"One of a Kind"

"There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number." (S.O.S. 6:9)

  Just a little deviation from the standard projected target, I thought it would be fun to explore a very entertaining question about the complexity of the church. With all the different avenues of departure from what you might call, sound doctrine, many churches today are not only being limited to their sizes, but they are also limiting the size of God in the process. Is it any wonder? How can we as a body of believers, pretend to believe in a God that is All Powerful, and yet act as if He is not all that powerful at all? Could it be that we are assuming He has left us unprotected? 

  In case you are somehow falling into a trap, God is not ignoring His church, because it is against His promise to ignore or forsake His church! He is a promise keeping God! We, on the other hand, have a little bit of a problem keeping our promises; actually, we can't even keep up with promises we make, we make them so flippantly, almost half-heartedly. Do you know why this is so? Every single promise that we make is made based upon conditions and limitations; we cannot fully guarantee any promise that we make. Thus, we are not like God! God is not limited by anything, and under no condition can His will be changed or altered; if God said that He would do something, it more than just a promises, it is what will be done!  

  Take a little look at this verse, and you will see something a little interesting about the numbers. First of all, the concubines outnumber the queens. Matthew Henry has suggested that this is because kings prefer their concubines more than they prefer their queens. If I had to guess why, it might be something to do with control and loyalty; not that concubines are not interested in those characters, they are just more charming and less structured. And then, there are the virgins without number; or, if you like, according to number! 

  Which brings me to my point: Sound Doctrine is the basis for standing our ground and not forsaking the assembling together as a church! Any such order is not in line with the Truth; as a matter of fact, it is the working of the devil, and it must be treated as such, without hesitation. If you doubt what I am saying, then where in the Bible has God said, Do not assemble together. He says, Be not conformed to this world, because we are a particular body of believers. He says, Come out from among them a be ye separate; but He is not speaking about separation within the church! 

  This Sunday was a reminder to me about the importance of coming together, especially in these times that we are living in today. These are not uncertain times, as some might speculate; these are times of certain signs of what we have all been waiting for: The King is Coming! Do you have a number? Are you on the list? Don't be fooled by false prophets that try and tell you it cannot be the time, or that we can know the time; because Jesus said it Himself, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36) 

  As far as the church is concerned, we are that One of a Kind, type of people: Virgins, every one! If you might not know what that implies, it means that we are anticipating! The meaning that is used in the context of this verse, is that of marriageable age, which means recently married or soon to be married; in other words, a bride soon to be or awaiting concemation of the marriage. Either way, they are waiting for that special day and hour: Even so: Lord, Come Quickly...

"Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people that he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!" (Romans 11:28-33) NLT