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Good morning saints!
As you may recall Carl kicked off this
series with the following three points pertaining to the question “Who am I?”:
He said that:
1. I am sinner saved by the grace of God
through Jesus Christ.
2. I am a dearly loved adopted child of
GOD.
3. I am a doulos of Christ (i.e., I am a
servant of Christ bought at a great price).
Carl mentioned these three passages of
scripture:
1. And I will be a father to you, and
you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty. – 2 Corinthians
6:18
2. For those who are led by the
Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make
you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received
brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit
himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. – Romans 8:14-16
3. See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be
called children of God. And that is what we are! – I John 3:1a
And then last week John Farmer opened up
his message in our series titled Can I really do that?/Our Adequacy in Christ
with the following two verses:
I can do everything through him who
gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13
And:
If you remain in me and my words remain
in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. – John 15:7
Today we will be continuing our series with
a message titled “What am I becoming? subtitled “Our Future in Christ” but
before we begin Let’s Pray.
Looking back at Carl’s second point “I
am a dearly loved adopted child of GOD.” we will see today how that directly
relates to the “What I am becoming and Our Future in Christ.
So what am I becoming? 1
John 3:1-3 says:
How great is the love the Father
has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what
we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear
friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made
known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see
Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself or herself,
just as He is pure. – 1 John 3:1-3
So what am I becoming? The first thing is 1. I am becoming pure like
my heavenly Father. Our inward thoughts are becoming pure as we put our hope in
Him. But our outward appearance is changing too.
Some of the outward characteristics of
the ideal woman are recorded in Proverbs 31:25-27. These are also the ideal characteristics of
the ideal man.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, And
she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of
kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her
household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. – Proverbs 31:25-27
Like the Proverbs 31 woman strength and
dignity are becoming our clothing and our mouths are opening more and more to
wisdom and the teaching of kindness are becoming more and more apparent in our
conversations and we are working more and more diligently and whole heartedly
as unto the Lord and not unto men. These
are outward things that other people can see and hear.
Note how she smiles at the future. Have you ever thought that your Heavenly
Father in heaven smiles at your future.
He does saints!
I think too often Satan has us thinking
of how disappointed God is in our behavior and how He is shaking His head at
what we have done even after we put our trust in Him for salvation. That is simply not the case. We are His adopted children. When our young children behaved poorly as
they were growing up, Christine and I as parents knew that they would
eventually grow up and their poor behavior will be a thing of the past. God the Father is the same way. He sees your future that He has given you and
He smiles knowing that your present behavior is only a passing stage in your
life. He has great plans for you and
your future. In Jeremiah 29:11 He says:
“For I know
the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
So what am I becoming? What
am I becoming?
1. I am becoming pure like my
heavenly Father.
2. I am becoming more optimistic
about my future and like my heavenly Father, and like Him I am becoming a
person that smiles at the future.
Now the fact is children do become like
their parents. Even the Progressive
insurance commercial on TV says “We can’t keep you from becoming like your
parents but we can save you money when you bundle your home and auto insurance”. Now we have all heard people say when looking
at a baby he or she is the spitting image of his or her mother or father or he
or she has her mother’s or father’s lips; eyes, chin, hair, feet, nose, ears
etc. These are all physical
Characteristics that we are born with and in truth they are written into our
DNA and we have little control over them.
Now we rarely say to an adoptive parent
that his or her child has any of the physical characteristics of his or her
parent that I just listed.
Why?
Well in most cases we don’t have an image of the child’s mother or
father to compare the child’s physical characteristics to. However in the case of the adopted child of
God we do have an image of the Father to compare the adopted children of God to.
In a sense we are becoming like our
spiritual parents ( i.e., the ones that led us to the Lord) and even more so we
are becoming like our creator who is God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Whereas we were once self-centered and sinful
now we are becoming Christ-centered and holy.
Whereas we once ambivalent, but now we are becoming more and more decisive
and kingdom focused.
As we grow as the adoptive children of
God we start to take on His image in the characteristics of His generosity, of
His sacrificial love, of His compassion, of his kindness, of His joy, of His passion
for righteousness & of His love for the lost. These are all things people can see and
identify with our Father in heaven.
In Ephesians 4:15-16 Paul Says:
but speaking the truth in love, we are
to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the
whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies,
according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of
the body for the building up of itself in love. – Ephesians 4:15-16
In context, Paul is exhorting God’s
people to remind one another of who they are in Christ and to remind one
another about the new self into which they have been made. That is something that’s all too easy to
forget.
Some friends of ours adopted
a child from Russia whom no one wanted because the child’s birth mother was an
alcoholic and the child was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The common symptoms of FAS are low body
weight, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior, difficulty with attention,
poor memory, difficulty in school, learning difficulty and speech and language
delays. I read that the average life
span for these individuals is about 34 years.
Now my friends knew all of these things would make life difficult for
them and their other children. Yet they
looked to the almost certain dismal future of this child where he was and
decided that they could make it better.
So they adopted him and made him part of their loving family. God does that same thing for us. Our future was even more dismal. There is nothing that we have done that
warrants His love but He knew that His love was going to be a game changer for
our future and it was and is and it will continue to be.
Another friend of mine named Bob has
been suffering for about 5 years now from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also
known as (Lou Gehrig’s disease). If you
have never heard of ALS, it is a neurodegenerative disease that is
characterized by the death of motor neurons, which are the nerve cells that
control muscle movement. His ALS started
out weakness in his legs feet and ankles and hands. Gradually he lost the use
of his legs and his hands and arms. He
had difficulty swallowing and had to be put on a feeding tube. He had difficulty breathing and had to wear
an oxygen mask infrequently at first but now he has to wear it 24 hours a day 7
days a week.
The average life expectancy after a diagnosis
of ALS has been made is two to five years, but some patients may live for
decades. The famous physicist and devout
atheist Stephen Hawking for example lived for over 50 years after he was
diagnosed with ALS.
Now Bob emails me by typing on a special
electronic keyboard on his computer monitor. He does this by moving the curser
on the monitor with his eye and blinking to type one letter at a time. He has typed me some very long e-mails this
way. One with almost seven hundred fifty
words in it. Can you imagine the
incredible patience it took for him to do that?
His wife told me that Bob is awake all night and sleeps most of the day
so I haven’t been able to visit him recently.
However, I got an e-mail letter from Bob last Sunday morning right before
church. This e-mail contained between
four and five hundred words. In it Bob
said that he found out that his favorite TV Bible studies come on at 3:30 in
the morning and he has been able to watch these now that he is awake at that
time. Think about that. God allows Bob to stay up all night long so
that Bob can learn more from the WORD of God about his heavenly Father who
adopted him.
Paul Instructs Timothy in 2 Timothy
2:14-15
Keep reminding them of these things.
Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and
only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one
approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles
the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:14-15
Bob said in his email “I hate to tell
anybody what I think about all the time.”
He said I have to admit that most of my thoughts are about myself and
managing all my systems that have eroded away. I think of things I want to do, if I was able,
and a lot of things I started and need to finished, or ways I could fix some of
my current problems if I had my pre ALS abilities. He said my mind also drifts into the past a
lot and I wonder if I had done somethings differently, where or how would I be
today. He said after too much of that, I
have to remind myself that
“The steps of a man are established by
the Lord. He said that sometimes
I have to ask myself “do I worship fun or God?”
He said I really hate to admit (even to myself) that truthfully, I do
both. He said I’m glad Jesus loves
sinners, and I’m glad that I’m hid in Him in God (the Father). If not for that I’d end up with the
multitudes of the lost souls at the great White Throne judgment. He ended his e-mail to me by saying: “Times
are looking like we are getting close to being caught up in the air.
God Bless you,
brother Bob”.
What am I becoming? I am becoming a person like Bob who is doing
his best to present himself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need
to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. I have a lot of painful trials that I have
been through and that I am still going through at this present time and so do
you. Yet we need to remind ourselves
like Bob that our steps and our circumstance are established by the Lord and
that He delights in our ways. We need to remind ourselves to “Do
your best even in our own personal trials to present ourselves to God as one
approved, as workman who does not need to be ashamed and as one who correctly
handles the word of truth.
So what am I becoming?
1.
I am becoming pure
like my heavenly Father.
2. I am becoming
more optimistic about my future like my heavenly Father and like Him, I am
becoming a person who smiles at the future. And the third thing is: 3. I am becoming a person who is doing
my best at navigating through my own personal trials to present myself approved
to God.
It’s simple enough, right? Those who abide or stay connected to Jesus
can do all things.
In our heads, we know these things, but do we
believe them in our hearts? I am
reminded of the father whose son was demon-possessed. You can read that account in Mark 9. He came and brought his son to Jesus’
disciples to heal him. Keep in mind that
Jesus had sent out the twelve disciples in Mark 6. He sent them out two by two and gave them
authority over evil spirits. They went
out and preached. They drove out many
demons and anointed many sick people and healed them. Enough had been done that it would not have
been a surprise that this father would have brought his son to Jesus’ disciples
for help.
But, without Jesus’ the disciples were not able
to drive out the evil spirit from this man’s son. Jesus returns at this moment, when the son is
not healed but rather is seized by convulsions.
When the father implores Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us
and help us.” Jesus replies, “Everything
is possible for the one who believes.”
The father replies, “I do belive; help my unbelief.” Or, help me overcome my unbelief.
And, I think, that is our focus for today. To be reminded of what God’s Word says about
what he has done in us and for us. To
move some of what God has said from head to heart.
Let’s take a moment and pray as we look into
God’s Word together.
Father God, we pray for Your insights now. Speak to us and help our unbelief. We desire to live the abundant life that You
have made possible in Jesus. Teach us
now, we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Today we look at the question,
“Who am I?” It is such a short question, but it reaches to the deepest parts of
us. I want to start this message with an exercise – get out a piece of paper,
and answer the question for yourself: Who am I? Don’t worry about giving the
“right” answer, or trying to guess the Biblical answer, or to give the answer
you think you want me to have you put. Simply search yourself and answer the
question as honestly as you can. Maybe try to think of three to five honest
answers to this question. I’ll give you a minute to do this.
Let’s
pray that God would use today’s message make a permanent change in how we view
Him and how we approach the Bible in our quite times. Today we are finishing our series on
Beholding (a wide-angle view of the True Story of God). Carl started with Beholding the Creator and
Brian shared on Beholding fallen Man then Carl followed him with Beholding the
Stricken Earth. John followed that
message up with Beholding the tragic flow of History and Tim followed him with
Beholding Interventions of God and Carl followed that message just before
Christmas with Beholding the Promise of a Savior and the following week Tim
shared Beholding the Christ Child. We
end today with the message titled Beholding Jesus.
Now Carl
began the series with the following three slides that I think are applicable to
this message also:
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not
near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. –
Numbers 24:17
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through
the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has
spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom
also He made the universe. – Hebrews 1:1-2
For in Him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers
or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. – Colossians
1:16
I want to
say up front that I was very blessed to have been given this final topic in the
series. While reading and researching it,
I thought about a line in a song from the movie Fiddler On The Roof.
The Song is
titled “If I Were A Rich Man”. The line
in the song that I have thought about then and many times over the years goes
like this:
“If I were rich, I’d have the time that
I lack to sit in the synagogue and pray and maybe have a seat by the Eastern
wall and I’d discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every
day and that would be the sweetest thing of all.”
I feel that
I am a rich man because now I have the time to read the scriptures and ponder
what God has done not only in my life but in the lives of countless other
believers like me. I feel that I am rich
because I have the opportunity on a regular basis to remind people what Christ
has done in their lives and what He will do when He comes back. I remind them that His reward will be with
Him.
Now in
order to get a wide-angle view of Jesus I began my research into this topic by
looking at the Old Testament prophesies and comparing them to the fulfillment
verses in the New Testament. I found a
table that listed 351 Old Testament Prophesies concerning the Messiah paired
with the associated fulfillment verses in the New Testament. I decided to look them all up both Old
Testament verses and the New Testament fulfillment verses to see if they were indeed
prophetic references to Jesus. There was
only one verse in this list that I didn’t quite understand how it made the list
(that was Song of Solomon 5:16). There
were only a handful of other verses in this list that I thought were only vaguely
applicable. However, I found the rest of
the list to be spot on in that these were clearly prophetic references to
Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.
I read
elsewhere that conservatively Jesus fulfilled at least three hundred Old
Testament prophesies in His earthly ministry.
One Scholar J. Barton Payne claims to have found 574 verses that point
to or describe or reference the Messiah.
Now Alfred
Edersheim was a Jewish convert to Christianity and a Biblical Scholar. In the
appendix of his book titled The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, there is a
list of 456 Old testament passages which
are considered Messianic by the Rabbi before the time of Jesus. I have not
looked these up to compare it to the list of 351 references that I used but
most of the 351 list would be in the 456 list.
In
December of 2019 a teacher in the international Christian School of Vienna
claimed that the probability that any one person could fulfill over 300 prophesies
that were written between 500 and 1000 years before Jesus was even born is one
chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion,
trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion. If you weren’t counting that is a string of
13 trillions in a row. I don’t know if
there is a shorthand name for that number, but the probability that someone
could fulfill just eight of these is said to be one in a hundred quadrillion. Now a quadrillion is only a thousand
trillion. A hundred quadrillion is a one
followed by fifteen zeros. Now we don’t
have time for me to go through the list of 351 prophesies about Jesus listed in
the table that I used but I would gladly print you a copy of that list or email
it to you. Just let me know after the
message today. However, we do have time
to look at the eight prophesies that were referenced with the probability of 1
in a hundred thousand trillion.
The first
is a prophesy that He would be born in Bethlehem stated in Micah 5:2 it was
written 700 B.C. it was fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-6 and referenced by
unbelievers in John 7:42.
The
second is a prophesy of the virgin giving birth stated in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6-7
written 735 B.C and fulfilled in Matthew 1:20-23 and Luke 1:35.
The third
is a prophesy that the Messiah would be from the lineage of King David stated
in Jeremiah 23:5 and written in 600 B.C. and fulfilled in Luke 3:23-38.
The fourth
is a prophesy that the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver stated
in Zechariah 11:13 written in 487 B.C. and fulfilled in Matthew 26:15.
The fifth
is a prophesy that the Messiah would have his hands and feet pierced stated in
Psalm 22:16 and written in 1000 B.C. and fulfilled in Luke 23:33 and John
19:34-37 and John 19:18 and John 20:27.
The sixth
is a prophesy that people would cast lots for the Messiah’s clothing written in
Psalm 22:18 and fulfilled in John 19:23-24 and Luke 23:34.
The seventh
is a prophesy that the Messiah would appear riding on a donkey written in
Zechariah 9:9 written in 500 B.C. and fulfilled in Matthew 21:7.
The
eighth is a prophesy that a messenger would be sent to herald the Messiah is
found in Malachi 3:1and it was written in 500 B.C. and fulfilled in John 1:26.
So the
probability of these 8 being fulfilled by one person is said to be one in a
hundred thousand trillion.
While
talking to John and Tim two week ago, I mentioned that I was in awe as I
started looking up all 351 Old Testament prophesies and all of the associated
New Testament verses that referenced their fulfillment. Now 102 of these Old Testament prophesies
were written in Psalms in or around 1000 B.C and 125 were in Isaiah in and or
around 735 B.C. So it doesn’t surprise
me that before Carl became a believer when he found the prophesies in Isaiah
that just couldn’t be argued away because they were written more than 700 years
before they were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
Now there
were several verses not listed in the table of 351 prophesies that mention
something very unique that belongs to Jesus.
That something is the Lamb’s book of life and these verses refer to the
names written in this book. John refers
to it in Revelations 3:5, Revelations 13:5-8 and Revelations. 20:11-15
And
the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was
allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to
utter blasphemies against God. Also it was allowed to make war on
the saints and to conquer them. And
authority was given it over every tribe and language and nation,
and
all who dwell on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been
written before the foundation of the
world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. – Revelation 13:5-8
He who
overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name
from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his
angels. – Revelation 3:5
Judgment
at the Throne of God Then
I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled
from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great
and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of
life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded
in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades
gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to
what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The
lake of fire is the second death. If
anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire. – Revelations 20:11-15
Now you
can’t get a more wide-angle view of the Bible and the True Story of God than you
can from looking from before the
foundation of the world to the Great White Thrown of Judgement at the
end of the age unless you count looking at the new heavens and the new earth
(but that is view for another day).
Now only
a couple of translations of the Bible had the phrase from before the foundation
of the world the rest that I looked at had the phrase from the foundation of
the world. Both have the equivalent
meaning since none of us existed at the foundation of the world because Adam
was not even created until after the foundation of the world. Knowing that God’s foreknowledge of us and our
names existing before Adam made me contemplate and meditate on God’s
awesomeness. Take some time and think
about it. When each of you whose name
was written in this book from before the time when Adam was created, actually take
the time to ponder this, you will be in awe like I was then and I am still now.
Also as I
was pondering this a few other passages came to my mind. One was passage in
Luke 2:41-49 when Jesus was only 12 and Mary and Joseph left for home without
him.
Every year his
parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve
years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast
was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then
they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not
find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they
found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them
and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his
understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished.
His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this?
Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be
in my Father’s house?” – Luke 2:41-49
Now Mary
and Joseph were worried that Jesus was lost and possibly in danger but Jesus
was not worried. He didn’t feel lost or
abandoned or in any danger at all.
A second
passage that came to my mind while I was pondering this was found in the passage
about Jesus’s mother asking Him to fix the problem with the host of the wedding
running out of the wine at the wedding reception in Cana. It is found in John 2:1-4.
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’
mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the
wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more
wine.” “Dear
woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” –
John 2:1-4
The
thought that struck me was that Jesus knew from the foundation of the world
when He was going to begin His ministry and fulfill all of these prophesies
that were written about Him and He knew that He was going to perform all of the
prophetic miracles.
Now there
are no Old Testament prophesies about turning water into wine and Jesus was not
in a hurry to do so. It reminded me of
Isaiah
28:16 in the NIV it says,
So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay
a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
– Isaiah 28:16
This word
dismayed in my NASB bible is
translated disturbed.
But the
word disturbed has a foot note that
says this word literally means “in a
hurry”. Now Jesus trusted in His
heavenly Father and He was and is literally never in a hurry. He could have started His earthly ministry at
the age of 12 but He didn’t. He could
have waited until He was 18 and started His ministry but He didn’t. He waited
until the appropriate proper time. Luke 3:23 says He was about 30 years old.
A few other
passages that came to my mind based on the thought of Jesus not being in a
hurry are found in Zephaniah 1:14-18, 2 Peter 3:1-15 , Psalm 97:3-5 and
Revelation 22:12
“The
great day of the LORD is near—near and
coming quickly. Listen! The cry
on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That
day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and
ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of
trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner
towers. I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because
they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and
their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to
save them on the day of the LORD’S
wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be
consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth.” –
Zephaniah 1:14-18
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written
both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to
recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given
by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand
that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil
desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our
fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But
they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and
the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world
of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens
and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and
destruction of ungodly men.
But do not
forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand
years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements
will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid
bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought
you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the
day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of
the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
But in
keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new
earth, the home of righteousness.
So then,
dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be
found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s
patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the
wisdom that God gave him. – 2 Peter 3:1-15
Now last
week I read a news article that stated that Colorado was experiencing the Apocalyptic
Fire and that two and a half cities had been destroyed by fire. Now this fire was big but it was not even
close to the real Apocalyptic Fire described here in Zephaniah1:14-18 and in 2
Peter 3:12.
In Zephaniah 1:18 it says,
In the fire of His
jealousy the whole world will be consumed,
for He will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth. – Zephaniah 1:18
In 2 Peter 3:12 it says,
“That day will bring
about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the
heat.” – 2 Peter 3:12
Now there are 12 element that
melt below freezing between -458 degrees F and -37,7 degrees F. Six elements melt between 19.2 degrees F and 111.7
degrees F. All the rest melt between 146
degrees F (the melting point of Phosphorus) and 6332 degrees F the melting
point of carbon). The highest reliable recorded
measured atmospheric temperature of on earth is 130 degrees F. That temperature was reached last year July
9th 2021 at the Furnace Creek Visitors center in Death Valley California.
“Fire goes before Him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightning’s light up the world: the earth
sees and trembles. The mountains melt
like wax before the Lord” – Psalm 97:3-5
With
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and a few other elements carbon compounds make up 18
percent of all the matter in living things.
When
Carbon melts at 6332 degrees F there won’t be a single living thing that
survives and the mountains will melt like wax.
The whole world will be consumed and as the prophesy states “He will
make a sudden end to all who live in the earth.”
“Behold,
I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according
to what he has done. – Revelation 22:12
Now I
have one final thought on this entire series of Beholding a wide angle view of
the story of God. Professional photographers have different lenses for their
cameras. One of the lenses has a narrow
focus for taking pictures of say a person or a small object that is located
close to the front of the camera. Another
lens is a wide angle lens it is used for taking pictures of scenery or
landscapes. This series has let us take
a look at the scenery and landscapes of the Bible from beginning to end using a
wide angle view. As you read your Bible
each day you will want to focus on the passages that you are reading in front
of you that day while keeping in mind the wide angle view of the whole
Bible. Each time we turn the page in our
Bibles the Holy Spirit is able to reveal to us the beauty that God has there for
us to see. It reminds me of the
beautiful images that appear when I look into the eye piece of a
kaleidoscope. I don’t ever remember
picking up a kaleidoscope and seeing the same image that I have seen before. Every time I turn the lens it creates a new
and more beautiful picture of what god has created for me to see and
enjoy. The Bible is like that. God has arranged it in such a way that He is
able to reveal to you and me a new and beautiful image of Himself every time
that we look into it.
He says
in Jeremiah 29:11-14a,
For I
know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon
me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find
me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the
LORD – Jeremiah 29:1-14a
Let’s
Pray
