Revelation 12:13-17 – When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
“Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.” Again, Revelation 12:12 states that the devil is angry because he knows his time is short. He has been thrown out of heaven. He can no longer accuse and slander the children of God. God has blocked the devil’s efforts. He comes down and in his rage he attempts to destroy Israel. God again blocks the dragon’s evil plan. He is furious. All his plans are coming to naught. Like a lion who has the walls of a cage dropping in at his every side, the devil runs to escape the dropping walls, but he is stopped and entrapped at every side. Family, this is a scene we should remember. We should always remember what the book of Revelation confirms to us, that God is God and there is no other. That God is God and the devil is not. There is a day in which the reality that he is a created being and that he has no power against God becomes more than his fear, but his reality. Men can be like that. The unredeemed man raises his fist against God and shouts to the sky slanderous thoughts about God. He refuses to consider that the sides of the trap of reality are falling into place and he will have to face the fact that he is yelling at his Creator and his Benefactor. His own body fails him and delivers his eternal soul (that he denies) into the throne room of the God that he must answer to. Foolishness. Depravity. A soul eaten by the pride of a man’s own life. Horrible.
Satan opens his mouth and out spews water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away. God has put Israel in a safe place, a physical safe place. Fueled by the hatred and evil that has consumes him he does not give up and still desires to ravage and destroy Israel. He devises another plan. He releases a torrent of water to overwhelm and destroy Israel. What is this spewed water that is like a river?
“But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.” Some believe that the flood is an overwhelming enemy army. Psalm 124 uses this language as it describes an invading army being like a flood and also stating that it is God Himself who rescues them. Those who would interpret the flood as an invading army then believe that God performs some kind of miracle, perhaps like a mighty earthquake, that destroys the army. Exodus 15:12 gives a parallel to the language that the Lord swallows up the enemies of God’s people.
Others believe that the flood is another great rising up of anti-Semitism in the world, or at least in the region. This would make sense in believing that the flood is an army coming against Israel. In fact how apropos, if most, if not all, of the nations of the earth rise up against Israel. How ironic and fitting that all the nations of the earth come to physically fight against God as they have done so in their own souls. It would be fitting that it is the nations of the earth who plan and plot against the will of God and yet they are easily defeated by our omnipotent God. Praise God!
Some believe that the enemy will cause a literal flood of some kind that would sweep over where God is safely keeping them. Perhaps something like the changing of the direction of an underground river or some other mighty means. It is then that as the roaring water approaches (The devil’s plan against Israel) that God will open the earth and have the flood swallowed by the earth. The devil is blocked again. Another of His plans defeated. Yes, God is still, and always, in control.
However this occurs, In Numbers 16 we do have a precedent of the earth opening up and swallowing men who were rebelling and wanting to overthrow God’s appointed leader Moses. These men had the earth open up and swallow them, their households and all they owned. Then, lest there be any doubt that this was supernatural judgement from God, the split in the earth closed back up. Wow! What we are reminded is that God, and His plans cannot be defeated, not by anyone or anything.
“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” Again the devil had his evil plan blocked by God. Again we see that it is God who is control. Praise God! The anger of the dragon is fully raging. He cannot get to Israel, so he set off to war against the rest of her offspring. These are those who hold fast to, who do not deny their testimony of Jesus. He wars against those who repented and came to Jesus during the seven years of tribulation. These who refused to come to the Lord before the tribulation are now protected from the enemy as they will never lose their salvation. However, many, if not most of them, will have to suffer martyrdom (Revelation 20:4). Now some may say how horrible it is that the enemy is allowed to kill these believers. That is a worldly point of view. As if the value of this world is of greater value than being with the Lord forever. Now this is not horrible for these brothers and sisters, it is wonderful. It is better to be with God and away from the horrors that is happening on earth. It is always best to be with the Lord (Hebrews 11:13-16, 35-40). These people are blessed. They will be rewarded by God and not have to continue to suffer on earth. We must keep our perspective. We must keep our eyes on God and our faith in God. He knows best. He has it all in control. And we shall live forever and ever with Him. No more tears and no more sorrows (Revelation 12:4). It is our great hope! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withRevelation 12:13-17 – When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
“When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” Revelation 20:2 clearly identifies the dragon as the ancient serpent (Garden of Eden, Genesis 3), and as the devil, or Satan. The devil has been thrown out of Heaven. He is angry. Since the fall of mankind, he has been, during the times he was allowed in heaven, accusing and slandering mankind. This fallen angel is filled with fury (Revelation 12:12). He immediately aims to take out his fury against God’s beloved Israel. His hatred of God is expressed against the nation that brought forth the Messiah and against the people and the land where Jesus will return. In his rage, this powerful enemy, this dragon, wages war against Israel. His intent is total annihilation of Israel. He thinks that the Messiah was brought into the world through Israel so the devil’s intent is to kill all of Israel and control the land. He thinks that he will prevent the return of Jesus. He knows that the Word states that when Jesus returns He is coming back to Israel. When Jesus came the first time, it was a quiet and humble coming to us with not many even noting the greatest moment on earth to that date. When Jesus comes back all will know of His triumphant return (Acts 1:7, Mark 13:26, Acts 1:9-11). As the devil tried to kill the Messiah when He was a baby (Matthew 2:13-23) to prevent the Messiah from saving the world, so the devil is trying to prevent the Messiah from a successful triumphant return. And striking at God’s heart by annihilating Israel would be the added bonus. Family, let no one deceive you, God still loves Israel and He has not forgotten His promises to Israel. Even today, Israel is the key to knowing the prophecies of God.
If one wants confirmation of God’s love for His people Israel, and the land of Israel, we need only look and see how hard the devil has fought against her. At every turn in history we see some dictator, some ruler, trying to destroy Israel. All these sent by Satan will pale in comparison to the Antichrist. Even now the greatest threat to world peace is the Middle East conflicts, and even from most other nations in the world rising against her. They think they know their motivations, be it religious or political, but the real reason, their real motivator, whether they know it or not, is the great dragon’s hatred of God and Israel. It is that hatred working through them.
“The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.” That the woman was given “two wings of a great eagle” to escape with has different interpretations. God has previously said, when He has rescued Israel that He carried them away on the wings of eagles (Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 32:11) and we who believe in Jesus still quote Isaiah 40:31 as a comfort to us. The above scripture does not say who it is that will take care of Israel, many believe that God will once again supernaturally be the one who protects, feeds and provides for them.
Others believe that the great eagle whom God will use to protect Israel is the United States of America. Of course that is because the bald eagle is the national emblem of the United States. Also, even now, as we see countries from the East, Middle East and the West who increasingly align themselves against Israel, it is the United States who has stood most strongly with Israel. Whatever or whoever or however God chooses to save Israel, the most important thing to remember is that it is God Himself who saves Israel. It is the same way for us. Our help may come in many different forms, but we must always acknowledge that the help ultimately comes from God. Every. Single. Time. Praise the Lord!
Israel is protected from the devil for three and a half years. This time is usually understood to be the final years of the Great Tribulation.
Family, the enemy has a plan, and much might. But we need not fear because God has the winning plan and He has unlimited power to save us. After all God who is within us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withLuke 24:13-35 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Ready for church? Too often we are in a rush to get to church in the morning. We get up, do the things we need to do to get ready to go and then rush off. We get to church with our minds buzzing about things of our life. What has been happening in our lives, what is happening and what will next week bring. We rush into church, find a seat (our usual?) sit waiting to be blessed. Then sometimes we leave not feeling blessed. Not feeling rest. In fact, sometimes, we can feel even more frustrated. The music wasn’t the genre we like, or it was too loud, or just the wrong songs. The worship team wasn’t dressed right. Then we start on the pastor. He wasn’t dressed right either. He was too formal and stiff. He was too informal and relaxed. He spoke with no passion and softly. He spoke too passionately and loud. His message was the same old thing. His message was filled with facts we didn’t and too much background, just preach it. Driving home we wonder what is wrong with this church. We assess and criticize it. We wonder where the blessing is. If Jesus was there, we sure didn’t see him.
In the above scripture Cleopas and his friend were talking about Jesus as they walked along. They were considering who He was and what was His mission. When they met the teacher they were prepared to hear what He had to say because their minds were already fixed on Jesus. They had something to learn and they listened. They even listened after the teacher rebuked them. They were drawn to the message that they had been thinking about. As the teacher spoke to their open and prepared minds, their minds were further opened. They saw Jesus and were excited and left with “burning hearts” to tell of what they had learned.
Family, if we were not blessed by the worship music, if we were not blessed by the message, as we search for the reason why, we should first position ourselves in front of a mirror and there we will find the reason why. See, it is those who are seeking who find the Lord (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Luke 11:9). Those who find have both been, and are, seeking Him. They are actively seeking and then they find that He was first calling. Before we come to church, or Bible study, we must ready our hearts and come as a continuation of our pursuit of God. Then our pastors will preach amazing messages, the choir will sound like angels, the worship team will sing inspired and beautiful and we will leave blessed and thankful that God has given them to us to fan the flames that are already in our hearts. Matthew 6:33 “ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” First let us seek and then we will find.
If we want to know what is wrong with church…it’s probably our own self. But the good thing is that Jesus is ready to forgive us (1 John 1:9) and get us back on the path of blessings.
Blessings and love to all! God is good all the time and He loves us. Knowing these two things beyond all other things will keep us in peace at all times! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withReaching
On the tip of my toes
Deep from my soul
I am reaching
Though some don’t know
I feel your hands hold mine
My feet leave the ground
As You lift me
The earth that sometimes
Burns
And sometimes
Cools
No longer touches me
When I, In Your tight grasp
No longer touch it
I reach to find
Your already
Outstretched hands
My greatest thrill
Is Your love
From Your love
From Your love Your peace
From Your peace joy
Forever mine
Your love, peace and joy
Every moment with You
As a sweet reminder
Of what is coming
Because of your love
Lift my chin
Let me see your eyes
Oh to see Your smile
To hear Your laugh
It is what I live for
It is how I live
You
Only You
You
Only You
Yes, You
Only You
by Bob withMatthew 25:21 – His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!
Billy Graham is with the Lord now. While we will miss him, we are so happy for him. What he longed for his whole life he now has. Most importantly he is now with the Lord and never and forever will he not be with Him. Billy is quoted as saying “The most thrilling thing about heaven is that Jesus Christ will be there. I will see Him face to face. Jesus Christ will meet us at the end of life’s journey.” Well Brother Billy, check that one off your bucket list.
Billy is also quoted as saying that he longed to hear Jesus say to him “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21) Brother Billy, I’m sure that’s another thing you can check off your Bucket List.
Billy was faithful to His calling. It is said that he spoke to over two hundred fifty million people about the Lord. Like all great Christian leaders, he loved God and so he also loved both the lost and the redeemed. He hurt for the hurting. He was never in the news about a scandal. He was faithful to His wife. He did not smear the name of Jesus. He was willing to, as Jesus did, reach a hand into the mud to pull someone out of it. He associated with the sinner. He indeed came to carry on the work of the Lord to “…seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) He knew that all who love the Lord must love all people and seek to be a conduit of the Gospel to all. Billy always raised up the name of Jesus that people might be drawn to Him.
I thank God for Billy Graham. If I were as faithful to the Lord as he then I would not be me. I have slipped and hurt people, too many times. I have been selfish and put myself before others, too many times. I have cried over missed and broken opportunities, too many times. I have no shadow as men like Billy’s shadow passes over mine. Yet, I understand the cry of Billy’s heart. My heart yearns for the two same things as Billy’s I long to see Jesus face to face and I long to hear the same words spoken to me as Billy had longed to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things.” The cry of my heart is to, every day that I have, be faithful and pleasing to the Lord. Oh, my mistakes are plenty, but the grace of God through Jesus our Savior and Lord is more plentiful and infinitely more powerful the weakness of my sins. It is so wonderful that though I am no Billy Graham, that I am no Chuck Smith, that I am no Pastor Byron MacDonald, that I am still a son of God through Jesus my Savior. Jesus loved them. Jesus loved me. In spite of myself, Jesus loves me. It’s the biggest miracle I know…and my favorite one! And He loves you too! Praise God! Rejoice in God! Celebrate God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob with
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Revelation 12:10-12 – Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Again we are not told from whom the voice comes. Some would not believe that it is angel who is talking. They say so because of the statement “…the accuser of our brothers and sisters…”. Some people believe that an angel would not call himself and us as brothers and sisters. I don’t see the problem with that. In fact I am delighted to call the angels of God my brothers. Yes, we are saved through the blood of Christ, while they have not been. However, they too have a free will and they too have chosen to continue to love and cherish God rather than follow the evil of the devil. They use their free will to follow God, as we do (John 7:17, Joshua 24:15, Genesis 2:16-17, 2 Peter 2:4). They are used by God to do His will as we are. They are messengers of God as we are! Soldiers often refer to those who fight side-by-side with them as brothers. It is something we understand. Then is it hard to believe that we and the angels, who stand with God, could think of ourselves as brothers doing the will of God. We are called into the war that they were battling long before we were enlisted. In Revelation 22:9 John is overwhelmed by an angel and falls to worship at the feet of an angel but the angel responds to John “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” Here this mighty angel whose presence drops John to his knees calls John a fellow servant. We work side by side with angels to do the will of God. We are in good company! The Lord within us and the angels besides us. That should be a great encouragement. If one disagrees, okay, but I think that we, the angels and us, belong in the brotherhood of those who love and serve God. Praise God for the high calling He has brought us to! Praise God!
The main importance of this message is not the tools that God uses (angels and us) and that He may unite us for His purposes, it that now what is transpiring is that the time for Jesus to come and walk into the completion of what was already completed has come and is coming. This declaration is of what at that moment is happening and continues to happen. The salvation and the power of God that came to us and is with us is plainly revealed. It is Jesus, the Messiah. He comes with what He always had, authority (Daniel 7:14, Luke 9:1, Ephesians 1:19-22). How wonderful is the humility and wisdom and glory of God (Matthew 5:3-10)! The devil, drunk in his pride, deceives himself. He never had full authority anywhere. Always, all authority belongs to God. He can give authority and He can withdraw authority. Have we not seen this with earthly kings and rulers? When Nebuchadnezzar became too proud God not only removed him (temporarily) from authority, but God gave to Him what Nebuchadnezzar had demanded for his life. What Nebuchadnezzar had claimed for His life was the praise and the glory and the status that only belongs to God. For that God let that insanity of Nebuchadnezzar overwhelm him and he lived in the field and grazed like an animal to be slaughtered (Daniel 4:23-27). Indeed, all who are proud and who oppose God have made themselves beasts who know not that they will be destroyed and disappear. God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7) and He shares His glory with no one (Isaiah 42:8). Only God deserves His glory and He does not give it away. Jesus said he would come back in His revealed glory and at this time, it is happening. It is unfolding and being revealed! Family, let us jump for glory. Our hero stands atop the podium, He is revealed! It is the greatest victory of all time and He did it all for us. At this thought we should jump and shout! We should be like King David who shed all that he was, who set aside the garb of his earthly kingdom (given to him by God) to dance and sing before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:5, 20-22). Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice (Philippians 4:4).
The wonder and beauty of the true Victor is being revealed. The devil has been cast out of Heaven, he has been violently thrown out of Heaven. He is no longer allowed to slander and accuse the children of God. Daddy said He will not allow the enemy of our souls in His house to trouble us. Our Father God loves us and will not allow the enemy to torment us in Heaven. Jesus promised us peace (John 14:27) and our Lord is clearing house to make sure we have the peace. Praise God, praise His Champion! Our Champion! Praise God!
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Here we see that the powerful enemy we have has been defeated by us. But we had no power of our own to defeat him. We defeated Him by asking Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. Jesus has washed away our sins with the shedding of His blood. The full price of our sin has been paid by Jesus (Isaiah 53:4-5). Here it is being expressed that we stood with God and never shrank from claiming Him as our Savior and Lord. We have not been ashamed of His Word, but instead have propagated it wherever God has us. His Word not only reveals Him, but it reveals what He has planted within us and what and whom we are being crafted by Him to be. And there is no cost too much to never deny His name. We stand with God, no matter if we have to die, or those we love have to die. That is important, we never deny our testimony to shrink from death. We understand that when we are led to an execution we are led to eternal life. No, we do not shrink from death, instead we do what the world cannot understand. If need be, we leap into the arms of death only to be found in the arms of Christ! Praise God! We love God infinitely above all else. Is this fanatical? Yes, it also reasonable and right. There is no life, ours and any others, that is of higher value that our testimony in Christ. If we love life on this more than death than our God then the Word of God says we are not His (Exodus 20:3, 1 John 2:15).
“Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Yes rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord! Rejoice with all of God’s angels. Rejoice with all of those who through death have preceded us to Heaven. We, them and us, all rejoice. The kingdom of Jesus is coming, it is here, and it will never go away. Family the day comes soon. Praise God! Come soon Lord Jesus, come soon!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withZechariah 13:9 – “…This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
Throughout the history of Israel, they have both been faithful to God for a time and then, every time, they have fallen back into rebellion and to being unfaithful. Though God would discipline Israel, He also always offered grace to them. He always called them back. He always made a way back. Even now as the nation of Israel, as the people of Israel, the Lord always has a remnant of those faithful to Him (Isaiah 10). Noah and his family were a remnant of faithful and obedient to God (Genesis 6-8). Lot and his daughters were the remnant that survived the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). When the prophet Elijah thought he was the last remaining person on the earth who was faithful to God the Lord revealed to him that he had thousands of others who have remained faithful to him (1 Kings 19). And the Lord is still calling to the nation of Israel back to Him. Jeremiah 30:7 refers to the Great Tribulation as the “Time of Jacob’s trouble.” The End Times signs revolve around Israel because even though they rejected Jesus their Messiah, God continues to love them and call them back. Though they are unfaithful, God remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). God gives us grace not because of who we are, but because of who He is. He loves us because of who He is and not because any of us deserve His love. He is faithful to Israel because He made a promise to them and He will keep it. As we read the Old Testament, the mercy and grace of God, the faithfulness of God, jumps off the pages to us. When Jesus spoke of forgiveness, it was no theory, it is what God does for Israel, and all of us, every day.
Throughout the Word of God, His love, mercy and grace are evident for all to see, for all who will want to see. In the final days before the second coming of Jesus, the Lord will gather in His lost sheep, the remnant of Israel. We, the church of Jesus, should gather strength and faith from His faithful relationship with Israel. As He is faithful to Israel, so He is faithful to us. As He has never given up on Israel, so He never has, and never will, give up on us. His faithfulness to us is displays a part of who He is. His faithfulness to us can be traced back to His love of us. God is two things. He is righteous and He is loving. God is righteous, meaning He is good all the time. He is loving and He loves no-one more than His children. God is good all the time and He loves us. With a love that never ends and with a goodness that He cannot betray God will always save. That is who He is. It is part of His goodness and His love. God offers forgiveness to all because it is who He is. God saved and saves. He saves us and keeps saving us as He brings us home. So let us look at the faithfulness of God to Israel and let our faith in who God is grow. Look at the goodness and love of God in our own personal lives. We see that He saved us and saves us. We see that He is our Savior, our Healer, our Provider, our Protector and our God. He is the source of all blessings. We thank Him for every good thing. God has prophesied that Israel will come back to Him and acknowledge Him as their God. It is the same with us. It is true of us. We too do say, and will always say “The Lord is our God.” We will call on Him and He has stated “I will answer them.” We know who are God is. That He is good. That He loves us. And that He will answer us. God is faithful to us and we can, and we do depend on Him. Praise our God who is our refuge and comfort! Praise our God who is our everything! Seek our God in good times and in tough times. He always seeks us. May we always seek Him in all that do and with all that we are. He is worthy! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withRevelation 12:7-9 – Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.” The Bema Seat Of Christ, is where Christians have their works tested and receive rewards for their faithful deeds in the name of the Lord. Since Jesus has paid the full price for our sins and had our sins placed on Him, we will never face judgement for our sins. Our sins are covered by His sacrifice, by His blood. Only those who reject the coverage of the redemptive work of Christ will face judgement on the quality of their lives…how good and how bad they were. Of course, everyone being judged this way will end up in eternal torment because we know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven (John 3:18, John 14:6). All those at the Bema Seat of Christ do not face a Heaven or Hell judgement, all of us at the Bema Seat will only receive rewards. All those at the White Throne Judgement, those without the coverage of Christ for their sins, are judged based on their merit (Whether they were good or bad) to enter heaven. We know from Romans 3:23 that we have all sinned and fallen short of glory of God. What that means is that just one sin, be it only an errant thought, will keep a soul from Heaven. God’s standard to enter Heaven is perfection. No one who has ever sinned will call Heaven their home. All who do call Jesus Savior and Lord, those who no longer have their sins on them, those who love Jesus and have had their sins washed away by the blood of Christ, Heaven is their home. Family, it does not matter whether any one likes this fact of not. Those are the rules and there are no exceptions. Let us consider that God is righteous and just. He is righteous because he is not tempted by sin, He commits no sins and He tempts no one with sin (James 1:13-15). He is innately just. He shows no favoritism (Romans 2:11), He judges all men under the same rules. If God let any person into Heaven without Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then the Lord has not been just, then He has not judged us all by the same rules. Also, if Father God allowed anyone into eternal heaven, He would not be just to Jesus His Son. When a person wants to enter Heaven without having Jesus as their Savior and Lord, they are asking God to grant them favor and love over Jesus. That’s not going to happen. Not ever. To do that would be for God to deny Himself. All must come to Heaven through Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
The Bema Seat Judgement happens after the rapture (the taking away of the church to be with God) (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54). This is important to note because then we know that this war, that the devil loses, takes place as the Church receives its permanent place in the presence of God.
The devil has had access to be before God. What does he do before God? What we know he does is that He continuously accuses all of God’s children before God. Surely, we all give him plenty of ammunition to accuse us. But the devil, who has lost the battle against us because of the sacrifice Jesus did for us, never wins the war in accusing the redeemed of the Lord. The work of Jesus was not a work that appeared once and then disappeared. The sacrifice of Jesus is a work that exploded the attempt of the devil to keep us away from God. The work of the devil was utterly and eternally destroyed by the work of Jesus. The work of Jesus is perpetual and never grows weaker. By His single act the reverberation, the efficacy of the work of Jesus to save all who come to Him, is never diminished. All who come are saved. All who are saved are saved with an eternal power. This is the great truth of the relationship between God and man. John 3:16 remains and nothing can resist or overcome it.
Now the devil has had access to accuse God’s people (Job 1:9) for all these millennia. Now God’s people are in heaven. Now that we shall ever be with the Lord, there is no room for the accuser, the slanderer of God’s people, to be present. (The name Devil means accuser and the name Satan means adversary.) We are in heaven and the accuser is no longer allowed to be in Heaven to bring us heartache (Revelation 21:4). Those who sin and the also what is impure are not allowed in Heaven (Revelation 21:27, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 22:15). What Father would allow anyone to be a guest in his house who would only malign his children? No, a person who does not love the children of the house are not allowed visit the house. When we arrive in heaven the devil is no longer allowed to be in heaven to accuse us. Our victory is complete and eternal.
The devil who wanted to overthrow the rule of God (Isaiah 14:13-15), and who continued to strike at God by striking at us His beloved, is there to watch the proof of his defeat arrive. We, the church of Christ, arrive and as we arrive, he and his demons are thrown out of heaven. How ironic, how great is it that the enemy of our souls must see the proof of his defeat, us, arrive for permanent residence with God. Oh his fury overcomes him!
Michael led angels against Satan and the demons. They tried to resist. But they were defeated. They will be understanding what their loss means. Satan will lose the fight. Actually, he has already lost the fight. He lost it at Calvary. Satan and the demons who follow him lost their place in heaven forever.
How wonderful is the wisdom and knowledge of God. The name Michael means “who is like God.” So Michael, whose very name is speaking the truth that no one is like God, is the one who battles against the devil and throws him out of heaven. The one whose name means “who is like God” is the one who throws out the one who wanted to be like God! Oh the majesty, wonder and superiority of God! Praise God.
“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Satan who opposed God and who opposed our redemption, is hurled out of Heaven. Imagine an unruly person, who refused to leave a nightclub, having a huge bouncer grabbing his collar and belt and being thrown from the premises. Good bye devil and don’t come back. One of the last things he sees is that the victory of Jesus was indeed and true. He sees the evidence of it in our presence in Heaven. Praise God! Thank you Jesus! Family let us rejoice because Jesus saved us by totally defeating the one who hates Him, and us. Praise God! Thank you Jesus!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob with
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2 Corinthians 13:11-14 – 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
How much do we love the family we are born into? Of course we love them immensely. Through all the family struggles and all the family fun, we love each other. There may subjects that are best not talked about, but we love each other. Always we love each other. We do not easily walk away from such bonds. Such is the deep bond (and greater) that we have for each other in Christ. I truly love the children of my brothers and sister in Christ. We, all children and adults in Christ, are family. Do we realize the deep bond? Family, the Word of God is clear that only those who love and serve the Lord will be forever together with Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). Heartbreakingly sad is that there are those in our natural families who reject Jesus. The Word of God is clear that, at death, unless one already knows Jesus as Savior and Lord, they will not dwell with God (Hebrews 9:27). But we know who will dwell eternally with God, all our brothers and sisters who truly love and serve God. Though we certainly disagree with each other about some things (sometimes strongly) we are united together by the blood of Christ. Family, Jesus said that we must love God with everything that we are and love each other as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). These two commandments fulfill all that has been revealed to us in the Law and the Prophets. Everything hangs on love. Everything.
Since we are eternally bonded in love, but not yet in heaven, out of love, let us not hurt each other, but encourage each other. We don’t need to agree on everything. Two people who greatly love God can disagree on things. What should not happen is that we should break fellowship and speak against each other over earthly matters. We must, if we are in Christ, love each other (1 John 4:7-8). We must remember that the love we are called to is a proactive love (Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-37). It seeks out to encourage and to do good. It rushes out to the sides of those in need. It overlooks differences of opinion and hurtful words not only because we love them, but the origin of our love for each other is the love of God within. The love of God breaks down walls, forgives offenses, and loves when love seems impossible. We all were once wallowing in detestable stench (Isaiah 64:6) and still God loved and saved us. That is the love that we are to have for each other. We don’t need to agree with each other to love each other. Never let the love of bondage be broken. Always, from the pure love of God, do good to each other. Restore loving relationships that have been damaged. Find the common ground of the love of God. Avoid what separates and dwell in the love of God that unites. Let the love and peace of God perfect us and unite us. Truly love and so be excited with joy to see each other. Give a holy hug to each other. Let the expression on our faces, when we see each other, be easily read as joy and love.
The Golden Rule that God gave to us does not say to avoid evil, it says to do good (Matthew 7:12). In doing so we show who is within us. By being active in displaying the love of God to the world we are then inactive in doing evil. If our time is filled “doing love” then we will have not have time for evil. The love of God is the answer. May we live in it today! May we all walk in the awareness of God’s blessing in our lives. It all starts with the love of God! May the love of God overflow and pour out of us in gratefulness to Him and in love for each other! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withGenesis 3:8-9 – Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LordGod among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
How do we see God? When we read this verse, how is God envisioned? We know that Adam and Eve sinned. This events of this verse take place after a little time has passed. After eating the forbidden fruit they felt shame over their nakedness where formerly they had not felt shame. (Genesis 2:25). They had changed. Their world view had changed from a Godly world view to their own world view. The way they saw the world, each other and themselves changed. Before they only knew what God had revealed. They had been innocent (Romans 5:12, Genesis 3:7). Then they made a decision against what was the will of God for their lives. They placed their own will before the will of God. God did not want them to sin, He wanted them to live forever in learning and growing in what He would reveal to them. But by exercising their will over God’s will for their life everything about them changed. Family, when a child is born the mother and father burns in their hearts with a desire that their child could live a life of innocence. Parents want to protect the child from all harm. God never wanted Adam and Eve to know anything but bliss and love. He created a special garden that was a paradise on earth. They didn’t need to worry about hunger, or thirst or danger. They didn’t wonder if God loved them. If they had a question they could just ask God. They didn’t have to wonder if they loved each other, they did. Everything was perfect. Ahh, so perfect!
After sin, Adam and Eve now knew they were naked and they were ashamed. They tried to hide what they now knew. They wanted to go back to how it was, but they could not. Like Esau they wanted to go back, but could not (Hebrews 12:17). Oh cry for the horror of the filth of sin they felt for the first time. A word released can never be captured. An action taken remains part of history. When we fail, we think differently about ourselves. Sin separates. Even a Christian, when sinning, should feel sadness and shame, at least for a moment. The Christian will repent and be forgiven (1 John 1:9), but having sin upon oneself feels horrible. We want the filth we chose to touch, or to wallow in, to be washed away. My uncle was the first one I heard say “That is ugly as sin.” I was an unredeemed teenager. As soon as he said it I understood that there is nothing uglier than sin. Nothing uglier than being out of the will of God. The phrase stuck in my mind and gave me great thought. “Ugly as sin.” I can think of nothing uglier than sin. Sin is what is behind all the wrong in the world. Sin is behind every sadness, every mean word or deed. Sin is the enemy of our souls conceived by the devil who hates us with an everlasting and vicious hate. He hates us because God loves us. He wants us utterly ripped apart because in hurting us he thrusts daggers at God. How aptly can the hate of the enemy be understood by what Herman Melville penned “From hell’s heart I stab at thee, for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee…” The hate of the devil will not tire or fade. It cannot be reasoned or bargained with. For the devil hate remains forever. When we sin we join with the one who hates God through us. When we sin we embrace the one who hates.
Some would like to put all the disasters and ugly acts of man on God. Foolishness. This world is not what God desired it to be. His will was that Adam and Eve would be in pure fellowship with Him forever. His will was that they would both live safely and forever with Him. That was His will. Sin changed mankind and sin changed all of creation. Family, the horrors of the world are not the fault of God. To say so is to try to justify man at God’s expense (Job 40:8). To think and say so reveals a lack of understanding puts oneself in the peril of those who oppose God.
When we choose our will over God’s will then we sin. There are consequences for doing so. Adam and Eve were warned, but did not heed the warning. They lost everything. They lost the daily companionship with God. How frightened they must have been as they were forced out of the only life they had ever known. They must have lamented and longed to once again hear the “sound of God.” Oh to hear his voice! They must have been haunted at never again hearing His approaching footsteps. What was the sound of God? Did he approach them singing? Did God thrill them with beautiful and joyous songs, or perhaps even a whistle? As God has warned them, sin separates. Oh cry for our parents!
The work of Jesus was bringing rightness with God back to man. God offered Eden, better than Eden, back to man through Jesus. He brings the singing of God back to our hearts. Jesus brings the whistle of God that is more wonderful and more soothing than the greatest orchestra of man. He puts His song and his peace back to our very souls. He lets us hear him through His Word and His Spirit. He displays His love to us every day, if we will but see. The devil wants us to believe that man has a hopeless fate because he accuses that we are lost in sin. But Jesus has created the way back to God where there was no way (Isaiah 43:16-19). Jesus is the Way! Praise God! Because of Him, because of His work, we have an open invitation to a place better than the Garden of Eden! Wow! Jesus invites us to join Him to a place and to stay there eternally. No more sorrow. No more tears. No more hurt. He invites us to rest and fellowship with God forever. Back to God. Back to our rightful place and our rightful future. Restored from what the devil stole. Back to home and beyond. A great adventure, a wonderful journey. May we all accept the offer of God to join Him again. The offer only made through Jesus. Yes Lord Jesus, by Your will, come and stay. Thank you Jesus! Than you God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob with