I think the phrase we might find confounding but some words of course familiar.
Hell- its a place everyone of us knows, heard about and we talk about as we understand it, a place no one want's to end up lest its not believed to exist. I know some of my friends out there will say why is he talking abut hell this morning?
I have searched through pages of the scripture and even scriptures written by some Generals of God and I have come to realise that 'submission to Gods rule and living in accordance with his moral law(expressed concisely in the ten commandments is a response to grace- Its never something which can earn Gods acceptance(legalism)'.
Even with this grace upon a man i.e you obeying all commandments, walking blamelessly and being perfect like father Abraham, one more thing could still lead such a one to hell. Its called Mystery!
Mystery- Something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained. (Source; word web dictionary)
I Corinthians 1:27- But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
Even our God is interested in confounding the wise! Why friends? " Say ye to the righteous it is well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."- Isaiah 3:10 KJV. Now when things we refer to as evil befall a righteous, do we say it is the fruits of their doings? NO! and that's the best way to describe mystery.
" 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" - Revelations 4:11 KJV. Then mysteries too are created for His pleasure.
Elisha received double portion of the anointing and spirit that was on Elijah(II kings2). Scholars wrote that Elijah performed 16 miracles however, Elisha experienced 32, which is double the miracle of his teacher; Elijah. Toward the conclusion of Elisha's life we read, "Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die"- II kings 19:14.
Elisha died(II kings 19v20)! Elisha that raised a dead? Yes. What makes this statement confounding is that after Elisha died, during a battle a dead soldier was thrown into the burial crypt of Elisha, and the dead man revived when he touched Elisha bones (verse 20-21).
The Mystery: With this level of God's power within the bones of this dead prophet, why would, or better yet, how could any form of sickness attach itself to this mighty man of God? Would not the resurrecting power within his body attack any sickness in the body?
The greatest mystery to me is; if he did 32 miracles which is 16x2 i.e double, and his master did not die but was 'taken' by a chariot of fire in a whirlwind into heaven(II Kings2:11), why was he not taken in a double anointing form instead of death? Mystery!!
Friends, Can you reason along with me and lets conclude he died for that soldier to be raised from dead? I mean after the 32nd miracle, he got an extra that really explained the double anointing in a confounding way? It's still confounding right? That's how our lives are!
At times you will have a very godly person who believes in prayers, healing and miracles who will pass away suddenly through an accident/ a disease. The church will pray and believe, yet no change.The godly person will move to his/her eternal destination. In some cases, this situation of praying yet not receiving puts a huge crack in the shield of faith for some of us.
Instead of thanking God for the person and knowing they will see him again in heaven, they begin to question Gods authority and willingness to heal or to answer prayers in the future.
This is a serious issue with some. I suggest that you should never change your biblical theology to accommodate a tragedy said Perry Stone. Do not change the theology of healing, even though your body has never experienced a full recovery, never change your theology of blessings because you are yet to be fully blessed!
When things happen and they are confounding, remember they are for bis pleasure and it's well with you. remember for the rest of your life to always declare; I'll not go to hell over a mystery!
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Happy Sunday.