April 29th, 2011 by Kristi Stephens

I watch a royal wedding with the world.

I smile confident to myself – someday it will be me, although much more grand.

Someday, my King will come.

Many sneer. They think me a hopeless fool, fixing my heart on this impossible dream.

It is impossible. Too good to be true, and yet I know with all my heart -

Someday, my King will come.

I have lived an unworthy life. An orphan dressed in filthy rags, nothing to catch His heart.

For reasons I will never know, He sought me, He found me, He loved & chose me as His own.

Someday, my King will come.

Some glad morning He will sweep me off my feet. He will meet me in the air and dress me in glorious white.

We will feast and celebrate and stand speechless at His glory and grace.

Someday, my King will come.

Someday.

Perhaps today.

September 1st, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

This is a repost from last year. Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets, is approaching us again. And once again this year I find myself wondering, “what if?” This year the feast begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 8th and runs through Friday, September 10th. I encourage you to seriously consider- would we be ready? What if?

Our pastor has been doing a series about the signs that we are in the last days. I’ve been reading Joel Rosenberg’s books. I’m studying Revelation during my quiet times. [and this year we're going through the Revelation study!] :)

I know I’ve said it before, but really… it sure seems like Christ’s return could be soon. SOON.

Here’s another tidbit for you to chew on. In his fascinating booklet The Seven Feasts of Israel, Zola Levitt looks at the Old Testament feasts and their significance in the life of Christ.

[In order of their celebration in the Hebrew calendar]

1. Passover – remembrance that God had saved the Hebrew people out of Egypt and that the angel of death had passed over them if they were marked by the blood of the lamb; Jesus, the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, was crucified on Passover!

2. Unleavened Bread – begins on the night after Passover; the Jews were to eat only unleavened bread during Passover week. In the Bible, leaven (yeast) is associated with sin and evil – eating unleavened bread symbolized a holy life. In John 12:24, Jesus alludes to the image of bread for Himself again and says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Guess what? Jesus was buried on the feast of unleavened bread, which began at sundown after his crucifixion!

3. First Fruits – held on the Sunday following Unleavened Bread. The Israelites brought the early crops to the Temple – recognizing that God was the provider of what had already been harvested and what was still to come. What happened the Sunday after Jesus’ crucifixion and burial? Let me quote from Levitt:

Jesus of course, celebrated the Sunday of the week of His crucifixion by rising from the dead. It was not some other day He chose but the very day of First Fruits, of course, just as He had performed on Passover and Unleavened Bread, each with the appropriate action. Jesus even presented His proper First Fruits offering to the Father. Graves were opened and dead people rose and were seen after His resurrection in Jerusalem (Matt 27:53). The Lord, not unlike a Jewish planter, gratefully showed the Father the early crops of what will be a magnificent harvest later on.

OOOH! That gives me goosebumps. (And I always wondered what the deal was about the people who were resurrected after Jesus!!)

4. Pentecost – Fifty days after First Fruits, the feast of Pentecost was observed. Leviticus 23:17 indicates that the Israelites were to wave two loaves of bread that are equal in weight and baked with leaven before the Lord – “they are firstfruits unto the Lord.”

Remember, leaven is symbolic of sin. But they are firstfruits, so they are symbolic of redeemed, resurrected men. There are two parts of the church – Jew and Gentile! Again from Levitt:

The fulfillment [of the Holy Spirit coming on Pentecost and the disciples seeing 3,000 people trust in Jesus] was exactly in keeping with the purpose of the feast… It must have been a major argument of the disciples following Pentecost, as they witnessed to the Jews, that the feasts had been fulfilled in remarkable fashion in that momentous year. Whatever they may have thought previously of the rustic teacher from Galilee, they certainly had to admit that it seemed more than coincidental that He was crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised on First Fruits, and had sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

5. Feast of Trumpets – The first three feasts happen fairly close together during the spring (usually April); Pentecost is usually in late May or early June. Now there is a longer span of time until Trumpets, which is in September.

Ok, now hold on to your hats:

The trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come into the Temple. The high priest actually stood on the southwestern parapet of the Temple and blew the trumpet so that it could be heard in the surrounding fields. At that instant, the faithful would stop harvesting even if there were more crops to bring in, and leave immediately for the worship services.

Jesus used the imagery of workers in the harvest field on several occasions. The Jews He was speaking to obviously were familiar with the Feast of Trumpets. Do you know when the workers came in from the fields? At the last trumpet. Does that sound familiar?

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 the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Cor. 15:51-52

The first four feasts were fulfilled on their exact days. It would be logical to expect the Rapture to occur on the Feast of Trumpets. (Not all Bible teachers agree on that, but it does make sense… we’re not being dogmatic here [who am I to be dogmatic? I am no expert!], just presenting something to chew on.)

This year, the Feast of Trumpets happens to be this coming weekend, officially beginning at sundown on the 18th. I wrote it on our calendar.

NP and I have been spending a lot of time talking about those dates marked off on the kitchen calendar. [And they seriously blew a shofar and sang a Hebrew prayer that talked about "wait until next week..." during the worship service this Sunday. Goosebumps does not begin to describe!] What if…

He might come in 4 days or 4 years or 20 years. But what if it’s now? What if we knew this was our last week?

Who would you talk to this week?
What would you write on your blog or post on facebook?
How would you pray?

Are we ready?

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:42-44

August 10th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

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On Friday we picked back up with our Revelation study, focusing on Revelation 4:3,5. Today we’re going to back up to Revelation 4:4 and take a peek at what, to me, is a fascinating topic. The 24 elders.

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

Revelation 4:4

There are numerous theories about who these “elders” are. Rather than focus on all the differing opinions, I’d like to just look at what the text actually tells us.

• There are 24 of them
• They are sitting on thrones
• They are dressed in white
• They are wearing crowns (and in verse 10 lay them before the throne as they worship)

These descriptions are reminiscent of other descriptions throughout the Bible. (remember to always compare Scripture with Scripture!)

Thrones

• Matthew 19:28 ‘Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”‘
• Luke 22:29-30 “And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
• 2 Timothy 2:11-12 “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.”

White Robes

• Revelation 3:5a (to the believers in Sardis) “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.”
• Revelation 3:18 (to the believers in Laodicea) “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
• Revelation 19:7b-8 “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean,was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)”

Crowns

• Revelation 2:10 (to the believers in Smyrna) “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
• 1 Corinthians 9:25 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
• 2 Timothy 4:8 “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
• James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
• 1 Peter 5:4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

The descriptions of thrones, white robes, and crowns together seem to indicate that these 24 elders are believers.  Why 24? I just have no idea. :) I like how John MacArthur summarizes his view, “I believe the twenty-four elders symbolize the church. Some argue that twelve represent Old Testament saints, each from a different tribe, and that twelve are the apostles representing New Testament saints. But regardless, the elders refer to redeemed saints.”

As we’ve discussed before, it isn’t surprising that these twenty four would be representative of the redeemed believers in heaven – the shift in focus from present to future, from church age to God’s focus on the nation of Israel, and the lack of mention of the church after chapter three contribute to the conclusion that the church is already in God’s presence at this point. And we are worshiping around His throne!

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Revelation 4:9-11

June 24th, 2010 by Kristi Stephens

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In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, our focus was entirely upon seven specific churches and both the commendations and criticism that Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church, had for them.  As chapter four begins, we are met with a giant shift.

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

Revelation 4:1-2

As we stated in The Last Warning to the Church, our focus will now entirely shift.  These opening verses move our gaze from earth to heaven, from the past/present to the future, from the church to Israel and God’s judgment on the unbelieving world.   The transition could not have been more dramatic for John.  The same trumpet-like voice of Jesus that he had described back in Revelation 1:10 is heard again, this time calling him to an almost indescribable scene.

The first thing he sees is a door standing open in heaven.  John hears the trumpet-like voice of His Savior, calling him into His presence.  Heaven opens, and John immediately finds himself before the throne.   I wonder what this was like.  Someday we will know.

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

In Escape The Coming Night Dr. David Jeremiah notes,

“Twice in the book of Revelation we see an open door.  The first time is in Revelation 4:1 when John sees “a door standing open in heaven,” and the last time is in Revelation 19:11 when he “saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse.”  The first time the door opens, somebody goes up, and the next time, somebody comes down.” (86)

I am convinced that this shift in focus in Revelation from earth to heaven and John’s change in vantage point as he is called by the trumpet voice of Jesus Christ into God’s presence, allowing him to observe what will unfold during the tribulation period on the earth, parallels the rapture of the church.  We will hear His trumpet-like voice call to us.  We will be changed and will find ourselves in the Spirit before the very throne of God.

What a day that will be.  How I long to hear Him say, “come up here!”

There is an interesting perspective that many Christians have adopted.  Longing for the appearance of Jesus (2 Tim 4:8) is often equated with some kind of escapism – as though longing to be called home to heaven makes us useless, heartless, and unaware of the mission field God has placed around us on this earth in the here-and-now.  From my own life, I must say that the more I long to hear that call to my heavenly home, the more it compels me to examine how I live my daily life.  Am I taking advantage of every opportunity He has given me to share Truth, to show love, to lay up the only kind of treasure that will last? Jesus repeatedly warns His followers to watch, to wait, to not be caught unaware.  The apostles and the early church lived with a deep sense of anticipation for the return of Jesus – and it compelled them to turn their world upside down with the Truth of the Gospel.

This great hope is a purifying factor in our lives.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3

May we long for His appearing.  May we purify ourselves as we yearn with great hope to hear that glorious call – may we live each day, each moment with urgency as we consider that our time may be short.

Maybe today… are you ready?

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