Cleaning up.
Changing Colors.
Going with the flow.
Changes in seasons is sometimes hard, but at the same time it is adventurous and fun. It brings new hope and a chance to experience new grace and peace–and to feel His contentment and mercy as we have so many times before.
Jesus taught that prayer should be in unity with others (Matthew 18:19-20) Sometimes when we pray we are not in unity and in agreement with others. But we should always strive for unity—that is, unity in the body of Christ. We can never have unity and agreement with those outside of the body of Christ, but we should always strive for unity within the body. For the body of Christ is one, of which we are all part. Therefore, since each of us (in the Christian church) is a part for the body of Christ it is natural that our prayers should be united and flow together in agreement by the power of the Holy Spirit.
At first it was hard for me to find in the gospels where Jesus taught this idea of unity in prayer (other then in Matthew 18:19-20); but then, as I studied it, it…
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In addition to the constant preaching all over the world by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the Tribulation, God will send His angels to warn the world of what is coming in the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation. We don’t know to what extent the angels will be active in this warning ministry, but here in these verses is what John saw and heard.
Revelation 14:6-7. And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
Here John saw something incredible: an angel flying across the sky preaching the eternal gospel to all the world. We don’t know how he will do it, but he will. Perhaps it will be broadcast over the internet or TV so that all will see and hear it. That is my guess. Or perhaps this one angel will have others helping him. At any rate, we know that all the world will hear this eternal gospel.
Now this gospel will not merely be presented; it will be preached with a stern warning that they must repent and believe now because God’s judgment is coming. I think it will be much like the preaching of John the Baptist.
Verse 8. And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
This is not only a warning but a declaration that the evil, idolatrous and immoral system of Babylon will certainly be destroyed. Its destruction will begin at about the midpoint of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist himself along with his ten kings will make desolate the harlot (the false religious system) because of his hatred for her. He will be envious of her power and will want all power for himself (read Rev. 17:16-17).
The climax of Babylon’s fall will be toward the end of the Tribulation, when Rome, the future capital city of the world and of the Antichrist falls and is burned up, along with all of its riches and power (Rev. 17 and 18). Some may disagree with Rome being that city and say that it is the actual rebuilt city of Babylon. However, as I have stated in my book, After the Rapture, after the ancient city of Babylon was destroyed in 539 B. C., the high priest, along with the entire Babylonian system moved to safety and settled in Rome. There they merged their evil beliefs and idols with the Roman Emperors as well as with the Catholic Church. Hence, the city of Rome essentially has become Babylon.
Verses 9-11. Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Here, with this angel’s message is the final and ultimate warning. The first massage was to fear God and give Him glory, and thus to repent and be saved. The second message is that there is no hope for the Antichrist’s kingdom—that it is fallen and will be no more. This third message and stern warning is that if anyone decides to follow the Antichrist—to worship Him and receive him mark—they will suffer the wrath of God forever.
Now let me mention just a couple of things from this passage. The first is that because of the strength and clarity of the message, no one will be able to plead ignorance at and during their judgment. They will not have any way out. Secondly, it is clear here that all those who receive the mark will also worship the beast. The two go together. That is, no one can say I received the mark but I do not worship him. Thirdly, it is very clear here what hell will be like; hence, no one can say that they weren’t aware of the reality and severity of the judgment. Here are three distinctives of hell:
1. Hell will be to experience the wrath of God forever, which is the full strength of His anger.
2. Hell is being tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb of God.
3. Hell is to have no rest day and night. To me, this means to have no peace, no contentment, and no satisfaction of life. It will be a continual experience of pain and anxiety without a rest break.
I’m always looking for new things to photograph. I got a kick out of seeing these little fish near the shore of this shallow creek.
I said to the Lord, what are you teaching me now from these little fish. He gave me this thought: These little fish have no idea that I am delighted in them; yet the Lord uses them to delight me and allows me to see His glory in them. In the same way God may choose me and allow others to see His glory in me, even though I am not aware of it. They may see how I do my work so expertly and with care (I am a house painter). They may see how God has gifted me and how He has caused me to love my work and how I move along so effortlessly in the stream of life–like a little fish, ha ha.
Matthew 5:16. “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in Heaven.”
I took this picture outside my window. I am blessed by the Lord.
I stopped and admired this birch tree. I love its white slender branches and also the golden yellow leaves bouncing in the cool wind.
What a perfect autumn scene.
Jesus taught that prayer must be in His name (John 14:12-14; 15:7, 16; 16:23, 24). In these verses Jesus teaches clearly that if we expect to receive what we ask for we must ask for those things in His name. What does that mean? Well, in the first passage (Jn. 14:10-14), Jesus shows us that praying in His name is praying in oneness or in unity with Him—that just as Jesus is one with the Father, we demonstrate that we are one with Jesus (and the Father) when we pray in His name. For when Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit came to us and united us with the Father and Son. And so when we pray in His name we demonstrate our oneness with Him, because we pray in unity with the Son who is one with the Father. And we do it by the Spirit. Then…
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In this blog we will concentrate on the relationship between the witnesses and Jesus the Lamb during the seven-year Tribulation.
Revelation 14:1-5. Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
Indeed, right from the start John noticed the meeting they were having on Mount Zion, which, as Ray Steadman points out was within the limits of Jerusalem.2 Ray Steadman also points out that…
Jesus Christ will be on earth during this time and will reveal Himself from time to time to these Jewish disciples, just as He appeared to His followers during those remarkable forty days after his resurrection.3
Now the question is, what is the meeting about? Well, I think that since the earth was about to experience the great Tribulation, and be warned of it by angels (Rev. 14:6 ff), that this meeting is somewhat of a commissioning and for encouragement. I think it will be very much like when Jesus met with His twelve disciples on a mountain just before His ascension.
But it will also be like a great rally and a time of worship. And they will experience music and worship like nothing they have ever experienced. Heaven itself will come down to them. They will hear a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like thunder, and the sound of harps, and singing by the redeemed in heaven. They will sing a new song. And only the 144,000 will understand what they are singing.
I have a feeling that these kinds of meetings will take place more than just this once. I think Jesus will meet with them quite regularly—as often as is needed during this incredibly evil and hard time. They will need constant encouragement if they are going to daily preach His gospel to the world. And they in fact will remain chaste and blameless.
2 Ray Stedman, What On Earth Is Happening? (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Discovery House Publishers, 2003), p. 93.
3 Ibid., p. 93.
Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:13, alerts us that in the last days “evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse.” Crime and murder rates in this world are accelerating; and the porn industry has gone out of control. Here are two reasons for our present moral and spiritual corruption.
1. A rejection of God and the love of self. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul begins his list of evils with the main one: that people are lovers of self.
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. (bold for emphasis)
Many people, even Christians, think that God wants us to love ourselves, that we can’t love others unless we love ourselves. But that is not true. When the bible tells us to love others as ourselves, it is assumed that we naturally love ourselves. But we can’t leave it there. That natural love of self must be checked—or it will get out of control. The love of self will soon turn fleshly—to impurity and to all the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). And in the end self-love will prevent us from loving God.
2. A rejection of truth. Once people have rejected God by focusing on self, they will have no interest in truth. Why? Because they get so caught up in what pleases them, and that’s all they want.
Yes, self-love is very dangerous. It…
More on Self-Love
I think self-love is very deceptive. It is hiding everywhere, lurking on every corner. It is the basis of worldliness. We can’t get away from it, especially if we watch TV, go to movies, read the newspaper, etc. The world constantly is telling us how to love ourselves and that self-love is good. But the bible says the opposite (2 Tm. 3:2).
Self-love is selfishness. And we know that that is bad. But we don’t think of self-love that way. We think of it as being a good thing. That is why it is so deceptive. And it is also deceptive because what feels good to us isn’t always good for us in the long run. Food that tastes good may be very bad for us. Okay, good fresh fruit and vegetables are good for us to a point. But overeating anything, even healthy food can be bad. One apple is good; but three or four will give you a belly ache and may damage your stomach.
Do you have favorite TV shows or favorite movies? I don’t think anything is wrong with that; but when you sit and watch TV all day long on your days off, that is too much. You are feeding your flesh. It is the self-love talked about in 2 Timothy 3:2. If you really care about your physical and spiritual health you may want to think about denying yourself—which may involve some suffering. I think fasting—with suffering—may be good for you and good for the kingdom of God.
God has called us to love others, to reach out and care for others as much as we naturally care for ourselves.
Now that I think about it, I spend far too much time thinking about, planning for, and doing for myself. I ought to think more about doing for others and praying for others—being a servant as Christ was (Phil. 2:3-7).
Application
Will you join me and do what you need to do to break your trend of self-love?
Source: Foreshadows, By Steve Miller
Stephen Nielsen 