Light In The Clouds: Expect It!

[BlessedMan]

Stan suggested that I post a few thing here on his forum, so here goes. I have found that I needed help, and I am finding that help in Jesus. This topic will be for the purpose of sharing things that God has given me to share with others. May God add His blessing to the reading of His Word, Amen.

To start with, here is a video that I just did the other day. I am trying to reflect better things than what we keep seeing on Big Media, things that will reflect Jesus, and lead others to Him:

 

 

[BlessedMan]

All pictures in the above video are taken by me in the last week or so. ?

[BlessedMan]

Alone In The Dark
December 10, 2022 - In: Grief And Sorrow

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"...Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was alone there" (Mat 14:23)

Following what He knew to be The Father's express will was not always easy for Jesus. Our Lord had to be by Himself in a solitary place, alone with The Father at times, in order to be able to carry out His will. We too face a similar challenge today. When we have had a discouraging, difficult week; it is such a blessing to recall her what Jesus would do, and to also practice it ourselves. This week I could see no reason, no blessing in Gods will. Those are the toughest times. When we cannot see any sense. When we cannot see whats actually going on.

Today, I am reminded of one of the major blessings of the original, Bible Sabbath. Its calm, it’s restfulness, its holy peace. There is a very unusual, yet familiar strength conceived in this kind of solitude. Perhaps this was what Jesus had found in His time alone with God on the mountain? Crows go in flocks and wolves in packs, horse and sheep in great herds; but the lion and the eagle, for just two examples, are solitaires. By looking at Jesus, it would seem that our strength is not in bluster and noise. Strength is in quietness.

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"For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." (Isa 30:15)

I think for myself, the problem often stems from not wanting my strength to come in this kind of way. It doesnt even seem possible with the kind of week I have had. Yet, this is exactly why Isa 30:15 doesn't just end as I have just quoted it, for it also says at the end of it

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"...But you would not..."

Jesus would, and the scriptures record a number of times where he went apart alone to pray and be with The Father. Seek His will. Gather His strength, for His weakness.

In nature, I have seen how the lake must be calm if the heavens are to be reflected on its surface. Even though our Lord dearly loves His people, how often do we read of his going away from them for a brief season? Jesus tried every once in a while to withdraw from the crowd. Jesus was always stealing away at evening to the hills. Most of His ministry was carried on in the towns and cities by the seaside, but Jesus loved the hills the best, and oftentimes when night fell He would plunge into their peaceful depths to pray and to commune with The Father.

The one thing I need above all else today is that I should be apart, alone, in the darkness and clouds of my experience, with our Lord. To sit at His feet in the sacred privacy of His blessed presence. I long for the lost art of alone time, Prayer time! Yes, for the culture of the secret place! At night. Waiting for the morning. For the Light. For the tonic of waiting upon God! (Isa 40:31)

But there are so many times when I let the hard days take over. When I allow the trials and afflictions to move right in and take first place in my heart. Yet, there is an very promising statement in scripture about how my present difficulties are in fact working out something very good in my life. Romans 8:28 says all things work out for good if we love Jesus. Maybe this is why scripture also says the following:

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"For this our light and transitory burden of suffering is achieving for us a weight of glory" (2 Cor 4:17). (Weymouth)

Now there are obvious times such as the present difficulties, where it seems quite unbelievable that our trials and tribulations are actually and actively working out something better for us. But the verse is clear, "Is achieving for us," is a road map we can follow as we trust Jesus to work in our life and in our hearts. No matter what the difficulty. The question is so often asked-- Why is my life of drenched with so much pain, trial, difficulty, and blistered with so many tears?

Could it be that the answer is to be found in the word "achieving"; these things are all, and always achieving for us something precious. They are teaching us not only the way to victory, but better still the laws of victory. There is a compensation, a very rewarding realization in every sorrow, and the sorrow is working out the reward at the end of each trial and impossibility.

Jesus shows us the law of our victory, if you will, by going off alone, up a mountain, to pray and be alone with The Father. This reminds me of the old hymn:

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"Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee,

E’’en tho’’ it be a cross that raiseth me."

 

Joy sometimes needs pain to give it birth. Fanny Crosby could never have written her beautiful hymn,

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"I shall see Him face to face,"

were it not for the fact that she had never looked upon the green fields nor the evening sunset nor the kindly twinkle in her mother’s eye. It was the loss of her own vision that helped her to gain her remarkable spiritual sight, and discernment. Sometimes our darkest clouds are simply are there to shield us from the brightness of the sun which would otherwise overwhelm

It is the tree that suffers that is capable of polish. When the Carpenter wants some curved lines of beauty in the grain he cuts down some maple that has been gashed by the axe and twisted by the storm. Broken by the lightning. In this way he secures the knots and the hardness that take the gloss, and display it so beautifully. It is comforting to know that sorrow tarries only for the night; it takes its leave in the morning. (Psalms 30:5)

A thunderstorm is very brief when put alongside the long summer day.

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"Weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalms 30:5)

Seeking solitude was an important priority for Jesus (see also Mat 14:13,Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13). He made room in his busy schedule to be alone with the Father. Spending time with God in prayer nurtures a vital relationship with him and equips us to meet life's challenges and struggles. Anyone of us today can develop the discipline of spending time alone with God. It will help us to grow spiritually and become more and more like Christ as our "burden of suffering is achieving for us an eternal weight of glory..."

Paul had faced suffering, trials, and distress as he preached the Good News. But he knew that they would one day be over, and he would obtain God's rest and rewards. As we face great troubles, it's easy to focus on the pain rather than on our ultimate goal. Just as athletes concentrate on the finish line and ignore their discomfort, we, too, must focus on the reward for our faith and the joy that lasts forever.

No matter what happens to us in this life, we have the assurance of eternal life, when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away: "The people the LORD has rescued will come back singing as they enter Zion. Happiness will be a crown they will always wear. They will celebrate and shout because all sorrows and worries will be gone far away." (Isa 35:10)

This "Highway of Holiness" (Isa 35:8) is the way that righteous pilgrims will take from their desert of suffering to [the mountain of Jerusalem] Zion. It is found only by following God. Only the redeemed will travel God's highway; they will be protected and nurtured as was Jesus whenever He went alone up a mountain to pray. God is preparing a way for his people (those who walk in his ways) to travel to his home, and he will walk with us. God doesn't simply point the way; Jesus always walks beside us as we go.

"There is a peace that comes after sorrow,

Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled;

A peace that looks not upon tomorrow,

But calmly on a tempest that it stilled.

"A peace that lives not now in joy’s excesses,

Nor in the happy life of love secure;

But in the unerring strength the heart possesses,

Of conflicts won while learning to endure.

"A peace there is, in sacrifice secluded,

A life subdued, from will and passion free;

’tis not the peace that over Eden brooded,

But that which triumphed in Gethsemane."

(author unknown)

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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Prov 13:12)

When once a good idea is discovered, want of it felt, strong desire for experiencing of it excited, and the promise of attainment made on grounds unsuspected, so that the reality of the thing and the certainty of the promise are manifest, hope brings us forward to realize the blessing. Delay in the gratification pains the mind; the increase of the delay prostrates and sickens the heart; and if delay sickens the heart, ultimate disappointment kills it. But when the thing desired, hoped for, and expected comes, it is a veritable tree of life. It comforts and invigorates both body and soul.

Alone, in the dark, you will experience the Light in your clouds.

 

[BlessedMan]

Prophecy: Its About The Cross

(taken from https://lightintheclouds.net/prophecy-its-about-the-cross/ )

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Behold, a virgin will conceive, and will bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel, which is interpreted, Our God with us. (Mat 1:23)

ts About The Cross
Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Behold, a virgin will conceive, and will bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel, which is interpreted, Our God with us. (Mat 1:23)

Mat 1:23 quotes Isa 7:14 to show a definite fulfillment of this prophecy in that a virgin named Mary conceived and bore a son, Immanuel, the Christ.

With Christmas just around the corner once again, I thought it would be a good idea to dwell for a few weeks now on Bible prophecy. In essence, this is what Christmas is. It is prophecy fulfilled. It is prophecy unfolding. Christmas IS “the story of Jesus.” No. Christmas is not “HISTORY,” Christmas is “HIS Story.”

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Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us). (Isa 7:14).

Isaiah was therefore a true prophet. Isaiah spoke prophecies that were only about Jesus. HIS STORY. Jesus came for the cross. To die on Calvary for us. That’s the prophecy. That’s the Christmas story. If someone tries to tell you a different Christmas story than this, then they need to get their story straight. We have many many, too many people online and off now all purporting to preach the “warning message” and most of them do not even mention the cross. But they sure like to dote on and on about the beast!

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Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. This is our message, our argument, our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every believer. If we can awaken an interest in men’s minds that will cause them to fix their eyes on Christ, we may step aside, and ask them only to continue to fix their eyes upon the Lamb of God.– Manuscript 49, 1898. {7ABC 458.2}

So lets start at the beginning.

What are the Bible tests for a true prophet? How does scripture reflect on prophets and prophecy?

The tests for a true prophet are found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and pointedly indicate that the many prognosticators (like Jean Dixon) who are not measuring up to these stringent, Bible only qualifications, cannot lay claim to the rare distinction of being true prophets of God. Please find enclosed below, some basics about Bible prophets, as depicted in the Bible:

1) A true prophet does not lie. His/her predictions will be fulfilled. “The prophet which prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, [then] shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.” Jer 28:9

2) A true prophet prophesies in the name of the Lord, not in his own name. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Pet 1:21

3) A true prophet does not give his own private interpretation of prophecy. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” 2 Pet 1:20

4) A true prophet points out the sins and transgressions of the people against God. “Cry aloud, spare not,lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isa 58:1

5) A true prophet is to warn the people of God’s coming judgment. Isa 24:1-23; Rev 14:6,7

6) A true prophet edifies the church, counsels and advises it in religious matters “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men [to] edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.” I Cor 14:3,4

7) A true prophet’s words will be in absolute harmony with the words of the prophets that have proceeded him. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.” Isa 8:20

8) A true prophet recognizes the incarnation of Jesus Christ. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." 1 John 4:1-3

9) He can be recognized by the results of his works. “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Mat 7:16-20

10) A true prophet acts in accordance with the will and approval of God:

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“thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh divination [fortune-teller], or an observer of times [astrologer], or an enchanter [magician], or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits [medium possessed with a spirit or a guide], or a wizard [clairvoyant or psychic], or a necromancer [medium who consults the dead]. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD” (Deut 18:9-12)

To be even more precise, the actions of a true prophet are not in contradiction to any basic Biblical doctrines, but rather all prophecies support and strengthen precepts already outlined in Scripture.

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“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev 20:6, Rev 20:14, Rev 21:8)

ANY prophecy or ANY doctrine that does not have “Christ and Him crucified” as the central cornerstone is simply not a true Christian doctrine, no matter how many Bible verses are quoted. We see a lot of false prophets and prophecy on the internet these days. It is important to just know what the Bible says about it all.

Look and Live. Hanging upon the cross Christ was the gospel. Now we have a message, “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1;29) Will not our church members keep their eyes fixed on a crucified and risen Savior, in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered? This is our message, our argument, our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every believer. If we can awaken an interest in people’s minds that will cause them to fix their eyes on Christ, then we may step aside, and ask them only to continue to fix their eyes upon the Lamb of God. They thus receive their lesson. Whosoever will come after Me, let them deny themselves, and take up their cross, and follow Me. One whose eyes are fixed on Jesus will have no trouble to leave all. They will die to selfishness. They will believe in all of the Word of God, which is so gloriously and wonderfully exalted in Christ. {6BC 1113.1}

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There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of the Scriptures–Christ and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and power corresponding to its relation to this theme. The soul palsied by sin can be endowed with life only through the work wrought out upon the cross by the Author of our salvation. {FLB 50.2}

The Christ hanging on the cross is the Christmas story. HIS STORY. Our “warning message.” Our doctrine. Every doctrine. Starting next week we will look more in depth at some of the above points regarding Bible Prophets, and Bible Prophecy.

It truly is about the cross.

 

[BlessedMan]

 

[BlessedMan]

God’s Biggest IF
Reading Time: 7 minutes
   

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if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:14)

Most people who receive this weekly, I am sure, are very painfully aware of the frenetic pace our life has taken on in recent months. There are many issues happening in society, the world in general, and for me, I sometimes feel like I can’t even keep up to it all anymore. I found myself this week wondering:   

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“What could be a possible solution to all this?”

I did a little praying, some Bible study, I asked a few friends what they thought; and I looked a bit online. As I look at all the things coming upon the world now, I have wondered if there was some trick, well, not really a trick, but I couldn’t help but think: “God doesn’t seem as close to me this week. What am I doing wrong?”

And right in the middle of my searching, I think I have stumbled upon the perfect solution. God’s solution. I started to recall some of the Old and New Testament stories I have been reading these last few weeks, and I realized that no matter where I looked in the Bible, the very first response of all the prophets, in all the ages covered by the Bible was ALWAYS prayer. Whenever something bad was coming down the tubes, the first response of all the Bible Greats was to pray. I think this is why the opening text for this week’s email has resonated so well with me. And once I looked into this text, it did start to appear as the needed solution for our in common difficulties of today:  

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“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chron 7:14

The promise here says that if God’s people would do three things, God would respond in three ways. The Lord’s people needed to become humble, that is,to confess; they needed to pray, or repent; and they needed to turn from their obviously wrong ways, and to come back to Him. If they did, God would hear, forgive, and heal them, and their land. Does our land need healing? Are we seeking God’s will in todays pressures and trials?

I find it very interesting that this text is not addressed to society at large. It seems mostly directed to “God’s people,” as He does say in this text: 

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  “If MY PEOPLE…”

Rev 18:4, part of the great prophecies of the last days in the book of Revelation also shows God using this phrase, “My People.” In that verse, God says to Babylon, to His people in Babylon, “Come out of her My people.” During a time of national crises, God will speak directly to His people; God’s stated ideal for His people when there is trouble at the door is prayer and repentance.

True repentance is more than just talk. Repentance is ALWAYS a situation of “changed behavior.” (2 Cor 5:17) The Bible often calls this change “”turned from” as does our opening text for today. Whether we sin individually, as a group,or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness. God will ALWAYS hear the sincere, honest prayer of anyone who comes to Him, “just as they are.” (see John 6:37)

Scripture tells us that is is one thing to “just pray,” because His MO for prayer here is apparently, also being humble. What does this being “humble” look like in work clothes? It is very interesting that this kind of humility is something God is only asking of “His people.” The text says “if MY PEOPLE.” This clarion call to prayer is very similar to Rev 18:4 where God says “Come out of her MY PEOPLE.”

Jesus is always calling His people to a better way of life. To THE life. In fact Scripture says that “In Jesus was life, and THE life was/is the Light of everyone in the world. (see John 1:4). If we were to go to to the shores of an ocean, we would recognize how the incoming tide lifts all boats. What might be the effects of an incoming tide of prayer for “His people?” The incoming “tide” would lift all people. Jesus has promised:  

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“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10).

Jesus is telling His Church to

1) pray,

2) humble themselves, and

3) turn away from their lifestyle of sin.

In our human realms, we still like to think that we know the right steps to take; but as for me, I am starting to wonder if thats even half-true. God does say:   

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“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” (Prov 16:25)

I found a really good example of the Prov 16:25 principle. A story I read about the first President of the USA, from 1789 to 1797), George Washington, who thought he knew what was best for him and his situation. Washington actually asked for “blood-letting” to be performed on himself for a health-condition he was recovering from, (throat infection). They ended up taking around 4 litres of blood (nearly 40% of his blood) from him, and sadly, Washington died from complications shortly after.

The Bible is correct when it states that there is a way that seems right to a person, but it’s way is the way of death. In accordance with 2 Chron 7:14, Scripture assures us of that very point in The New Testament:  

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“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14).

“According To His Will,” appears to be the key ingredient that if practiced by we, God’s people, would be the incoming tide that would lift “all boats.” Not just a few of them. But are we, as a people doing this? Do we really want to “be humble” when we pray,or are we just satisfied with rotely saying the prayers, something like an incantation? In our text for today, we are asked by God to not just pray, but to “humble ourselves when we pray, with the intention of obeying (turning from sin) whatever it pleases our Lord
to reveal to us. As Jesus stated in John 7:17  

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“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know whether the teaching is of God or whether I speak on My own accord and by My own authority.” (John 7:17)

IF one is willing to do whatever God reveals to them, they will know what is truth and what way Jesus would have them proceed, even during the stormy times we live in now. I think that Jesus want us to live with power. The power of His Word.  I was studying some things out of the 23rd Psalms earlier this week and learned something very intriguing about how to live with power. I had always known that phrase “He restoreth my soul,” (Psalms 23:3), but what I didn’t know until this week was that one of the key elements to recovering our physical health, which many people of course want to do these days, is that of our spiritual health. The tidal wave of power that will lift all the “boats” (people) is 2 Chron 7:14.

Everywhere, in many ways, the Bible says that in restoring our soul, the physical body will be positively affected. 2 Chron 7:14 says when we do this “the land will be healed.” The Psalmist once mourned: “all day I am wearied with my groaning…” (Psalms 6:6). But Jesus informs us today that we are only forgiven, when we are ready to be HUMBLE and forgive all hurt and resentments that we hold against other people. The Lord’s prayer tells believers today that we are forgiven “as we forgive others.”

God’s people are being asked to pray and humble themselves. As my prayer partner said when I was writing this:

“When we let go and let God take care of everything, we stop trying to do it on our own. We surrender to Jesus. Because on our own we can do nothing. And the measure we use in judging others will simply condemn us, by our very own standards. We need to stop being so foolish . “Love one another, and forgive as we have been forgiven by Jesus.

Be kind and help, and respect each other, without expecting anything in return. God will reward us according to our own standards. His standards are often not our’s, because it is love that Jesus wants us all to give to each other; and to stop competing with everyone else. We all, ultimately have the same goal. Lets “lift all the boats” and sent the tidal wave of prayer, of being humble, and of turning from everything we know is wrong.

For stricken Israel there was but one remedy–a turning away from the sins that had brought upon them the chastening hand of the Almighty, and a turning to the Lord with full purpose of heart. To them had been given the assurance, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people; if My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13,14. It was to bring to pass this blessed result that God continued to withhold from them the dew and the rain until a decided reformation should take place. {PK 128.1)

If God’s people will do three things, God will always respond in three ways. The Lord’s people need to become humble, that is, confess they have sinned; they need to pray, or repent; and they needed to turn, or come back to Him. If they do this even today, God would hear, forgive, and heal us in miraculous ways.

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“IF My People pray”

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[BlessedMan]

YOU Will Rise Again

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:24)

-they will rise again

Martha, one of my favorite women in the Bible looked upon the resurrection and the life as things that were to be in some dim and misty future. But as the scripture record reveals, Jesus said: “No,”  

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“I am [NOW] the resurrection and the life. Not only do I get these things by prayer from God, but I am these things.” And then he goes on to explain it. He says, “I am the resurrection. Anyone that believes in me, though they were dead, yet shall they live. I am the life. Whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die; they will live.” (John 11:25)

I recall once some years ago during my nursing days, standing by the bedside of an elderly man who was dying. It was the night shift, and as I watched his life current slowly ebb from his emaciated body, I saw an old well used Bible on his bedside table. I asked “George, is it OK if I look in your Bible for a few minutes.” He couldnt speak but he nodded a yes.

I opened up George’s Bible and the very first thing I saw was the following text scrawled on the inside front cover in George’s very shaky looking hand writing:  

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“I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.” (Phil 3:10, Message)

What an amazing text for me to discover just at that exact time & place with old George!

I have never forgotten this experience, that text, over the last 25 years. It has stood silently, steadfastly with me through every dark trial.

Jesus once said “I will rise again,” and His experience is to be our experience. The comfort, the assurance, and the power of this one promise, can help anyone at the very point of whatever felt needs are present in their lives. When I lost a loved one a few years ago, this was the very experience that we both had leaned heavily on:  

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For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not go before those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thes 4: 14-18, MKJV)

What did Paul mean when he wrote, “We tell you this directly from the Lord”? (vs 15)

Either this was something that the Lord had revealed directly to Paul, or it was a teaching of Jesus that had been passed along orally by the apostles and other Christians.

It was at the bedside of a dying man where this truth was not only passed on to me; but at the point of George’s last breath that night, it became a lived experience, rather than a stale doctrine, or some contested theology.

I have sometimes wondered over the years how my friend could have faced his death with such assurance. He had horrible pain in the end, and his body was marred with the ravages of his disease. And he was alone. No family would come to see him in his last moments. There was no visible sign that he was “happy in the Lord” and trusting in Jesus as he left this life behind. Or was there? Perhaps his yes that he nodded to me when I asked to look in his Bible was the thing that showed He knew Jesus? And that he wanted me to know Him better too?

But when George said “Yes” to my request to look inside his Bible, that my friends was his moment of greatest power. That “yes” is the very definition of “I will rise again.” And it was my personal moment to rise again unto the “lively hope” of the resurrection power, for both this life, and the life to come.

As believers in Jesus today, we too have the opportunity for our moment of greatest power. There is opportunity, for anyone, no matter how rotten they are, to “rise again.” This is why the Bible calls the resurrection our “lively” or “living hope.” Because  Jesus is risen! (Mat 1:21), Because Jesus is “the living God” (Psalms 42:2) of our life today:  

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Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. (1 Pet 1:3, CEV)

Do you need encouragement?

Peter’s words offer such powerful joy and hope in times of trouble, and he bases his confidence on what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. We live with the wonderful expectation of eternal life (1 Pet 1:3). Our hope is not only for the future; because eternal life begins when we first trust Christ. Like my Grandmother used to say: Heaven begins on Earth.” Especially when we recognize along with the psalmist:  

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Why am I discouraged? Why am I restless? I trust you! And I will praise you again because you help me, (Psalms 42:5)

The Psalmist was rising again when he poured out those words! And when we rise again in our experience, we too will express new or renewed confidence in Jesus! When we pour out our hearts to Jesus. After all, “prayer is the opening of the heart to God, as to a friend.”

My greatest moments of power, my personal experiences of rising again out of whatever horrible pit I have been, in are always when I hear that same “yes,” from someone who cares enough to be there, and recognize that that yes, is just how Jesus will help me too.   

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“By this shall all people know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another…” (John 13:35)

My personal best  antidote for spiritual depression is to meditate on the record of God’s goodness to His people. And to myself. (Rev 12:10-11) This will help take your mind off the present situation as you focus your thoughts on God’s ability, on God’s power, to help you rather than trying to count on your own inability to help yourself. This process is called “rise again.” (2 Cor 5:17) Why not take advantage of the Psalmist’s effectual antidepressant? The Bible accounts of God’s goodness, always give us something at least one step higher than where we are currently.

When I have stood watching death invade, my darkest thoughts oppressed me deeply, buried me in darkness.  George’s “YES” turned my heart to God and in touching Jesus in such a very affectionate way like that, I started to rise again. I stopped feeling alone in my situation. This kind of Holy Love to Jesus as our main foundation in life, is the very power of Godliness. The very life and soul of all of us.

I didn’t realize for years how wrong I was about God, until I heard His “yes” through my dying friend, and my tortured heart began to rise again. Standing at George’s bedside,  was my moment of greatest power. Through a few tears then, Jesus had just taught me very affectionately to know the worth and power of His everlasting mercies. Simply by providing me with the the very acute wanting of them!  Of a truth, His mercies are new every morning! (Lam 3;23)

What power on earth can take that away from any one of us? Scripture asserts how that “nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.”

And you dont have to be a Christian to “rise again!” You just have to be in need, and acutely feel the need for God’s mercy:  

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keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 1:21)

Do you want to rise out of your darkest experiences? To know and trust Jesus not inspite of them, but because of them?

God’s yes to each of us today would be in His longing for, and providing for us to live close to Him, and to His people, and in giving up our trust of false teachers and any other dark souls who would try to pull us away from God.

    And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. YES! (Jude 1:24-25, Message)

My friends, God wants to say “yes” to you now. God has a special plan for you to rise again! Just like He had for Jesus!

NOW can be your moment of greatest power.

“To them that received Him gave He power to become the sons and daughters of God! (John 1:12)

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Until next time, may God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you is my prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.

 

[BlessedMan]

Comfort One Another With THESE Words
(Reading Time: on our web site: 10 minutes)   

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Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thes 4:18)

This week’s article, and next week’s will talk about the second coming of Jesus. I can imagine how this might sound like science fiction to much of the world because of the many and diverse ways that the world’s denominated sources try to deal with it and explain it. It seems almost everyone has their own doctrine about this sometimes complicated subject. It is quite possible that most of us do have one thing in common. I think many of us can agree that yes, Jesus is coming again. But how many of us can agree on anything else? Some say it will be a secret. Some say everyone will know when it happens. Others say they actually know exactly when Jesus will return. Yet others say no one can know. But there is a developing problem regarding the second coming of Jesus. Many people are starting to echo this verse, and Peter warns us about it:

This letter which I am now writing to you, dear friends, is my second letter. In both my letters I seek to revive in your honest minds the memory of certain things so that you may recall the words spoken long ago by the holy Prophets, and the commandments of our Lord and Savior given you through your Apostles. But, above all, remember that, in the last days, men will come who make a mock at everything, people governed only by their own passion and asking,  

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“What has become of His promised Return? For from the time our forefathers fell asleep all things continue as they have been ever since the creation of the world.”(2 Pet 3: 1-4, Weymouth)

It is clear that the subject of the second coming is not very clear to much of the world, including church-goers. People either don’t believe it’s going to happen, while others believe it will happen, but they cannot agree on how or when Jesus will come again. The first thing I would personally suggest about this idea of Jesus coming again is that there is something by which we can measure any belief that we think comes from the Bible. I got it from a preacher some years ago when I first became a Christian. I was confused about the many opinions and variations of this Bible prophecy on the second coming of Jesus and the first thing he said to me was

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[BlessedMan]

A More Sure Word Of Prophecy
Reading Time: 12 minutes (on our site)  

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It is important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People will laugh at you. They will live following the evil they want to do.They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.” (2 Pet 3:3-4)

Bible prophecy is much more than just “predictions.” Prophecy takes us through past ages, and reflects upon the progression of sin and righteousness and justice and injustice. And yet, prophecy is not just “history” so called. Bible prophecy is “H.I.S. S.T.O.R.Y.” Prophecy is the story of Jesus. His life, His death, His resurrection, and His intercession for us now, in heaven. (Heb 7:25)

One verse that is somewhat blunt puts it like this when talking about the state of the world today, and how so many are cringing in fear at the slightest whisper of the word virus:  

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“…as for our iniquities, we know them; In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. (Isa 59:12-14)

Our world today is something akin to a ripe fruit, ready to be harvested. Jesus is coming back to put an end to the long sad history of sin and to build up His kingdom of righteousness. Jesus is coming to take you home. Jesus is coming to tell you that He has never lost hope in seeing you safe with Him for all eternity. And this is the grand purpose of Bible prophecy. In the midst of all the world’s turmoil; God’s people need to say with belief:  

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You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God. (1 Pet 1:19-21)

You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent Lamb. Christ was chosen even before the world was created, (the everlasting gospel, Rev 14:6-7) but because of you, he did not come until these last days. And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God. You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart. Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever. The Scriptures say, “Humans wither like grass, and their glory fades like wild flowers. Grass dries up, and flowers fall to the ground. But what the Lord has said will stand forever.” Our good news to you is what the Lord has said. (1 Pet 1:19-25, CEV)

This article does not solve all the problems or riddles of Bible prophecy: it does not profess to know everything. But it will point us in the right direction. Let us continue into study of the vital subject of Bible prophecy of the second coming with open hearts. Prophecy is described in scripture as “the sure word” and as “a light in a dark place.”

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