One recent early morning, I was half asleep, and the phrase “as the Lord lives” came into my mind. In that moment, it occurred to me how often this is repeated in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. It’s an oath the Lord even swears upon Himself. I began to wonder just how many times it’s repeated, and it got me up to look into it. It’s actually really incredible!
John 14:19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.”
The Word of God repeats this phrase over and over: The Lord lives. The oath the Lord makes with those who believe in Him and confess His name is eternal life with Him. This is our salvation from death and destruction, which is what would happen if we were left to our own devices and not saved through the power of His Spirit. Thankfully, there is no death included on His path to righteousness. He most assuredly tells us that because He lives, we’ll also live, which is very comforting to those who hear it. The next verse is quickly becoming one of my top favorites to quote:
Proverbs 12:28 “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”
John 11:25 “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
He is the Living Way, the Living Sacrifice, the Living God, and the Living Water. There is a point the Scriptures have made, and it’s not just lip service or empty (vain) words. They’re meant to comfort us and give us hope. Anything other than this is not what He has told us.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Job 21:34 “How then can you comfort me with empty words, since falsehood remains in your answers?”
1 John 2:25-26 “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.”
John 6:40 “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
For faith-filled believers, we’re now eternally secure, sealed, and have a guard placed around us for eternal life. Hopefully, this truth will go deep into our hearts. We’ve passed through death into life – because He died for us. Those who have been baptized into Christ have been freed from sin, and death no longer has any dominion over us (Romans 6:7,9). The next verse repeats “life” four times. He says, most assuredly, those who hear will live and never see death.
John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.”
John 8:51 “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
It is truly a promise of life, as spoken by Paul:
2 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.”
Titus 1:1-3 “Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior.”
Romans 6:3 “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”
Colossians 3:3 “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
The phrase, “The Lord lives,” is mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament.
If we’re looking at this in the light of prophecy, we can see a prophetic message that points us to something He wants us to take special note of. In 1 Samuel, it’s repeated at least eleven times, and in 2 Samuel four more times. In many of them, the words say, “as surely as the Lord your God lives and you live.” I would hope that everyone who reads these verses can see them as the promise they are, and believe what He told us! Because we live, we’ve already been redeemed and delivered through Christ. As David did, we may face some adversity in our day to day lives, but we won’t be facing it unto our destruction, and won’t face death again.
2 Samuel 4:9 “But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, ‘As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity…’”
2 Samuel 15:21 “But Ittai answered the king and said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be.’”
2 Samuel 22:47 “The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation! It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.”
The above verse is confirmed and repeated almost word for word in Psalm 18. Promises!
Psalm 18:46 “The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.”
In 2 Kings we see it seven more times, with three of them being in 2 Kings 2 alone (not listed here so this doesn’t get too lengthy). Through the mouth of the prophets, we’re reminded that the Lord, before whom we stand – not fall away – will never leave us nor forsake us, because our soul lives.
2 Kings 3:14a “And Elisha said, ‘As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand…’”
2 Kings 4:30 “And the mother of the child said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.’ So he arose and followed her.”
It’s also in Jeremiah at least ten more times in various situations. What an encouraging message to us for these last days, when we see everything coming to pass. He wants us to know without a doubt that because He lives, so do we. When He redeemed us, we became His. He purchased us with His blood and wants us to be unified with Him in a holy union. He takes us from behind the veil of darkness which covers the nations (Isaiah 25:7) to go behind His own veil of light and protection, where there is no shadow of turning. The veil is removed from the hearts of those who were perishing, but have turned to the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:14-16 “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
Job 19:25 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth;”
When His hand takes hold on judgment, His vengeance is for His enemies and those who hate Him.
Deuteronomy 32:39 “‘Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. For I raise My hand to heaven, and say, ‘As I live forever, if I whet My glittering sword, and My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, and repay those who hate Me.’”
We can’t serve both God and the devil at the same time when the “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5) comes – we’re either loving one or the other. If we aren’t loving and serving God, by default we’re hating Him and serving the enemy. Those who are not with Him are against Him, which makes them anti-Christ. We must follow Him and rise when He rises up in judgment.
1 John 2:18 “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”
We see the promise of life for those who love and live in Christ, and He in us:
Luke 20:38 “For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
2 Timothy 2:11 “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.”
1 Thessalonians 5:10 “who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
Side note: In the above verse, the word sleep is translated as “asleep/resting” (not dead). However, in the parable of Mark 13:33-37, Jesus tells us to keep watch (v.33), then tells the parable that while the owner of the house is gone, “the one” who is the doorkeeper at the door is commanded to keep watch (v.34), then repeats a third time that we should be keeping watch (v.35), and warns us not to let the owner of the house, “coming suddenly,” catch us sleeping (v.36). And then a fourth time, He says, “What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (v.37).
Word to the wise: “Keep watch” is repeated numerous times in different places, and it’s not a suggestion. John 13:17 says, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
In John 14, “those who love Him keep His commandments” is repeated four times, making a point:
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- 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
- 21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
- 23 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him.’”
- who does not love Me does not keep My words;
- 31 “But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”
1 Corinthians 16:22 “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!”
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
1 John 2:3-4 repeats this again, and says by this we know that we know Him. If we know Him, He won’t say, “Away from Me, I never knew you”: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
The Great Commission also includes teaching people to obey what the LORD has taught and commanded:
Matthew 28:19 “’Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.’”
Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”
Luke 11:28 “But He said, ‘More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’”
Look at these next two verses in Daniel and Jeremiah together. Those who fear the living God have eternal life, remain steadfast, aren’t destroyed, aren’t appointed to His wrath, endure to the very end, and our kingdom cannot be shaken. Every one of these promises is according to the Scriptures. This is yet more proof of a pre-tribulation rapture.
Daniel 6:26 “I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end.”
Jeremiah 10:10 “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”
I hope this is encouraging for those who are looking for more reasons to have comfort, hope, and share confidence.
Psalm 84:2 “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”
Psalm 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Perhaps today!
Blessings,
Angela
The post As The LORD Lives: Comforting Words :: By Angela Scohy appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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