People like to get the “last word.” What was Jesus’ last word on earth?
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Getting the Last Word
People like to get the “last word.” What was Jesus’ last word on earth?
Category: Hope
People like to get the “last word.” What was Jesus’ last word on earth?
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The End
What is THE END of “the world”? The letter “D.” But we CAN know about our future.
1 Corinthians 15:22,23:
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s AT HIS COMING.
Christ is risen from death unto eternal life in a new spiritual body. We will someday receive a new spiritual body “fashioned like unto his glorious body” [Philippians 3:21]. Until then, we live for the Lord the best we can in this soul-based earthly body. Now what about “the end”?
1 Corinthians 15:24-28:
Then cometh THE END, when he [THE LORD JESUS] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he [THE LORD JESUS] shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
For he [THE LORD JESUS] must reign, till he [THE LORD JESUS] hath put all enemies under his [THE LORD JESUS’] feet.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
For he [GOD, OUR FATHER] hath put all things under his [THE LORD JESUS’] feet. But when he [GOD, OUR FATHER] saith all things are put under him [THE LORD JESUS], it is manifest that he [GOD, OUR FATHER] is excepted, which did put all things under him [THE LORD JESUS].
And when all things shall be subdued unto him [THE LORD JESUS] , then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him [GOD, OUR FATHER] that put all things under him [THE LORD JESUS], that God may be all in all.
There a many pronouns here that are clear in the context. Here is what we know about the end:
1. Our Lord Jesus will deliver the kingdom to God, his Father.
2. Jesus will, with the Father’s authority and power, put “all things” under his feet. Psalms 110:1 prophecies that “The LORD [Hebrew Jehovah, meaning God] said unto my Lord [Hebrew adon, meaning the Messiah], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
3. Jesus will destroy death, the final enemy, bringing eternal life as a reality to those who accept him.
4. God has given Jesus FULL LORDSHIP OVER ALL, and put everything under His Son’s feet.
5. Of course, God is excepted. HE is the One Who put all under Christ’s feet.
6. Jesus will subdue all things under himself.
7. Jesus will subject himself to his Father, Who put all things under His beloved Son.
8. God will be all in all. Revelation 7:10 says: “And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to OUR GOD which sitteth upon the throne, and unto THE LAMB.” The Father is enthroned above all. And our Savior, the Lamb, sits upon the throne of rulership and power with him.
Amen. I love you.
Seven Devils. How they had plagued her. Seven months with the Master. How he had healed her. And now he was gone. The tears kept falling. She just stood there, outside the tomb that had held her dearest Rabbi and friend. What was she to do? She had seen him crucified with her very eyes. She stood with his grieving mother as he said “It is finished.” Yes, it all seemed over now.
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Not the End
I clearly remember 58 years ago today. It was a Thursday night and I was upstairs in my parents’ bedroom. Everyone else watched another TV show downstairs, and I was up watching my favorite “Ironside” with Raymond Burr, which started at 7 p.m. It was interrupted by a news bulletin. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Let’s Keep Our Hearts in God’s Heart
Let’s keep our hearts in God’s heart,In downpour or in shine,
Let’s always look to His Words,
And to His Son divine.
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What Happens When People Die?
Today a friend asked me a good question. “Gene, do you believe that humans that do not have Jesus as Lord will suffer eternally in flames?” That is a common belief among some Christians.
The grave below,The soil so cold
For all who go
Down into sheol.
And there no thought
Or breath is found
When there we’re brought
Into the ground.
And timeless, breathless,
There we sleep,
Not ‘wake or restless
In the deep.
Though worm decay
All back to dust,
There is a day
That all can trust.
We sorrow not
At death’s great loss
As others caught
Who feel the cost.
For we have hope
In Christ’s return,
An anchor rope
We hold and yearn.
In twinkling eye
And trumpet blast
Up in the sky
At one at last
Our Lord will come
And raise us all
To take us home
At his clear call.
Death now sets free
Its stinging pain,
The grave–
no victory remains.
For we’re steadfast
In our Lord’s words,
Knowing at last
We’ve great rewards!
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Rejoice and Be Glad!
Psalms 118:24:This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice [gheel] and be glad [saw-makh’] in it.
The context of this verse is the coming Messiah, who would be Jesus Christ, our Lord. We rejoice this day because God sent His Son to save us! The two Hebrew words, rejoice [gheel] and be glad [saw-makh’], are used together 25 times in the Old Testament. The word gheel means to “spin around with emotion” and the word saw-makh’ means to “brighten up or shine.” Today we can spin joyfully and shine forth with the good news of Christ our Lord.
Here are some places where God puts these two ideas together.
1 Chronicles 16:31:
Let the heavens BE GLAD, and let the earth REJOICE: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.
All the heavens and earth are glad and rejoice because the Lord will help mankind.
Psalms 16:9-11:
Therefore my heart IS GLAD, and my glory REJOICETH: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
This is quoted on Pentecost about Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12:2,3 says it was the hope of being raised that gave him the endurance to overcome the cross. Jesus now enjoys the “fulness of joy” at the Father’s right hand. And we will join him in new spiritual bodies someday.
Psalms 31:7:
I will BE GLAD and REJOICE in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.
Even though we mess up and get ourselves into trouble [or feel the brunt of Satan’s attacks in this fallen world], God always “considers” our trouble and listens to our soul’s heart cry when we are in adversity. His mercy and forgiveness are something to rejoice and be glad about!
Psalms 149:2:
Let Israel REJOICE [BE GLAD] in him that made him: let the children of Zion BE JOYFUL [REJOICE] in their King.
This is near the close of Psalms and reminds us that God made us to fellowship with Him. AND we are joyful in the “King,” the promised Messiah who saved us.
Isaiah 25:8,9:
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will BE GLAD and REJOICE in his salvation.
Amazing! This is quoted in I Corinthians 15 about the return of Christ. Like the people Isaiah spoke to, we too “have waited for him” knowing that Jesus HAS saved us and WILL return to complete our salvation in him. We are truly glad and rejoice in our salvation now, and in the great hope of future joy together with him throughout eternity.
Our Father will continue to do GREAT THINGS FOR US!
Joel 2:21:
Fear not, O land; BE GLAD and REJOICE: for the LORD will do great things.
Amen. I love you.
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Strong to the End
God wants us to finish strong in this race of life. During the nearly 20 full marathons I’ve done, I often remember getting past the 20-mile mark and growing tired. It would be easy to stop and say I’d done enough. But with God’s help, I summoned the resolve to pick up the pace and run strong across the finish line. The same is true as we live each day, knowing Christ could return for us at any moment. The finish line could be now or years later.
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What Counts
I lost a friend this morning. I knew him briefly at a local church. He was vibrant, loving, and kind. I will miss him. I do believe that prayer is vital while we are on earth. I continue to pray for his wife and family. This morning I was comforted by my Father’s love and truth. I’ve been reading five psalms each day—here is what I read this morning.