Tag Archives: Revelation

Christian Soapbox, Journal, Nathan Dooley

WAIT ON THE LORD

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“Alexa, play thunderstorm sounds.” So majestic is the sound of thunderstorms that I could listen to it on loop. It seems to soothe the soul much like when David played the harp for King Saul when terrified by an evil spirit from the Lord according to 1 Samuel 16:14-23, not that I have an evil spirit that terrifies me, but I’d like to think I’m aware of such a spirit.

God means what He says because of the serious consequences experienced when disobeying His instructions. And as I discover more and more His instruction to the Church—myself a member—I am terrified at what His instruction means as I come to understand the Spirit of Christ in me. It’s simple to hear and read the words, “whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospels will…find it…save it…keep it…to eternal life”, but to make that spiritual principle of understanding, a reality, is not so simple and in fact, it’s a figure of death to self through the literal death of Christ, the ultimate means of worship and praise to the glory of God. How to exemplify that is envisioned by revelation when looking to the Word of God.

My heart stirs as the spirit moves within me to the skill of a coach. It’s dark in the belly of a fish; scales blind the eyes. To see, one must become blind to this present world of blood lust, pride and sexual immorality. To hear, one must become deaf to the sirens of worldly devices and coins clanging in the pockets of the rich. Don’t go the way of a fool seeking to save their life by selling their soul to secrets of darkness for the pleasures it’s of. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord.

Christian Soapbox, I die devotionals, Journal

Journal Entry 6

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When He had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he left and washed, and came back seeing. 

John 9:6-7

PRAYER

I pray we come back seeing, Lord. Amen.

INQUIRY

So then what is the biblical nature of each path and their interconnected significance? And, Who is Jesus?

Okay *interlock fingers and crack knuckles* …pause… Let me get some coffee for this *gets up from seated position, proceeds to coffee maker with haste, dumps enough coffee in filter to kill a small horse* LETS DO THI— …pause… *laughs it off* Get focused; alright, here we go!

While my coffee is brewing, Lord, please grace me/us with the power and glory of You, for understanding the will of God in our lives. Thank you Father, in Jesus Christ; amen.

Figure 1

To understand the interconnected web in our figure 1 image, we first need to understand the biblical nature of each path.

LEARNING

  • REWARD
  • SIN
  • BELIEF
  • UNBELIEF
  • DEATH
REWARD
Figure 2

The biblical nature of reward revealed by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 16:7,13), from my perspective, is as follows. *Coffee now at hand* …Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven… (Luke 6:23). Jesus taught of reward in heaven by our faithful endurance against the hate of the world… Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man… (Luke 6:23). Which then begs the question. Am I hated by the world? Are you hated by the world? Being hated by the world is a tangible evidence to those blessed by God (which we’ll talk more about in future posts Lord willing), their reward is great in heaven. But lets back up to the first part of that phrase, Rejoice on that day… Why does Jesus say “…on that day” and not ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow’? What does Jesus mean by “day“? What is a ‘day’ to God?

[Lets see how studied we are in the Word of God; you’ll have an idea—or quite possibly know exactly—where I’m about to go by the Holy Spirit revealing His presence in you, assuring you of whether we’re on the right path; if you’re not someone studied in the Word of God, but are hungry and thirsty for learning righteousness, that appetite is the Holy Spirit serving your soul with spiritual food for growth and maturity, examine this with trusted believers; if you’re someone resisting the Spirit of Truth in the Word of God—presented in the passages of scripture following—then please consider softening your heart to the knowledge of the truth, seek the Lord at His Word and His people the Church, because God loves you.]

There are several passages to consider (Psalm 90:4; Ecclesiastes 6:6; 2 Peter 3:8; Revelation 20:2-7), but look at what the apostle Peter writes regarding the meaning of a “day” to God:

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.“

—Cephas (Peter)

Peter instructs us …be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8). So when we look back to what Jesus said—Rejoice on that day…—we can see that the day our Lord is referring to is a future day, the day of a thousand years; the millennial reign of Christ our Lord, Jesus. This is the first resurrection (Revelation 20:6). When a disciple—such as the apostles—suffer in this world of hatred by bearing the name of Jesus, then …your reward is great in heaven. So how are the apostles’ reward great in heaven? These men will sit on thrones, just take a moment to think about that … they’ll sit on thrones!

The scripture I’m about to present to you will reveal the nature of our great reward, and it’s such an encouragement as those of us suffer for the sake of Christ; that does not mean we inflict suffering upon ourselves by annoying people to death with what the world does not care to understand, and then call that “suffering”, because that is not suffering with Christ, that’s a desperate escape from putting in the labor of learning the Word of God and from experiencing the necessary discipline of our Father, and Lord, in heaven, by the Holy Spirit, while alive on earth. Now lets dive deep into the Word of God.

And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28)

The gospel according to the apostle Matthew records the prophetic Word of Christ to our consciences by reading …the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones… and so now, right now, is that time of regeneration (Titus 3:4-6) by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) as Jesus is already sitting on His glorious throne (Hebrews 12:1-2) mediating (Hebrews 8:6) from above through the portal [Promises/Providence]—like a ladder (John 1:51)—of His covenant down below to us here and now alive on earth awaiting with patience this great reward; the crown of the first resurrection (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Revelation 20:6) at His appearing; the millennial reign of Christ our Lord.

If you’re concerned that you are not among those of this reward. Then please listen to the Holy Spirit about the nature of that concern. I’m still exploring this revelation with prayer. Test everything presented with the Word of God by the Holy Spirit.

Until tomorrow…

I die devotionals, Nathan Dooley

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth | P3-V19

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 

You know since the beginning of when we ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the discovery of our earth and heavens has been through an experience of mourning, crying, and pain. Do you look forward to the time when we will experience the wisdom of these words by Revelation?

21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

It’s crazy to think about our life as striving after wind, the Preacher would write in Ecclesiastes:

1:12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to  know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. 18 Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

See even the Preacher acknowledges back in his day an experience of increasing pain that testifies of our present experiences, and were it not for Christ—increasing pain would be our doom. But what did Christ say about Solomon in the gospel according to Luke?

11:30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Jesus Christ is that greater wisdom that Solomon seemed to be searching for, but could not grasp because it did not belong to his time nor to him. God had already made up His mind on Who the Son of Man was going to be, and He came born of a virgin, the Son of God, our Lamb of Sacrifice, the Savior of the world—Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus founded the earth and established the heavens as the true and only Gardener of His universe. According to the gospel I believe in, Jesus is standing at the right hand of God mediating each and every one of our prayers to a Holy God, our Father in Heaven.

I’m SO looking forward to my day of judgment and hope you are too because Jesus is the author and finisher of my faith, and His Word does not return void!

19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V19) Commentary
4. It is a participation of the happiness of God himself, for wisdom is his everlasting glory and blessedness, v. 19, 20. This should make us in love with the wisdom and understanding which God gives, that the Lord by wisdom founded the earth, so that it cannot be removed, nor can ever fail of answering all the ends of its creation, to which it is admirably and unexceptionably fitted. By understanding he has likewise established the heavens and directed all the motions of them in the best manner. The heavenly bodies are vast, yet there is no flaw in them-numerous, yet no disorder in them-the motion rapid, yet no wear or tear; the depths of the sea are broken up, and thence come the waters beneath the firmament, and the clouds drop down the dews, the waters from above the firmament, and all this by the divine wisdom and knowledge; therefore happy is the man that finds wisdom, for he will thereby be thoroughly furnished for every good word and work. Christ is that Wisdom, by whom the worlds were made and still consist; happy therefore are those to whom he is made of God wisdom, for he has wherewithal to make good all the foregoing promises of long life, riches, and honour; for all the wealth of heaven, earth, and seas, is his.