THE LORD ADDED...

...three more inches of reminders last night!

A blessed Christmas All as you ponder on the wonder that the Lord became man so He could become sin so we could become the righteousness of God in Him!

WHITE AS SNOW

I wasn't planning on writing any more posts this year but since my sister has graciously allowed me access to her beautiful new laptop I thought I'd bring you up to date on our exciting weather.

My husband and I left just before the "arctic blast" hit the Pacific Northwest. My daughter has been sending me updates and reports that there is now 15 inches of snow on the ground on our Gig Harbor property. Absolutely unprecedented for our neck of the woods! You can view pics of all our snow at my daughter's blog. Even my son who spent three years in Fairbanks is in awe of all the snow and is ready for it to be over! He reported to me today that he witnessed people cross country skiing in Tacoma, the city where he works.

There's nothing more beautiful than a fresh snowfall. I love how the Lord uses His creation to teach spiritual truth. Snow is a substance that is naturally white and portrays what is clean. Isaiah spoke of sins as being as white as snow. Before being sealed into the body of Christ we are spiritually dead in our sins. The Lord reaches down with His great love, draws "non-seekers" to Himself, opens our eyes to our lostness and sinfulness, grants us repentance, redeems us with His blood, so our sins can be washed as white as snow.

He's been piling on the reminders at my house of this magnificent truth!!!

THANKS...

...to all my faithful visitors, for all your kind words and good discussion over the last year. I'm taking off for a month. My husband and I are headed to Southern California to spend the holidays with my family and to shoot my twin sister's oldest daughter's wedding. We are looking forward to those sunny skies and warm temperatures! My mom already has several handy girl projects lined up for me. I will be helping my sister with last minute wedding preparations. I plan to just enjoy visiting with my family. Therefore, I probably won't be posting until I return. Have a blessed Christmas as you celebrate the first advent of the Prince of Peace.

A single star announced His arrival two thousand years ago. Now we watch for the signs that will signal the end of the age and His glorious return to gather His elect! (Mt. 28:20b - "...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.") If I were to ask my granddaughter Daisy what the biggest sign of all is, that will signal His return is near, she would flash me that big grin of hers and say, "The abomination of desolation Grammy!" (If you're like me, you check periodically at The Jerusalem Post for any development in regards to the building of that third temple!) And if I asked, "Where would we find more of the signs and instructions from Jesus to know what to do after Antichrist exalts himself (2 Th. 2:4) in the temple?" She would reply, "Matthew 24!" And when the sun goes dark and the moon turns to blood, and not just one but all the stars fall from their places, then we know His return is imminent! Then we are to look up, for our redemption draws near! (Luke 21:28)

What an announcement that is going to be because the whole world is going to see it, and Him! (Rev. 1:7)

Take encouragement in these words Jesus spoke right before He told the Father of His desire to have us be with Him...

John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

THE TESTIMONY OF JESSE ARMSTRONG'S WIFE

A few entries ago I posted the testimony of Jesse Armstrong. Jesse is afflicted with ALS and speaks from a perspective that few have. Here are his wife Lisa’s comments. She penned these at the same time Jesse penned his testimony. May they also be a blessing and a reminder to us all...

"When we are faced with life-changing and devastating circumstances, and there's nothing we can do to change the situation no matter how badly we may want to, we must cling to the truth that God is sovereign and that He allows all things for our good. Although we don't understand how a loss of a loved one can be a good thing, we must trust that it is. What is incomprehensible by our feeble minds is seen in perfect clarity by our Heavenly Father. The promise that carries us through the suffering is that God bestows on us enough of His love and grace to make it through each day. I have had the following words displayed in my kitchen for the past year: "Tried for a season, pure for eternity: When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. His loving heart knows how much and how long." I Peter 1:6,7 (Warren W. Wiersbe)

While Jesse understands that God has called him to be a sign post that life is just a vapor, that we always need to live expecting to meet the Lord tomorrow, I believe Lisa is going to be one of those sign posts of leviathon faith that is gained through passing the stormiest of seas.

Our congregation is truly blessed.

PAUL’S PRAYER FOR THE EPHESIANS

“…to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (1:19)

Compare that with David’s words in Psalm 16:11 – “…In Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever more.”

To be filled up to all the fullness of God is to be filled up with joy, and to be filled up with fullness of joy is to be filled up with God, and it’s the love of Christ for us that allows us to experience this!

What tremendous love by which we are loved!

A SPURGEON NUGGET

"Untried faith is always small in stature; and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. There is no room in the placid pools of ease for faith to gain leviathan proportions, she must dwell in the stormy sea if she would be one of the chief of the ways of God."

May we print on our minds and hearts that the Lord is not trying to drown us when allowing storms to come into our lives; rather, He desires for us to gain leviathan faith!

The mind who views God as worthless...

...God gives over to a worthless mind - Romans 1:28

MY HEART SONG FOR THE DAY

What joy to know that just before Jesus faced the cross, He prayed for me...

John 17:20 - "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word..."

My heart really started singing when I read verse 24...

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

Jesus asked the Father that we, the Father's love gifts to the Son, might be with Him and behold His glory.

While we behold His glory at the present time in the pages of Scripture, someday we will be with Him and behold His glory face to face!

Philippians 3:20 – “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”

1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

I hope your heart sings at these words too. To think that Jesus longs for us to be with Him, where He is, what unconditional love! And because as the perfect, sinless, Son of God, Jesus always desired the will of the Father, we know this longing of Jesus will come to pass!

DEPRESSION AND THE CHILD OF GOD by a counselor friend

Depression, including anger which is one of its most common symptoms, is a God-given emotion. It is an alarm, a warning signal that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. So is anger. Both are valid emotions and in and of themselves they are not sin. But a child of God’s response to the depression or anger – what he/she does with them – can either be sinful or righteous. I will explain in a moment but first I want to lay down one definition as a ground rule.

As a child of God we are called to live by faith. Faith is one of those words that people struggle to define, so I am going to give a definition which I think will help as you decide whether or not you are going to walk by faith through trials. Faith is believing the Word of God and acting on it, no matter how I feel, because God promises a good result. Did you catch all that? True faith says that the Bible is God’s Word and therefore it demands an action in my life.

The key to this definition is the “no matter how I feel” phrase. Let me put it this way – are you a parent? When I tell my children to do something, I don’t want them to wait until they feel like obeying, I just want them to obey. I can see the big picture, I know more than them and I want them to obey because what I am asking is in their best interest. It’s the same with God – when He instructs us through His Word, He doesn’t want us to wait for our feelings to get on board, He just wants obedience. If you are not sure about this, read Luke 17:7-10. Jesus is pretty straightforward in demanding obedience.

So, faith means that we believe that the Bible is God’s Word – it tells us the truth (including, and most importantly, the gospel) and we chose to act on its instruction, no matter how we feel at the moment, because we KNOW that God’s way is the best. I encourage you to memorize the faith definition because I have found that it comes in handy many times throughout my day, let alone in life in general!

Did you know that Genesis records the first bout of depression right after Adam and Eve are thrown out of the Garden of Eden. If you look up Genesis 4:1-8 you will read the story of Cain and Abel. When God rejected Cain AND his offering verse 5 tells us that “he became very angry and his countenance fell.” Anger and a fallen countenance – the two most common signs of depression. Cain was depressed.

And then God gives Cain His counsel for depression – verse 6,7 – “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you but you must master it.” God says, if you do what is right then you will feel better. We live at a time where the secular counsel is “You can’t do what is right until you feel better – so here are some medications and when you feel like it, then return to your regular activities.”

Now, I am not against medications. But my point is – in faith, we have to believe that God’s counsel is truth. He says to do what is right (if you do well) – do what I command you to do. Apparently Cain knew what God instructed for an offering and he chose to offer something different. God told him to do what he had been instructed and his feelings would improve. That goes along with our faith definition – if we obey, no matter how we feel, our feelings will follow. Now we know God’s counsel for depression – do what is right – obey me – know my Word and do it – and your countenance will be lifted – the depression will lift.

If you feel like God is not answering your prayers remember that God never does not answer prayer. Perhaps the answer you desire is not the answer He has given, but I am pretty sure He has answered it. We often expect God to give us what we ask for and we do that taking passages like Matthew 7:7-11 out of context. Prayer is not to bend God’s will towards ours, but to bend our will towards God. When we pray for His will, when we ask for things that He would desire in our lives, then we see the positive answers that we are looking for.

Perhaps you are praying for the depression to lift or the anger to dissipate. Of course these are good things, but often times the Lord has a purpose for these emotions – to get our attention to an area of our life that is lacking. If he takes away the trial, you may never learn the lesson. In addition, when you submit to God, even when the trial is heavy and burdensome (remember the garden of Gethsemane and Christ) then you are becoming like Jesus and God is using that situation for good in the conforming process. (Romans 8:28,29)

If you feel like God is ignoring you remember that God never ignores His children – Philippians 4:6 commands us to bring our prayers to Him. So in faith, even when you don’t feel like it, in obedience you need to continue to bring your requests to Him. He has given you the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-5) and one of the Spirit’s responsibilities is to bring your prayers before the Father, especially during times of great distress (Romans 8:26,27). So in faith, you need to believe that you have not been abandoned or ignored.

If you feel like God is not helping you I need to ask you what your definition of help is – has He not given the life of His only Son for you? I think this is a matter of perspective. Often times when our trial does not dissipate we associate that with a lack of love or interest/involvement on God’s part. But James tells us that we are to consider it joy when we are in the trial, knowing that the testing of our faith is producing endurance and that endurance is so that we can be perfect and complete (James 1:2-12). So God is working in you through this trial – perhaps it is to make more of Himself and to make you more dependent on His counsel and guidance. But you have the responsibility to know Who God is and what He offers you. You do this through the study of His Word and then the practical application of it. This James passage is actually a wonderful one…please read it!

If you feel like God has abandoned you and that He doesn’t care at all or if you wish to be separated from knowledge of Him then you have bought into Satan’s lies and it is darkening your understanding of God. Stick with the basics – do you take lightly the sacrifice made on your behalf? How can you honestly accuse God of not caring when your salvation cost Him the life of His Son? I know that when you are in the valley of the shadow of death that it is a lonely and frightening place to wander through, but as David says, you need to fear no evil. Let God’s rod and staff guide you and comfort you. Don’t turn on the most precious and most important relationship in your life. You must stop living in the here and now and set your eyes on eternity. Colossians 3:1-4 tells us to set our minds on the things above and not on the things that are on the earth – we must live with an eternal perspective, which will put the earthly difficulties into proper perspective.

You are not abandoned. You are not alone. You are greatly loved by God. He is intensely and intricately involved in your life. Just because you can’t see Him doesn’t mean He’s not there. What does your pursuit of God look like? Is it prayer? I like to refer to our relationship with God as a two-sided conversation. If you spend a lot of time in prayer, then you are doing all the talking and the relationship will never grow. You have to let Him do some of the talking – actually most of it! How do you do this? By being in His Word. Everything He wants you to know about Him is in there. What makes Him angry, what brings Him joy, how He feels about you, what He desires for you – it’s all in there. If you take your eyes off of yourself and put them on God, and if you study the Word seeking to see HIM and NOT the solution to your problems, you will find that things will change for you.

You do not need to stay where you are – your life doesn’t have to be crippled by anger and depression. The process of change is not an easy one, however. It would be so nice if we could just sprinkle fairy dust over our heads and everything would be fine, but that’s not life. But you have everything you need for a good life and for godliness (II Peter 1:2,3) and that is in the Word of God with the power of the Holy Spirit intervening and giving understanding. If you have these two things, you can put aside the lies of Satan and change your life. But you have to roll up your sleeves and determine not to buy into the lies that you have embraced any longer. Believing these lies is sin and you need to confess this sin to God. Then in faith, make the choice to believe God’s Word and act on it, NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL, trusting that God’s way is best.

Below is a list of some Scripture that may help in seeking God’s will and involvement in your life.

• Read Ephesians 4:17-32 – how a person changes and grows – list what you should put off and what you should put on – any time you take off a sinful characteristic, you must replace it with a godly one – what do you need to put off in your life? What should you put on?

• Romans 8:31-39 – this is a great passage to pray over – use His Words – do you believe these to be true? Is God a liar?

• Read through the book of John (gospel) and journal – Who is Jesus? Who does He claim to be? Who do others say He is? Once you see Who He is, how does that relate to you? How can He be these things to you?

• Read through the book of Proverbs and list out the characteristics of a foolish man and a wise man. Which list do you find yourself on?

• Read through Psalm 119 – what benefit does the Word of God have in the life of a believer?

• Read Matthew 6:25-34. Summarize the teaching. How can you practically apply this to your life?

• Read I Corinthians 13:4-8. List out what love is and what it isn’t. Then journal how God has displayed His love through His Word (for each word on your list) and then write out how you need to show love to Him practically for each word. For example, because love is PATIENT I will show my love for God by patiently waiting for Him to work in my life as this time of difficulty continues. Because love is KIND, I will speak kindly of God to myself and others, focusing on His goodness and what He has afforded me through salvation. Because love is NOT JEALOUS, I will not look at others who are prospering and long for their lives, but I will thank the Lord for the life He has given me and I will list out my blessings every morning when I rise…etc.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESSE ARMSTRONG

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of a man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.”

Jesse Armstrong planned to be a career missionary to Russia but at 38 he and his family are now back in the states because he has ALS. Lou Gehrig’s Disease has ravaged his body now to the point that he can no longer walk or talk or even write. He is a prisoner in his own body. Our pastor asked him to give his testimony. Using a computer with an electronic device attached to his forehead, he was able to type these words which our pastor read to us in the service the Sunday before Thanksgiving. May it encourage you to live for Him today but with the mindset that you could meet Him tomorrow.

"In the book of James we are reminded that our life on this earth is nothing more than a vapor or whiff of lingering smoke from an already extinguished fire. Many of us are familiar with this nugget of Truth. But in comparison, very few have grasped its meaning to the point that it has become motivation to live today with the conviction that tonight they might meet their Creator. Barring the rapture of the Church each of us will face death. Some will face death by accident, others by surprise, others on purpose. Based upon my observation of how the world is making decisions today, I would have to say that most people (Christians included) do not lead their life with the realization that eternity is just around the corner. There are a few, however, that have been chosen by the Lord to carry about in their bodies a constant reminder of the difference between the temporal and the eternal. I am among these chosen few. There is no earthly joy or pleasure in the difficulties surrounding ALS or any disease or ailment for that matter. The only real joy or comfort we, the chosen few that are Christians, have is:

From within--the peace that passes all our understanding.
From without--the acts of love that others show to us as individuals and to our families.

As you have blessed us in so many ways by showing us your love in tangible ways, please allow us to be a blessing to you by serving as a living reminder that this life is, oh, so temporary.

Live for Him today, expecting to meet Him tomorrow."

MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE

We are told in Scripture that there is coming a shepherd who many people will follow after hearing his voice.

He is not the Good Shepherd. He is referred to as a little horn in Daniel 7:8. It also says he will have a mouth uttering great boasts…

…and people will listen to him, and follow him.

In chapter thirteen of Revelation, this boastful shepherd is referred to as a beast and it is said that there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies against God…

…and people will listen to him, and follow him.

In chapter thirteen of Revelation we are told by John that he sees another beast besides this arrogant beast. He is a deceiving beast performing great signs and wonders. He uses his voice to tell those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the boastful shepherd, the arrogant beast, and to worship it…

…and people will listen to him, and do as he says.

Why do those who dwell on the earth listen to, follow after, and worship this boastful shepherd, this arrogant beast?

In Revelation 13:8 it tells us it is because their names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

Here we find a nugget regarding God’s eternal plan. The Lord Jesus, referred to here as the Lamb, died to purchase the salvation of those whom God has chosen. According to God’s eternal, electing purpose before creation, the death of Christ seals the redemption of the elect forever. This coming boastful shepherd, this arrogant beast, can never take away the salvation of the elect. John MacArthur refers to the book of life as “the eternal registry of the elect.” I love that. Since it is eternal it will never be altered or changed or edited.

Even more wonderful yet, the elect WILL NOT LISTEN to the boastful shepherd, the arrogant beast, because…

…the Good Shepherd’s sheep hear the Good Shepherd’s voice only. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and they will only follow the Good Shepherd…a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. (John 10:5,27)

And the elect WILL NOT LISTEN to the boastful shepherd, the arrogant beast, because…

…the Good Shepherd’s Father who has given the Good Shepherd the sheep (from before the foundation of the world!) is greater than all (100% word!); and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:29)

…not one sheep of the Good Shepherd will be lost!

(One final thought, with the mention of the book of life containing the names of all believers, the church, placed right in the middle of Antichrist's reign, I believe we are seeing a direct reference to the church still being around at this time.)

NUGGET FROM ABRAHAM PIPER

"Nature teaches us that an infinitely marvelous, eternally powerful being created us and all we have. Therefore we are His creatures. He owns us. Our life, our breath, and everything we have is a gift. Our duty is simply to be thankful to Him from our heart and to cherish His glory."

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

~Psalm 100:4-5

May the Lord be your life today...

THANKSGIVING TRADITION

This just came in from my dear mother. I will not be celebrating Thanksgiving with her this year, we will be separated by 1,200 miles, but I will at Christmas, Lord-willing! I think you'll understand why I love her so and why I am so thankful to the Lord for her and my wonderful spiritual heritage!

Dear Family - As I prepare for tomorrow, I can't help but remember years gone by when we four kids stood around the Thanksgiving table with Gay (this is my great-grandmother), Aunt Mabel, Aunt Ruth, and Uncle Sydney, as well as Mommer and Dad. How beautiful was the beginning of The Doxology with Uncle Syd's deep bass and Aunt Ruth's beautiful alto with the rest of us joining in the various parts. Then, to the amusement of this somewhat naughty little girl, one by one the older voices dropped out as tears filled their eyes and throat! Then there was the Thanksgiving where Aunt Grace and Uncle Milt joined us. Dad asked Uncle Sydney to pray and he choked up and passed it on to Gay who choked up and said, "Milt, you pray", which he did. Now it is me who starts strong but also stops midway in tears as I look at our gathering, holding hands in a circle that grows larger each year. What a blessing to see and hear the younger generation singing that beautiful, old hymn with their hearts as well as their voices. And the young men that have been added to the family leading in the prayer afterwards! Tomorrow we have a new, almost grandson-in-law joining us who also loves our Lord. Eva Karin is so blessed. Yes, I have so very much to be thankful for. May each of you also remember and be thankful for a home that founded us deep in a faith in our Lord Jesus and I hope you can make it through the entirety of The Doxology. (Bet you can't!)

Love to all,
Eva/Mother/Gramma

(We also sing the Doxology at Christmas time. I probably won't make it through without tears...it will have been ten years since I've celebrated Christmas with my mother...I'm in the older generation now...and it's family tradition!)

PASSING ON A SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

Like Timothy, I have a rich spiritual heritage on my mother’s side. From my mother’s testimony, sincere faith dwelt in my great-grandmother. She was sought out by my mother’s high school friends for counsel and my great-grandmother would pass on to them the pure wisdom from above.

As a child I loved to sit under my mother’s teaching. She has faithfully served the Lord for over fifty years now. She’s been a VBS worker, Pioneer Girl’s leader, camp counselor, Pastor’s wife, and a Sunday school and women’s Bible study teacher.

My grandmother lived next door to us while I was growing up. This afforded many sleep over opportunities! After breakfast my grandparents expected anyone who ate at their breakfast table to join in the family devotions. I grew to love those times. After prayer I would often linger and talk to my grandmother about heaven. I’m sure my eyes sparkled when she mentioned the streets of gold. She told me how she looked forward to a perfect body no longer riddled with aches and pains. And I felt safe and secure because I would not have to worry about going through the tribulation. Jesus could come at any moment and we will be raptured prior to the rule, reign, and persecution of Antichrist.

Fast forward thirty-five years or so.

I now pray for my daughter and granddaughter. I love to talk of the things of the Lord with them. I have told them that they will have to endure persecution, if they meet one condition. Paul, Timothy’s spiritual father in the faith, told Timothy that indeed all who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted. (2 Ti. 3:12) Did you see that 100% word? All who desire to live godly will be persecuted. If we have not suffered some form of pressure for our faith, we probably have not made much of Christ. My daughter and granddaughter are also familiar with what Paul told the Roman believers. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will separate us from the love of Christ! In a list of what God’s elect will encounter Paul includes tribulation and persecution. (Romans 8:35) Just one verse prior to that Paul says that Jesus was raised from the dead. The Offering for our sins has gone up to God and God embraced the Offering and now the Offering intercedes for us. The moment we are gifted with faith we are placed in Christ. Will God ever stop embracing the Offering? NO! Therefore He will never stop embracing us and nothing can separate us!

I have also told my daughter and granddaughter that Jesus has given us signs for which to watch to know when His return and our gathering is near. The biggest sign is Antichrist exalting himself as God in a rebuilt temple. He is going to demand the worship of the world and then the greatest persecution ever to come upon Israel and God’s elect will occur. (Matthew 24, 2 Th. 2)

How thankful I am for such a rich spiritual heritage. I can’t wait to be reunited with my grandparents. They were rocks for me during some very difficult times in my life. I’ve never met my great-grandmother. Someday I will. My mother was at her bedside when she was ushered into heaven. She told me that just before she took her last breath her face lit up and the words “Jesus!” spilled from her lips - She finally came face to face with her Glorious Treasure!

NUGGET FROM JOHN PIPER

Nancy sent this to me this morning...

“Therefore God’s love labors and suffers to break our bondage to the idol of self and focus our affections on the treasure of God.”

Definitely worth passing on...

GOD’S CHOSEN AND THE LAST DAY

I became a little excited when in my Bible reading the other day I came across a passage that mentions together the sovereignty of God in our salvation and an event that occurs at the coming of Christ, the resurrection of believers. (The sovereignty of God in our salvation and the blessed hope are two of my favorite subjects to study, and blog about!)

The passage is John 6:35-44.

In John 6:35 Jesus calls Himself the bread of life. This is the first of seven tremendous “I AM” statements.

In verse 37 Jesus emphasizes the sovereign will of God in the selection of those who come to Him for salvation. “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

We see the security of the believer in verse 39. “…that of all (100% word!) that He has given Me I lose nothing…” “This is the will of Him who sent Me…” Those are wonderful words, aren’t they?! No one chosen will be lost! It’s God’s will and God’s will is ALWAYS ACCOMPLISHED!

Verse 40 emphasizes the human responsibility in salvation. “…everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him…” Although God is sovereign He works through faith. Man must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God who alone offers the only way of salvation. However, even faith is a gift of God. (Rom. 12:3, Eph. 2:8,9) This makes salvation COMPLETELY the work of God, so no one can boast!

Remember our spiritual condition before salvation?…deadness…and dead men cannot understand God and neither do they seek God. Faith must come from God under those conditions. I agree with John MacArthur. “Intellectually harmonizing the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is impossible humanly, but perfectly resolved in the infinite mind of God.”

Then Jesus says that those who believe in Him (God’s elect which He gifts to the Son) have everlasting life; “…and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

When is “the last day?”

Paul told the Corinthian believers that we will put on incorruption at the event of the Lord’s coming/parousia/presence. Chapter fifteen in his first letter to them is about the resurrection of Christ and of believers. Jesus is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, after that, those who are Christ’s at the event of His coming/presence – 1 Cor. 15:23.

In John 14:3 Jesus gives the magnificent promise that He is coming again and will receive us to Himself.

In Matthew 24:3 the disciples ask Jesus the sign of the event of His coming/presence and of the end of the age. Since the dead in Christ receive their resurrection bodies at the event of His coming/presence (1 Cor. 15:23) and Jesus said He will raise up all that the Father gives Him, the elect, on the last day (John 6:40), I do believe the last day is a reference to the end of the age.

What do we see in Matthew 24 as He gives instruction regarding His return?

1)The gathering of the elect…

2)which follows the sign of the end of the age/the last day…

3)which occurs at the event of the Lord’s coming/presence…

4)which follows immediately after the great tribulation…

5)which is said to be cut short for the sake of the elect!

Whew! That was a mouthful!

So, I do believe the resurrection occurs here when the elect are gathered at the event of the Lord’s coming which we see cutting short the persecution of Antichrist.

But I think what I will ponder on for awhile is the fact that we are a gift of the Father’s love to the Son and the Son receives and holds on to each love gift. What tremendous joy and wonder that brings my heart…I hope it does yours too!

THE JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS OF GOD

I just returned from my morning walk, in the rain. I had my big red and white umbrella with me; no furry, brown-eyed, four-legged friend appeared this time to escort me home. I did bump into another woman with a big umbrella too, complaining with bad news that one of the plans to solve the traffic congestion in our area is to run a road right through the beautiful horse pasture where I turn around. I must say, that would be rather sad if they did that! If I run into her again I hope I have boldness to ask her if she’s heard the Good News of Jesus Christ! The Lord has given me a passion to witness. Now I just need to act on it! I did talk to a fellow at the laundromat last week about the Lord. He is the owner’s father. He thinks the Bible is full of contradictions and was written by man. He brought up that it is unfair for the people in deepest, darkest Africa, that if they’ve never heard the gospel, it was unfair that they would be lost and destined for hell. I kept bringing him back to Christ and Christ’s claims. He said we’d just have to disagree. He walked away but later came back and asked me to pray for him. I asked him if we could talk more the next time and he said yes! The next time is today! So, pray for fertile soil in Jim’s heart!

Four other women and I baked about 50 dozen cookies yesterday for our drive-through living nativity that our church puts on every December. We offer goodies to the folks that get out and take the walk-through tour. We had a fun day. In the picture you'll see three of us. Marion, my dear friend with whom I've been meeting once a week to go through another dear friend's character study of Christ is the one bent over. (Sorry about that Marion! Chapter ten tomorrow, can't wait!) Camille, in the blue apron, is the youth leader’s wife. She is a twin too and we both love sports. We get along great! I'm in the yellow apron. Joyce is holding the camera. It was in her kitchen. What a beautiful kitchen it was! Big, with lots of room to work, and TWO ovens!

By the way, since we are born under condemnation, we all deserve hell. We all deserve to face God’s wrath. He is just and fair in allowing those who have never heard the gospel to be lost because they are sinners. But in His marvelous mercy and grace He chooses some for salvation. Why He chose me, I don’t know?! But I know I can’t wait to fall at His knees and thank Him for His great love and mercy and grace. Those of us who do now have understanding and are seekers of God (Romans 3!) are to be about spreading the Good News. He knows those who are His elect because He wrote their names in the book of life even before He created the world. No revisions, no editing, no re-writes. Wow, is that an amazing thought or what?! We spread the seed and leave the results up to Him!

Is there someone you know that hasn't heard the Good News? Share it with them today!

THREE THINGS THAT ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD

...the death of His godly ones - Psalm 116:15

...the blood of His Son that redeemed us - 1 Peter 1:18,19

...the Son Himself - 1 Peter 2:4

"precious" - of great value, highly esteemed or cherished

"Treasure God Above All...

...everything else is bonus." Nancy Suko

(Nancy is my pastor's wife. She is one of those dear friends that is God's "bonus".)

PSALM 65:4

The word "choose" in Psalm 65: 4 jumped out at me as I was reading yesterday...

“How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, To dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple.”

It seems that even David understood that God chooses and draws worshipers to Himself, giving them hearts that will be satisfied with His goodness! We are not sovereign and self-determining. It is God’s choice for those who will awaken to His goodness and be satisfied in Him. He is calling out a people for Himself to proclaim His excellencies and be satisfied in His goodness. We scatter the seed of the good news of Jesus Christ and leave the results up to Him. We beg others to taste and see that the Lord is good, but He determines if the heart will be receptive soil.

I thank Him for His mercy and grace on my behalf…that He has called me to be satisfied in Him. There but for the grace of God I would still be dead and unresponsive in my sin (Eph. 2:1)…a non-understander and a non-seeker of God (Rom. 3:11).

ENDURING HAPPINESS

My sister emailed me this question today, "If someone were to ask you what your favorite Scripture passage or theme is what would you tell them?"

This was my reply...

I've always loved Ephesians 1 but I'm moving more towards verses that talk of our enjoyment and pleasure in God.

I love Ps. 16:11 - "Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."

God takes great pleasure and is glorified in us finding pleasure in Him.

David also says in Ps. 16:8,9 - "I have set the LORD continually before me;...Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices."

David says in God's presence is fullness of joy...Compare that to what 2 Th. 1:8,9 says about those who do not know God...these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power..."

What an absolutely awesome privilege we have to be one of God's chosen, to delight in Him, to be in His presence, to see the glory of His power.

This is what I'm pondering on these days...God is a deeply happy God, not a frustrated, gloomy, irritable Father who wants to be left alone...He is a Father whose heart is so full of joy that it spills over onto those who thirst for Him.

John Piper in "Desiring God" says, "We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction."

"THE DEEPEST AND MOST ENDURING HAPPINESS IS FOUND ONLY IN GOD."

PUTTING FAITH TO THE TEST

Have you ever lived with doubts that you are really saved?

Do you call yourself a Christian but is your life characterized by sin without conviction?

Is it even possible to be secure in your salvation, to be sure of it? The answer is a resounding YES!

Listen to this excellent message by Pastor Ken Gentzler of Grace Church and be sure of your salvation!

WORSHIP MEDLEY...

...by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

BILLY GRAHAM TURNS 90

Recently I've been making it a practice to visit daily John Piper's Blog. Today I learned that Billy Graham turned 90. John noted Billy Graham saying one time about studying the Bible, “Sometimes His word makes such an impact on me that I have to put the Bible down and walk around for a few moments to catch my breath.”

While placing himself in the presence of Christ through His word, Billy Graham experienced Psalm 16:11 - "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand are pleasures forever."

Spend time with Him in His word today, and let Him catch your breath!

LET YOUR THOUGHTS & WORDS BE ALL ABOUT MAKING MUCH OF CHRIST...

...then there will be no room for anxious thoughts or words, or critical thoughts or words.

And when the cup gets bumped...only His greatness and majesty will spill out!

PERFECT PEACE

Jesus has warned us that there is coming a great storm before He returns. Some of His elect are going to be thrown into great tribulation. Mark records that some of His followers will be delivered up during this time. We are not to be anxious before about what we are to say. We are to say whatever is given to us in that hour because the Holy Spirit will be speaking through us.

Is it possible to experience peace during that time? Can we experience peace in the storms we face today? Can we experience full and complete peace?

The prophet Isaiah said that those whose minds are stayed on God will be kept in perfect peace, that is, full and complete peace, because they trust in God.

God is either the ALL-SATISFYING-TREASURE-OF-INFINITE-VALUE-AND-WORTH to us, our EVERLASTING ROCK, or something else is.

We are commanded to be anxious for nothing. If anxious thoughts arise within, haven’t we diminished our thoughts that He is our best joy and security? Haven’t we taken our eyes off the greatness of His person, His precepts, and His promises and stopped being satisfied in them? Aren’t we entertaining thoughts of placing our assurance in a different thing and treating it more valuable than God?

Whether you see storm clouds gathering up ahead or are in the midst of a tumult now, fix your mind upon Him. When the command was given to be anxious for nothing, we are told to pray, with thanksgiving...prayer is directing our thoughts to God and we are to be thankful in the midst of these thoughts as we make our requests known to God. What’s the promise when we do this? Peace will stand as a sentry before our hearts and minds…between us and the world’s commotion.

Think for a moment on these words of King David, “How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!”

God’s thoughts towards us are abundant and they never diminish!

PAROUSIA AND THE GREAT MULTITUDE IN REVELATION 7

Parousia is the Greek noun used to describe the event of the Lord’s presence or coming. This term is used in Mt. 24, 1 Th. 4, and 1 Cor. 15, just to name a few passages.

In 1 Th. 4 Paul gives the Thessalonians assurance that those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, God will bring with Him at the event of the Lord’s coming. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord - 2 Cor. 5:8. “…God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus” – 1 Th. 4:14.

Paul tells the Corinthians that at the event of the Lord’s coming we will receive our resurrection bodies, corruption will put on incorruption.

1 Cor. 15:20-23: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming."

Jesus gave instruction to His disciples in His Olivet Discourse, recorded by Matthew, that the event of His coming will cut short the greatest persecution ever brought upon His elect and this persecution follows an event prophesied by Daniel, the abomination of desolation, when Antichrist stops the sacrifices and sets himself up as God in the temple.

In Mark’s account of the event of the Lord’s coming we learn God’s elect are gathered from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven – Mk. 13:27

If at the event of the Lord’s coming God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep, those who have died in Christ, wouldn’t these be the elect from the farthest end of heaven? And - if those who are alive and remain when the great tribulation is cut short and are caught up with the bodies of those who have fallen asleep, wouldn’t those be the elect from the farthest end of the earth?

The Lord tells us that just prior to the event of His coming and the gathering of the elect the natural lights will be extinguished. (Mt. 24:29, Mk. 13:24) John sees in the Revelation of Jesus, when the Lord opens the sixth seal, the natural lights being extinguished. (Rev. 6:12)

WHAT DOES HE SEE NEXT? (Rev. 7…)

One hundred and forty-four thousand from the twelve tribes of Israel being sealed on their foreheads…

…then…

“A GREAT MULTITUDE, WHICH NO ONE COULD COUNT, FROM EVERY NATION AND ALL TRIBES AND PEOPLES AND TONGUES, STANDING BEFORE THE THRONE AND BEFORE THE LAMB, CLOTHED IN WHITE ROBES, AND PALM BRANCHES IN THEIR HANDS…”

They are wearing robes and are holding palm branches…this great multitude is in bodies, resurrection bodies and they have come out of the great tribulation! (Rev. 7:14)

This great multitude can’t be anyone else other than the raptured church, those dear saints, both Jewish and Gentile believers, who throughout the centuries died in Christ, and also those who endured to the very end of the great tribulation, who were caught up with the bodies of the those who fell asleep in Jesus…and as the shells of these sleeping saints and the alive in Christ ascended, corruption put on incorruption…in the twinkling of an eye…

What do you think?

LONGING FOR GOD

I was recently asked if I ever missed someone so much I couldn’t breathe. That longing is exactly how the Lord wants us to long for Him. He is so worthy of our hearts and attention. David experienced this longing…Psalms 42:1…”As the deer panteth for the water brooks, so my soul longeth after Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;”

He is always there, always big in a mighty way for us, it’s our passion for Him that waxes and wanes.

Christ chose to love the elect and to give His life for them. Love starts with a choice in the mind. We love Him because He first chose to love us. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we were dead in our sin. There is nothing in us to offer God to merit salvation. The only thing a dead person can do is stink and the stench of sin is worthy only of the wrath of a holy God. Since deadness cannot respond to anything God had to intervene on our behalf. He chose to love us by first writing our names in the book of life, before He even created us, or the world. Doesn’t that just blow your mind?! Then His creation fell into sin. Consider this - If He planned salvation for the elect even before He created the world, this means He planned for the existence of sin. He did not create and then sin ruined His creation and then He had to scramble at the last minute and figure out what to do about it. Everything exists because He has allowed it to exist, even sin. Why? TO PUT HIS GLORY ON DISPLAY! In His love He became a man and then He became the very thing which condemned His creation –He gave Himself over to sin bearing, paying the price for our sins on the cross. He bore the wrath of God on our behalf which we deserved. His sin bearing became a backdrop for His spectacular grace! A glorious, incomprehensible act to the human mind!

Paul writes about the process of salvation for the elect in Romans 8:30 – “And whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified (made righteous); and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” It’s written as if it were a done deal. Our salvation was secured in the past in God’s mind. At some point in time He makes sure our calling to Himself intersects with the gospel…the good news of Jesus Christ. For me it was when I was nine…at a neighborhood Good News Club. It was then when He removed the blinders to the truth of my sin, breathed life into me, and gave me the gift of faith.

How is your passion for God? Do you remember why He called you? It was to live to put His glory on display, to give Him the fruit of praise. It was so He could continue to lavish His love and grace upon you. We so don’t deserve such love and mercy. We only deserve death. Yet He chose to love us in spite of the stench of our sin. It is out of this love He has for us that we should desire to live for Him…to honor Him and praise Him. To be sure, my love for Him waxes and wanes. I don’t always give Him the attention He deserves and I battle with giving my heart to other things. It is at our final glorification - at His coming, or at our physical death prior to His coming, when our battling will finally be over. In the meantime, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We are to walk in obedience…we are to consider the members of our body dead to sin and alive to righteousness. This battle starts with the mind and how we think. We do what we do and feel what we feel because we think what we think. For the believer, a successful and Christlike walk, a walk that gives honor and glory to God happens when they constantly saturate the mind with God’s Word and then walk in obedience to the Word.

Desire God above all else…seek to be a person after His own heart. When we seek to be a people after God’s own heart God will be glorified and we will experience spectacular joy.

A RADIO INTERVIEW WITH KRISTEN WISEN

Terry Lowry, host of the "What's UP Radio Program" out of Houston, Texas, interviewed Kristen about her exciting end times novel "The Appearing." Listen to the interview by clicking here. Click on archives at the top and then under guest, Wisen, Kristen, then search.

To visit Kristen at her website or to purchase her novel click here.

LOOKING FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD

The debate over the timing of the rapture continues, but I would like to point out that there are areas on which pretribbers and prewrathers do agree.

We are both premillennial, that is, we both believe Christ will return to earth before a literal thousand year reign upon the earth.

We both believe in a literal Antichrist who will rise up and win the favor of Israel, making a covenant with them. With the signing of this covenant Daniel’s Seventieth Week will begin, but half way through that covenant He will turn on them and reveal who he is.

We both believe that a temple will be in place for Antichrist to desecrate at the midpoint of Daniel’s Seventieth Week.

We both believe that the church is not destined to suffer the wrath of God. Jesus Christ bore that wrath for us on the cross.

Where we disagree is when the wrath of God occurs in which God deals with the sinfulness of man. When does God’s wrath begin? Does it begin at the signing of the covenant, when Daniel’s Seventieth Week gets underway, or does it fall sometime after?

The most prophesied event in the Old Testament concerning the last days is the Day of the Lord.

• It will be marked by God’s fiery judgment, His wrath, against the earth’s wicked. (2 Peter 3:7)
• The Lord alone will be exalted during that time period. (Isaiah 2:11)
• It will be preceded by a sign in the heavens given in the sun, moon, and stars. (Joel 2:30,31)
• The wicked inhabitants of the earth will recognize its arrival in the form of the wrath of the Lamb at the opening of the sixth seal, when the sign in the sun, moon, and stars occurs. (Rev. 6:12-17)

Are you aware that scripture instructs believers, the true church, to look for the coming of the day of the Lord?

2 Peter 3:10-12: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with heat!”

Paul told the Thessalonians that for unbelievers the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night but for believers that day will not overtake like a thief in the night. Why is that? Because we’ve been given signs for which to watch! We already saw that Joel 2:31 specifically says that BEFORE the day of the Lord there will be a sign in the heavens, the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon into blood.

When does the sign signaling the day of the Lord for which the church is to be looking occur in relation to the great tribulation and persecution by Antichrist?

According to Matthew in chapter 24, immediately after the great tribulation - which does not run the full second half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week – Jesus says it will be cut short for the sake of the elect!

THE DAY OF THE LORD, FOR WHICH BELIEVERS ARE TO BE LOOKING, WILL OCCUR SOMETIME AFTER THE MIDPOINT OF DANIEL’S SEVENTIETH WEEK!

Yes, the building of a temple should get us excited. I believe the church will still be here when that happens. According to Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4, the day of the Lord will not occur before Antichrist sets himself up as God in that temple. If the church is to be looking for the day of the Lord and since the day of the Lord will not have occurred before Antichrist exalts himself in the temple, this allows the church to be here during the reign of Antichrist and his persecution of Israel and believers. Persecution or tribulation and wrath are two very different things. Believers are actually promised persecution when they live godly lives. The abomination of desolation is the huge sign that the great tribulation is about to start. At some point Christ will cut the persecution short by His return. He will signal to His elect that His day of the Lord's wrath is about to begin. The wicked of the earth will also see the sign and will cower and run and hide in sheer terror, but we are to look up when this sign occurs for our redemption is near. (Luke 21:28) His angels will then gather His true church and then He will pour out His day of the Lord's wrath against the sinfulness of mankind.

ELECTION AND GOD'S LOVE

In my previous post I mentioned that people often struggle to accept the doctrine of election. In an interview I listened to recently with John MacArthur on the subject of election, he mentioned that this is a bigger problem in America. It is a doctrine that is easily embraced in other parts of the world but here in America we tend to detest anything that encroaches upon our freedom.

Let me ask you a question. What would you think of a believer who bristled at the doctrine of God’s love? Seems ludicrous doesn’t it? In my recent study on the sovereignty of God, I’ve come to understand that the doctrine of God’s love actually flows out of the doctrine of election. Let’s look at some verses and see if you don’t come to the same conclusion.

Romans 1:6-7a: “…among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints…”

Romans 8:33a, 35a: “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Romans 9:11-13: “for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

Ephesians 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…”

1 Thessalonians 1:4: “knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;”

Jude 1: “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father…:”

Remember our condition before salvation? We had deceitful and desperately wicked hearts, we did not seek for God, we were enemies of God, we had fleshy minds which were hostile to God, we were blinded by Satan, we were dead in our sin, and we were accustomed to only doing evil. Such a condition is only capable of choosing which form of sin is most appealing to itself and such a condition is not worthy of God’s love or mercy, only death!

In choosing us He loved us and He loved us in choosing us. Beloved, how deep the Father’s love for us when we were so utterly deplorable and incapable of responding to Him in any way, when we deserved only to remain in the gun sights of His wrath!

So what choices do we now have after being chosen by Him to receive His mercy, grace, peace, and every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies? Isn’t it the quality of fruit He’s appointed us to bear, proving we are His disciples. Isn’t it the level of obedience we can offer in return for His great and amazing gift to us?! When you consider that He raised us up with Christ in order that in the ages to come He might show us the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us, it should be with great joy that we offer Him acts of service with a servant's heart, loving Him with the good works which He prepared beforehand that we should walk in them!

Beloved, to embrace the doctrine of election is to embrace the loving arms of our heavenly Father, but it is to also recognize and bow at His sovereignty. There but for the grace of God we could have remained in His gun sights of wrath. Whatever God does is glorious. He chooses because it gives Him glory. Why doesn't He choose everyone? Because somehow in this He is glorified as well.

We must take it by faith that this is so. We preach the "whosoever will" passages. We beg others on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God, and then we leave the results up to Him.

Romans 11:36 - "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

Your Grace Still Amazes Me!

OUT OF THE DOCTRINE OF HUMAN INABILITY FLOWS THE WONDERFUL DOCTRINE OF ELECTION

The following are verses that have shaped my understanding of my condition before God stepped in and granted me salvation.

Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

Romans 3:10,11: “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”

Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…”

Romans 8:7: “…the mind set on the flesh (our condition before salvation) is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.”

2 Cor. 4:4: “…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Ephesians 2:1 – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

These verses tell me that I had absolutely no ability within myself to respond to or choose God. Without the life of God in me the only free will I had was in the framework of my sinfulness, to pick my own poison, to choose the form of sin that most appealed to me.

Because of my utter inability to respond to God, I look at the verses that say God chooses as His wonderful mercy on my behalf.

1 Peter 1:1-3 says: “…who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ…who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again…”

His choosing me and causing me to be born again was a most wonderful and merciful act.

Why is it such a struggle to accept the doctrine of election? Isn’t it because fallen human nature bristles at the idea that it isn’t in charge of its own destiny? Human freedom wants no restraints and wants the right to make every call. The idea of God being sovereign to the fallen human heart is like scraping ones fingernails down a black board.

Because of our sin we all deserve death. None of us deserve life. Romans 8:29-30 makes it clear that God saved a group of people.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

It doesn’t say He will predestine or will call or will justify or will glorify. It’s past tense. In God’s mind, it’s a done deed, from start to finish! There’s no possibility of falling from grace or walking away from our calling. Our salvation is preserved from eternity past. This just reveals God’s wonderful character and makes me love Him all the more!

God had the writers of these OT passages record this about His sovereignty:

Psalm 135:3-6a: “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is lovely. For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession. For I know that the LORD is great, And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does.”

Isaiah 46:9,10: “I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”

Psalm 33:11: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.”

According to these verses:

1) God does whatever He pleases

2) He has a plan from beginning to end

3) He has a purpose and it will be established

4) He will accomplish His good pleasure

5) His counsel stands forever

Then we have these other “choosing” verses besides the 1 Peter 1:1-3 passage:

Eph. 1:4: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”

Titus 1:1: “Paul, a bond-servant of God…for the faith of those chosen of God…”

So why does God choose? Because it’s part of His sovereign plan. God is sovereign and can do whatever He wants. Right is whatever God does. He is the Definer of right.

Why would God not choose everyone? Because somehow it glorifies Him. God is glorified in everything He does and everything He does is glorious, even His wrath! Romans 9 tells us He is sovereign in whom He shows mercy and it is arrogant for us to question God in this as we are only the pots and He is the Potter. We have no right to question the purposes of the Potter. God even tells us in Romans 9 that He hated Esau before he was born and it was part of His plan!

Romans 9:11-13: “For though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls. It was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, ESAU I HATED.”

So what are we to do we do with the “whosoever will” passages? We preach them with a clear gospel message! The elect are gathered through the preaching of the gospel.

Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Who the elect are is only known by God and God does His sovereign work through His truth. We preach the gospel and leave the results up to the Lord.

One more verse that shows my condition before God granted me salvation - Jeremiah 13:23: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”

Out of the doctrine of human inability flows the glorious and wonderful doctrine of election! Without it I would still be dead in my sin!

How I long for the day when I can fall at His feet and thank Him for His grace and mercy on my behalf!

THE "OSAS" DEBATE By Kristen Wisen

There are certain theological issues that have been under debate since the foundations of the church. To think that on a mere blog entry any debate can be settled, especially when great theologians such as John Wesley and John Calvin stood on opposing sides, is folly. But to believe that scripture is vague is also folly. So, within the blogging context, great debates continue on, stirring emotion and intellect equally with the purpose of spiritual growth and understanding. Unfortunately because we are fallen beings, we can hurt in the process when our pride enters the debate, yet at times it is our pride which indeed turns theological discussion into argument. May God grant us the grace to hold our emotions in tact and seek His Word in unity of mind, setting aside pride and desiring a closer bond with our Lord and Savior.

That is the intent of this post. Any discussion stirred is meant to push the mind into the Word and the heart toward the Lord.

The age-old debate of election versus free will in salvation has moved to a new domain. The discussion is now against the concept titled “OSAS” which means “Once Saved Always Saved.” The debate falls to two sides – those who believe God chooses specific people to be His children, draws them to Himself and secures their salvation for eternity and those who believe God offers salvation to all but man is responsible for the choice, therefore he is also capable of walking away from his original decision. Granted, each side can list scripture verses to support and each side will also exaggerate the opposing view to an extreme to make their point. One of my favorite exaggerations is the example of a young child who gives his life to the Lord at church camp and then grows up to become a serial killer. “If you believe in OSAS, you have to believe this man is in heaven!” This is an absurd example that in no way supports the theological stance of election.

I personally believe the foundation of both arguments is a perspective issue. One views the topic from God’s perspective and the other from man’s. Now don’t get me wrong – I am not saying one is godly and the other isn’t. Much scripture is devoted to the concept of “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil.2:12) and “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). Even the passages warning against apostasy indicate the ability to walk away from the Lord and the consequences of such a decision (Hebrews 2:1-3; 3:7-19; 6:4-9). So, one would conclude that salvation is something that must be kept in good standing, worked on and not neglected so that the believer would be found faithful in the end. The one who believes this does not question the work of Christ in salvation, but puts the choice on man’s shoulders. A lack of works or spiritual growth or interest could indicate a falling away and we must not allow that to happen. To assure someone that their salvation is in tact without ongoing works would be dangerous. Thus, from man’s perspective, there are definite signs to look for that indicate what choices one has made and once that person is saved, he is not necessarily secure without his complete devotion to the Lord.

Now let’s look at the other side for a moment. Even more scripture is devoted to the character of God in regards to salvation. Shifting our minds to His perspective we see that He says, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit.” (John 15:16) “I chose you out of the world.” (John 15:19) “No one can come to Me unless it is granted him from the Father.” (John 6:65) “…these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans8:30) “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6) And the whole chapter of Romans 9 is dedicated to God’s sovereign choice of the nation Israel as well as individuals. From this perspective, the work of salvation is placed in the hands of God completely, from the sacrifice to the choosing to the securing. He has chosen you and will accomplish His will in you. So once a man is saved, he is truly always saved.

Two perspectives. Both supported in scripture. Where the argument really takes off is when the second view is attacked for believing that the evidence of good works and fruit in a believer’s life is not necessary to assure salvation. I am sure there are those out there who believe that, but most all of the people who I know who agree with election do not say works are not necessary to evidence salvation. We believe that works are not necessary TO OBTAIN salvation, but works are THE EVIDENCE of true salvation. A simple prayer is not enough. You must make Him Lord of your life. The ability to do so is God’s choice, but from a human stand point, works and fruit are evidence of true saving faith.

So, if one believes that works show true faith, why make the argument that God chooses and secures? Wouldn’t it be better to keep man on their toes regarding their relationship with God? Of course, I would never share the doctrine of election with someone who needed the gospel. They need to see their sin and their need for a Savior. But as we grow in maturity, we need to understand who God is. We need to know Him so that we can imitate Him. How He forgives, His mercy, what makes Him angry and what He rejoices in – we can enter greater depths of knowledge regarding His character as we grow spiritually. The doctrine of election does not make our response to God less, as if we have no responsibilities towards obedience, but it grows our dependence on Him, assuring us that He is in control of all things, including our security. The Christian walk is truly about living with an eternal perspective and pursuing the mind of God.

I will finish with a simple example to ponder. We will all agree that God chose for Himself a specific nation – Israel. When Israel rejected Him (over and over again) He chose to graft in Gentiles, but He did not choose for Himself a different nation. He made us children of Abraham by grafting us to Israel. There are still promises that are made to Israel as a chosen nation that God will fulfill, wouldn’t you agree? Therefore, is it safe to say that once Israel was chosen, they were always chosen? Granted, all Jews are not saved or in the book of Life, but the picture of God’s choosing Israel and keeping them even through disobedience shows us that once God chooses, He doesn’t allow the choice to change. Is it possible that individually, when God chooses someone, He will ultimately work His will in their lives? We can do it the hard way and endure the discipline of the Lord or we can make things easier for ourselves and live in obedience – there you will find our choice. But the outcome is the Lord’s.

I pray that this sheds some light on the OSAS debate – I don’t believe the two sides are as far from each other as most believe.

SUMMER PROJECT THREE - SHOOTING MY PASTOR'S DAUGHTER'S WEDDING

My pastor's daughter Hannah lost her first husband in Iraq two summers ago and little Gabriel lost his daddy. The Lord in His goodness and graciousness brought Willie into their lives. It was a privilege for me and my husband to capture their wonderful, God-honoring day on our 28th wedding anniversary. This is the new, very happy little family. It will be by far my most rewarding project of the summer of 2008!

SUMMER PROJECT TWO - WOOD SPLITTING PARTY

I'll leave this one for the guys! I will be on hand however to make sure they have plenty to drink and a good meal to eat after they are finished! If you've seen my pond pictures at Shutterblog, the pond area is directly behind the rounds. It will return in the fall when the rainy season commences.

SUMMER PROJECT ONE - ROOFING

I thought it might be fun to document and share some of the projects I'll be working on this summer. This is the new roof I put on our shed that my son and I converted to a cabin several years ago. On the list of things to do will be to add window trim.

THE BUSY SEASON

Fellow bloggers, as a photographer I've hit the really busy season for my work. Also, living in the Pacific Northwest means living in a rainy climate. With summer here my husband and I are undertaking projects around our property that can only be done during nice weather. The list is pretty long! I probably won't be adding new posts much over the summer. I will check my comments if you want to drop in and say hi.

Have a blessed summer and may the Lord be your life!

WATCH FOR THE SIGNS, THEN LOOK FOR MY RETURN

In Matthew 24:6 the Lord instructs us that prior to seeing the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place we will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. We are not to be frightened. Why? He says, “…for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.” He has ordained that these things are going to occur before He returns and gathers the wheat, His true church, into the barn. (Mt. 13:30, 39) Comparing scripture with scripture always gives us the bigger, clearer picture.

Ok, so how well do you know Matthew 24? Here’s a quiz question. What does the Lord say will come before He mentions the wars and rumors of wars? (Sorry, the teacher in me is pops up every now and then.) If you know your seals many understand it to correspond to the first seal.

After the wars and rumors of wars the Lord says that nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Next quiz question. In which seal do we get a picture of famine conditions because it is going to take a day’s wages to buy a quart of wheat? (Have you noticed the price of milk and eggs lately?!) I’m not going to give you the answer. A good teacher makes their students hunt for the answers! I’ll give you the chapter in which you can find the seals however, six…uh, you do know the book, right?!

So, we’ve got, ok, I’ll tell you the answer to the first question, false Christs…then wars and rumors of wars, and famines and earthquakes. Jesus calls these birth pangs. He uses the word “beginning” prior to identifying these birth pangs. That means there is more to come before the end. Remember, He says those things must take place but that is not yet the end…when those who endure will be delivered…and comparing scripture with scripture those who endure to the end are the wheat who will be gathered into the barn when He returns. (Ten extra credit points if you can tell me what verse in Mt. 24 says the one who endures to the end will be saved.)

What are believers, the wheat, going to have to endure before the end comes? Jesus uses the pronoun “you” so He is referring to His followers. His followers are going to have to endure tribulation and being killed and hatred because of the name of Christ. (Mt. 24:9) We will also witness false prophets misleading many (know your Bible!) and you will be surprised to learn that those who you thought loved the Lord really didn’t because when Antichrist demands worship and then begins His killing spree, first against Israel and then against believers, those who called themselves Christians are going to fall away. Basically Jesus is saying in Mt. 24:10 and 12 that during that time the tares and the wheat are going to become more evident.

I mentioned in the comment section of my previous post that a true watchman is one who responds appropriately to Christ’s warnings and instructions.

In verse fifteen Jesus gives us a really big sign for which to be watching before the end comes. “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”…Now here is the appropriate response…flee!!! Obviously this is a reference to those in Jerusalem but we know from Revelation 13:7 Antichrist will be given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.

Has the end occurred yet? No, not yet. That means we are still here, the wheat has not yet been gathered into the barn.

What are the other things we are to watch for according to Mt. 24:24? False Christs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders. Also there will be those saying Jesus has returned, that He is over here or over there! And the true watchman’s appropriate response? They are not to be believed!!! Do not go forth!!!

The final sign we are to watch for, signaling the end of the age, that the Lord is about to return with His reapers, His angels, who will then gather the wheat, His true church, the elect, into the barn…the final sign is when He turns off all the lights! (I know, too many commas and sentence fragments…I didn’t teach grammar.) Comparing scripture with scripture, in Revelation 6:12, along with the lights going out there will be one, last, final, huge, earthquake birth pang before we are delivered…and Luke tells the true watchman the appropriate response at the time the lights go out…”straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (21:28)

DO NOT LOSE HEART

I understand Scripture to teach that the church will be gathered after the great tribulation. According to Matthew 24:22, Christ's return will cut the days of great tribulation short for the sake of the elect otherwise no life will be saved. On a day and hour known only by the Father Jesus will return and gather the elect. Does Jesus give instruction as to how we, the elect, are to pray during that difficult time? I believe He does.

Beginning at Luke 17:22 and then on through chapter eighteen, verse eight, Jesus is discussing with His disciples things pertaining to His revealing and His coming. In Luke 17:22 Jesus tells His disciples that days are coming when “you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.” (Luke is writing to Theophilus who is not Jewish by the way.) In the next verse He says, “They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’” Jesus then warns to not run after them. Jesus next words are, “just as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day.” Comparing this passage to Matthew 24, we learn these are instructions warning believers what not to do during the great tribulation prior to Christ’s return. In Matthew’s account, we learn that during the great tribulation there will be false Christs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders. Because of these signs and wonders many will be deceived into thinking that Christ has returned and is on the earth. They will be saying, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is.’ Jesus says not to believe that person and go forth. We’ll know when the true Deliverer returns because the natural lights will go out just prior and just as the brilliance of lightning flashes across the sky, the Son of Man will appear and be seen coming in the clouds of the sky with brilliant radiance and great glory.(Mt. 24:23,26-30, Luke 17:24)

Luke then writes that Jesus said first He must suffer many things and be rejected. (Luke 17:25)

Next Jesus jumps ahead to what the days will be like prior to His revealing when He returns. It will be just like in the days of Noah. People, unbelievers, will be eating and drinking and marrying without any concern of impending judgment. (Remember, believers are to be aware of the false Christs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders and are to stay put!) It will also be like it was for those prior to the judgment that fell on Sodom in the days of Lot. People then were eating and drinking and buying and selling. Unbelievers prior to Christ’s return will also be eating and drinking and buying and selling – because they have the mark! (Luke 17:26-30) The alert, watchful, praying believer will be trying to survive. The ones who’ve heeded Christ’s warnings will be among those who will have the strength to escape the horrors of the tribulation. (Luke 21:36)

An additional thought, to make Mt. 24 and this passage in Luke Christ’s appearance at Armageddon makes no sense whatsoever to me. Why? Follow the logic. At Armageddon the trumpet judgments will have already occurred. A third of the earth will be burned up with the first trumpet. (Rev. 8:7) With the second trumpet a third of the sea will become blood. (Rev. 8:9) With the third trumpet a third of the fresh water will become bitter and many will die because of it. (Rev. 8:11) I don’t think there will be frivolity during this time. There will be no eating and drinking and buying and selling and marrying. Men will be longing for death from their scorpion like bites after the fifth trumpet sounds but will not be able to find it. (Rev. 9:1-6) No, if unbelievers, like in the days of Noah and Lot, are eating and drinking and buying and selling and marrying before Christ returns, and believers, the elect, are not destined for His wrath, His initial presence must occur sometime prior to Armageddon.

In Luke 17:33-36 we see the “twos”. Two will be in bed, two will be grinding, two will be in the field. In each instance one is taken and one is left.

Chapter seventeen closes with the vulture idiom which is also found in Mt. 24:28. This is imagery speaking of the judgment that will accompany Christ’s return. Because of the vulture idiom, my position on the “twos” is that the ones taken are received near to Christ at His coming and the ones left remain on the earth to face the day of the Lord judgments.

Then, chapter eighteen begins with Jesus telling the disciples a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart. It is the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. The persistent widow kept coming to the judge asking for legal protection. Her persistence pays off and the judge ends up giving her legal protection.

Look what Jesus says to His disciples in 18:6-8:

“…Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Though we are in a new chapter, remember the chapter breaks are man-derived, the context is still the return of Christ!

I have never heard this passage, Luke 18:1-8, taught as an end times passage, but looking at the context, it sure appears to be an end times passage. It starts (Luke 18:1) by saying that Jesus was teaching them to pray at all times and not to lose heart – believers are the ones who pray and He is encouraging believers not to lose heart – what would they lose heart over? The difficulty of the end times during the great tribulation. What are we instructed to do? Call out to our heavenly Father/Judge – cry out for justice for the ELECT! (There’s that word again!)

Isn’t it interesting…We learn in Rev. 6:10 that the fifth seal martyrs in heaven underneath the altar will cry out “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

The elect on earth are instructed to cry to Him day and night for justice! We are assured that justice will be brought about for the elect speedily.

How sad are Jesus words however at the end of verse eight, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Beloved, He wants us to endure and to not lose heart…to the end.

Hebrews 12:3: “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”