Seven angels with seven trumpets

Revelation Chapter 8 illustrated. Let us not fear the impending destruction as we will be gone with our Lord Jesus Christ in the rapture. For those among us who may not be sure, reconcile today and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

When the Lord your God brings you into the land...

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then:

1. You must destroy them totally.

2. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.

3. Do not intermarry with them.

4. Break down their altars,

5. smash their sacred stones,

6. cut down their Asherah poles and

7. burn their idols in the fire.

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

~ Deuteronomy 7:1-11

Seven blessings for obedience

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

1. You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

2. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

3. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

4. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

5. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

6. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

7. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Deuteronomy 28:1-13

What do we need to do?

Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. Deuteronomy 28:14

What are these commands? We will discuss tomorrow...

To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority

For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. ~ Jude

A wake up call

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Revelation 3:1-3

For our devotion let us look at what Matthew Henry has written on this portion of the Scripture in his Concise Commentary:

Hypocrisy, and lamentable decay in religion, are sins charged upon Sardis, by One who knew that church well, and all her works.

Outward things appeared well to men, but there was only the form of godliness, not the power; a name to live, not a principle of life.

There was great deadness in their souls, and in their services; numbers were wholly hypocrites, others were in a disordered and lifeless state.

Our Lord called upon them to be watchful against their enemies, and to be active and earnest in their duties; and to endeavour, in dependence on the grace of the Holy Spirit, to revive and strengthen the faith and spiritual affections of those yet alive to God, though in a declining state.

Whenever we are off our watch, we lose ground. Thy works are hollow and empty; prayers are not filled up with holy desires, alms-deeds not filled up with true charity, sabbaths not filled up with suitable devotion of soul to God. There are not inward affections suitable to outward acts and expressions; when the spirit is wanting, the form cannot long remain.

In seeking a revival in our own souls, or the souls of others, it is needful to compare what we profess with the manner in which we go on, that we may be humbled and quickened to hold fast that which remains.

Christ enforces his counsel with a dreadful threatening if it should be despised. Yet our blessed Lord does not leave this sinful people without some encouragement.

He makes honourable mention of the faithful remnant in Sardis, he makes a gracious promise to them. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment; the purity of grace shall be rewarded with the perfect purity of glory.

Christ has his book of life, a register of all who shall inherit eternal life; the book of remembrance of all who live to God, and keep up the life and power of godliness in evil times. Christ will bring forward this book of life, and show the names of the faithful, before God, and all the angels, at the great day.

Sure a wake up call for some of us; what are we going to do about it?

Can they find anyone like us, one in whom is the spirit of God?

“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”  Genesis 41:28-40

If you are interested in the full story, please click here to read Genesis 41. It goes like a story and we can understand it as is.

The question we must ask ourself is: Can they(the world) find anyone like us, one in whom is the spirit of God?

King Jehoshaphat

The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats. 2 Chronicles 17:10-11

King Jehoshaphat was the great great great great grandson of King David. He was a good king, following the footsteps of his father King Asa, his grand father King Abijah and forefather King David.

2 Chronicles chapter 17 talks of King Jehoshaphat's reign in detail. In verses 3-6 we read:

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father David had followed. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.

Not only that;  King Jehoshaphat also made sure the people are trained in the ways of the Lord by establishing learned teachers all over Judah to teach the citizens the Law of the Lord verse 9). God granted him peace by making sure no one made war against Judah during King Jehoshaphat's reign.

What is the lesson for us from this? Well, I am reminded of the Scripture, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) This is exactly what King Jehoshaphat did, and the Lord blessed him with much wealth, peace and power beyond measure!

The seven thunders spoke...

When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." Revelation 10:4

John - the loving desciple of  Jesus Christ, with whom He entrusted His mother while on the cross, was also entrusted with some secrets of things to come. The visions He was allowed to share has been written as the Book of Revelation. Yet it is not all!

I know, we are all curious to know/speculate what it was about. But why bother when the ones that were revealed are too much for us to comprehend?

Of the few commentaries I had looked up, liked Matthew Henry's concise commentary, extract from which is shared below:

We know not the subjects of the seven thunders, nor the reasons for suppressing them. There are great events in history, perhaps relating to the Christian church, which are not noticed in open prophecy.

The final salvation of the righteous, and the final success of true religion on earth, are engaged for by the unfailing word of the Lord. Though the time may not be yet, it cannot be far distant.

Very soon, as to us, time will be no more; but if we are believers, a happy eternity will follow: we shall from heaven behold and rejoice in the triumphs of Christ, and his cause on earth.

The Seven Thunders is our King of kings and Lord of lords Jesus Christ. Let's get ready to meet Him soon.

Lamech

Yesterday we had a open discussion on Lamech's bold statement trying to justify the murders he had committed. Thanks to everyone who had shared your thoughts on it. Here's to share my thoughts...

Lamech appears to be an ungodly man having no fear of God. We read no mention of him having a one-on-one communication with the Lord like some of his forefathers did. On top of that he was making light of God's forgiveness of Cain, claiming that if Cain was protected by God for unto seven generations for killing his own brother who had done him no wrong, why then wouldn't himself (Lamech) be protected much longer for killing someone in self defense?!

There is no remorse in his words for his actions but only pride and justification. It is interesting how God granted him his desire for a long life - 777 years in total.

I am sure that each day of the rest of his life was a constant reminder of his sin and a punishment on it's own. In his later years though it looks like he did something right - raising up a godly son Noah whom we all know was considered a friend of God. I would like to believe Lamech played a good role model in young Noah's life.

It appears in Genesis 5:28-31 that he had sought after the Lord even before Noah was born.


When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.Genesis 5:28-31

The take away for us is that we cannot justify our sin comparing it with "lesser" sins. Repentance is the only way for forgiveness of God. Then only we will be blessed.

Even for us let us not call Lamech as a bad example but learn from his mistakes. God bless you all!

What are your thoughts?

If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times. Genesis 4:24

For a change let us hear from you all...

What is your thought on this verse? Care to share?

Seven that are detestable to the Lord...

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

* haughty eyes,
* a lying tongue,
* hands that shed innocent blood,
* a heart that devises wicked schemes,
* feet that are quick to rush into evil,
* a false witness who pours out lies, and
* a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19

I am sure we are familiar with this list of things that are detestabe (odious - abhorrent - loathsome - abominable - hateful) to the Lord.

If we think deeper most of us are guilty of atleast one of these!

It is a shocking realization for us "grown" Christians that we could even be part of the "rest of them" out there.

We have never arrived until our last breath or until the Lord returns whichever occurs first. Till then it takes a constant effort to walk in faith, staying clear of things that are detestable to the Lord.

With God's help we can. God bess you!

Greetings to you all from Quebec this morning.

Do you still not understand?

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Just yesterday we had discussed the actual incident that is recalled here in today's Scripture portion.

The fact that these are mentioned in the same chapter, explains how soon the desciples had forgotten the miracles and started to worry about "how to feed the crowd".

Aren't we like them too? We forget how God delivered us through certain incidents in the past and keep worrying about the future far and near. Why is it hard for us to trust that the Lord will see us through all the way? Why do we still depend on our abilities and merrits and resources?

Why are we talking about having no bread? Do we still not see or understand? Are our hearts hardened? Do we have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t we remember?

Why o why?

I know too many questions to handle in one day... but let's take some time to analyze our mind. Let us learn to look up to our Source(Jesus) which never dries out; instead of forever worrying about our low resources...

God bless you!

To all my fellow citizens in the United States, wishing you all a very happy July 4th!

Seven basketfuls of left over...

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present. Mark 8:1-9

If you missed coffee with Jesus in the last couple of days here's a recap for you: July being the seventh month, we are doing a new series called "Seven Series" in which we are discussing Scriptures with a mention of  "seven" in the text.

Today's portion mentions of a miracle Jesus performed openly for a multitude of people. Few things are apparent here.:

* Jesus's concern for the people
* Jesus's hospitality
* Remote chance for finding food for the lot
* Jesus giving thanks for the little that was available.
* Distributing the food
* People were satisfied
* There were left overs!

Inspite of having known these Scriptures since childhood most of us still look at our limited resources and become close fisted, forgetting to bless others. We would send them away to fetch for themselves while we could have shared with them from what we have.

For the little we have, we are never grateful, always complaining, never contend and do not give thanks to the Lord. For the subset of it that we ever express some gratitude for, we hardly distribute it with the needy.

It is not in our interest to see people satisfied; our priority is in getting our fill. Because of these we do not see any left overs at the end of the month/pay period/cycle/season/...

If we wish to see a overflowing blessing in our finances, let us start with the little we have, give thanks and share with those in need... 

So, what's stopping you? Let's get started!

Not seven times, but seventy-seven times

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talentsg was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.h He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Matthew 18:21-35

These are the words of Him...

Happy "Son"day everyone! And Happy July too!

From the Seven Days of Genesis to the Seven Seals of Revelation, Scripture is saturated with the Number Seven. It is mentioned more times than any other numbers; I hear...

7 Churches, 7 trumpets, 7 lampstands, marching 7 times around Jericho, for 7 days; 7 times on the 7th day bringing the walls tumbling down, are just a few examples...

July being the seventh month of the year I thought it would be fun to start a new series called... - Seven Series - what else?! The idea is to discuss Scriptures with a mention of "seven" in it. Let us pray the Holy Spirit to intervene in our midst to provide us the daily dose of His grace...

Today's portion is from Revelation chapter 2, verses 1-7 (no pun intended!)

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Ouch! It hurts to hear such strong words... We have heard it straight from the Lord! The complain against us is that we have fallen from our first love. The solution that is offered to us is to repent and do the things we did at first. He concludes "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Do we have ears?! If so, let us hear!