God gave wonderful promises of blessings to His people:
Isa 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace;
and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,
and in sure dwellings,
and in quiet resting places;
God warned the wicked about destruction of the righteous:
Prov 24:15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
spoil not his resting place:
God (through Paul) said that they treasure up wrath unto themselves, against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Rom 2:5) .... when God will have His holy vengenance on them for persecuting His saints:
2 Thess 1:6-8 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
The righteous won’t have rest .... until the wicked are destroyed at the Lord’s coming:
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
God admonished Israel not to pervert justice:
Exo 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
Exo 23:6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
God required Israel not to twist the truth:
Deut 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment;
thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift:
for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise,
and pervert the words of the righteous.
As the Philistines took him in Gath, David leaned on the Lord when he felt like his adversaries were ‘eating him alive’. They distorted his words and plotted harm against him .... yet he remained faithful to God:
Psa 56:1-7 Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust;
I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5 Every day they wrest my words:
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,
they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
7 Shall they escape by iniquity?
in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
When Peter wrote about the promise of Christ’s coming (2 Pet 3:4,9), and the new heaven and new earth where righteousness will dwell (2 Pet 3:13), he reminded the beloved (2 Pet 3:1,8) that Paul also taught about these issues in every letter he wrote. People need to be cautious and careful about those who try to force the words of the Bible to say things they don’t say:
2 Peter 3:16-17 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
17 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things;
in which are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest,
as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Jesus promised rest to those who come to Him:
Matt 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Believers have always had rest in God .... but tribulation in the world (John 16:33). When the Lord returns from heaven .... His reward for His saints and His judgment for the wicked (Rev 11:18) will be with Him (Rev 22:12):
Psa 37:7-13 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
Those who worship the beast and take his mark will never have rest: (also Isa 57:20)
Rev 14:9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Are YOU waiting for that day?
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
WHICH are YOU doing?
Wresting the words of the scriptures ....
or Resting in the Lord until He comes to give eternal rest?
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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