Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
God warns us of the danger of unbelief and not entering into His rest. He also assures us that those who do put themselves at His mercy, and trust Him, do enter into His rest.
I have listened to several reports of adverse effects from the shots (vaccines). They are not “vaccines”, by traditional definition. It is obvious that the medical officials, the politicians, the media are all lying to us by using that word to describe these experimental shots. All three of those groups have been telling us these shots are safe and all should be taking them. Yet, we have reports that there are now over 1 million adverse events due to the shots that have been reported in the U.S. That does not mean there are only 1 million adverse events. It means that is how many have been reported. We also know that there are many adverse events that are not being reported.
The point we want to make here is that we, the people, are being told to put ourselves at the mercy of these shots, and over 1 million people now are suffering as a result of the shots. Contrast that with the fact that not one person has suffered adverse effects from trusting in God for His salvation. Every one has been given eternal life. Every one of them can have God’s peace at any time and all the time, since they trusted in God for salvation.
There is only one reason why so many are refusing to believe in God, Who never lies, and yet so many are willing to believe fallible human beings who have proven themselves to be less than honest. The reason why we see such a resistance against God is because it is a spiritual battle that has been reported since Genesis 3. It is also important to note that God is not weak and incapable of saving everyone. God, the Holy Spirit, is busy working in the heart of every individual who has been or will be born in this world.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
God is not forcing anyone to be saved. He is not presenting the truth in such a manner as to cause people to panic and rush to Him without proper forethought. That cannot be said of our “officials” regarding the plot unfolding with this virus. God makes it abundantly clear that death is real and that the wages of sin is death. However, God does not want people to fall before Him as robots. He wants us to engage our minds and our hearts in responding to the truth. The Bible warns that there is an enemy who is actively involved in blinding the minds of those who do not believe.
II Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
God, in His wisdom and mercy, has declared that those who do come to believe in Him are to be witnesses unto Him to others all over the world. In the New Testament, God has shown us that the headquarters for proclaiming His truth to the world is the local church. The Bible does not teach “invisible, universal church”. There are many who believe that lie, but it cannot be supported from the Bible. The book of Acts shows us that those who were saved joined the local church in their area. The first local church was the one in Jerusalem. That church was slow in obeying Jesus’ command to spread out. God had to allow persecution to get the early Christians to get out of their comfort zone and go into all the world. They were not told to abandon the local church teaching. They were to go and establish local churches all over the world. We see that happening with the establishment of the church in Ephesus, and in Colosse, in Corinth and Philippi and many other places. Even ungodly people understood the importance of having local churches readily available to their communities. There are still some abandoned country churches around today. The plan was to have a church that was readily accessible to the local people. As mentioned most of those churches were false churches. That does not mean we should abandon the local church doctrine. It means we should obey God and follow His lead to a good local church that is near to us. If there is none close at hand, we may need to travel or move and also pray that God would raise up a work that is close at hand so that others could also benefit from that important place.
The local church is designed by God to be the place where the Word of God is proclaimed so that people can be reminded of the rest that God has provided for man. It is also designed to feed those who are saved, those who have that “rest”, to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we see in the book of Hebrews having this “rest” is very important to God. Our text tells us that God’s wrath was exercised against the nation of Israel, who in the past, rejected His “rest”. He did not abandon His rest and try to come up with something more acceptable to lost people. He continued to make His rest known to every generation and offering that rest to all.
The end of verse 3 teaches an interesting truth. God’s plan of salvation was already in place from the foundation of the world. Jesus Christ was already the established Saviour of mankind from the foundation of the world. Finite man scratches his head at this and tries to find some way to rationalize this from the perspective of a lost person. We know that Augustine, a Catholic monk wrestled with this truth as a lost man. We know that his writings had a great influence on John Calvin, another lost man who developed an entire system of belief that was built upon a lie. Many fallible people who have rejected the authority and the supremacy of God have chosen instead to follow the lies of these and other men like them.
God tells us there is no need to do this. All that we need to do is believe in Him and we can rest. We do not need to try to figure out some secret plot or some secret meaning or anything like that. We just need to trust that God is right and He has a wonderful plan in place and He invites man to trust Him and enter into His rest. The entire Bible lays this out for us.
God directed the writer of the book of Hebrews to remind the readers that Jesus Christ is the Saviour. He is the only Saviour because He is better than the angels. He created all things and He has the power to save that which was lost.
It is sad to read of the many who are ruining their lives through drugs and alcohol and other vices. They do not want what God has to offer. They choose to remain blinded by the lies of the devil. However, God is still working in their hearts to give them further opportunity to turn to Him and be saved.
In verse 4 God used His rest from all His works to show how man needs to rest from all his self effort and rest in God’s provision for salvation. The Sabbath rest that God gave to the nation of Israel was built upon the truth that they could rest in Him for their spiritual needs, just as they could rest in Him for the physical needs. We know that the spiritual needs are of much greater importance to God. There is a great need for man to know His peace and forgiveness. There is a great need to be free from guilt. Cain could have had that, but he rejected it. The crowds in Genesis 6 could have had that but they rejected it. Nimrod and his followers could have had that but they rejected it. Abraham’s descendants could have been at rest in God, but most rejected Him. The multitudes in Jesus’ day were also offered the same rest, but many fought against it. Today as well, God offers His rest to all, but most are still fighting against it. Every generation is given the truth. It is important for the previous generation to believe the truth and seek to pass that on to their children. The Bible warns us of the falling away that will be in place in the last days. We are witnessing that now.
Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
With the advent of the internet, access to evil is so much easier than it used to be. The internet can be used for good, but there is also a lot of garbage there. Most have little discernment on this matter. They get so excited about someone who is bringing out some “new” thing. We who are saved, need to get excited about God’s truth and live as though we actually believe what God says! As we live with that enthusiasm, we can help others to know where to turn in time of need. Let us take God at His Word and believe Him and follow Him faithfully. That is a worthwhile endeavour.
Pastor Bartel
