I am thankful that God has given me a love for His word and wants me to share it with others. What people need more than anything else is God’s word, His truth; and now that we are in the end times, it’s critical that we also learn His prophetic word, what God tells us about the end-times, the return of Christ, and the ages to come. There’s no doubt that God’s plans for the church and for this world will surely and soon come to pass. “I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’” Isaiah 46:9-10
Here are a few thoughts to think about: * Jesus Christ is coming soon. We don’t know exactly when, that is, the day or hour, but we do know the general time, and that’s because God’s word tells us many events that will occur before Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church. (Matthew 24:32-36). In fact, the timing of the rapture is the subject of next week’s post, entitled, “When Is Christ Returning to Rapture the Church?”
* My purpose in writing these blog posts is to help people prepare for the future. Down in Florida, where I live, we have hurricanes. In recent years, meteorologists’ forecasts have become more accurate, usually giving us many days notice as to when and where a hurricane will be coming; and they do this because they want us to prepare. Most people take heed, not waiting until they hear the wind howling and the rain pouring down, for then it would be too late. And so too, in the calm before the “storm,” you need to be prepared and ready. Don’t wait, don’t procrastinate. Now’s the time to know what God says about His plans for you, this world, and the return of His Son. Learn from these posts, and from others who have studied this important and relevant subject. I personally believe Christ’s coming is quite a few years away, and whether that’s 10, 20, 30 years or more, I don’t know. I encourage you, while the “world’s weather” is not too stormy, to read and study prophecy, for you need to be ready. “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Luke 12:35-40
* When you read these posts you may think all I do is teach on prophecy, but that is far from the truth. As a pastor in a local church, my main job is caring for the church, and feeding her the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). I teach God’s word every Sunday, sometimes topically, but usually from a book. And teaching on prophecy is a part of that, what I do in two different ways. First, I teach God’s word Sunday after Sunday in the context of Christ’s coming. This is what God tells all pastors to do: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and kingdom, I solemnly charge you, preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). In fact, this Sunday I am teaching 1 Peter 1, which is all about how to live in the present in view of the future. God’s word is not to be taught void of prophetic truth but in view of it. Second, once a month on a Wednesday evening, I teach on prophecy, covering passages like Matthew 24, Luke 21, Revelation, and other related end-time’s subjects.
* When you look at Christianity today, you realize that most people rarely think about prophecy, let alone study it. But don’t be negatively affected by their neglect, lack of interest or unbelief. Do what God wants you to do, not what man is doing, for you will give an account to Him of how you handled His prophetic word at this time in history. Learn about Christ’s coming for your own life, but also for your family, friends and fellow church members. “Take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” Mark 13:23
* Everything on this blog site is for you to read, give to
others, and use in your church or Bible study. Remember, you can download the
posts, articles and charts, and print them out, or put them on a flash drive.
And don’t wait, for there may come a time when, for whatever reason, they may
not be available on the internet.
* You have probably seen that the posts are also in Spanish, thanks to a good friend who has faithfully been translating them. Tell your Spanish friends, near and far, about this site. It’s interesting and encouraging to note that a recent analysis of the blog post data revealed that about 70% of all viewers are from Spanish-speaking countries. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Keep praying!
I am very thankful to be alive at this time in history, in the last years leading up to Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church. It won’t be long before, one way or another, we will have all left this planet and are up in heaven with Jesus. But for now, let’s be loving Him, living for Him, and looking for His soon return. “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20
P.S. I mentioned learning from others. I encourage you to check out Eschatos Ministries (Alan Kurschner). Alan is a godly scholar, one who has a good understanding of the end times and the coming of Christ.
Indeed, God is good, faithful, and full of truth. I am very thankful for God helping me these past three years to make this blog site available to you. I am also thankful for the many people who have had the opportunity to view the posts and articles. In fact, just two weeks ago there were English and Spanish readers from 68 countries and territories!
If you have recently started looking at this blog site, I want to encourage you to take the time to read all the blog posts. I suggest starting with the first ones, for they contain a great deal of basic, foundational truths about Christ’s coming and related events. I also recommend reading the Prophecy Terms and studying the charts.
If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed that the subjects don’t always follow the same theme from week to week. One reason I do this is so that you learn where to place specific subjects / posts in the big scheme of things. There are posts about Jesus Christ and His 1st coming. There are posts about the Jews, and about the Christians. There are posts about what occurs before Christ’s 2nd coming, what happens at His 2nd coming, what occurs right after His 2nd coming, and what will be taking place in the kingdom ages to come. In all this, God wants you to know when, in light of the big picture, prophetic events occur, whether it’s in the past, present, near future, or far future.
My plan in the coming year, as God wills, is to continue to write blog posts, with an emphasis on specific prophecy passages. I want to share from Luke 17, Romans 8, Romans 11, Romans 15, Revelation 4-5, Revelation 13, Psalm 2, Psalm 22, Daniel 7 and others. If you have other suggestions, whether it be topics or Bible passages, just email me and let me know.
Do tell your family, friends and fellow church members about the blog site. I do have blog promo cards that I can send you that you can then give to others. If you want any, just email me your address, and I will get them to you as soon as I can.
May the Lord continue to encourage you, use you, and teach you about this important subject. Think about what Jesus told His disciples, which is applicable to us: “He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45). Might we pray, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” Psalm 119:18
P.S. As you may know, I am a pastor, and have been regularly teaching from the Bible for over 25 years. If you are interested in listening to any of my Sunday messages, I would direct you to my Sermon Audio home page, where you can listen to the messages, and download my detailed sermon outlines. May God bless you in your learning, believing and applying His word to your life.
Living for God must be by faith, and a great place to learn about this is in Hebrews 11. Called the hall of faith, it describes the lives of godly people who were living by faith. These holy men and women had faith in God for the present and for the future, for today and for eternity. Faith in God for the future is what we call hope, that which is based on God’s promises. These Old Testament saints had both faith and hope, which is exactly what Christians in this church age need to have. But what specifically does God want us to learn from Hebrews 11, this faith and hope-focused chapter?
The way to have a relationship with God is by faith. By faith, Enoch “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24) which means he was close to Him. By faith, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). By faith, Abraham was a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7). By faith, Moses saw “Him who is unseen” (Hebrews 11:27). All the saints in Hebrews 11 had a relationship with God as they were sinners who, by faith, experienced His grace, mercy and love. This resulted in them loving God, seeking God, and obeying God.
The way to please God is by faith. Whether it was Noah building an ark, Abraham leaving his homeland, or Sarah believing she would have a child, it was by faith. This phrase “by faith” is repeated 19 times, example after example being given of believers trusting God, waiting on Him, and doing what He said. And God was pleased by their faith, by their obedience, and this is the only way you and I can please God and gain His approval.
The way to be rewarded is by faith. God wants to bless our lives now and forever. But it’s not by our works, not by what we do, but by believing what God wants to graciously do for us, and through us. This chapter illustrates that God blesses His people, and the key is to have faith in Him, to believe He wants to bless us. By faith Noah constructed the ark, a huge building project that took 60-70 years, and God blessed his obedience, hard work and perseverance, saving him from the flood and His wrath. And by faith, Enoch was taken to heaven, Abraham was given a child, and Moses escaped Egypt.
The way to be resurrected, and live forever, is by faith. Abraham believed that God could raise his son from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Women received back their dead by resurrection (Hebrews 11:35), and these who were raised from the dead died again. But there is a “better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35), and this is still future, a “resurrection of life” (John 5:29) when we “will be made alive… at His coming,” when we will all be given glorified bodies, when we will be made perfect. 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 42-44, 51-53
The way to persevere is by faith, and by hope. Life was extremely difficult for these saints of God. Noah, no doubt, was harassed and laughed at as he built the ark. Abraham lived in tents, and admitted he was a stranger on this earth. Moses gave up the riches of Egypt and the passing pleasures of sin. Some “experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, chains and imprisonments…” Others were “wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:36-38). How did they endure and keep going? Why were they willing to suffer? It was by faith in God’s promises, faith that gave them hope, a confidence about a wonderful future. Enoch wanted to be with God in heaven. Abraham was “looking for the city which has foundations” (Hebrews 11:10). Moses was “looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26). All these Jewish believers were hope-filled and forward-looking – “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and aliens on this earth… they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” Hebrews 11:13, 16
The way we live for God is by faith. By faith, we walk with God, we serve, we obey, we sacrifice, and we fellowship. And we persevere because we have hope, for we believe it’s worth it to live for God in the present because we know He will reward us in the future. This hope-based perseverance, a major theme in Hebrews 11, is what everyone of us need. God is kind to us for He gives us His word, His glorious promises, and we can only endure and keep going for Him because we are looking forward to when they will be fulfilled. (Note: there are short-term promises, those fulfilled during this life, and long-term promises, those fulfilled after we have gone to heaven).
It all comes together in the last two verses, the conclusion of Hebrews 11.“All these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us (Christians) they (saints of old) would not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40). Do you see this? The saints of old did not then and, nor have even today, received all that was promised them, and neither have Christians. But these verses mean that many of God’s promises for Old Testament believers and for Christians, will be fulfilled at the same time. For example, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 says that all believers from all time will be glorified at Christ’s coming, when the church is raptured. At that moment, God’s work with the saints of old will be coinciding with His work with the church, and all of us will be glorified, be made perfect.
We live in the end-times and it won’t be long before God’s work with the saints of old and the saints of this age will converge and climax at Christ’s coming. At that time and in the ages to come, all God’s promises for His people will be fulfilled. For now, let’s be like Abraham who “was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Know that “God is not ashamed to be called their (our) God; for He has prepared a city for them (us)” (Hebrews 11:16, John 14:1-3). Think about when you go to heaven – “You have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.” Hebrews 12:22-24, Revelation 21. Amen!!!
P.S. I can’t overstate the importance of having hope, godly hope. There is a previous post and a previous article I encourage you to to read – “You Need Hope to Get Through Life,” and “You Have to Have Hope!” One more thing: just last Sunday I taught on Hebrews 11 at my church – if you get time, I would encourage you to listen to it.
Meteorologists forecast the weather, predicting temperatures, precipitation, humidity, highs, lows, etc., but rarely do they get it all right. And forecasting the weather is what people have been doing for thousands of years. In fact, Jesus said, “You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:56). With these words, Jesus was rebuking unbelievers for they didn’t believe He was the Christ, the Messiah and, therefore, didn’t understand His 1st coming. And sad to say, most people today, including many Christians, don’t understand the times we now live in, and that Christ’s 2nd coming is drawing near.
In these days, God wants Christians to know all about Christ’s 2nd coming and events preceding it, and be accurately forecasting it. But what does God say that enables us to forecast, to predict the future, and with 100% certainty? And why do we know that Christ will be coming back soon? Here is what God’s word says:
* Jesus Christ is coming again. Luke 21:27; Hebrews 10:37; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20 * Jesus Christ is returning soon, for we now live in the end-times, the last years of this church age, that time period during which the Jewish people are once again living in Israel. Ezekiel 36-37, Daniel 12:4, Matthew 24:15-27, Revelation 10-12 * In the coming years, there will be a seven-year period called Daniel’s 70th week, a God-ordained time during which many prophesied events will take place. Daniel 9:24-27 * In the years leading up to Daniel’s 70th week, there will be “birth pains” (earthquakes, wars, plagues, famines and poverty) occurring in various parts of the world, signaling Christ’s return is getting closer. Matthew 24:4-8, Hebrews 10:25, Revelation 6:1-8 * Lawlessness will be increasing in the world before Christ’s return. Matthew 24:12, 37 * There will be a growing persecution of both Christians and Jews before Christ’s 2nd coming. Matthew 24:9, Revelation 12:17; Zechariah 14:2, Matthew 24:15-22 * The Antichrist will be revealed at the 3½ year mark of Daniel’s 70th week. Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 * People will be saved and disciples will be raised up, and Christ’s work in building the church will be completed at the end of this age. Matthew 16:18, 24:14, 28:19-20 * There will be great disturbances in the heavens and a great earthquake on the earth, signs indicating that this age has come to an end. Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-14 * At a time unknown to us, after the Antichrist is revealed and at the end of this age, Christ will return to rapture the church. Matthew 24:15-36, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 * God will pour out His righteous wrath on a wicked world. Psalm 98:9; Revelation 8-9, 16 * God will redeem a large remnant of Jews at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. Ezekiel 27:23, Daniel 9:24-27, Romans 11:25-27 * Jesus Christ will begin His 1000-year reign over the earth. Psalm 67, Revelation 20
This is amazing! This is so encouraging that God tells us what will be taking place in the future! And because it’s God’s word, it’s guaranteed to happen. To emphasize this point, Jesus, in the middle of a great prophecy passage, says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Jesus wants us to be completely convinced that His prophetic word is an accurate forecast of the future. He gives us a perfect outline, not all the details, but just what He wants us to know.
Now how does God want you to live in these last, important years of this church age? * He wants you to study and believe His prophetic word so you can tell others what God wants them to know about Christ’s 2nd coming. Luke 24:25-26, 44-45; 2 Timothy 2:15 * He wants you to be a holy vessel who is useful to Himself, the Master. 2 Timothy 2:21 * He wants you to pray for Christ’s kingdom to be established on earth. Matthew 6:9-10 * He wants you to do His work, using the grace and gifts He gives you. 1 Peter 4:10-11 * He wants you to know that He is sovereign and faithful, and will fully accomplish His work in you and in the church. Romans 8:28-30, 1 Corinthians 1:8-9. Ephesians 1:9-12 * He does not want you to be asleep or worldly, but to be awake, alert, and aware of what God is doing in the world around you. Matthew 16:2-4, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 * He wants you to love Him, and love one another. Mark 12:30-31, John 15:7 * He wants you to have faith, to depend on Him and be trusting His word. Luke 18:8 * He wants you to have hope – that you will be glorified, in heaven, and with Jesus and other believers. John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 14:42-44, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 * He wants you to share the gospel with the lost, explaining to them the purpose of Christ’s 1st coming, and how they can be forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life. Luke 21:12-15 * He wants you to be in a church with a good pastor, and with people who love God, love His word, and love one another. Acts 2:42, Ephesians, Revelation 2-3 * He wants you to be excited about His Son’s return, to be looking forward to seeing Jesus, and being with Him. Job 19:25-27, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, Revelation 22:20
What a time to be alive! This subject of prophecy shouldn’t be cloudy, but clear to us, for God has told us everything we need to know about Christ’s 2nd coming, the events preceding it, and how to live. Make it your goal this year to know the future He has planned for us. Be like the sons of Issachar, who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32), like Ezekiel who was a “watchman” (Ezekiel 3:17), and like John the Baptist who made “ready the way of the Lord.” Luke 3:4
P.S. Here is a post that gives a short but good explanation of prophecy – “Prophecy Is Predicting the Future.”This article is most appropriate and instructive as you think about time, your life, and the new year – “The Time of My Life.”
What is the most important thing you are to do on earth, and in heaven, now and forever? You are to love God! Jesus tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). With your entire being, with every bit of feeling, and every bit of strength, you are to love God! You are to love Him during the day, at night, and on the weekend. You are to love Him when you are at home, at work, at church, doing errands, or out seeing friends. You are to love God all the time, today, tomorrow, and forever!
Why should you love God? Because God created you and you are His, and you are to love the One who made you. But most importantly, because God loves you – and Oh, how He loves you! If Jesus Christ suffered and died for you, if He saved you from sin, death, Satan and hell, then you are truly and greatly loved by God, and nothing will ever change that. Romans 5:8
Let’s look more closely at how God has loved you, and will love you. God has placed His Holy Spirit in you and, therefore, He is with you forever! You have been forgiven of all your sins, and are perfectly holy in His sight! You have been redeemed, rescued from the devil’s dark domain! God has adopted you into His family which means you are forever His child. God has given you eternal life which results in you knowing Him, and having this special, soul-satisfying relationship with Him. God’s love for you is specific and personal, in that He is good to you, kind to you, merciful to you, patient with you, gentle with you, and compassionate towards you. Psalm 86:15
That’s not all! God has also given you His Word, His eternal truth which results in all the wisdom, security, direction, peace, and hope that you need! God has made you a brand new creature in Christ! God gives you an eternal purpose, a real reason to live! God gives you a spiritual family, the church, friends to be with forever. God gives you an incredible future, a heavenly inheritance, resulting in eternal blessings and pleasures. And nothing in this world, no person, no devil, no problem, no time or distance, will ever separate you from this continual and incredible love God has for you. Romans 8:31-39
There is no doubt that God has greatly loved you, but have you
come to know and believe this amazing and wonderful love He has for you? Many
Christians are weak and worldly because they don’t truly know God’s love. For
if you really know it, you will be a holy and strong Christian, one who loves
God and is living for Him. This God-awesome love is powerful and passionate,
and when experienced, will control you, and compel you to love Him with all
your heart. Without question, God’s love for you will fuel and fire your love
for Him. “We love because He loved us.” 1
John 4:19
But what should this love for God look like? How are you to express your love to the One who has loved you so much? Your love will be seen in that you will think about God, and be excited about Him, and tell Him that you love Him. Your love will be personal and relational, for you will talk to Him, listen to Him, and enjoy spending time with Him. You will faithfully worship, praise and exalt Him. You will be thankful to God for who He is, and for what He does for you. You will love His word and desire to learn from Him. Psalm 119:97
That’s not all! You will pray to God, pour out your heart to Him, and ask Him for His help. You will love all the saints, those in your church, and others you know or meet. You will obey God, and carry out the work He wants you to do. You will hate sin, evil, and every false way. You will love your enemies, even those who persecute you. You will share the gospel with the lost, with those who don’t know God’s love. And you will be looking forward to being with Jesus, and seeing Him face to face. Job 19:25-27
In view of who God is, and all that He has done for you and will do for you, you ought to love God. It’s the right thing, the logical thing to do, and it’s foundational, practical, purposeful, prioritizing, and without question, the most important thing to do. And it gives glory to God, which is the most important thing of all. Loving God should be an overriding constant in your life, that which will affect what you do, where you go, who you see, and how you spend your time and money. Make it your goal to love God every day of this new year. As you go through life, through the coming weeks, months and years, whether in good times or bad, sickness or health, prosperity or poverty, joy or sorrow, remember to keep loving God, knowing that He keeps loving you. Psalm 136
As you know, we live in the end-times, the last years of this present age, and the closer we get to Christ’s return, the tougher it will get. Some of you may even be on earth when the Antichrist comes, which means you will likely experience extreme hate and great tribulation. But whatever happens, remember that God loves you, and you are to keep loving Him. Doing this will help you stay on track, and keep you going down that straight and narrow road until you meet up with Jesus. Psalm 84:1-7
Your life of loving God on earth is only the beginning – never forget that you will be loving Him forever, which means in the kingdom ages to come. Can you imagine what it will be like to be glorified and in heaven with Jesus, when your love for Him will always be perfect, heartfelt, and God-glorifying? While in these fleshly bodies, your love for God is inconsistent, up and down, daily punctuated by sin and worldliness. But someday and very soon, you will be in heaven, and you will literally see Jesus, and you will love Him like you have never loved Him before. “Come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20
P.S. Knowing God’s love is not an option for your life. If you are to be encouraged, obedient, and exciting about living for God, you must know His great and amazing love for you. Here are two past articles that will help you comprehend His wonderful love for you: “The Father’s Love for His Children” and “Keep Yourself in the Love of God.”
Many people do not understand the true meaning of Christmas. Indeed,
it’s a special day of the year, but it’s not really about family, food and
presents. In its simplest sense, Christmas is about Jesus, that as God’s only
Son, He became a man, and is now both God and man. We should be thrilled and
thankful for what is called the “incarnation,”
that Jesus came to earth to be God in human flesh. But more than that, Jesus
actually came to live with us, for He is called “Immanuel,” meaning “God with
us.” Matthew 1:23
Living on earth that first time was an extremely humbling experience for Jesus. He was perfectly holy, yet dwelt among sinful people, with those who were worldly, with those who were ignorant of the truth, and with those who hated the truth, which meant they hated Him and His Father. But Jesus wasn’t looking for praise and honor, for He wanted to be a servant, and He was the servant of all. Multitudes of people from all over Israel saw and heard Jesus, this perfect man, the best teacher, a fighter for truth, a healer of diseases, One who drove out demons, and One who loved everyone, even His enemies.
For three years, Jesus ministered to the Jews, and to some Gentiles. Then the time came for Him to do His most important work, to suffer, die and be raised again. Jesus’ death was purposeful, for it meant being punished by His Father for people’s sins, so as to defeat the devil and destroy his work, and to pay for the sins of those who would repent of their sins and believe in Him. Justice and love met when Jesus died on the cross, for He satisfied God’s justice, resulting in God being able to forgive sinners and show them His love. This forgiveness and salvation is only by God’s grace, by Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work in a person’s heart, and not by their own works. “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:5-6
Jesus was born. Jesus lived. Jesus died. Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus ascended into heaven. That sums up Christ’s 1st coming. Now we live in the church age, that period of time between Christ’s 1st coming and 2nd coming, when He is building the church, redeeming a bride for Himself, and awaiting the end of this age when He will come back to earth. That the Jewish people have returned to Israel and reclaimed their land is God’s clear signal to us that we are now living in the last years of this church age.
It won’t be long before Jesus, with “power and great glory,” will come back in the clouds (Luke 21:27), and rapture the church still on earth, gathering her to Himself along with all believers who have already died and gone to heaven. Jesus will then punish this wicked world (Revelation 8-9, 16), redeem a remnant of Jews, and begin His long-awaited and prayed-for reign over the earth (Matthew 6:9-10). Then those famous Christmas verses (Isaiah 9:6-7, Micah 5:2-5a), along with many others from God’s word, will be completely fulfilled. “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”
At this time in history, we can look back and see exactly which prophecies Christ fulfilled at His 1st coming, and look ahead, knowing that He will fulfill the rest of them at His 2nd coming. Believers living at the time of Jesus’ birth (e.g. Mary, Simeon, and Anna) didn’t have 20/20 vision like we do. They did understand that what happened was not just about a baby being born, but about the Messiah being both a Savior and a King – they just didn’t know there would be a 1st coming and a 2nd coming. But we can see clearly now, knowing there needs to be a 2nd coming, and that Christ Himself told us so (Matthew 24:3-44). It’s a God-guaranteed fact that Christ will return to earth, and once again will be called, “Immanuel,” for God, will literally be with us.
At this special time of the year, remember these words about Jesus, the Messiah: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-33). “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). If you don’t know Jesus and His love for you, I encourage you to pray these words from that Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” “O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray. Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell. O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel.”
I love the prophets, the
God-exalting, Spirit-filled, sin-declaring, judgment-speaking, future-telling, hope-inspiring
prophets. What a blessing that God raised them up, godly men for their day, for
our day, and for our future. Their writings are not outdated; they are not to
be allegorized; they are not too hard to understand; they are not to be skipped
over and ignored; and they are for both the Jewish people and the church.
Micah, like many of the prophets, focused on the sin and judgment of the Jews, but he also spoke about the coming Messiah, the Christ, and the hope He would bring. We see in this short book, like diamonds shining in the dark, a number of verses speaking about the Christ, one predicting that He would be born in that little town of Bethlehem. “As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you, One will go forth from Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2). This comprehensive, 1st coming – 2nd coming prophecy does not talk about this eternal One being the Savior, but points to Him being the King, the ruler in Israel. And that Christ will be ruling over the Jews and the world in the kingdom ages to come is a major theme in the rest of Micah’s 2nd coming prophecies. Here is what we learn from Micah:
* Micah 2:12-13 predicts, “I will surely assemble all of you Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep… so their King goes on before them, and the Lord at their head.” In the future, Jesus will visibly be the King of the Jews.
* Micah 4:1 tells us, “It will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as chief among the mountains… and the peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.’ For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Christ the King will reign from Jerusalem, but He will also be a Teacher, declaring to people from all over the world the truth they need to know and live by.
* Micah 4:5 declares, “He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares… nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.” In this rebellious and war-torn world, there is no real peace, but rejoice, for Jesus Christ will come and be the Judge, and bring true peace. Micah 4:6-8 gives more valuable information about Christ’s coming kingdom and, in particular, that it will be an eternal kingdom. “The Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on and forever.”
* Micah 5:3-4 goes on to say, “He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has born a Child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel, and He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God… at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth.” This prophesy, that the Jews would be given up, also stated in Luke 21:20-24, means they would be scattered all over the world, and this happened around 70 AD. But since 1880 AD, over 6 million Jews have returned to their land, and now Israel is in labor, for her birth pains are taking place. (Matthew 24:4-8, Revelation 12:1-5). That the Jews are back in their land means we are living in the end times, and so it won’t be long before we see Christ coming in a cloud to rapture the church from the earth, pour out His wrath on this world, and then be a Shepherd over this remnant of newly-saved Jews.
* Micah 7:18-20 concludes, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity… He will again have compassion on us… You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old.” Here is God, the Christ, being a Savior, showing love, forgiveness and compassion. And we are reminded of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that they would have a great multitude of descendants, a large portion of land, and world-wide blessing. Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-17, 17:1-8
The Messiah, the Christ is coming, and He will be a King, a Teacher, a Judge, a Shepherd, and a Savior. You can only fully understand God’s plans for the church if you understand the prophets, and their description of His plans for the Jews. God’s work with the church is now coinciding with His work with the Jews. What an honor to be living in the last years of this church age, for we read the prophets and look back and see what has been fulfilled, and look forward to see plans of His that will be fulfilled. Christ will soon return, and then we will see these Micah prophecies, along with many more, all come true. And these prophecies for the Jews will directly affect the church, for Christ will be our King, and we will reign with Him, and with Jewish believers, forever and ever.
I encourage you to read the prophets, and find the verses that speak of the future of the Jews, for they now relate to Christians. Hebrews 11:39-40 explains it this way, “All these (Old Testament believers), having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us (church age Christians), so that apart from usthey (Old Testament believers) should not be made be perfect.” God’s work with the Jews and the Christians will come together, converging in the age to come. The conclusion is given at the end of Romans 11, that chapter to the church that tells us about the salvation of the Jewish remnant, “To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
P.S. During this Christmas season, it’s good to be reminded of the Old Testament prophets, for they told us so much about Christ’s first coming, and birth, and His second coming. Here are two posts that will help you understand how God’s past working relates to the future God has for us. “Why the Jews Are Important for You and the Church” and “Prophecy Predicts the Future.”
God wants you to see the end from the beginning, from that time when you were saved until that time when you see Jesus Christ and are glorified and in heaven. It’s so easy to get stuck in our own little world, in the here and now, and that’s why it’s imperative for you to see where you have come from and where you are going. A passage that explains this better than any I know is 1 Peter 1:3-13. What you see is that the future is spoken of in 8 of these 11 verses, using words like “living hope” (3), “inheritance” (4), “heaven” (4), “last time” (5), “revelation of Jesus Christ” (7, 13), “salvation” (5, 9, 10), “grace” (10, 13), and “glories to follow” (11). What God is telling you is clear and convincing, that the only way to live today is in view of the future that He has already planned out for you.
1 Peter 1:3-5 sums up your Christian life, the past, present and future, from when you were born again to your life today to that time when you will receive your heavenly inheritance. There’s direction and movement in these verses, for they are not just focused on being born again, but on the fact that you now have a living hope, that which is to excite you and point you to your future in heaven. Your life isn’t just sitting still, but is going someplace, and God Himself is moving you along and taking you to glory, to a “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” And God’s power will keep protecting you until that time when you will be fully saved, when you will be glorified. Jude 24-25
1 Peter 1:6-9 talks about your present life, but again in light of the future. Right away you read about trials, and it tells you there are various kinds of them, they last only a little while, they are distressing, and they only happen if God says they are necessary. And these trials are for your faith, which is extremely valuable, for it is a means to know God, to experience His grace, and to spiritual growth. Most importantly, it results in “praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” At the end of this age, there will be one grand celebration, for all believers will be gathered together to see Jesus, and will be excitedly and wholeheartedly worshiping Him. Revelation 7:9-12
These verses also instruct us how to live at this present time. First, we are to love God, and with all our heart. And we are to have faith in this One we cannot see, but soon will see, trusting Him, believing His word, knowing that He is fulfilling His plans for us. And we are to greatly rejoice, for we know what’s coming, “the salvation of our souls” and the glorification of our bodies. Do you see this, that your faith, hope, love and joy in the present are in light of the future, in view of that time when this age will come to an end, and Jesus Christ will be revealed for the entire world to see? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8
1 Peter 1:10-12 is an encouraging and motivating parenthetical. It tells us about the Old Testament prophets, men writing about 2400-2900 years ago, and they wanted to know more about the Messiah to come. They knew He would suffer, and that His glory would be revealed to the whole world, but they didn’t know the specifics, they didn’t know when, and they really wanted to find out, and so they “made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time…” And these prophets did this for us – they were searching and seeking and writing for Christians, for those of us living in this church age. I must say, I get very excited, knowing that what the prophets wrote, along with the New Testament writers, is for us, especially since we now live in the end times.
Here we are, thousands of years later, and we can look back and see that part of what the prophets predicted has already taken place. We all know that Jesus Christ came to earth, and that He suffered, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and that He will soon come back to fulfill the 2nd part of these predictions. But unlike the prophets, we now know there’s a 2nd coming, at which time Christ will return to earth with “great glory” (Luke 21:27), and then glorify us, and after that, the world will be full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3). Another amazing truth is that the angels long to look into these matters about Christ’s 1st and 2nd comings. Just think, if the prophets wrote this for us, and the angels are looking into these things, shouldn’t we be super-motivated to study and learn and tell others what God wants us to know about our glorious future? Mark 13:23
1 Peter 1:13 starts with “therefore,” which means it’s the conclusion to this prophetic passage for Christians. In view of Christ being revealed, in view of being glorified and being in heaven, in view of receiving an incredible inheritance, how should you live on earth? You are to prepare your mind for action. You are to be spiritually awake, aware of what God’s word says, alert to what He’s doing in the world, and actively working for Christ, helping to carry out His end-time plans for the church. And you are to “fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Don’t get distracted by worldly things, but be focused on the fact that Christ is coming soon, and be looking forward to seeing Him, knowing that He will then “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” Philippians 3:21
You can’t miss the future in this present day, 1 Peter passage for Christians. Don’t skip over it, make light of it, or think it’s not relevant for your life, and especially at this time in history, with the return of Jesus Christ right around the corner. Might 1 Peter 1:3-13, this big-picture passage, help you to love Jesus all the more, and to live today in light of the fantastic future that God has “reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:4
P.S. I love this subject, the big picture of our lives. Having this perspective is a must if we are to be able to rightly and wholeheartedly live for the Lord. Here are two previous posts that address this same subject: “God’s Time Frame for Your Life,” and “An Overview of Your Christian Life.”
I have a friend who is a food scientist, which means he understands nutrition, what’s good for the body – the proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals that we need to stay healthy. But how do we keep our soul healthy? We need the truth of God’s word, and one particular and important aspect of His truth are His promises. Let me share some thoughts about these promises, followed up by many of my personal favorites.
1. God’s promises are all true, for God tells the truth, and He does not lie. 2. God’s promises are based on His word and character and, therefore, will never fail. 3. God’s promises are essential, for you cannot truly and fully live for God without them. 4. God’s promises are about your future, your time here on earth, and / or in heaven. 5. God’s promises are forward looking, and keep you from living in the past. 6. God’s promises tell you what God will do for you, not what you will do for Him. 7. God’s promises motivate you to persevere, to press on to the end. 8. God’s promises spiritually energize you to keep going for God. 9. God’s promises, though spiritual in nature, can also physically energize you. 10. God’s promises give hope, not worldly hope, but a godly hope. 11. God’s promises speak of how you will be eternally rewarded for your earthly service. 12. God’s promises are all about experiencing His grace in the future. 13. God’s promises encourage you today because they give you hope for tomorrow. 14. God’s promises will help you understand His purpose for your life. 15. God’s promises are a means to living a holy and God-pleasing life. 16. God’s promises are activated by faith, by believing what God is saying. 17. God’s promises must be personalized, for they speak of what God wants for your life. 18. God’s promises are either conditional or unconditional. 19. God’s promises give you confidence and assurance about your future. 20. God’s promises help you to live rightly today for you know you have a God-blessed tomorrow. 21. God’s promises are needed during stormy times, for they are forecasting a sunny future. 22. God’s promises are often prophetic, predicting His plans for both the church and the world. 23. God’s promises are precious, magnificent, incredible and wonderful. 24. God’s promises speak of how God will show you His great love in the future. 25. God’s promises should be shared with other Christians.
Here are a number of my favorite promises: * 2 Chronicles 15:7 – “As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” * Job 23:10 – “God knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” * Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” * Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” * Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” * Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” * Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.” * Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” * Psalm 84:11 – “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” * Psalm 91:14-16 – “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.”
* Psalm 119:1 – “How blessed is he whose way is blameless, who walks in the law of the Lord.” * Psalm 119:50 – “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” * Psalm 136 – “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” * Proverbs 2:3-5 – “If you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom…” * Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” * Proverbs 8:17 – “I love those who love me, and those who seek Me find Me.” * Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.” * Isaiah 40:31 – “Those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” * Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear for I am with you; do not be anxious for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” * Lamentations 3:22-23 – “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
* Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” * Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” * Matthew 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when people insult and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.” * Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” * Matthew 11:28-29 – “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” * Matthew 24:31 – “He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to another.” * Matthew 28:19-20 – “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” * Mark 1:17 – “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” * Luke 12:32 – “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” * John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
* John 5:24 – “He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” * John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” * John 11:25-26 – “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if He dies; and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” * John 14:3 – “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” * John 14:13-14 – “I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in My name, and I will do it.” * John 15:5 – “He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit.” * Romans 8:28 – “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” * Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” * 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful…” * 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation, will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
* 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 – “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” * 2 Corinthians 2:14 – “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him.” * 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 – “Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” * 2 Corinthians 9:8 – “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, you will have an abundancefor every good deed.” * 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” * Galatians 5:16 – “Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” * Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” * Ephesians 2:10 – “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” * Ephesians 3:20-21 – “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” * Ephesians 6:2 – “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
* Philippians 2:9-11 – “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” * Philippians 3:21 – “… the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” * Philippians 4:19 – “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” * Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.” * 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 –“The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” * 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – “May the God of peace sanctify you entirely; may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you and He will bring it to pass.” * 2 Timothy 4:18 – “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” * Titus 2:10-11 – “If we died with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” * James 4:10 – “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” * Hebrews 10:37 – “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.”
* Hebrews 13:5 – “I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.” * 1 Peter 5:10 – “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” * 2 Peter 1:4 – “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” * 1 John 1:7 – “If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” * Jude 24-25 – “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” * Revelation 3:5 – “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and His angels.” * Revelation 5:10 – “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” * Revelation 21:3-4 – “God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death, there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain; the first things have passed away.” * Revelation 21:7 – “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son.” * Revelation 22:7 – “Behold, I am coming soon.”
All these promises, and many more besides, are wonderful and needed gifts from God. Don’t miss out on the blessing, the grace, hope, peace, strength and encouragement they bring to your soul, your life, and your future. I want to remind you of what Elizabeth said to Mary for, in principle, it applies to us: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her” (Luke 1:45). And remember these words that describe some of the saints of old: “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were exiles and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). Sometime in the future, as Joshua said to the Jews, you will be able to say to others, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Joshua 23:14
The closer we get to Christ’s coming, the more difficult it will be, and the more you will see that you need these promises, and cannot live without them. Through God’s promises, you will experience His amazing grace, and a special closeness with Him, until that time when, for the first time, you will see His face. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:25-27
P.S. I love God’s promises, and I trust that you will learn to love them and see and experience their supreme and eternal worth. Here is a previous post that I believe will help you learn more about the value of these precious truths from God’s word – “Promises from a Loving Father to His Children.”
The entire book of Revelation is important for Christians to understand, but chapters 2-3 are essential, and that’s because Jesus Christ is giving instructions to the churches. Much of Revelation describes events and details God wants us to know, but these two chapters tell the churches how they are to live for Him, what they need to believe and do. Revelation 2-3 are seven letters written to seven churches existing in the 1st century, but they have been instructive to churches throughout the years, and now that we live in the end-times, they are especially relevant to us, “for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). What do we learn from these end-times’ chapters?
There is a striking, powerful and glorious description of Jesus, our Savior, Lord and King, and the coming Judge, given in Revelation 1:12-17. We see that He is walking (spiritually speaking) among the lampstands, which are the churches. That He is walking means He actively loves us, cares for us, and is building each church, which is what He promised to Peter (Matthew 16:18). Jesus knows our deeds, He knows how we are doing, both the good and the bad. He commends the churches when they are doing what is right, but corrects them when they are doing what is wrong. Jesus also promises the overcomers, the victorious Christians, that He will greatly and eternally bless them.
There are seven churches, similar to those that have existed throughout history, and to ones in our own cities and towns today. There are small churches and big churches, holy churches and unholy churches, strong churches and weak churches, live churches and dead churches, victorious churches and struggling churches, persecuted churches and worldly churches, and truth-full churches and error-filled churches.
There are the angels, super-strong helpers of Jesus who carry out His work in the churches (Revelation 1:20, 2:1, 2:8, 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, 3:14). These angels are “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14, Psalm 103:20). This should greatly encourage us, knowing that Jesus is working with the angels, His secret-service agents whose faithful obedience to Him is seen in their divine assistance for us, and their protection of us.
There is the Holy Spirit,working with Jesus in every church and in every way, filling us, teaching us, reminding us, sanctifying us, leading us, empowering us, and blessing us. How wonderful it is to have Jesus’ Supreme Helper indwell us and be with us, ensuring that we will make it off this earth, arrive safely in heaven, and live forever and ever. Notice the final instruction to each church, that we are to listen to the Spirit, to hear what He has to say to us, for what He tells us is extremely important. Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22
There are many lessons Jesus wants us to learn and apply to our lives: * to persevere and endure (Rev. 2:3, 2:19, 2:26), * to love Jesus (Rev. 2:4), * to repent of any sin (Rev. 2:5, 2:16, 2:21, 3:3, 3:19), * to hate evil, and not tolerate evil people who are in the church (Rev. 2:2, 2:6), * to not be afraid of persecution, imprisonment, and suffering (Rev. 2:10), * to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10, 2:13), * to not deny the faith, and not deny Jesus (Rev. 2:13, 3:8), * to correct error and false teaching (Rev. 2:14-15, 2:20, 2:24), * to love, to have faith, and to serve (Rev. 2:19), * to be growing, to be making progress (Rev. 2:19), * to not be impure or immoral (Rev. 2:14, 2:20-21), * to know and fight against Satan’s schemes (Rev. 2:9, 2:13, 2:24, 3:9), * to complete the work God gives you to do (Rev. 3:2, 3:8), * to remember what you have learned from Jesus (Rev. 3:3), * to keep and obey God’s word (Rev. 3:3, 3:8), * to be holy (Rev. 3:4, 3:15-19), * to know God’s love (Rev. 3:9), * to believe that Jesus is coming, and coming soon (Rev. 2:25, 3:11), * to not be lukewarm, to not be worldly (Rev. 3:15-16), * to not trust in your riches and be deceived (Rev. 3:17), * to be an overcomer, to be victorious, and to believe all the promises (Rev. 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:26, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21) * to have fellowship, to have a close relationship with Jesus (Rev. 3:20). * These are truths Jesus wants you to know and apply to your life today, and all the way to the end of your life on earth, whether that happens by death or by rapture.
What Christ cares for most on this earth is His church, His bride, the children of God. I pray that you are in a good church, a truth-teaching, God-loving, Christ-following, Spirit-led, disciple-making, Christ-is-coming church. How exciting it is, and how privileged to be living in the end times, knowing that we are part of Christ’s church, and that it won’t be long before He returns to rapture the church and set up His kingdom on earth. Remember Jesus’ last words, repeated three times in Revelation 22, “Behold, I am coming soon.” Might we heartily and lovingly say to Him, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
