PSALM 37:1-9

 

PSALM 37:1-9 Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm. For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

 

THE SECOND TRUMPET

 

THE SECOND TRUMPET Study of Revelation, continued. REVELATION 8.8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood, 8.9 and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed. -WEB Bible. This disaster could be caused by a number of things. Fire on the sea suggests an oil spill possibly. Perhaps an oil drilling explosion. Or a nuclear disaster. A mountain falling into the sea could be something like they've predicted in the Canary Islands: where the flank of an erupting volcano cracks and calves into the sea causing enormous devastation worldwide from tsunamis. On January 15, 2022 an underwater volcano near Tonga (in the south Pacific) produced an explosive (but short-lived) eruption that caused tsunamis all around the Pacific Basin, all the way up to Alaska. This event surprised scientists everywhere with its intensity. Ash nearly buried the islands of Tonga. This was a dramatic event, and vividly illustrates how natural disasters can do things we never expected or imagined, and without warning. Of course, we won't know how the Second Trumpet plays out, until it does: but it's not hard to imagine various scenarios that would fit John's description. Our study of Revelation will continue next Thursday with the 3rd Trumpet. IMAGE CREDIT: This image is from the Cloisters Apocalypse Illuminated manuscripts, circa 1330 A.D. Author is unknown; French, Normandy.

 

HE WILL RETURN

 

HE WILL RETURN I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ...The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:18,26 Jesus left us, but we are not left as orphans. He is our comfort, and though He is gone, we are not comfortless. He will come again to us, and this is enough to sustain us through His absence. Jesus is already on His way; He says, “I come quickly.” He is rushing toward us. He says, “I will come,” and no one can stop His coming or delay it for even a moment. He specifically says, “I will come to you,” and so He will. His coming is especially for His own people. This is meant to be our present comfort while we long for the Bridegroom to appear. And even though Jesus left us, He didn't leave us alone! He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us continually as our guide, comforter, helper and teacher. Jesus thought of everything. Until the glorious day when Christ returns, we are watched over and cared for. By Charles H. Spurgeon, updated.

 

WHICH GOD IS TRUE?

 

WHICH GOD IS TRUE? By Biblical Creation on Facebook HERE IS THE ANSWER SO CLEAR THAT EVEN THOSE WHO MOCK IT CANNOT ESCAPE IT. We see this comment all the time; it keeps showing up like a broken record. Atheists come into the comment section here, and list a thousand so-called gods:  Zeus. Odin. Ra. Baal. Shiva. Molech. Mithras. "Which one is real"?, they ask. As if they have the perfect trap of a question. They throw names around as if quantity somehow replaces truth. They want to smear the God of the Bible by mixing Him in with manmade idols. But here is the truth that refuses to be silenced. Not one of those pagan gods ever stepped into human history. Not one ever wrote real prophecy that came true. Not one ever produced a world changing movement that transformed hearts and nations. Not one ever offered redemption for sin. They have legends. They have statues. They have myths. They have stories. But none of them walked into time and space to reveal Himself. The God of the Bible did. And He did it through Jesus Christ. Jesus did not point to another deity. Jesus declared that He Himself IS the Hebrew God in the flesh. The Great I AM who spoke to Moses. The Creator who spoke the universe into existence. The One who holds all things together and in whom all things consist. And to prove that His words were not empty, He came in public. He taught in public. He performed miracles in public. He died in public. And He rose again in public before hundreds of eyewitnesses who never recanted even under torture and death. No secret ceremony. No mystical cave. No private whisper. No rumor. No hallucination. Hundreds saw the resurrected Christ. They watched Him ascend. That is why the entire Roman world was shaken. That is why the disciples, who were once terrified fishermen, became bold, unstoppable messengers of the Gospel. Every other god is a fading carving or an idol cast from the dirt. They cannot speak. They cannot act. They cannot save. Their influence died with the civilizations that created them. But Jesus Christ lives. His tomb is empty. His message endures. His Gospel still transforms hearts, families, and nations. That is why we point to Him every day. That is why He is not one god among many. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The only Living God. The only Savior. The only One who proved Himself before the eyes of history. And that is why the comment has been answered. Not with opinion. Not with myth. But with the undeniable reality of the resurrected King. End of story. CLICK HERE to visit Biblical Creation on Facebook Used with Permission

 

LESSONS IN THE SHADOW

 

LESSONS IN THE SHADOW He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. Isaiah 49:2 “In the shadow.” We must all go there sometimes. The glare of the daylight is too brilliant; our eyes unable to discern the delicate shades of color, or appreciate neutral tints—such as the shadowed chamber of sickness, the shadowed house of mourning, the shadowed life from which the sunlight has gone. But don't be afraid! It is the shadow of God’s hand. He is leading you. There are lessons that can be learned only there. He is only keeping you close until the moment comes when He can send you most swiftly and surely on some errand in which He will be glorified. —F.B. Meyer In some spheres the shadow condition is the condition of greatest growth. The beautiful Indian corn never grows more rapidly than in the shadow of a warm summer night. The sun curls the leaves in the sultry noon light, but they quickly unfold, if a cloud slips over the sky. There is a service in the shadow that is not possible in the sunshine. The world of starry beauty is never seen at its best till the shadows of night slip over the sky. There are beauties that bloom in the shade that will not bloom in the sun. There is much greenery in lands of fog and clouds and shadow. The florist has “evening glories” now, as well as “morning glories.” The “evening glory” will not shine in the noon’s splendor, but comes to its best as the shadows of evening deepen. If all of life were sunshine, Our faces would be fain To feel once more upon them The cooling plash of rain. —Henry Van Dyke From Streams in the Desert, updated