The Bird of Paradise flowers are found almost everywhere in the Hawaiian Islands, as landscape plantings for businesses and parks as well as for private homes. I imagine there will probably be various flowers in heaven as well. In the Bible book of Revelation, it speaks of "the Tree of Life": which follows:
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." - Revelation 22:2
But the main thing to consider about heaven is: God and Jesus will be there! And you too, if you are a true believer in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His shed blood to redeem us and make a way for us to be with Him for all eternity - if we believe He is the Savior, the Son of God, and believe also in His death and resurrection. (Romans 10:9,10,13). And this belief in Jesus is not just intellectual belief - It is a deep, abiding, heartfelt belief that involves a person's entire being.... heart, soul, mind, spirit!
Let's start with a beautiful old hymn that the older generation of today will remember. Hope you younger ones enjoy it as well. It is titled "I'll Be There (When the Roll is Called Up Yonder)"
Many persons (myself included) have always believed that Matthew 24 and 25 pertains to the church, being raptured when the end times signs occur (or begin to occur) in those chapters of Matthew. Actually, I personally believed part of Matthew 24 was for the Gentile Church (Christians) and part was for the Jews, Israel. However, some scholars, including Dr. Tommy Ice in the following 2 videos, stress that Jesus was speaking there concerning Israel only. Tommy Ice in the following video tells us that the Rapture is not in Matthew 24. This 29 minute video is the most recent of the two shared here: it was published by ProphecyWatchers.com on October 10, 2020:
The next video by prophecywatchers.com was published in June of 2020, featuring Tommy Ice again where he discusses 2 Thessalonians 2 and 1 Thessalonians 4 - specifically about the Rapture taking only the Church Age believers, and also about "the apostacy" (or is it the "departure"?). Dr. Ice shows a chart of various Bible translations (of other centuries) and how most of them translated "falling away" - as in the King James Version - as "departure" instead. Interesting and quite informing and eye-opening information in the following 29 minute video!
2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV) : "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (KJV)
It would be wonderful if you read all of 1 Thessalonians, or at least all of Chapter 4 there. Following is another important "Rapture verse" or rather, verses!
"Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
I included all of that segment of 1 Corinthians 15 for encouragement for you ! And of great encouragement to know, if you follow Bible prophecy and how it is playing out now and coming true right before our very eyes in these last moments of these last days, .... great to know that the Rapture must be very, very soon! Many believers are growing tired and are "battle weary" from these chaotic and stressful times. But most are just longing to be with the good Lord in heaven, our true home and our blessed hope !
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13
By the way, Titus 2:13 is one of many scriptures that prove Jesus' deity. But that is a subject for another post another time. Do some research on your own as well concerning His deity.
[Islands Off Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]
Just a short note about Dr. Thomas Ice: He is currently (last I checked) the Executive Director of the Pre-Trib Research Center in Washington, DC. He is the author of several books and articles on the subject of the Rapture, and is frequently a speaker at many and various Bible conferences around the world. There are several articles written by him at raptureready.com
The main thing to focus on is to make sure YOU are Rapture Ready! And that your family and friends are as well! Also, to share the Gospel with them and others, as that is our commission from Jesus Himself (Matthew 28:19-20).
Following is a graphic I use frequently which is known as "The Roman Road to Salvation". We have already touched upon the fact that you must have faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior -- a faith and belief that consumes your entire being - all of your heart, soul, mind ! And, if you are truly saved and born again (a spiritual rebirth), the Holy Spirit will come and indwell you and empower you to be a strong and effective follower of Jesus. You will want and desire to please Him/God and it will be as a never ending hunger and thirst for more of Him - to draw ever closer to Him in a strong, loving, trusting, personal, and enduring relationship.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3 :36
First, you must repent, which is a complete change of mind, a change in heart, involving remorse for your sins, and praying to the heavenly Father for forgiveness.
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38
"And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."- Jesus at Mark 1:15
"Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy." - Psalm 109:26
"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) - 2 Corinthians 6:2
"Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By Whom also we have access by Faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience, and experience hope." - Romans 5:1-4 (Not exactly salvation verses, but I wanted to include them for encouragement for those already saved, as well as to show unbelievers what consolation can be theirs once they accept Jesus as their Savior).
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father except by Me." - John 14:6
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
When the roll is called up yonder, will you be there?
As you can imagine, in Hawaii people flock to the beaches to find some happiness in that past time. There is much beauty to be found in these islands, and that in itself also brings pleasure and happiness to many.
"....for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10 b
Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of the Calvary Chapel Churches, says in the following sermon audio video, what many others have also said: "Happiness is variable, it depends on your circumstances; joy is the experience in Spirit which is independent of your circumstances. " Especially is this true concerning "the joy of the Lord" (Nehemiah 8:10). Please listen to Pastor Chuck's excellent 38 minute sermon:
Most of you are familiar with Galatians 5:22-23 which tells of the "Fruit of the Spirit" among which is "joy".
Did you realize that we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord ?
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." - Philippians 4:4
"And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee." - Deuteronomy 12:7
Following is a partial quote by commentator Alexander MacLaren on Nehemiah 8:10:
"You may say with truth, 'my emotions of joy and sorrow are not under my control. I cannot help being glad and sad as circumstances dictate.' But yet here it lies, a commandment. It is a duty, a thing that the apostle enjoins; in which, of course is implied, that somehow or other it is to a large extent within one's own power, and that even the indulgence in this emotion, and the degree to which life shall be a cheerful life, is dependent in a large measure on our own volitions, and stands on the same footing as our obedience to God's other commandments. .... But I will tell you what you can do or refrain from doing - you can either go and stand in the Light, or you can stand in the shadow. You can either fix your attention upon and make the predominate subject of your religious contemplations a truth which shall make you glad and strong, or a half-truth, which shall make you sorrowful. and therefore weak. Your meditations may either center mainly upon your own selves, your faults and failings, and the like; or they may center mainly upon God, and His Christ and His grace, the Holy Spirit and His communion. You may either fill your soul with joyful thoughts, or though a true Christian, a real devout, God-accepted believer, you may be so misapprehending the nature of the gospel, and your relation to it, its promises and precepts, its duties and predictions, as that the prevalent tinge and cast of your religion shall be solemn and almost gloomy, and not lighted up and irradiated with the felt sense of God's presence - with the strong, healthy consciousness that you are a forgiven and justified man, and that you are going to be a glorified one."
Alexander MacLaren, in the above quote, and in his entire commentary on Nehemiah 8:10, is excellent to read for it is full of wisdom and spiritual gems which we all need to ponder. It is quite lengthy, but worth your while to read his entire commentary found on the Web.
One more quote by MacLaren: "Joy in the Lord is the natural result of Christian faith. ... The joy that is in Christ is deep and abiding. Faith in Him naturally works gladness."
[Rainbow Shower Tree]
Isaiah 61:10 tells us: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be be joyful in my God, for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
"And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement." - Romans 5:11
"And ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh away from you." - Jesus at John 16:22
The above words by Jesus are very special! All of His words are special of course, but the above at John 16:22 ring loud and clear to believers now in this chaotic world we find ourselves living in - the last moments of the end of this dispensation; the end of the age of Grace; the last days. Jesus was speaking here to His disciples concerning mainly His soon death and resurrection and eventual return. However, His words are a comfort to us in this modern world as well. Note in the above verse that He told us "your heart shall rejoice and your joy NO man taketh from you!" Put your hope and trust in the good Lord, and not in this evil world and its philosophies.
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." - Romans 15:13
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:7
Are you hurting? Have you seen much sorrow and heartbreak and hard times? Consider the following quote by A. W. Tozer:
"It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply."
Remember, afflictions should, hopefully, result in us turning to God in remorse, and looking to Him for guidance and relief. We are "pruned" by Him in our afflictions.
"I was delivered from the burden that had so heavily suppressed me. The spirit of mourning was taken from me, and I knew what it was to truly rejoice in God, my Savior." - George Whitefield
"The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him." - Dwight L. Moody
"The only lasting and fully satisfying joys for any man lie on the other side of a cross." - Walter J. Chantry
"It is His joy that remains in us that makes us joyful." - A.B. Simpson
"Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering, it is the presence of God." - Sam Storms
"Happiness is untested delight. Joy is delight tested." - Jack Hyles
[Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]
Much more may be written on rejoicing in the Lord, and many additional Scriptures could be shared here. It would be beneficial for you to search the scriptures for yourself, and thereby grow in your faith and closeness to the good Lord. As mentioned frequently on this blog, God wants to fellowship with us. We do that by much Bible reading and studying, and also by frequent daily prayer. You cannot get to really know a person unless you communicate frequently with them. The same is true, of course, when it comes to communicating with the heavenly Father. You need to develop a close, intimate, personal, loving and abiding relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior.
For those who are not born again, have not put their trust in Jesus and belief in Him as the Savior, please read the following Scriptures. You need to repent and ask for forgiveness and turn to the Lord while there is still time! This world is dying! Heaven is alive and glorious!
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" John 11:25-26
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
Regarding the title of this post: "Are you trying too hard to be good enough to come before the presence of God?" As Pastor Charles Lawson tells us in the following 36 minute sermon video, "You cannot do anything to merit coming before the Father." The only way you can come before holy God is through Jesus Christ, the Savior and Intercessor. Fellowship with God is not possible if you do not have Jesus. "You have no righteousness of your own to approach the heavenly Father."
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." - 1 John 1:6,7
There are many gems of truth in the above sermon that we can all benefit from. Pastor Lawson discusses different kinds of angels described in the Bible as well. Please watch! One Biblical principle is to "humble yourself" in order to come before God. Even Jesus humbled Himself
before the Almighty God, the sovereign of the universe. (Philippians 2:5-9)
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." - James 4:10
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." - 1 Peter 5:5
[Hawaiian Stilt (Ae'o)]
Another requirement to draw close to God and Jesus is, obviously, that we must have FAITH. This is common knowledge among Christians. Much has been written on this blog concerning faith.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6
You will gain great insight on faith by reading all of Hebrews. Actually, reading the entire Bible and spending much time with the good Lord in prayer will increase your faith; as well as your love and awe and reverence for God. When you see Him working in your life and answering your prayers, how incredibly faith building is that !!
"Every trial of suffering is an opportunity to grow in the faith." - T. A. McMahon
You will discover that by fellowshipping often with the good Lord, you will begin to have peace.... a peace with Him as well as in your soul and mind.
"Peace with God brings the peace of God. It is a peace that settles our nerves, fills our mind, floods our spirit, and in the midst of the uproar around us, gives us the assurance that everything is all right." - Bob Mumford
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." - Jesus at John 16:33
The above words of our Savior do NOT say that we will not have trials and hardships; it means that even in spite of adversities we will have a peace knowing that in the end, the Lord will see us through, no matter what.
"Adversity stirs us up and causes us to look at life differently. We are forced to deal with things on a deeper level. Nothing causes "self" to cave in like suffering. And once our religious facade begins to wear thin, God moves in and begins teaching us what real Christlikeness is all about." - Dr. Charles Stanley
"Afflictions are but the shadows of God's wings." - George Macdonald
"You and I cannot change or control the world around us, but we can change and control the world within us." - Warren Wiersbe
Following is a Must to watch: a video on the purpose of life by Pastor David Wilkerson :
Please take the time to watch the above 6 minute sermon clip ! It makes very clear what our focus should be as Christians.
Keep in mind always that the return of Jesus is imminent !
When He raptures the true believers to be with Him in heaven soon, you do NOT want to be left behind to face the horrors and destructions of the following 7 year tribulation period ! It will be difficult to be saved then by coming to a sincere faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior. In fact, if you do put your faith in Jesus while suffering under this tribulation period governed by the antichrist, it is certain you will be put to death.... and by being beheaded.
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." - Revelation 20:4
For more information on the 7 year tribulation and the Rapture of the Church and other end times signs, please refer to the "Search Box" in the upper right hand side of this page and enter such topics as "7 year tribulation, Mark of the Beast," and so on. Many posts will appear, and most will also have videos in them. Also there are various other topics such as "endurance, forgiveness, peace," etc. that you might want to view.
But what if you are an unbeliever and have not come to faith in Jesus as the Savior? Please take to heart the following Scriptures and pray to the Heavenly Father for forgiveness....and repent! If you are sincere, God will answer that prayer!
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Jesus loves you!
He is waiting to hear from you !
He will welcome you with His open arms full of love and forgiveness!
Put your faith in Him now, before it is too late.!
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
The title of this post, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" many of you will recognize as the opening of Charles Dickens' novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" which concerned the terrible issues in Paris and London in the late 18th Century. I was reminded of that quote recently when I read an article that compares that time to the time in which we find ourselves now in these chaotic last days of this troubled world. Below is a link to that article:
In the article above, it clarifies that "when seen in the proper perspective, it is a blessing to be living in the most exciting period of human history..... the conclusion of the age of the Church of Jesus Christ" - soon coming to an end by the Rapture of true believers to heaven. For true followers of the Savior, Jesus, it is a blessed hope to look forward to. (Titus 2:13). Please read the short article in the link above for more insightful thoughts.
Part of my Bible study for yesterday was in Luke 21. As most of you realize, that is where Jesus gave signs of the end times to His disciples. My focus, however, was on verses 13, 19, and 36 of Luke 21.
When searching for a sermon on those verses on You Tube, the following one by Pastor Chuck Smith, the founder of Calvary Chapel Churches, caught my attention. Pastor Chuck speaks about the end times signs (and more) and then at the 24 minute mark of this 38 minute sermon, he discusses Luke 21:36, where Jesus tells us :
"Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
In the above sermon, Pastor Smith reminds us that when the 7 year Tribulation starts, it is then too late to pray to escape the horrors of it.
If you have not surrendered your life to the good Lord - have not put your faith and trust and heartfelt belief in Jesus and the fact that He is the Savior and the only way to heaven and eternal life - it is imperative that you do so now while there is still time.
Jesus' return is imminent!
Be Rapture Ready!
Following is an old hymn you will enjoy!
By Jesus' shed blood at Calvary, where He paid our sin debt in full by taking our place on the cross and by taking our sins upon Himself there, we may have eternal life if we but believe in Him as the Savior. Remember, in the Old Testament times, the blood of lambs and other animals made atonement for the people's sins. When Jesus, the Lamb of God, shed His blood, He made redemption possible for you and me. For once and all time! What love !
If you are not saved by belief in Jesus and in His shed blood on your behalf (the ransom sacrifice; His redemptive work on our behalf) ; then following are some Bible verses for you to take to heart and that will help you to repent and to pray for forgiveness and to surrender in faith to Jesus.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon him." - John 3:36
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." - John 14:6
"I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." - John 10:9-11
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend - and life !!
