To Judge or not to Judge, Part 1 of 2

Are you a judge with evil thoughts? I have been considering our Lord’s words as recorded in Matthew chapter 7. The chapter opens with the famous verse, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” verse 1. Before we begin examining the passage in question, allow me to explain a part of what really began my interest in better understanding our Lord’s words.

Revelation Chapter One, Part 6 of 6

1:17-18 I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen.
The NASB has a footnote for this verse that gives the literal translation of the Greek. When it states “and was dead” the Greek literally says “and became dead.” Our Lord chose to surrender His life, and that is what He did upon the cross. Jesus told the Jews this much when He said “Destroy this temple, and in three day I will raise it up;” “He was speaking of the temple of His body,” John 2:19, 21.

Revelation Chapter One, Part 5 of 6

1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Again, recall the passage from Ezekiel that described the Lord standing in the Heavens above the Cherubim and Ezekiel: “and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about,” 1:27; see also Ezekiel 8:2. The second portion of the verse which speaks of Christ’s voice sounding like many waters hearkens again to the prophet Ezekiel, when he writes: “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory,” Ezekiel 43:2. The progression can be delineated; John describes first Daniel’s Ancient of Days, and now he sees Ezekiel’s God of glory above the Cherubim. Both are pictures of the risen and glorified Jesus Christ.

Revelation Chapter One, Part 4 of 6

1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Patmos is a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea, off of Turkey. Emperor Domitian banished John there for his testimony of faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior and God.

Revelation Chapter One, Part 3 of 6

1:7 Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
John’s language here hearkens back to the prophet Zechariah. One of the “minor prophets” Zechariah was a prophet of the post-exilic period and had numerous night visions and prophecies regarding the coming Day of the Lord. In one such prophecy, the Holy Spirit testifies: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo,” Zechariah 12:10-11.

Bible, Baptism...Beer?

TWO HARBORS, MN -- It was a Sunday during Advent, and inside a small pub a few blocks up from the north shore of Lake Superior, 17 people gathered around four bar-top tables shoved into a ring.

Betsy Nelson, the bar's cook, lit two candles with a cigarette lighter as Addison Houle strapped on an acoustic guitar and sang a slightly off-key rendition of "We Three Kings." Curt "Fish" Anderson sipped a beer as TVs overhead flickered with NFL pregame shows.

"Father, thank you for this time we can share on Sunday morning with new friends," prayed Chris Fletcher, an emergency medical technician, part-time bartender and seminary student who has led this service every Sunday morning at Dunnigan's Pub & Grub since last summer. "We're getting to know you, and getting to know each other better."

Would you attend church in a bar in which alcohol is served during the service?

Revelation Chapter One, Part 2 of 6

1:5 And from Jesus Christ…the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.
Our Lord was the firstborn from the dead (NKJV) in the sense that when He was resurrected the third day He arose in His glorified body. He has the preeminence; like the firstborn in Jewish custom allotted them a double portion. So was our Lord, the resurrected Man given great glory, John 17:22.

Is Jesus Your Savior?

Here is a rudimentary question: Is Jesus Christ your Savior?

If you have answered “no,” I would kindly ask you to read the Gospel of Salvation page in my Blog and consider whether you would believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and receive as a present possession eternal life.

If you answer “yes,” please pause for a moment and consider why you answer this way before clicking to read the rest of this post. Why? You will see momentarily; but I ask that you just stop and consider why you believe Jesus Christ is your Savior for a moment.

That being done, please read on.

Revelation Chapter One, Part 1 of 6

John, the human author of Revelation, was the final apostle alive by the time the visions of this book had been recorded. James, his brother, had been martyred early in church history (Acts 12); and the rest, including Paul, were killed for their witness of Jesus Christ and His gospel. John was on Patmos for the same reason in his old age.

The Canticles of Andurun Has Arrived!

After eight months of correspondence with Strategic Publishing, the Canticles of Andurun Book One: Dragonsong, has finally seen the light of day as of December 28th, 2010. Dragonsong is the first book in a seven book series that tells the tale of a mythical realm named Andurun; and more precisely a continent on this realm known as Kallendaros. In this story the Race of Humans have been brought into subjection by the Dragons. They are fierce and brilliant creatures that were awakened out of the earth by God to punish Humanity for their willful rejection of Him and their constant striving after other gods. For two hundred years, following the fall of their formerly glorious kingdom, Humanity has groaned beneath the burden of the Dragons’ tyranny.