Voice of the Seven Thunders!

And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!"

Revelation 10:4

The Bible is not "every word of God." When the seven thunders spoke to John on the Isle of Patmos a voice from heaven told John not to write down what they said.

Why would God send words to the ears of John and not want him to pass those words on? For whatever reason the seven thunders spoke words that were for John's ears only.

One of the marks of a truly good friend is that sometimes you will be told not to tell anyone what you just heard.

I believe that still happens in our relationship with God. It comes with spiritual maturity. In your communion with God a great new understanding comes to light and when you try to share it with someone else they look at you like you have lost your mind.

It would be like walking up to a stranger on the street and using the same vocabulary that you use with your wife. Not a good idea for sure.
Stop trying to use your time with Jesus to get something to share with others and drink in the relationship He is wanting you to enjoy with Him!

Keep the "Words of the Seven Thunders" in your heart where they belong.

View From Heaven!

“After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

Revelation 4:1

If you look at the future from the perspective of earth every fiber of your body denies it. It is the ultimate act of denial. I can see what is inevitably going to happen on earth, but I just can't bring myself to really believe that it will be.
But if I am firmly standing on Heavenly ground I can see what will happen and grasp it without fear or denial at all. My standing in heaven will not be shaken by the tribulations of earth.
That is why I must spend every moment in the presence of Jesus. When I am with Him and know I am with Him then I can see the turmoil and not flinch at the coming wrath.
That is why so many in the world quit looking at what is going to happen. Turn your heart to Jesus so that nothing that is coming will shake your peace!

The Face of God!

Then Moses said, "Please, let me see Your glory." He said, "I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."   But He answered, "You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live."

Exodus 33:18-20

I still like to sing and boldly proclaim that I want to see the face of God.  It is worthy of note that even though Moses spoke with God "face to face," Moses did not see the face of God.  God declares that a human cannot do that and live.
What is it about the face of God that prohibits further life on this earth after you see it?  Please understand that what I am about to say is pure speculation, but I do believe it is worth pondering.
There is a popular Radio and TV personality that makes a very interesting parallel.  Glenn Beck does a radio show every day and a television show as well.  I don't enjoy listening to him on the radio, but I love to watch him on television.  The difference is his face.  His words may be exactly the same, and in fact I think most days they are, but when I see his face I get a different perspective.  When I see his face I see deep into his heart even though the words he speaks are the same.
If I were to see the face of God as a human being perhaps I could not handle what I would see.  It may so shock my very being and shake me to the core that I could not continue to live.  So remember when you tell God you want to see His face you are asking God to take you into His very presence.  When you see the face of God you will see deep into His heart and you will see the things that no man can know while here on this earth!

Jesus is a Rock!

“Trust in the Lord forever,  because in Yah, the Lord, is an everlasting rock!”

Isaiah 26:4

When Jesus decided to call Cephas by his new name Peter, it was more than significant.  Peter means rock.  The Bible clearly says that God is a Rock.

Rocks are solid and provide the foundation for great buildings.  Rocks are the stuff that make mountains.  Rocks are used to make roads and rocks can be cut into blocks and are the material for great buildings.  The pyramids are made of rocks and the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is made of rocks.

In the Book of Revelation we are told that our new name is written on a White Rock.  Could it be that the White Rock is Jesus Himself?  When a girl marries a man she takes on his name.  Perhaps the new name we get is the name He gives us because we are the Bride of Christ.

Truly, Jesus is the Rock of Ages!

White Rock–New Name!

"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

Revelation 2:15

     When you give someone a "nickname" it is usually a sign of endearment. Having a special name for someone you love is probably as old as Adam and Eve although we don't know what they called each other.
     I know that Jesus loves me and this verse clearly says that He has a special name for me that He will inscribe on a white stone.
     No one else will know the name that Jesus gives to me. That means when Jesus calls my name I will hear it, but everyone else will just hear the wind!
     If Jesus calls me by the name I have that everyone else knows I can easily wonder if it really is the voice of Jesus or someone else. But when Jesus calls me by my new name that only He knows there is no doubt.
     In some ways my new name on the white stone is the password to my heart. When I am called by that name I stop and open my heart to Jesus to hear His next command!

Hungry for Jesus!

"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God's paradise.”

Revelation 2:7

"You are what you eat" is certainly true of the Tree of Life in God's paradise. 

One bite of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is what started all the problems in this sin sick world.

God threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden so that they could not eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in their sinful state.  It was perhaps one of God's greatest acts of mercy toward men.

 
One bite of the Tree of Life and you are set on the path of Eternal Life.

After a visit to my doctor I am motivated once again to pay very close attention to what I eat so that I may live longer on this earth.

After a visit with my Savior I am reminded that the first thing I will do in Heaven is to eat of the Tree of Life!

Make sure when you leave this world that you are Hungry for Jesus!

Door of the End of All Things!

“In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that He is near-at the door!”

Mark 13:29

The Book of Revelation talks about Jesus standing at the door and knocking. When He stands at the door and knocks He waits for you to open the door and let Him in.

If the door of your heart is not opened to let Jesus in He will not cross into your space. But when you open that door because you hear His knocking Jesus will come in and engulf your life with His reality.

But when Jesus is near-at the door in Mark 13:29 He will not wait for any man to open the door. This time Jesus will burst through the door with power and great glory! He will not ask you to invite Him to come through the door.

When Jesus comes through the door of your heart He waits until you decide to invite Him in. But when Jesus comes through the Door of the End of All Things He will wait for no man.

If you are not ready for the return of Jesus, stop what you are doing right now and turn your penitent heart to Him!

When He comes through that door there will be no time to get ready for His return!

Controlled by a Good Gift!

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
Luke 11:13
How good is the gift of the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit simply a great help for tough times, or is a Christian's life completely controlled by the Holy Spirit of God?

If for me the Holy Spirit is like a reserve gas tank to get me through to the end when I run completely out of gas, then I am missing the point. When I am "filled" with the Spirit every part of me is saturated with the Holy Water of God. I can't take a breath or a step without considering the presence of the Holy Spirit. My body sleeps, but the Holy Spirit does not. He works in me during my waking hours and during my sleep. He is my navigation system, the engine in my car and the fuel that runs it.
With the Holy Spirit in my life I ultimately fade into the background as I watch Him work and direct my every step.

"Lord continually give me your Holy Spirit so that I may be fully controlled by even Your smallest desire!"

Only God!

 

 

"Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring sea and waves.”

Luke 21:25

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan have left the nations bewildered and in fear about what is happening to the earth. The pictures of the devastation are almost surreal. Surely we are looking at a computer generated simulation of an event that has never happened. But it has. And what comes next may be even more frightening.

The politicians are saying all the right things about how strong the Japanese are and how they will recover from the destruction. Calls are going out for the rest of the world to send aid, but what comes next?

I would ask you this: If God is speaking and we don't answer Him, but choose to ignore the Almighty and simply work on cleaning up the mess, then what will happen? If you have any faith in God then you cannot pretend that God was caught unaware when the 9.1 earthquake hit Japan. He either knew about it and didn't stop it, or He was the cause of the shaking.

I would simply ask this: Are you impressed with the power of God yet? Are you still comfortable ignoring a God who can shake the earth and cause the ocean to wash over the land? Or should you ask God this simple question: "God, what do you want from me?"

Love Like Jesus Did!

"I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.

By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 13:34-35

The most challenging command of Jesus was not to go into all the world and preach the gospel. The most difficult command was to love each other as He loved us. That command includes going low like Jesus did in the incarnation and being willing to sacrifice every comfort and even life itself for the good of another.

When I love you like Jesus loved me the power of Heaven itself is unleashed on the earth.

The true badge of greatness in this life is not who you are or how much you know or even how much you possess. It is measured only by how and how much you love!

Love is not a means to an end, it is the end in itself. When I love you like Jesus loved me I touch eternity and the Cross at the same time and my life becomes a manifestation of God Himself.

The strength of my love for you is not affected by whether or not you love me back. When you love me back a drop of the joy of Heaven falls to earth. When I love Jesus I am filled with that joy.

God so loved the world that He gave!

God Speaks to Fish!

Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 2:10
When God speaks to a fish it immediately obeys the Word of Almighty God. That's how Jonah got back on dry ground.

I never really think about God speaking to animals today, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever so why would He have quit speaking to His animal creations? What God says to animals is certainly a mystery, but I believe there is evidence that He is still speaking. We have our three year old Cairn Terrier in obedience training. Our instructor confessed at one of the sessions that dogs are able to do and know things for which there is no human explanation. For me the simple answer is that God still speaks to animals!
When God speaks to an animal it is expected that the animal will do what God wills. But when God speaks to me it is expected that I will try my best to do something else, just like Jonah!
Like my dog, God has me in obedience training. My job is to watch for the movement of His hand and to listen for the sound of His voice. When I do I must say no to my natural rebellion and obey.
Our dog trainer also said that for my dog obedience training is a life-long, daily process. The same is true with me and God. As long as I live on this earth I am in training as I learn to obey every command of God!

God's Secret!

"God told his secret plans to his servants the prophets, and it will all happen by the time the seventh angel sounds his trumpet.” 

Revelation 10:7

Has God ever told you a secret?  Did He tell you something that He has not told anyone else?  According to this verse it is indeed possible that God sometimes shares secrets with His children.

Has anyone ever told you a secret that you have never told anyone else?  More importantly has God told you something that was for your ears only?  Somehow I have assumed over the years that any insight I might get from God is to be shared with as many people who might accept it.  Frankly, that is just not reality.  Jesus said He knew things that He couldn't share.

Ask God today to share something with you that is for you to know only.  It may not seem like a big thing, but it is huge if it comes from God.  It may be an insight into scripture.

Never forget that your relationship with God can be just as real as your relationship with your husband or wife or parents.  Listen for His voice today!



whiterockblog.blogspot.com March 8, 2011

Will Anyone Know?

But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief.

1 Thessalonians 5:4

Will anyone know that the Day of the Lord is upon us? This verse seems to say that they will. The Bible record clearly shows that whenever God did something on the earth He informed someone that He was about doing it.

Frankly, I don't know if every believer will be assured that the coming of the Lord is near, even at the door, but to say that no one will know is not consistent with scripture. When Jesus said that no one knows the day or hour when He would return, He did not say that no one would ever know and He certainly did not say that no one would know the season had arrived for His return.

As I write these words the world is in great turmoil and prospects are high for that distress to increase steadily. Are we standing at the door of Jesus' return to earth? There are some who say we are. There is no question in my mind that we stand at the door of a seismic shift in the status quo of this world. Whether that shift will be consummated with the return of Jesus I do not know. But I know that I am to expect Him every day and at any and every hour. Man's predictions of His return will not stay His hand or His plans. The Day and Hour have been known to the Father from the very beginning.

My job is to be ready today!

Do I Really Love Jesus More than Life?

“He who testifies about these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly."
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”

Revelation 22:20

If Jesus comes back before I die I'm not sure I could live through the excitement!

An ordinary day by all accounts. In fact it will be every hour of the day or night somewhere on earth when Jesus comes. And unless He comes at the stroke of midnight on the international date line He will come on two days at once!

If I am completely honest I must admit that I desire the coming of Jesus more when things get really bad here on earth.  When things here are good I want Him to wait a while before He comes.  But isn't that a sad commentary about my love for Jesus.  It simply means that I desire Jesus less than the good life here on earth!

Lord please move on my heart to desire You more than the best this life on earth has to offer.  Let me desire you more than health, or money, or fame, or friends, or success.

Show me the splendor of Your face and the glory of where You dwell.
Lord, being with You will be beyond the imagination of any man.  Touch my heart and mind with a sample of what it will be like to worship in Your presence.  And Lord help me to believe that very soon You will come or I will go and stand before Your Throne in Glory!