Maranatha - Awaiting Christ's Return

1 Cor. 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Tag: The Rock

Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus – Day 11

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On September 5, 2022

In Devotionals, Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled By Jesus

Prophecy of Messiah:

Exo 17:6  Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

How are you this fine morning? It’s always a joy to start the morning in God’s Word and be able to see Him in every page that I read. I stand amazed how He reveals Himself and shows me just how marvelous and wonderful He really is! Praise Him! \o/ This morning, I came to the Rock that is higher than I am and begged Him to speak to my heart. (Psa 61:2  From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.) It is Christ who reveals Himself to us through His Word. His Holy Spirit worked in men’s hearts to pen the Scriptures and not one letter or punctuation is wrong. We can rest in the knowledge that we are being taught by our Heavenly Father, our Abba! I heard a message the other day where the Preacher gave a wonderful depiction of the Trinity. The concept of three in one God is a difficult one. I’ve heard a few analogies but this was the best one yet. As white light goes through a prism, it is refracted into three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. As God is one God (the white light) He, in a sense, refracts Himself and reveals Himself as three personalities. One of those “refractions / personalities” is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus had to take on human form in order to accomplish the wonderful gift of salvation. (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9) Divinity wrapped Himself in humanity in order for us to be saved!

Prophecy of Messiah Fulfilled:

1Co 10:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  (2)  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  (3)  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  (4)  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

I grew up in a religion where we were taught that the Peter was the rock and this was what the Catholic Church was built upon. However, when you look at Matthew 16:16-18, Jesus responded in this manner because of the statement that Peter made: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). That statement, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, is what the Church is built upon, not Peter himself. In fact, the word Peter in Greek is defined as a piece of a rock (petros, which is masculine). The Church is built upon Jesus, the Rock. That Greek word in Matthew 16:18 is petra, which is feminine. This rock is a mass of rock, not a piece of a rock. The word petra is feminine – the Church which is the Bride of Christ, is feminine.

petra
pet’-ra
Feminine of the same as G4074; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively): – rock.

This is no coincidence, friend. Peter is not the rock. We must build our faith on the Rock. Jesus used an analogy that describes it well in Matthew 7:24-25. If our faith is built on the foundation of Jesus, the Rock, it will stand firm.

The Holy Spirit of God revealed this to me in the Scriptures (1Cor 10:4) the first week I was born again. He knew that this would be a stumbling block for me because I was raised Catholic. I remember calling my “spiritual mother,” Vicky, and telling her what the Lord had shown me. She always rejoiced at my “revelations” because she knew them as well. She was saved six months before me and God used her to show me the way to Him. 😀 The best thing she taught me was not to trust man’s words (or religion for that matter) but to turn to God’s Word and let Him show me and teach me. “Read the Bible for yourself and God will show you the truth of His Word.”

Friend, do you know Him 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!

Who is the Rock? Day 2

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On December 21, 2021

In Devotionals, Who is the Rock?

Mt McKinley

(1 Co 10:1-4) Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; (3) And did all eat the same spiritual meat; (4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

The Lord manifested in various ways in the Old Testament. This is known as a Christophany. In today’s reading, we see that Jesus appeared as the cloud guiding Moses and the Israelites. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that it was Christ who was helping them. We can clearly see that there is no other that can claim this title as “the Rock”!

Another time that He appeared was to Hagar and is called the angel of the LORD. I love that Jesus isn’t concerned with genders or race! Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian handmaid. She was also the mother of Ishmael. I didn’t know this, but the Jewish word for Hagar is agur and it means “reward”! I find that interesting. I wonder if salvation to the Gentiles (the Hagars of the world) was God’s reward? He appeared to her and He spoke to her and comforted her. Now Hagar might have thought she was seeing a ghost but she named Him, “Thou God seest me.”

Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, spoke to an Egyptian woman and saw what she was going through. He also showed Himself as a cloud and met the needs of the Israelites. It doesn’t get any more personal than that!

We are so blessed as Christians! Our Great Shepherd takes care of us in the same way that He did with Hagar and the Israelites!

If you happen to have stumbled across my blog, and do not know Jesus Christ as your Personal Saviour, 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!

Who is the Rock? Day 1

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On December 20, 2021

In Devotionals, Salvation, Who is the Rock?

Photography by Chris Michaud

(Deu 32:4)  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Good morning, Reader! This picture totally blesses me! It amazes me that no two clouds are the same. They may appear the same but there’s always a slight difference. As sunrises and sunsets are one of my favorite sceneries, I thought it would be appropriate to start off this new devotional series.

There are many titles for Jesus Christ. In fact, I did a series on this in 2008. If you’ve never studied this topic, it’s totally a blessing! However, today I am looking at the verses which contain the word “Rock” (capitalized) and how it applies to Christ. The Holy Spirit put these words in the Scriptures for a reason. It’s when we dig for gold that we find the nuggets, amen?

When we look at this verse in context, we find that this was part of a song of Moses. Each of the different names for God meets a specific need in man. What need does today’s verse provide for us? What do you think of when you envision a rock? I think of the coastline at Heceta Head Lighthouse in Florence, Oregon.

Photography by Linda Dunlap

The rocks and mountainsides are so beautiful! They remind me of strength, stability and longevity. These rocks take the crashing of the waves without falling apart! When visiting there, they had pictures from when it was first built. The same three rocks are there today and they have not diminished throughout the years.

There is no better way to honor God than to recognize His strength in our lives. The believer needs to wholly lean on the Lord in times of desperation. It is these times that He draw us to Him. He is our strength. So how can Jesus Christ be the Rock in today’s verse? Let’s take a look at:

(Psa 27:1)  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

David says that the LORD (when capitalized like this, it refers to Jehovah, the Lord) is his light and salvation. We will not only find Jesus here but we will also see that Jesus is God. All Scripture fits together and there are no contradictions found in its pages.

(Joh 8:12)  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

David said that the LORD is his light. Jesus said in the verse above, that He is the light of the world.

David also said that the LORD was his salvation.

(Act 4:10-12)  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (11)  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (12)  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. There is no other but the LORD, Jehovah the Lord, Jesus Christ the Saviour of man! He is our Rock!

(Deu 32:4)  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Jesus Christ’s work is perfect – He came to earth in human form and lived a sinless life. He lived the perfect life so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sins. Only His sacrifice can forgive sins.

(2Co 5:21)  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

(1Pe 2:22)  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

(Heb 4:15)  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

So, dear reader, we know that our LORD, the Rock, has the strength to save us – to guide us – to help us in our every need! Because He is our Rock, we don’t have to rely on our own strength but wholly lean on His strength! Praise be to God in the highest! Thank you, LORD Jesus, our Rock and our Deliverer!

Solid Rock by Edward Mote

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

Most precious Heavenly Father, I cannot imagine my life without Christ in it! I would not be here if it weren’t for His sacrifice on the cross for my sins. I praise You for being there in the whelming floods of my life. All honor and glory belong to You, Lord! There is none like You, God! Thank You for Your precious Gift, my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

If you happen to be reading this and are not saved, it is no coincidence. 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!

Ponderings

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On October 28, 2021

In Ponderings

What do you think about when you do your devotions? Do you simply read and walk away? Or do you sit there and think about what you’ve just read? We should be walking away with something that will carry us through the day, don’t you think? I wrote this 26-day devotional series beginning in 2013 and finished it in 2014. It covers various blessings from God’s word. As you look at this picture, think on a Bible verse and really ponder over it. That is how we glean from God’s Word. I pray it is a blessing to you!

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