And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your Word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel.”  (Luke 2:25-32)

And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.  She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.  At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.  (Luke 2:36-38)

When Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus to the Temple “to present Him to the LORD,” there were at least a couple of people there prepared for His arrival.

Simeon was one who had been “looking for the consolation of Israel”; that is, he was looking for the Appearing of the Messiah.  That he would see the “Hope of Israel” was a promise he had been given by the Spirit of God.  And on that day, he held this Promise in his arms.

There were also some in the Temple area “looking for the redemption of Jerusalem,” including an elderly woman named Anna.  On that day this prophetess was able to tell the others that their Redeemer had just arrived.

Both these individuals were spiritually prepared to discern His Presence when Joseph and Mary brought Him to the Temple.  More than likely, however, neither Simeon nor Anna was aware that their long-awaited Messiah would arrive on the world scene twice.  As far as they knew, His birth to these two godly peasants was the one – and only – time He would come.

You and I, however, have an advantage over these two saints.  The New Testament has given us a fuller understanding of the Old Testament prophecies.  We can clearly see that the Redeemer would come twice:  the first time to serve as God’s Payment for the sins of man; and the second time (a) to complete the believers’ deliverance from the tyranny of their enemies (both physical and spiritual) and (b) to deliver creation from the tyranny of the curse that lay upon it (Romans 8:19-22).

… so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.  (Hebrews 9:28)

It is not unreasonable to think that the saints of today could represent the last generation of the Church Age.  Indeed, to ignore that possibility would be less than wise.

Be on the alert, for you do not know the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13) …

So, are we like Simeon and Anna?  Are we “eagerly awaiting” the re-Appearing of Jesus Christ?  Or will His arrival catch us off guard, like “a thief in the night” … sudden … unexpected … costly?  Very costly.  The Word of God gives us a “sure-fire way” of knowing whether we are preparing ourselves for this Event or not:

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.  (1^st John 3:2-3)

Beloved friends, it is a wise thing to do, to ready ourselves for the Return of Christ.  Because the next time He appears upon the world stage, He will not be wearing a crown of thorns.

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This is the promise which He Himself made to us:  eternal life.  (1^st John 2:25)

Eternal life … a promise made by One Who cannot lie to those who have been bought with the blood of the Lamb.  We, the redeemed of God, will never stop living.  Have you ever tried to grasp the scope of that word?  When we are 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 “years old” (so to speak), our lives in the presence of Christ will have just begun.  The zeros will just keep on accumulating.

The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.  (1^st John 2:17)

The Apostle Paul describes the eternal state as “the ages to come” (Ephesians 2:7).  Not “the age (singular) to come” but “the ages (plural) to come.”  For this word to be in the plural either means that (1) the one age in front of us is so long it will seem like many ages or that (2) the future will actually witness countless “ages.”  Either way, the redeemed are promised a forever-life!

Are you able to wrap your mind around this Truth?  I’m not.  For me, it is like trying to stretch a two-inch piece of string around the planet Jupiter.  I simply cannot fathom eternity.  But should we expect otherwise?  How can a finite mind comprehend the infinite?  Eternal life is a promise that comes from the one, true God Who, Himself, is too big for any of us to comprehend.

But there is something we must grasp … and with full conviction:  our time on this earth is very short.  Indeed, compared to eternity, our sojourn here is a speck of sand.  So, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,” what are we going to be really glad we did with the time we have on this earth?

• Surely, we will be glad for every minute invested in fellowship with the Father.

• We will be glad for every minute we used to worship Him in spirit and in Truth.

• We will be glad for every opportunity we used to faithfully trust and obey Him.

• And we will be glad for every opportunity we used to serve Him with our God-given abilities.

To do all of this, we have been wisely instructed:

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.  (2^nd Timothy 2:4)

So, what kind of “soldiers in active service” are we?

• Are we depending upon the Spirit of God to bring our character in alignment with the will of the Father?

• Are we using our God-given abilities to the fullest to strengthen His people?

• Is our purpose in life to exalt His Name … that He would be highly respected and feared and loved and honored?

Do we have this kind of perspective … one that is focused on eternity?  The fact is, the only way to live wisely in this present life is to

LIVE WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Let us all be faithful to God.  Those who are have been promised to radiate – forever – the blazing glory of God.

And forever is a long, long time.

Click here to view this course:  OUR APPROACHING EVALUATION

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(And now to the One) from Whom and through Whom and to Whom are all things. To Him be the glory forever.  Amen.  (Romans 11:36)

When I was in the 7^th grade, my family lived on 11 acres of land with a large creek as one of its boundaries.  My father used this property to graze his small herds of Black Angus cattle and Shetland ponies.  My mother used this property to grow her vegetable garden.  And I used this property to have a whole lot of fun, usually down by the creek with my dog, sleeping bag and fishing gear.  But another way I had fun there was with my bow and a quiver full of target arrows.  To feed our livestock during the winter months, my father kept our barn loft stocked with bales of hay.  I would roll a bale out of the loft and, propping it upright on one of its ends, use it as an archery target.

One day I propped a hay bale upright, walked about 20 yards away, turned around, fitted my arrow, aimed … and then stopped.  The bale was leaning slightly forward.  Thinking that I could straighten it up by shooting the arrow into the top of the bale, I let it fly.  But instead of straightening it, the arrow actually caused the bale to lean just a little more forward.  “I didn’t hit it hard enough,” I thought; so I shot again.  But that only caused it to lean a little bit more forward.  With exceptional smart, I kept shooting my arrows – one by one – into that bale of hay, trying to knock the top of it backwards.  But with each one, all I did was cause it to lean more and more forward.

Even today in my mind’s eye, I can still see what happened with arrow # 19.  As it thudded into its target, the bale of hay fell forward into a cloud of dust, its full weight cracking and splintering and breaking every one of my arrows.  All nineteen of them … ruined … while trying to prop up a lost cause!

Tell me, how is it that a fairly sane 12-year-old could not realize that all those good arrows were going to be shattered while trying to straighten a tottering target!  Was it not obvious that the bale would fall forward?  Did I not have enough foresight to see that it was only a matter of time before it came crashing down?  Why did I fail to see the inevitable?

You know, it is possible for us, as believers, to do that same thing … to “shoot our arrows into a leaning bale of hay.”  We can be so distracted promoting our own earth-bound interests that we end up investing the bulk of our priceless time … and strength … and resources … and opportunities … and abilities in something that will one day pass away.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world … The world is passing away.                         (1^st John 2:15-17)

Do you believe that?  Do you believe that

the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.  Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!  But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.  (2^nd  Peter 3:10-14)

We, the true and living Church, are not in the dark.  We have been told what’s coming.  We do not know the when, but we do know the what.  We are keenly aware of how distracting the things of this world can be as they are dangled in front of us.  But we also know from God’s Word that “the earth and its works” will one day be burned up.

We already know that this “bale of hay” is going to come crashing down.

We have also been told that our lives are going to be examined by an all-knowing Judge.  God’s Word tells us that the quality and the motive of our labors will one day be “revealed with fire.”

Now if any man builds on the foundation (i.e., his salvation through Jesus Christ) with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.  If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.  (1^st Corinthians 3:12-15, parenthesis added)

Do you believe what your Bible says?  Do you believe that one day you will give an account of your choices?

For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.”  So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.  (Romans 14:11-12)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been given the “heads up” as to what is in front of us; and we should not ignore it.  Knowing that our approaching evaluation is certain, let us not squander our resources.  Rather than giving our hearts to the sparkling tinsel this tottering world offers, let us cultivate a devotion to the riches of God.  Let us live our lives with an eternal perspective.  Otherwise, we will spend our entire life shooting our arrows into a leaning bale of hay.

If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

Click here to view this course:  OUR APPROACHING EVALUATION

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Finally, brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what (He) commands.  May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.  (2^nd Thessalonians 3:1-5)

Benjamin Franklin ¹ once wrote

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

It is risky business to challenge the thoughts of a gifted individual.  But when it comes to this particular saying, I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Franklin on both accounts.

In the first place, there are lots of people who can and should – but who do not – pay taxes.  And they get away with it.

Concerning the other issue, the Bible informs us that an entire generation of Church-Age believers will not experience death.  According to the Apostle Paul

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet … For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”  (1^st Corinthians 15:51-53)

So, neither (paying) taxes nor dying is necessarily certain … “in this world.”  But there is something in the next world that is most certain.  Once resurrected, there is something every reborn follower of Christ must do:

“We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  (2^nd Corinthians 5:10)

The time is coming when we must all bow before the One sitting on heaven’s throne, lofty and exalted … the train of His robe filling the temple … and the foundations of its thresholds trembling as one angel calls out to another,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts.  The whole earth is full of His glory.”         (Isaiah 6:1-4)

The day is approaching when we must all bow before the One Whose head and hair are white … like white wool … like snow … Whose eyes are like a flame of fire … Whose face is like the sun shining in its strength … and Whose voice is like the sound of many waters (Revelation 1:14-16).

Every true believer has a scheduled appointment with the Son of God.  And dear friends, once we have been ushered into His Presence,

we are going to have the frankest discussion of our lives.

“I, the LORD, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”  (Jeremiah 17:10)

To prepare ourselves for this divine examination, we need

to cultivate an eternal perspective

That is the purpose of this course, “Our Approaching Evaluation:  a Study of the Judgment Seat of Christ.”

The goals of this study are

• for each of us to be sobered by the certainty of this scheduled, face-to-Face appraisal by our all-knowing Master,

• for each of us to become aware that we – who are saved by grace – will be judged according to the quality and motive of our works,

• and for each of us to realize that this evaluation of our lives will result in varying degrees of rewards and losses.

So, as the world constantly dangles in front of us its countless distractions of fool’s gold, let us be fully assured.  The Judgment Seat of Christ is a most certain appointment … and it approaches like the wind.  May this study challenge us to live more fervently, not for our own interests in a world scheduled for destruction but for the interests of the King over all kings and Lord over all lords, Whose

“… dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and his Kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”  (Daniel 7:14)

¹           Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States.  He was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, the first U.S. Postmaster General, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat, serving as U.S. Minister to France and, later, U.S. Minister to Sweden.

Click here to view this course:  OUR APPROACHING EVALUATION

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To the readers within the believing community:  I would greatly appreciate your prayers, that the Master-Teacher would be the Author of these writings.

When you were in school, you took a lot of tests.  If your test results looked like mine, you had red check marks beside some of your answers … that is, the ones that were wrong.

I do not ever remember getting back a test from the teacher, looking it over, and thinking, “I’m really glad I answered this one right, and this one right, and this one right ….”  No, what I did was look at all the red on the page and think, “I wish I hadn’t answered this one wrong, and this one wrong, and this one wrong ….”  Is that what you did?  Did you focus your attention on all the red?

Some of us go through life doing that.  We tend to focus on those parts of our past that have “red check marks” beside them.  “I messed up here … and here … and here.”  If that is our practice … to give the bad choices of our past the permission to pull us under … life becomes little more than a broken record of regrets.  Without realizing it, we are allowing the choices of our yesterdays to sour our today … and our tomorrows.

It is an oppressive thing to go through life playing over and over in our minds the things we wish we had not done or the things we wish we had.  So, let’s take some time to do just the opposite.  Sometime soon, sit down and make a list that begins with these words:

I am really glad that I ______.

… then list as many things as you can possibly remember that you are glad you did.  We all need to take some time to consider the things in our past that have “green check marks” by them.  I believe you will find great satisfaction in this little exercise.

There is another list I would encourage you to think through, a list of the wise choices you are making right now.  But let’s not begin with these words:

At the end of my life, I am going to be really glad that I _________.

No, let’s think beyond the next few years.  Instead, let’s begin with these words:

10,000 years from now, I am going to be really glad that I _______.

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,” what choices are we making right now that we are going to be really glad we made?  Certainly, the only answers that can be on that list are the choices being made with eternity in mind:

What am I doing with the time … and the abilities … and the material goods … and the strength … and the opportunities that Christ has entrusted into my care to strengthen His Church to the glory of His Name?

If the focus of our lives is on everything this world has to offer, we may feel in sync with everyone else out there – for now.  But in the long run, we are piling up a whole lot of red check marks in our lives (i.e., a whole lot of loss).  And when it is time to bow before the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will have forgotten all about being in sync with the Jones’s.

But if we go through this life with an eternal perspective … if we live – right now – for the King over all kings and Lord over all lords … if we give ourselves to the cause of His eternal kingdom,

we are going to be really glad we did that throughout the Ages to Come.

So, what are you going to be really glad you did this week … 10,000 years from now?

Click here to view this course:  THE GOD OF OUR LIVES

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Click here to read the 1^ST chapter of The God of Our Lives: YAHWEH, OUR GOD IS OUR CREATOR

To the readers within the believing community:  I would greatly appreciate your prayers, that the Master-Teacher would be the Author of these writings.