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Revelation 20:11a, Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it,

I have only been in an actual courtroom one time when a court was in session.  I have been called to appear for jury duty only once; I actually would like to be a juror.  But, I have watched a lot of trials on television, if that counts.  I have even watched Judge Judy – once. 

The Great White Throne Judgment will not resemble any television court room or any real life courtroom happening.  This is final judgment for those who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  There will be a judge but no jury, a prosecutor but no defense attorney.  A sentence will be handed out but no appeal will be ever made.  This is the time that every sinner of all time will stand before God to give an account of their sinful life. 

There is also a very important book that will be opened – the Book of Life.  In that book are all the names of those who have given their life to follow Jesus Christ.  It contains the names of those who will live for eternity in heaven with the Lord.  Revelation 20:15 tells us that anyone whose name does not appear in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire.  We love to hear that God is love.  But, He is also just which means He must deal with sin and sinners.

“Do not confuse this judgment with the Judgment Seat of Christ, where Believers will have their works judged and rewarded.  At the Great White Throne Judgment, there will only be unbelievers.  There will be no rewards.” (Dr. David Jeremiah)

God’s people have suffered at the hands of those in authority since Adam and Eve.  Christians have been persecuted for their faith since the time of Christ.  It seems that the wicked or unrighteous have prospered, enjoying all kinds of privilege and opportunity.  Throughout the ages Christians have asked why the wicked prospers.  This final judgment of the unsaved gives assurance that justice will come; there is no need for Believers to retaliate or desire vengeance when mistreatment occurs.  At the Great White Throne Judgment, God will settle the matter of all the deeds done by those who have rebelled against Him.  His judgment is righteous and holy.

Jesus told us to pray for those who offend us.  This terrible time of judgment will come.  You were saved because someone was probably praying for you.  Vengeance and retaliation is not ours to give; as you have seen that day will come.  Our desire should be the same as God’s – that all would be saved. May God grant each of us the ability to forgive and pray for those who need peace found in Jesus Christ!

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Psalm 50:6, Let the heavens declare His righteousness.  For God Himself is Judge.

We know God is Love.  If you have been in church for any length of time, you have heard many sermons about God’s love.  Yes, God loves you more than you can understand, more than you can comprehend.  Few want to hear about the other side of God, that He judges.  The Psalmist did not state that God is a judge; be very careful to notice he said “God Himself is Judge”.  Dr. David Jeremiah in his Study Bible states: As Creator of the earth and its inhabitants, He alone has the prerogative to pass judgment on both.”   Because of His righteousness, His judgment is true and correct.  Hebrews 9:27-28 tells us that, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”  Each of us will stand before Him to be judged on whether we accepted or rejected His Son.

The New Testament describes three major judgments.  The first is found in 1 Corinthians 3: 11-15 and is called the judgment seat of Christ.  The verses describe Jesus Christ as the foundation for the lives of those who have accepted Him as their Savior.  By accepting or denying Jesus as Lord of your life you have really judged yourself.  This judgment is about the work you have done for Christ after accepting Him as your Savior.  Your works will be tested by fire.  Not everything we have done as a Christian is done to glorify the Lord.  The Bible calls this wood, hay and straw; these works will not endure the fire.  But those works that are done to bring honor and glory to God will remain and are called gold, silver, and precious stones.  This is what the Apostle James describes as works with faith, works that are based on doing what God wants done such as feeding the hungry, clothing those who need clothes, etc.  Good works will never earn one’s salvation!  Dr. Jeremiah states, “True faith will always produce good works because true faith motivates a person to please God.”  Charles Spurgeon has said, “The child of God works not for life; he does not work to be saved, he works because he is saved.”

This judgment is God seeing those who have believed in Him as they really are – their motivations, their dreams, and their reasons for serving Him.  It is important to read 1 Corinthians 3: 14-15.  Do you see that both the one who was rewarded and the one that suffered loss are saved!  This is not judgment based on one’s relationship to Christ.  This is judgment based on one’s faithfulness in service; silver, gold, or precious stones will receive a reward.  What that reward will be is only speculation.  I have always thought of it as the greater the reward the closer to the throne of God one is able to be in eternity.  Whatever the reward, one needs to be living a life pleasing to God, doing the work He desires each of us to do.

What will be left of the works you have done as a believer in Christ?

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Revelation 20:1-3, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.  But after these things he must be released for a little while.

The devil is bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years.  This time is called the Millennium; Jesus Christ is on the thrown, His kingdom is the earth, and it is a Christian kingdom.  During this time, the saints shall rule with Christ and shall be His priests as worship will be at the center of this time.  During this time there will be world peace, economic stability (Read Isaiah 35:1-2; Isaiah 65:20-23), and the role of animals will be changed (Read Isaiah 11:6-9).  You might look up the verses to understand about the animals.  It will be an exciting time!

Life as we know it will be changed during the Millennium.   You need to remember that there will be those who went through the seven years of tribulation that did not die because God hid them. These are those who gave their life to Jesus Christ during this time and were not martyred.  During the Millennium, they will continue to have children.  Those born during this time will still need to confess their sinful nature and accept Jesus Christ as Lord.  Isaiah 65:20-23 addresses this need.  The “child born during this time” will have one hundred years to profess Jesus Christ as their Savior; if they do not do so within this time they will die (Isaiah 65:20). 
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from the pit (Revelation 20:7-10) to once again gather those who are alive that have not professed Jesus Christ as Savior for one last attempt to overthrow the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  Fire from God in heaven is sent to devour them.  The devil and his followers are “thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented day and night for ever and ever”.

When I read this in the book The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey as a 26 year old teacher (I was given the book to read by a student), I gave my life to Christ and He changed me.  It has been quite the experience!  Are we living in times that are close to this thousand year period?  I don’t know.  I will say that the signs of the times would indicate that we are.  Don’t be a scoffer!  Search the Word of God for yourself.  The words of Dr. David Jeremiah have stayed with me for some time, “On any given day we are only seven years away from the return of Jesus Christ!”  Be sure of your relationship with Him.  The Bible tells us to examine ourselves by letting the Holy Spirit show us the areas of our life that do not line up with His desires for our walk with Him.  Then ask for forgiveness and stop doing what is not pleasing to Him.  It is His desire to help you be the person He desires you to be.

All I know is we are living in exciting times and I am watching and listening for the horn to blow and He takes His people out of this sinful world to be with Him for eternity!  What about you?

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Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been seen since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Last week we wrote about THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS returning with His armies of saints and angels to defeat the armies assembled to make war with Him.  We need to examine what led to this.

We have discussed Matthew 24 about events Jesus told His disciples had to happen before His return.  Only two things need to occur before Jesus returns – the rapture of the Church and the rise of the Antichrist.  Look around at what is happening around the world; there is chaos and confusion about what is going on.  Who do we believe?  Think about the confusion and chaos that will occur when suddenly millions of people simply disappear (the rapture of the Church).  Who will be charismatic enough to gain the confidence of the people of the world that remain?  Someone will need to step forward with the answers those “left behind” need to hear; someone that they will willingly pledge to follow. 

Tribulation will last seven years.  The Antichrist will make peace with Israel which will last for three and one-half years. At that time the Antichrist will break the peace treaty and will do everything in his power (the devil’s power) to destroy Israel and any who have not pledged their allegiance to him.  

Permit me to be very general in sharing what will occur during the time of tribulation.  Everything the Antichrist does during this time is to get people to worship him and to destroy Israel and those who give their life to the Lord during this seven year period.  He demands any who follow him to take a mark on their hand or forehead in order to buy and sell.  All others are martyred.

In heaven, the raptured saints, the martyred saints, angels, and the twenty-four elders worship around the throne of God.  Seals, trumpets and bowls of God’s wrath are sent on the people on earth to soften men’s hearts that they would accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Even during this terrible time God is attempting to bring lost souls to Him.  There will be those who do, but most will only harden their hearts.  The arrogance of the Antichrist will finally cause him to gather the armies of the world at the Valley of Megiddo for one last battle.

This is not to be a fearful time for Believers today!  Our blessed hope is to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven worshipping and waiting for the time to be part of the Lord’s army. 

My last Bible class asked me why we were studying this.  Why aren’t we studying how to live like Christ?  My answer was to understand this time should give us the reason to live like Christ - every day.  There is so much more involved during this time of tribulation; it is a very terrible time.  Each of us has the choice to make regarding who we believe Jesus is, what He did on a cross, and what we believe about His resurrection.  It is about the life we lead right now on earth and the attitude about where we will spend eternity.  Christ paid our debt for us so we can live in peace now, looking forward to eternity in heaven.  I look forward to being a part of the army that follows the King into battle.  I pray you do as well.

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We have too much time on our hands! We have brought boxes down from the attic and have been going through them to see what need s to be kept.  We have also been going through files and throwing out papers we no longer need.  In the process we have run across a lot of funny “stuff” and some neat “stuff”.  Here is one of the neat things. 

                    Heaven’s Grocery Store

I was walking down life’s highway a long time ago,
One day I saw a sign that read Heaven’s Grocery Store.
As I got a little closer the door came open wide
And when I came to myself I was standing inside.
I saw a host of angels that were standing everywhere
One handed me a basket and said, “My child, shop with care.”
Everything a Christian needed was in that grocery store
And all you couldn’t carry you could come back the next day for more.

First I got some Patience; Love was in the same row.
Further down was Understanding; you need that everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom, a bag or two of Faith,
I just couldn’t miss the Holy Ghost for he was all over the place.
I stopped to get some Strength and Courage to help me run the race.
By then my basket was getting full, but I remembered I needed some Grace.

I didn’t forget Salvation for Salvation – that was free.
So … I tried to get enough of that for both you and me.
Then, I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill
For I thought I had everything to do my master’s will.
As I went up the aisle, I saw Prayer and just had to put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful; they were on the last shelf.
Song and Praises were hanging near so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel, “How much do I owe?”
He just smiled and said, “Just take them everywhere you go.”
Again, I smiled at him and said, “How much do I really owe?”
He smiled again and said, “My child, Jesus paid your bill a long time ago!”
I do not know who wrote it and I just wrote it as it was.  The message is what I wanted to be seen,  

Yes, Jesus paid our bill a long time ago and in doing so opened up His “Grocery Store” to all who would believe. 

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Revelation 19: 11-16, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.  And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.  He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies in heaven, clothed in the fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.  And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.  He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

                                            KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

There is more to the description of the Commander from heaven.  His weapon of choice is a sharp sword that comes from His mouth.  Think back to the armor of God and remember Believers have a sword to use in spiritual warfare - the Word of God.  The Word of God is used to execute judgment on those who have denied Him as Lord as He strikes the nations who have joined the Antichrist in His efforts to destroy Israel.  The Lord then rules with an iron rod which symbolizes His absolute, righteous reign.  Do you remember what the devil came to do?  He came to rob, steal, and destroy.  The Lord Jesus Christ will not allow this to ever happen again because of His righteousness. 

On His thigh is written the third name for the Commander in this passage; He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!  The robe symbolizes His majesty and the thigh symbolizes power.  There will be no doubt who this Commander is; He is the Sovereign ruler of the earth! 

Psalm 22:27,28 are only a few verses of the many verses that tell of this time.  “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.  For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.” 

The question of who is king is now answered.  Every king and lord will bow when Jesus returns to put down the rebellion that has been occurring on earth since Adam and Eve.  Philippians 2: 9-11 prophetically states, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Now this will be done. 

My choice is to bow as His follower and as part of His army!  What about you?

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Just a reminder – if you receive this blog through email, you can go to the regular blog page by moving your cursor to the top of the page and click on LEARNING DAILY header.  Then you can see the archived articles and comment section.

Revelation 19: 11-16, Revelation 19:11-21, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.  And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.  He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies in heaven, clothed in the fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.  And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.  He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

                                            KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is with power, with strength, and to judge and destroy the works of the devil.  Today let’s look at the Commander leading the armies of heaven.  The first thing to notice is that He comes from heaven, the very center of His power and authority.  He is sitting on a white horse – no donkey this time.  A horse in Scripture is used as a symbol or agent of God’s wrath on sinful man (See Zechariah 6:1-8).  As was mentioned yesterday it is symbolic of His authority and the success He will achieve.

One of the names given the Lord in this passage is Faithful and True.  Because He is righteous the warfare, He is about to conduct what is righteous.  He knows the enemy, knows his tactics and strategies and has judged him.  The name indicates His intimacy with God the Father and His eternal existence.  It is also in complete contrast to the enemy who was neither faithful nor true.

In His eyes, judgment is seen; it is righteous judgment!  On His head were many crowns representing the many kingdoms that He will rule.  No longer will there be many nations under many rulers.  Now there will be one kingdom who will be united under one King, One Lord.

The “armor” He wears is a robe dipped in blood; scholars believe it represents the blood shed on the cross giving Him the authority and right to judge the world. A second name for this Commander is The Word of God which refers back to His first coming.  John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  He walked among us as a man and revealed the God to humanity.

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Revelation 19:11, 14, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.  And He who sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” V.14 “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”

I grew up watching thirty-minute cowboy shows like the Lone Ranger, Roy Rodgers, Gene Autrey and Gunsmoke.  They had a few things in common – they were the good guys, they wore white hats (at least light-colored ones), rode white horses and they always defeated the bad guys at the end of the program.  Who was going to win was never in doubt! It did not take anyone watching the program long to figure out who the good guys were.  Oh, by the way, the bad guys almost always wore black hats.

Near the end of the book of Revelation, John the Revelator sees heaven opened and saw One on a white horse coming forth.  This marks the second coming of Christ to earth.  The Christmas story marks the coming of Christ as a baby and the setting is meekness and lowliness.  But here He comes from heaven as “the Warrior-Messiah (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8) to establish truth and justice (Psalm 96:13), to judge the nations and to wage war against evil (John 5:30).  This is the event for which the faithful of all generations have waited.” (from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible)

Let me set the context for this verse.  The past seven years those on earth have gone through terrible tribulations under the authority of the Antichrist.  Now the nations of the earth have gathered for an all-out assault against God and His people.  The Lord, leading a huge army, dressed in white and riding white horses emerge from heaven to do battle with armies of the world.  This is a battle like the world has never seen.  There is no fighting, but there are casualties.  Christ comes to battle with His armies and by the word of His mouth destroys His enemies.  His armies who follow Him have to do nothing in this battle.  Who is going to win is never in doubt!

I want you to notice how the army that follows the Lord into battle resemble Him.  They are clothed in fine linen which indicates their purity and righteousness.  These are the ones who have been called by the Lord to follow Him while on earth and done so faithfully; their righteousness comes from the Lord.  These are the ones who will rule with Him once victory has been won.  You and I as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who took our place on a cross, took our sins upon Himself, and rose again to defeat death, are part of this great army that will defeat this end time enemy and rule with Christ in eternity.  Friends, our faithfulness while on this earth will be worth it all!

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2 Peter 3:3-4, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

When the last days began might depend on who you are reading at a particular time.  I believe it is safe to say that the last days began when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven as described in Acts 1 and will end when He returns to destroy the ungodly world system as described in Revelation 19:11-21.  Many in the first century, including Peter, expected Jesus to return in their lifetime.  As you read in the verses above, scoffers came to make fun of the promise of His coming; that caused God’s people to doubt whether Jesus’ promise to return was true.

There have always been scoffers who laugh and make fun of sin, the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, and that He is going to come back to destroy this world as we now know it. Consider how the return of Christ is laughed at today.  Consider the very large number of people trying to get anything biblical and godly removed from public display.  And, why are so many leaving the church to follow ungodly teaching, and scoffing at the return of Jesus Christ?  It seems logical that if people really believed in His return, the churches preaching true doctrine would be full.

However, look back at how Peter describes the scoffer, those – “walking after their own lusts”.  They are those people who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and are doing the things that please themselves and their worldly desires.  Not only are they living this way, they attempt to shake the beliefs of those who are looking for His return.  Scoffers do not believe this promise and laugh at those who do. 

They not only laugh and mock but use subtle reasoning to defend their position: “For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation”.  For the new or weak Believer this might seem pretty solid reasoning.  The thinking is since “judgement” has not come upon them for their sin yet, it never will.  So, they continue living life as though nothing will happen to them.  Since the world continues to be sinful – since creation – scoffers see no reason to change their ways: they do not fear God!  They do not fear His judgment, nor His return because they do not believe in it.

Peter goes on in the next few verses to remind the readers of his letter that God has faithfully kept promise of judgment upon sin; he reminds us that by God’s word the heavens and earth were created and when mockers doubted that He would judge sin, He sent a flood.  God does keep His word and Peter reminds us that God has His timetable.  To God ‘one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).  God will keep His promise!

Why the delay?  Verse 9 answers that question; “The Lord is not slack concerning His Promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  This delay in the return of Jesus Christ is His gift of mercy, God’s patience to grant salvation to as many as would accept the opportunity to repent and be saved.  It is a grace period for Believers to spread the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.  It is our responsibility to live our life as the light of Christ and to tell of how He has changed our lives.

Perhaps you know someone who could benefit from receiving this blog each day and would be willing to pass it on as a way to help that person come to know the Savior or to just grow in their faith; it would be an honor for you to do so.

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Proverbs 3:25-26, Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.

There is usually no blog on Saturday.  However, I could not wait until Monday for this.  Last night Charlotte was doing some cross-stitching and I was working on a puzzle while watching Friday night television programs.  A commercial came on that I just need to comment on.  “In times like these, we depend on – dramatic pause – science!”  I believe that is pretty much the attitude that exists almost everywhere.  Science is so necessary and has enabled us to enjoy so much.  Without the improvements we have seen because of all the scientific research and development our lives would be so much different from what we know.  I certainly believe that research will enable scientists to develop vaccines and medicines that will deal with this coronavirus as well.  My problem comes with the word depend.

Say whatever you want about me and my faith; my confidence, my faith to get through all this depends on the Lord.  Man can take all the credit for developing all the different things that we enjoy today – that’s dependency on man.  Believing the Lord will direct man to find medicines to combat this virus just like He did with every other virus and bug that has come against man is dependency on the Lord. 

We will follow the guidelines established by those in authority over us, but our trust, our confidence is in the Lord who will protect us.  Our attitude is best summarized by three Hebrews in Daniel 3, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king that we do not serve your gods (science), nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

God is on His throne.  He is still in control of all things.  He sees and knows all that we are experiencing.  His ways are not our ways.  And, nothing happens without His permission.  Perhaps the events in our world today are to draw people to Him, to place their dependence on Him. 

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James 5:8, You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

We began the week with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We finish the week with thoughts about His return.  Dr. David Jeremiah has stated that scholars have identified 1,845 biblical references to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ; over three hundred of these are found in the New Testament.  The book I referred to a while back that made me realize I needed the Savior was about prophecy.  I guess in the forty-four years since that time I am just as interested in prophecy as I was then. 

I select this verse of Scripture today for several reasons.  The disciples were looking for the Lord Jesus to return to destroy the Roman oppression and establish His kingdom.  Obviously, we are still waiting for that to happen (More on this later).  If we discern the time we live in, one could easily believe His return is near.  I’m not talking about the time when the true Church is taken to meet Him in the clouds.  The time when the Lord Jesus Christ will return will be after great tribulation on earth – a seven-year period.  Discussion of the Great Tribulation will be another time.  Dr. Jeremiah has said that on any given day we are only seven years away from the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.   His coming will be a time of judgment upon the wicked and to reward the righteous.  I believe that we are close to that time being upon us.

You and I are to be patient and establish our hearts. This is not to be a passive time.  Patience is the ability to wait on God’s timing.  He delays because He does not want anyone to be lost.  Yet, it seems people’s hearts are only growing colder and people are turning from Him.  It seems people today are no different from those who lived during biblical times.  They looked for a Messiah for all the wrong reasons, they misunderstood Him when He was with them and walked away.  People are still misunderstanding Him and turning away.  Not much has changed!

I believe the way to get through these times is to get closer to God in all that you do.  The motive is found in the last few words of verse 9 in this chapter in James.  “Behold the Judge is standing at the door.”  One of these days, Believers are going to be taken out of this world in the rapture, seven years of tribulation will occur, and then “the King of kings, the Lord of lords” will come!  What a glorious day that will be!

Prophecy is given to us by God to strengthen and comfort His people.  The future is very uncertain and fearful for many people.  Never forget that God holds the future in His hand.  Trust Him.  I’ve read many books on prophecy by biblical scholars and I have read the Bible through to the end.  They all agree!  Those who believe that Jesus died so their sins would be forgiven, that He rose from the dead and lives again will spend eternity in heaven!  We win!

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Galatians 5:25, If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Charlotte was looking through some of her mother’s things yesterday and came across this poem.  We do not know who wrote it; my bet is her mother wrote it.  It contains a great message for each of us.  It has been said by many that the way we live our life may be the only Bible others may read.  Enjoy!

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me than paint the way.

The eyes a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel oft is confusing – but examples always clear.

And the best of all the preachers are the ones who live their creeds
For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.

I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands and action, but your tongue too fast may run.

All the lectures you deliver may be wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

                                           _________________

Over the years I have watched upper elementary children watch middle school students, watched middle school students observe high school students; I do not think it stops.  I still watch people.  It is encouraging to watch people walk the talk.

There was a particular eighth grade boy that was continually sent to my office.  Trying to encourage him, I told him he was a leader; other students watched him and acted as he did.  I wanted him to turn that into a positive for him and our school.  One night at a basketball game, I watched two or three upper elementary boys interact with him; it was obvious that these boys were pretty excited that the eighth grader gave them the attention they wanted.  They talked for quite a long time, laughing and just goofing around. The next day, I called him back into the office to talk about what I had watched, reminding him to live the life he professed.  I wish I could say he became the leader I saw in him; I lost track of him as he went to another school and do not know the rest of his story.

People are watching you to see if you are who you say you are, especially if you are a Christian.  I encourage each of you to live the very best you can according to what the Bible tells you.  Others are watching you!

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Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe . . . “

No, you are right.  I used this verse yesterday.  Today, I want you to think back to the moment you said this – or similar words – and really meant it.  I love most of the memories I have of things I have been able to do over the years and probably dwell too much on them.  The occasion for saying, “Lord, I believe . . . “ was pretty simple.  A student had given me a book to read; I read it and accepted Christ as my Savior.  Perhaps it was my competitive spirit because the book showed me how things were going to end; Jesus Christ will come back, defeat the devil, and establish His kingdom on earth.  I like to win and asked Him to come into my heart.  He did and my life changed.  I believed!

Early this morning, the question came in my sleep.  What does it take to believe?  Don’t stop reading because you think I might be getting crazy on you.  I have written before that there are many who believe that what Jesus Christ did while on the cross is foolishness.  From a purely human way of thinking someone dying in the place of others might be thought to be crazy.  So, how does the salvation experience take place in a person’s life?  What does it take for someone to believe?

The answer has to begin with faith!  I am not sure how to give a good definition and explanation of faith in this small amount of space.  The Billy Graham Evangelistic

Association says this: “Faith simply means believing that something is true, and then committing our lives to it. In the Bible, “faith” means believing in God, and in what Christ has done for us to make our salvation possible–and then committing ourselves to Him.”  Sounds like a pretty easy thing to do – simply believe.  For me, at that time in my life, it was.  For others, it takes longer and the situation must be right.  When it is, Jesus Christ takes you into His family just as you are. Then, He expects us to live like we are a part of His family.

We are all different when it comes to our salvation experience.  I did not jump any pews or run down any aisles (from an old Andre Crouch song) and I am just as saved as those who do!  There was a change in me, the old had passed away and the new me was a better version; the result of faith brings changes in an individual’s thinking, speech, actions and motivation for doing things.  For some changes might be immediate.  For others, like me, some changes take a lifetime.

What is your story?  I would be interested to hear it. 

This might be a good time to remind you how to leave a comment.  Right click on the learning Daily at the top of the email.  That should take you to a page that looks like a library.  Scroll down until you get to the Leave a Comment section.  Click on the date, write and click publish.  That will send it to my email and I will look at it.  The reason for that is only to make sure something really ugly is not printed.  I will print all comments – good, bad, positive, and negative – just not the ugly.

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Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe . . . “

I enjoy reading about the Civil War.  After reading about half of Gettysburg written by Newt Gingrich, I went across the hall (I was teaching then) to my friend, D. C. Adkisson and said something about this book is not correct.  Gingrich is supposed to be a historian and this book is supposed to be historical fiction.  But he has the South winning at the battle of Gettysburg.  He asked a simple question, “Are you sure its not a ‘what if’ book?”  I had not heard of this style of writing, but that was exactly what it was.  The book was written as if the battle had been won by the South and not the North.

Well I have been thinking about that type of writing lately. What if . . .

Jesus had never been born?

Jesus was just another prophet as many have said?

Jesus had decided He was not going to hang on a cross?

the disciples had really stolen His body and there was no resurrection?

the Bible is just an old book that has no meaning?

What if . . . ? 

What if . . . ?

What if . . . ? 

Then for Believers there is no hope.  We become a sorry people who believe in things that will never happen; our hopes for eternity in heaven would be based on a false premise.  That’s why our faith in God’s Word as truth must shine forth in this world that has such fear and has believed the lies of “what if”.  We must stand boldly upon the Word of God as Truth and Hope for today and tomorrow no matter what we face.

I remember as a kid memorizing the Apostle’s Creed in Sunday School. I read it again in a devotional a few weeks ago.  It is a great affirmation for Believers to read, recite, and remember.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

“Lord, I believe . . . “

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Luke 24:2-3, But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus’s last words were “It is finished”; He had laid down His life for sinners.  He was taken from the cross, wrapped in a clean linen cloth and laid in the tomb of Arimathea.  Imagine Satan following the group placing the body in the tomb and standing there while the soldiers rolled the stone into place, to seal the doorway.  When the stone was rolled into place he no doubt let out a shout of victory; it was time to party like the world had never seen before.

But when things looked so bad – Sunday happened!  Perhaps the ground began to shake and tremble (indulge me).  Satan’s dance came to a stop when the stone began to move.  What else could he do when the Resurrected Lord stood in the doorway to announce he was alive, He had defeated death, and the devil had been defeated.  It is no longer Friday – Sunday has come!  And that is the Good News – no the Best News Ever (I took that from a popular Christian song)!

1 Corinthians 1:18 states that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.  Too many people try to understand God’s plan through the power of their mind.  By doing so, it becomes foolishness to them and they laugh and ridicule everything about the cross and Jesus Christ.  They do not get beyond Friday. 

We are going through some difficult stuff, for some of you it is more than a virus.  Know that the Risen Christ is moving on your behalf right now before our Father in Heaven.  Satan will try to make you think that its over for you, that your situation can never change.  But because of Sunday the devil does not have the last word!  Death no longer has its sting.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ has defeated all evil.  Jesus Christ is our hope, our salvation, our healer, our guide, my _____________ (Fill in the blank for what you need).

I wish I could give the person’s name who said this, I do not know.  But here it is: “If this Jesus of the Bible is not enough to take care of your Friday, then you are lost; there is no hope because Jesus Christ is the best heaven has to offer.”  I am so glad that Sunday came.  I have bet my eternity on it.

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John 19: !7-18b, And He bearing His cross went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha, where that crucified Him…

Years ago I heard a message by Tony Campola.  He had been asked to speak in church on Good Friday.  When he had completed his message the pastor of the church spoke.  I would like you to read what the pastor said.

“Picture in your mind a hill.  On that hill there are three crosses with men hanging on them.  Jesus is one of them. 

He’s dead!  He’s gone!  He’s no more.  That was Friday – but Sunday’s coming!

He was spit upon, beaten, and there was no beauty in Him.  He was despised and rejected.  He was wounded for yours and my transgressions.  That was Friday – but Sunday’s coming!

He had spent the night with His disciples celebrating the Passover, washing their feet.  Praying for them even while they slept. He was put on trial that made no sense and brought before Pontius Pilate.  He was beaten and afflicted but did not say a word, led to be slaughtered as a lamb – not for what He had done but because of the wickedness and sin of those who did it to Him.  He was no trouble-maker, He did no harm to any man.  That was Friday – but Sunday’s coming!

Mary is there – she’s crying like crazy.  Peter has denied he knew Jesus.  The disciples are running in every direction – like sheep without a shepherd.  The hope of the world is gone.

That was Friday – but Sunday’s coming!

There are those who are rejoicing – it serves the trouble-maker right!  There are those mocking Him for not saving Himself.  Others are curious, confused, scared, lost hope.  On one side of him is a thief – cursing Him.  But, on the other side one is asking to be remembered when He gets to paradise.

It’s Friday and Pilate is washing his hands, the pharisees are calling the shots.  Soldiers are gambling for His robe while others are strutting around with spears. That was Friday – but Sunday’s coming!

Satan is dancing his little dance thinking he rules the world.  He thinks all institutions are at his command, that all governments are going to do his bidding, that everything is under his control.

BUT THAT WAS FRIDAY AND SUNDAY IS COMING!

Satan is excited because Christ is dead.  He’ll send disease and sickness to man, cause covetousness to abound, cause gossip, jealousy, murder, prayer in school will be eliminated, condoms to be passed out in school, abortion will be on demand – be legal, alcohol, drugs will be accepted behavior, and the definition of marriage will be changed.

BUT THAT WAS FRIDAY AND SUNDAY IS COMING!”

Who has not had a Friday-like experience?  We have all gone through a time (s) that we have thought no one cares.  Perhaps your concern about the events we are experiencing have troubled you or you know someone who has become depressed.  Difficult times can cause depression; loneliness has its trials.  But, do not lose hope.  Sunday is coming!

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John 19:30, So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”  And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

What Jesus endured at this time was dreadful.  At His arrest, His disciples ran and he was alone.  He was unlawfully put on trial where lies were told about Him, an outlaw by the name Barabbas was chosen by the crowd to be set free. He was beaten, whipped, mocked, spit on, a crown of thorns pushed down on His head, and He was nailed to a cross.  While on the cross, He forgave those doing it to Him, forgave a thief hanging on a cross beside Him, made sure His mother was taken care of, asked the Father why He had abandoned Him, tasted some sour wine, declared something was finished, and then gave up His spirit.

What was finished?  Arthur Pink stated in his book The Seven Sayings of the Savior on the Cross:  “This statement is the foundation of the Believer’s confidence, their assurance that their salvation has been won.  For Jesus this statement was not an expression of satisfaction that the termination of His suffering was now reached; it was not the last grasp of a worn-out life.  No, rather it was the declaration on the part of the divine Redeemer that all for which He had came from heaven to earth to do was now done…”   For whoever would be believe, nothing else needed to be done for salvation.  It was now finished; salvation for all who would believe was accomplished – paid in full!

Jesus responded to many He had healed or done a miracle for not to tell anyone because His “time had not yet come”.  Many times, He had told His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die.  They had not been able to grasp what that meant; some had even tried to talk Him out of it.   I doubt many of us would have understood and had a good chuckle out of someone saying such things.  Now, His terrible suffering was finished!  Done!  Task accomplished!  The wages of sin had been paid!

What does all this mean?  It is a message to all of us that the plan from the very beginning has been accomplished.  The sinner (all of us sin) can do nothing more to add to what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross.  Our sins have been transferred to our Savior as He hung on the cross.  That’s the message of “It is finished”!  When God put our sins – past, present, future - on Christ they are no longer on us.  When we do sin, we confess it – forgiveness.  The condemnation of sin, the penalty of sin is gone because it was placed on Jesus Christ.

Jesus said “It is finished”.   Who can question it?

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Luke 23:34, Then Jesus said, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do”.

Jesus has entered Jerusalem, been with His disciples in the Upper Room, celebrated communion with them, prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, been arrested, found guilty of nothing in Roman Law, beaten, and now is being nailed to a cross.  Those who did not know Jesus as the Son of God had done everything they could to destroy Him and any credibility He had.   It has been quite a week for the Lord. 

Read what the Bible says in the Gospels about his crucifixion.  As you do notice the words spoken by Jesus.  The first thing He said was a prayer for His enemies.  “Father, forgive them….”  That is the last statement any of us would make in that situation.  Few Believers take the time to pray for those who have done something or said something that has hurt or insulted us.  Here the Lord gives to us an example that must become part of our lives – forgiveness.  He had come to this earth to be a substitute for every sinner; He came to take the place of every person who would believe in Him and that He had the ability to forgive their sinfulness through His death and resurrection.

Forgiveness is pretty difficult for many of us.  Oh, we say we forgive and we might actually mean it.  But the forgetting is so difficult because we allow the enemy to continually remind us of what we have forgiven.  When those thoughts are not buried in the forgiveness, they begin to eat away at our peace with confusion and anger resulting.  How often do the memories of your sinfulness before you gave them to Jesus Christ come back to play games with you?  When they do, you need to remind the enemy that you have been forgiven by what Jesus Christ did for you at the cross of Calvary.  Do the same when thoughts come back to you about what you have forgiven others for.  Does that make sense?  If others have been forgiven for their sinfulness by the Lord Jesus Christ, no one has the right to judge that forgiveness. 

I would like to just comment briefly on the last part of this statement by the Lord.  The people determined to crucify Jesus knew exactly what they were doing; they did not know that the One they were crucifying was the Lord Himself.  The question becomes why not.  There was clear prophecy about Him; His life on earth was without sin and was selfless.  He taught as no other man had taught.  There was absolutely no excuse for not knowing who He was; there was no excuse for their ignorance.

Have you asked for Jesus Christ to forgive your sins?  Have you forgiven others of the things they have done to you or said about you?  There is no better time to do so than right now.  Ask the Lord what He would have you do and the best way to do it.  I know I need to spend some time in prayer about this very thing.  What about you?

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