Revelation 21:9-13 – One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
“On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.” But who are the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob)? According to Genesis 35:23-26, Exodus:1-4 and Chronicles 2:1-2 the twelve tribes of Israel are the twelve sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, and Benjamin. Israel also adopted Joseph’s first two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) that were born to him before Israel came to Egypt to see that his beloved Joseph was still alive. Israel did that so that these two could also receive an inheritance from Israel (Genesis 48:3-22). So the sons of Israel increases from twelve to fourteen. Levi was not to receive the land inheritance. Since He was the priest of the Israelites to God, their inheritance were the offerings by fire to the Lord (Joshua 13:14). Ephraim and Manasseh were what was sometimes called they half tribes. So, since Joseph also got his full inheritance, the tribe of Joseph basically got a double portion. So the tribes who receive territory in the promised land were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. The twelve tribes of Israel listed as part of the one hundred forty-four thousand in Revelation 7:4-8 does not include either Dan or Ephraim. We can be sure that John was well aware of who were the natural and adopted sons of Israel and we can be sure that he accurately recorded what he heard. He heard the names from an angel that had the seal of the living God. So God gave the names that were going to come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord and be part of the one hundred forty-four thousand. Here in Revelation 21 it is not specified which tribes will have their names written on the gates of Israel. Will it be the list from the Old Testament scriptures listed above? Or will it be the names listed in Revelation 7? It would seem most likely to be the list given in Revelation 7.
There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.” Commonly the cardinal directions are referred to in order as North, East, South and West. Here they are referred to as East, North, South and West. In the Bible the East seems to have sometimes represented safety and security as that Garden of Eden was in the East (Genesis 2:8). Israel is in the East. However it could be said it represented a condition of alienation as it was the direction of travel after exile from Eden (Genesis 3:24, 11:2-4). It sometimes represented danger (Psalm 48:7). The North symbolized permanent or eternal. Perhaps because the polar stars were permanently visible? Also the North was considered the direction of the God’s celestial dwelling (Isaiah 14:13 (NKJV & ESV), Job 37:22). However like the East, the North, represented by the left hand (If one faces the East the North is on the left) could be a symbol of disaster. Jeremiah 1:14 and Ezekiel 38:6 relates that disaster and enemies are poured out of the North. The South is primarily represented as negative. Yet, it is represented by the right hand which is positive. A negative is to the South of Israel was wilderness, where not much prospered. To the South was Egypt that opposed God’s power and oppressed His people. But is also the place from which God used Moses to set His people free. The West, likewise seems to have both positive and negative representations. To the West was the sea, which represented evil and death (Daniel 7:2-3). In Numbers 3:23 the word translated here as West, or westward, comes from an unused root that has a meaning sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, or the dead Sea. More specifically, the roaring sea. Considering the “roaring sea’ it would be easy how the people of that time thought the sea, which was West of them, to be something frightening and foreboding. However, Jonah was swallowed by a creature from the sea and brought back from the dead, as it was, to life by the grace of God.
Wondering out loud, think first to the East where man’s beginnings on earth are found. Look next to the North where that represents the celestial dwelling of God. Next to the South that brings us the remembrance that when eyes are not on God then correction comes. But correction and deliverance came from God who both corrects in love and delivers in love. To the West is a place of unknown and to those who do not look to God, a scary place. Yet, in the end, God delivers all who respond to His love.
“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Jesus is the cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, Zechariah 10:4, Matthew 21:42, 1 Peter 2:6-7) on which the foundation is anchored. It is appropriate that the names of the Apostles are on the foundation as it is Jesus as the cornerstone and rock that they taught us (1 Corinthians 3:11).
God acknowledges all faithfulness and obedience even though it is only by His power and His enabling that they are done. It is the epitome of being humbled to receive a reward from God. It seems impossible to conceive. All we are, all we shall be, all we have done, are all from the goodness and love of God. But oh, how wondrous will be the day, how we long for it, when we shall acknowledge in person what we now know, and then will fully realize, that all good that comes to us and that we do, begins in the mind and heart of God. Oh what a day to see and worship God in person! Praise God! Family that is the day that our hope disappears and the reality of eternity with God becomes tangible. 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“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’” Isn’t it wonderful that angels are used to deliver messages not only of plaques, but also of blessings? Of course the truth is that all messages from God have messages that intrinsically involve blessings and warnings. If, for example, God states that God blesses the humble. Of course we are thankful that He does love the humble, but we are also made aware that if one is not humble (but are proud) then one will not receive the blessing. As we believers, are faithful to our calling to spread that all who will humble themselves and know Jesus will be saved, that same message also brings the message that if one does not know Jesus then one will not be saved. So as angels are used to bring messages of blessings and warnings, so are we. Rest assured that angels, as well as all of the redeemed of Christ, shall dwell in the Great City, the Holy City of Jerusalem and there forever be with the Lord. Praise God!
Note that the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) is, like the church, referred to as the Bride of Christ. Within us dwells the Lord Jesus Christ. Within the city dwells Christ. The New Jerusalem was prepared for Christ just as we have been prepared by the Holy Spirit of God.
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” Opinions differ as to whether or not John was actually transported or if he was given a vision.
He was shown the new Holy City, Jerusalem, and the description of it will follow.
The city is coming down out of heaven and, it is coming from God! This is a city that God has prepared as a bride for His son. God, our Father, who loves to give us lovely gifts (think about our forgiveness and eternal life with Him) is now revealing the new Jerusalem as a gift for Jesus and for all who have loved Him. Wow, how beautiful that will be!
“It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” The word used for glory is indicating what is said of God, how God is esteemed, it is of who He is and what He does. See, we are merely witnesses to what God is. When we say to glory to God, we are only giving testimony to the truth of God. That God is glorious has nothing to do with us, rather we are only speaking truthfully of what we see and what we see is Him revealing Himself. God is pure love and pure righteousness. He has no blemishes, no sores, and no spot of impurity. There is nothing in Him that is dark. He is pure essence of light. So the brightness of God is brilliant indeed. Pure and unmitigated is the light that comes from our pure God from whom all energy finds its source. The Glory of God is indeed brilliant, precious and clear!
A modern jasper is opaque. Since what is being referred to is light that is not reduced in any way, most scholars believe that what is actually being referred to here is a diamond that is clear and unblemished.
“It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates.” Why are the angels at the gates? To defend? That seems unlikely since all the enemies have now been defeated. How about to make sure that only those whom God allows in, get in? Again, since all the ungodly have already been judged and are forever in the Lake of Fire, since the old heaven and earth are already destroyed, there are no more around that are not welcomed in. So if the angels are there not to defend and if not make sure that only the welcomed get in, then what are the angels duties? John does not tell us. An offer of why they are there is that since the twelve tribes of Israel are there, the twelve apostles of Jesus there, and these are the foundations of whom God has used, has He not also used the angels? Also, these angels also used their free will to be faithful to God. Before mankind they were already a part of the story of those who choose rightly and are faithful to God. It would seem just like our great God to give them representation as He has given mankind representation. Also, this verse does not state a specific twelve angels, but rather that angels are at the gates. Maybe it is twelve of the highest rank and also, maybe, angels take turns at the gates. Wouldn’t it be so grand to see, meet and talk to the angels whom God has used to defend us? Wouldn’t it be lovely to talk to the angels who stood faithful to God when one third of them defected to instead side with Satan? How lovely the thought that God would have them represented at the gates.
Family, this our hope. We have much to love and appreciate about the life God has given to us here on earth. Our earth is beautiful. It is lovely when we can have peace with people around the world. We have families we are born into of the flesh, we have friends, and we have family born into by the Spirit. While sometimes we face great trials that seem too tough and we don’t know if we can make it through them, still, we the love and joy in this life is truly are much greater than the trials. The birth and holding of a child, or a grandchild is greater than any harshness of life. Love’s first kiss thrills both body and soul. Family laughing together is a great treasure. And best of all, the great honor and surpassing pleasure of God making us part of His family here and now is better than any trial. The everlasting union that is begun to be realized as we walk this earth and is grandly fulfilled in the eternity to come is thrilling, joyful and peaceful. And that is our hope, our dream, what we live for. We enjoy God’s blessings on this earth. We are not to worry because God has, through Jesus, sealed us as His children forever. Yet, as mightily blessed as we are here, this is not the end, not the fulfillment of our joy. To be with God, in His very presence, truly being bathed in His love, that is what we yearn and hope for. So it will be. God has promised so the promise is sure. Yes, God is good all the time and He loves us. Yes He is and yes He does. Praise God! Shout it out! Sing it out! Our God is so good! We shall see Him soon! 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.
Psalm 138:1a, 6-8a – I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart. Though the Lord is exalted, He looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, He sees them from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life. You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes; with Your right hand You save me. 8 The Lord will vindicate me; Your love, Lord, endures forever—
Today. Oh my. The worst day. Deaths in the family. Car stolen. Fire in the kitchen. Friends disassociated from me. Neighbors falsely accuse me. Church says I’m no longer welcome. Daughter hates me. Wife says she’s done with me. Dog growls at me. I have a lump in a place that scares me. No more money coming in. Being evicted from the house. Ticket on my parked car. And all that is only part of the story. Worst thing was a huge finger appeared and wrote on the wall “I’m done with you!”
Sorry for the above, none of that is happening. All is good. I’m still blessed. I have only one person to thank for that. Yup, I am thankful to God. I am thankful to my Father God, my Savior and Lord Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit. God is good to me. He always has had a loving and watchful eye on me. All the time He is good to me. He loves me too! I am blessed. Today I feel really good! Today I am thankful to God! Thank you Lord 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 withProverbs 3:12 – because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son He delights in.
Hebrews 12:6 – “…because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Mercies and Disciplines. Disciplines and mercies. Two sides of the same coin. One coin with two sides but both sides are equally part of the one whole. Both are identified by the same name of the coin. Or perhaps one double woven cloth of white and red. Both colored materials are equally part of the same cloth. Remove either material and the cloth is no longer what it was.
Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6 state that God disciplines those He loves. Hebrews 12:10-11 informs us that God disciplines us so that we may share in His holiness and God’s discipline will lead us to a harvest of righteousness and peace. So when the Lord disciplines us He does so with purpose. His discipline for His children is not to hurt them out of anger. It is silliness or ignorance of God that would say so. God is not man with man’s petty angers and hurtful retributions. God has loved us and never will stop. God disciplines with purpose. He disciplines with perfect love. God calls us from the filth that is the goodness of humanity (Isaiah 64:6) to the splendor of His perfect righteousness. He calls us to a beauty which we on earth can never fully understand. He calls us to a joy and a peace that floods the soul, the very root of us, in ways we can only understand that it is, without fully grasping how it is.
When God disciplines us He is being merciful. In God’s discipline is His perfect love for us. A love that seeks to heal and to build and not to harm. It is never God’s plan to harm us, but to continually make us into what ultimately tranforms us into what we were always meant to be. As a great musician blissfully brings forth beautiful that he was born to play, that musician is in rapture. It is wonderful to do, and to be, what you were meant to be and meant to do. So God, who knows us perfectly, much better than we know ourselves, is constantly bringing us to be what we were meant to be. In that, led by music conceived in the mind of God and infused into the essence of our very beings, we begin to bring forth the beauty and oneness of our lives as God had created us to be and has crafted us to a heavenly perfection. Moved and guided by God through finely tuned ears and willing hearts and minds, we are in perfect joy, the perfect joy that begins with God’s love and ends in our hearts that He has tuned to be in perfect harmony with His will. To be so is epitome, the paragon of beauty. To be so is to be in perfect peace and perfect harmony. It is all gained through Jesus. So let it be our one endeavor to place our feet in the footsteps of Jesus. Thank You Jesus! Praise and glory to You Jesus! 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.
Psalm 107:1-2a, 43 – Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:3 – The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
I confess that I am wildly, absolutely, completely, with total abandon in love with Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord. I wish my words could sufficiently relate to you the wonder of Him!
I have always been loved, though I never deserved it. My parents loved me, my grandparents loved me. I even had a couple aunts and uncles who loved me. Born into the Catholic faith I was blessed to have an aunt and uncle to swear before God that they would always love me and be there for me, and they always have been, even to this day. Yet, though the love of all these could warm my heart they were never enough. They couldn’t be, they were never meant to be.
With all the love I received I also loved all these…and so many more relatives and friends. I always loved. Loving them was great. Yet, though I sincerely loved all of them, I could never love them as much as I should. I could never be unselfish enough to love them with a love they were designed for. I couldn’t, I was never designed to be able to.
As I grew, I thought that maybe I could have a best friend that could could be so close that the friendship would bring the love and peace I knew I needed. I had many good friends, but never a best friend. All my friends had closer friends. Though some were sincere friends, they could never be the kind of friend I was searching for. They couldn’t be, I couldn’t be to them, they and I were never meant to be.
I thought maybe if I could find a girl to love me as I would love her, then this search for love and peace would find a happy ending. At times I thought that I would never find someone to love me in such a way. No girl would want to love me and be my best friend and to stick with me through good times and bad times. I, several times, considered just ending it. A few times. But I didn’t because I couldn’t do that to my mom. I figured my Dad was strong and would recover (I was wrong) but my mom, I knew it would be an irreversible blow to her. So, I managed, barely at times, to not end it.
The Lord brought me a girl who loved me. I finally had someone who loved me and wanted to be my best friend. She would stick with me through good times and bad (and she has). She selected me as the guy she would spend her life with. She loved me as much as a girl could love a guy. I thought that her love would fulfill my need for love and forever I would I have peace and happiness. For a while that was true. Though her love grew stronger I realized that her love and friendship, though wonderful, was not what my heart ultimately longed for. Something was missing. Though we loved each with all that we were, though we made each other laugh and gave each other peace, I knew that something was missing. I didn’t know what that something was. We were boyfriend and girlfriend, then fiancés, and then husband and wife, but something was still missing. We were lovers, we were one, but for her and me, we could not be the ultimate fulfillment that both of us needed and wanted. We were not enough for each other. We couldn’t be. We were never meant to be.
What I didn’t know was that Jesus, who has loved me from an everlasting past and will love me into an everlasting future, wanted to be the one to fulfill the need for the certain kind of love I was looking for. He had called to me my whole life. He started calling to me before I was. How, because He knew me before I was, loved me before I was, and knew He would love me forever and ever. He knew that, although I would live in enemy territory, that He would love me and provide the awakening touch of love as He would die for me. Then, by the power of the triune and unified God, He rose to create the path to come home. I found out the great love of Jesus for me. He designed me and knew my exact make up and exactly what I needed. He loved me so much, before I was born, that He put a homing beacon in me to keep calling me to Him. He did not make the homing beacon so loud that it would overpower me, but that it would continuously send a loving impulse to my heart and mind that would release an urge to seek what could be found and what would satisfy. Finally I followed the call and found the One who loved me as only He could. Now, I am fully loved. Now at peace. Now I am satisfied. In fact, His love has made the love of all others much more beautiful as seen through His love. Now I have found the only One who could love me as I sought. He is the one who was meant to satisfy the call that was within me. Only Jesus. He and I, I and Him, He and the Father and the Spirit and me with them. It is an eternal love, joy and oneness that will never die. How blessed I am. I love to confess that I am wildly, absolutely, completely, in total abandon in love with Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord. I wish my words could sufficiently relate to you the wonder of Him! The best I can do is to tell, as best I as I can, how wonderful He is to me and how He wants that relationship with you. Not in part, but in full. Every day and every minute He loves you. If you have this relationship with Him, well then, you know. If you don’t, follow the homing beacon within that leads to Him. You will not regret it! Praise our God! Thank you Jesus! Praise our 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 withZechariah 8:1-5 – The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” 3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.” 4 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 – One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Genesis 12:2 – “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
Matthew 6:31-34 – So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
If asked if they trust God, a Christian will, or should, answer that of course they do (Proverbs 3:5-6). Yet how do we who are called by the name of the Lord live that out? Do our lives bear witness that we trust God? In Genesis 12:2 the Jews were called to be a blessing to the nations (meaning, to the world). Generally speaking, they forgot that and instead let pride slip in and they considered themselves above the rest of the nations. They were not just to be kind, but to love the person who resided, or who came to their land. Leviticus 23:22 states “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.'” God was revealing His own very nature to them and directing them to be like Him, all are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). The Jews were to trust God. Wiithin their laws faith is found. They Jews were not called to worry that they would not make every dollar if they shared with the poor of the foreigner. They were to share and not worry. So that brings us to a question that applies to believers. Since the Lord is our great provider, our Jehovah Jireh, then why do we hoard what God blesses us with? We understand that we have no good thing if God did not provide it (James 1:17). We understand that no matter how hard we work, it is God who blesses our efforts and provides (Psalm 90:17). Family, we need to remember that all, yes all our blessings, come from God.
Most of us have worked hard at a job and out-performed our peers only to not be acknowledged. I remember my son working hard at his job. He was a salesman and outperformed all of his peers. In fact, he frequently had the best numbers in the nation. Yet he was never promoted. One of the corporate supervisors knew of him and sternly inquired of a manager how he had not been promoted. Because of that, his supervisor dishonestly accused him of wrongdoing and fired him. My son was greatly hurt. The point is, that all hard work is not acknowledged or rewarded by whom we work for.
Job 1:1-3 “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” Job was a good man, who worked hard and was blessed by God greater than all the people in his land. For God’s purpose, Job was stripped of his blessings and his response was “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21). Job knew that the origin of blessings is God.
Family, we should never worry about our jobs, our finances, or what may come tomorrow. It is all in the hands of God. The Lord is generous with us. He loves us and gives freely. He calls us to love our neighbors. If we give away what the Lord has given to us do we then become afraid that, having done as the Lord has said, He will not bless us again and give us more of what we gave away. This is a matter of knowledge of God. This is a matter of having faith, of trusting in God. It is a matter of trusting His goodness, His love, and His ability.
We are not directed to hold back blessings from strangers but to bless them. It is not by withholding the good that we should do that we are blessed but by giving to the poor and needy, wherever they are from, that we shall prosper. We prosper by loving and serving the Lord. Jesus has been clear that we should love as He has loved and if we do not, we are not His. 1 John 4:8 states “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Jesus further taught in Matthew 25:31-46 that those who do not care for others do not belong to Jesus. He ascribes the uncaring and selfish as having an eternal destiny with the devil and his angels.
Family, we are to love others. Not just those that live next door, or from our city or country, but all people. This will display the love of God within us (John 3:16). We ought to ask God to guide us to those He wants us to be generous with. If we all do that, sincerely do that, with full faith in the love of God for us, the homeless and needy of our country will be taken care of. If we love and care for people of the world then we will be more greatly blessed. We see that hoarding and protecting ourselves hurts ourselves, but loving and helping those whom God calls us to love and help, assures that we belong to God and He will pour blessing upon blessing upon us (Proverbs 11:24-25). Let’s be bold and do what makes no sense to the world, let’s be obedient to God and bless others. All others. Let’s be a light to the world, as Jesus called us to (Matthew 5:16). Especially those who have no ability to repay us (James 1:27). Praise God! Praise God by loving others! Show our love for God by loving others. Praise God who is so good to us! 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 withIsaiah 55:1 – Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
John 4:14 – but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
John 7:37-38 – On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
God is good all the time (Psalm 119:68, Psalm 100:5, James 1:17) and He loves us (1 John 4:19, Ephesians 2:4-5, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 36:7, Zephaniah 3:17). Family, why does God want us to love Him and serve Him? It is out of His love for us. He always deals with His children out of love. He knows that He designed us to always be with Him. He, knowing that we are not God like He is (He is the only one), wanted us to always live with Him. To be loved and cared for by Him. When God created Adam and Eve He knew that evil (the devil) already existed. God wanted men, men that He created with a free will, to choose to love Him and not let anything separate man and woman from God. Nothing! Yet, God created man with free will. What is love if not freely given? What is commitment and dedication if not freely given? Yes, God knew Adam and Eve would fall short, but He also knew He had a perfect plan to give mankind the opportunity to choose to be His children. It was all based on the love and goodness of God. Because God is innately good (He cannot be tempted to do evil James 1:13) and because He is love (1 John 4:8) He, being faithful to Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), could only offer love and good to us. He offered only love and good to Adam and Eve. He put them into the paradise that was Eden. He communed every day with them. He loved them so He wanted to be with, and talk to them daily. He loved them so much that He wanted to surround them with good. And He did just that for them. And He did, and does just that, for us. Praise God!
Family we have the greatest treasure of all, God lives within (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Timothy 1:14). He does so that He may pour out His love, and His goodness to us. He begins in our souls, our very spirits, and lets His love, and His goodness work its way out from there. And oh the peace and joy of God within. Praise God! God is so inexpressibly good! God, of His own determination and will, out of the love and goodness of His heart, pours out His essence within us. He does so just because of who He is. How foolish we are if we don’t take the time, lots of time, to spend with Him, with Him who loves us most, who loves us perfectly. Let’s do that. Let’s spend quiet time with God, every day. Let’s be thirsty for God. It is a thirst that our God never tires of quenching. Love Him who first loved us. Love Him who eternally loves us. 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 21:5-8 – He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
“To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” The Lord makes the promise “To the thirsty.” Who are the thirsty? As Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-26), He is, as the Messiah, the source of this water of life. Likewise in Isaiah 55:1 the Lord calls for all who are thirsty to come to the waters to drink. What are these thirsting for? For God Himself. Those who hunger and thirst for God will seek Him and they will find Him (Matthew 5:6, Jeremiah 29:13). The thirsty are Christians from various denominations, and non-denominations. They love and walk close to God. For those who thirst for God will find Him in Jesus (Acts 17:27, Acts 4:12, 1 John 2:5).
God has offered us eternal life only through Jesus and it comes only by way of faith in the person and works of Jesus. The water of life is as free as salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) because if one has eternal life through Jesus, one is entitled to all the blessings of the redeemed (Galatians 3:26-29). To all who are thirsty, they will freely and eternally have living water to drink.
“Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Because of Jesus (there is no other way – Acts 4:12) all who are called by His name are heirs to all the promises to His people. Praise God! We are His and He is ours. The relationship is so close that we who are in Christ may affectionately refer to God the Father as “Daddy” (Mark 14:35, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6). Praise God! If one has had a great father on earth, we will partially understand. For those who have not been raised by a loving and caring father, come close to God and find out what the sin of the world was stealing from you. God the Father is the one, and only, perfect Father. Family, the greatest inheritance we have is to be one with God for eternity. Praise God! We shall forever live with God (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Praise God! Thank you Lord!
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” It is interesting that the first thing mentioned that will define the unbeliever, and not the believer, is “cowardly.” Certainly this would ring most loudly in the ears of Believers whom have been persecuted and perhaps, martyred. They have not backed down, they have not become timid in their allegiance to Christ, even when facing torture and, or, death. The Word, in 1 Corinthians 16:12 clearly states that we should “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” We should boldly proclaim our faith. It is good to remember that Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Those who are cowardly and will not step away from the world, who will not stay faithful to God, whatever may come, will be condemned with it. Not my words, but the Word of God.
It of course makes sense that the vile (those who remain in the filth of the world), the murderers, the sexually immoral (that includes all sexual immoralities, not just the one that many like to beat up on), magicians (include drug addicts), idolaters (whether of stone, wood, glorification of other beings, or even glorification of self), and all liars. From when I was very young I remember my father impressing on me his great distaste for liars. They are always untrustworthy. Know that all thieves are liars and all liars are usually thieves. They may promise that they will not steal or lie to you. But thieves and liars rationalize their sins. Sooner or later they will do so to you because, they will claim, you gave them reason to do so. Also, liars are of course dishonest. They are dishonest first to themselves. If they are dishonest to themselves, therefore deceiving themselves, then they will be dishonest to God (As if they could deceive Him!). If they are dishonest with themselves and dishonest with God, then they will be dishonest with us. Dishonesty certainly is detestable and should be avoided at all times.
The Lake of Fire is not the “second death” itself. It is the permanent address of all those who shall know the second death. The first death is death of the flesh. The second death is death of the spirit. All who die the second death have chosen to do so. They chose by rejecting to have Jesus as Savior and Master in this life. Therefore such people will live out, for eternity, their effort to be separate from God. Therefore the Lake of Fire will be their permanent home. Their choice is forever, no chance for change. They will have no hope. Please, pray for the lost. Share the Word of God with everyone at every opportunity.
The Word has clearly shown that all who love the Lord shall reap eternal blessings, they shall forever live with, and be one with God. Those who do not love the Lord, will die the second death. Family, praise God that we are in the first group. Praise God that all He has said has and will come true. Praise God that we will forever live in His love and safety. Praise God because of who He is and what He has done! Praise God! With all our strength, let us 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 with6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” In previous scripture it is sometimes unsure who is speaking. However it is clear who has just spoken. It is He who is able! It is our God Himself! Listen everyone, attune our ears, quiet our mouths and clear our minds and hearst to receive what the Lord God Almighty is speaking! Receive what our Lord God Almighty is speaking! He has begun to reveal what is coming after we are in our residences in Heaven, just as Jesus promised (John 14:1-4). Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Oh how wonderful is our Faithful, True and Almighty God! Praise God!
Family, things have wrapped up and moving forward. The beast and the False Prophet are in the Lake of Fire. Satan is in the Lake of Fire. All of us, His saints, are in Heaven. The old earth and heavens have been destroyed. The new heaven and earth have been revealed. The promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is now fully known. The new Jerusalem has been gifted. But wait! God is not done! We have an eternity with Him in front of us. We are only beginning. The journey of forever continues and how excited we will be. God has made, and continues to make all things new. We know, in general what we will be doing for eternity, but God knows in detail. We will serve Him and rule beneath Him, but whom will we rule? He knows and for all who love and trust Him, though we are curious, since God knows, we are in peace and satisfied. Praise God! I can hardly wait! A new quest! A continued, forever journey! All that hurts is gone and we remain in the eternal blessings of God! Praise God!
“Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” There are surely those who read these scriptures and don’t believe. They don’t believe because they don’t belong to God. For us, the news is so good, it will seem surreal. For us, the news is so good we will just be stunned. Family, God is assuring us that in that day the battle will finally be over. Peace. No more strife. Stunning tranquility, beauty and fulfillment of soul will be fully realized. It is our destiny. It is our new reality. And then it will be here. We will be standing in the midst of it. God before us and what was behind us is a forgotten memory…praise God!
“He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Our God states that “It is done.” He is stating that it has been done, just as He said it would be. On the cross Jesus said that all that He was to do has been done. Here He is stating that all has been done exactly as He said it would and that all will continue to be done as He has determined. Does not the works of God testify of the Truth and Power of God? Since all that He said has come true, then it is proof that all that He has in future for us will also come true. Our eternal peace and safety with God are indisputable, just as His truths are always indisputable. What God has planned, known, and declared from eternity past is sure for all eternity future! Praise God!
The Eternal One, has emphatically declared that only He is the Alpha and the Omega, that is, the Beginning and the End. The word “I” is emphatic! Oh praise God! He is declaring that what we have seen through eyes of faith we now see plainly. Hope vanishes as sight and knowledge of Him is complete. Not that we know everything about Him, we will always continue to learn more of Him, but that our knowledge that He is who He has told us that He is will then be fully realized. Praise God! Our hope for bread is now being consumed. The water from the spring of the water of life is being freely given to us and we shall forever drink it. We no longer will thirst to see what God has said, we will see. Eternal life is what we will continue to walk in. Praise the Lord! God is true! God is good and He loves us! 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 21:1-4 – Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
“…for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” As previously discussed (7/13/18) the new comes and the old passes away.
“…and there was no longer any sea…” Many people wonder over this. Especially people like us who live in California and treasure living by the sea. Surfers especially. It is where we go to admire the beauty of God’s creation and to just relax. It seems very disappointing to many of us, especially those who like to surf, that there would be no sea. Yet we must remember that Revelations uses a lot symbolism. We must consider the general mindset of the people about sea at the time this was written. To these people, the sea was considered a place of danger, known and unknown. Also the sea was a symbol of constant change and turmoil (James 1:6). It is also a source of evil where the beast comes out of (Revelation 13:1). Evil men also are compared to it (Jude 1:13, Isaiah 57:20). So while they are blessed by the seas (Fish to eat) they are also bewildered and frightened by it. Also the sea could be symbolic of something that separates (as continents). So to the Christian who lived at the time of the writing of Revelation, that a sea is not in the new world would bring comfort as God has eliminated unknown dangers, the evil and the evil men who were in the old world, uncertainties about life and concerns for safety, and the separation of God from men. Concerning this verse, we ought to, as always, trust God. We need not be concerned whether or not we will be absolutely in love with it. Besides, it is a much better address to have than the alternative!
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Along with a new heaven and earth there is a new Jerusalem. It is a pure city that is coming directly from God. It is a gift from God. It is, as a bride is, meticulously prepared. It will be a place of joy and celebration. It is a place for God and His people. The city, as the Bride of Christ is, has been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The city is pure and in that way is infinitely and eternally superior to the previous earthly one. Just as the Holy Spirit has been within us, making us new because of the saving work of Jesus, our Savior, so God has “prepared” the New Jerusalem. At this point, we will enter into a fresh, new, wondrous city, prepared to live and serve our God forever. The eternal joy and rest has been consummated. Praise God!
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” In this wondrous city we shall forever live with God. We will see Him as we are seen by Him. We will live with those who love God and whose lives have born witness to the love of God within them. Family, we will be with God. Peace and joy are the only things we will know. Praise God! God visibly with us and us with Him. Our imagination cannot conceive all the beauty, wonder and peace of soul that God has awaiting us (1 Corinthians 2:9).
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” No more tears, no more death, no more mourning, nor more crying and no more pain. God has already declared that our sins will no longer be remembered (Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 43:25) so we shall not know remorse. Family, the beauty, the peace, the wonder and the excitement that will be ours. How we forever live is beyond our imagination and, praise God that it is. We should daily stir up and be overjoyed at what is coming. It is coming soon. All troubles gone. Extra strong smile muscles. Laughter. Joy. Loving everyone and everyone loving us right back. Getting along…wow…getting along! It is what God has prepared for us. Living in the very presence of God. Wow! Just wow! Praise God! Yes, let’s praise God for what is our absolute and certain destiny! Praise God! He is indeed, so very, very good! 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