Dial Daily Bread: Ask the Lord How You Can Bring Some Truth to Someone

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

You may have dreamed of doing some great work for the Lord. He has put that vision in your heart. If you have had success, thank Him in humility. It was all due to His blessing.

But if you feel that you have accomplished little of what you had hoped to do, please do not wound your Lord by doubting His love and faithfulness for you. He has heard your prayers, and there is still opportunity for Him to bless the meager offering you have to give Him.

The little boy in the big crowd of more than 5,000 men, women, and children had only his two fish and five barley buns his mother had baked for his lunch--but in love and boyish faith he gave them all to the disciples to give to Jesus (Matt. 14:15-19; John 6:9-11; did you know that John is the only one of the four Gospel writers to give the "lad" credit for his loving offering?) You know how the Lord Jesus blessed that humble gift!

Now ask the dear Lord to show you what little thing you can do to bring some truth or blessing in another way, to someone. The angels keep the record books; never think about a reward for yourself. But pray that the Lord will bless your little offering; and trust Him that He will for the good of someone, somewhere. There will come a time when that person will walk up to you and thank you for what you gave or what you did today.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 10, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Daniel and Revelation--"Light" Focused From Heaven

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Daniel is the one Old Testament book that Jesus specifically singles out as urgently requiring our attention (Matt. 24:15); and Revelation is the one New Testament book that Jesus likewise singles out (Rev. 1:1-3). We can't understand what's going on in the world around us without this "light" focused from heaven in these two special books!

The two are complementary, each explains the other. It's amazing how hundreds of millions of Christians blithely disregard both! But both are easy to understand--user-friendly, so much so that youth can understand with only a little careful thinking.

Both describe in detail how a great "falling away" (apostasy) would seek to hijack the world Christian church with an enormous counterfeit religious organization that "opposes and exalts [itself] above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. ... The mystery of lawlessness ... with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who ... did not receive the love of the truth, ... strong delusion, that they should believe the lie" (2 Thess. 2:3-12). It's the core issue of the great cosmic controversy.

The identity of this massive deception is not cloaked in foggy uncertainty: the Holy Spirit is clear and unequivocal in pinpointing this church power in history as the grand religious successor of the paganism of the ancient Roman Empire (Dan. 7:7, 8, 20-25)--the Papacy. Revelation 18 pictures its coming total exposé. "Come out of [Babylon], My people" (vs. 4). Be alert.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 3, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: An Example of How the New Covenant Is a Blessing to Youth

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Joseph, the younger son of Jacob and his beloved Rachel, is an example of how the New Covenant is a blessing to youth. When his ten older brothers cruelly rejected him and sold him to be a slave to the Midianites, who then sold him to the Ishmaelites, who took him as a slave to Egypt, Joseph's New Covenant faith kept him from utter despair. Of course, the young lad cried and cried as he saw in the distance his father's home disappear; but also his heart thrilled through and through with a resolve to dedicate himself totally to the God of his fathers.

No youth could make such a resolve unless New Covenant faith was his; it wasn't some superior virtue that Joseph had--it was his faith that "worked." It was through that New Covenant faith that God was able to hold his hand and keep him from falling into the pit of despair that so many disappointed people fall in to.

The New Covenant does not consist of a "bargain" that God makes in agreement with His people; it consists of the Lord's out-and-out promises to bless them. Of course, they respond, but their response is not "works," it is faith--believing and appreciating His promises, being moved by them.

When Joseph was later tempted so alluringly by Potiphar's wife, again it was his New Covenant faith that preserved him from falling. God held him by the hand; it's not that Joseph did nothing and just let the Lord save him; he did something very important--he believed those promises. His heart was moved with a deep appreciation for the love of his Savior.

Although he lived in Old Testament times, he was experiencing the New Testament vision of being moved by the love (agape) of Christ. Joseph was in tune with Paul's idea of the agape of Christ moving his heart to the point where he dedicated all he had to the One who so loved him that He went to the cross and died there his (Joseph's) second death.

The Lord loves us no less than He loved Joseph.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 2, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Habakkuk's Question--Eternal in Its Significance

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Habakkuk is a tiny little book tucked away in an obscure spot in the Old Testament where few people ever see it. The prophet had a very serious question that he asked the Lord: Why do You protect and prosper the wicked (chapter 1, verses 1-4)?

The Lord did not answer him all at once--good lesson for us! The prophet said, "I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me" (2:1).

The prophet's question was eternal in its significance; it is just as up-to-date now as ever. The Lord welcomes our questions that trouble us. Ask those questions of Him seriously; don't be like a child who asks for something today and then forgets tomorrow that he asked. Bring your serious questions regarding how the Lord has treated you in your life, why this or that disappointment may have come to you, why He permitted it; pour out your heart before Him, hold nothing back.

Habakkuk 2, verse 1: Note, he waited for an answer. He was not impatient with the Lord. See how often the Psalmist brings his "complaint" before the Lord (55:2; 102, title: "The Lord's Eternal Love"; 142:2.) Be honest and straightforward with the Lord (after all, isn't He your "heavenly Father"?).

Habakkuk 2, verse 2: "Then the Lord answered me ..." He will "answer" you, too. It may be by a "still, small voice," but He will not despise your sincere prayer! Remember David's lesson he learned in deep repentance: "A broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). So, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).

"Boldly"? Even though you have sinned?

Yes, for His forgiveness is great, as is His love (agape).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 26, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Best King Israel Ever Had (Next to King David)

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

He was the best king Israel ever had, next to King David. He did everything right. He followed the Law of Moses minutely. And he was not a legalist--his heart was in it. The grace of the Lord was with him.

King Hezekiah inspired the people of both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of the divided nation. He engineered the finest celebration of Passover the nation had ever known. But at the height of his glory as the most devout of all Israel's kings, comes this startling detail: "God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31; didn't the Lord already know it all? This must be for us somehow!).

Then we are directed to Isaiah to get the story. The king had just enjoyed the most glorious defense the Lord gave him against the Assyrian invaders; then the prophet Isaiah told him, the time has come for you to die. But he turned his face to the wall, and sobbed like a child, Not fair!

The dear Lord granted him 15 years more wherein he made a fool of himself and sired the most terrible king Israel ever had--Manasseh (Isa. 38, 39). Hezekiah didn't know what was buried unseen within his heart; unknown sin did him in.

Now fast forward to our day: our great High Priest in His cleansing the heavenly sanctuary will not only enable us to overcome known sin, but do a deeper work also: overcome unknown sin. His much more abounding grace (cf. Rom. 5:20) is sufficient. His Holy Spirit is cooperating with Christ; now let us learn from Hezekiah how to let Him direct our steps.

Instead of dying physically, now we can experience the blessed crucifixion of self "with Christ" (cf. Gal. 2:20). We are not kings, but we have an important part in bringing to a close the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. Let's join in!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 3, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Christ’s Ministry as the World’s High Priest

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The ancient Israelite sanctuary was a revelation to our dull human senses of the reality of Christ's ministry as the world's High Priest in His heavenly sanctuary. The purpose of building Him a sanctuary was not to bottle Him up inside it, but to make it possible for Him to "dwell among them" (Ex. 25:8). The Lord Jesus loved His people; and love always wants to be near you.

The earthly high priest was everybody's "grandfather," someone sympathetic to each one's need. Jesus is not a heavenly policeman trying to catch you doing something wrong, but a heavenly Attorney seeking to defend you at court.

His closing words to His followers were: "'Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" (Matt. 28:19, 20). The "amen" means, "Yes! It is true! You can believe this!" In order for us to realize that He is "with" us we must "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5-8). Our "minds" must be surrendered to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

This is an exercise for our souls--to expel our worldly thoughts and cares. "Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret" (Matt. 6:6, King James Version). Remember, you are not taking the initiative to "find" the Lord; you are letting Him take the initiative to find you.

The two of you are together in that prayer--the Father and you. He cares about you; for He is lonely without you. Jesus and the Father are "one" and Jesus now belongs to us--forever. Delight in that thought of truth.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 2, 2009.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Can National or State Governments Exercise the Principle of Agape?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Can we humans learn to treat each other as God treats us? Jesus told a parable of a man to whom the king forgave a debt of "ten thousand talents" and then went out and grabbed a poor fellow servant by the throat who owed him a mere hundred denarii, and ordered him, "Pay me!" (Matt. 18:23-35).

Jesus taught that we must forgive others as God has forgiven us. But that of course is impossible unless we understand corporate guilt--that we of ourselves have no righteousness, it is all imputed to us from Christ, its only source.

Enlightened by the Holy Spirit to understand and appreciate what Christ has done for us, we immediately look upon others in a new light. We reason from cause to effect; we sense that if our circumstances from birth had been the same, we might have turned out no better than this person we are tempted to hate. It's not a matter of superficial, transient emotion; it's a principle--the sin of someone else would be our sin but for the grace of Christ! This is not excusing the responsibility of sinners, or abolishing morality; it is redemptive human relations. It is "letting the mind of Christ be in" us.

Despised by the world in personal or international relationships, this heavenly principle of agapetranscends all religions and cultures. It costs far less than even one stealth bomber, and it works miracles in saving individuals and nations from ruinous violence.

This principle is based on the gospel truth of what Christ accomplished for the world. The Bible speaks of Him as "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), and "the Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). The rock-solid foundation of the gospel saves all who believe it from fanaticism or self-destructive naiveté.

Can national or state governments exercise the principle of agape? No, for they are secular institutions; but those who administer these governments can personally exercise that principle. Without any union of church and state, they can, like Daniel of old, seek wisdom from God at every step (see Dan. 9:1-5, for example). "Righteousness exalts a nation" (Prov. 14:34). All nations need it!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 4, 1999.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: An Expensive Object Lesson

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus said something very strange that has puzzled many people since the day He said it: "Whoever falls on this Stone [Himself, His history as Savior of the world] will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Matt. 21:44).

The leaders of the nation were planning to kill Him; Caiaphas, the high priest, hated Him; Pilate the Roman governor would deliver Him to death, knowing He was innocent; and King Herod would agree to His death. The greatest judicial travesty in all history!

Jesus had just reminded them of the well-known story of building Solomon's temple. One large stone had baffled the workmen--they couldn't figure out where to put it and they abandoned it in the weeds, to the heat of summer and the storms and frost of winter. Finally, they discovered that it was the "chief cornerstone," where it proved to be an exact fit. So, said Jesus, He is the "[head] stone which the builders rejected" (vs. 42).

So far, it is clear. But why the idea of anyone "falling on the Stone and being broken"? Well, Peter was an example of such a person. A proud man, he was sure he would never give in to pressure and deny his Lord, but before the rooster crowed in the morning he had denied Jesus three times. Peter wept bitterly when he realized the sinfulness of his own heart. His repentance was deep. He "fell on the Stone and was broken." The love of self was broken up; his heart was broken. It was reported in early times that ever afterward there was a tear glistening in his eyes.

On the other hand, look at Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod: all they have is the final judgment. Christ will not grind them to powder--what will do it is their own history. He will not say a word to condemn them in that final judgment; they will do it themselves. They will salvage nothing for eternity.

A wise writer has used this text about the "Stone" in appealing to church members to let the Holy Spirit melt their proud hearts, and to teachers in Christian schools whose self-centered pride hides Jesus from the view of their students, and to ministers and church leaders who repeat Peter's denial of Christ. It's an "either/or" judgment we all face: self must be humbled eventually. Either by our own voluntary choice to take up the cross on which self is crucified, or to go on making self the center of our heart's devotion.

The former calls for tears of melted-heart repentance now; the latter points to "powder" being blown away like dust in a windstorm, an eternal record of nothingness. Herod, Caiaphas, and Pilate have given us an expensive object lesson.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 5, 2000.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Two Harvests--Character That Develops in Two Kinds of People

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In Bible imagery, rain is usually a blessing. There is "the latter rain" which comes at just the right time to ripen a thirsty crop for harvest. But think of a farmer worried about his crop in Israel long ago. Early rain was a blessing that made the seed sprout. The barley matured to a certain place in plant growth that seemed to promise a rich harvest this year; but now the growth is stunted. Drought came at just the wrong time. An enormous crop that never matures for harvest is an agricultural disaster. The farmer doesn't have modern irrigation; he is dependent on rain from heaven.

You can imagine the distress in the family, the earnest prayers going up day by day for the Lord to send the long-awaited "latter rain." It must come from Him!

In the Bible, this describes the condition of the Lord's church in the last days. The enormity in the size of acreage that the farmer has planted in barley is not good news unless the crop gets that most precious latter rain at the right time. Diligent labor is effort wasted if it doesn't result in a harvest of mature grain ripe for the sickle.

Jesus teaches that "the harvest is the end of the age" (Matt. 13:39). But there are two harvests--character develops in two kinds of people: those ready to meet the Lord at His return; and those whose rebellion against Him has also matured (Rev. 14:16-20).

A "sickle" is used in both harvests, one by Jesus coming in glory, the other by some other "angel" whose "sharp sickle" reaps a harvest cast into the "great winepress of the wrath of God." There must be two kinds of "latter rain."

Time to be alert! No time to sleep!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 3, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does Our Salvation Depend on Maintaining a "Relationship" with Jesus?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

If you're river rafting in violently turbulent water, everything depends on your hanging on. You need a constant "relationship" with the boat.

We're in a turbulent great controversy with Satan. Does our salvation depend on our maintaining a "relationship" with Jesus? Many are the sincere people who get discouraged. They have to make a living; work presses hard on them. They are tired at day's end; morning comes too soon--back to the turbulence of daily life in a godless world. After some days or weeks (or months!) they realize, "I have neglected to maintain that 'relationship!'" Not enough time spent in prayer and Bible study! The precious "relationship" seems broken.

If you are one of those ("alive" rather than among the living dead) don't give up in despair. You need some Good News. The Savior takes the initiative to maintain that relationship or fellowship with you! It was never His idea to get you started or involved in a works program; His role is that of Good Shepherd seeking us, rather than vice versa.

Bible study and prayer arenecessary. But if you can appreciate the love of that Good Shepherd; if you can "comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love [agape] of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3: 18, 19), you see Him as the One who seeks to maintain that fellowship with you, as the Father did with Jesus (see Isa. 50:4; don't be "rebellious," vs. 5). "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17).

If you are too busy to eat breakfast, do you despair and say, "I'm no good! I'll never eat again!"? I think hunger will drive you to eat the first chance you get. So does the Savior's love drive you to respond to His continual seeking. His love, not craven fear, will motivate you to thank Him for not letting go of you (Isa. 41:10, 13). Count yourself among these: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 10, 2001.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What the Angels of Heaven Are Begging Us to Do

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The angels of heaven are begging the inhabitants of earth to read the book of Revelation (see 1:1-3).

As we come to the end-time, the sounding of "the seventh angel's" trumpet, John the prophet sees "lightnings" and hears "noises ["voices," King James Version], and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail"--the most awful spiritual "storm" in earth's 6000 years (11:15-19).

Next he sees the panoramic history of God's true church through the ages, focusing on their final witness of truth to the world (12:1-17).

Then he sees the monstrous deception of a counterfeit "christ" and its imitation gospel that leads "all who dwell on the earth" to worship this power except those "whose names are ... written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (13:1-8). The world is being catalyzed into two camps.

Next the prophet sees a savage burst of persecuting frenzy wherein multitudes who think themselves following that "Lamb" will repeat the essence of His original unjust crucifixion, on His people (13:11-17).

Then the prophet sees the raising up of a group of "144,000" who share a corporate oneness "in Christ" and bring the world to a final up-or-down vote on identifying the true Christ (14:1-15). It will also involve distinguishing the true Holy Spirit from its extremely clever opposite (18:2, 3). We're just about there. Living now is serious business.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 16, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."  

Dial Daily Bread: Take a New Look at Your Trials; You May Be Missing a Bonanza

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What do you do when you pray and pray and you don't get an answer? Or the answer is a plain No? Did I hear you say that all your prayers get a Yes answer? If so you are a most unusual person. Many people, especially children, are perplexed when they hear stories of some people always getting an immediate Yes answer; they don't seem to get such answers. Well, neither do I.

Even the apostle Paul had to suffer the disappointment of not getting a Yes answer to his prayers. He tells us about it in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. He had a painful physical problem, and three times he earnestly prayed, Lord, take this away; am I not serving You? And he probably said, like we do so often, "Don't I deserve something?" The Lord said No to his request: "My grace is sufficient for you," and with it you can endure this pain.

The children need to understand that if the Lord says No, it does not mean He doesn't love us; He does. His "No!" can be a greater proof of His love than if He lets us win the lottery.

We can be sure that He will always give us enough from His store of much more abounding grace that will enable us to bear the trial and endure its pain. That grace is often much better than to have the trial taken away from us. Why? Because His wonderful grace is strongest when we are at our weakest: "My strength is made perfect in weakness," He said to Paul (2 Cor. 12:9).

Paul immediately took the hint and capitalized on it: "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast [glory, King James Version] in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." In other words, my trials turn out to be a great bargain!

Take a new look at your trials; you may be missing a bonanza.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 29, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: If You Ask the Lord to Give You Some "Bread," Can You Believe That He Will?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

If you ask the Lord to give you some "bread," can you believe that He will? Or will He deceive you and give you a serpent or a stone? You say "that's an easy answer," but for some it may be a difficult leap of faith to believe the Lord actually loves them that much. Jesus says His yoke is "easy" but it may not always be easy to learn to believe! It may take years of listening.

If you know your pantry is empty and you ask Him to give you bread for your starving guest, will He bother even at an uncomfortable hour to get up and give you what you ask for? Well, you know the answer: you can't be a Christian unless you believe that He is kind, merciful, and loves you too much to disappoint you, even at "midnight." You must believe that He keeps His promises.

That parable in Luke 11 does not say that He will give you enough bread to stock your pantry for years to come, or enough to feed "five thousand" as Jesus fed them in His day; it says specifically, "He will rise and give [you] as many as [you] need" (vss. 5-8). He answers your prayer for understanding of Bible truth, but it will not make you suddenly omniscient, nor wise enough to hold thousands spellbound with your wisdom. But He will give you all the "bread" you need. So be humble; you will need more understanding tomorrow. Don't be proud of the little He graciously gives you today. That is precious enough but not good enough.

And He has promised that you will never lose the Bible study you do today, even if you may be tempted to think it has been boring. "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). Many testify that truths they thought they have forgotten pop up even years later. So your continual "hunger and thirst for righteousness" that drives you again and again to the Word keeps that precious memory alive.

Many can give their testimony that when they have asked the Lord to teach them truth, the answer came when they least expected it--a sudden flash of understanding when they needed it the most. His promise is in Matthew 10:19: "It will be given to you in that hour what you should speak."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 3, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does Jesus Really Need Us?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does the Lord Jesus Christ really needus? Is He not the Omnipotent One? So is He not automatically the Victor in His "great controversy" with Satan? Does it really matter to Him if we are loyal or disloyal? And in the long run, won't He win irrespective of our loyalty?

Let's back up to the Great Event on Calvary's cross: When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane we read that "all the disciples forsook Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56). Let us not forget that Jesus, although He was the divine Son of God, had laid aside the prerogatives of His divinity, and He was now the "Son of man." He was living our life, as One of us, feeling as we feel.

The pain of those spikes driven into His ankles and wrist bones was horrible, but it was nothing compared to the pain of His soul when His chosen ones, the Eleven (Judas had already forsaken Him), turned away from Him. In the horror of the moment, could He have been tempted to fear that His mission might ultimately fail? After all, weren't these Eleven a prophecy of the ultimate end of His "great controversy" with Satan?

Wouldn't it have been wonderful if at least one of the Eleven had firmly declared to the Romans, "If you crucify this Man, you crucify me, too!"? But there is no such story in any of the four Gospels; there is no such Hero for any of us to exult in.

Whoever we could be today, the truth is that the Lord Jesus does need us to be loyal to Him. It's too late for Him to have to feel sad that we too have done what the Eleven did long ago. It's time for "144,000" of the weakest and most unworthy of earth's inhabitants to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:4). That's our glorious opportunity!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 15, 2009.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: There Will Be a Last Generation!

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Jesus Christ was emphatically clear about the future: this sinful, painful world is not to continue on and on ad infinitum for ages to come. "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3).

Note: He receives His people to Himself, not vice versa. He has taken the initiative all the way through: a conjugal love has motivated Him. Love is always the desire to be one with the beloved. Jesus is no different!

The story of the second coming of Christ is a love story; there is a Bridegroom involved and a Bride. The drama is played out on planet earth in view of the vast universe of God, as though this planet were the stage. The second coming of Christ is the denouement of history, the one grand event toward which through the ages humanity has moved steadily.

The prophet Daniel describes the Last Generation as "the time of the end" (11:35; 12:4). Jesus told His disciples, speaking of specific events, "Then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). There will be a Last Generation! Six thousand plus years of history cannot be for nothing!

The apostles had a clear understanding: "This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [not everybody is going to pass through death!]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

The joy that Jesus will know will be unbounded, for He has personally, individually loved each one of His saints. The Last Generation will be the reunion. The long delayed wedding of two who have dearly loved each other is an occasion of great joy here on earth; think of a cosmic wedding! Four grand Hallelujah choruses with heaven's symphony orchestras accompanying the massed choirs. "The angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed [happy] are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.' [New Living Translation], ... who have the testimony of Jesus ... for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:7-10).

You are invited; now "make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 28, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Is God Concerned About Our Exploring His Universe?

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Is God concerned about our exploring His universe? “The faith of Jesus” is very clear: God is our Redeemer, a personal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, our Father, too. He is infinite; He flung the Milky Way in space, and yet He also notices when a little bird falls to our earthly ground. He has counted the hairs on our heads. He cares about each struggling human being, especially those who call upon Him. All this is what the Bible calls “present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

Now, how does this personal Creator of the universe look upon the intent of nations to invade His universe? This personal God and Father of us all “formed [the earth] to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18); does that word “earth” mean also Mars? Does God intend for man to “inhabit” Mars as well as this planet we call earth? And does He intend for us to invade the great universe that lies beyond, through the expertise of NASA or others?

If we become clever enough to physically transport ourselves into God’s vast universe, we should go as emissaries from a planet that has first solved its own problems, that wars are ended and poverty and sin also.

Let our governments solve our world health care problems, our world crime, relieve our bulging prisons, comfort our suicidal youth, create a true heaven on earth with no hell mixed in, transform our cities to be “undimmed with human tears”; only then invade God’s great universe beyond our own appointed home.

And in the meantime, let’s let our Creator/Redeemer prepare us for the heaven He has long been waiting to inaugurate. Let’s stop resisting Him; let’s believe Him. Let’s stand on His side in the “great controversy between Christ and Satan.” It’s real; we’re in it today--right where we are.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 20, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: One GREAT Promise Not Yet Fulfilled

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

All the wonderful promises that Jesus made before His death must and will be fulfilled. But there is one GREAT promise that has not yet been fulfilled, and many Christians think it never will be. They are wrong! He will not fail.

That great promise is in John 16:13: "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth." We usually think of the Holy Spirit as giving us happy feelings or of giving great power in witnessing and producing baptisms; we think that understanding "all truth" is of lesser importance. But over 200 times the Bible speaks of the importance of truth. In ordinary life, law courts, juries, judges, seek constantly to know the truth. Jesus says that it is so important that "the truth shall make you free" (8:32).

In His same promise that the Holy Spirit will guide us "into all truth" Jesus promised, "He will show you things to come." The wording is very similar to the opening of the Book of Revelation, "the revelation of ... things which must shortly take place" (1:1). The Book of Revelation was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise! And yet Christian people go in all different directions in understanding what Revelation is saying!

Likewise, there is confusion in understanding Daniel's prophecies; yet God commanded the angel, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision," and later the angel said to him, "I will tell you the truth" (8:16; 11:2). Paul spoke of his message as "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5). There is as much division in understanding that as there is in understanding Daniel and the Revelation!

What can bring about a unity and clarity of understanding these important truths? Surely when that great fourth angel of Revelation 18:1-4 begins to "lighten the earth with glory," the message that calls every sincere person "out of Babylon" will be a message of pure, unadulterated truth. We pray daily for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. An excellent place to begin finding the answer to that prayer is in honest, sincere, and humble listening to the Bible to permit it to tell us what the truth is in all these controverted areas. Jesus did not promise, "The Holy Spirit will tryto lead you into all truth," or "He wishesHe could lead you into all truth." No, He said He willdo so.

As surely as you read this, so surely is the Holy Spirit right now "leading" us into the truth that will bind us together in loving harmony of belief. Let's listen to Him!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 18, 2000.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A New Chapter in Righteousness by Faith

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The closer we come to what the Bible speaks of as "the end of the world" (Matt. 24:3), the more intimate will the people of God become with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Their acquaintance will become like that of a couple who meet, get slightly acquainted, then fall in love, become engaged, and finally marry; no woman on earth will become the "bride of Christ," but there is a body of people known as "the church" who will "make herself ready" for that epochal "wedding" (cf. Rev. 19:7, 8; Eph. 5:23-27).

A "paradigm shift" in understanding is a mild term to describe the upheaval that will occur in the spiritual experience of God's people as they near when Christ closes His High Priestly ministry in the Most Holy Apartment. This tremendous spiritual upheaval will be a new motivation supplanting our old egocentric one.

We have always responded to the desire to be saved, but it's still the desire for a reward. We have sung the little song, "I Shall Wear a Crown in My Father's House," we have contemplated exchanging "the cross for a crown," we have widely taught that "securing our own salvation is the highest duty of life."

In the closing up of the Day of Atonement, a new motivation begins to take over: a concern for Christ that He receive His reward, that He be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords; our concern for Him eclipses that old one of egocentricity. This won't be righteousness by works; it will be a new chapter in righteousness by faith. At last, "perfect agape [will] cast out fear" (1 John 4:18). A new heart-appreciation of what it cost the Son of God to die for us will be grasped.

But this will not be the prized possession of the saints; it will be their communication to the world of "Christ and Him crucified" as the world has never before heard it in such clarity since Pentecost.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 26, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Christ Has Done Something for Every Human Being

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Everyone at some time has dreams, bad dreams, nightmares. But it seems that one always wakes up just before the final tragedy. According to the Bible, since the world began no human being has ever experienced the second death, that is, hell itself, with one Grand Exception--Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second or "last Adam" of the human race.

As the Head of the human race, He tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9), not the first death which the Bible calls a "sleep," but the real thing, the utter God-forsakenness which is "the wages of sin" (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 2:11; 20:14). He died your second death; there is no need for you to endure it! Christ has done something for every human being, accomplished it, and given him the benefit.

"The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). Christ is "the Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9). Not only is He "the propitiation for our sins," but also "for [the sins of] the whole world" (1 John 2:2). A wise writer has written, "He restored the whole race of men to favor with God. ... No sin can be committed by man for which satisfaction has not been met on Calvary, ... a thorough expiation."

You and I live today because of that "satisfaction." He has lifted the heart-burden of "condemnation" which sinful Adam passed on to us and has pronounced on "all men" that "verdict of acquittal" that Paul describes in Romans 5:15-18 (The Revised English Bible). That does not mean that everyone is automatically going to heaven; no, because many "receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 6:1), and reject what Christ has already won for them. But "for every man" there is deliverance already achieved for those "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:14, 15).

But don't we have to dosomething? Of course; let your proud, sinful heart be melted; "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6); let the "constraint" of that love motivate you to live "henceforth ... unto Him which died for [you]" and not unto yourself (see 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version). Say "Thank You!" with your life.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 30, 1998.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Time for Resolutions?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

New Year's Day is traditionally the time for resolutions. "I will do better in this or that way during this new year!" And in practice, these New Year's resolutions usually fail before February comes around.

A wise writer has said that our promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand, and that the knowledge of our broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens our confidence in our own sincerity and causes us to feel that God cannot accept us. Such promises and resolutions made to God are the famous Old Covenant. The children of Israel made the Old Covenant at Mount Sinai when they responded to God's promise by saying, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (Ex. 19:8).

Sounds good, doesn't it? And some people understand the Lord as approving of their making the Old Covenant when He later said, "I have heard the voice of the words of this people, ... They are right in all that they have spoken" (Deut. 5:28). This is often interpreted as the Lord's enthusiastic approval of their Old Covenant promise.

But those who take this position don't read far enough. In the next verse the Lord sighs, "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear [reverence] Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them." Paul says that the Old Covenant "gives birth to bondage" (Gal. 4:24). That "bondage" brings darkness into your soul, even though you try ever so hard to be good.

No, your New Year's resolutions will not bring you victory and happiness. The Lord does not ask you to make promises to Him; He asks only that you believe His promises to you. His promise is the New Covenant; and for us to believe His promise is what makes Him happy. And in the end it makes us happy, too.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 2, 1998.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."