For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

…

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star rise in your hearts;

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:16, 19 & 20)

That which was from the begining, which we have seen and heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Cnrist. (1 John 1:1-3)

Our times in this world are built upon confusion. There is so much confusion in our day, and uncertainty, and the whole world is seeking after the certainty of Truth.

In the church are many proffessing words of prophecy, and this phenomenon does not cease. People are looking for answers, for help, for an anchor in the raging storm of confusion. There is an entire revivalist movement sweeping the earth so fixated on their prophetic revelations that they hardly ever preach the Gospel. How can you have revival without preaching the Gospel? The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not the mysteries of the ‘prophetic realm,’ which gender further confusion, and – not being centrally based on the Gospel – prove false (or is Donald trump the President, as they said?).

There is only one thing certain in this life, may every seeker see! The only thing certain in this world is death.

Death comes upon all men, whether it be by COVID, war, hunger, or raging wild beasts. Please bear with me, for I mean to encourage you, but ought we not to look reality squarely in the face?

Death is the only certainty in this world, the only thing we can count on. We search for truth, we search for hope, we search for peace, and we do our searching so often to deny the mundane reality we live in: the humdrum truth of this temporal world, the depressing concept that all of our labors are as castles in the sand, that the end of it all is simply death.

But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all: yet let him remember the days of darkness; for hey shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 11:8)

All of this will pass away. Death is the only certainty.

Yet now, if there is death and this death is certain to us… then it means there must have been life before there was death. Without life, death has no meaning… and no terror for us. For if we never lived, we would never die; we could not so much as comprehend this single constant in our world.

That means that life gives death its meaning. The only certainty in this world is based on the prelude of life, and where did life come from? Only God could give us life. Yet if God gives us life, who takes it away? Why is our only constant death?

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Rom. 5:12)

Death reigns because of wickedness; because of sin. You sin, this is why you die, and truly, the giver of life forewarned man of this:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 217)

When man sinned, though we had been given life, death became our certain reward. And so it is to this day. Nothing is certain but death.

God’s word reveals that death is our certainty. perhaps it was our experience that led us to this conclusion to begin with: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you…

Yet this Truth could have been found in thescriptures of Truth, the words eternal. The Giver of life suplied not only the Truth, but the tree of life.

What was it that we sought so long ago when the first man disobeyed God? We sought to be as God the giver of life (Genesis 3:5), just like today when we sin, what do we seek? To do as we please, to be he masters of our own destiny:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Death is sure because sin is sure. Just as surely as you are a sinner, so surely will you die in your sins.

But there is a sure word of Truth, and there is a certainty greater than death. As we concluded, death an only be sure because of life. As surely as man has created a way unto death, just as surely the Giver of life has made a way unto life.

And if this life is made available, who is it that wants us to have it? Is it not He who first gave us life? We can therefore rely on God’s word to lead us to life. Even the serpent deceiver knew the certainty of God’s word, for he seeking to kill man taught Adam and his wife to disobey God – the devil knew that just as surely as God spoke the words: ‘…in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ that man of certainty would die if only he could get them to eat.

If death is a sure reality, it is only because God’s word – the promise of him who gave us life to begin with – is a sure reality.

God’s word is the certainty which the Giver of life brings us. This word was entrusted to the people whom God had set apart for the very purpose of bringing the knowledge of salvation to the world. God gave His Word to the Jews (Romans 3:1 & 2); why them? Because through this people He would send the Way of Life, that tree which man had neglected because rather than choosing life, we chose the way of sin. Yet the Giver of life would ensure that all mankind had a second chance: an opportunity to choose life.

And so Jesus Christ – the Word of God; the gift of Life – came in the flesh.

At the top of this post is the testimony of two of the men who knew Jesus Christ personally. They expressed their experience with the Word of God who had become flesh and blood. He entered the reality which they could see and know – and following through with the certainty of this world, He Himself died.

Death is certain – this is the first thing we know. Yet more certain than death is Life, and the Word of God affirms this in that He was raised from the dead.

The Apostles Peter and John not only knew Christ died – they knew Him after He rose from the dead. Peter knew his was certain, yet even so he affirms that the more certain thing is God’s word.

What is more certain than death? God’s Word, the Giver of Life: the saving message of Jesus Christ.

While all the world is seeking after a word of Truth, many in the church are turning to spiritual revelations, and interpretting dreams, likewise hoping to get a word for this hour.

God’s word is true, more true than any private evelation, or personal experience.

To the lost, I say: repent of your sins, and believe in Jesus Christ. You cannot receive eternal life except you turn from your sins for it is written:

Know ye not that the unrihteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adukterers, nor effiminate [that is: homosexuals, transgenders]nor abusors of themselves with mankind [that is: other forms of sexual perversion] nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9 & 10)

Turn away from all of these things, and confess them to God and He will have mercy upon you because Jesus Christ died in your place. Yet if you will not turn from them, you will not inherit the kingdom of God.

To Christians, seeking understanding for the times we are in, I say: turn ye to the scriptures of Truth. Do you seek a word for today?

Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (Jeremiah 10:2)

Neither look not to them who have prophesied falsely, nor to them who preach not the Gospel yet presume to speak a word from the Lord. Seek ye understanding of the scriptures which will reveal precisely the time we are in, and will never prophesy falsely, look to the more sure word of scripture:

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophech came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they wee moved by the Holy Ghost.

But there were false prophets among the people, as there shall be false teachers among you, who priviliy will bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 1:20-2:2)

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watxh thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist [preach the Gospel, make full proof of thy ministry. (2 Timothy 4:4 & 5)

And that knowing the time, that it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is the hour of our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)