Dial Daily Bread: Seeing With Eyes of Faith

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When the New Testament speaks of "the flesh," it's the sinful nature we all have--the source of our temptations. It's not the world outside of us that tempts us--it's the world inside of us. If you live like a hermit in the desert, the "flesh" within still tempts.

Paul explains the only way it can be handled: "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24). Millions want to know how they can do that. It's not some "work" to do. And to pray, "God, please crucify my flesh!" is not the way, like pushing a computer button. The way is simple, but the believing (faith) does take time.

Paul prays for us in Ephesians 3:14-21, not that we might dosome wonderful work, but that we might seesomething wonderful: "that you ... may be able to comprehend ... what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love (agape) of Christ," which of course is displayed only at His cross. If an angel had videoed the crucifixion, it might fill the theaters, but that would not help; we "see" it, "comprehend" it, with the eyes of faith. It takes "a thoughtful hour." On your knees, alone with your heavenly Father. With the Bible open before you.

"See" the cross therein. Psalm 22 was put there for this purpose; also Psalm 69. Yes, David wrote them both, but it's Jesus Himself talking from His cross! Read them in several translations, if you can. Read them slowly, no hurried impatience. God inspired both so that you might identify with your Savior, and begin to sense those grand dimensions of a love that no preacher can adequately portray.

"Comprehend" what happened there, "see" it, and Galatians 6:14 will come alive for you: "God forbid that I should glory execpt in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I [am crucified] to the world."

How does it work? "I am crucified with Christ ..." (2:20; "self"). "The world" will have no more impact on you now than it had on the repentant thief who also was crucified with Him. And you will share what he had--he was the happiest man who has ever lived, for he heard those words, "You will be with Me in Paradise."

"In Christ," you rule the flesh; you are its boss. Like Him, you "condemn sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3, 4). Take charge; choose. Welcome to joy!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 29, 2003.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: "God IS Agape"!

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible does not say that agapeis one aspect of the character of God: it says that "God IS agape" (1 John 4:8).

How happy He is when He sees that agapebecomes the character of His children on earth! There are 144,000 of them scattered around the earth in every language and culture and nation--not a literal number (I hope!) but a symbolic number of people who have chosen to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:1-5).

They listen for His "voice" to tell them what to do and where to go and what to say. That listening takes time, more than the minute or two that many of us spend "in prayer" after which we jump up and go forth to do our own bidding. These people all around the world do more than tell the Lord "I love You!" They are inspired by His love, to love their neighbor as themselves, with agape. They keep themselves conscious of that agapeof Christ:

When He died for us on His cross, it wasn't a mere going to sleep for a weekend. (Any human who suffers the physical agony of crucifixion would love to go to sleep for a weekend! Doubtless that's what the two thieves crucified with Him did.)

No, the divine Son of God suffered the hiding of His Father's face so that He truly felt in His deepest soul that the Father had "forsaken" Him. There is no pain or horror in the universe as great as that!

Such love (agape) never goes without a response from the ones who are so loved; either (1) they despise it and thus crucify Christ "afresh" (Heb. 6:6), or (2) they let that agapemotivate them, propel them, move them, "constrain" them to live "henceforth" only "unto Him which died for them" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, King James Version).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 25, 2008.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Is It Difficult to Tell the Difference Between Christ and Satan?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It sounds like a stupid question to ask, but here it is: is it difficult to tell the difference between Christ and Satan?

Conventional Wisdom says No; it's like distinguishing between night and day, or plus and minus, or between love and hatred. But Conventional Wisdom is dead wrong here; being fooled is easy.

Another question: How can you distinguish between the genuine Holy Spirit, the true Vicar of the true Christ of the Bible, and the counterfeit "holy spirit" developed by "the great dragon, ... that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world"? Be careful, for "he performs great signs" (cf. Rev. 12:9; 13:13).

Conventional Wisdom is blind when it assumes that all that is called "the holy spirit" is a spirit from heaven. As we come closer to the end, the masses will call light darkness and vice versa. The Enemy has nearly perfected the art of deception "to deceive, if possible, even the elect" of God. "False christs ... will arise," says Jesus (Matt. 24:24).

If clever deceivers can make a counterfeit Rolex that fools you, can Christ's Enemy create a false "holy spirit," "so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men" (Rev. 13:13)? A counterfeit Rolex probably keeps time fairly well, and a counterfeit "holy spirit" revival will say and do some nice things so we can shout "Hallelujah," but if the second coming of Jesus catches us being fooled by Satan, we will be mortally embarrassed--literally.

It's a phenomenon of history that God's true people, ancient Israel, were deceived by the clever counterfeit of Baal worship. They had actually come sincerely to believe that the one who had brought them out of Egypt was Baal! Only a handful saw the truth (1 Kings 18).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 8, 2002.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Jesus Wants to Come a Second Time to Establish His Kingdom of Peace and Happiness for All

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The year-day prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are fantastic in the accuracy of their fulfillment. They coincide perfectly with the great end-time prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. The Bible recognizes that the God of heaven has foretold events before they happened, and that He wants us to know when "the time of the end" will come and what are the "signs" of Jesus' second coming and of the "end of the age" (cf. Matt. 24:3).

Paul says it is not God's will for His people to be "in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ... Let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:4-6). How could Jesus warn us, "It will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:35), without His word giving us guidance as to when that day is near?

If it is true that "God is love," then it must follow that He would not want to catch us "unaware." Hence we conclude that the time prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are very serious reading and deserve our close attention. It is also true, if God indeed is "love," then He does not want to perpetuate pain and suffering on this planet due to the ravages of sin. Jesus wants to come a second time, not primarily to punish wrongdoing or take vengeance on His enemies, but to rescue people who suffer, and to establish His kingdom of peace and happiness for all.

"The Ancient of days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom, ... an everlasting kingdom" (Dan. 7:22, 27). However, we can be sure that His enemy, Satan, wants to try to prove His prophecies wrong. "Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, 'The days are prolonged, and every vision fails?'" (Eze. 12:22). A good answer is in Habakkuk 2:3: "At the end [the vision] will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

There may appear to be a "tarrying time," and those who have faith in the prophecies may think the vision "fails," and suffer disappointment, yet in immediate context comes the assurance of righteousness by faith: "The just shall live by His faith" (Hab. 2:4).

In the Great Disappointment experience in the 1840s, what held the faithful remnant was not so much mathematical calculations of time prophecies (they were true!) but their confidence that the Holy Spirit had worked in the Midnight Cry movement. God's true love was evident.

--Robert J. Wieland

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

Dial Daily Bread: Invitation to Subscribe

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

This coming week many of you will begin to study the new Sabbath School quarterly on  “How to Interpret Scripture.” For those who are not already receiving "Sabbath School Today" (SST) we would like to invite you to subscribe (SST is free). You will receive weekly essays on the lessons in the context of the "most precious" 1888 message. Some of the essays are prepared from the writings of Robert J. Wieland, author of "Dial Daily Bread."

To begin a new subscription please reply to this e-mail with the words "Subscribe SST" in the body of the e-mail or in the heading. If you are already receiving "Sabbath School Today" THERE IS NO NEED TO RESUBSCRIBE; your subscription will continue.

Sincerely,

The "Dial Daily Bread" Staff

Dial Daily Bread: Is It a Sin to Live Under the Old Covenant?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it a sin to live under the Old Covenant? Whether we can say yes or no to that question, we know the Old Covenant led the ancient people of Israel to crucify their Lord and Savior, and for sure that was a sin!

The Lord gave His New Covenant promises to Abraham, and he "believed" (cf. Gen. 12:2, 3; 15:4-7). He walked in the light for a time, at least until his wife Sarah persuaded him to abandon the Lord's promise to give him an heir through her getting pregnant and bearing him a son. Sarah was down on herself and on God; she was Old Covenant in her unbelief. She blamed God: "The Lord has kept me from having children" (16:2, Good News Bible).

We can all recall our multitudinous variations of Old Covenant thinking and experience. It was when we walked in "bondage," for it produces "bondage" (Gal. 4:24). We make mistakes in unbelief and then we blame God for the resultant unhappiness, just as Sarah did.

It's not fair to say that Abraham would have lived happily had it not been for Sarah dragging him back into unbelief, because when she suggested that he take a second wife, Hagar, he readily agreed. He choseto go back into Old Covenant unbelief!

Yet God had promised that he should be "the father" of "many nations," and forever be known as "the father of the faithful" (Rom. 4:17, 16). By taking Hagar who bore him Ishmael, Abraham had taken upon himself dark unbelief that he must overcome before he can be worthy to have that glorious title, "father of the faithful."

Now, unless you are ready for translation, you and I have the same unbelief to overcome before we can acquire that glorious title of being "the faithful" in these last days.

Welcome to our universal battle with unbelief! Not one of us was born with a sinless nature, naturally believing; even the Virgin Mary inherited from our common fallen father Adam the DNA of our fallen, sinful nature; but she chose to believe God's promise (Luke 1:45), and so can we choose.

All around the world there are people just now choosing to "overcome, even as [Christ] overcame" (Rev. 3:21), and thus to become part of the 144,000 who will glorify Christ by following "the Lamb wherever He goes" (14:4, 5). Let's make those choices today!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 12, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Is This What It Means to Follow Christ?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Do you like to fight battles? Or do you like to run away from them? I've met many wonderful Christian people, members of the church, who want peace so much that they refuse to get down in the arena where battles for the Lord must be fought. To tell the truth, they'd rather watch TV than study for themselves to know the truth about the issues in the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith," and Jude says (vss. 3, 4) that we should "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints," for there are "certain men [who] have crept in unnoticed" who seek to corrupt that faith. And Jesus tells us quite clearly, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.' And 'a man's foes will be those of his own household'" (Matt. 10:34-36).

Is this what it means to follow Christ?

"But," says someone, "surely this doesn't apply to conflicts within the church! The world is full of controversy; I go to church so I can find a place of rest and peace!" Well, Revelation 12:17 says that the dragon, the devil, in these last days, is "enraged" with the true church, and has gone to make war with the remnant church, where his most fearful strategy is to make war within the church against the pure, true gospel of Jesus. If Satan can corrupt that, he hopes yet to win the war against Christ.

So Peter's advice is exactly what we need today: "Be sober, be vigilant. ... Resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8, 9). But please be sure that you have your wits about you; that word "sober" means to think carefully lest you end up "resisting" the true work of the Holy Spirit! If you do that, you've crossed that line beyond which repentance is impossible.

The stakes in the great controversy are high; the only place where you can avoid the battle is the grave. And please don't choose to go there! Get on your knees; study; learn; stay awake; "watch"; and stand "for the right though the heavens fall," says one wise writer.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 10, 1997.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Because of the Sacrifice of Christ He Treats Us as Though We Were Innocent!

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There is a strange expression in Psalm 90:7: "We have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified." If God is "angry" with us, and His "wrath" hangs over us, we are indeed terrified and can't help being so. (It can be a deep, slow anxiety based on terror.)

We long for love, for good will, for someone important to us to be pleased with us. You long for some person you love to smile upon you, to know he or she truly loves you. Such love is the "sweet mystery of life." Disappointment in love is painful, sometimes lifelong, an entire life shadowed; deep dark secrets of pain are cherished.

David knew that the most wonderful woman in the world could never bring him the happiness that a glimpse of the smiling face of God could give him: "There are many who say, 'Who will show us any good?' Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart" (Psalm 4:6, 7).

A false or distorted gospel clouds that otherwise smiling face of God. For example, millions believe that a cloud of condemnation hangs over the head of every person in the world who has not chosen to "accept Christ." No wonder they live sad lives. But the Bible teaches that the "condemnation" that came upon "all men" "in Adam" was reversed by the second Adam for the same "all men" (Rom. 5:15-18).

Galatians 3:13 tells us that the "curse" (same as the "condemnation"!) that was due to come upon us came upon Christ instead, for He "was made to be a curse for us." That "curse" or "condemnation" was the sentence of death, not mere "sleep," but the real thing. If you feel that God is holding that over your head, you can't help but feel miserable! But Hebrews 2:9 says that Christ died that "death" for "every man." 2 Corinthians 5:19 says quite clearly that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them."

Your job is to believe the simple word of God; He is not imputing your trespasses to you! He imputed them to Christ instead; He bore them, He has already set you free from them. That's why He can send His rain on both the just and the unjust! Yes, the truth is that you and I are by nature sinners; but because of the sacrifice of Christ He treats us as though we were innocent! This is not effervescent emotion; it is solid truth.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 1, 2001.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does the World Even Care What Jesus Is Doing Now?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does the world even care what Jesus is doing now? Many Christians don't seem to. But nothing in heaven or earth is more important! And whatever He isdoing requires the understanding and cooperation of those who believe in Him.

The common idea is that He is a Construction Contractor, building palaces or "mansions" for those who arrive in heaven (an immature reading of John 14:2). "Preparing a place for you" is a far bigger idea than celestial construction.

Hebrews 9 and 10 describe His High Priestly ministry as cleansing the hearts of His people, "putting away sin," "purging the conscience," preparing a people to "receive the promise of eternal inheritance," "purifying" hearts and minds and lips, to "make the comers thereunto perfect," to render obsolete any "conscience" or "remembrance of sins," to "take away sins," to "perfect forever them that are sanctified," to write His "laws into their hearts ... [which are] sprinkled from an evil conscience," to "provoke [motivate] unto love and good works," to "believe to the saving of the soul." Big job!

First, He naturally wants His people to understand why what He is doing is so incomparably important, and second, He would appreciate our cooperation because He can accomplish nothing without it. Not that you in any sense become your co-savior, but cooperation means you stop interposing a rebellious will to counteract what He is seeking constantly to do for you!

In other words, through the Holy Spirit, Christ as High Priest is constantly pressing upon His people the conviction of sin buried deeper than they had imagined it to be; and when the conviction is welcomed and the sin is gladly surrendered and put away, the heart is more closely reconciled to Him. This process is called "atonement," or becoming at-one-with God. In Romans 5:11 it is "receiving the atonement" or "reconciliation." Thus the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is a "final atonement."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 4, 2009.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Nut With a Sweet Kernel Inside

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

On the surface it appears to be bad news when the Bible text says: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). It sounds like a contradiction of what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, ... and I will give you rest. ... My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Why take up a cross of self-denial in order to follow Jesus if you have to endure "many tribulations"?

This apparently difficult statement of Paul does not contradict that of Jesus. If you decline to share with Him His cross of self-denial, you can also have "many tribulations," even more. Jesus didn't come from heaven to this earth to excuse us fallen children of Adam from all troubles; He came to share our troubles and give us the comfort of His presence with us.

But those troubles, which are the lot of all humanity, will be infinitely more difficult to endure if we deprive ourselves of "the fellowship" of Christ in "His sufferings" (Phil. 3:10). Good people and bad people alike suffer accidents, have heart attacks, strokes, break their hips, and yes, die. But the person who responds to Christ's invitation and "takes up his cross daily, and follows [Him]" (Luke 9:23) enjoys a most precious uplift. He has a conscious fellowship with the one and only Jesus, the Son of God, who endured the horror of our second death on His cross (which we will never have to endure!).

This text of apparently bad news is like a nut that has a sweet kernel inside that awaits our patience in cracking its hard shell.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 2, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: When the Father Embraced Jesus, He Embraced Us Too

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

In His incarnation, the Son of God met and wrestled with the same kind of problems that we have to deal with. He "was in all points tempted like as we are" (Heb. 4:15, King James Version), not the least of which was to be sure of His own identity. Can you resonate with Him in that problem? Doubtless He wrestled with it all His earthly life (even on His cross!), but it was most severe in the weeks following His baptism when He had to make a fateful decision that determined the success or failure of His life mission.

He had just heard the Voice from heaven that said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Actually, the message was not new to Him, for He had already read it in Isaiah 42:1 and Psalm 2:7.

But the enemy of our souls came at Him in the wilderness with the insinuating, sneering question: "Who are You? You are nothing! If You were the Son of God, do You think God would leave His 'only begotten Son' out here alone in this forlorn wilderness with wild animals, hungry, uncared for? If You are the Son of God, prove it; put Your convictions to the test. It's only reasonable--command that these stones become loaves of freshly baked, delicious bread. Surely, if You are the Son of God, He doesn't want You to die of starvation!"

Jesus couldn't argue with the devil; it was a fact--He was emaciated, hungry, lonely, apparently forsaken. Everything seemed to be against Him, and in Satan's favor. Jesus must now decide: Shall I trust the Word of God? Or shall I trust My feelings? Who am I?

"It was the word [alone] that declared His connection with heaven," says one wise writer. In that fearful temptation that called forth every ounce of His spiritual energy, the fate of His mission was settled: He would trust the Word of God to resolve the question of His identity. The struggle was so exhausting that He almost died then and there; but He had won the victory.

So must we win--that same Voice that spoke at His baptism speaks to us, for when the Father embraced Jesus, He embraced us too, "in Him" (Eph. 1:6).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 7, 2000.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Spiritual Disease of the Last Days' Church

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The lukewarmness Jesus describes in His letter to the angel (leadership) of the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) is halfway between being cold in devotion to Christ and being hot. It is a spiritual disease in the last days' church that is the most difficult problem God has ever had to deal with. It makes Christ nauseated, because He knows what it cost Him to save us. As the last-days' church is positioned on the very verge of the final crisis in the controversy with Satan, for us to be unenthusiastic in our response to Him is like someone being an adult with the mind of a child. It's like a bride coming to the wedding when her heart is divided about her love for the prospective bridegroom, and says "yes" half-heartedly.

If the heavenly Bridegroom were to go on with "the marriage of the Lamb" with only that half-hearted "I do" from His people, that would be keen embarrassment for Him for eternity! So, what can He do?

Whip them into shape? That won't work any more than for a bridegroom to force his bride to say "I do." Increase His offers of great reward? That would be like marrying a man for his money; Jesus won't stoop to encourage that. Fear of hell or hope of reward in heaven--these two motivations have failed.

There is only one possible solution: win the heart-felt love of His people that will forever deliver them from lukewarmness. Appreciating His agape-love at His cross, realizing what it cost Him to save us--this alone can heal this terrible disease. Satan will try to prevent such a revelation of agapeas long as possible; but Zechariah 12:10-13:1 tells us that the revelation will come.

The latter rain of the Holy Spirit, so long anticipated and prayed for, will be a repentance deeper than any other in history. Heaven will "pour upon the house of David ["the angel of the church of the Laodiceans"] and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the people], the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced" at the cross, and they shall experience the repentance that heals lukewarmness forever. Good News!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 8, 2000.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Is It a Sin to Be Afraid?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is it a sin to be afraid? You say No. Okay. Let me ask another question: Can fear deprive you of the protection God would like to give you?

Two men delivered the same God-given message to wicked King Jehoiakim and his court. God protected one man from the death the princes threatened; but He did not intervene to protect the other prophet from being slain by Jehoiakim's sword. Why the difference? Was God showing partiality?

"Urijah the son of Shemaiah" proclaimed the same message faithfully "in the name of the Lord." "When Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death." Then Urijah did what you and I would feel like doing. "He was afraid and fled, and went to Egypt." Surely God would have wanted to protect him from that murderous hatred; but something made it impossible: Urijah "was afraid" (Jer. 26:20, 21).

In contrast, when Jeremiah proclaimed the same message and the "priests and the prophets [and] princes" threatened to kill him (mind you, these are all God's people, members of His true church!), Jeremiah stood his ground boldly. "The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard. ... Know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants" (vss. 10-15).

Jeremiah's holy boldness made it possible for God to impress the "princes and all the people" to protect Jeremiah (vss. 16-19). Agapeis the kind of "love divine, all loves excelling" that casts out fear. The Holy Spirit wants to "pour it out in our hearts" (Rom. 5:5; 1 John 4:18). Let Him do so!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 11, 2001.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Come Into the Sunshine of the New Covenant

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The essence of that "most precious message" which "the Lord in His great mercy sent" to us long ago was the New Covenant. The idea which the "messengers" had was that the New Covenant is the promises that God makes in transforming the Ten Commandments from stern commands and prohibitions written in stone into most precious promises of righteousness in Christ. Conversely, the Old Covenant is the promises that we make to God to keep those Ten Commandments, which promises we break.

The New Covenant makes life to be a joyous walking on air; "delight yourself also in the Lord [believe His promises!]; and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4, for example). Overnight? You know how that may not be reality because you see that Abraham is "[your] father" in believing the New Covenant, and how long did he wait before the Lord's promise to him of Isaac, the child of promise, was fulfilled? Yes, many years--but the apparently impossible fulfillment came!

The Lord gave Abraham "the desires of [his] heart"! And the long wait was worth it because of the immensity of the promise--he became "the father of the faithful" (Rom. 4:11, 12) of all generations! Everyone who at last will walk through the gates of the New Jerusalem will do so as a "child of Abraham."

God's timing will be just right for you as it was just right for Abraham. It may be a dream from your youth; the holy desire of your heart is His desire for you! "Grow up" "into Christ." Come into the sunshine of the New Covenant.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 29, 2006.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: This World Will Become Very Wicked in the Last Days

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The Bible says that this world will become very wicked in the last days just before the second coming of Jesus. He Himself asks, "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8), implying that it will be very rare.

Paul says, "In the last days perilous times will come." Then he lists many evil things that people will do, even those who profess to worship God. "For men will be ... unthankful, unholy, ... From such people turn away!" (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

But if you are willing to turn from the Old Covenant and welcome the New, you will see that God has not yet withdrawn completely the Holy Spirit from the world. He is still "the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9).

The Bible is clear as sunlight on two realities of human life: (1) "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [and (2) all are] being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:23, 24).

You may be discouraged by the evil that is in the world. We hear tragic stories of the hatred of people who give their hearts and minds to Satan; but the Bible is equally clear that "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Rom. 5:20). That means that whatever evil Satan has invented, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Source of even greater love and compassion manifested in grace.

That's because He drained the exceedingly bitter cup as He hung on His cross in the darkness and cried out to His Father, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). The Lord Jesus actually went to hell in order to save the human race. There was no evil that He did not taste, for our sake: "we see Jesus, ... that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9), that is "the second death" (see Rev. 2:11; 20:14). These eternal facts of truth underlie life on this planet, which Jesus came to save; He saved us although it cost Him the last drop in total consecration of His all.

The entire world is gathered at His cross: many will curse Him as did the leaders of the true church of that day. The Jews did; but there will be those who like the pagan Roman centurion will permit their worldly hearts to melt in repentance. Don't forget, it was he who gave the order to his soldiers to "Crucify Him" and it was he who confessed, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 11, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Great Theologians May Wrangle Over What the Prophet Daniel Meant by the "Increase of Knowledge"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The great theologians may wrangle over what the prophet Daniel meant, but an ordinary person is impressed with the literal fulfillment of one of his prophecies: "[In] the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (12:4).

Merge into traffic on any city freeway, or visit any electronics store, and consider the intense explosions of travel and scientific "knowledge." Or "visit" the Internet! All the angels in heaven couldn't drum it into your consciousness more vividly: we are living in the closing hours of "the time of the end."

With all this "increase of knowledge" is it reasonable that we should understand more clearly what happened on the cross when the Son of God died for the world? Should the Holy Spirit impart a greater appreciation of what it means to say, "God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world"? Would we be less inclined to think someone a fanatic if he is "determined not to know anything among [his congregation] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 2:2)?

Luther, Calvin, Arminius, and the Wesleys were great in their day; God was with them. But this "time of the end" is the "hour of [God's] judgment," the world's grand cosmic Day of Atonement. What is due now is not a proud triumphalism to "glory in the cross," but a self-humbling appreciation for the agapelove seen there. Now is the time to "comprehend" what Christ accomplished on His cross (Rev. 14:6, 7; Eph. 3:14-21).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 2, 2005.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: How Precious to a Teenager Is the Bible Truth of the New Covenant?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Have you ever thought how precious to a teenager is the Bible truth of the New Covenant? In accepting baptism, he begins to realize that he is a child of Abraham--provided of course that he has been correctly instructed about the New Covenant promises God made to "our father Abraham."

Teenagers generally are the most worried segment of humanity. They are just becoming aware that life stretches out before them; what to do, what to be, perplexes them. They often agonize about which way to go. It's impossible to overestimate the encouragement that a conscious awareness of God's New Covenant promises can give to them. First, of course, the youth must clearly see himself as the "heir" to all the promises God has made to Abraham and his "seed" (Gen. 12:2, 3; Rom. 4:13-16), which are:

(1) "I will make you a great nation." In other words: I will make you to be a very important person. (Says the teen, "Wow!")

(2) "I will bless you," which means, I will make you to be a happy person all your life. (Girls, if you're thinking of marriage, grab that one, and hold on to it. Keep yourself until you know for sure that God, not selfish desire, has led you. Believing the New Covenant will save you from untold agony.)

(3) "And make your name great." In other words, you will not merely be somebody great but you'll always be known as such (in the way you really want to be).

(4) "And you shall be a blessing." Every healthy teen wants to become someone useful to society; not to live only for self. Here's the Good News about it; believe it and you've got purpose from now on.

(5) "I will bless those who bless you." You'll be surrounded by people who love and trust you, and they will realize that their happiness is bound up with yours.

(6) "I will curse him who curses you." The New Covenant-educated teen will fear no enemies. (That's a direct parallel to Psalm 23, "You prepare a [banquet] table before me in the presence of my enemies.") You walk through life as a prince or princess, head held high (and yet always gifted with appropriate common-sense humility; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, can never give you that sense of poise).

(7) "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Not that you will be as famous as Abraham, "the father of the faithful," but when you come to the end of life you will know that wherever your steps have taken you, you have left behind a trail of happiness for people you've touched. In other words, "your cup runs over."

Warning: The Old Covenant can do none of this for you.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 7, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Holy Spirit is a Person Who Keeps Convicting Us of "Sin, …”; Be Careful: Don't Drown Out His Voice

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How does the Good Shepherd who is seeking and finding His lost sheep translate into practical day-by-day living? If the Savior gives us a good faith-relationship with Himself, shouldn't it be fair for us now to "maintain" that "relationship" by (1) Bible study, (2) prayer, and (3) witnessing? If the Lord gives you a new car, isn't it fair that you "maintain" it by changing the oil, renewing the brake pads, paying the insurance, etc.?

Yes, it's fair, but a lot of cars fall into disrepair by not being "maintained." The new car thrill wears off; as also many people lose their "relationship with the Lord" by neglect and forgetfulness. So we have "revival" campaigns at various intervals. And of course, all that is good.

It sounds like reasonable good sense that millions know no other way to be Christians. But when you think it through, isn't this the essence of the "by faith plus by works" idea? We're afraid of any Good News that's better than that, because making the Good News too good might lull us to sleep and we'll forget to keep the law. The "faith plus works" idea becomes immensely popular because it seems to be the only way people can stay "faithful."

If the Good Shepherd has risked His own life to save the lost sheep, doesn't it make sense that He require the sheep to walk its way home? Yes, that's fair; but that's not what the parable says: "When He has found it, He lays it on His shoulders, rejoicing" (Luke 15:5). Paul says in Philippians: "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until [it is finished on] the Day of Jesus Christ" (1:6).

What does that mean? Lazy, do-nothing religion? No; it means that through the Holy Spirit the Good Shepherd who initiated this good "relationship" now seeks to maintain it. His love is not only a finding love, it's also a keeping love. The Holy Spirit is a Person who keeps convicting us of "sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). Be careful: don't drown out His voice. That's where our problem starts.

Even Jesus, when he was with us in the flesh, needed His Father to wake Him up "morning by morning ... to hear as the learned." (Does the Father love you less? It seems fair to say No, He loves His Son more; but the amazing truth is He loves us just as much!) But Jesus did not resist His Father's awakening calls--as we do so often: "I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away" (Isa. 50:4, 5).

You can't save yourself even one percent. But you can let Christ save you, you can "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," you can "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," etc. (Phil. 2:5; Col. 3:16). You can stop resisting Him.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: December 12, 2003.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Daniel and Revelation Point to a Corporate Body of Believers Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Some of the best good news the Bible has for us is found where we read that the Lord wants us to understand that last book of the Bible, and yet many think it's impossible. Here's the promise of God: "Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey [that is, cherish] what is written in this book!" (Rev. 1:3, Good News Bible).

The book of Revelation has never been sealed as was Daniel; and even Daniel was un-sealed as we entered "the time of the end" as defined in 11:35, 12:4, and 7:25. Interest in both Daniel and Revelation was widely aroused in the first half of the 1800s.

But who can we trust as capable and reliable teachers of those key prophecies? Today there is a multitude of voices saying they have the right knowledge, but they disagree with one another. That tells us to look again at what Peter says, "No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:19-21). In other words, don't follow any "solo" interpreter; "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established" (2 Cor. 13:1; Deut. 19:15). Truth will attract more than one supporter! A reliable student of Bible prophecy must be a person in whom self is crucified with Christ, someone who is courageous to stand for Him against the crowd, yet who recognizes that God leads others, too.

At the first church council in Acts 15, the elders spoke of those faithful servants of God "who have risked their lives in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ" (vs. 26, GNB).

Such were those pioneers of the early 1800s who not only championed the fresh message of Daniel and Revelation, but also the dangerous public defense of the slaves in the South. Many listened to these godly men, among whom were J. N. Loughborough, Joseph Bates, J. N. Andrews, and Uriah Smith with his monumental Daniel and the Revelation, a 700+ page book that has become a treasure to many worldwide, and has stood the test of time. It may be written in Victorian English but it is solid truth. This is not to say it's perfection--no book is, aside from the Bible; we need common sense and God gives it.

The dear Lord is leading His people in these last days, not just a stray soul here and there. Everything in Daniel and the Revelation points to a corporate bodyof believers preparing for the second coming of Jesus, a world "church" in unity and harmony in Christ.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 4, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Dramatic Miracle of Awakening

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The books of Daniel and the Revelation are an integral part of the Holy Bible: Jesus expressly charged us with the duty of "reading" and "understanding" Daniel (Matt. 24:15), and Revelation is obviously the fulfillment of His promise to the disciples that "the [Holy] Spirit of truth ... will tell you things to come" (John 16:13; Rev. 1:1-3).

We need a rock-solid understanding of those prophecies as valid as the original inspiration that gave them to us. Daniel was "sealed" until it was opened when "the time of the end" came at the end of the 1260 years of the Dark Ages (Dan. 7:25; 11:35; 12:4; Rev. 12:6, 14, etc.). That unsealing was a dramatic miracle of awakening that occurred simultaneously in many lands among many Christian churches in the early decades of the 19th century.

Foremost among the early pioneers of prophetic study was a little group who were united in a common hatred of slavery in the United States of America. They risked their lives in publishing their abhorrence of that devilish traffic in the souls of men and women and children; these students of the prophecies were in "at-one-ment" with Jesus Himself, for He too has always hated the slavery cruelty of man to man. They actively opposed the terrible injustice of the Fugitive Slave Law and helped runaway slaves to freedom at the risk of their own lives (would you do that today?).

Several of these noble men were led by the Holy Spirit to pursue a study of all the prophecies of those two inspired books. They may not have had every tiny detail perfectly understood, but they were united in the same basic convictions; people far and wide became convinced that the Spirit of God was leading; it wasn't emotional miracles based on shallow understanding--these were solid, reasonable dissertations on Daniel and Revelation that appealed to and convinced highly intelligent, honorable, reasonable men and women.

The little group developed until they became a leading movement of 19th century Christian reformation that also led the world in health reform, building the finest health institution of the day in Battle Creek, Michigan, to which came kings across the Atlantic.

The point of this little soliloquy: the understanding those pioneers gained from Bible prophecy was taught by God; none was of the "private interpretation" that the apostle decries in 2 Peter 1:19-21. These pioneers were led by a loving fellowship in Christ to lay aside their private views and recognize together the leading of the Lord. The Holy Spirit led the community, and His leading has stood the test of these centuries of time.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 3, 2007.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The “Little Horn” Story Must Be Understood

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

Billions of people on earth are deeply prejudiced against Jesus and His faith. That prejudice has been there in their culture going back for hundreds of years. Yet Jesus assured “us,” “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (see Matt. 28:20). If His presence has been “with” us these 2000 years, why are such huge portions of the human family alienated from Him, opposed to His gospel?

For example: in Japan the masses are Buddhist, innately opposed. In India where the masses are Hindu, they are also deeply resistant. And the billion plus people who are Muslim, whose contempt for Christianity is so well known today. Why? Why could God permit this to happen?

The answer is in Daniel chapters 7, 8, and 9 where we read of “the little horn,” the apostate power that would arise out of the ruins of the ancient pagan Roman empire. This “little horn” would be “granted” to “make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7). This power has pretended to be Christian while in reality alienating multitudes from Christ through gross misrepresentation of His truth.

The Jesuits are an organization that has taken the name of Jesus, yet has so misrepresented Him that they have been expelled from nation after nation for centuries, creating behind them abhorrence for anything having to do with “Jesus.” They were expelled from Japan in 1587, thus cementing in Buddhism this abhorrence of Christianity. They were expelled from Japan again in 1613, from India and China in 1623, from Abyssinia in 1632.

In England’s imperialist rule over India, Christianity (this time Protestant) was likewise in the minds of the people a representation of the religion of “Jesus,” and there were many good missionaries. Yet Mahatma Gandhi had a real point when he said that all India would bow at the feet of Jesus if His professed people were like Him.

Jesus said of the book of Daniel: “Whoever reads, let him understand” (Matt. 24:15). We can’t understand the world in which we live unless we do. This “little horn” story must be understood!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the “Dial Daily Bread” Archive: August 30, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by “Dial Daily Bread.”

Dial Daily Bread: Daniel 8 and 9--Two of the Most Profound Chapters in the Bible

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The resurrected Christ commands us, "Go into all the world and proclaim the Glad Tidings to everyone!" (see Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15). It was a joyous ministry for the apostles as they fanned out over their known world, because the foundations of ancient paganism collapsed before their proclamation of Christ the Son of God and Savior of the world. People everywhere welcomed the precious message. This same joyous work is our ministry that we have today, two millennia afterwards.

But there are great non-Christian religions resistant to the Christian gospel, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and of course, Judaism. They teach non-Christian doctrines, and they seem to have an enormous control over their peoples' prejudiced thinking. Is this the will of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is the gospel of Christ comparatively impotent as it confronts non-Christian religions? Must the great masses of world population always remain resistant?

Daniel 8 and 9 are two of the most profound chapters in the Christian Bible (and Jewish Old Testament). A personal devil is at war with a personal Christ; the enemy learned that bloody persecution could not destroy Christ's church--the gospel was too strong in capturing human hearts. Therefore, the enemy devised a massive apostasy or "falling away" from the original purity of the gospel (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3-7 where Daniel 8 and 9 are explained).

A distorted, confused "caricature" of Christianity took over the church, misrepresenting the love of Christ. In Daniel, this deception is seen as a "little horn" at war with the God of heaven. It alienated the masses from Christ and His plan of salvation, creating this constant resistance to the gospel.

Revelation 18 describes how this process must and will be reversed before the end so that again a church in full possession of the original pure, true gospel proclaims the "fall of Babylon." Once more and at last, the honest in heart all over the world will respond.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 28, 2004.
Copyright © 2020 by "Dial Daily Bread."