The Importance of Believers Understanding what will happen at the End Times!

Revelation 21:5a.        And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

And then it was Wednesday…and many of us need to catch our second wind…if we ever caught our first, (smile) what with all the festivities of the past weekend. But the good thing is that being children of God, we have the capacity to handle a lot of work and adversity, because we’re filled with the strength, joy, LOVE, peace, patience and perseverance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! And all of God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the best! The Only One we need, and will ever need!’

And that’s an indisputable truth! All this world needs is Jesus: Jesus in live and living colour! But the powers of the world seem to think otherwise, that’s why our world is going through so much disaster and chaos. Anyway, the good thing is that we know in His good time, Jesus will return to this God-forsaken earth and make it brand new. Remember what Peter says? ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:10)

Now that’s when Christ comes back in judgement, not the Rapture, for that day results in the final apocalyptic judgement. By the way, the heavens that shall pass away with a great noise, is merely the atmospheric heavens above the earth, not where the throne of God resides. (smile) And the noise and heat and burning up that Peter refers to, could even be a nuclear holocaust, which we’re not very far from right now, with all the nuclear posturing that’s currently taking place among the nations of this groaning earth!

And because of that possible apocalyptic situation, Peter therefore warns us to live in righteousness. ‘Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation (conduct) and godliness. Looking for and hasting (hastening) unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’ (2 Pet. 3:11-14)

Yes friends, since all that stuff is going to happen, and since the Lord has promised on numerous occasions to destroy the wicked from off the earth, that means we have to live to a high standard of peace, LOVE, righteousness and joy, in other words, show true faith in Christ, so that we won’t be cast into hell fire with the wicked.  Now that’s the tough side of the equation, but then, there’s also this glorious situation of a new earth and a new heaven, as John explains in the Book of Revelation, where he enthusiastically declares:

‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great shout out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev. 21:1-5)

Yes my faithful brethren, that’s what we have to look forward to! As the scholars tell us, that’s ‘the eternal state, following the Millenium (thousand year reign) and the final judgement, centering in the new Jerusalem as the eternal habitation of the saved (cf. Heb. 11:10). The first heaven and the first earth are replaced by a new heaven and a new earth, predicted by Isaiah (cf. Is. 65:17; 66:22). The present universe will thus be cleansed from all the effects of sin (cf. 2 Pet. 3:7, 1013). Since there will be no more sea, the increased land space will be fully capable of handling large numbers of redeemed people from all ages.

The New Jerusalem is fully described in Rev. 21:10-22:5. It is a holy city, totally separate from sin. It is being prepared as the habitation of the bride of Christ (cf. vs. 9) . From God shows its divine purpose and out of heaven its divine origin. And, as per the Tabernacle of God: The presence of God will be with His people, and He will forever dwell with them. A primary purpose of redemption will be accomplished: the complete fellowship of God with His redeemed people. In the eternal state, there will be no tears, death, sorrow, crying, or pain. Everything will become new. God’s promises are true, and He is faithful to His Word. (cf. 19:11).’

What more can I say eh my fellow believers? It’s been explained as fully and simply as possible. And please look up those references, you will find them very pertinent to the scriptures they reference. I obviously don’t have the time or space to spoon feed us with them, as I am won’t to do. (smile) But seriously though, having gotten all that information as to what will happen in the end times, it is therefore very important to ensure that we’re amongst those who will enjoy eternity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

That means, concentrating on increasing our witness for Christ, while growing in spiritual maturity, doing our best to bring souls to Him, and becoming as much like Him as possible. And to show that we are endeavouring to do just that, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And by the way, it’s been further promised, that those who endure to the end with Christ will enjoy an even more glorious future than our finite minds can even imagine or comprehend. So let’s be wise and stand strong in faith for Christ right to the very end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…the end …will be even better…than the beginning…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Understanding and Believing that this World and All Therein will Pass Away, but God shall Endure!

Matthew 24:35.        Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

And the weekend’s begun with a wet, chilly, lazy-day Saturday, with the promise of freezing rain and consequently an ice accumulation. And believe me, that’s the worse part of the winter – ice. The snow, you can at least see and navigate through, but the ice so often is invisible, and you walk or drive through it indiscriminately and suffer severe, unexpected consequences. Hence this famous term for it on the roadways; black ice. But tell me nuh, why is everything supposedly dangerous or bad given the misnomer of ‘black’ eh? And unfortunately, to the minds of many white folks, that tendency is also associated with black people. 

But that’s a story for another day. The important thing right now is if you don’t have to go out, don’t. Just stay at home and putter around, doing little or nothing important, or simply lazing and meditating on the quality of your life. This is a good time when it’s peaceful and quiet to contemplate our association with Almighty God. But if you must go out, then be very careful, because the temperature is right around the freezing mark, which means ice can be hiding underneath the apparently solid ground. 

Now, on a brighter note, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And the divine peace and calm simply starts flowing into our connected spirits, easing the stress and tension that so many of us are experiencing in these tough and turbulent times. What a joy it is to be in the Lord’s presence, to have greater intimacy with Him than we normally do. But that’s our fault, for He desires greater intimacy with all His creation, and He’s just waiting with open arms for us to come to Him. However, for whatever reason, too many of us hesitate or refuse to make that unbelievable, gracious and merciful connection, which can only benefit us. 

Meanwhile, the Lord is wondering what else He has to do to get His most precious creation to come to Him. He’s offered, LOVE, grace, mercy, salvation, compassion, forgiveness of sins, justification, sanctification, righteousness, etc. etc. What else does He have to do to get us to sincerely turn to Him eh? I guess the bright, shiny, unimportant sinful things that the world offers catches our attention and our sinful nature more than the things God offers. But please note, that the things of the world eventually will disappear along with those who sadly embrace them, but the things of God will endure forever, along with those who wisely and joyfully embrace them. 

Remember what we recently read in John’s first epistle. ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires),and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interest), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:16-17) Truer words were never spoken my fellow believers! 

And if you don’t believe John, then listen to Jesus as He talks about the signs for His second coming.  He emphasizes: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt. 24:35) There again, He stresses ‘the permanence of God’s words compared to the transient nature of the physical world.’ 

And the psalmist said it in such beautiful poetry, way back in olden times. ‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure (continue): yea, all of them shall wax (grow) old like a garment; as a vesture (cloak) shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed (descendants) shall be established before thee.’ (Ps. 102:25-28) 

Yes friends, even the old time people knew that this world would end eventually along with the wicked who refused to accept God as their Lord and Saviour. And Isaiah’s prophecy on the Lord’s behalf was even more forceful. He wrote: ‘Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax (grow) old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (broken).’ (Is: 51:6) 

And if you still need further clarification, then try these words of John from Revelation. ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be their God. 

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne (Jesus) said, Behold, I make all things new. and he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.’ (Rev. 21:1-5) 

Well friends, if you’re still not satisfied, then all I can say, that’s too bad, because that’s the Word of the Lord which is the gospel truth. Oh…but wait a  minute, this other scripture might help you make up your mind. ‘But the fearful (cowardly), and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), 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. 21:8) 

Now that’s the opposite end of the spectrum, so it’s up to you to decide how you want to go. But wisdom hearkens back to these words of Moses to the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:’ (Deut. 30:19) Let’s hope that we all  make the right decision, and like Joshua, eventually say with great determination: ‘but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ (Josh. 24:15b) And all of heaven said a loud and glad ‘Amen!’ 

Oh my fellow saints, what a momentous decision for a wet and chilly lazy-day Saturday! (smile) Much LOVE!

…one truth from the Bible…is worth more than…all the wisdom of man…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien