by Suellen | Faith
There was a line drawn through the ages, and all of time hinged on that line. After centuries of laying the foundation for His mission, God’s plan of salvation finally came to fruition and all of mankind was absolved from their sin – if they chose to accept the gift.
Finally the time came for Jesus to go to the cross, pay the price for our freedom, descend into hell, on the third day arise from the dead, and ascend into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. He then sent His Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of those who received Him.
What a miraculous time!
You and I can spend the rest of our lives studying and meditating on this series of miracles, but we will find that there is always more to learn. The more you know, the more you realize that it is better than you thought! (more…)
![That Great Chasm Between Knowing and Doing]()
by Suellen | Faith, Prayer
I once read about a highly successful fitness expert, Bill Phillips, whose training helped many people improve their health and their stamina. Yet he was always amazed at the numbers of out-of-shape people who would approach him and thank him for his books. It’s as if they didn’t realize that he could tell at a glance that they were not implementing his ideas. He began to challenge people to “face the abyss,” that infinite chasm between knowing and doing.
Our western society has become a “spectator society.” We watch our teams win, and we think we have accomplished something. We watch news and our favorite TV series, and we trick ourselves into thinking we are in on the action. (more…)
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Malachi
We come to the last book in the Old Testament. Malachi was written about a hundred years after Haggai and Zechariah. The temple had been rebuilt and the descendants of the returning Jews were back to their old habits: the habits of the flesh.
Do you remember when we read Obadiah and talked about Esau and Jacob? Esau was the child of the flesh, and represented that person. Jacob, however, represented the child of the spirit. The natural man is the first-born man; the spiritual man is the one we get when we get born again. The second man.
God makes it very clear in Malachi, as He did earlier, that the spirit man, Jacob, is the one He loves. Natural men can never please God, even though He loves them. There is too much sin and selfishness.
In this final book the Lord reminds the priests once again that He is not pleased with disobedience and rebellion. They are bringing their second-rate lambs to be sacrificed, instead of their best. They are being unfaithful to their wives. They are not bringing their tithes into the temple.
All of these issues are tell-tale signs of apathy toward the Lord. They were going through the motions of their religious rituals, but their hearts are not there.
God hates that attitude. Apathy is the worst attitude we can have, because it signifies indifference. There is no way someone can be apathetic and full of faith. Those two mindsets don’t go together.
So the Lord chastises His people, but finally He brings hope, as He always does. “The day is coming…for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (4:3)
We always have a promise from our Father. If we will pursue Him, there are wonderful promises in store.
That’s all, folks, until Jesus appears on the scene. Nearly 400 years go by with no more prophetic Words from God. Now I’m quite sure that some men had words or dreams, but nothing that was to be included in the Bible.
This was a long wilderness time for His nation Israel, but think about what was coming. At the right time, God is going to bring His Son to the earth, and the fulfillment of His promises will be more than any could ever imagine. (We can never guess what great things our Father is going to do. His plans are much higher than we can think).
His ideas are always worth waiting for.
Revelation 22
Do you remember Ezekiel 47 and the river of God flowing from the temple? Well here we see the same river: the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And once again we see that trees line the banks of this river, bearing fruit in every season.
And there shall no longer be any curse. We shall see His face and His name shall be on our foreheads. The glory of the Lord shall be so bright that we will no longer need the sun. His light will be our sun. (V.3-4)
These events will take place for certain, because God’s Word is always true.
John goes on to tell us to “hold fast” the words of this prophecy. We are not to add to it nor take away from it. This Word is true. (V.18-19)
Our finite minds can’t imagine a day when the sun would no longer need to shine, or when we could just look at Jesus, or when there would be no more evil in the earth. Those things are hard to imagine.
This is why it’s important for us to pursue our God with all diligence. We want to have His best.
Right now His best involves us having joy in the world – with our family and friends. He loves for us to have a good time in this life. Yet always we should put Him first, keeping our minds on things above so that our faith grows along with our love.
I pray that you and I will be right in the middle of all that our God is doing in the earth. It’s forever upward for us as we journey on with Him.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this year of reading the Word along with you. The Bible is not a book which can be mastered by reading a passage a day. Each book could be studied in depth to derive all that the Lord wants us to know. However, by reading straight through, as we did, we get to see the common threads.
We get to see the nature of man, and we get to see the nature of God. We see God’s love as He has pursued man so diligently. We also see His faithfulness.
As we continue in our study, we will uncover more and more layers of understanding. So hope you will continue!
Many blessings.
Suellen Estes
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Zechariah
What a rich book is this! Just loaded with imagery and revelation about God’s plans and His kingdom. In fact there is so much that I can’t possibly approach the full meaning in a few words. So let’s take a look at some highlights.
Zechariah, like Haggai, was a restoration prophet – prophesying to the Jews after they returned from exile in Babylon. Out of fear they had stopped building, and had to be prodded to begin again.
Starting with an admonition not to be like their fathers, Zechariah continues with visions similar to John’s revelation. Angels on horses patrolling the earth. Four craftsmen who will throw down the horns of the nations which have terrified Jerusalem…”Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is aroused from His holy habitation.”(2:13) The Lord is on the move, and big things are about to happen.
A man in a vision goes out to measure Jerusalem, but is stopped by an angel. No longer will Jerusalem be a city with walls, for there will be many people in it. The vision speaks of the day when the true Jerusalem will be the city from above, in other words, the church of Jesus Christ. And in that day, the Lord will be a wall of fire around her, protecting her by His own hand. (2:4-5)
We see the two olive trees standing by the golden lampstand. (You might remember these trees from Revelation). They symbolize the anointing of God – His Holy Spirit. Then comes one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” (4:6) What God does, He does by His Spirit. No flesh can accomplish the purposes of God.
As he speaks of many events of the future, Zechariah comes to the moment when he says that the “Lord will be king over all the earth, and in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” (14:9) He is prophesying once again about Jesus, the Messiah. Every knee shall bow to the name of Jesus.
I hope you will find the time to spend reading and re-reading this great book. As you prayerfully read, you will find much wisdom awaiting you.
Revelation 20-21
This is it: the back of the book. If you want to know how it’s going to end, or if you want to find out that justice will be done, you have it in these two chapters.
First we see that the devil and all of his companions will finally be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Their day of tormenting the earth is over for good.
At the great white throne judgment, everyone great or small will stand before the throne of God. The books will be opened, and everyone, great and small, will give an account for their life. Did they receive the gift of the Lamb’s sacrifice? If so, their name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If not, they have chosen to go with the devil and his crew.
Then a new heaven and a new earth will be revealed. Ones with no sorrow; no tribulation.
“And he said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Then the bride of Christ is revealed, and she is the new Jerusalem – the city without walls, coming down out of heaven. God’s kingdom, the church, is the new Jerusalem.
Actually the first fruits of this started showing up when Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the cross. After He paid the price and went to heaven, sending back His Holy Spirit to live within us, God’s kingdom was here. His kingdom is here now, living within the hearts of His people.
That’s why just any ole religion won’t do. There are not many paths to God; there is only one. And His name is Jesus.
Only through Jesus can men and women be cleansed and have the Holy Spirit living within them. It’s not based on good works. Good works will come, of course, but they will be the fruit of a life lived with God’s power and wisdom within. Artificial fruit won’t hack it. It has to be the real deal.
Yet for those of us who want to accept the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, we have His life within us now. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and collectively we are the new Jerusalem. His kingdom.
So right here, right now, there are parallel universes. There is the natural world, of which we all are a part. Then there is the spiritual world – God’s kingdom – which supersedes the former. Supernatural wisdom, ability, peace, joy, and strength are all available to those of us who wish to allow Him to live within us. Those of us who want to be part of His kingdom, His Jerusalem.
The day will come when that is all there will be. That’s what we have been reading about in Revelation. “And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it.”(21:24)
Exciting, isn’t it?
by Suellen | Uncategorized
Zephaniah and Haggai
We come to the last of those who prophesy before Judah is taken into captivity. The Word is so similar: Judah has denied the Lord and served other gods. The people have been arrogant and self-serving. Therefore, since they refuse to turn back to the Lord and honor Him, He will allow them to go into captivity.
Yet the day will come when He will draw them back to Jerusalem and He will restore their fortunes which have been stripped. At that time, Zephaniah says that He will “exult over them with joy, be quiet in His love, and rejoice over them with shouts of joy.” Sounds to me like God really loves these people!
When we get to Haggai, the times are totally different, and the prophet’s purpose is also. Two hundred years have passed since the first prophetic words of warning and the warnings of all of the prophets have been ignored. So the dire warnings have come to pass.
Judah has been overtaken, Jerusalem has been burned, and most of the people have been taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They have stayed there for 70 years, as Jeremiah said they would, and then King Cyrus has allowed some of them to return. So Ezra and Nehemiah both have led expeditions back to Jerusalem, in order to rebuild the temple and rebuild the walls around the once-great city.
Now we ae in the rebuilding phase. At first, there was tremendous zeal in building, but soon the work stopped. Local officials, threatened by the Jews’ return, mocked and taunted the builders until they fearfully discontinued their work. Discouragement and fear took over.
Enter Haggai, the Prophet, and through him the Lord brings a message of wisdom and encouragement. First, He reminds the Jews that they have a work to do. They should be building the house of the Lord. Yet they are saying, “The time has not come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” (1:2) Obviously, they are procrastinating.
Haggai reminds the Jews that their blessing depends upon their obedience to the Lord. If they are not faithful, “the sky withholds its dew and the earth its produce”(1:10).
This time, the people repent. They recognize the Word of the Lord and they are willing to obey. Such a different outcome from the ones which have preceded this prophecy. Believing and acting have brought God’s people into a place of honor with Him.
Now there is a promise to them – and to us when we are obedient. “As for the promise which I made to you when you came out of Egypt, ‘My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear.'”(2:5)…Then He goes on to promise that He will shake the nations and bring the wealth to this nation.
The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former. I believe that, just as in many of the promises, this one is on two levels. It’s a promise for the rebuilding the Jews were currently undertaking. However, it was also for the latter house we live in. (The house of Jesus, the Christian house, is often referred to as the latter house). The glory of what we have now is greater than the former.
God’s power and His provision are for us as well as them. He owns the silver ads the gold. All of the power and riches of the world will eventually be totally controlled by God and Him alone. There will come a time when He shakes the heavens and the earth and all of His riches in the spirit and the natural will be poured out on His people.
Do you believe it? I do!
Revelation 18-19
So Babylon the great has a great fall. We talked about this in the last post.
Let’s be certain about what God is saying. The very word ” Babylon” comes from the word “babel,” and it means “confused.” (Remember the Tower of Babel, where God confused the language of the people?) Well the great city of Babylon stands for the church which has become confused because of all of its mixing with the ways of the world. No longer do people know God or what His way; they look around them to obtain their wisdom.
Babylon is not a pure, faithful church; it is like a whore – impure and unfaithful.
As we have read the prophets in the Old Testament, we see how God’s message to the people was not to mix with other religions. Not to take on their customs. Not to follow their gods. There was a good reason for that. When God’s people succumb to the influence of other religions, they become confused, and the confusion destroys their faith.
The church of Jesus is referred to as His bride, and He deserves a holy bride. One which looks only to Him and not to other false gods. So when we see the marriage supper of the Lamb, “we see a bride who is clothing herself in fine linen, bright and clean.”(19:8). She is making herself ready for her groom.
Then we see the groom – Jesus. He is on a white horse, His eyes like flames of fire, His robe dipped in blood, and His name being the Word of God. The name written on Him is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is ready to rule the world and all of the heavens with authority we have never experienced.
Let that imagery sink in for a while. Our Lord, our Husband, is no wimp. He is mighty, full of power and strength. And He wins!!
So do we!
