February 9th 2025
Think Of Jesus’ Love For You When You Express Your Love To Your Family Members, Or Special Friends On Saint Valentine’s Day!
1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NIV)
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 for ever.
Paul wrote about what Jesus had infused into his brain when Jesus had struck Saul down as he was walking one day. Saul AKA Paul was immediately born again and became aware of future events that Jesus burdened him with, which allowed Paul to write about events that will occur in the future, and allows believers know and believe these events recorded in our Bible by Paul.
This event has come to be known as Rapture! We believe that during this event Jesus will come down to this earth and remain in the clouds, He will not set foot on this earth but will remain in the sky hovering over the earth. Accompanying Jesus will be all those saints who accepted Jesus as their Savior and have already died and their souls have ascended into the heavenly realms, and they have been occupying the rooms prepared for them by Jesus! Paul wrote, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
This then is where the selected verse comes into this Rapture picture. As of today, this would include all believers who are awaiting Jesus to come down and Rapture us to fly up and meet Him in the sky, and then to accompany Him to a heavenly place. Then you (we) will occupy the room Jesus has prepared for you (us) in this heavenly holding place to wait for creation of the new earth AKA heaven! Are you ready to fly?
Heaven awaits all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Remember this promise from Jesus to all His followers during next week when we will have a day to express our love to a special person, and/or to family members on the day being dubbed Saint Valentine’s Day! Adding the word Saint gives the just another day a special meaning, which includes our Savior who is planning a special day for all believers, which is the day we will get to see Jesus Christ face-to-face! Now that is really a special day! Think of Jesus’ love for you when you express your love to your family members, or special friends on Saint Valentine’s Day!
Jesus prayed for His followers while He still walked this earth, but He also included you in that prayer. He included all true believers in His prayer. "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” (John 17:20-24).
Notice that the expression of “unity” and “that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.” And referring to the Rapture event, here Jesus is praying for unity that ends up with us being together with each other and then finally with Jesus. As Jesus prayed, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Satan has been successful to keep us separated by our formation of denominations in our worldly churches. This has caused confusion on the exact salvation plan requirements!
Jesus tried to simplify for us what is required and suggests a child-like approach. "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven." For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:10-11, NKJV). Jesus “may” even be referring to the possibility that we all have a Guardian Angel. However, I have not ascribed to this idea, mainly because it says, “their angels” not “their angel!” As the Bible tells us the angels are used by God as messengers and helpers of mankind. It seems Jesus was just saying that all angels always see God’s face.
Now, back to the idea of a child-like belief as being referred to by Jesus, which would allow a child-like openness to believing the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are all exposed to the ideas of other members of mankind, many such belief system do not agree with the Biblical teaching. We may be persuaded to come to believe in teaching, which is not true, or is even sometimes just outright lies meant to confuse believers.
Ending this commentary on a loving note as next week ends with the celebration of Saint Valetine’s Day and allows us to think of being a loving individual and hoping to show our love to people who are special to us. Of course, Jesus has told us we must love everyone, even those people who have decided to be our enemies. "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45). Jesus is teaching us to be more like God our Father than like human beings who are not capable of showing no favoritism, because of our inherited sinful nature.
This coming week let us try to ask ourselves the question, “What would Jesus Do?” Especially when a situation may cause you to be upset by the action or reaction of someone you encounter.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NIV)
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 for ever.
Paul wrote about what Jesus had infused into his brain when Jesus had struck Saul down as he was walking one day. Saul AKA Paul was immediately born again and became aware of future events that Jesus burdened him with, which allowed Paul to write about events that will occur in the future, and allows believers know and believe these events recorded in our Bible by Paul.
This event has come to be known as Rapture! We believe that during this event Jesus will come down to this earth and remain in the clouds, He will not set foot on this earth but will remain in the sky hovering over the earth. Accompanying Jesus will be all those saints who accepted Jesus as their Savior and have already died and their souls have ascended into the heavenly realms, and they have been occupying the rooms prepared for them by Jesus! Paul wrote, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
This then is where the selected verse comes into this Rapture picture. As of today, this would include all believers who are awaiting Jesus to come down and Rapture us to fly up and meet Him in the sky, and then to accompany Him to a heavenly place. Then you (we) will occupy the room Jesus has prepared for you (us) in this heavenly holding place to wait for creation of the new earth AKA heaven! Are you ready to fly?
Heaven awaits all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Remember this promise from Jesus to all His followers during next week when we will have a day to express our love to a special person, and/or to family members on the day being dubbed Saint Valentine’s Day! Adding the word Saint gives the just another day a special meaning, which includes our Savior who is planning a special day for all believers, which is the day we will get to see Jesus Christ face-to-face! Now that is really a special day! Think of Jesus’ love for you when you express your love to your family members, or special friends on Saint Valentine’s Day!
Jesus prayed for His followers while He still walked this earth, but He also included you in that prayer. He included all true believers in His prayer. "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” (John 17:20-24).
Notice that the expression of “unity” and “that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.” And referring to the Rapture event, here Jesus is praying for unity that ends up with us being together with each other and then finally with Jesus. As Jesus prayed, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Satan has been successful to keep us separated by our formation of denominations in our worldly churches. This has caused confusion on the exact salvation plan requirements!
Jesus tried to simplify for us what is required and suggests a child-like approach. "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven." For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:10-11, NKJV). Jesus “may” even be referring to the possibility that we all have a Guardian Angel. However, I have not ascribed to this idea, mainly because it says, “their angels” not “their angel!” As the Bible tells us the angels are used by God as messengers and helpers of mankind. It seems Jesus was just saying that all angels always see God’s face.
Now, back to the idea of a child-like belief as being referred to by Jesus, which would allow a child-like openness to believing the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are all exposed to the ideas of other members of mankind, many such belief system do not agree with the Biblical teaching. We may be persuaded to come to believe in teaching, which is not true, or is even sometimes just outright lies meant to confuse believers.
Ending this commentary on a loving note as next week ends with the celebration of Saint Valetine’s Day and allows us to think of being a loving individual and hoping to show our love to people who are special to us. Of course, Jesus has told us we must love everyone, even those people who have decided to be our enemies. "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45). Jesus is teaching us to be more like God our Father than like human beings who are not capable of showing no favoritism, because of our inherited sinful nature.
This coming week let us try to ask ourselves the question, “What would Jesus Do?” Especially when a situation may cause you to be upset by the action or reaction of someone you encounter.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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