Thought for December 2, 2023

  •  1697: St. Paul's Cathedral in London dedicated
  • 1804: Napoleon crowned Emperor of France
  • 1823: Monroe Doctrine presented
  • 1859: John Brown hanged
  • 1901: King Gillette begins selling safety razor blades
  • 1927: First Model A sold [$385]
  • 1942: First self-sustaining nuclear reaction--Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago
  • 1969: First public preview of the Boeing 747
  • 1970: Environmental Protection agency begins operating
  • Born: George Seurat, Charles Ringling, Maria Callas, Alexander Haig, Dan Jenkins [sports author], Ed Meese, Gianni Versace, Ann Patchett, Monica Seles, Brtiney Spears, Aaron Rogers
  • Died: Herman Cortes, Marquis de Sade, John Ringling, Desi Arnaz, Aaron Copeland, Charlotte Tucker [missionary to India]
Aaron Copeland wrote one of my favorites--"Fanfare for the Common Man." I have urged you before to Google it and play it to start your day--it makes me think of the creation. Written for the Cincinnati Symphony for the 1942-43 season in tribute to those fighting in the war. It has twice been the wake-up music for the Space Shuttle; played at the dedication of the 9/11 memorial on May 15, 2014; played at Independence Hall where Pope Francis gave a speech on religious freedom from the lectern used by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg; Arnold Palmer's funeral. Someone has called it "a piece that feels like it was written by God." Awesome!

Thought:
Chapters 4-5 of Revelation are transitional. Recall that chapter 3 ends with Jesus standing at the door and knocking. Chapter 5 starts with an open door. And Jesus invites us to come and see what must take place. Reminds me of the invitation from the angel at the tomb, Come and see the place where He was lying. [Matthew 28:6]. Just as Jesus invited us to see that He is not dead, but risen victorious, now He invites us to see what must take place. Think about that. Jesus does not want us to be uniformed. Yes, we live by faith and not by sight so we may not understand or grasp all that He is revealing to us. But notice the first thing He wants us to know--He is on the throne! We can move into today and tomorrow because He is on the throne. He reigns in victory. The one who promised to return is sitting with all power and authority. Nothing can prevent His return and the fulfillment of all His promises.
  • You need to be in the Spirit to comprehend the things of God. Flesh and blood will not reveal these things--the Holy Spirit guides into all truth, teaches us all things, reminds of all Jesus said. John was in the Spirit when he received this message. I wonder why God does not reveal more to me---maybe because I have not allowed the Holy Spirit to have complete reign in my life. Surrendered totally to the Spirit, God reveals Himself. 
  • There is only One sitting on the throne. There are not several sitting here--Mohammad is not sitting there, nor is Confucius, not Buddha, nor Joseph Smith, nor Mary Baker Eddy. There is one and only One sitting on the throne.
  • The One is radiant. Jasper is said to be the modern diamond by some; others translate the word as jade, emerald or green quartz. It represents holiness and glory. It is the last stone on the breastplate of the high priest and the first stone mentioned in the foundation of the New Jerusalem [Rev. 21:20] Sardius is usually said to be red, carnelian, ruby or red quartz. It symbolizes judgment, justice, wrath. It is the first jewel on the high priest breastplate and the 6th stone in New Jerusalem. What does this tell us. The One is the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the foundation of our faith and everything is built on, by and for Him. His character is holiness, His appearance is glory, He is just and the judge---and His wrath will be on the unrighteous. 
So what does Revelation 4:1-3 mean for me today. No matter what is going on, Jesus is on His throne. He reigns in holiness and glory. He is coming in judgment. So I have hope, I have confidence, I have a future--because the Jesus who loves me reigns--He is the King of glory. 

Blessings
Larry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more