Revelation 8:1 – 9:21

August 01, 2013

The Lamb opens the seventh seal and there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The seventh seal revealed seven angels who stand before God and they each were given a trumpet. Another angel came and stood before the altar. He was holding a golden pan for incense—the prayers of God's holy people. He put the golden pan filled with incense and the prayers of God's people on the altar before the throne. The smoke went from the angel's hands to God with the prayers of God's people.

I believe these to be the prayers of repentance, surrender, praise, protection, provision, honor, glory, thankfulness, and gratitude to Master Jesus. Prayers that come from understanding the God (Master) → man (servant) relationship. Those types of prayers are a sweet smelling aroma to God. I cannot believe the golden pan also held the self-serving prayers so prevalent in modern Christianity. Prayers from those who have placed themselves on the throne while treating God as if He was their own personal servant to heed their every wish, beck and call. How could those types of prayers be an offering to the Most Holy One and to the Lamb? Isaiah 65:5 describes those kind of prayers as a stench in the nostril of God.

God heard the prayers of his people and the angel filled the pan with the fire from the altar and threw it on the earth.  And there were flashes of lightning, thunder, loud noises, and an earthquake. God hears the honest prayers of His people.

The seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The tribulation time is at hand.

1st Trumpet—hail and fire mixed with blood poured down on the earth. A third of the earth, the green grass and a third of the trees were burned up.

2nd Trumpet—something that looked like a big mountain was thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the living things in the sea died and a third of the ships were destroyed.

3rd Trumpet—a large star, burning like a torch fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The star was named wormwood which means bitter, and there was bitter sorrow around the world. The water became toxic and many people died from drinking it.

4th Trumpet—a third of the moon, sun, and stars are destroyed. This creates total chaos on the earth. It affects everything: the tides, the ability to grow food, etc. Life as it was known is now gone.

Sometimes it's easy to read descriptions of something and think—wow—but then go right on without really thinking about the magnitude of it. Or, we picture it in our mind as some sort of movie event that is not part of reality. But think about it!! This is not a science fiction movie. This is reality!! 

The Solar System: One-third of the sun, moon and stars destroyed.  This affects everything!

The Earth: One-third of the dirt, grass, and trees burned up. One-third of the sea turned to blood. One-third of the living things in the sea destroyed. One-third of the ships (commerce) destroyed. One-third of all the earth's water, rivers and springs become unusable. 

Picture it in your mind. One-third of everything!! Can you imagine the stench, the chaos, the hopelessness, the horror? The sun, moon and stars as they were known—GONE. The 🌎 as it was known—GONE! 

After the 4th trumpet an eagle was flying high in the air and in a loud cry was saying, "Trouble!  Trouble! Trouble for those who live on earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets that the other three angels are about to blow!" (This reminds me of the "How terrible it will be" statements found in Isaiah.)

5th Trumpet—A star falls from the sky. It was given the key to a deep hole that leads to the bottomless pit. It opened the hole and smoke came up out of it like smoke from a furnace. The sun and sky became dark. (This would disrupt everything. A localized volcano wrecks havoc on air flights, etc. Think what this would do!) Then out of the smoke came locusts who were given the power to sting like scorpions. Normally a locust devours vegetation, but these locusts were instructed not to harm the earth, or any plant or tree. They were to only harm people and to cause extreme pain for five months with their powerful sting. People will want to die, but "death will run away from them" and they are forced to endure the awfulness for the entire five months. The locusts leader was an angel of the bottomless pit. His name means Destroyer. Just like in the days of Pharaoh and the Israelites who were in captivity, the only people not affected by this curse were God's people, the ones who had been sealed for protection by the sign of God on their foreheads.

Revelation 9:12 - "The first trouble has past; there are still two other troubles that will come."


Next Entry: Revelation 8:1 – 9:21 (Continued)

I John 4:1 – 5:21

July 20, 2013

John continues to drive home the point: God is love and if we have God living in our lives, God's love will be reflected in us and through us. Love comes from God. He sent His son to die so that we may have life. Real love is not our love for Him, it is His love for us. Psalm 8:4 - "What is man that you are mindful of him?" Because God is love we can trust Him. When we confess Him as Lord (Master) we live in His love, and He lives in us. I John 4:17-18a - "This is how love is made perfect in us: that we can be without fear on the day God judges us, because in this world we are like him. Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear."

Our lives (actions) reflect the truth of who we are. If we have God's love in us, that is what we reflect. If we are instead fueled by our own desires (own = evil) we may try to mask it, but it IS what we reflect and it will be revealed. After John talks about there being no fear if you are living in God and in His love, He makes a statement I never noticed before. I John 4:18b - "It is punishment (KJV says torment) that makes a person fear." And why is it punishment? Because when someone refuses to surrender to God they do not have God's perfect love that drives out fear. The refusal to surrender becomes a punishment as fear runs rampant in their lives.  

God's perfect love is available to us. When we refuse to submit to it we are punished by living in fear. You would think people would "get it" and choose to live in God's love. But selfish pride (the very core of sin) gets in the way. They would rather live a miserable existence and think they are in control (and be punished for it) than to unconditionally trust God.

I used to think fear is what kept some people from trusting God, but my thinking was all wrong. My "aha" moment came when I finally understood what John was saying. Fear is not the cause that prevents someone from surrendering their life to the Lordship of Christ; it is the result of refusing to surrender your life. It is punishment received for choices made. How sad. What a waste of precious time, energy, and effort, and what a shame to live in fear when God has provided us His perfect love.  

John goes on. I John 4:19 - "We love because God first loved us." You can't say you love God and hate your brothers or sisters. The two actions cannot mix, and John says that person is a liar. I John 5:3a - "Loving God means obeying his commands." His commands are not hard to follow IF you are surrendered to Him, but they are impossible to follow if you are controlled by your own selfish desires.

As a child of God you can conquer the world. It has nothing to do with who you are. It has everything to do with whose you are. The ability to conquer the world comes from having faith in the One who created the world, sent His Son to save the world, and will return again to rule the world. God's Spirit, who is in us, is greater than the spirit of this world.

II Kings 6:16 - "The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us." I John 4:4 - "My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world."

It is God who gets the victory and God who gets ALL glory.


Next Entry: I John 4:1 – 5:21 (Continued)

Hebrews 4:1 – 5:10

June 03, 2013

"By grace of God, I've come to place where I can't work up a worry (rest)." "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." ~ Written in Jane's KJV Bible.

Rest. God has offered to us a place of rest. There is of course heaven, a place of eternal rest. But in addition to eternal rest, we have also been offered a "place of rest" on this earth.

"Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you fail to enter. The Good News was preached to us just as it was to them. But the teaching they heard did not help them, because they heard it but did not accept it with faith." Hebrews 4:1–3 

It wasn't the teaching that failed, the failure came from the choices they made. They "heard" the teaching but they refused to accept it with faith. They chose disobedience. The old hymn has it right when it says: "Trust and obey for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

Hebrews 4:5 - "We who have believed are able to enter and have God's rest." Our choices determine our life results.

Obedience → Happy in Jesus → Rest

God rested on the seventh day, His perfect work of creation was complete. God made available to us His perfect work of redemption, and as believers, we can rest in that. God provided the Israelites a way of redemption from the Egyptians. They could have rested in His deliverance and protection, but instead, they chose not to trust and they chose not to obey, and as a result of their choices they lived 40 years wandering around in the desert and they never received His "rest." Those who did not obey and did not trust were not allowed into the Promised Land. Not only did they not get the future reward, they missed out on peace and "rest" in the present, their time on this earth.

The writer of Hebrew again says—TODAY. Hebrews 4:7 - "Today listen to what he says. Do not be stubborn." Stubbornness—the root of the problem. That is what keeps most people from surrendering to God and obeying Him. It's not ignorance—it's stubbornness. It's a refusal to let go of whatever you need to let go of (pride, selfishness, the need to be in charge, etc.) and let God be—God. Hebrews 4:10–11 - "Anyone who enters God's rest will rest from his work as God did. Let us try as hard as we can to enter God's rest so that no one will fail by following the example of those who refused to obey."

The phrase "try as hard as you can" does not mean we are working to earn our salvation. To enter God's rest is to finally "get-it"; to fully understand the

God

↓

man

relationship; and to daily live the "God is God, I am not" concept. If you don't daily commit to surrendering your will to the authority and Lordship of God, you will find the sin of self-sufficiency slowly creeping back into your life.

We can attest to what it means to find God's rest while on earth. Oh, what a change there has been in our thinking. Before we learned to surrender all I used to occasionally have "what if" fears about my husband's business. What if the economy goes bad? What if there isn't enough work? What if? What if? Our entire livelihood and our son's entire livelihood depends on this business. What if? What if? Then "the storm" happens, the economy goes bad, and all my prior "what if" fears which at times clouded my thoughts—happened. BUT! It did not bring fear.

What would have earlier created worry, fear, and angst in our lives, now has no power or control in our lives. We are living in God's rest and it is only because of one reason: we have committed to surrendering ALL to God. Oh, what peace (and rest) that gives. When the economy went bad, we didn't frantically go out searching for work—God brought the work to us. When the lawsuit threatened the very existence of my husband's business and took hundreds of thousands to defend our innocence—God doubled our gross revenues. God is in control and we can REST in that. 

We need to "work hard" at surrendering. God does ALL the rest. TODAY don't be stubborn! Listen to what He says! Hebrews 4:12 - "God's word is alive and working and is sharper that a double-edged sword." It convicts, it prunes, it does whatever is necessary to make us as believers more like Him. For the believer, it brings freedom and rest. For the non-believer, it condemns. "It judges the thoughts and feeling in our hearts. Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived." (Hebrews 4:12b–13)

I've often wondered if people would change their hearts and lives if they understood that someday they will stand before Christ and have to explain the choices they've made and the way they lived their lives? Would it matter? Would they care? As believers we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and have to explain our choices and how we lived, and we will be rewarded accordingly. A non-believer will stand before Christ at the Great White Throne judgment, and they will be held accountable—eternally—for their stubborn refusal to surrender to Him.

Hebrews 5 - Jesus is our high priest, an intercessor between us and God. Because of Jesus we can "come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it." When Jesus was on this earth He prayed to God and "his prayer was heard because he trusted God."

Even though He was the Son of God, He learned obedience by what He suffered. The same can be said about us.We learned obedience because of our suffering, and for that we are grateful. Obedience and full surrender is often learned best during times of suffering.

Addendum: 11/29/16 ~ So many people try to avoid times of suffering by trying to "pray away" their problems instead of surrendering and learning from them. Charles Swindoll in Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life says it perfectly.

"Life is difficult... really very little more than an endless series of problems. Do we want to moan and groan about them or face them? Do we want to teach the next generation the disciplines involved in accepting and solving them or encourage them to run and hide? ... The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute itself ultimately becomes more painful than the "legitimate suffering" it was trying to avoid. And, adding insult to injury, the avoidance of legitimate suffering means we also avoid the growth that problems demand of us. Our determination to push pain away instead of meeting it head on creates a vicious circle. Could this explain why God's wisest saints are often people who endure pain rather than escape it? Like their Savior, they are men and women "acquainted with grief." I recall that Jesus "learned obedience from the things which he suffered (Hebrews 5:8) not in spite of those things. Do you have a problem? You're smiling back at me. "A problem? Would you believe several dozen problems?" If you listen to the voices around you, you'll search for a substitute—an escape route. You'll miss the fact that each one of those problems is a God-appointed instructor ready to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with Him. Growth and wisdom await you at the solution of each one, the pain and mess notwithstanding."         

Well said.  


Next Entry: Hebrews 5:11 – 7:28

Mark 3:1–35

July 16, 2012

The Unpardonable Sin.

I remember hearing about this as a child and being frightened by it. What if—I accidentally did this? What if—I committed the unpardonable sin? I carried that "fear" (fear is never from the Lord) in the back of my mind even into adulthood. Because of that "fear" I totally avoided even reading about it, not wanting to even hear or think about it. What foolishness.

What a difference now. Instead of trying to avoid it, I wanted to know and understand what Jesus meant when He talked about the "unpardonable sin." So, this time I read it very carefully (in three different versions) and for the first time, I understood what Jesus was actually saying in a whole new way. Amazing how the Spirit of Truth sheds light upon God's Word and how fear (that comes from the father of lies) is dispelled in the light of Truth. There is freedom in understanding Truth. The verse about the unpardonable sin is not a stand-alone verse. You must understand the context in which it was written. It starts in Mark 3:20 and goes to Mark 3:30.

Jesus was healing many people; people were following Him; and He was teaching them. He had chosen His twelve disciples and now He was returning home. Crowds gathered around Him. There were so many people around them that they couldn't even eat. Jesus' family heard what was happening and went to get Him, "Because they thought he was out of his mind." The teachers of the law (the Pharisees) thought He was controlled by an evil spirit. So, his family thought He was nuts and the "religious" leaders of the day thought He was controlled by evil spirits.

Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, did what He often did; He taught the people by telling stories. He said, "Satan will not force himself out of people. A kingdom that is divided cannot continue, and a family that is divided cannot continue. And if Satan is against himself and fights against his own people, he cannot continue; that is the end of Satan." (Mark 3:23–26) His answer made total sense. How could the Pharisees (religious unbelievers) think He was controlled by evil? Why would "evil" force out evil? How does that make any sense? The Pharisees just refused to accept truth. In order to rationalize and support their twisted thinking they had to take truth and turn it into a lie so they could make the lie they chose to believe a false truth.

Jesus went on, "No one can enter a strong person's house and steal his things unless he first ties up the strong person. Then he can steal things from the house." (Mark 3:27) Jesus has the power to rule over Satan and to use HIS power to force out demons. Satan does not have the power to control God/Jesus/Holy Spirit OR God's followers who have accepted the gift of salvation offered by Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was sent by God as a sacrifice for our sins. He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:10). He was going about His Father's business, healing and teaching people, and his own family thought He was crazy and the people who portrayed themselves as religious accused Him of having the power of the devil instead of having the power of the HOLY Spirit.

THEN Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, all sins that people do and all the things people say against God can be forgiven. But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit (emphasis mine) will never be forgiven; he is guilty of a sin that continues forever." (Mark 3:28–29) Jesus isn't talking about accidentally saying something against who the Holy Spirit is; He is talking about people who make accusations against what the Holy Spirit does! The fruits of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit (through Jesus) was teaching, healing, and spreading the news about God. Instead of acceptance and submission to His authority, He was ridiculed; thought crazy; and accused of being evil. And Jesus says—THAT is unforgivable!

On my! This is serious! This isn't about a "fear" from childhood that I might innocently say something against the Holy Spirit and therefore be forever damned. That isn't it at all!! As believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit! What is unpardonable is to accuse someone of being crazy and controlled by evil when in fact they are being led by, controlled by, used by, and inhabited by—the HOLY SPIRIT. Those who make false accusations against the innocent for the purpose of pursuing and furthering their own selfish agendas are committing a grievous and unpardonable sin.

How disturbing. I hope it is only unpardonable until they recognize and repent of their sin. I hope that with all my heart. Because, if you have been reading this journal, you know that my sister and brother-in-law have went to great lengths to try and prove me crazy, a follower of a false god, and to do whatever they could to remove me from my leadership and teaching positions.

Oh LORD, I ask you again to please show mercy and grant them additional time to repent. LORD, I pray that Truth would be revealed to them, and that the Truth would set them free. Open their eyes that they might see, and open their ears that they might hear.  Amen.

Mark 3:30 - "Jesus said all this because the teachers of the law said that he had an evil spirit inside him."


Next Entry: Mark 4:1–41


Next Entry: 

Mark 1:1–45

July 05, 2012

Matthew focused on who Jesus was—His lineage, His birth, and His teachings. Mark focuses on what Jesus did as the servant of God—Jesus as a worker. There is no lineage and no description of His birth. Mark is to the point, giving us brief descriptions of Jesus as the Servant/Son of God.

Jesus. He came to serve.

Mark, to make sure people understand that Jesus is the one who was prophesied about, quotes Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Mark briefly describes Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist and the temptation by the devil when He was sent into the wilderness. Then he gets right to it by showing us the things Jesus did as Servant/Son of God.

Jesus begins to call His followers and He tells them the same thing He later told them after His resurrection and what He tells us today. Come. Go. Tell. In that order. Jesus begins His ministry. He forces out evil spirits (who knows he is God's Holy One); He heals many people; He showed His compassion, touching the sick and healing the diseased. He knew why He was sent to this earth and He went about fulfilling His mission. He was a servant. He was doing His Father's work.

Jane (Her Name Was Jane) has many notations written in the margins throughout her Bible. She also has many handwritten notes on little pieces of paper "stuck" in different places. Here are some of her notes I found in today's writing. Sometimes it takes me a while to decipher her writings because she would often use short hand. The rest of this page is entirely from her notes.

Over-comer Truths - Dr. Larsen

I John 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Peter, James, John—God wants each of us to be an "over-comer." An over-comer is what the "normal" Christian life should be—"climbing mountains for Him." In our time, the average Christian life today is not "the normal." The normal Christian life is "out and out for Christ." Jesus Christ must be LORD and be first in our life. "You must put me first, seek first the kingdom of God." "Make me first a cake" said to the widow. Abraham put God first. He walked with God. Only through obedient faith and putting God first can we experience fullness. Faith will be tested (as it was with Abraham). The agony of obedient faith.

"Prayer is not just asking God for things. It's far bigger and better than that. At its deepest level, prayer is fellowship with God: enjoying His company, waiting upon His will, thanking Him for His mercies, committing our lives to Him, talking to Him about other people as well as ourselves, and listening in the silence for what He has to say to us." ~ From The Faithful Christian by Billy Graham

"Casting all care upon Him" He careth for you: I Peter 5:7; Psalm 145; Psalm 107; Psalm 78; Amos 4:13; Psalm 56:3; Psalm 55:22; Philippians 4:4–6 

"Way" Series: Psalm 23; Proverbs 3:5–6; Psalm 1:6; Psalm 32:8; John 14:6; Job 23:10. He knows the way that I take. "All my fountains are in you." Psalm 87:7  Romans 6:13 - offer members of your body as instruments of righteousness.

John 8:47 - He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. See Psalm 34:4, 22; 37:4

Hebrews 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. See I Kings 17 - Elijah and the widow.

Luke 14:33 - Any of you who do not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. See Psalm 52:9

Fear not my child. I know how to care for what belongs to me. 365 promises! One for each day—Feat Not!

Genesis 22:17 - I will bless you... and through... because you have obeyed me.

Not everything in Christian life is Joy, Joy Joy—it can be agony also. Genesis 22:3, "Early next morning" Abraham obeyed. If Christ is Lord, we do not say NO! You can't say NO! and Lord together.

My responsibility is to do what he tells me to—obedient faith "we will come back." God promised a seed. Dad—where is the Lamb? God will provide! He does all things right. Do we love anyone or anything more than Jesus? (Sports, Career) Do we have an Isaac, a competitor in our lives we love more than God? Jesus must be LORD! First!

Addendum: 1/19/16 ~ Jane was a student of the Bible. I just went back and looked up all the verses she had written on the little scraps of paper tucked into Mark 1. Amazing. Oh, how I still love to read her "messages."


Next Entry: Mark 2:1–28   

End Time Prophecy 101

So what do you know about End Time Prophecy? I do not pretend to be an expert on End Time Prophecy at all. But when I discovered that my Sunday School girls knew almost nothing about it, I decided to immerse myself into learning more about it so I could teach them what I learned.

Back in the 1970's there was a lot of talk and preaching about End Time Prophecy in churches. Much of it (in my opinion) was fear based. And then time passed and the pendulum swung too far the other way and for years the church has been silent to the point that now several generations don't even have a clue about what is to come. Most people don't try to learn about prophecy because the perception is that prophecy is too difficult to understand and so why even try. The problem is most people get hung up in the detailed symbolism and end up feeling too overwhelmed by the forest that they don't look at the trees.

 "The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1:1–3

Revelation 1:1–3 clearly says the Book of Revelations is the revelation of Jesus (NCV); a message from Jesus Christ; and blessed is the one who reads it. It is God's message to us! We should want to know what it reveals about Jesus; what God's message to us is; and we should desire the blessings that come from reading it. Reading Revelations brings hope and encouragement. In it we are shown how to live; we are given a glimpse into the future; Satan is defeated once and for all; Jesus is victorious; and the final battle is won. It teaches us how to live NOW while we await the fulfillment of God's promises and our eternal reward.    

What follows is what I developed to teach my 7th graders. It is not an in-depth study. It is just a snap shot overview of the main points. It literally is basic 101 information. I hope it helps you understand more about prophecy and I hope it peaks your interest to learn even more. There are some excellent studies by people gifted in the ability to understand and explain prophecy which I would be happy to recommend for further study.

I hope as you read this it will not create any kind of fear in your heart. My prayer is that it will release you from any preconceived fears and free you to live the kind of life God has prepared for you. Let's start. Let's find out what Jesus has to say.

End Time Prophecy –101

The Bible clearly tells us we should always be looking for the day of Christ's return. But, how can we see it if we are not looking for it? And, how can we see it if we don't know what to look for?

Among other things, the Bible is a record of historical facts—things that have already happened. But, it also is a predictor of the future—telling us of things that are still to come. Many of the prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled and are therefore now part of history. The prophecies concerning the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ are examples of prophecies recorded in the Old Testament that were fulfilled when Jesus was born and are now part of history. Even our calendar is based off the birth of Jesus with AD (anno Domini) counting the years from His birth and BC (before Christ) used to label the years prior to his birth. 

Why is it important to know what the Bible says is going to happen? You can't be prepared if you don't know what to prepare for. It is easy to just go about life, planning our futures, and believing Christ is not going to return during our lifetime. The Bible shows us different examples of this happening. During the time of Noah, people were going about their lives as if God's judgment would not happen. (Matthew 24:38) For 120 years they were warned but no one was listening except Noah and his family. (Genesis 6:3; I Peter 3:20) There came a time when it was too late and the doors of the Ark were shut. 

Another example is what happened during the time Lot lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord sent men to warn them... but no one was listening. They didn't want to change their lives. They didn't want to hear about consequences. But just because we would like to live with our heads buried in the sand, or are just too busy to listen, it doesn't mean we can alter for one second the reality of God's promised judgment. Just as we can see that God's promised judgment happened in the past, we can be assured that His prophecies about the future will happen as well.  

Even though the prophets foretold Christ's birth, how many people were actively awaiting or looking for the prophecy to be fulfilled? The wise men traveled from continents far away to find the Christ Child the prophets said was coming, yet God's people were going about their daily lives in an adjoining town and totally missed the event. Christ second returning may not happen in my lifetime or in your lifetime. But what if it does? We need to know what the Bible says. And we are responsible to make sure we share our knowledge and understanding with those around us.

Why study prophecy? Prophecy is truth—and the truth sets you free. Understanding prophecy brings you:

• Hope
• Security
• Knowledge
• Understanding 
• Peace

It should NOT bring fear. Prophecy is not intended to make you afraid and fearful of the future. Prophecy should instead bring hope for the future because you know the One who holds the future; security because the God who fulfilled all His promises in the past is the same God who will fulfill His promises for your future; knowledge in how to life your life today; understanding that it really is ALL about Him; and peace to know you are safe in His hands. So be encouraged. (I Thessalonians 5:11)

The return of Christ is mentioned 318 times (more times than there are chapters) in the New Testament. It's relevant. It's important to know; it is important to understand. See: Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 22:20

What does the Bible say about End Times? Jesus IS coming again. But how will we know when? Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Matthew 25:13 - "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hours in which the Son of Man is coming." Mark 13:32 - "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." No one knows. No man, no angel, and not even Jesus knew while he was on this earth. Only God the Father knows. If you hear someone predicting a date for Christ's return you can be assured it is a false statement. The Bible says ONLY the Father knows. 

The Second Coming of Christ has two parts with events that happen between them:

1. The Rapture of the Church—I Thessalonians 4:13–18 - Christ returns in the air and removes His Church from this earth before His judgment of the earth begins.The dead in Christ will rise first followed by those alive, and they will meet the Lord in the air. Jesus promised His return in John 14 - "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." This is when we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and we will be judged and given crowns for the works we did while on earth. (Remember— works cannot bring you salvation or get you in heaven. Works are done because of your salvation!) This is not a judgment to separate believers from unbelievers or to determine if you go to heaven. This judgment is for believers only and happens after the Church is raptured.

The Tribulation—Revelation 11–18 - This is a seven year period of time that will be the worst time the earth has ever seen... a horrible, horrific time. There will be conflict, confusions, and wickedness like never known before. After the Church is raptured, the Holy Spirit's presence will be absent and great punishments will happen upon the earth and the people who are living during this time. The last three and one half years are known as the Great Tribulation. This is when the plagues and destruction multiplies. During this time there will be:

• Worldwide judgment (seals, trumpets, vials, etc. talked about in the Book of Revelation)
• Persecution of Israel (Jacob's trouble from Jeremiah 30:7)
• Salvation of many people who had never heard the Gospel because of the two witnesses and 144,000 people God sent. (Revelation 7; 11:3–14; 14:1)

It is dangerous (and probably wrong) to think you will have the time or the ability to surrender your heart to Christ once all the other Christians have been raptured. II Thessalonians 2:9–12 says a strong delusion will come upon those who heard but did not surrender to the Gospel prior to the Rapture. Many scholars feel scripture says those who refused to accept Christ before this time will not be given a second chance. The salvation of the multitude of people during this time is for those who have never heard. If they hear and believe, they will be saved, but it will probably cost them their lives.

You may have heard the terms, "pre-tribulation", "mid-tribulation"; or "post-tribulation." These are timelines when different people believe the rapture will take place. I believe scripture to say that God's people will be raptured prior to the beginning of the tribulation.* (Romans 8:1) Whether it is "pre", "mid", or "post" isn't what is important and shouldn't be something we get stuck focusing on. What is important is Jesus IS coming again and we need to be ready.

The Antichrist—II Thessalonians 2 - The Bible does not tell us who he will be, but we do know the Antichrist is Satan's counterfeit to Christ. Christ came from heaven to bring salvation to the lost. The Antichrist comes from hell and is empowered by Satan for the purpose of destroying. The Holy Trinity is God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The unholy trinity is Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. In the Book of Revelations, he is called "the beast." The Antichrist will be a world leader. He will be charismatic. He will be cunning. He will have the ability to attract people to himself and turn people away from the true Christ. And, scripture says he will be cruel. (Daniel 7:23)  He wants to dominate the world, and he will do anything to get what he wants. The world is going to be looking for someone who can bring peace. It will appear that he has all the answers. He will orchestrate peace in the Middle East, and for three and one half years it will appear there is peace. But his promise of peace is only a facade and he begins to persecute Israel.

The Bible says the Antichrist will be assassinated. Whether he was truly dead or whether it was all a clever trick, by the power of Satan he comes back to "life," again trying to counterfeit the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The world sees this and his power increases even more. Following the plan of Satan, the Antichrist orders the False Prophet to demand that all people receive "the mark of the beast." (Revelation 16:2; 19:20) Those who receive the mark will be able to buy and sell. Those who refuse to receive the mark will face starvation and death.

The Antichrist uses fear as a method to get people to worship him. (What does the Bible say about fear? Does fear ever come from the Lord?) Jesus was the "Lamb of God", the False Prophet looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11–12) Satan created a false lamb, again trying to imitate Christ. The false prophet will be able to do "great signs" and miracles. Satan doesn't have the same power as God, but he is a master of manipulating circumstances and situations and making things appear to be equivalent to what God has done. He is an expert in counterfeiting.

Years ago, I used to wonder how in the world this could ever happen. With all the changes in technology I have witnessed in my lifetime, it is now very simple to understand how this could happen. Everything we purchase now has a bar code. The first bar code was introduced in 1974. We seldom use cash anymore. We use debit cards instead. We put microchips in our pets so they can be identified if lost. Microchips (about the size of a grain of rice) have been implanted into humans for identification. We use electronic devices like I-Zoom. We just drive through a toll booth or under an overhead pole and our "information" is read. It is just so easy now to understand how the entire world could be turned into a "one-world"  system and controlled by the unholy trinity. The Antichrist ultimate purpose is to set up himself as the one to be worshiped in the temple of the Jews in Jerusalem. Again trying to counterfeit the true One who reigns as the King of the Jews. BUT Satan does not get the last word.

Battle of Armageddon—Revelation 16:13–16 - The earth's final Great War. All the nations of the world gather for battle against Israel and eventually Christ. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy Israel—God's chosen people.  Israel is surrounded on all sides.  The blood shed is incomprehensible.  (Revelation 14:20)  This battle sets the stage for the second part of Christ's Second Coming.  Christ returns to defeat the enemies of Christ. 

2.  The Return of Christ the King to the Earth—Revelation 19:11–21 - The doors of heaven open, and Christ surrounded by armies of saints (you and me), and the angels descend to the earth and God brings judgment, justice, and avenges the wickedness of the world. Jesus leads the battle against evil, He saves Israel, and the Beast and False Prophet are captured and "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

Millennium—Satan is bound for one thousand years, and Christ reigns and rules over an earthly kingdom (what the Jews expected Him to do during His first coming), and there will be universal peace, justice, and joy—a taste of heaven on earth. The saints (you and me) will reign with Christ during this time. Our rewards, responsibilities and positions will be determined by our faithfulness in this life. (Matthew 25:14–30)

Great White Throne Judgment—Revelation 20:1–10 - At the end of the 1000 year Millennium, Satan is set free for a brief time and then he and his angels are cast in the lake of fire to remain there for eternity. The Great White Throne Judgment begins. This is the judgment time for all who have refused to bow their knees and confess that Christ is Lord. There is no defense and no argument. Scripture says every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Christ is the Lord. (Philippians 2:10–11) However, for those who stand at the Great White Throne Judgment it is too late. They have made their choice and their sentence has already been determined—eternity in hell. 

Eternal Heaven—Revelation 21–22 - There is a new heaven and a new earth. The New Jerusalem descends from the sky. "It is finished. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give free water from the spring of water of life to anyone who is thirsty. Those who win the victory will receive this, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."

"Jesus, the One who says these things are true, says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

Prophecy isn't about being frightened about the future. It should instead encourage us, give us hope, and prepare us for the future. Understanding what the Bible says is going to happen should make us want to live each day as if it were our last. Do the important things—TODAY! Tell your lost family members and friends about Christ—TODAY! Live your life the way Christ would want you to—TODAY!

Diagram of Pre-Millennial Doctrine:                                     

                                              

If you knew Jesus was coming at any time:

1. What are you doing now that you would stop doing?  
2. What are you not doing now that you would start doing?

Change your heart and lives—TODAY!

Addendum: 9/15/2020 ~ * While I believe the Bible to say the Church will be raptured pre-tribulation, there are many Bible scholars and theologians who believe the Bible says it will be mid-tribulation or even post-tribulation. Either way, I want to be ready and able to discern the times in which we live. With the many disturbing events of 2020, it has become even more apparent that we are living in a time when scripture is unfolding before our very eyes. 

Even so LORD Jesus, come!

Next Entry: Matthew 25:1–46

Matthew 14:1–36 (Continued)

May 22, 2012

Jesus walks on the water.   

Immediately after feeding the five thousand Jesus sent His disciples and the crowd away and He spent a considerable amount of time alone with God. It was probably between three and six in the morning when Jesus walked out to the boat where the disciples were. It was storming. The wind was blowing. The waves were huge. It was the middle of the night. The disciples are frightened and they see a figure walking towards them. They think it is a ghost  Jesus says to them, "Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid." (Matthew 14:27–29) Peter said, "Lord, if it is really you, then let me come to you on the water." Jesus said, "Come."

Peter began to walk on the water towards Jesus. But when he looked around and saw the waves, and heard the wind, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out, took his hand, and saved him. Jesus said, "Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31) When they got into the boat the winds calmed, and all those who were in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Some observations:

• There will be storms in our lives
• If we look at our circumstances fear will come
• When we remain focused on Christ we don't see the circumstances
• People watch to see how we respond to our circumstances
• Our actions and reactions should point people to Jesus—only He is worthy of glory, honor, and praise
• Only Jesus has the power to calm the storms in our lives
• We must keep our eyes focused on Him and Him alone

"As long as Jesus is one of many options, he is no option. As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don't need a burden bearer. As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will receive no comfort. And as long as you can take him or leave him, you might as well leave him, because he won't be taken half-heartedly." ~ From The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado.  

Next Entry: Matthew 15:1–39   

Matthew 6:1–34 (Continued)

April 4, 2012

Don't worry about the things you need. God knows what you need.

There is a constant struggle within one's self to be self-sufficient. It's disguised in many ways. We try to rationalize it by saying we don't want to bother God with trivial things. We even try to promote it. Look at all the emphasis we place on self-esteem in our culture. We applaud someone who is a "self-made man." We have it all wrong.

God does not want our self-sufficiency. He wants us to rely on Him. He wants our view of ourselves to be from His eyes. He wants us to "get it." We are nothing without Him and everything comes from Him. He wants us to understand and surrender to the

  God

  ↓

  Man

relationship He ordained. He takes care of everything He has created. The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the grasses of the field. We are so much more than the "things" God created. We were created in His image. We were created to worship Him. He loves us so much that He sent His own son to die so that we could have life.

He is a God of details. He knows what we need—and He will provide it. But when we have ourselves on the throne we become worried. What if? Will there be enough? Jesus says, "You cannot add anytime to your life by worrying about it." (Matthew 6:27) So then if that is true, why do we do it? It is wasted time and energy. Jesus says, "Don't have so little faith! Don't worry and say, 'what will we eat?' or 'what will we drink?' or 'what will we wear?' " (Matthew 6:31) Our worries show the problem—it is all about me/we. Matthew 6:32 - "The people who don't know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them." Trying! Self effort. Trying to do for ourselves what God is willing (and far more capable) of doing.

"The thing you should want most is God's Kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you." (Matthew 6:33) We should want what God wants and not what we want. When we get the

God 

↓

Man

relationship in the correct order; when we understand we are not equal to God; then we understand it is not God = man, it is not man > God; it is

God

↓

Man.

When we want Him more than anything else, THEN—"All these other things you need will be given to you." When we search for Him with all our hearts, "You will find me!  I will let you find me..." (Jeremiah 29:13) But, when we try to do it on our own, "You will look for me, but you will not find me. It is because you rejected knowledge and did not choose to respect the LORD. You did not accept my advice and you rejected my correction." (Proverbs 1:28)

What we receive in life is our choice. Surrender to God and we receive everything we need. Try to go it alone—and we are alone. Life is not about we/me. It is about God. He is in control. Our job is to trust Him. 

"So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries.  Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Next Entry: Matthew 7:1–29

Zephaniah 1:1 – 3:20 (Continued)

February 18, 2012

Zephaniah ends with this amazing promise:

"I will take away the sadness planned for you, which would have made you very ashamed. At that time I will punish all those who harmed you. I will save my people who cannot walk and gather my people who have been thrown out. I will give them praise and honor in every place where they were shamed. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you back home. I will give you honor and praise from people everywhere when I make things go well for you, as you will see with your own eyes," says the LORD."

Following those verses in the margin of my Bible I wrote the following:

Praise the Lord!

5-19-08 ~ When fear attacks we will claim these verses. We will NOT be afraid and we will NOT give up. We WILL wait on the Lord. Oh, that our lives would be such that He rejoices over us and sings because of us. Hear our cries for mercy, Lord. Restore the land. Save us from those who planned evil against. us. May all honor and glory be yours. Praise the Lord.

What a way to end the Old Testament. When I wrote those words on 5-19-08, I had no way of knowing that on November 16, 2009, I would begin keeping a journal(s) of my journey reading through the Bible and that on February 18, 2012, I would finish the Old Testament with the words that I wrote in the margin of my Bible three years and eight months earlier. 

I read those words from 2008 and I can feel the pain and hurt that person was feeling. What a change there has been. The pain and hurt has been replaced with peace and joy. My faith and confidence in the LORD has grown immeasurably. Even the way I wrote/write Lord has changed. LORD to me now is all caps: I AM; Yahweh; the God who is. We have been on quite a journey these last five years. It has been a path of unknowns, but we have been led the entire way by the great I AM. How well I remember those first unsure steps as we began our faith journey. God is faithful and I believe He has found us faithful. 

"The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you... you will see with your own eyes."

Praise the LORD.

Addendum:  10/4/15 ~ And now, three and one half years later, I am transcribing my writings, the lawsuit has been going on for over eight years and the judge has ordered a Settlement Conference. Unless God intervenes, the Settlement Conference will be an act of futility. BUT—like I first wrote in my margins over seven years ago:

When fear attacks we will claim these verses. We will NOT be afraid and we will NOT give up. We WILL wait on the Lord. Oh, that our lives would be such that He rejoices over us and sings because of us. Hear our cries for mercy, Lord. Restore the land. Save us from those who planned evil against us. May all honor and glory be yours. Praise the Lord."

A "new day" is coming. "At that time" God's promises will be fulfilled. "As you will see with your own eyes." We believe—WE BELIEVE! 

Life Lesson: "Hear God's Word through his faithful prophet—surely he will judge sin. But there is hope, deliverance, and salvation for those who trust in Him.  The storm is over; take a walk in the sun!"


Next Entry: Old Testament Epilogue

Ezekiel 12

December 29, 2011

God is showing Ezekiel what He is about to do to Jerusalem and Ezekiel is to tell the people who are already in exile what is and will be happening to those who are still in Jerusalem.

The Jews in Jerusalem just refused to obey. Ezekiel 12:2 - Because they refused to obey, "They have eyes to see, but they do not see, and they have ears to hear, but they do not hear, because they are a people who refuse to obey." (See cross-reference Isaiah 44:18–20) God makes many references throughout the Bible about people who are blinded to Truth and cannot hear Truth, and it always goes back to a refusal to obey.

God explains to Ezekiel in exact detail what was going to happen in Jerusalem. He describes how the King (Zedekiah) would try to escape and how the king would be caught in God's trap. God describes how He (God) will take him to Babylon and that Zedekiah would not see the land but yet he would die there. When you first read that you have to wonder how that makes sense. Jeremiah 39:7 and 52:11 explains it. Zedekiah did try to escape; he was caught in a trap; his sons and leaders were killed while he watched; his eyes were gouged out; and he was taken to Babylon. He never saw the land and he did indeed die there. "Then they will know that I am the LORD." I will scatter them. I will save a few so they can bear witness to the things they have done and to the things I have done.   

"Then they will know that I am the LORD."

Then God told Ezekiel to tremble as he ate and to shake with fear as he drank, symbolizing what the people in Jerusalem would be doing. They were under siege, they were surrounded, food was scarce, hunger was rampant, they lived in fear, and they lived in shock.   

"Then you will know that I am the LORD." 

Then God says—Ezekiel, what is it that the people say? "The days go by and every vision comes to nothing." The people think, "The vision that Ezekiel sees is for a time many years from now. He is prophesying about times far away." Tell them what I say Ezekiel. Tell them, "The time is near... every vision will come true... what I say will be done, and it will not be delayed. You refuse to obey, but in your time I will say the word and do it, says the LORD God." (Ezekiel 12:21-25)

Ezekiel 12:28 - "None of my words will be delayed anymore. What I have said will be done says the LORD God."

From the Life Lesson: The Israelites refused to obey God. They would not believe that God's warnings of destruction applied to them, and they resented Ezekiel's message of judgment against them.

"Resentment is allowing your hurts to turn into hates. When those hates simmer in your heart, they create bitterness and you are the one to suffer." ~ From The Inspirational Bible

Next Entry: Ezekiel 13:1 – 14:23 

Lamentation 4:1 – 5:22

December 22, 2011

Hope yesterday, and now Jeremiah describes the despair of the people. Despair caused by their own disobedience.

I can't imagine the anxiety, torture, and fear the people felt as they were surrounded for years and were slowly stripped of their wealth, their health, their pride—everything. Slowly stripped. Jeremiah says the punishment the people were subjected to was worse than what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom's punishment was quick and total. It was over. But the people of Jerusalem's punishment went on... and on... slowly stripped of everything. Jeremiah said they would have been better off to have died by the sword in battle than to slowly waste away and die of famine and hunger.

God wasn't seeing how long He could carry out their punishment. His purpose wasn't to torture them for years. His purpose then and now is for restoration. He wanted His people to return to Him, to turn from their wicked ways and to obey Him. But they refused. It was their own stubborn pride that kept them from repenting and caused their punishment to be slowly carried out. Because of their stubborn refusal, "The LORD turned loose all of his anger; he poured out his strong anger."(Lamentations 4:11) God left them and did not look out for them any longer. They were caught in their own traps, and there came a time when their punishment was complete.

Lamentations 5:19 - "You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation." 

God is THE LORD. His will WILL be done. He is in control.


Next Entry: Lamentations 4:1 – 5:22 (Continued)

Jeremiah 52

December 16, 2011

The last chapter in Jeremiah. After almost three months of living and breathing the writings of Jeremiah, I've come to the last chapter.

Chapter 52 recounts the fall of Jerusalem. I've spent the last days writing about the fall of Babylon, an empire that made no claims of the LORD being God—none. And now today I'm reminded of the fall of Jerusalem—a place where God's people lived. Accountability happened to the non-believers and "believers" alike. God kept His word. Everything He told Jeremiah to prophesy about, came to pass. Everything. God brought the punishment He promised because Israel refused to repent.

Jeremiah 52:3 - "All this happened... because the LORD was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence."

God is proactive not reactive. By that I mean this. Man doesn't take an action that is a surprise to God and then God has a knee jerk reaction in response. That isn't what sets the chain of events into motion. It's man's heart choices over a period of time that determines the outcome and actions God takes in the course of our lives. I'm having a hard time trying to clearly explain this. Take Zedekiah as an example. Verse 3 says, "Zedekiah turned against the king of Babylon." It wasn't that specific action by man that caused God to react and decide to cause the fall of Jerusalem. It was Zedekiah's (and the Israelites) refusal to surrender to God and His calls for repentance for all the years prior which then caused God to be proactive and put into motion His plan that would eventually be the downfall of Zedekiah and Jerusalem. "All this happened... because the LORD was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence." Proactive: "creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened."

There is a huge difference between fear/awe of God and fear/scared or frightened of God. As believers, we should fear (be in awe of) God, but we should never be fearful (frightened) of God. God's eventual response to us is in direct correlation to our response to Him. Do we surrender to Him or not?  When our lives are surrendered to Him we know that He never puts anything into our lives for our harm—NEVER! Jeremiah 29:11–13 - "I know the plans I have for you... and they are good plans, not plans to harm you but plans to give you hope and a good future." We are the ones who mess things up.

What happened to the Israelites and Zedekiah was a direct result of the choices they made. The people who surrendered to the LORD and His will—lived. Those who refused to surrender were held accountable for their choices. It was Zedekiah's disobedience and refusal to surrender to God's will that caused him to revolt against King Nebuchadnezzar, and what caused him to revolt—was God's anger. "All this happened... because the LORD was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence." God has given us the control to choose what our response is going to be to His LORDship, but our control ends there. Only God has the right to choose the consequences we receive for the choices we make.

The rest of Chapter 52 talks about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple Solomon built per God's instructions. In all the warnings Jeremiah gave, I had almost forgot about the beauty and splendor of the temple. God was willing to destroy the very temple He designed and the very place where He chose to be worshiped because of the disobedience of His people. That ought to make all of us bow in fear/awe of the LORD All-Powerful.

Addendum: 5/14/18 ~ Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins. Because (as a believer) Christ lives in us, there is no longer a need for an earthly building/temple for the LORD to reside in. Our bodies are now His temple. Oh, the seriousness of understanding this and surrendering our will in obedience to HIM.


Next Entry: Lamentations 1:1–22  

Our Family Legacy: HIS Story is Passed Down

August 02, 2015

Our 5th annual Nanna Camp was this week. It's been a busy, busy week. But wow, what a great time.

Well, our four oldest grandchildren now all know about "the storm." Yesterday my husband and I gathered all of them in the tent and I read them the letter I wrote them in 2011. There were lots of questions and some tears but thank the Lord, what they don't have is fear. From the youngest to the oldest, their faith in God has grown. We all prayed together and then we went for a walk. We wanted them to see first hand where we were when Pop-Pop was praying and God miraculously parted the skies in the deepest of fogs to shine his brilliant sun at us for just a few seconds before the dense fog once again enveloped us. We showed them where we were walking when the sun came up and cast our shadows far in front of us and how the warmth of the sun of our backs made us realize that God had covered our backs and protected us. We told them the story of Jane and my husband and I quoted Psalm 150; Psalm 140; Psalm 1; and Psalm 8 while we walked. We asked God once again to: 

 "Bless us and bless us indeed. Enlarge our territories. May we see YOUR hand working in our lives. Protect us from evil that we would harm no one."

Everything is on the line. It is a scary thing to expose young children to the risks of what we are facing AND to tell them of our faith in God's protection. Because "what if"? What if we aren't protected? What then? What would it do to our grandchildren's faith in God if He didn't do what we said He has promised? What if? What if? What if?

Fear WILL NOT control us!! Our faith is in God and HIM alone. If you could have only heard our youngest grand-daughter (at just five years old) with folded hands and in the sweetest of voices pray, "Our dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Nanna writing us this letter. I'm glad she read it to us. It was important for us to know."  

Thank you, LORD, for the awesome opportunity to share YOUR love with our precious grandchildren. LORD, as they each now have the ability to watch and see with their own eyes YOUR hand at work protecting us it just brings tears to my eyes. Then they will KNOW! They are going to be able to SEE!! They are going to be able to experience YOU! YOUR hands! YOUR promises! YOUR protection! And they will understand that they can trust YOU in all things. Oh LORD, thank you! May YOU use this to make a deep and indelible stamp in each of their hearts. May they each always love and serve you. May they each make an impact on the world around them. LORD, as we build a Praise Shelter as a remembrance of YOUR faithfulness may it always be a symbol that reminds all of us of YOUR hand in all of our lives. Thank you, LORD. Thank you.


Next Entry: Jeremiah 40:1 – 45:5 (Continued)

Jeremiah 39:1–18

November 28, 2011

Jerusalem falls. Jeremiah prophesied for eighteen years while Josiah was king; 11 years while Jehoiakim was king; and 11 years while Zedekiah was king. So for 40 +/- years Jeremiah was warning the kings and people what God said was going to happen. And 40 years later... it happened. Jerusalem was captured.

What God said would happen—happened. Nebuchadnezzar's men broke through the wall and went and sat down by the middle gate. Zedekiah and his sons try to escape. They run away during the night. But the Babylonian army chased them and caught them. They took them to Nebuchadnezzar and he passed sentence on them. Zedekiah's sons and important officers were all killed in front of Zedekiah while he watched! Then Nebuchadnezzar put out Zedekiah's eyes; put him in bronze chains; and took him to Babylon. How horrible! I can't imagine anything worse. The very last image you have in your mind is the carnage of seeing your sons killed as you watched. I wonder what was going through Zedekiah's mind. Was he thinking "what if"—or—"if only"?

He heard Jeremiah's warnings for years! He had to have spent that time living under a great deal of anxiety and fear. But even though Jeremiah told him what he needed to do to save himself, Jerusalem, and his family (surrender to God's will) he just would not do it. He risked everything. He couldn't stand the thought of being humbled before his own people. He would not surrender! He would be in charge! As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working for you?" Because, here he is running for his life in the middle of the night trying to escape the enemy; he is captured; his sons are killed in front of him; his own eyes gouged out; and he is bound in chains and taken away. Living with the regret of knowing all that happened was a direct result of the choices he made, would have been an indescribable torture. I can't imagine.

What if—he would have decided to follow God's commands and surrender to God's will? If only—he had changed his heart and mind. But sadly, he did not and what God said would happen—happened. Oh what a difference there would have been if he had chosen to obey. Choose carefully. The choices we make affects generations!!

The Babylonians totally destroyed Jerusalem. They set fire to the homes and palaces. They broke down the walls and they took the people away. All except for the very poorest, who were given vineyards. Then Nebuchadnezzar gave these orders: "Find Jeremiah and take care of him. Do not hurt him, but do for him whatever he asks you." He didn't send just anybody to find him, he sent the commander of the guards, a chief officer, an important leader, and all the other officers. Jeremiah 38:28 - "So Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured." When it is over—it is over. The officer's found Jeremiah bound in chains among the other captives. They turned him over to the man in charge and gave him orders to take Jeremiah back home. "So they took him home, and he stayed among the people left in Judah."

What a contrast. Zedekiah and Jeremiah were both in the battle. The possibility of destruction was a threat to both. Yet Jeremiah was delivered and Zedekiah's sons were killed, his eyes put out, and he was taken into bondage. The consequences each received were a direct result of the choices they individually made. God is faithful to fulfill His promises. Both His promises for reward AND His promise of punishment.

Before Jeremiah was released from the courtyard, the LORD spoke to him again. He told Jeremiah to take a message to Ebed-Melech. "Very soon I will make my words about Jerusalem come true through disaster, not through good times. You will see everything come true with your own eyes. But I will save you on that day... you will not be handed over to the people you fear. I will surely save you Ebed-Molech. You will not die from a sword, but you will escape and live. This will happen because you have trusted in me," says the LORD.

Ebed-Molech was the one who saved Jeremiah from the mire of the well in Jeremiah 38. He could have stood by and done nothing. But instead, he spoke up and put his own life on the line, and saved Jeremiah. God blesses faithfulness.


Next Entry: Jeremiah 40:1 – 45:5

Jeremiah 38:1–28

November 25, 2011

Jeremiah 38:19 - "Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I'm afraid of some Jews who have already gone over to the side of the Babylonian army. If the Babylonians hand me over to them, they will treat me badly."

This verse just really took hold of my attention when I read it two days ago... and it didn't let go. I already had two words underlined—"I'm afraid"—with a note written in my margins that said,

"It was fear that kept the king from surrendering. Fear drives the need for power and control. It is when we finally surrender that we become free from the bondage of fear. To die to self is to gain freedom and life—literally."

I got that Zedekiah was afraid. What I totally missed in all the other times I have read this verse is who he was afraid of. I read and re-read the verse. What does this mean God? Zedekiah says he is afraid of the Jews! Why would he be afraid of the Jews? His own people! Why? I don't get this.

Jeremiah was warning Zedekiah (and all the people) over and over again what God was going to do. In Jeremiah 38:2 it says the officers were complaining about what Jeremiah was saying. Surrender—live. Try to fight against God's words and His will—death. (See Jeremiah 24 - The Good Figs and the Bad Figs.) Jeremiah was still imprisoned in the courtyard (Jeremiah 33). The officers accused Jeremiah of undermining the morale of the people. So they threw him in an empty well and he was stuck in the mire until Ebed-Melech rescued him.

Zedekiah summons for him and wants to know once again what the LORD says. Jeremiah tells him again: If you surrender—you will live; Jerusalem will not be lost; and your family will be spared. If you refuse to surrender—Jerusalem will be destroyed; you will be captured; and your family destroyed. (See Jeremiah 52:10,11) And Zedekiah's response is, "I'm afraid" of some Jews who have already gone over (surrendered) to the side of the Babylonian army." What?? Why on earth would it be the fear of facing his own people that made Zedekiah too fearful to surrender to God's will? Why was the fear of his own people greater than the fear of the Babylonians?

Oh, I see what you are saying God. Now I get it. He was king. He was used to having all the power and being in control. He wasn't afraid of an enemy stripping him of his power. No, he was afraid of his own people seeing him stripped of his power. Pride—with a capital "I" in the middle. The KJV says he was afraid of being mocked. He was willing to risk everything, his life, the city of Jerusalem, and even his family, to avoid the humiliation of his people seeing him as Zedekiah (the man) instead of Zedekiah (the King). He could not face the possibility of others seeing the "true" him, so he risked it all, and lost it all.

Oh, this clarifies so much. Light bulb moment. Zedekiah was blinded by pride and blinded by fear. The same thing that blinds people today. Sadly, one reason someone is "afraid" of letting others see them for who they truly are is often because they themselves are afraid to face the truth and deal with who they are. The worst deceit of all is when we deceive ourselves. How sad to not clearly understand who you are in God's eyes, and that He loves you just as you are. The true you. There is rest, peace, and contentment in that knowledge, and it all comes from surrendering your life to His. Without total surrender comes fear, pride, anxiety, restlessness, the need to try and prove you are the best, the need for power and control, revenge, selfishness, and the list goes on and on.

Jeremiah warned them over and over but many did not "get it."

Jeremiah 5:21–22 - "Hear this message, you foolish people who have no sense. They have eyes, but don't really see. They have ears, but they don't really listen. Surely you are afraid of me," says the LORD. "You should shake with fear in my presence. I am the one who made the beaches to be a border for the sea, a border the water cannot go past. The waves may pound the beach, but they can't win over it. They may roar, but they cannot go beyond it."

Isaiah 44:18 - "Those people don't know what they are doing. They don't understand! It is as if their eyes are covered so they can't see. Their minds don't understand."

Proverbs 4:19 - "But the wicked walk around in the dark; they can't even see what makes them stumble."

Addendum: 8/11/15 ~ When I read Jeremiah 38 today, what stuck out to me was that the very thing Zedekiah was afraid of (his own people seeing him stripped of his power) is exactly what Jeremiah told him would happen IF he didn't surrender. "If you refuse to surrender... the LORD has shown me what will happen... your women will make fun of you..." The very thing Zedekiah feared would happen IF he surrendered was guaranteed to happen if he didn't surrender and yet he still could not (and would not) let go of his need to be in control—his pride. He risked everything hoping that somehow everything would work out in his favor. He forged ahead in his stubbornness, following his OWN wishes, his OWN thoughts, his OWN desires, his OWN plans.

What we are afraid of is what controls us. God calls us to surrender ALL. Whatever we refuse to relinquish and surrender becomes the very thing we will have to face, on our own, and without God's help. Oh, how much better it is to surrender ALL and to follow HIS footpath than to insist on going our own way.  

The other thing I noticed today is the very last verse of Jeremiah 38. "So Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard of the guard UNTIL the day Jerusalem was captured." What God told Jeremiah was going to happen—happened.

When it is over—it is over.  The day will come. "The storm" will end.


Next Entry: Jeremiah 39:1–18

Jeremiah 1:1–19

September 22, 2011

Before you were born, I knew you. I set you apart. I appointed you.

God calls Jeremiah to do His work. Jeremiah feels very unworthy. God says look Jeremiah, I need your availability not your abilities. I know you. I will give you everything you need. "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Fear not Jeremiah.

Isaiah 41:10 - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  

I (God) will give you the words to say. "You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow, build up and plant." God keeps our lives balanced. He didn't ask Jeremiah to just tear down, pull up, destroy, and overthrow. He also asked him to build up, and plant. Don't be afraid of the people, or I will give you good reason to be afraid of them. You will be able to stand. They will fight against you, but they will not defeat you, because I am with you to protect you," says the LORD.

"Says the LORD." What a comforting statement. God's promises to Jeremiah are the same as His promises to us. He knows us. He is with us. He gives us everything we need. He will rescue us. He will protect us. He will give us the strength to continue to stand and withstand "the storm." He gives us opportunities to build up and plant. Thank-you, LORD.  

As for me and my house, we WILL stand.


Next Entry: Jeremiah 2:1 – 6:30

Isaiah 42:1 – 43:28

August 23, 2011

"I, the LORD, called you to do right, and I will hold your hand and protect you."

"I am the LORD. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another; I will not let idols take the praise that should be mine." If God is anything, HE is fair and just. Psalm 48:11 - "(His) decisions are fair." If fear tries to come, TAKE HOLD of God's promises! He is fair! He is just! He will hold you! He will protect you! He will not let evil take His glory and praise! His decisions are fair!

Isaiah 42:9 - "The things I said would happen HAVE happened, and now I tell you about new things. Before those new things happen, I tell you about them." LORD, we claim the promises you have given to us. We will not forget them. (Her Name Was Jane) And with the promise (Psalm 140) comes the praise (Psalm 150; Psalm 8).

Isaiah devotes the next three verses to "A Song of Praise to the LORD."

   Sing a new song to the LORD!
   Sing his praise everywhere on earth!
   Praise him!
   Praise him!
   Praise him!
   Praise him!
   Sing for joy!
   Shout!
   Give glory!
   Praise him!

The LORD says, "For a long time I have said nothing; I have been quiet and held myself back. But now I will cry out." I will destroy, and I will lead and guide.

You who are deaf—listen! Hear me!
You who are blind—look and see!

You have seen much, but you have not obeyed. You hear, but you refuse to listen! God goes to great lengths to get our attention. But some refuse to listen and refuse to obey. For those who listen and obey, God promises to be with them.

Isaiah 43:1–3 - "Don't be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you. This is because I, the LORD, am your God."

On 3/31/08, Mom called and told me to read Isaiah 43:1–3. She had just read those verses during her morning devotions and felt they were a promise from God to her, for us. God has been faithful. He has walked with us through the waters. We have not drowned. We have not been burned; and the flames have not hurt us. Isaiah 43:5 - "Don't be afraid, because I am with you."

Then God says He is going to useHis people as a witness. Those who have refused to obey, who have eyes but don't see, and ears but don't hear, bring your witnesses. Prove you are right. God will bring His witnesses so that ALL will know HE is the one true God.

"There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me. I myself am the LORD; I am the only Savior. I myself have spoken to you, saved you, and told you these things... You are my witnesses, and I am God, I have always been God. No one can save people from my power; when I do something, no one can change it... I will send armies for you. I will knock down (the) locked gates." Isaiah 43:10–14

Next Entry: Isaiah 42:1 – 43:28 (Continued)

Isaiah 6:1 – 7:25 (Continued)

July 22, 2011

Chapter 7 is about Ahaz, the king of Judah and his trouble with the kings of Aram and Israel attacking him. When Ahaz found out about their plans he was terrified. The LORD told Isaiah to go to him and tell him, "Be careful. Be calm... don't worry... don't be afraid of their anger... their plan will not succeed; it will not happen... if your faith is not strong, you will not have strength enough to last." Then the LORD spoke to Ahaz and said, "Ask for a sign," and Ahaz replies, "I will not ask..."

I decided to look up who this king Ahaz was. So I went back to II Kings 16 and II Chronicles 28, and found that Ahaz "did not do what the LORD his God said was right." He worshiped Baal. He was doing the same hateful sins the people of Canaan were doing before God forced them out ahead of the Israelites. He burned incense to other gods; he made his children pass through the fire.

This was not Ahaz's first experience with the kings of Aram and Israel. They had battled several times before. There were times the other kings couldn't defeat Ahaz and there were times when the LORD handed Ahaz over to their power for defeat. In Isaiah 7, Ahaz is terrified because the other kings have banded together to attack him. This time the LORD through Isaiah says—Look, come to me and I will keep you safe. Their plans won't succeed. Just be calm, be careful, and don't worry. But, your faith must be strong or you will fail. 

The problem was Ahaz did not have a foundation of faith in the LORD to rely and build on. He was trying everything else but the LORD. He would even copy the altars of those who had defeated him to build for himself, thinking if it worked for them it might work for him. He took the LORD's altar out of the temple and replaced it with his own. He used his own altars for the burnt offerings and grain offerings and sacrifices. The LORD's bronze altar was moved out. He decided to use that altar "to ask questions of God." Obviously, something is drastically wrong when Ahaz replaces what should be the LORD's with his own and other pagan king's altars.

So, God offers Ahaz a chance to do the right thing. To come to Him, the LORD, for safety and protection. All Ahaz had to do was to remain calm, trust God, and have faith. I say "all," but to someone like Ahaz who totally relied on himself and false gods, who wanted to do things his way instead of God's way, well... "all" is a tough thing. The LORD even tells Ahaz to ask Him for a sign and Ahaz refuses. The LORD is trying to give Ahaz every opportunity to come to Him and what does Ahaz do? He boldly, in your face, flat out refuses to do what God tells him to do on a simple request, "Ask for a sign." Ahaz moved the LORD's bronze altar out of the temple; he replaced it with his own; and then delegated the LORD's altar to be what he used when he wanted to ask God a question. Yet, when God tells Ahaz to ask Him anything he wants, Ahaz says—NO.

Instead of accepting the LORD's offer of protection, he goes to the king of Assyria and says, "I am your servant and your friend. Come and save me..." Ahaz can't bring himself to be a servant of THE LORD and accept His free gift of salvation from his enemies. Ahaz instead takes the silver and gold that was in the Temple of the LORD and gives those as gifts to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria listened to Ahaz, and he attacked, defeated, and killed those who were threatening Ahaz.

What Ahaz thought would help him actually harmed him, and God used the king of Assyria to fight against him.

What started out as a "help" to Ahaz turned into what was used for his harm. Nothing caused Ahaz to become "a servant and friend" of the LORD. The more trouble he had, the more he became unfaithful to the LORD. He offered sacrifices to the gods of the people who defeated him. He gathered the things from the temple of the LORD and broke them in pieces. He closed the doors of the Temple. He made altars and put them on every street corner. He never did go to the LORD for help. He never did follow what the LORD had commanded—No other gods. He never did accept God's free gift of Grace. He was stubborn, rebellious, and continued to harden his heart to the very end. Ahaz died without ever knowing what it would have been like to live a surrendered life.

God offered Ahaz safety and salvation but he didn't take it. Like Ahaz, we have a choice as well. Isaiah prophesied about the one who would be coming—Immanuel—who would offer salvation to all mankind, once and for all, and for all time.

Addendum:   4/28/15 ~ God fulfilled His promise given through Isaiah. The question is: Are you/we going to take Him up on His offer?  As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.


Next Entry: A Day to Remember