The Holy City (4)

Posted on by korgrocker

“I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.”
‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT

There will be three things missing from the New Jerusalem. No temple, no sun and no moon. As we think about the implications of this, our minds start to struggle a bit. To Western Christians, the lack of the Temple, or even any churches, would not seem to be too much of a big deal. But to the Jews, the Temple was the focal point of their experience of God. So for there not to be one, in theory it could be a great disappointment for them. 

The lack of a sun and moon would be a problem for everyone. We look at the sun as a celestial body that has always been there, a fundamental object providing us with light and warmth, and the presence of the moon a reassuring constancy during the dark and sun-less hours. But we have to remember that earlier in this chapter John “ … saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.” (Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬). We don’t know if all the celestial objects that fill the universe disappeared as well. But we do know that there will be a new Heaven and a new earth. There will be a New Jerusalem there and “the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light”. 

So what does the glory of God look like? If we are thinking of a sun or moon replacement, then we have fallen far short of what the glory of God is. It’s not a natural light and heat source that will be illuminating the Holy City. Our perception of the sun is bounded by our human senses – our eyes for the light and our nerves within our skin to detect heat. If we look in the Bible we can get a glimpse of what the glory of God is. It’s His beauty, and His character, for starters. It says in Isaiah 43:7, that we are His glory – “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them”.  Hebrews 1:3a tells us about the glory of God’s Son, Jesus. We read, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, … ”. And in a sense, His glory is within us. We read in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” There was an intriguing dialogue between Jesus and His Father, that John recorded in his Gospel. Jesus said, “Father, bring glory to Your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to My name, and I will do so again.”” (John 12:28). But all of this hardly scratches the surface of what God’s glory is. We may be able to have a go at listing all the attributes and adjectives that describe God’s glory, but what will be lacking from our words is that complete experience of what it means to see at first hand the glory of God.

When we pilgrims consider the glory of God I’m sure we agree that it is something far beyond anything we can get our minds around. The Apostle Paul perceptively summed up our limited God-experience, as we read in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely“. 

But we pray that we will get to know God better. One day we will find out what His glory is really like and I suspect we will be saying “Wow!” for all eternity.

Father God. What can we say or do other than fall on our knees in worship to You. words cannot describe Your wonder, Your glory. Amen.

The Holy City (3)

Posted on by korgrocker

“The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.”
Revelation‬ ‭21:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At first sight, there would seem to be a connection between the “twelve precious stones” that were the “foundations stones” of the Holy City, and the twelve gemstones mounted on Aaron’s breastplate, as described in Exodus 28. In both cases each stone represents the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. But the naming of the stones are slightly different. The translators of Exodus 28:17 made a note that the identification of some of the breastplate’s gemstones is uncertain. However, the similarities between the two occurrences of these gemstones was probably very much in John’s mind when he saw the foundations of the Holy City.

The High Priest’s breastplate was there for a purpose. We read in Exodus 28:15, “Then, with great skill and care, make a chest piece to be worn for seeking a decision from God. Make it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.” Further down this chapter in verse 29 we read, “In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chest piece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord”. We too can make a connection between our High Priest, Jesus, interceding for us before the throne of God, and forming the foundation to our future home.

There are some significant conclusions we can draw from the use of gemstones, pearls and gold. Firstly, with the gemstones, God was reaffirming His plan to be delivered through Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations. We read in Genesis 17:6, “I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!”. The references to the twelve tribes represented by the gemstones flow through both the Old and New Testaments like a thread, which only ends with the last references in Revelation. God always fulfils His promises.

Secondly, the gates to the Holy City were made from pearls. In our natural world, pearls are made in certain types of shellfish, particularly oysters, and are caused by a grain of sand causing an irritation that the shellfish covers, and keeps covering, with layers of crystalline calcium carbonate. Perfectly formed pearls have acquired great value and the word “pearl” has been used as a figure of speech describing someone as being admirable or beautiful. In the past it has even been used as a Christian name. But there is a spiritual significance as well. In our sins we were a great irritant to God. But He provided a way that covered the irritation through the blood of Jesus, covering us until we became a thing of beauty, a pearl redeemed by Jesus’ blood. So the way into the Holy City will be through gates made of pearls, signifying the beauty of God’s grace and love, and the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, the “main street was pure gold, as clear as glass”. To understand this, we must dig into the word “pure”. A quote from David Pawson, in his book “The Character of God”. “The scriptural use of the word “holy” means far more than supernatural power. It means supernatural purity. It is the very character of God, and when you say “God is holy” you mean God is cleaner than you can imagine. God is utterly pure, and this is something that we have never known, so it is so difficult for us to imagine it“. The clarity of the pure gold used to pave the streets in the Holy City signifies the holy ground upon which the redeemed will walk. We will walk there in communion with the holiness and purity of God Himself.

We pilgrims can only read about the Holy City and marvel. We lack the imagination or the knowledge to really understand what will be there. John’s vision gives us a few hints, tantalising and teasing us with something that will be so wonderful as to be beyond human comprehension. All we can do is patiently wait for that wonderful day when we will be shown to the room Jesus is preparing for us in the Holy City.

Father God. We thank You for this glimpse of our ultimate eternal home. But we have Your work to complete in our world just now. Please help us to remain focused, always in Your presence. We worship You today. Amen.

The Holy City (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:15-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The New Jerusalem was some place! It was a cube, each side being 1,400 miles long, though possibly open at the top (we know it had a base because we read about the foundations in the last verse). In the conversation between John and the angel, it became apparent that the angel had a “gold measuring stick” in his hand. John saw that it was made of gold, signifying something true and calibrated to be exactly correct. In the natural it would have taken a very long time to measure the three dimensions with a portable ruler. But in John’s vision it would have taken no time at all. The angel also measured the thickness of the walls, and found them to be 216 feet. John wrote an aside here, pointing out that the measurements were “to the human standard”. In other words, the New Jerusalem will be bigger and more substantial than anything we could ever imagine. We will probably never be able to explore its limits when we get there. Rather sadly, I calculated that the volume of the walls alone would be over 250 cubic kilometres. A mind boggling feat of engineering. But nothing to our amazing Creator God! But it gets even more wonderful. The wall is made of jasper. No concrete structure this. Jasper is a semi-precious stone, much valued by the ancient Israelites, especially if green. It featured as the last stone in the High Priest’s breastplate, as described in Exodus 28:20, “The fourth row will contain a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones will be set in gold filigree.” The type of jasper favoured by the Israelites was very translucent, so the Holy City would have glowed with its inner light, lit up by the glory of God. But also twinkling away as light penetrated and reflected off its surfaces. Perhaps the jasper John saw was so pure that it behaved almost like diamonds.

Inside the city, John could see that it was made of gold. Pure gold. But it was a special variation of the precious metal, because it was “as clear as glass”. The mineralogy behind the Holy City was of a kind unknown on Planet Earth. Perhaps this was how the earthly jasper and gold should have been before the impact of sin and wickedness warped and twisted God’s original creation.

We pilgrims will notice that the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, is something special because God is living within it. And it will be amazing to be able to join Him there. But God lives within each one of us through faith right now. Jesus said to His disciples, as recorded in John 14:23, “… All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” The God-experience within us is only bounded by our faith and humanity. He is always wanting to do more through us, if only we had the faith to let Him. That same power that could create the Holy City out of jasper and gold is available to each one of us today. I am always impressed and challenged by Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Tapping into God’s “mighty power”starts with a living, breathing relationship with Him, taking small steps of faith. And before long we will find out that we are accomplishing much for Him. Notice the word that Paul includes in this verse. “Infinitely”. That’s quite a lot! There is no limit to what God can do.

Dear Father God. We confess our lack of faith and our timidity, when it comes to doing great things for You. Please help us, we pray. Amen.

The Holy City (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Revelation‬ ‭21:10-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The old Apostle John must have sensed that he was nearing the end of his Revelation, because the final act seems to be rolling out before him. Jerusalem was a city much revered by the Jews. It was, and still is, a focal point, a place that the Jews attached a religious and national significance to. Over history, it housed magnificent temples, built as a home and place of worship for God. Jesus Himself connected Jerusalem with His mission and, ultimately, His death. He wept over its stubbornness (Luke 19:41) and its impending demise to come at the hands of the Romans just a few years later. Jeremiah prophesied about Jerusalem. We read in Jeremiah 3:17, “In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honour the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires”. The modern Jerusalem is a troubled place, tense with religious and racial differences, and the place most revered, the Temple Mount, houses a Muslim mosque. The reverence of Jerusalem didn’t die away with Jesus, and a thread continues through the New Testament, ending with a crescendo of praise as the New Jerusalem appears.

Of course, by this time in John’s vision the earth had disappeared, so the old Jerusalem would have disappeared with it. But the Jews always believed that Jerusalem would be God’s eternal home. Little did they realise that the New Jerusalem would be created by God Himself. No more man-made structures.

The New Jerusalem was designed and built by God in Heaven. And John’s description ran out of adjectives comprehensive enough to fully describe it, as he watched it slowly coming down from Heaven to the new earth. His first impression was that it shone with the glory of God, sparkling in the same way as light does when seen reflecting from, or refracting through, a precious stone. John’s first impression was that the walls were “broad and high”and he could see twelve gates, each of which had a name above it. He saw that “the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates”. This is significant, because God’s chosen people, the Jews, were not forgotten. But we shouldn’t be surprised by that. Scriptures such as Psalm 23:6 made it clear that God would be with His people forever. “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  The Jews, along with the children of the New Covenant, would be found in the Holy City. All redeemed peoples, regardless of their race or nationality, will be living in the New Jerusalem.

John also saw features of note, underpinning the walls. They were, “twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb”. So we have the importance of the foundational Apostolic teaching, from the men who had been disciples with Jesus, recognised forever. John saw the merging of the Old and New covenants in a glorious expression of God’s created new city.

Are we pilgrims looking forward to living in the New Jerusalem? How can we not be? A place shining with God’s glory. A place founded on the principles we have been trying to live by during our Christian lives. We have already read that there will not be any more sin there. Or death or sickness. Our future lives with God are going to be nothing like we can ever imagine. And in the new Jerusalem we will find all the heroes of the faith. Imagine being able to ask Peter what it was like to walk on the Sea of Galilee? Or find out what Paul was really like. There are many biblical and other characters I’m sure we would love to meet. And we’ll have eternity to find out all about them. But will we find everyone we expect in Heaven” Martin Luther summed it all up in this quote, attributed to him, “First, there will be people in heaven I did not expect to be there. Second, there will be people not present in heaven that I was certain would be there. Third is the greatest surprise of all – that I will be there myself!” 

Dear Lord. We thank You that through Your sacrifice at Calvary we are assured of a place in Heaven. We thank You that You are reserving a room for each one of us in the New Jerusalem. We praise You today. Amen.

The Bride

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”“
Revelation‬ ‭21:9‬ ‭NLT

If someone invited us to go and see a bride what would we expect to see? A beautiful young woman dressed in an expensive white dress? Hair beautiful coiffured? Makeup expertly applied? Nails perfect? An excited smile on her face? Yes, all of these things would apply. But if we were asked to describe the “wife of the Lamb”, what would we expect to see?

The Scriptures describe the Bride being readied for Christ. Ephesians 5:25-27 reads, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” So we see that the Bride of Christ is the Church, made up of Christians, those who have become His followers through His saving sacrifice at Calvary.

But when we look at the Church of today, do we see a perfect representation of a Bride, in all her glory, in all her beauty? “Without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish”. Sadly, there would appear to be much in the Church of today that falls far short of the “glorious church” that Paul wrote about. But there are two things worthy of thought. 

In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable about sheep and goats. The sheep represent those who were saved and redeemed through their relationship with Jesus, and they demonstrated their salvation through the way they treated those around them. On the other hand, the goats represent those who did not have a relationship with Jesus, but even though they may, or may not, have performed charitable and helpful acts to others, that was of no consequence to their status before the “Great White Throne” of judgement. So the sheep and goats template, when overlaid on today’s Church, might have some surprising results.

The other thing that church leaders fret about is church unity. Ecumenism is important when it is represented by different churches with the same fundamental beliefs in God and the infallibility of Scripture. Sadly, there are some denominations that claim a right to be part of the ecumenical movement, but who deny some of the “red-lines” laid down in Scripture. Thankfully, the washing “by the cleansing of God’s word” will make the Bride of Christ “holy and clean”.

In the end, what denomination we belong to is less important than the relationship we individually and corporately have with God. Jesus said in John 10:16, “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd”. Perhaps He was leaving the door open for His ultimate Bride, the Church, to have many representations, enriching her personality. It won’t matter whether we are Anglicans, Baptists, Charismatics or any other denomination – the ground at the foot of the Cross is level with all repentant sinners eligible for salvation. Eligible to be part of the “wife of the Lamb”.

Dear Lord. We thank You for Calvary and Your sacrifice for our sins. Your praises are always on our lips. Amen.

The Second Death (3)

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”
Revelation‬ ‭21:8‬ ‭NIVUK

“But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation‬ ‭21:8‬ ‭AMP‬‬

What are “intoxicating drugs”, as described in the Amplified version of this Revelation 21:8? It used to be the fact that alcohol-based beverages were the only way intoxication could be achieved. The first mention we can find of wine in the Bible was when Noah got drunk. We read in Genesis 9:21, “One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent.” But I would think that fermented drinks must have been around before then. Throughout the Bible there seems to be an acceptance of alcohol but accompanied by warnings to avoid excess. Proverbs 20:1, “Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise.” Paul wrote to the Ephesians, as recorded in 5:18, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit”. But in it all, and especially in societies where clean water was scarce, a beverage with an alcohol content was considered to be acceptable. 

Sadly, in modern times, a whole wealth of products that cause intoxication have become available. Just the other day I discovered an empty canister of nitrous oxide, a gas used for anaesthesia, amongst other things, on a park bench near where I live. An example of a medical substance being abused for recreational intoxication. And then there is the illicit manufacturer and trade in natural and synthesised products, all of which are collectively called “drugs” and which cause varying effects including intoxication and addiction. In my home country of Scotland, fondness for alcohol is endemic in some sectors of society, to the extent that social and health problems abound, with a shortened life expectancy being common. And Scotland has gained the dubious distinction of being referred to as the drug capital of Europe.

In the Amplified version of Revelation 21:8, sorcerers assisted by “intoxicating drugs” are singled out for God’s judgement. It is a fact that substances that affect our minds will lead to all sorts of unacceptable results, and the openness to things of the occult is just one of them. The use of drugs of any kind will lead to a breakdown in inhibitions and will open a door for the devil to enter with his nefarious arts and acts. The ingestion of drugs will lead to mental aberrations and illness, hallucinations being one of them. People start taking drugs to try and relieve their symptoms of stress, misery, and to try and forget their problems. But the root causes of their distress are still there when the effects wear off. And a cycle of taking drugs develops, leading to addiction and worse. Thankfully, God is bigger than any drug and people have been miraculously healed from a lifetime of drug addiction. If they want to be.

In our verse today, God warned John about ”all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth]”. Ouch! Who has never told a lie? Why is it that human beings try and get out of a difficult spot by lying about it? We know what is right and yet we do what is wrong. There are plenty of Biblical warnings about the dangers of telling lies. Proverbs 12:22 is just one example, “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.” Colossians 3:9, “Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.” 

But there is another insidious development of lying that seems to have emerged in recent times. And that is disinformation. Social media has presented an opportunity for people to express their opinions on anything they choose, and much of it can be twisted to present a conclusion which is a lie. It goes something like this. A few words can be taken out of context from a scientific report on, for example, a vaccine, and developed into a theory that is different to what the author of the original report intended. And then this theory is presented on the internet as fact, and this soon attracts a huge following of readers who believe it. So we end up with the anti-vaccine movement, peddling conspiracy theories about dark government actions against society. All because of misinformation. All based on lies. 

Another problem comes from our news bulletins and newspapers. To try and get a balanced view of, for example, world events, involves a knowledge of who wrote the article, and what their political persuasion is. We pilgrims need to be discerning when it comes to reading the news, sifting facts from opinions. More potential misinformation. More potential lies. 

God was quite clear about the need to always tell the truth. We won’t get it right all the time, but, thankfully, we have a loving Heavenly Father who cares for us and to whom we can take our sins and ask for forgiveness. Revelation 21:8 is a verse that does not fit well in modern society. The steady drip drip of the devil’s influences warp and twist society drawing it away from God and His ways. There is only one way to stand firm in God’s truth, and that is to read, follow and implement His Word in our lives. There is no other way. When Jesus’ teaching become too counter-cultural for the people of His day, many left Him. But with Peter, we echo John 6:68-69, “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

Dear Lord. You indeed are the only One who has the Words of eternal life. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

The Second Death (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”‭‭
Revelation‬ ‭21:8‬ ‭NIVUK

“But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Revelation‬ ‭21:8‬ ‭AMP‬‬

In the last blog we unpacked what God was saying about the cowardly and the unbelieving. And we now move onto to consider the “vile” and “the sexually immoral“. Other translations use words such as “corrupt”, “abominable” or “dirty-minded“. The Amplified version of Revelation 21:8 expands the meaning to include all those, “who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality”. 

Sexual immorality is often seen as a grey area, depending on, or influenced by, societal attitudes, liberal theologians, or just downright ignorance. Many have a “if it feels good just do it” attitude. Thankfully we have the God-view as recorded in the Bible. A good place to start is perhaps 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.” Earlier in 1 Corinthians 6, we read this, “Don’t you realise that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality”. Some try and rationalise their behaviour by saying that society has changed since the First Century, and the restrictions and attitudes that were the norm then don’t apply today. The old philosopher, Solomon, writing in Ecclesiastes, noted, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.” (‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1:9-10). The Biblical teaching about sex, morality and ethics is just as valid today as it was two thousand years ago. 

Sadly today we have some of our churches and denominations embracing sexual attitudes and customs that are directly in contravention with Biblical teaching. “We have to move with the times”, they say, and in the process they consign themselves to obscurity and, ultimately, the fires of hell. And our political leaders are even introducing legislation that directly opposes the morals and practices that are deeply embedded in our Christian faith. God’s words to John in Revelation 21:8 make it very clear that those who choose to select the Scriptures they like and reject those that they don’t, thus trying to justify their sinful behaviour, will be heading for the second death. 

God also mentioned to John about the fate awaiting “murderers“. I can hear many breathing a sigh of relief because they have never murdered anyone. But before they adopt the moral high ground, Jesus too said a few words about murder. We read them in Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” It’s not just the act but also the attitude, the thought, that constitutes murder. 

We pilgrims must always honestly and soberly assess what we are thinking and doing. It is so easy to get sucked into societal thinking and end up diluting the purity of our faith. Whether it is sexual temptations or murderous thoughts, we must be remember the warning Peter included in his first epistle, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:8). We all have our weaknesses. We must bring all our thoughts and deeds under God’s spotlight and allow the Holy Spirit to help us “stand firm…” in our faith. 

Dear Father God. Again we thank You for reminding us of the things we must avoid. We thank You for Your grace and patience. Please help us to “Stay alert” as Peter advised. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Second Death (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.“
Revelation‬ ‭21:8‬ ‭NIVUK

From His throne, Father God concludes His instructions to the Apostle John. He lists eight categories of people who will end up in the fiery lake. At this stage in the End Times narrative, there will be none of these people left, because the time of the Great White Throne judgement has passed. So why was God reminding John about these things? John, of course, knew what was acceptable behaviour and what wasn’t because he spent over three years in Jesus’ company. He was there when Jesus taught about murder and adultery. He had been brought up in the Jewish culture and knew right from wrong. There are two possible answers to our question.

God asked John to write down this warning, so that back in his time-bound world, there would be no doubt about the fate of those violating God’s laws. Only the eight traits listed were mentioned but, as we will see, there were deeper implications behind them. God was also giving John the assurance that in Heaven there will be no sin. In Heaven, no one practising sorcery, for example, would be there. They would instead be finding out what life in the fiery lake was all about.

So who are those people God listed? We will all have our own thoughts when we read this verse, but here are a few of mine.

The cowardly are those who failed to stand firm in their faith when persecuted. This is really hard, because when faced with extreme levels of persecution, it is easier to deny Christ than continue to declare allegiance to Him. “How would I react in these circumstances?” is a difficult question to answer until we understand that God will give us the grace and strength when we need it. Jesus clearly warned His disciples of the difficulties ahead of them, as we can read in Matthew 10, but these two verses provide comfort, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:19-20). And we look at the privations experienced by the early Apostles, in particular Paul. As I read some of the testimonies provided by Open Doors and other organisations that work with persecuted Christians, I am constantly humbled by ordinary people who experience so much opposition and persecution just for declaring the Lordship of Jesus.

Coupled with the cowardly are the unbelieving. These are the people who just don’t believe in God. They may express outright opposition to God, or just be “lukewarm” as Jesus warned in His message to the church in Laodicea. We read in Revelation 3:15-16, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Controversially, they may be people claiming to be Christians but who deny the laws of God and seek to dilute, change or ignore His Word, the Bible. However, I should hasten to add that God’s grace and love is there to grasp. He will not reject a repentant sinner. 

God’s warning communicated through John will be no surprise to us pilgrims. We have spent our redeemed lives very much aware of the need for personal holiness, because we have read the verses in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”” Amongst other things, to be holy means to be set apart. We must not allow ourselves to adopt any of the worldly practices God was warning John about. That, of course, does not mean we should sell up all we have and then go and become a monk or a nun, although some have. As Jesus said in John 17:15-16, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.”‭‭ We can only share the message of God’s grace and love with our friends and families, and the people around us, by being in the same place as they are. But we make sure we are not tainted by the contact. We read in Galatians 6:1, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” There are a few words at the end of James 1 that are a warning, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means ….. refusing to let the world corrupt you.” ‭‭

But I’m sure all the pilgrims reading this today don’t need reminding. We have a wonderful and loving Heavenly Father, and our relationships with Him are precious and above all the things of the world around us.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your love and compassion that You have lavished so freely on Your people. We pray for strength to stay the course and to keep ourselves separate from the world around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Water of Life

Posted on by korgrocker

“And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”
Revelation‬ ‭21:6-7‬ ‭NLT

We continue with our unpacking of God’s words given to the Apostle John in Revelation 21:6-7.

God refers to “the springs of the water of life”. But what is this “water of life”? One thing for sure, and we need to knock the blasphemy on the head straight at the beginning, it is not connected with the Gaelic word for the Scottish distilled alcoholic beverage, whisky,  “usquebaugh“, which translates to “water of life” in English. I think we can all agree that there is no life is such a drink. Neither is the “water of life” anything to do with the mythical quests for the “Fountain of Youth”, water with supposedly magical properties that will allegedly enable people to live for ever. 

In the conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4, Jesus explained that He was the dispenser of spiritual water. Referring to natural water drawn from the well, “Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”” (John 4:13-14). We obtain some more clarity in John 7:27-30. “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)” So Jesus was very clear that all those who came to Him, who accepted His offer of salvation, would benefit from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

God said to John that the Holy Spirit will be freely available to all who want it, who are thirsty for the refreshing that comes from a relationship with Him. Note that He had just made a statement about His eternal status. And with that comes the eternal availability of the Holy Spirit. He is not Someone just available once we are in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is available now for everyone who wants to drink of the real “water of life”. 

God finishes with the reassurance, incredible though it seems, that all those who have made it to Heaven, all those who have overcome their doubts, their fears, the ploys of the enemy, even martyrdom, and any other obstacle put in their way, and have remained steadfast in their faith, will inherit a whole raft of blessings. The implication is that these blessings are available eternally, and we can enjoy them both now and forever. And He finished with a touching and loving statement straight from the Fathers heart. “I will be their God, and they will be my children“. On our knees in worship, we can only respond with a big “Thank You.”

Father God. We thank You for Your gift of the Holy Spirit and we ask You to fill us again today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It Is Finished

Posted on by korgrocker

“And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:6-7‬ ‭NLT

These two verses encompass several encouraging messages from God Himself. 

First of all, God said, “It is finished!”, but what was He referring to? We will remember the final words of Jesus from the Cross, as recorded in John 19:30, “When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” At that time, Jesus was declaring that His redemptive work on the Cross had been completed. Through His sacrificial death at Calvary, we can now bring our sins to the foot of the cross, leaving them there in repentance, with the assurance that we are cleansed from our sins and can adopt His righteousness. The divine exchange. But this time, in our Revelation verse, it is God Himself who said “It is finished!”. Perhaps we can refer back to Ephesians 1:9-10, “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfil his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” In Revelation 21:6, God was declaring that His plan to establish His Kingdom, under the rule of Christ, was complete. The “right time” had finally arrived. All the prerequisites complete. All the divine boxes ticked. The “plan”, the “it”, is finished.

Secondly, God reminded John that He was “the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End”. He was saying that He was eternal. He was there at the beginning and will still be there at the end. But because He is the eternal God, He has no beginning and end. This is a difficult concept for us to get our time-bound minds around. God has always been with us, and always will be. We enter the realms of eternity and infinity when we try and think through the implications of the One who is “the Beginning and the End”. 

We pilgrims have much to look forward to. Not only will we join God in Heaven, we will find ourselves also becoming a part of God’s eternal plan. John in his vision was shown a glimpse of these far-in-the-future events, and doubtless he struggled to articulate what was happening. But with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and the occasional angel who popped into his vision, he was able to say all that God wanted him to say.

Of course, we as pilgrims mustn’t focus too deeply about what is going to happen, to the exclusion of all else, because we need to be concerned about what is happening in the here and now. Our faith must take us to people and situations where the love and grace of God can make a difference. Situations where the Gospel can be shared, and our family, friends and neighbours shown the way to eternal life. But we must also occasionally glance upwards to check in with our future Heavenly home and our Heavenly Dad. It is there we will find the Source of our faith. The eternal God, the Beginning and the End.

Dear Father God. There are no words available to totally describe who You are. But in our limited humanity, we worship You today, our Eternal God and Father. Amen.