Tag: Revelation 19:11-16

Hymns 2.0 – Fairest Lord Jesus

On August 28, 2023

Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)

Fairest Lord Jesus! Ruler of all nature!
O thou of God and man the Son! Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor, Thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown!

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring; Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer, who makes the woeful heart to sing!

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight.
And all the twinkling starry host; Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer, than all the angels heav’n can boast!

Beautiful savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and son of Man! Glory and honor.
Praise, adoration, now and forevermore be Thine!
authorship Unknown

The History Behind the Hymn

I have to say, I’m a little surprised at how old this hymn is. For some reason, I thought it was rather new, perhaps late 19th century or even early 20th century, but some traditions say it’s as old as the 12th century, sung when Crusaders made their way to the Holy Land.

Others attribute the hymn to around 1620, when the followers of the reformer John Hus were driven from Bohemia in a bloody purge. They settled in Silesia, now part of Poland. This is said to have been a Bohemian folk song.

The first known appearance of the hymn was in the Munster Gesangbuch of 1677. Hoffman Fallersleben heard a group of Silesians singing this hymn, wrote down what they sang, and published it in his Schlesische Volkslieder in 1842. This is the version of the hymn we know.

The hymn appeared in English in Richard Storrs Willis’ Church Chorals and Choir Studies in 1850.

A notation about this hymn in that collection stated that it was, “sung by the German knights on the way to Jerusalem.” That may well be where the Crusader legend began. Willis was also the composer of It Came upon a Midnight Clear.
https://hymnswelove.blogspot.com/2012/02/story-behind-fairest-lord-jesus.html

A Lesson for Me

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Today’s hymn is like a love letter and song to our glorious Lord and Saviour, our King! Are there even enough words that totally describe Jesus? I dare say, no! When I meditate on when the Church is raptured and we face our Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13), I cannot even imagine what I will do! Will I run into His arms and thank Him? Will I fall to the ground in adoration? What do you think you will do when you see Him?

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight.
And all the twinkling starry host; Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer, than all the angels heav’n can boast!

Message for today

Who am I that the Creator of the universe (John 1:1-3) would think of me? Why would He have time for me!? Why would He even think of me? The Lord’s love for His creation is so great that He gave His life and shed His own blood so we could spend eternity with Him. This is beyond my comprehension. If I try to use my intellect and logic, I dare say the enemy has a field day and tries to convince me that it’s a bunch of hogwash. But it is by faith that I believe. So what is faith?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Everyone in their heart of hearts knows there is more than just life here on earth. There has to be something greater! When you think of every living thing and what each is comprised of, it is virtually impossible to believe in evolution. Look at the intricacies of a flower, a bird or the inner ear of man. A woodpecker’s tongue is not like any other bird – it wraps around the bird’s brain! Each part of creation has a specific purpose. It takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does that a wonderful Creator is responsible for it all!

We will surely find out one day. When the King of Kings and LORD of Lords appears! I would rather live my life worshiping this amazing Creator than to find out when I die that I was totally wrong! In fact, what have I lost if I lived a godly life? I’ve lost nothing, except eternity in Hell. What a glorious day it will be when I enter into eternity seeing my Fairest Lord Jesus!

Beautiful savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and son of Man! Glory and honor.
Praise, adoration, now and forevermore be Thine!

Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (12) His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (13) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16) And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Comfort During the End Times – Day 23

By Kate Plourde

On April 21, 2023

In Comfort During the End Times, Devotionals

Psa 138:1-2 A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. (2) I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Good morning! The past few days have been absolutely beautiful near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia! God’s handiwork is evident everywhere I look. Just imagine, the Creator of all things must absolutely love color! Just look around you! We are so blessed – and it reminds me of what life will be like when the Lord creates a new heaven and a new earth! (Isaiah 64:4, 1 Cor. 2:9)

You may think that this is way far into the future but, friend, it is not. We are seeing the birth pains of the end times. The Bible calls this the beginning of sorrows. (Matt. 24:8) Let’s see what Jesus said:

Mat 24:4-8 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.

We have seen many men proclaim to be Jesus Christ – one only needs to Google it and you’ll see the 20th Century had a bunch! Just like labor pains, there will be more to come. Wars and rumours of wars are all around us today. The Middle East is in such unrest at this moment! Israel is at war at the moment and we can see the building up of a great war to come! Jesus said that all these things must come to pass before the end comes. The Rapture of the church (made up of born-again believers) will happen before that 7-year Tribulation. It’s every Christian’s blessed hope as he/she awaits the return of the Lord, Jesus Christ, in the air! After the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will come as a conquering King and He will destroy the armies of the antichrist! (Revelation 19:11-16)

If you’re a scoffer, you’re part of that end times prophecy! (2 Peter 3:3-7) God’s Word WILL stand and all of the prophecies for the end times in the Bible will come to past because God magnifies His Word above His own Name!!! (Psalm 138:2) Every single prophecy in the Bible up until today has been fulfilled. Every single prophecy about the future will happen. God is not a liar. If you don’t believe now, you may not believe later because God will send a strong delusion and you will believe lies. (2 Thess. 2:11-12)

Does this disturb you? I hope it does if you aren’t saved. But to the born-again believer, it should be exciting because you know you won’t be here to experience the Tribulation. God loves the church, the bride of Jesus Christ. He will not cause her to experience the Tribulation – Christ will come for her and receive her to Himself. (John 14:3)

Despite the horrible things going on in this world at this moment, believers can rest because the best is yet to come for us!

This should bring you great comfort, even though you’re going through trials at this time. There’s always something for the Christian to be excited about when one thinks about the future! We have no need to fear!

Our job is to be a light to this lost and dying world. We need to give them hope as we have hope! Friend, don’t be willfully ignorant of the end times. (2 Peter 3:5) If you are not born-again, confess your sins and repent of them. The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus – Day 28

By Kate Plourde

On October 14, 2022

In Devotionals, Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled By Jesus

Prophecy of Messiah:
Psalm 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Good morning, reader! Of all the titles for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, my absolute favorite is King! There are still a few kings who reign over a country today. King Charles III is the most recent in the news. However, today’s kings are not going to rule forever. Our kings are human beings and will eventually die. But the King we will be discussing today is the ultimate King. He is the King of kings!

This same King of Heaven left His throne to become a man who would live a sinless life because mankind could not even come close. This same King then became the perfect sacrifice for all sins! This same King rose from the dead with a glorified body and became the first to do so (Mark 16:6). We will also receive a glorified body at the Rapture if we believe on Him as Saviour! This same King gave His life for His people so that they could live and reign with Him. (2Timothy 2:11)

Prophecy of Messiah Fulfilled:
Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Our King is coming back for us! We will be raptured to Him in the clouds AND we will also come back with King Jesus after the Tribulation to reign with Him! (Revelation 19:11-16) Who would have thought that we would personally know a King? Not only just a king but THE KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16)! People like to think of Him as the baby Jesus – but I love to think of Him as King Jesus, MY King! The only King!

Do you know the King personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

The Rapture vs. The Second Coming – Day 38

By Kate Plourde

On April 6, 2022

In Devotionals, End Times, Rapture, Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Good morning! It’s time to shake off the sleepiness and drink that morning cup of coffee or tea. I must admit that I wouldn’t mind waking up to the view above, wouldn’t you? 😃 On my last post, we covered God’s timing for the Tribulation period and why we believe the Rapture will occur before that great judgment. To sum that up, no man knows the day or the hour of the Rapture, but we can know the signs of the coming of the Tribulation. Christ’s return for the church is imminent: that means it can happen any time. Today, we will look at the Second Coming of Christ and when the Scriptures say that will happen according to the prophecies from the Old Testament.

The prophet Daniel, of the Old Testament, prophesied about this very thing.

Dan 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Daniel prophesied that the antichrist would sign a peace treaty with Israel for one week, which is equal to seven years (he breaks that treaty half way through). It stands to reason that there has to be a reason for the need for a peace treaty; there must be wars and conflicts so bad that Israel longs for peace and will give anything to achieve that peace. Remember, Daniel’s 70th week revolves around Israel. From that point on, the Tribulation begins and God’s prophetic clock starts to tick for the seven years. This tells us that the Second Coming of Jesus won’t happen until those seven years are finished. Therefore, the date of the Second Coming will be known to believers during those seven years! God is very specific and when He says seven biblical years, He means it. A biblical year is 360 days, not 365 as we know it in the West. So all one has to do is to multiply 360 x 7 and you get 2,520 days. Half way through is 1,260.

The Bible continues to tell us that more signs will appear before Christ comes to end the Battle of Armageddon. Read on:

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Half way through the Tribulation, the antichrist will break that treaty with Israel and he will remove Israel’s ability to do sacrificing in their temple. Therefore, we know the Tribulation has not started yet for two reasons: (1) there hasn’t been a need for a peace treaty yet, and (2) Israel does not have a temple in Jerusalem. Once Israel realizes that the antichrist is not their Messiah, they will flee to the wilderness:

Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

It is not until these seven years of judgment upon Israel (see Daniel 9:24 above) are over that their true Messiah, King Jesus, will come. Those who fled to the wilderness will be cared for by God and they will recognize their true Messiah when He returns!

Rev 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (12) His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (13) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16) And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Jesus and the Church will return at the end of the Tribulation after God has released His wrath upon the disobedient world. We know for a fact that the Church has been in Heaven because of the following verses in Matthew. Jesus said:

Mat 24:29-31 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This is not the gathering of saints on earth as some post Tribulation believers say. This is the gathering of the saints already in Heaven! Verse 31 doesn’t say from under heaven; no it is from one end of heaven to the other. Let God’s Word reveal to you the truth, reader.

Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

The Rapture vs. The Second Coming – Day 35

By Kate Plourde

On March 30, 2022

In Devotionals, Rapture, Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Good morning, Reader!! It’s rise and shine time 😀 Let’s start the day with a wonderful thought! What if the Rapture were to happen first thing in the morning? Can you imagine the sun’s rays coming up with a beautiful pink and red hew across the sky? Oh what a glorious day that will be! I pray that as you are reading this, that you will be one of the blessed participants of the Rapture!!!

As we continue on the topic of who will be participating in these events, today’s post is about the event of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Just who will participate in this event? Let’s look at Scripture.

1Th 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ will be coming with all His saints. Remember the last post, we saw that at the Rapture, Jesus is coming for the saints.

1 Thess 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

As we read about the Second Coming in Revelation, we see that the army that accompanies Jesus is dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Some say these are angels but angels do not need to be cleaned from sin. In fact, the “angels desire to look into” in the following verses:

1Pe 1:10-12 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (11) Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (12) Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

So as you can see, the army is not comprised of angels but of the Church, whose garments have been made clean by the blood of the Lamb!

Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (12) His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (13) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16) And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

If you are not convinced that this is the Church, a few verses gives us the answer:

Rev 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Therefore, we see that the Church is called Christ’s wife and we come back with Christ to earth to fight the enemy at the Battle of Armageddon. Praise the Lord!

If you never learned about the Rapture and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that these devotionals have been a blessing to you. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!