And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Revelation 21;1-5
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And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 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 yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Trump of God: 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.
I Corinthians 15;51-52
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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.
Matthew 24;31
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And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other.
At Jesus’ birth, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and put in a manger. At Jesus’ death, He was wrapped in linen cloth and placed in a tomb.
The Similarities=Birth & Death of Jesus:
1) Angels were Involved:
Angels were involved in making birth announcements in person and in dreams to Joseph and to the wise men. At the tomb, the two Mary’s saw angels telling them that Jesus was risen. The angels told them to not be afraid after the earthquake happened. They said go and tell the disciples that Jesus was risen. The angels are always pointing to Jesus. Our laser-like focus should always be on Jesus! Having a laser-like focus on Jesus will make us hit the target.
2) The Lord Controlling Nature-Stars & Earthquakes:
The stars stood over the manger when Jesus was born. The stars never stand still but at Jesus’ birth, the stars stood still. A star also led the wise men to Jesus. The wise men followed this star that led them to Jesus. The star moved and pointed out where Jesus was. There was darkness and an earthquake at Jesus’s death and resurrection. The darkness came while Jesus was dying on the cross and it lasted for three hours. God did it and made it real darkness, not just a cloud covering the sun and moon. Then there was the earthquake that came at the death of Jesus.
3) Jesus Placed into Someone’s Hands:
At the birth of Jesus, He was placed into the hands of Mary and Joseph. At His death, Jesus’ spirit went back into the hands of God His Father. His body went into the hands of his disciples and Joseph of Arimathaea.
What’s important is who we are focused on at Christmas and Easter. God needs to be our focus because He is the one who sent His son Jesus to die for us. We need to also focus on the fact that Jesus is coming back. He is returning back to get us for sure!
Revelations 19:11-18 Jesus is on a white horse with many crowns on His head and He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood. Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus will come back to judge the earth. All who are waiting for His return are and will be saved.
Matthew 16:17 Jesus’s return will have Him coming in the glory of His father with his angels. He will reward the people, each one according to what they have done. Jesus comes with ALL POWER. Before Jesus’ return, there are earthly signs: earthquakes, famines, wars, sun & moon darkened and becoming red like blood. Nations will rise against nations, fearful events will happen and there will be signs in the moon and stars. All these things will happen right before Jesus’ return. People will be fainting and fearful of these earthly events.
We Christians need to STAY focused on God and Jesus. We need to NOT be distracted from Jesus. His work of salvation is the focus. Jesus was tortured and crucified then raised from the dead! Jesus is alive and coming back! We need to stay focused on Jesus and His work of salvation.
The day will come when we meet Jesus. When this happens, the important thing is that we know Jesus as our Savior. Did we love Him with all our heart, mind and soul? Did we stay focused on Jesus? Did we obey His commandments? Did we seek to live a holy life for Jesus? We need to keep this in mind as we live in this new year of 2016. We need Jesus to guide us individually and to strengthen us as we follow His leading. Jesus will lead us and guide us in this new year of 2016. We want our lives to be conformed into the image of Jesus.
But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.
But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.
Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for He hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
I, even I, am He that comforteth you. Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die and of the son of man which shall be made as grass?
But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared; The LORD of hosts is His name. PERIOD!!
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the Heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them.
But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and Your Father; and to My God, and Your God.
Jesus gave the disciples the great commission to make other disciples and apostles. They spread the Word, made disciples and started new churches. They wrote letters to the churches, telling what they did and their letters are instructions for us on how to follow Jesus. These are personal letters and we should read them like personal letters sent to us. The letter to the Colossians starts out with talking about the Grace of God.
1) We must understand God’s Grace. We must know that Grace is because He loves us. Grace is a gift of God. We are saved by Grace. We do not earn our salvation but are saved by Grace.
2) Doing good works is bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. To produce good fruit, a tree must be fed and watered at the root. To get good spiritual fruit, let Christ feed and water you spiritually. Then you will produce fruit. God will fill you with the knowledge of His will by giving you the Holy Spirit. We will then please God, walk in Him and be fruitful in God’s work.
3) Increase in the knowledge of God by reading the Word. Increase by knowing God and knowing Jesus, the Son. It is knowing the Lord personally and being delivered from the power of darkness. We know that Jesus is the firstborn and the image of the invisible God. Jesus is the head of the body of the Church. And it pleased God the Father that in Jesus should all fullness dwell.
The Church is not a place but a people. Jesus made peace for us through His blood on the cross. And now we are part of the body of Christ and Christ is inside of us. We need to grow in Jesus. The secret of this is knowing Jesus and being rooted in Him. Jesus said to let our light shine before others that they may see our good deeds and glorify God the Father. Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and let us be thankful.
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem. Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me. But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
