Our God is full of wonders. He created all things in order to provide for the well-being of all humanity. The “anthropic principle” acknowledges that all conditions are perfect for life to exist on earth. If the earth was a little closer to or further from the sun, it would be too hot or too cold. If there was too much rain, snow, or wind, plants couldn’t grow for food. If there was too little oxygen, we couldn’t survive. Christians know where this balance came from.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth“ (Genesis 1:1).

I take comfort in the fact that God is in the details of life and He put beauty all around for us to enjoy. He did this without a committee or a planning commission. Of course, God is triune…three in one. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three are unique but function in perfect unity.

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shall love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).

Too many parents have forgotten to teach their children the truth of Scripture. In so doing, we stand in the way of God. He is the Creator and the Rule-Maker. His ways need to be sovereign in our lives. If we don’t honor Him, we stand in the way of His will for us.

We are His ultimate creation, and He loves us with a perfect love that we cannot find anywhere but in Christ. When Jesus walked this earth, He showed us what love is. He was not prideful, although He was perfect and could have felt superior to people. He could have acted as if He was above everybody, but He humbled Himself. His only anger was toward the religious leaders who had corrupted God’s truth into a way to puff themselves up and get rich at the expense of the common people.

Anger is a sin and has no place in a Christian’s way of life. If you display anger, how does that represent a Christ-like attitude? How does that show His love? All it does is reflect that you think you are above other people and are able to judge and condemn them. Jesus told us not to judge others or else we will be judged.

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

If you judge others, you are standing in the way of God. You put yourself in God’s place. The difference is you are not God but are a sinner just like those you are judging. How can others find His love and forgiveness if you represent Him as judgmental and condemning? Don’t stand in the way of God as others who are judgmental and misrepresent our Lord.

When we first come to Jesus, we don’t have a lot of knowledge about how we should act. We are forgiven of all sin, but we need to learn to turn from sin. We need to be disciples. Sadly, most churches lack discipleship classes. You can find discipleship in Scripture. Peter, John, and the others had a lot to learn. They were closer to Jesus than anyone else but still needed lots of discipleship.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:24-27).

We are saved by our faith, but our works will earn us crowns at the Bema seat judgment. A person who chooses to follow Christ has to learn to deny their own sin nature. It’s not easy, but anger and pride will never show Christ’s love. Those first disciples had a lot to learn, but because they were willing to truly follow Jesus, they have shown many of us a better way to live humbly and a way to live eternally. Study Scripture, and learn. Apply it to your life and find joy through Jesus. One of those tricks for learning JOY in life is Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between. Don’t allow your own selfishness to stand in the way of sharing the Gospel.

The first disciples had a lot to learn. They were a rough bunch, but Jesus saw their potential and patiently taught them. They were common men who were fishermen, tax collectors, and such. None of them were schooled in religion. Christianity isn’t a religion; it’s a way of life. That life has to be learned because it doesn’t come naturally to most people. As Jesus said to the disciples, we must deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him.

The Apostle Paul had a lot to learn. He did more to hinder Christianity than most people. The persecution he imposed was horrific. Still, there’s a good lesson for us. Don’t think anybody is unreachable for Christ. When Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, he met Jesus. His life was completely changed.

“And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round him a light from heaven; And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord: And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:3-5).

What if a self-righteous Christian had been there and mocked the situation or had a fit of anger toward Paul? As it was, God led obedient and humble people to help Paul to become a true Christian leader. He faced opposition, and fellow Christians were afraid of him, but Jesus changed Paul from a vicious man into a humble but fearless servant. These Christians who helped Paul could have stood in the way of the plan Jesus had for Paul, but they set aside their own self-centered feelings and showed Christian love to him.

It’s up to all of us to apply Scripture to our lives. If we live for Christ, then we will not stand in His way. You may be the one whom the Holy Spirit has chosen to witness to someone and share the Gospel. If you choose to let your pride get in the way, you may never achieve all that God has planned for your life. You have a choice. You can hinder God’s work, or you can be a catalyst for His glory.

John and his brother James must have been a challenge. Jesus called them “Boanerges.” What does that mean? “And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is The sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). They were fishermen and more than likely a bit on the rough side. We can get a glimpse into their nature during an event that happened in Samaria.

Messengers had been sent to a village telling them Jesus was coming and to be ready. The Samaritans refused to welcome Him. This set James and John into anger, and they wanted vengeance. “And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” (Luke 9:54). They were allowing their pride and anger to stand in the way of God’s love and forgiveness. “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village” (Luke 9:55-56).

The disciples had a lot to learn, and so do we. Their action would have stood in the way of God’s greater plan. The fire might have made the disciples feel prideful and self-important because of what they did, but they would not have shown God’s love.

Peter also showed his very human feelings when he tried to stand in the way of Jesus going to Jerusalem. Peter was very outspoken. He has been described as “Ready, fire, aim Peter” because if a thought came into his head, he would say it rather than think first. I love Peter. When Jesus asked His disciples what people said about Him, they all had various answers. Not very different than today when we see others saying all religions are the same. Then, Jesus made it personal. “And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ“ (Mark 8:29).

Peter spoke the truth, but he didn’t truly understand what that meant. After that, Jesus began to teach them about the near future. He had to go to Jerusalem. “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). It was Peter who tried to stand in His way. “And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men” (Mark 8:32-33).

Peter was looking at things from a human point of view. He knew Jesus was the Christ but tried to stand in the way of His ultimate reason for entering His creation. “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” (John 10:10). That abundant life would only come through His death, burial, and resurrection. That would only happen in Jerusalem. Peter tried to stand in the way of God’s plan. Peter’s love for Christ was “on again, off again” because when Jesus was arrested, it was Peter who denied knowing Him.

So many of us are just like Peter. We quietly pray and tell God what He should do, but when accused openly of knowing Christ, we deny Him, either by words or actions. Peter ultimately totally surrendered to Christ and became a strong leader of those early Christians in Jerusalem. No, he was not a pope but a Christian leader who spoke openly to others about Christ.

Are you standing in the way of God? He has great plans for you, but if your actions and words deny Him, you cannot do the works He wants you to accomplish for Him. He loves you, and He loves those who annoy you. Don’t stand in His way.

God bless you all.

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

 

The world is becoming a very dark place to live. In my lifetime, I’ve seen so much change in people’s attitudes, and very little is good. I count myself blessed that I was raised in a God-fearing family. I was taught about God right along with being taught to walk and talk. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

I don’t take this blessing lightly. When my family was touched by tragedy, I could see the adults handle the pain through prayer and trusting God. As I entered my teen years, much changed in the world around me. It was the 1960s, and it seemed as if there was a spirit of evil all around. The portal for that evil was opened by the hippies who promoted free love and drugs. Still, the foundation of my life was built upon Jesus Christ, and I was able to avoid any involvement in that lifestyle. I’m so thankful.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m far from perfect. God is still working with me, and the more I submit to Him, the more peace I find. As I look back, I can see that those days of free sex and drugs are still an influence in the world today. It’s a very bad influence. I take heart knowing that the Rapture is coming.

I don’t understand the controversy over the Rapture. It’s all very clear in Scripture. That is, it’s clear if you don’t try to twist God’s words. Whenever I write about the Rapture, I get emails (very lengthy emails) explaining to me why I’m wrong. I appreciate the information, but please be assured that I’ve held a pre-tribulation view for many, many years. I have studied the subject and didn’t just flip a coin in order to decide what to believe.

Christians tend to be confused over many important Biblical subjects because they don’t study. Scripture encourages us to study. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

If you don’t study, then you can’t defend your faith. The preacher at the last church I attended decided to preach through Revelation. He made it clear for 3 weeks prior that he didn’t understand it but would teach on it anyway. Oh my. I gave him some information about some excellent Bible teachers who have great teachings on it, but he didn’t want help. His teaching was very poor and showed a total lack of understanding.

Revelation is a worthwhile study and is really very comforting to all believers, as well as a witnessing tool. When I met my husband, he was not a Christian. He had some ideas of what was in Scripture but no true knowledge. One of his favorite movies was The Ten Commandments. I kept telling him, “If you like the movie, you should read the book.” His other evidence of “knowledge” was 666. He had no idea what that was all about but knew it wasn’t good. Well, he finally read the Book, he accepted Christ for salvation, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. His knowledge of Scripture grew every day because he prayerfully studied daily.

Something you will come to understand as you honestly study Scripture is that demons are real. God is real and teaches us about the supernatural, but we aren’t to seek after the evil. God has always given rules in order to protect us from the evil one. Adam and Eve chose to defy God and listen to Satan’s twisted words. After that, the evil in the world spread. The fallen angels mated with human women, and the Nephilim were born. Most of the world allowed themselves to be corrupted by the evil, but there did remain one pure human line from Adam’s son Seth.

One of Seth’s descendants was Enoch. He was a man who had a change in his life when he was 65 years old. “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:21-22).

God’s judgment on a rebellious world, which was consumed by sin, was coming soon. God saves those who love Him, and prior to God’s judgment through the Flood, God raptured Enoch. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

Noah was Enoch’s great-grandson and followed the godly example of his forefathers. Noah obeyed God and didn’t mingle with the fallen angels. He chose a godly wife and raised 3 sons who also honored God. Enoch was taken prior to the judgment (a picture of Christians being Raptured prior to judgment), while Noah and his family were protected through the judgment (a picture of God’s protection over Israel through the Tribulation). We can take heart as we watch this world fall deeper and deeper into sin; the Rapture is coming.

Throughout the Old Testament, we can see hints of the Rapture. For instance, Isaiah wrote, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isaiah 26:19-21).

Christians are the only group of people who have the promise of not facing God’s wrath. This passage in Isaiah seems to be what Paul refers to in his first letter to the Thessalonians. Remember, the Rapture is not the same event as the Second Coming. At the time of the Rapture, Christians will meet our Lord in the air prior to God’s judgment, but at the Second Coming, we will come with Him after the final battle.

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).

The Rapture is truly a comfort. Whatever this world brings, we always have the Blessed Hope. We might face some very evil times, but Christians will never face God’s wrath. Jesus Christ took all of God’s wrath upon Himself as He hung on the cross. All we have to do is understand we are sinners, repent of our sin and rebellion to God, and truly believe in His death, burial, and resurrection. Then we can take heart because the Rapture is coming.

Now let’s take a quick look at Revelation. Jesus dictated seven letters to John, and those letters describe the history of the church in advance. Each letter describes a specific “age.” The last letter was written to the Laodiceans and describes the modern church; God isn’t welcome within its walls. They have all they need and are lukewarm in their faith. They are “woke.” Jesus is on the outside and knocking to be welcomed in. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me“ (Revelation 3:20).

Do you hear Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? Don’t delay. Open the door and invite Him in because this is the last age. After this is the Rapture. “After this I looked, and, behold a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).

Both “after this” and “hereafter” are from the Greek words meta tauta, which means the next in a sequence of events. So, after the 7 letters describing the church age, John saw a door open in Heaven (the Rapture), and he was shown the events that would happen after that. Those events are God’s judgment upon the people who have chosen to live in rebellion and sin. The ekklesia (translated “church”) is last mentioned in the letter to Laodicea. Chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation describe what happens in Heaven after the Rapture, and beginning with chapter 6, we read of the judgment upon Earth with no mention of Christians being on Earth.

We can see the signs of the times getting stronger. Earthquakes, love growing cold, wickedness everywhere, war. The days of Noah and the days of Lot are being repeated, just as Jesus said would happen. Don’t despair, and don’t deny your faith. God has given us a wonderful promise: Jesus is preparing a place for us and will take us there to be with him forever. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (John 14:2-4). Thank You, Jesus, for loving us.

Are you lost? If you need to find the way, you will only find it through faith in Jesus. The directions are found in Scripture. Jesus is the only way. “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).

Those words bring so much comfort. Jesus is preparing a place for us to be with Him always. Is this what Isaiah wrote about? I believe it is. No matter how dark and ugly the world becomes, take heart: the Rapture is coming!

God bless you all

Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).