THE PRESENCE OF GOD
MANY years ago I came across a small booklet of one hundred pages which had belonged to a much loved aunt of mine. It was titled ‘The practice of the presence of God’. Undated, it was probably published in the 19th Century.
The book consists of letters written by and conversations with a Carmelite Friar named Brother Laurence, who obviously was a most humble and Holy Christian.
Brother Laurence had followed the practice of talking to God at all times in all of his activities. He lived in a Carmelite Monastery between 1666 and 1691 where he died aged 80.
Reading through the small pages of the book, one becomes very impressed that here was a very humble man chattering away to God as a normal procedure while he performed his duties in the kitchen of the Monastery. He does not say if God spoke back to him, a mark of his humble nature perhaps. Obviously his contact with God enhanced his activities and his whole life.
This is a truly extraordinary and wonderful story of how a beautiful relationship can be experienced between Almighty God and man. After all, Jeremiah 23: 23-24 reminds us:-
“Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord”.
Proverbs 3:6 also reminds as:-
“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths”
And Proverbs 16:3 says:-
“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established”.
It is imperative that we should always remember that our God the Holy Spirit is with us here on earth even as now while you dear reader read these lines. What Brother Lawrence did in speaking to God, we also can do the same.
Brother Lawrence records how he set about developing the habit of talking to God:-
(1) Firstly apply to God with some diligence, and after much care and perseverance we should find, with patience, to begin to inwardly feel His love towards us.
(2) When the practice of a virtue is offered, Brother Lawrence said to God, I may not be able, or I cannot do, this unless Thou enablest me. That then he was given more than sufficient strength to proceed.
(3) That God would not fail to give him strength to bear pain and suffering – he could do nothing about it by himself.
(4) When he failed in his duty,he confessed his fault saying to God ‘I shall never succeed if Thou leavest me to myself’. Then he asked God to hinder his failings and mend what was amiss
(5) He acted with God in simplicity, speaking frankly, plainly imploring His assistance in his affairs as they happened. Brother Lawrence found that God never failed him.
(6) He tried to perform all actions to please God and for the love of God.
(7) When in difficulties he needed only to have recourse to God and to beg His grace, with which the trouble would cease.
(8) In conversation with God we must also be employed in adoring and loving Him for His infinite goodness and perfection.
(9) To do our work for the love of God for His sake, not our own sake.
(10) The substance of our religion is faith, hope and charity, all things are possible to us if we have faith (belief), and less difficult to us if we hope, and easier to us if we exercise charity (love).
(11) We need to live in the continual sense of God’s ever presence and if possible never forget Him as the ever present Infinite Being. Do not ‘leave Him alone’ or neglect or forget Him.
(12) The practice of the presence of God contains the whole spiritual life. He wants to help us even without our request or knowledge.
(13) We can do nothing without the help and support of God.
(14) God is much nearer to us than we think, and we can talk to Him absolutely anywhere.
(15) Act with faith and complete trust in God, and with love and humility.
(16) Persevere in remembering His holy presence at all times with our maximum strength.
(17) We cannot escape the dangers which abound in normal life without the actual and continual help and protection of God
(18) He never forsakes us unless we have first forsaken Him.
(19) The habit of talking to God does not come at once, but develops slowly.Let us try to ever abide with Him in his ever presence and fear to leave Him.
These words of Brother Lawrence, once we establish constant contact with God form a most wonderful and reliable aid to us all in leading a better life. Let us always remember what Jesus says in Revelation 3:19 –
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent”
Repent means a permanent abandoment of all sin through a firm change of mind, and to follow the good behaviour of faith, hope and charity and live peacefully with all mankind.
At this time in this early part of the 21st Century, it is most important for us to consider the ever presence in our midst of our Almighty God. He is invisible to us now, but as God the Son He will be very visible high in the sky to all peoples on earth at His promised Second Advent; which may be much sooner than we think. He will appear with great glory and enormous power with His holy Angels. His Advent will be joyfully welcomed by true Christians both Israelites and Gentiles of all time and space. But sadly, the Advent will bring great fear and trembling to many, many others.
The Bible does not reveal the time and date of this return of Jesus, that is known only by God the Father. But our Lord Jesus will be certain to come on that unknown date without fail!
The Bible does give details of the prophesied signs and happenings that will occur just before the Second Advent. Before Jesus returned to Heaven, He had given His Disciples, assurance of the certainty of His future return. He also told parables related to that return. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning as we all know. The relevant parables are recorded in Matthew 24: 45-51; Matthew 25:14 -30; Mark 13:34-37 and Luke 19:12-27 which should here be read. Briefly these parables tell of a man departing from his abode and embarking on a long journey followed by a very long absence and eventually his return. In all these parables, the man represents Jesus; the long journey, the return of Jesus to heaven after His crucifixion; the long absence; Jesus has been away from the earth nearly 2000 years now; and his return represents the promised Second Advent.
When Jesus departed up to heaven after His first advent, we are told in The Acts 1:1-11 that the apostles were present. In verses 9 to 11 they viewed Him departing to heaven and two men in white (Angels) spoke to them saying in verse 11:-
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven”.
Jesus told His disciples about His future return in Matthew 16:27:-
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His Angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works”
Many other Bible references repeat this same assurance. Some before, during and some after the Second Advent.
(A) TIMES BEFORE THE SECOND ADVENT
These times are referred to in the Bible as the “latter days” or the “Time of Jacob’s trouble”. They mark the coming permanent end of the present era, which started with the First Advent of Jesus and will end with His Second Advent. The Bible warns us in numerous references that these times will be very tempestuous, disastrous, violent, fearful and stressful etc. This scriptural picture matches the present conditions all over the world in this beginning of the 21st. Century. It is a time of universal evil behaviour, lack of knowledge of the Bible, of ignoring God, and almost total apostasy. A sure sign of the ‘latter days’.
The Bible shows us how to live a trouble free life if we follow its vast amount of advice such as James gives us in James 4:7-8 –
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded”.
Brother Laurence’s practice of the ever presence of God – when perfected – surely helps in submitting ourselves to God as James advises. Another latter days sign is given by Daniel in his chapter 12 part of verse 4
” even to the time of time end, (latter days) many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased”.
Surely this describes our present world! The bustle and frenzy and fast travel, plus the easy availability of huge amounts of knowledge, except of the Bible! A further prophecy recorded in Daniel 12 in verse 7 relates to the end time:-
“And I heard the man clothed in linen, (an angel?) which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swear by Him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished”.
‘the holy people’ in this verse can only mean the remnant of Israel who God says elsewhere will always exist. Israel today still exist in large numbers, in accordance with God’s ancient promises. They are represented today by the British and Scandinavian peoples and their many descendants worldwide. Zephaniah 3:13 describes the remnant of Israel, which excludes the unfaithful.
“The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid”.
True Israel reached the peak of their power in the 19th century and first part of the 20th century, and formed one of the greatest empires the world has ever known, the British Empire. Certainly the power of the British in Great Britain has gradually been diminished over the years. Sadly Israel Britain has gradually deserted and abandoned God up to this 21st Century. But God has not abandoned Israel, but He has scattered our power.
Verse 7 of Daniel 12 above appears to be near completion or perhaps complete.
Further Bible references identifying conditions and troubles in the latter days, will now be considered. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells His disciples
Verse 6 “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars”.
Verse 7 “nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines, and pestllences, and earthquakes, in divers places”.
Verse 12 “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”.
Verse 14 “this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come”.
Verse 21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”.
Verse 22 “Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened”.
The ‘shortening of the days’ here could possibly mean a shortening of earth time (with God all things are possible). It could also mean that the period of the latter days troubles will be brief.
Verse 24 “there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders”.
These conditions are certainly prevalent today. II Timothy 3:1-7 adds further information –
” ….in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away … ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”.
II Thessalonians 2:3 also says –
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (2nd Advent) shall not come except there come a falling away first (abandoning God)“.
Here Paul confirms the presence of wickedness just before the second Advent.
Revelation 3:10 also draws attention to this
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”
and goes on to say in verse 11 –
“Behold I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown”.
Isaiah 13:6 warns us –
“Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a Destruction from the Almighty. “
Amos 8:11 tells us –
“Behold, the days come, salth the Lord God, 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 the Lord:”
Psalm 50:3 gives further information –
“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him”.
Luke 21:25-28 (Parts) describes the scene on earth –
” … There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts falling them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”.
These last six words of Luke refer to the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the redemption of all the then living true believers in Christ.
Another prominent Biblical sign of the time just before the second Advent, is stated in Revelation chapter 18 where a picture is revealed of the collapse of commercial trade and the financial systems that go with it. It is referred to in that chapter as · Babylon · which means corruption. Verse 2 of chapter 18 records an angel speaking –
“. . . he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit .. “
Verse 4 also of chapter 18 records a voice from heaven saying –
” . . Come out of her, my People, ( Israel) that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”.
Verses 9 and beyond in chapter 18 record –
” …the kings of the earth shall bewail her (Babylon) and lament. . . when they see the smoke of her burning. . . and the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise anymore”
In Romans 13:12 Paul gives what may be a last warning to us –
“The night is far spent, the day (of the Lord) is at hand: let us therefore cast of the works off darkness, and let us put on the armour of light”.
(B) THE SECOND ADVENT
The date of this event is unknown except to the Lord God himself. Jesus stresses that His advent wiIl come with unexpected suddenness in Matthew 24: 42 -51 .likening the Event to the unexpected suddenness of a thief in the night; and like the flood of Noah’s time which suddenly destroyed all mankind save Noah and his family. Jesus likened His coming in Matthew 24:27 –
“For as the lightening cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”.
Isaiah 40:5 tells us that everybody will see the coming of Christ –
“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”.
The Second Advent is .also described in I Thessalonians 4:14-17 –
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words”
A further description of the Second Advent is given in I Corinthians 15:51 –
“Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”.
The Bible often uses the word ‘sleep’ to describe the mortal death of faithful believers, such as David in II Samuel 7:12-
“And when thy (David’s) days be fulfilled, and thou shall sleep with thy fathers. I will set up thy seed after thee. . . .”
The Bible tells us that all people on the earth have sinned without exception. Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 –
“For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.
Psalm 34:21-22 shows us that sin causes death –
“Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants; and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate”.
Matthew 25:33 tells us –
“And He (Jesus) shall set the sheep (faithful believers) on His right hand, but the goats (unbelievers) on the left”.
Matthew 13:24-30(part) indicates what happens to believers as opposed to the unbelievers at the Second Advent. It is given in the form of a parable which I have abbreviated :
A man sowed good seed of wheat in his field, at night an enemy sowed tares among the wheat, when the seeds started to grow the tares showed up among the wheat. The man told his servants to leave the tares among the wheat until harvest when they were to gather the tares in bundles to burn and the good wheat to be put in his barn. This parable shows that only truly faithful believers of all time and space will be resurrected or redeemed at the Second Advent. Sadly many non-believers may not survive the traumatic experience of seeing the Second Advent.
Matthew 25:1-13 shows the need for all of us to have the Holy Spirit. This quotation is the parable of the ten virgins where the kingdom of heaven is likened to ten virgins with their lamps who go to meet the bridegroom (Jesus the Messiah). Five of the virgins had oil for their lamps, and five had no oil. The bridegroom tarried and they all waited and slept. At midnight there was a cry that the bridegroom was coming. The five virgins who had oil lit their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom and went with him to the ‘marriage’ and the door was shut. Meanwhile the other five virgins sought oil for their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom but entry to the bridegroom was not permitted. They said Lord open to us, and He replied ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not!
Verse 13 of Matthew 25 tells us –
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh”.
This parable is a very important message from God, we must always now be ready for the Second Advent and we must possess the Holy Spirit – like Brother Lawrence, like all true and faithful believers, like the five wise virgins who had oil and the Holy Spirit,and communed with Him.
(C) AFTER THE SECOND ADVENT
There is no doubt that the return of Christ at His Second Advent will be a cataclysmic event. God is the maker and moral governor of the universe as well as the redeemer of all true believers in Christ whether Israelite or Gentile. Mankind has to understand; either believe and trust in God and live; or disbelieve and ignore Him and die. Without God we cannot continue to exist, because after our mortal death, eternal life (which is promised to all faithful believers) will not be available to us.
The Bible records many prophecies of the times after Jesus appears at His Second Advent, when eventually all unrighteousness and evil will be eliminated. Isaiah 13:14 tells us –
“…they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land”.
Jeremiah in chapters 15:16 and 51:9 repeats this prophecy. Isaiah 13:9-13(Part) records a sad picture –
“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not glve their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity ;and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious (rare) than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. (probably a rare treasure) Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger”.
Truly a frightful picture. However, consider this: God has allowed all men to drift along in their own way for some 6000 years since Adam. God has constantly pleaded with man, through His prophets and other faithful servants, showing man how he can live a trouble free pure life of abiding with God (He is close to each one of us even now) and following His words in His Holy Bible on how to live. He even sent His own Son Jesus to earth to provide the way of forgiveness for all our sins through God’s salvation. All man has to do is to repent and obey His commandments and believe in Jesus the Christ and His salvation. God is to put an end to this worldly chaos of evil after His Second Advent, replacing it with a world of righteousness. truth, peace, and the principles of faith, hope and charity.
As in Isaiah 13 above, this mass removal of all sin, causes of sin and many sinners, is repeatedly prophesied in the Bible after the Second Advent.
One of the other actions of God after his Second Advent is to reveal the true identity of the Children of Israel (who are His servant nation).
Today, many people know which nations constitute true Israel. But some people believe that the Israelis in the Holy land are true Israel, others believe that the church has taken the place of Israel, and that the church will eventually overcome all sin. What a hope after 6000 years of sin! The Israelis follow the Jewish religion and do not accept Jesus the Christ. The Israelis are largely descended from Edomite stock -Esau’s descendants. There may be some true Israelites among them. The Church, Christ’s body without doubt contains numerous true Israelites, they probably form the greater bulk of church members. So we can say, Israel is in the Church, but not all the church are part of true Israel. Scripture does not confirm either of the views that the Edomite Israelis or the Church are true Israel. At any case the Church and true Israel each have their own separate parts to perform for God.
The Bible records many prophesies concerning true Israel which will take place after the Second Advent. Jeremiah 30:11 confirms their continued existence at the time along with other information –
“For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee yet will I not make a full end of thee: But I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished”.
The Bible tells us that Israel will return to the Holy land. Ezekiel 20:43 records how Israel will realize how unfaithful they have been to God –
“And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed”.
In Ezekiel 36:22 Part we read –
” . . Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this (save them) for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went”.
Psalm 89:28-34 tells us of God’s promises to Israel –
“My mercy will I keep for him (Israel) for evermore, and My covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake My law, and walk not in My judgments; If they break My statutes, and keep not My commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod , and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips”.
Jeremiah 23:3-8 (Parts) confirms true Israel’s eventual return to the Holy Land –
“. . . I will gather the remnant of my flock ( Israel) out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds (the holy land) . . I will set shepherds over them: and they shall fear no more. . . Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, (Jesus) and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; . . .He shall be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS… . the days come saith the Lord, . . . they shall say . . . The Lord liveth, which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land”.
Take note of the above phrase; “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” When we repent and believe in the salvation of Jesus the Christ, we then take on His righteousness.
Returning now to the latter days and the time of Solomon who succeeded his father David as King over Israel; Solomon built the house of the Lord and after he had dedicated it to God, God spoke to him as is recorded in II Chronicles 7:14 –
“If My people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”.
Surely at this very critical time in our history, Great Britain-Israel need to humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways.
Looking about us we see the same conditions as those predicted just before the Second Advent. Your writer, like all of us, does not know when the Second Advent will come. It can only be said again, the universally bad practices of evil and sin in the world are similar to those predicted for the latter days in the Bible for just before the Second Advent. Therefore we must not ignore these similarities, and obey God’s instruction – ‘look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh’.
God’s words to Solomon in II Chronicles 7:14 are very relevant now. In Ezekiel 39:6 God says –
“and I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the Isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord”.
We are not concerned with Magog here. The Isles are almost certainly the British Isles where God prepared a wilderness resting place for Israel; here they have been for many hundreds of years. The name ‘British’ is derived from the Hebrew and means ‘covenant man’.
We see about us universal ‘dwelling carelessly’ – returning to God and reformation is urgently needed for our nation’s sake.
Jeremiah 4:3 offers good advice –
“For thus saith the Lord. . . Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns”.
Hosea completes the good advice –
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground (cease from evil): for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you”
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless in the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and ever. Amen.
