PREPARING HIS HEROES

 

PREPARING HIS HEROES And when the people of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer...who delivered them, even Othniel...Caleb's younger brother. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Judges 3:9-10 God is preparing His heroes; and when opportunity comes, He can fit them into their place in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from! Let the Holy Ghost prepare you, dear friend, by the discipline of life; and when the last finishing touch has been given to the marble, it will be easy for God to put it on the pedestal, and fit it into its niche. There is a day coming when, like Othniel, we, too, will rule and reign with Christ in His kingdom. But before that glorious day comes, we must let God prepare us, amid the trials and victories of our present life; the significance of which we little dream. By A. B. Simpson Human strength and human greatness Spring not from life’s sunny side, Heroes must be more than driftwood Floating on a waveless tide.

 

HE REMEMBERS HIS COVENANT FOREVER

 

HE REMEMBERS HIS COVENANT FOREVER He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded to Israel as an everlasting covenant. Psalm 105:8-10 So long as you struggle under law (that is, by your own effort) sin will have dominion over you. But the moment you step from under the shadow of the law of Moses (religious rules and regulations), and throw yourself upon the simple grace of Christ (His free and absolute gift of righteousness.) And take Jesus to be your righteousness as He has pledged Himself to be And believe that He is able to keep you in spite of everything that ever can be against you: the struggle is practically over! It is in the grace of Christ that we find His perfect will and peace! Beloved, do you really know and believe that this is the very promise of the Gospel? This grace is the very essence of the new covenant! Christ pledges Himself, to put His righteousness in your heart, so you will be able to live as Jesus taught us! God promised Abraham that He would grant us deliverance from the enemy of our souls! God promised freedom from all the spiritual forces that hate us: so we might serve Him without fear, in righteousness and holiness before Him all the days of our lives. God has sworn to do this for you, through Christ who fulfilled all religious requirements on our behalf. And He is faithful, that promised. Trust Him ever. By A.B. Simpson

 

DRAGON CAST DOWN TO EARTH

 

DRAGON CAST DOWN TO EARTH Continuing a Study of Revelation The book of Revelation switches gears at this point and introduces us to monsters and beings that will play a huge role in the final days of earth.  REVELATION 12.1 A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 12.2 She was with child. She cried out in pain, laboring to give birth. 12.3 Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns. 12.4 His tail drew one third of the stars of the sky, and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 12.5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God, and to his throne. 12.6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.  REVELATION 12.7 There was war in the heavenlies. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war. 12.8 They didn’t prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven. 12.9 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. -WEB Bible. The woman with the crown of twelve stars is the nation of Israel. The twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Her child is Jesus Christ, who was born a Jew. This vision is a brief summary of who Israel is: the mother of the Messiah, and protected by God. When the dragon is thrown down to earth and only has a short time left, he will try to destroy the woman with the crown of stars. Hostility against Israel will intensify in the last days. The nations, principalities and spiritual powers will all be obsessed with destroying Israel, but God will miraculously preserve her.  JEREMIAH 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who divides the sea when the waves roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever. God promised in antiquity that the earth would remain as long as Israel continues to exist. If Israel goes, so do we all. Israel is the timeline for human history.  Human existence on earth is tied in with the nation of Israel. It’s not because Israel deserves such an honor: it is simply because God has chosen them to be the object lesson for us all. And, through Israel the world has been blessed with our Savior Jesus Christ. WAR IN HEAVEN. Revelation 12:7-9 describes a war in heaven. This is a real war: an epic battle of heaven’s warriors against the dragon and all his demons. This battle in the heavenlies rages at the same time as disastrous events are taking place on earth. Even after Satan is cast down to the earth, his rage will continue to seek and destroy anything he can. His focus is on Israel, but he doesn’t care how many will die in his obsessive effort to annihilate the Jews: and thus destroy God’s promises so they can’t be fulfilled. This study of Revelation will continue on Thursdays. IMAGE CREDITS: The Virgin of the Apocalypse, by Miguel Cabrera, 1760 A.D. The Woman Clothed with the Sun Flees from the Dragon, by Benjamin West ca. 1797

 

POWER TO RAISE

 

POWER TO RAISE The LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous. Psalm 146:8 If I am bowed down with sorrow or burden, I should remember this promise from the Lord: It is His way, His custom, and His delight to lift up those who are bowed down. Whether it’s a sense of sin or a heavy heart that weighs me down, Jesus is ready to raise me up and give me rest. O Lord, lift me up for Your mercy’s sake! Whether it’s grief, loss, or a fall in circumstances, the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is there to console us. What a mercy that one person of the Trinity has taken on the role of Comforter! With such a glorious One caring for us, we can trust that He will do His work well. Some burdens are so heavy that only Jesus can lift them: but He can, and He will. He can restore us to health, hope, and happiness. He has done so in the past, and He remains the same Savior today. Those of us who are bowed down and sorrowful will one day be lifted up, and those who mock us now will be ashamed. What an honor it is to be lifted up by the Lord! By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

COFFEE THOUGHTS

 

COFFEE THOUGHTS  Sip... Happy Tuesday!! This amazing GREAT salvation isn't great because I have a great faith. It isn't great because of any abilities I have at all. It is great because He is a GREAT Saviour. When I wander, He gently reproves. When I'm the sheep lost in the storm He comes looking. What He authors, He finishes. Looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of His faith authored in me. Hebrews 12:2 Not of works lest any one should boast. Ephesians 2:9 The journey home continues. What a Saviour! Gerald D Hochstetler Jr. #coffeethoughts on Facebook Used with Permission