Tonight's Word 🌱



"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen."
- Revelation 1:7
Have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you woke up and were experiencing real physiological reactions like tears, or strong heart palpitations, or panic responses? I had such a dream this week. And as I awoke and tried to process it, I prayed about it too. It was a nightmare to me. After I finished telling it to God, I checked my messages. One of these messages was from a friend who appears to have awakened from a dream one hour earlier, and was sharing his dream. As I read his dream, it brought comfort to me. This was his dream:

I was in a park, looking up at the mountains, and then we saw this huge foot break through the stratosphere (sky). It seemed to belong to what reminded me of the statue in the prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar, but I believe that it was Jesus. Everyone started to run, including me. Then the dream jumped to some Bible texts, but the one that stood out to me said "behold He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him." One final thing I remember about the image of the person walking through the clouds was the facial expression. I glimpsed the face. I saw a kind of smile that communicated to me: "I'm definitely coming."

I don't know about you, but this dream reminded me that even though the world is becoming more and more steeped in sin and evil, this is simply a sign of the times that usher in Christ's second return, as described in the Bible, and by Jesus himself.

Artist's depiction of Jesus' second coming

A certain John in the Bible, also had dreams and visions when he was punished and exiled to the island of Patmos because of his firm belief in God and his testimony of Jesus. These visions were prophetic in nature, and eventually came together to form the last book of the Bible, which is called the book of Revelation, (aka the Revelation of Jesus Christ). These visions were given as warnings, as insights, as promises and as encouragements for all as we live in the last days. It is this same book that contains the scripture of focus for tonight, which reveals and reminds that this same Jesus, who was prophesied of in the ancient days, miracle baby, the man crucified on the cross, was resurrected and ascended back into heaven, this same Jesus, not only will he come again at the end of time, in the clouds, but every eye will also see him. That is good news! 
"Just the thought of heaven is a breath of fresh air in this clouded and polluted world. The very idea has to be one of faith. Where thorns in our flesh become crowns of glory, through victory in Jesus. Let us keep fighting the good fight. We shall overcome in Jesus' name."
There is some sadness in the same scripture however. While His coming will be most welcomed by many of the faithful, it seems that it will also be a time of deep regret, fear and grief for many. This portion of the scripture should be taken as an encouragement Now, however, to do our part in choosing Now a life lived soberly for Jesus, as long as we are alive. There is no better time than Now in accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour and walking in His faithful path of truth and mission. As we are about to enter a new year, let us be mindful that we are one year closer to His coming. We may not know the year, the day or even the hour, but we we are called to be a prepared and preparing people, amidst the signs of the times. His coming will come like an unexpected thief in the night, and for such an important life saving event, we want to be free of regret, and ready to meet Him in the air.

Prayer:
Dear Father, thank You for the Word. Your heart of love beats through it as a parent for their child. You want us to be aware of the battle of good and evil that is taking place behind the scenes, the need for us to choose a side, and to sincerely do our part to be on the side of Jesus. This world is getting darker, the hearts of many are growing colder, and we long for an end to be put to the distressing and destructive nature of sin, and its impact on your creation. Give us a heart of earnest love, commitment and desire for You. Help us to be the people spoken of in the Word who keep your commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. Help us to be firm in our belief and faith, a d hold on to your promises, come what may, and lead us in the path of safety and everlasting life. Save our souls Lord, for it is our desire to return to our Creator, and spend eternity the way you originally planned for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

May this song shared below be a source of reflection. 🎧🙏🏼 

Midnight Cry (Alvin Slaughter)

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