Tag Archives: eternity

Watchman, What is Left of the Night?

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“Watchman, what is left of the night”?  The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.” (Isaiah 21: 11, 12)

We wait as men condemned.  We search the sky for the appearance of He who never lies.  The world has condemned all who would be godly in Christ Jesus.  Yet we know we live as free men.  We do not want death to come upon anyone.  Yet the Lord of Glory has proclaimed, with absolute justice, that death will come upon all who remain in wickedness.  It is not ours to condemn anyone.  But it is our glorious duty to proclaim that message along side the message of hope.  For what is hope without the horror of death?

May we not forget His promise against all that is corrupt.  We hear the “good news” being spread all about us.  But it seems that many forget why we call it “good news”.  God is just and perfect.  He demands all people everywhere to turn from wickedness and seek holiness.  He has given His Son that all who desire might find Him and receive the power to become God’s people.  Yet the world invents their own brand of religion to cover over their wickedness. 

Here is only one warning among many.  There is darkness about them.  They cannot see what is coming and will not inquire.  Yet the darkness only hides the approach of   The Day of Judgment.  Darkness which envelopes man does not cancel or delay God’s Day of Truth.  Read this with wisdom and consider that it remains before all men as a truth which will not be taken out of the way.  

Mock, if you desire.  You do only yourself eternal damage.  Laugh and ignore, if that is what “floats your boat”.  It’s not my concern, but you will be concerned.  God is true and will keep His Holy word to accomplish an end to the wickedness of all men.  And what God promises comes true.  We can consider what God has promised as though it already is. 

   “‘The end! The end has come
   upon the four corners of the land!     The end is now upon you,
   and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
   and repay you for all your detestable practices.
   I will not look on you with pity;
   I will not spare you.
I will surely repay you for your conduct
   and for the detestable practices among you.

   “‘Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

(Ezekiel 7)

Though you did not ask me, I told you.  Though you did not seek, you were warned.  And was the warning necessary?  God has said that no one will own an excuse before Him, for all His Glory is displayed about men every day and every night.  There are days which will come and you will doubt His promise of “The end”.  Yet that day is coming.  Day will come, yet so will the night.  And then the sky will be rolled back as a scroll and you will see Him who you do not desire.  It will not go well for anyone who is not sheltered by the power of Christ Jesus toward holiness.  Prepare today and do not put this off. 

By His Grace.

Come to Me

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How beautiful, from sovereignty, what God with glory did.

He set us here against the cliff, then, “Come to Me”, He bid.

He gave us eyes that cannot see, yet offers sight to all.

“Come to Me and you will see!  All men, both great and small”.

“Come to me”, He promises, “And I will give you ears”.

How do we know His words of life? It’s faith alone which hears.

“Come to Me”.

By His Grace.

Choose! Today is the Day of Testing.

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Unspeakable is the desire that all people would turn to their creator, the Father of Jesus; the Living God.  I look about and see such great wickedness in this world.  I am told of the Day of the Lord, which is surely coming.  My heart aches to lead others to He who is eternal and does not lie.  Yet, as Isaiah said, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” 

Which one of you will join me as the word of “calling” goes out?  Who will stand with the God of Glory and speak that word of warning?  There is no end of increase to the sins of men.  And every day dawns with more and more, wicked and wicked, lifting man instead of his God.  Every day the call goes out to all men to repent and seek righteousness through the forgiveness offered by Christ Jesus.  But so very few even open their ears, let alone turn from wickedness.

Holy God, these words are presented for Your Holy Glory.  You alone know the heart of the one who presents them here.  Yet it is Your heart these words uphold.  It is Your way presented.  Glory, all Glory belongs to the Most High God!  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty! 

Prepare, world.  Set your feet strong in your way, for the day is soon coming when the very ground on which you set your feet will be shaken and removed.  Set your mind and heart on the things of sin and wickedness.  Pervert the ways of God’s Holy name.  For this is your day.  But remember with sobriety, God’s day is soon coming also.  He sets His Holy feet on the ground of eternity.  And where His feet stand will never be shaken. 

He has spoken and has set a day for all to come before Him.  He has moved among us and His Christ has been revealed.  It is God who will be forever praised because He has done for man what man could not do for himself.  His hand has offered redemption, yet who has ears to hear?  His Holy throne is established and will not fail.  Yet man will falter and fail.  Why would you die?  He has done all He is willing to do by His wisdom.  Turn to your God and live.  Turn to the Holy name of Jesus and find life. 

Oh, World, you speak of “religion” as though it were an answer in many forms.  Yet God himself has set Jesus as His doorway into eternity.  You who speak the name of Jesus and mingle with idols, beware!   It is not idols and false Gods which will save you on that day.  Horrible!  Horrible!  What great horrors await those who reject the Living God!  Joy!  Joy!  What unspeakable joy awaits all who humble themselves under God’s Holy hand and receive His word of life through Jesus.

By His Grace.

The Message of Enoch, the Seventh from Adam.

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We all have our heroes.  A hero might be very popular among the world, such as John Wayne.  Or a hero might be so obscure as to only be known by the one who lifts them up to hero status, such as your dad or mom.  A hero can be defined as a man, woman, or child, set apart by exceptional courage and nobility and strength.  But in all things our hero is our personal perception.  One man’s hero might well be another man’s enemy.  “Hero” is a word subject to subjectivity, or opinion.

We look for our heroes by setting up criteria and looking for the one who best fits that mold.  Since, by His Grace, I adore God, I look to His opinion as the final authority in establishing what is “opinion”.  And when I see God honor someone, I rest assured that this one is worthy of being a hero.

Beyond question and debate, Jesus  was and is honored above all else in the eyes of God the Father.  Some would differ, but in the end, that statement regarding Jesus will be proven true to all creation.  But there are a few men mentioned in the Bible who stand tall before the Most High God as men worthy of mention and our respect; David, Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and (the subject of this post) Enoch.

In searching my limited knowledge of the world I look for a hero among men.  Without fail my pointing finger would rest on Enoch.  Included next are the three passages which speak of this man.  They are short, but filled with information regarding Enoch:

“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.   After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.   Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.   Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”  (Genesis 5:22-24)

 “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  (Jude 1:14)

” By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.’ ”  (Hebrews 15:5)

There is a book which floats around which is said to contain some of the sayings of Enoch.  You can find it here:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/  I’ve read the majority of it and find it even more inspiring.  But as is with all our heroes, we tend to pick the one which matches our own heart and desire.  Love for God has become my burning passion, almost to the exclusion of humanity.  Yet He has set us to the task of speaking to our brothers and sisters for the sake of their souls.

The passage from Jude strikes the deepest with in me.  “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 

As I write for His Glory, I am reminded that it is God’s convicting that is coming.  What a fine line we walk as we hold out the words of life.  It is written, “Zeal for your house will consume me”.  And we know that was meant to apply to Jesus, the Christ of God.  Yet we read also, “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.   It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.”  What applies to Jesus, in some way applies also to His people.  And in this case I find truth and resounding echo.  The closer I get to God, the more I feel the zeal for His house and His name.  And in getting close to God, there is no record of any one else pleasing God so much that God took him from this world.  He did not taste death.

What I ask of myself every moment of every day, I ask of the reader: Are you pleasing God?

By His Grace.

The Mechanic

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Your car is not running right.  Oh, you get down the road.  But your top speed is 17 mph.  Well now.  You’ve done everything you know how to do and it still won’t do what you want or what the manufacturer says it should do.  That’s going to require some experienced mechanic.

So you make the appointment with Joe and limp the car in for a peek.  After some careful inspection with his eyes and ears, (a few wire wiggling, and a couple screwdriver taps) Joe says what you don’t want to hear.  “We’ve seen quite a few of these problems.  And we’re sure we know what the problem is.  But the fix is both time consuming and expensive.  You’re going to have to sink quite a pretty penny into this ole beast”.

Ok, so we got a problem that’s going to cost us.  But 17 mph isn’t something the “White Picket Fence Dream” was supposed to include.  You were promised far more than these kinds of troubles.  The perfect wife, the perfect kids, the perfect job, and so it goes on for millions of perfects.  The reality is far less than promised, however.  And your brain screams, “IT’S NOT FAIR!”   You expected a few bumps in your life road.  And you were told you can trust that car.  But you didn’t make plans for 17 mph!

We come to Christ with great expectations.  We read and hear stories of wonderful success.  We gather to ourselves the joy of knowing we have it made now.  Jesus is our Lord and we will not falter.  Heaven is our future home and we’re happy about that!  But the reality of our walk in this “place of testing” becomes far less than the marketed triumph we are fed.  How come?  What happened?  Why can’t I experience that greatness I hear about?

Well, like the mechanic, let’s open her up and find out.  Take off the facade of fairytale Christianity and we’ll give her a look.  The mechanic looks past the Bible, after all, you drove it in here.  He pays no attention to prayer, you seem to have had plenty of that.  diligence, love, mercy, patience, no they seem ok.  Wow this is really becoming a bit of a quandary here.  “Ok.  Well, let’s look at the faith module”.  He pulls back the cover and says, “Well, there’s the problem!  You’re not sure you’re saved here.”

Allow yourself to ask an important question: “What would it be like for you, this walk in the “Place of Testing”, if you knew with absolute assurance that heaven was your home?  What would change about your faith and all the other trappings of the Christian walk?”

Now let yourself answer this question: “Does God lie?”

By His Grace.

RISE UP AND LIVE IN HIS HOLY NAME!

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God!  To God we send our service.  The world serves themselves so that they might eat from their bountiful table of waste.  Yet the servants of the Lord Most High will eat of what He gives.  We struggle through this place as a people foreign and forgotten.  But we are not aliens to the floor of God’s Holy Throne room.  And we are remembered by He who cannot lie. 

How should His people walk in this great blackness?  Should our feet not find each step with a sure boldness?  We stand by the strength of the One who stands forever.  He enables as He sees fit.  And we are not left as orphans. 

Beware, all you who stand against the Holy Will of God.  You stand amiss.  He is about to close the door on all that is wicked.  For He has promised that His Spirit will not contend with the wickedness of man forever.  Be wise and consider your ways.  It is God who will judge.  You do not stand beneath the judgment of men, even the men of Christ.  You will be judged by your own standards, and that against the perfection of the Holy One of Israel.

Strength!  Be strong, you people who call upon the name of Jesus, the Christ of God!  We are entering into His rest.  Watch!  Watch with eyes of an eagle.  For He calls us to Holy service for His Glory.  Speak to one another with Holy words.  Speak to your heart of the peace He gives.  Remember your calling to become His people.  We do not serve any but He who never ends.  Rise up and LIVE!

By His Grace.