Ready For Jesus’ Coming

THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME
I’m ready to move to heaven, to a land that’s fair and bright,
Where there is perfect peace in that everlasting life.
Jesus has gone to build for me a mansion there I know
And the next time that you see me I may be living in my heavenly home.

Chorus
The next time that you see me may be on streets of gold,
The next time that you see me I may be wearing a brand new robe.
May be kneeling at His feet, or shaking His nail scarred hand.
The next time that you see me I may be living in glory land.

You may come to visit me and knock upon my door.
You may not get an answer, I won’t be living there anymore.
I’m just here for a short while and then I’ll soon be gone,
For the next time that you see me I may be living in my brand new home.

This song captured my imagination when I heard it sung some years ago by the Singing Hills on the Tribal Trails TV program.  It was written by Leon Frazier in the 70’s and it is a good reminder that this world is not my final home but there is a better home being prepared for me. I am here for a short time and then I’ll be gone.

In John’s gospel, chapter 13  he recorded the words that Jesus spoke when He was with them for the last supper before His arrest and crucifixion. He told them that He would be with them for a little while longer, they could not follow Him now but would follow later. To encourage them He says, “Do not let your heart be troubled.”

Then, using an illustration that would be familiar to them,  He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions or dwelling places.  If it were not so I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also.”

This sounds like the Jewish  traditions of the engagement and  wedding preparation. After the engagement is announced, the bridegroom goes to his father’s home and prepares a place for his bride. When it’s ready he will come to take the bride from her present home to the one he has prepared for her. She does not know when.

In Matthew 24 we have an account of the disciples asking Jesus, “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” His reply begins with,  “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ and will mislead many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Do not be frightened.”

He went on to say, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.” There will be great tribulation, unlike anything that has been before.  And immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun and the moon will be darkened, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together  His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.” …Be on the alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”….”..Be ready ; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you don’t think He will.”

In Matthew 25 Jesus compares His coming to a wedding party that is waiting for the bridegroom to come at any time. Five of them were wise, bringing extra oil for their lamps and five were foolish with no extra oil. They all fall asleep and at midnight there is a shout that the bridegroom is coming and they should go out to meet him.

The foolish virgins who need more oil, try to borrow from the wise but can’t, so they go away to buy more oil. While they were going away the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut. Later the other virgins came saying, “Lord, open for us.” But he answered, “I do not know you.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel , and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

The following  song by Dottie Rambo gives us a wonderful picture of that day. The Jews Shofar will sound announcing His arrival. Looking to the skies we will see Him coming with clouds. Every eye will see His face in all His glory. I am looking for that wonderful day. Oh may we all be ready!

WE SHALL BEHOLD HIM
The sky shall unfold preparing His entrance
The stars shall applaud Him with thunders of praise.
The sweet light in His eyes,shall enhance those awaiting
And we shall behold Him, then face to face.

Chorus
O we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him,
Face to face in all of His glory.
O we shall behold Him, yes we shall behold Him,
Face to face, our Savior and Lord.

The angel will sound, the shout of His coming
And the sleeping shall rise, from their slumbering place,
And those remaining, shall be changed in a moment,
And we shall behold Him, then face to face.

We shall behold Him, O yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory.
We shall behold Him, face to face
Our Savior and Lord.
We shall behold Him, our Savior and Lord.

Climate Change

The climate in our culture is rapidly changing. I’m talking about the way our society is changing which is not for the better. How did we get to the place where things we believed were wrong are now right and all that was right is now considered to be totally wrong? This is a slippery slope! I realized this recently when I saw a facebook posting which was fingering (literally) straight people and glorifying those who are otherwise.

The article was extremely distasteful and even ludicrous. I wondered at their thinking. Worst of all these people are bringing up children who will be influenced to believe these lies of filth and degradation. We’re so worried about the climate change in our physical environment but we are ignoring all the warning signs in the spiritual environment that is eroding the decency of our families minds at an alarming rate.

This is deception at the highest level. Corrupted minds will never think and do anything that is decent and morally good. They can’t because they are warped! The Bible puts it clearly, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man (or woman) sows, this they will also reap.” Romans 6:7 Sowing and reaping works a law in the universe!

These warped thinkers believe they are going to heaven. Let me tell you the truth, “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

“But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13 They will not see heaven but will see the wrath of God. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them.” Romans 1:18-19

Verse 22-28 “Professing to be wise they became fools….. And as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper., ” Ephesians 5:6 says “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things (immorality, impurity, etc) the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

How fitting that they parade their rebellion against God as “Pride” and just as Satan fell from heaven because of pride, these people will continue until they join the devil and his followers in Hell. In Deuteronomy 32:35 God says,”Vengeance is Mine and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.”

This was the text preached by Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Conn.  at the peak of the Great Awakening. The title of the sermon was, “Sinners in The Hands of An  Angry God.” So powerful was the message that people felt like they were on the very brink of hell, fainting or gripping the seats to keep from falling in to that pit!

God’s wrath is coming to a climax. Soon the day of grace will be ended and judgement will begin. You can’t thumb your nose at God, take His rainbow, flaunt your pride and spit in His face without consequences. In Revelation 22:12 Jesus promises, “Behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. ”

Verses 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.” Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

God is full of love but He is also a just God and because of His justice He must reward each one according to their deeds. Jesus made a way for everyone to have forgiveness of their sins and to know the love of the Father. He died in our place and when we accept Him as our Savior and our Lord, our reward will be eternal life with Him. If we turn our backs on His provision, then we will experience His wrath.

The climate in our world is changing. It is getting darker and darker. But the darkness cannot overcome the light and ultimately Christ, The Light of the world will win!

 

 

RIZPAH, FIERCE LOVE

The story captivated me! Only a few words in the middle of a much bigger story yet such love displayed by a mother for her children! As a mother I feel her grief and her desperation! Her story is told in 2 Samuel 21 when David was king.

There was a famine in the land for three years and David went before the Lord to ask the reason. The Lord told him it was because of the treachery of Saul, who had not kept a previous covenant with the Gibeonites but had them killed instead.

Israel had not checked with the Lord first  but had believed the Gibeonite’s fraudulent story that they were from a distant land and they had made a treaty with them to let them live. However Saul had later decided to kill them in spite of the former treaty.

When David called the Gibeonites and asked how they could make atonement for the wrong that had been done to them, they answered that they wanted to be given seven of Saul’s sons whose lives they would take by hanging them in Gibeah.

David complied with their request and the five sons of Saul’s daughter, Merab as well as the two sons of Rizpah, Saul’s concubine were given into the hands of the Gibeonites. They hanged them in the mountain, the seven all together!

It was the first days of the barley harvest, probably in April and Rizpah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock near where her sons bodies were hanging.  They were not supposed to hang overnight but no one bothered to take them down.

Day and night Rizpah kept watch and fought off the vultures and the wild beasts of the field! “She allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.” She never once considered her own comfort or safety!

She did this “from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky.” The rain would come in October so from April to October, five or six months,  she kept the birds and the beasts away from her children’s bodies!

Such fierce love for her children is hard to comprehend! Every day she did not allow the birds to rest on them  and every night she drove the wild beasts away! We are not told how! What were her weapons; sticks, stones, a slingshot, bow & arrows?

We are not told anything much about Rizpah but we can see that she was a woman of great courage. Was she a woman of prayer? Did she pray for her own skill and safety? When did she rest and did her fierce love for her sons give her strength to go on?

The story of Rizpah is a wonderful analogy of fighting for your family in prayer. There is a battle raging for the minds, and souls  of our children. As a society we seem to be helpless to stop the downward spiral of moral degradation and even anarchy.

The tenacity of this mother’s love speaks to me of fighting for your family in this spiritual warfare. This mother couldn’t bring her children back to life but she would not give them up to utter destruction. She would not let go or give up in their defence!

God and any Christian moral compass has been taken out of the education and the world’s system.  2 Corinthians 4:4 says “the god of this world (the devil & his realm) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of Christ.”

Beasts work in the darkness trying to catch those who are unaware.  1 Peter 5:8 -9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith-,”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God -” We do this through prayer!

The devil wants to destroy our children’s beliefs , their sense of right and wrong.  He wants to bring confusion into their  minds. Like a vulture he tries to attack their hearts through gender confusion, pornography, movies or even through computer games.

As Rizpah spread the sackcloth of mourning on the rock,  so we can only fight, on our knees, those things that would destroy our families. James 4:7 “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We submit them to God’s watchful care and through fervent prayer, on their behalf, we resist the evil that would destroy them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Way

“We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience,” said, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest. This profound, true statement certainly deserves careful thought. So much of our attention seems to be given to our physical being but what about our spiritual self?

We aren’t on this planet very long before we realize that our physical body will not go on forever. Sooner or later we will face physical death but our spirit will live on forever. Every person that is living on this earth is on a path that is leading to an eternal  destination. That eternal destination is decided on this earth, as a physical being.

According to the Bible there are only two ways to choose from. One way is entered by a wide gate. It’s very broad and seems to be free and easy with lots of people on it. The other way is entered by a narrow gate, the path looks steep with few people on it. Each path leads to a very different kind of destination. We choose our way as we live.

The broad way  is easy to find and unless we make a conscious decision not to take it we will find we are already on it. The road has very few restrictions or warning signs and it promises enjoyment and fulfillment. The crowds on this downward path do not realize that it leads to destruction and death.

In Matthew 7:13 we have the words of Jesus advising His followers which way they should choose. “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life and few are those who find it.”

The song, “My Way” written by Paul Anka was made popular when Frank Sinatra sang it in 1969. One British funeral home said it was their most requested song to be sung at funerals. It begins, “And now, the end is near and so I face the final curtain.”

“I’ve lived a life that’s full, I’ve traveled each and every highway but more, much more than this I did it my way. …I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway, and much, much more than this I did it my way.”

“I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried I’ve had my fill, my share of losing and now, as tears subside I find it all so amusing to think I did all that and may I say – not in a shy way oh no, oh no, not me I did it my way.”

The last verse says, “For what is a man, what has he got if not himself, then he has naught to say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows and did it my way. Yes, it was my way.”

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 12:15 says, ” The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” Most people want to choose their own way, the way that looks good, that looks easy with not too many bumps.

The problem with choosing the broad way,  is it seems like life but it leads to death and destruction. When one of His disciples asked how we can know the way, Jesus replied,  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6

So, if the destination you want at the end of your life’s journey is heaven, to be with Jesus and the Father, then you must choose now to follow Jesus and the narrow way.  If  you want your own way and the destination you want is eternal fire and darkness then you are free to continue on the broad way. God freely gives you the choice!

 

God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Will

The unforgettable words of a sermon I heard recently are still ringing in my ears!  “God’s large and He’s in charge!” These words came from Mark Hughes, the Pastor of Church of the Rock, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Psalm 103:19 says, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens and His sovereignty rules over all.”

The Westminster Confession of 1646 says, “God, from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.” In other words, there is nothing in this Universe that God does not control! He is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent! He’s large & in charge!

Pastor Hughes went on to say, there is nothing in this Universe that God is not intimately involved with. God has His hands in your life and everything around you. God is sovereign over every outcome, over every evil and over every blunder.  He has foreknowledge and knows what is going to happen before it does happen.

David brings this out very well in Psalm 139:1-16 when he says (my paraphrase), “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You know my thoughts and my words before I say them. You wove me together in my mother’s womb, my frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret.”

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance and the days of my life were recorded in Your book before I was even born.” He asks the questions, “Where can I go from Your Spirit or from Your presence? If I go up to heaven You are there or if I go down to the place of the dead You are there. Darkness & light are alike to You so I can’t hide anywhere.”

We do not know anything about David’s birth or his mother from Scripture and it seems that his relationship with his family is not close because his father does not call  him with his brothers when Samuel comes ostensibly to do a sacrifice to the Lord. In reality Samuel has come to select God’s choice for the next king. 1 Sam 16

One by one seven sons of Jesse pass by Samuel and each one is rejected by the Lord and finally Samuel asks, “Are these all the children?” Jesse finally remembers there’s one more, David, the youngest one who is out in the field tending sheep and Samuel says, “Bring him in, we will not sit down until he comes here.”

As soon as David came the Lord told Samuel, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” We would expect the next step would be planning everything necessary for him to become king.

But Israel still had a king and David wasn’t ready to be a king yet, he needed training. He went back to his sheep and in time he was living in the palace as part of Saul’s staff, playing his harp for the King. It would be fifteen years before he was crowned as king over Judah and then another seven years before he was king over all Israel.

On his way to the throne, David experienced many trials. Saul gave him a high rank in the army and he was good with the troops & officers. However, when Saul became jealous and tried to kill him a number of times, David had to leave and he spent the next  years running for his life. After Saul was dead David was crowned as king.

But it was not easy. It was over twenty years from when he was anointed to be king to when he was crowned as king.  From then on his life should have been trouble free. As the king of Israel he should have been with his army on the battlefield but instead he was at home looking over his neighbors rooftop and he saw a woman bathing.

He took what he wanted. His sin with Bathsheba was David’s choice and the murder of her husband on the front lines of the battle was David’s choice. When David repented, God forgave him but He did not allow that baby to live. There were consequences as there will be when we  sin but God did not change his purpose or plan for David’s life.

The debates between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will have caused division. One  area that has been contentious is that of salvation. John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius had totally opposite views. Calvin believed in predestination that God chooses the one to receive salvation. Arminius believed that man chooses to receive God’s offer.

The Bible shows both sides and also attests to God’s use of supernatural elements to influence the affairs of humanity. Although we may not understand how human choice and divine choice can both be fully operational we can accept both truths because the Bible teaches both of them. Acts 13:48 “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”

We need to be responsible for our choices and we also need the comfort of knowing that God is able to take our unwise choices and work them together for our good and His ultimate purpose. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose.”

The story is told about a mother who wanted to encourage her child in his piano lessons so she took him to a concert by a famous pianist. After they were seated the mother saw someone she knew and she went to talk to them. Left alone, the little boy decided to do some exploring behind a door marked, “No Admittance.”

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin the mother returned to her seat to find the boy missing. Suddenly the curtains parted and the spotlights focused on the Steinway on stage. There sat the little boy slowly picking out, each note of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

At that moment the great pianist made his entrance and quickly moved to the piano. Sitting down beside the boy, he leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” He reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part and then he reached around him with his right hand and added a running obligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a very awkward situation into a wonderfully creative experience for everyone. The  boy was encouraged, the pianist showed his amazing versatility and the audience was given some unexpected entertainment.

When I heard this story I saw it as a wonderful illustration of how God works all things together for good in my life. As the Master pianist He’s there with His arms on either side of me and He whispers in my ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” As I am playing the melody I chose for my life He is working everything together in harmony with His will.

There are no accidents with God! All things are either allowed by Him or caused by Him for His purposes.  He has absolute control of all things past, present and future. The mistakes and the poor decisions I have made are not beyond His redemption. In his sovereignty He is able to work even my failures together for my good and His glory!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect You, Perfect Me, Paradise

“Why isn’t the world perfect?” This was an interesting question which surprised me.  I did not have a ready answer but I responded with another question, “What would the world or people look like if they were perfect? ” To be perfect is not necessarily the same thing to everyone so we need to agree on the meaning.

Some dictionary meanings given are; free from faults or defects; as good as it is possible to be; lacking nothing essential to the whole. These are helpful but we also need a standard to measure everything by. What does it mean for the world or people to be as good as it is possible to be? There are as many answers as there are people.

There is only one unchanging standard for determining what is good or perfect and it is found in the Word of God. One of the standards, called the golden rule, is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Although there are some people who try to live that, not everyone does, so our world and humanity is imperfect and not good.

But there is a perfect world coming, one that is as good as it is possible to be. That perfect world will be filled with perfect people who are free from faults and defects. “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor 2:9  Can we even imagine?

Genesis 1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  He made the sun, moon and stars, the vegetation and all living creatures and He said it was good.  He made man in His image, as a reflection of Himself and  breathed life into his body, soul & spirit. Then God planted a garden in Eden and He put the man,  Adam in it.

Finally  God made Eve to be  Adam’s female companion and God said that everything  was very good.  It was good but it wasn’t perfect because the  serpent, (devil,  Satan, Rev 12:9) was there. He deceived Eve and she and Adam disobeyed God. The sin of disobedience brought upon them and all of creation, the consequence of death!

As their bodies were no longer clothed in God’s glory they knew they were naked. Adam had enjoyed close fellowship with God, walking and talking together in the garden but now when he heard God’s voice he felt shame and he hid. As a result of Adam’s disobedience nothing was good anymore.  All of creation was under a curse!

Mankind, animals, nature, vegetation and all of creation was forever changed. Their life from now on would be difficult and everything  would deteriorate and eventually die. God removed them from the garden and He placed cherubim and a flaming sword at the entrance to guard the way to the tree of life.

The basis of their sin was that Adam and Eve wanted something different than what God wanted for their life. They didn’t trust God and didn’t believe that God’s plan for them was the best. Since then in every human heart there is that same cancer cell of rebellion that says I want something different than what God wants for me.

But God had a plan for their redemption and the eradication of evil forever. In sentencing Satan , God pronounced a curse on him saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall crush you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Romans 5:12 “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned -” Galatians 4:4-5 says, “When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, …in order that He might redeem those who are under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When the time was right God sent His Son, Jesus, into this world, to be born as a perfect, sinless baby to a virgin named Mary. Laying aside His divinity He  took on the form of humanity and came to do the will of His Father in heaven.

Born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, He lived in subjection to His earthly parents, growing in favor with God and  man. Except for once when he was twelve years old we don’t hear much about Him until He was  thirty years old. Then He was baptized in the Jordan river, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and the voice of His Heavenly Father said, “Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”

After He had overcome the devil’s temptations in the desert, He returned to Galilee preaching the gospel, casting out demons, healing the sick and doing many miracles. He chose twelve men as disciples to whom He could entrust His work after He was gone, and for three years He taught them how to live by God’s kingdom principles.

Wicked men who did not believe He was the Son of God, had Him arrested, tried and convicted as a criminal. He was mocked, whipped and nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men. In the plan and foreknowledge of God He died, crushing the head of Satan, and redeeming us from the curse. But God raised Him from the dead!

He spent the next forty days preparing His disciples for His departure and return to heaven. Then He gathered them together and gave them final orders not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Father’s promise. They would then be baptized with the Holy Spirit, Who would  empower them to be His witnesses to the whole earth.

As His disciples were looking on, He was lifted up and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Suddenly, two men in white clothing stood  beside them and said, “Why are you looking into the sky? This same Jesus Who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in just the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11

Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, as they were all together in one place, the Holy Spirit filled them and they began speaking in other languages. As Peter preached the gospel, the people’s conscience was smitten and they said, “What shall we do?” His reply was, “Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:1-41

“For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the LORD our God shall call to Himself.” All who repent and receive Christ’s provision of salvation will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit Who will empower them to change. They are not perfect yet but they are born again spiritually with a new heart and nature.

OUR PERFECT BODIES
One day Jesus will return, “He will descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air, and thus shall we always be with the LORD.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

We shall not rise with earth bound, flesh and blood bodies but we will be changed. We will have perfect, imperishable bodies fit for heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:42-53  says, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable,…we shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Philippians 3:20-21 says Jesus will transform our bodies into conformity with His body. The kind of body we will have will be like the body of Jesus after His resurrection.  In John 20:26 we read that the disciples were in a room with closed doors and suddenly Jesus appeared and in Luke 24:31 He disappeared while talking to His friends.

In his book, “Beyond the Cosmos,” Hugh Ross brings insight into what our changed bodies may be like. Right now, from birth to death we exist in the four dimensions of length, width, height and time. In the new creation, our bodies will have different characteristics and capacities.  We will be extradimensional and Romans 8:18-21 says creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay.

PERFECT LIFE
Our new habitation will be free of natural and man made disasters and crime, as nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination (detestable things) shall come into it. Sorcerers, immoral persons, murderers, idolaters, prostitutes (males called dogs in Deut 23:18) and everyone who loves and practices lying will not be there. The devil, the cowardly and the unbelieving  will not be there, and there shall be no curse.

God will dwell among His people and He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall no longer be any death, mourning, crying or pain. They shall not hunger nor thirst any more, neither shall the sun beat down on them. There shall no longer be any night. There will be no need of a lamp, nor light from the sun or moon because the Lord God will illumine them with His glory.

We will recognize each other. Moses and Elijah were recognized when they appeared at the transfiguration of Jesus. Matt 17:3. We will also have perfect love and intimate fellowship with one another without sex, sexuality or marriage. Matt 22:29-32. War and fear will not be there. Isaiah 65 says the wolf and the lamb will graze together and the lion shall eat straw like an ox.

Whether we will live in the new heaven, the new earth or the new Jerusalem, only those whose names are found written in the book of life, who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior, will be there. The people who are there have overcome the devil because of the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, and because of the word of their testimony and they were willing to die for their faith.

John 14:1-3 Jesus told His disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. I am going  to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.” As perfect people we will live forever in a perfect place! Paradise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus Is Coming Again

Jesus is coming back to earth someday! If He came today would you be ready? Are you looking for Him and longing for His coming? Heb 9:28 says, “…Christ …shall appear a second time…to those who eagerly await Him.”

The early believers spoke and wrote about His coming soon but they did not know when. When the disciples asked when it will happen,  Jesus answered, “…No one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matt 24:36

Not long before His crucifixion,  as Jesus was sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, they asked Him,  “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)

Several times before this as He was teaching the disciples He told them that He was going to be killed and raised to life again.  Mark 9:32 says,  “They did not understand this statement and they were afraid to ask Him.”

Now Jesus begins speaking about His coming and of the end of the age. He begins with a warning, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ, the Messiah’  and will mislead many.”

Then He describes the state of chaos the world will be in. There will be wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom and in various places famines and earthquakes. This could be today’s newspaper!

He says they will be persecuted and hated by all nations  because they bear the name of Jesus.  Many will leave the faith and  betray and hate one another. The love of many people will grow cold because of the lawlessness and iniquity.

False Christs and false prophets  will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead people, even Christians. If someone says He is in this or that place, do not believe them because Christ’s coming will be like a flash of lightning, from the east to the west.

Just like in the days of Noah, people were living ordinary lives, eating and drinking, and marrying until the day Noah entered the ark, and they didn’t understand until the flood came and took them all away; that’s how His coming will be. There will be two men working side by side, one will be taken and the other left.

Over and over He told them to be ready because they do not know when He will come. He is coming on a day and at an hour when they do not expect Him. He warns them not to live without restraint, as if His coming is a long way off.

Luke 21:25-36 says “there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars and upon  the earth, distress of nations in bewilderment and perplexity at the roaring of the tossing of the sea . Men will be fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

“Then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near…recognize that the kingdom of God is near….Be on your guard….keep on the alert at all times, praying….”

At the Passover meal, the last supper Jesus had with His disciples, He knew His time had come to leave this world and go back to His Father in heaven.  He tried to prepare them but they didn’t understand. He told Peter, “Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow later.”  John 13:36

He told them, “Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places… I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3

After His crucifixion and resurrection Jesus was with them for forty days teaching them.  His last words to them were, “Stay in Jerusalem, wait for the Father’s promised baptism of the Holy Spirit that I told you about, Who will empower you to be My witnesses to the end of the earth.”  Acts 1:1-5

After He had said these things, as they were looking into the sky, He disappeared into a cloud. Two men in white clothing appeared and said to them, “Why are you looking into the heavens (sky)? This Jesus will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”  Acts 1:9-11

Peter, who was there as Jesus disappeared in the cloud, that day, waited with others in the upper room in Jerusalem for the promised baptism. After he received the Holy Spirit with power to witness, he stood up and preached his first sermon with the result that three thousand souls believed on Jesus.

From that day on Peter determined to tell people about Jesus! The man who had run in fear and denied that he knew Jesus, now boldly encouraged believers to continue in the faith in spite of the Roman persecution under Nero’s reign. He wrote letters of encouragement and also of warning.

He reminded them that he was an eye witness to all that he told them about Jesus. He had heard the Father’s voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased.” But the message will not be accepted by everyone!

Mockers will come saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since our fathers passed away, all continues as it was from the beginning of creation.”2 Pet 3:3

They forget that God already destroyed the earth once by a flood. He is not slow about His promise, but He is patiently giving people time to repent. He does not want anyone to perish. His patience is their opportunity for salvation.  But eventually the Lord will come as He promised.

In Paul’s letter to Timothy he told him, “Realize this, that in the last days difficult, perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable,”

“Malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as this.” 2 Tim 3:1-5

As believers who are looking eagerly for His coming we are to live differently. We are to “abide (stand firm)  in him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him at His coming.” 1 John 2:28

“Now we are children of God, and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (kindred) of the earth will mourn (lament) over Him…’I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, ‘Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev 1:7-8

In a  letter to the Thessalonian believers Paul  tells them that those who are alive when Jesus comes will not go before those who have died. He describes the coming of the Lord. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God;”

“And the dead in Christ (believers who  have died) will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord…Comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 -18

Jesus’ words of comfort to Martha regarding Lazarus’ death were, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” John 11:25-26

Paul explains a mystery to the Corinthian believers, “We shall not all sleep (die) but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Cor 15:50-53

In the light of Christ’s coming, how should we live? Jesus explained the way to live to the multitudes and to His disciples. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

“For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

“For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man (Jesus) will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38

Jesus is coming for all those who have repented of their sins and have accepted His salvation. He is coming for all who believe in Him. Those who are trying to establish their own righteousness will not go with Him. They will be left behind!

Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Jesus is not going to take unrighteous sinners to heaven. His death on the cross made salvation available to all who believe and accept His provision.

Romans 10:8-10 “The word of faith is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

Jesus is coming! The fact that He has not come yet does not mean He is not still coming! His words to us are, “Be ready! Live as if He is coming today! Watch!”

 

 

 

God’s Love And His Anger

On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards delivered his famous sermon entitled, “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God.” The message was given in Enfield, Connecticut at the height of the Great Awakening. The powerful imagery of hell invoked fear.

The text was Deuteronomy 32:35, “Their foot shall slip in due time.” God was angry with the Israelites who had forsaken Him and provoked Him to anger with their worship of demons and other gods. Over and over He had been their Rock, their provider and their deliverer but they turned away from His love and now He was angry with their rebellion.

The message was meant to make people think seriously about their eternal destination. He wanted sinners to realize that someday they will be judged by God, whose judgement will be more fearful and painful than they can comprehend. Graphic descriptions and vivid imagery enhanced the themes presented. A short summary of some of the main points were;

1. Unrepentant sinners face a fearful judgement from which there is no escape
2. Time is short for the unrepentant; God’s wrath will come suddenly and unexpectedly
3. It is only God’s free choice that extends the ‘day of mercy’ and provides another opportunity to respond to His call.
4. Although there are not visible means of death before them at the moment the wicked should not feel secure.
5. All that wicked men may do to save themselves will not save them from the pain of hell if they reject Christ.
6. God has never promised to save anyone from hell, except for the provision of salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross.

His words were meant to condemn the sin in those who were unrepentant and to shake the “fence sitters” out of their complacency. People responded in various ways. Many times the sermon was interrupted as listeners were moaning and crying out, “What must I do to be saved?” Some fled the church and others screamed and nearly fainted! He scared the hell out of a lot of people!! Some repented, believed and received Christ.

Most of the time we want to think of God as all loving, giving and kind. And He is! Scripture says God is Love, that’s His very nature, but He created us with a will, we are not robots. We can exercise our will to love Him and live a life pleasing to Him or we can turn our backs on Him and follow everything that is pleasing to us. We always have a choice.

When we choose our way, He still shows us His love and stands with arms extended, calling us back to Him as He did with Israel. Unfortunately many people reject His call and decide to go their own way. They think they can do it their way and it will be accepted. God says our righteousness is like filthy rags. We can never be good enough or do enough good deeds to cover our sins.

God created us as eternal beings which means, each person will live forever. We were made with a body, soul and spirit. Our body of flesh and blood will die but our soul and spirit will always live somewhere in eternity! God has provided two places for us to live; heaven or hell. There is no third choice! There is no waiting place where we can buy more time to be made ready for heaven!

Two choices;  #1. Heaven, in the place Jesus has prepared for us, to be with Him forever, in the presence of our Father and His angels,  and #2. Hell (the lake of fire) which is prepared for the devil and his demons but where unrepentant sinners will be sent after they face Almighty God! In his book,”Beyond the Cosmos” Hugh Ross says, “The lake of fire is a place where people and demons get what they want above anything else: freedom from the will and rule of God and freedom from the restraints of conscience.”

Jesus told the disciples, don’t worry about the persecution you will encounter as you witness for Me. “Don’t fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;…” Proverbs 1:7 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.”

Hell is a real place! It’s a place of torment from which there is no escape once you are there! In parables and stories Jesus spoke of people being  sent to a place of outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The book of Revelation speaks of fire and brimstone as the final end of those who refuse God’s offer of salvation. Those who accept the world’s system will be tormented with fire and brimstone with the smoke of their torment ascending forever. Revelation 14:9-11

Today is the day of salvation! James 4:13-14 “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will…’  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.” Hebrews 2 (paraphrased) “We must pay attention to what we’ve heard. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Jesus came to deliver us.” Hebrews 3 and 4, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Jesus, the sinless Son of God, came from heaven to earth, took on human flesh, lived as a man, was crucified as the Lamb, sacrificed for the sins of all mankind. The blood of Jesus, now cleanses from sin and saves all who receive Him as their Savior. Romans 10:9-13 (paraphrased) “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart… the word of faith…  if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved.”

“For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation… Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed… Whoever will call upon the Name of Jesus will be saved.” John 3:16 “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

My friend, what about your soul? Will you spend eternity in heaven or hell? The decision is yours! Do not wait, you may not have another time! Christ stands at the door of your heart but you must open the door! Can you say the words from the hymn by Horatio G Spafford, “It is well with my soul!  – My sin – oh, the bliss of this glorious thought – my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.”

Today is the day! There is no guarantee of tomorrow!

 

 

 

How Can I Say Thanks?

The song, “My Tribute” by Andrae Crouch, gives glory to God as he asks the question, “How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved yet You give to prove Your love for me.” Thinking back over the last months I ask the same question!

I am overwhelmed with the goodness of God! Not because everything that I have gone through was good at the time but things have worked together for my good. At the beginning of the year I was not sure I would recover from the worst flu virus that I have ever experienced.

Somehow I picked up the virus when I traveled to Kelowna to spend Christmas with my children. On December 19 I boarded a West Jet plane in Abbotsford prepared for a long flight via Calgary. We left at 9 AM and arrived at our destination at 1 PM.

It was so nice to be together for Christmas but gradually I became more congested and sick. I was so glad Maureen had arranged for a wheelchair for me for the flight home.  I could not have walked to any gate to board for the return home to Abbotsford.

Weeks went by and as I slowly recovered I realized that the independence I had taken for granted was no longer best for me.  My strength is not what it was and as time passes I need to face the truth of my age and admit my need for help. I needed to live near my children who could help me when I needed it.

Before this I had begun making applications to some of the Seniors residences in various places in the lower mainland, in the valley and in Kelowna. I had toured a few of them but there were waiting lists for the ones I felt were affordable.

One place in Kelowna had responded some months before but the available suite was not suitable. Now I received a call from them that two suites would be coming up and one would be on a floor I wanted.  Dwayne took photos and sent them to me. I felt the time and the place were right for the move.

Because I would need to downsize, I called the Bibles For Missions Store  to pick up my excess furniture. Everything that I had collected thinking I would need it someday was now given to charity. There was so much I was not using and didn’t need to keep.

I got out the boxes and began the big job of packing. I was so thankful for my children who helped in so many ways. Dustin and Laurie came and helped with boxes and taping. Brenda & Josh came from Edmonton early to help with the last packing, cleanup and overseeing the move out.

Conditions on the Coquihalla highway were bad and the movers coming from Kelowna had spent the night in their truck.  By noon the next day they were at my apartment loading. The next morning Brenda, Josh & I left with Brenda driving.

It was February and winter conditions prevailed but with Brenda’s truck driving skills and the snow clearing trucks leading us through the worst part on the Coquihalla, we made it to our destination safe and sound. It was actually a good trip!

Dwayne was overseeing the moving in to the suite on the Kelowna side, meeting the   movers there and supervising the placement of furniture etc. After the movers left Dwayne & Brenda & I began the big job of unpacking boxes and finding a place for everything.

I stayed with Dwayne & Maureen for a couple of days while we finished unpacking and did all the things necessary to making the new place homey. The staff welcomed me to the Chateau  with a card and bouquet of flowers on my kitchen counter.

Settling in has not been difficult although living in a community is a different way of life to living independently. There is far more structure. Eating meals at a certain table and time as well as signing out if I leave the building is something I am getting used to!

I am getting to know some of the people. The staff are very caring and always ready to help. There’s various activities. Last week we went to the Greenery Garden Center and a walk at Mission Creek is coming up. We can be as involved as we wish to be.

We are within walking distance of the big mall and other stores and restaurants. I have not found a Doctor taking new patients but a good walk in Medical Clinic is close which is taking care of my needs. We have a Shuttle bus which takes people to appointments.

I am enjoying Sunday Services at the Alliance Church nearby. The Senior’s Bible study and group activities will resume in the fall which I am looking forward to. I have met most of the Pastors and the Pastor of Community Care says she is coming to visit me.

So, my life has taken an unexpected turn! At the end of 2016 I never envisioned the things that have happened. Moving into a Seniors residence, in a city I was not familiar with was not on the horizon but I am happy to be here. God was in it!

I say thanks to God for all He has done for me! I say thanks to my children for all they have done for me! They sacrificed their time and energy to make sure I was looked after. Thank you! The Lord will bless you for caring for your mother!

 

 

Be Still My soul!

I woke up with one line of an old hymn, “Leave to thy God to order and provide,-” As the hymn didn’t come to mind immediately, I searched my hymnal and found the beautiful old hymn, “Be Still My Soul!” I spent my quiet time with the Lord pondering the meaning of the words, the comfort and encouragement of  each thought expressed!

“Be still my soul! The Lord is on thy side; Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change He faithful will remain. Be still my soul! thy best, thy heavenly Friend thro’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still my soul! thy God doth undertake, to guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still my soul! The waves and winds still know His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still my soul! the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored. Be still my soul! When change and tears are past, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.”

The words are so applicable at this time of year as we prepare to end one year and begin another. In the rush and worry of Christmas we need to spend time in stillness! Life is short and stress is a thief, robbing us of joy and often our health. Be still in your soul!

Psalm 46:10 expresses some of the same thoughts which I will paraphrase, “Cease striving, let go, relax, stand silent, Know that I Am God!” The reason we can have the stillness of soul is because we know God (intimately)! We have a relationship with Him that is immovable no matter what comes our way. He is my God!

The Psalm begins with, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help. He’s abundantly available for help in trouble (or tight places.) Therefore we will not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea.

4-There is a river of joy flowing through the City of God, the sacred home of the God above all gods. God, Himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay His help. The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among us. He has come to rescue us. Come and see the glorious things God does.”

When God is in the city, in my heart, in my home, I can stand unmoved by the turmoil around me. I can commit my future to Him, leaving the ordering and provision to Him because I know He has looked after all my needs and even some wants in the past.

I refuse to let my hope and confidence be shaken because I know the waves and winds, the storms that come my way, are subject to Him. They still know His voice!! On the Sea of Galilee, Jesus spoke to the waves and the wind which stopped at His command.

This world is not my home! Someday all sorrows, disappointments, fear and grief will no longer have any place in my life and I shall go to my forever home to be with Him. In the meantime I make time to be still, to reflect on the goodness of God towards me. I spend time in His Word as He speaks to me and I talk to Him with thankfulness!