the Bible appears. Are you eager to know what we should do to end the spiritual famine? Please read this article carefully and you’ll find the answer.

A gust of autumn wind blew through, sweeping up the fallen leaves in the yard. Sitting by the window, I frowned and pondered over these verses, “Behold, the days come … that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah” (Amos 8:11), and “And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered” (Amos 4:7). It can be seen from these verses that God will cause famine to befall the religious world when His followers all deviate from His way and no longer obey His words. That is to say, the desolation of the church is ordained by God, but what is God’s intention behind that? And what inspiration can we people of the last days gain? With this in mind, I came before the Lord, prayed and sought to Him. After I consulted the Bible and some spiritual books, the riddle in my heart was finally solved.

2 Major Reasons Why God Allowed Job to Suffer

By Li Zhi

I believe that everyone knows well the story of Job. When his property was all taken away, his servants were murdered and his children had their lives taken, Job still revered God and shunned evil and didn’t sin with his tips. Moreover, he said a famous saying that cowed Satan, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). No matter whether God gave or took away, Job praised God’s holy name and willingly obeyed in the presence of God, creating a beautiful and resounding testimony for God. But Satan was not yet convinced and it continued to attack Job, causing him to be covered in sores. Despite this, Job still didn’t abandon God. The Bible records, “And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife to him, Do you still retain your integrity? curse God, and die. But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:8–10). The testimony of Job is worthy enough to be admired and emulated by the later generations. I really liked reading the Book of Job, which increased my faith, but there was one thing that I didn’t understand. God knew that Job had fear and reverence for Him and stayed away from evil, so why did God allow Satan to tempt Job and subject him to such great suffering? What is God’s will in this matter? Recently, through reading a book, I came to understand a little about God’s will …

Is Working Hard Equivalent to Obeying God?

By Jinyan

Li Xin is a co-worker in a church. Over the years of her belief in the Lord, she has always enthusiastically expended and worked for the Lord and has suffered and paid a price for Him. No matter what the church needed her to do, she would actively do it; even when faced with the danger of being arrested and persecuted by the CCP, she still persisted in spreading the gospel. She firmly believed that her forsaking and expending for the Lord was obeying God, that the Lord would definitely take delight in her, and that she would surely have a place in the kingdom of heaven in the future.

What Does “Pray Without Ceasing” Mean? What Is the Significance of It?

By Li Chen

1. What does praying without ceasing refer to?

Regarding the apostle Paul’s words “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), many people interpret them as constantly speaking to God and consider it a very difficult thing to accomplish. In fact, praying without ceasing is not some sort of outward ritual. Instead, it refers to us Christians honoring God as great, relying on and looking to God, communicating with God in our spirits and living before God at all times. Praying without ceasing does not hold to a certain format, nor is it limited to a fixed time or place. Regardless of whether we are free or busy, strong or weak, whether our environment is comfortable or harsh, whether we have difficulties or not, or whether we have made transgressions or not, we can pray to God and communicate with Him. Even when our hands are busy doing something, we can still pray to God in our hearts. Whether we are sitting on the bus, working, or preaching, we can always pray to God, draw close to Him with heart, and quiet our hearts before the Lord. In short, we can practice praying at any time and any place.

Who Is a Truly Righteous Man in God’s Eyes?

By Chengshi

The Lord Jesus said, “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). These words tell us that only righteous man can enter God’s kingdom, and enjoy the blessings of the heavenly kingdom. So what kind of people are righteous? Most Christians reckon that as long as we accept the Lord Jesus’ salvation, persistently attend meetings, often pray and read the Bible, show others tolerance, patience and love, can suffer, work, trek and expend, we will then be righteous man in God’s eyes and be people after God’s heart. Is this view right? Does it accord with the Lord’s will? It’s necessary to fellowship about this topic, because only if we correctly understand the standard for being righteous man can we seek in accordance with God’s requirements and enter the kingdom of heaven in the end. Let’s fellowship about this issue.

How to Handle Bible Prophecy So as Not to Miss the Lord’s Return

By Qianhe

Prophecies are about things that haven’t happened yet, that God has already told us about. Some of them are signs that He gave to prophets so that they would write about them, such as in the books of Isaiah and Daniel. Some of them were told to people directly by God in the flesh, like the Lord Jesus’ prophecies about the last days. How a prophecy is actually fulfilled isn’t something that we as humans can fathom. What I want to express here is that we all know that prophecies aren’t things that people can full understand, but many people still try to rely on their own thinking and imaginations in looking at biblical prophecies. They give sermons without any restraint based on the literal meanings of prophecies. This is a really serious issue. Not only can this bring harm to others, but it can also mislead them so that they may miss out on God’s salvation or even be resistant to God.

How Can We Gain the Power of Prayer?

By Cindy, United States

    The Bible records many stories in which situations take a turn for the better and problems are solved through the power of prayer. So, how can we gain the power of prayer? What should we pray for? Please read the article “The Power of Prayer,” which answers these questions.

A Christian’s Testimony: I Gained Happiness When I Stopped Being a Slave to Money

By Shixing, Malaysia

    When I was young, my father, a compulsive gambler, lost all of the family’s money and fell in debt to loan sharks. As a result, our family of three started living like vagabonds and was looked down upon by our relatives and friends. So I made a resolution: After growing up, I will strive hard to earn money to change my family’s difficult circumstances so that my family will lead an abundant life and all those around us will look at us in a new light.

Why Is Obedience Better Than Sacrifice? Here Is the Reason

By Shan Yi

    As the moon was shedding silvery light on the earth, I, sitting at my desk, opened the Bible and read the verses in Samuel: “And Samuel said, Has Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:22–23). After reading these words, I couldn’t help but wonder: What’s the true meaning of the verse “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams”? Saul was the first king of the Israelites chosen and established by God, but he was rejected by God because he kept the best of the animals for sacrifices. What lessons are we believers in God to draw from this story? After constantly praying and seeking, I understood some of God’s will.

What Is the Rapture Before Tribulation? What Is an Overcomer Made Before the Tribulation?

Hello brothers and sisters of Our Daily Devotionals,

    We are now in the last stage of the last days, I’ve seen in the news that all kinds of disasters are growing and growing in scale, and whether or not I can be caught up before the disasters and made into an overcomer before the disasters are key issues for me. My opinion about these two issues is that, so long as we hold to the name of the Lord no matter what happens, work hard for the Lord and do not turn back as we go through all manner of adversities, then we can become overcomers. And when the disasters come, we can then be caught up into the sky to meet with the Lord and enjoy His promise. But there are some people who say that this issue is not that simple. Moreover, the disasters are growing in scale, many kinds of disasters have befallen us already and no one has yet been seen to be caught up into the sky. I can’t help but feel confused about this, so I’d like to ask your opinion. Looking forward to your reply!

Sincerely yours,

Xiao Xiao

Hello Sister Xiao Xiao:

    That we can seek and fellowship about issues that we do not fully understand accords with God’s will. Thank the Lord!

    What being caught up before the disasters and being made into overcomers before the disasters mean are the most crucial issues to those of us who believe in the Lord, for they bear a direct relation to our final destination and the important matter of whether or not we will be able to get into the heavenly kingdom. These two issues have been separated below for discussion. May God guide us!

How Was Christianity Formed? What Is True Christianity?

By Rita, United States

    There are many people in the world who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Christianity has also spread all over the world. However, as for what exactly a church is and what Christianity is, those who haven’t experienced God’s work cannot explain them clearly. Therefore, only by researching God’s appearance and work can we understand how a church arose and how Christianity was formed.

How was Christianity formed?

    What is Christianity? Christianity is made up of those who believe that Jesus is Christ and the son of the only true God. As is known to all, Christianity was produced by the appearance and work of the Lord Jesus two thousand years ago. The Lord Jesus is the incarnate God and Christ, so all churches that believed in the Lord Jesus came to form Christianity, which is to say, all churches that believe in Christ belong to Christianity.

What Does Faith Mean and Do You Know How to Have Faith?

By Anxin

    With regard to faith, it is said in Scripture: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). From this verse we can see that faith involves the belief that everything we hope for shall be realized, and the confidence that things we cannot see shall be achieved. In the course of following God, faith is particularly important because it represents one’s true dependence on and admiration of God. Only those who possess true faith can witness God’s wondrous deeds and be made perfect by Him. So what does faith mean? Let’s look at some biblical records to find the answer.

Guided by God’s Words I Stop Being Jealous

By Jianding

    Editor’s note: In daily life, we are often jealous of people who are better than us and even may dislike and contend with them. The author of this article once lived in jealousy because her classmate was superior to her. She felt extremely miserable and was desperate to free herself from such misery. Now she has successfully emerged from the mire of jealousy. How has she achieved that? This article will tell you.

How to Treat Bible Prophecies Correctly? Avoid the Pharisees’ Failure

　　The Bible says: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:20-21). “As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). “For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). These verses tell us that we cannot interpret prophecies literally relying on our conceptions and imaginings, because prophecies are from God, and it is only through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that we can understand them. However, before prophecies are fulfilled, it is easy for us to rely on our own notions and interpret them literally. This makes it easy to misinterpret prophecies. And our absurd interpretations will mislead others. For example, when it came to the prophecies about the arrival of the Messiah, the Pharisees relied on their own ideas. Before the Lord Jesus was born, based on the literal meaning of the prophecies in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 and Micah 5:2, they imagined the Messiah’s arrival: The Messiah would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, and be named Emmanuel; He would grow up in a palace and govern Israel while sitting upon a throne. However, when the prophecies were fulfilled, the way they had imagined Him ended up being at odds with the facts. What they actually saw was: The Lord was born of the married Mary and into a carpenter’s family, and was called Jesus; He came from Nazareth, and in the end was nailed to the cross. This is very different from the literal meaning of the prophecies. Hence, even though they saw that the Lord Jesus’ work and preaching had authority and power, the Pharisees did not acknowledge the Lord Jesus as the promised Messiah. Instead, they even blasphemed the Lord Jesus, saying He depended on the prince of the devils to cast out demons. Thus, they committed the sin of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, offended the disposition of God, and would never gain the Lord’s forgiveness. And those commoners who had no discernment and believed what the Pharisees said also lost God’s salvation. From this example, we can see that because the Pharisees held on to their imaginings and the literal meaning of the prophecies, they ruined themselves and also others.

Is Once Saved Always Saved True? Here Is the Answer

By Emily

　　The Lord Jesus’ redemptive work has spread to the ends of the earth, reached every home and become a household name, and it is also because of the Lord Jesus’ redemption that mankind has survived until today. There are many brothers and sisters who back up the viewpoint of “once saved, always saved,” with the words of the apostle Paul, “For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10). They think: Since the Lord Jesus redeemed us through crucifixion, we have already been absolved of all our sins and saved by our faith, and once saved, we are always saved, and so long as we endure until the end, we will be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom when the Lord returns. However, some other brothers and sisters can’t help but question: “Is it really so easy for us to be saved? Can we attain salvation and enter into the kingdom of heaven through faith alone?”

Breaking Free From Sin Is a Path to the Kingdom of God

By Aixi, Malaysia

　　When I was 12, I began believing in the Lord Jesus and became a Christian. After I began believing, I actively and persistently participated in Sunday worship and Bible study groups. At Bible study meetings, we often discussed 2 Timothy 4:7–8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” We thought that, as Christians, we should imitate Paul and strive to run around and do works, because the Lord would bestow crowns of righteousness upon us. Our pastor also often encouraged us by saying the kingdom of heaven is entered through effort, and as long as we make efforts to pursue and diligently do the Lord’s work, when the Lord returns, He would rapture us up to the kingdom of heaven. These teachings became the cornerstone of my belief in God, and I swore to myself that I would do all in my power to participate in church service work so that I could accrue enough “value” to satisfy God, so that when He came, I could be raptured up into the kingdom of heaven.

Why Are People Addicted to Their Phones?

By Yang Yang

    One day, I read a popular saying online that went something like this, “The farthest distance in the world isn’t the other side of the world, it’s sitting next to you while you play with your phone.” No matter if you’re on the subway, on the bus, in a restaurant, or on the streets … at any time of the day, you can always find a certain group of people, phubbers. They have a phone, tablet, or some other gadget in their hand as they watch videos, play games, or look at their friend feed, and their members are primarily young people.

    As technology has developed, the internet has made our lives much more convenient. People can buy what they want without leaving the house, or they can contact different people without going out. But what is brought about by the convenience of the internet? Let’s take a look at the relevant reports.