The Golden Key That Lets Us Into Paradise!

 The Golden Key That Lets Us Into Paradise!

See what great love Christ bore to His people!

"He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed!" (Isaiah 53:5).

Christ's Cross is the golden key that lets us into paradise!

His red blood washed away our crimson sins!

Oh precious blood!

it redeems us,

it cleanses us,

it justifies us, 

it sanctifies us,

it restores us to God, 

it bringss us to heaven!

Oh how lovely, how lovely was Christ in His sufferings!

Our blessed Saviour died that we might live!

He endured the greatest pains that we might enjoy the greatest pleasures!

Rather than His people be damned to eternal hell, He came from heaven to suffer all this for them!

Such a Pearl should sparkle in our eyes!

We do not sail to glory in the salt seas of our tears but in the red sea of Christ's blood!

~William Dyer~

What Does The Bible Say About the New Heavens and the New Earth?

What Does the Bible Say About the New Heavens and the New Earth?

What are the new heavens and the new earth the Bible mentions? The section of Scripture that addresses this topic includes the final two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21-22. We are provided a detailed look at the vision given to the apostle John regarding what will take place at the end of time or what is often called the eternal state.

Revelation 21-1 begins, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." The first heaven (the skies) and the first earth will be destroyed and the sea will disappear. Believers will live in an entirely new existence that includes a new heavenly city called the new Jesuralem (Revelation 21:2).

The existence of believers in this place is described in Revelation 21:3-4; "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,for the former things have passed away." This eternal dwelling will include God with His people in a perfect, eternal environment.

The dimensions or size of the new Jerusalem are given in Revelation 21:15-21. In modern terms, this city will be 1,400 miles (12,000 stadia), a size of two million square feet! It will also be 1,400 miles high, indicating the city will be a cube shape (or possibly a pyramid shape) more than 600,000 stories high. It will include 12 gates with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 foundations that include the names of the apostles. The city will consist of a wide array of jewels and colors and will be made of gold. Keep in mind that this description is John's attempts to explain the city's splendor; it cannot include all of the details of its greatness.

Revelation 21:22-23 shares, "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." This new city will include no temple, no sun, and no moon. The Lamb (Jesus will be its light. Its existence will be perfectly safe and without sin!

Revelation 22:5 concludes the description of the new heavens and the new earth by saying, "They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever." Ultimately, the greatest joy will be to dwell together with all believers in the Lord's presence forever. The earth that began with humans in a garden will end with God's people in a city where we will enjoy perfect fellowship with Him.

~Compelling Truth~

What Will We Be Doing In Heaven?

What Will We Be Doing in Heaven?

In Luke 23:43, Jesus declared, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise." The word Jesus used for "paradise" is paradelisos which means "a park, that is, specifically an Eden (place of future happiness, paradise). Paradeiosos is the Greek word taken from the Hebrew word pardes which means "a park: - forest, orchard". Jesus said, "Today you shall be with Me" "enparadeisos," not "en nephele" which is Greek for "in clouds." The point is that Jesus picked and used the word for "park". Not just any park but "the paradise of God" or park of God (Revelation 2:7) which for us will be a place of future happiness. Does this sound like a boring place? When you think of a park, do you think of boredom?

Jesus said, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Matthew 4:10). It's interesting to note that Jesus did not say "praise and serve." Even the briefest examination of the word "praise" in the Bible, shows it's a verbal thing and for the most part is praying. Worship however is from the heart. Worship manifests us if we praise. Serving God is worship, and Scripture is also clear we will serve God in heaven (Rev. 22:3).

We are unable to fully serve God in this life due to sin, but in heaven "every curse will no longer be" (Rev. 22:3). We will not be under the curse of sin any longer, so everything we do will be worship in heaven. We will never be motivated by anything other than our love for God. Everything we do will be out of our love for God, untainted by our sin nature.

So what will we do? My favorite thing is to learn. "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? (Romans 11:34), "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). God is the "the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity" (Isaiah 57:15). God is bigger than forever, and it will take eternity "to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of God" (Eph. 3:18-19). In other words, we will never stop learning.

God's Word says we won't have to be in His paradise alone. "I shall fully know even as I also am fully known" (1 Cor. 13:12). This would seem to indicate that we will not only know our friends and family, we will "fully know" them. In other words, there is no need for secrets in heaven. There is nothing to be ashamed of. There is nothing to hide. We will have eternity to interact with "a great multitude" which no man could number, out of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues." (Rev. 7:9). No wonder heaven will be a place of infinite learning. Just getting to know everyone will take eternity!

Any further anticipation about what we shall do in God's eternal park, heaven, will be far surpassed when "the King shall say to those on His right hand, "Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Whatever we will be doing, we can be sure it will be wonderful beyond our imaginations!

~Got Questions. org~

Flesh-Pleasing Pulpit Opiates!

 Flesh-Pleasing Pulpit Opiates!

They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children  who do not obey the Lord's instruction. They say to the sears, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things! Prophesy illusions! Get out of the way! Leave the pathway. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 30:9-11).

It is a striking fact, that He who was love incarnate; who was mercy's messenger to our lost world; who was names Jesus because He was to be the Saviour of His people; who was the manifestation of God's love to man - delivered, during the course of His personal ministry, more fearful descriptions of Divine justice and the punishment of the wicked, than are to be found in any other part of the Word of God! What can exceed the solemn scene of the parable of the rich man in torments? Hell and destruction are there set openly before us.

No man can fulfill his ministry, therefore, without frequently alluding to the justice of God in the punishment of sin. He must seek to alarm the fears of the unconverted by a representation of the consequences that will follow a state of final impenitence.

Such a subject frequently calls up all the enmity of the carnal mind. To be told, not only that they are sinners - which all will admit in general terms - but that their sins are such as to deserve the wrath of God, such as to expose them to the torments of hell, and such as will infallibly bring them to the bottomless pit - unless they truly repent; to be told again and again that they are hastening to perdition; to have the rod of Divine vengeance shaken over their heads; to have all the dreadful curses of the violated law analyzed, ascertained and announced; to have this done in their hearing, and done frequently; to be made to sit and hear their future eternal doom, and thus to be tormented before their time - is what they cannot, and will not endure! Unable to bear any longer his pointed addresses to the conscience, they will leave his ministry - for the flesh-pleasing pulpit opiates of some flatterers of men's souls, who is too cowardly to trouble the minds, or alarm the consciences of those who love smooth, flattering and delusive preaching.

To be publicly denounced as deserving Divine wrath; to be told that they are sinners to such a degree as to merit the eternal punishment of a holy God; to be reminded that, instead of their fancied good heart, pure nature, and blameless life - they are, in the sight of God, depraved in every faculty and polluted in every part; to be represented as unfit for communion with God here, and for His presence hereafter - all this is so opposed to all their notions, so mortifying to their vain prride, so degrading to their dignity, that they cannot but dislike it. To such a debasement they would not willingly descend; and hence their demand for the teaching of deceit, and the smooth speech of falsehood. What they want is to be flattered into a good opinion of themselves. They hate the doctrine which disturbs self-delight, and revile the man who attempts to tell them the solemn reality of how vile they are!

~J. A. James~

Godly Men Weep

 Godly Men Weep

"And he went out and wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75).

We cannot have too low an opinion of ourselves; or too high an opinion of Christ.

Godly men weep over the evils which are found in themselves, such as error, ignorance, prejudice, pride, self-righteousness, worldliness, levity, unloving tempers and dispositions, censoriousness, envy, sinful anger, hatred, a proneness to remember wrongs to indulge complaints, to forget mercies.

There is no plague like the plague of an evil heart!

There is no misery like the wretchedness of conscious vileness.

There are no sighs so long and so deep-down as those caused by indwelling sin. Though the righteous shall not weep always, yet they may weep bitterly.

What a wretched man I am!" (Romans 7:24).

"I abhor myself" (Job 42:6).

"Behold, I am vile!" (Job 40:4).

"Woe is me! For I am undone!" (Isaiah 6:5).

"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord! (Luke 5:8).

~William Plumer~

He Is Altogether Lovely!

 He Is Altogether Lovely!

"Yes, He is altogether lovely!" (Song of Songs 5:16).

Jesus is most desirable in Himself - and all things that are desirable are in Him.

Beauty is in Christ, bounty is in Christ, riches and honor are in Christ. Jesus Christ is the treasure hidden in the gospel, and the pearl of great price. He is the sun in the firmament of the Scriptures, whom to know is everlasting life. He is a spring full of the water of life, a hive of sweetness, a storehouse of riches, a river of pleasures, wherein you may bathe your souls to all eternity!

Oh! He is all fullness and sweetness! "He is the chief among ten thousand!" (Song of Songs 5:10).

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6). You may go to heaven without health, without wealth, without honor, without pleasure, without friends, without learning, but you can never go to Heaven without Christ!

"He loved me, and gave Himself for me!" (Galatians 2:20).

All that Christ did and suffered - it is for me!

All that Christ has, is mine!

Christ's love is mine to pity me!

Christ's graces are mine to beautify me!

Christ's power is mine to protect me!

Christ's wisdom is mine to counsel me!

Christ's Spirit is mine to comfort me!

Christ's Word is mine to teach me!

Christ's glory is mine to crown me!

Therefore, a grain of saving grace in the heart, is better than a chain of gold around the neck!

~William Dyer~

Souls Are Perishing - And Ministers Are Amusing Them!

 Souls Are Perishing - And Ministers Are Amusing Them!

"But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them - that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood! When I say to the wicked, "O wicked man, you will surely die!" and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways - that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood!" (Ezekiel 33:6-8).

We behold this same evil affecting many of the pulpits of today's churches. Mere morality is taking the place of regeneration, and the atonement by blood is a slighted subject. Instead of beseeching men to be reconciled to God - we find ministers wasting their time in giving Sunday lectures about all kinds of subjects. Rome is burning - and Nero is playing his fiddle! Souls are perishing - and ministers are amusing them!

~Archibald Brown~