He will send His angel before you.
Genesis 24:7

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 34:4-7

The blind songwriter, Fanny Crosby, wrote the words to “Blessed Assurance” after hearing the music her friend, Phoebe Knapp, had written. The second verse says: “Angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love.” This happens in two ways.

First, the angels we read about in the Bible thrill us. Consider the Nativity angels who brought the news of Christ’s birth and who proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14). Every Christmas, children around the world don angelic garb and repeat the thrilling news. Some of our favorite stories in the Bible involve these mysterious creatures called angels.

Second, angels are still active, ministering to us in ways that are usually beyond our ability to comprehend. Psalm 34:6-7 says, “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him” (NLT).

One of the ways God uses angels in our life is to strengthen and encourage us. Thank Him for the strength and encouragement He brings into our life every day in countless ways.

When you’re sleeping, children fair, angels keeping watch are there.
Matthias Barr

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But while [Joseph] thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:20

 Recommended Reading: Daniel 10:1-19

We have questions to ask and decisions to make; we pursue familiar biblical means of decision-making: prayer, biblical principles, counsel, and more. But one thing we don’t often consider is that God might use an angel to direct us.

Think of Joseph when he learned that his betrothed, Mary, was pregnant. A good man, Joseph intended to end the engagement quietly so as not to bring shame upon Mary. But an angel came to him in a dream and told him to go ahead with his marriage to Mary—because her pregnancy was of divine origin. That angelic message led Joseph to marry Mary and become the earthly father of Jesus. Or consider Daniel: For three weeks he prayed for understanding, and then an angel appeared and told him the delay was due to spiritual warfare in the heavenlies (Daniel 10).

Make allowance in your decision making for the ministry of angels. Directly or indirectly, seen or unseen, they are commissioned by God to help you.

Angels will never be kings. They will always be servants.
Andrew Bonar

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:16

 Recommended Reading: Genesis 1:1-5

In the world of physics, entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness. For example, if we fail to apply purposeful energy in our life or to our property, disorder and decay—entropy—increases. The opposite of entropy is purpose and design, sustained by the application of energy and power.

When God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), He did so ex nihilo—“out of nothing.” From chaos and darkness (Genesis 1:2), He brought forth order by His own design—the order we observe at all levels of creation. Paul summarizes God’s approach to everything by saying, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). God’s purpose is also reflected in His creation of angelic beings: angels, archangels, seraphim, cherubim, angels of the Lord, mighty ones, hosts of heaven, and more. 

Take comfort today that you serve a God of order and purpose and that includes the hierarchy of His angelic servants.

I meditate on the blessed obedience and order of angels, without which no peace could be in heaven, and oh that it might be so on earth!
Richard Hooker

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Luke 15:10

 Recommended Reading: Luke 15:8-10

Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch Christian, often spoke of salvation as the “decision that [makes] the angels sing.” Whenever she led someone to Christ, she was aware of rejoicing taking place in heaven.

Of the Gospel writers, Luke refers to angels most often. He relates Jesus’ parable of the woman finding her lost coin. She called her neighbors to rejoice with her. Jesus said, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (15:10, NIV).

Think of the moment you received Christ as your Savior. Perhaps you weren’t aware of it, but your decision was celebrated with joy and singing among the Lord and His angels.

Angels are intrigued by salvation and rejoice when a person accepts Christ as Savior. When anyone comes to Christ, let’s rejoice like the angels in heaven.

The angels of heaven rejoice over sinners that repent: saints of God, will not you and I do the same? I do not think the church rejoices enough. We all grumble enough and groan enough: but very few of us rejoice enough.
Charles Spurgeon

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
Psalm 119:18

 Recommended Reading: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Angels figure into the teachings and practice of every major religion. Thus the world is filled with ideas, definitions, and depictions of angels ranging from chubby cherubs to warriors to messengers—and they can’t all be accurate. So, as with all questions theological and practical, we turn first for answers to the authoritative Word of God.

As with the existence of God Himself, the Bible doesn’t spend time defining angels. Instead, the Bible takes the existence of angels for granted. That is, we learn about angels by noticing their roles and relationships with God and with people. The authors of Scripture may be surprised by the appearance of angels at times. But they are never surprised by their existence. Perhaps the best example of the assumption that angels exist is in Hebrews 13:2 where we are told that angels, appearing as humans, may walk among us. Only the Bible gives us such practical advice and examples about the reality of angels.

The Bible is not a book about angels, but it gives ample evidence concerning who and what they are. If you want to learn about angels, start with Scripture.

The Bible assumes, rather than asserts, the existence of angels, as it does the fact of God Himself.
C. T. Cook

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
Revelation 4:3

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 4:1-11

Solomon and Jesus Christ, the world’s two greatest teachers, used a figure of speech called the simile: the comparison of two unlike things by use of the words “like” or “as” (Proverbs 26:2; Matthew 13:45).

The apostle John also used the simile with great effect in Revelation. Because he saw so many sights in his vision that he couldn’t describe, he continually used “like” to paint a picture his readers could understand: “The first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking” (Revelation 4:1). When John saw God in His glory seated upon His throne, all he could write was that He was “like a jasper and a sardius stone.” And the rainbow circling His throne was “like an emerald.” The reflected brilliance of the “unapproachable light” in which God dwells (1 Timothy 6:16) can only be pictured by the brilliance of beautiful and precious stones.

The next time your eye is caught by the light of a precious stone, let your heart be caught by the glory of God.

Let us be exhorted to exalt God alone, and ascribe to him all the glory.
Jonathan Edwards

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.
Revelation 21:1

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 21:14-27

In 1897, the obituary of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) was published in a New York newspaper. The only problem was that Mark Twain was very much alive! He cleared up the confusion in a note written in May of that year: “James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine, was seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London, but is well now. The report of my illness grew out of his illness. The report of my death was an exaggeration.”

Sometimes an exaggeration doesn’t tell the whole story. That happened when the queen of Sheba heard what she considered to be outlandish reports of King Solomon’s glory in Jerusalem. When she visited the king, however, she found that Solomon’s kingdom exceeded what she had been told (1 Kings 10). Some people think what the Bible says about the new heavens and new earth is an exaggeration (for example, the lavish ornamentation described in Revelation 21:18-21). You may think God is exaggerating at times (Ephesians 3:20), but He’s not. Heaven will be like nothing you’ve ever seen.

There are no exaggerations in heaven, only truth beyond our earthly ability to comprehend.

Scripture repeatedly makes clear that heaven is a realm of unsurpassed joy, unfading glory, undiminished bliss, unlimited delights, and unending pleasures.
John MacArthur

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, “I am going to the Father.”
John 14:28

 Recommended Reading: Philippians 1:19-26

An old hymn says, “I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.” That song was on the mind of a man visiting the British expositor Martyn Lloyd-Jones who was dying of cancer. The great preacher had become too weak to speak, so he communicated by nodding his head or gesturing. The friend suggested Lloyd-Jones accept medications that would make him more comfortable, but Lloyd-Jones wanted nothing to dull his mind. The friend said he was grieved to see Lloyd-Jones lying there “weary and worn and sad.”

That was too much for Lloyd-Jones. Rousing himself, he mustered his energy and whispered: “Not sad! Not sad!”¹

Death can’t hold us in its grip when we know heaven awaits us. Jesus was speaking not only for Himself but for His followers when He said that if we loved Him, we would be glad that He was going to His Father. We naturally want to hold our loved ones close to us for as long as possible, but the Bible says that going to be with Jesus is “far better” (Philippians 1:23). Even at death’s door, we sorrow not as those who have no hope.

Do not hold me back from the glory.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones

1. Philip H. Eveson, Travel With Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Leominster, England, Day One Publications: 2004), 116.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:4

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 7:15-17

How would you define pain? Since 1968, the most widely used definition of pain in clinical settings is the one set forth by pain researcher Margo McCaffery: Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever and wherever the person says it does. In other words, no one can tell another person that they are not in pain. Pain is as unique as the individuals who profess to experience it.

Think about any pain you may be experiencing now—relational pain, physical pain, emotional pain, or spiritual pain. Regardless of the kind of pain you are experiencing now, it will “soon” be over. The Bible says that in the New Jerusalem “there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Whatever kind of pain you feel today, an eternal day is coming in which you will feel it no more if you live in the New Jerusalem. Every God-designed need and longing of the human spirit, soul, and body will be met completely in Christ.

Let today’s pain lead you to tomorrow’s pleasure in heaven.

The greatest good suffering can do for me is to increase my capacity for God.
Joni Eareckson Tada

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Matthew 6:18

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 6:1-5

One day the great Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo happened to overhear a group of people admiring his Pietà, a statue of Christ on His mother’s knees after His death on the Cross. One man attributed the work to another sculptor, much to the chagrin of Michelangelo, who took particular pride in the Pietà. Returning to the sculpture after dark that evening, Michelangelo carved his name on it so that no similar mistake would occur in the future.

Sometimes it’s hard not to want the recognition and admiration of those around us. Whether our gift is preaching or teaching, writing or singing, evangelism or leading, we must keep a godly perspective and motivation in everything we do. During His earthly ministry, Jesus certainly knew how to keep Himself from becoming entangled in the praises of men. He gave all the credit to His Father, for He knew His reward was waiting on the other side of the Cross.

If we fall into the trap of working or performing for the rewards of men, we are bound to miss out on our rewards in heaven. Is it worth losing eternal praise from God Himself to have but a moment of earthly glory?

He who merits praise he never receives is better off than he who receives praise he never merits.
Unknown

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
2 Corinthians 1:20

 Recommended Reading: 2 Peter 1:1-4

When the great pastor and hymnist Isaac Watts grew aged and sick, he had a visit from a friend. As they conversed, Watts spoke of once hearing a minister preach about “the same plain promises of the Gospel.” It was a phrase Watts liked. “And so I find it,” he told his friend. “They are the plain promises of the Gospel that are my support, and I bless God they are plain promises, which do not require much labour or pains to understand them, for I can do nothing now but look into my Bible for some promise to support me, and live upon that.”

God has given us His promises to use as a shepherd uses his rod and staff to support himself, as a house uses its foundation to remain solid, and as weary Jacob used a rock for a pillow and had dreams of heaven.

The Lord does not forget His promises. We can cling to them, but even better—we can rest in them. They will never fail.

I’ll read the histories of Thy love, and keep Thy laws in sight, while through the promises I rove, with ever fresh delight.
Isaac Watts

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Set your mind on things above.
Colossians 3:2

 Recommended Reading: 1 Timothy 6:17-19

One of Billy Graham’s oldest friends and trustees made his fortune with the Standard Oil Company. He was a humble man and very serious about God. He would often say, “Shine eternity into time, that the small things would remain small and the great things really great.”

Small things are those things in life that don’t translate to the other side. Great things do. They’re the things you take to heaven with you—the Word of God and other people.

Can you think of anything worse than pouring your life into something that is going to perish in a few months or a few years? Jesus warned, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t provide for our future financial needs or care for our loved ones. The Bible tells us to be wise stewards and be prudent with worldly goods. But we should take a look at our lives and see if our activities, interests, habits, and hobbies align with the eternal.

Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.
C. T. Studd

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But there is a God in heaven.
Daniel 2:28

 Recommended Reading: Daniel 2:16-23

Day by day, the world is unraveling, becoming more frayed and afraid, more unstable and unsteady. We hear of wars and rumors of war, of false christs, of famines, of earthquakes, and of pestilences. Nations are rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. Christians are attacked and slain at an accelerated pace. But there is a God in heaven.

We needn’t pace the floor at night or run around in a frenzy. We shouldn’t faint, fear, or fret. There is a God in heaven.

Daniel, too, lived in a churning world of change, empires rising and falling. His own nation, Israel, was wiped off the earth like a stain. But Daniel’s spirit remained steady because he understood the sovereign providence of the God of heaven. “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,” he wrote, “for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings…. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men” (Daniel 2:20-21; 4:17).

In the Last Days perilous times will come, but there is a God in heaven—and if you know Christ as Savior, this God is your God. He rules and reigns, and our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15).

Nothing is too big for [God] to handle, and nothing is too small to escape His attention.
Jerry Bridges

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But I will see you again and your heart will rejoice.
John 16:22

 Recommended Reading: Habakkuk 3:3-6

German sculptor Heinrich Dannecker had a reputation early in his career for sculpting beautiful Greek goddesses. But as he got older, he felt he needed to pour all of his strength, talent, and time into a masterpiece; so he set out to sculpt a representation of Christ. It took three tries before he was satisfied with his carving, and it turned out to be so beautiful that when people laid eyes upon it, they could do nothing but love and adore. Hearing of Dannecker’s expertise, Napoleon desired to commission a carving of Venus for the Louvre, to which Dannecker replied, “Sir, the hands that carved Christ can never again carve a heathen goddess.”

For centuries, artists such as Dannecker have been creating beautiful portrayals of Christ that have both inspired and comforted people. But are we really capable of imagining what the risen Savior will look like? Even the most glorious of sculptures and paintings can only depict His human image; they cannot come close to showing the beauty, majesty, love, and perfection we will see on that glorious day when our Lord and Savior returns.

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf in springtime.
Martin Luther

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation 1:3

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 1:1-7

There’s an old story about a preacher who showed up early for a speaking engagement. Looking around, he noticed a moneybox on the wall. He made a five-dollar contribution to it, thinking it was for the poor. After the service, his host walked him to the door and took the money from the box. “This is where our people contribute to the visiting preacher,” said the man, “and you’ve done better than most. Look, here’s a five-dollar bill.” Later the man told the story to his family. “Dad,” observed his son, “if you had put more into it, you would have gotten more out of it!”

The book of Revelation is like that. The more we put into studying it, the more we’ll get out of it. At first glance, Revelation seems like a complicated book. Many feel they can’t understand it. But its broad outlines are relatively simple, and with repeated study it becomes a blessing. Revelation is meant to be understood, and it offers rich blessings to those who take the time to mine its truths.

It is true of all parts of the Bible that they study it best who come feeling that they are on holy ground.
R. H. Boll

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Matthew 5:18

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11

There have been quite a few wrong predictions in history. In 1901 Wilbur Wright said that man would not fly for fifty years. Henry Ford’s banker was told by a lawyer, “The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.” The manager of the Grand Ole Opry fired Elvis Presley and said, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son.” And a Los Angeles surgeon said, “For the majority of people, the use of tobacco has a beneficial effect.”

Just as the Wright brothers, Henry Ford, Elvis, and the medical community were not afraid to go forward with their visions based upon a skeptic’s opinion, Christians should never be afraid of what critics are saying regarding biblical prophecy. We know that the Bible is infallible and does not contain a single incorrect prophecy; listening to critics should only increase our faith that God will bring His prophecies to pass.

As more and more people try to put down and pick apart what the Bible says will happen in the future, we need to strengthen our faith in the inerrancy of Scripture and believe wholeheartedly that it is true to the letter.

You have to take Bible prophecy literally, just like everything else in the Bible.
Tim LaHaye

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And I saw thrones…. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 40:9-11

No, the “William Tell Overture” (the theme music for the 1950s TV show, The Lone Ranger) was not written by a musician named William Tell. It is the overture, or prelude, to Guillaume Tell (William Tell), an opera in four acts by Gioacchino Rossini, first performed in Paris in 1829.

An overture, or prelude, is an introduction. It precedes that which it introduces, and while important, it is less important than that which it precedes. In that way, the thousand-year Millennium is a prelude to heaven. The Millennium is very important for a number of reasons. It allows God’s promises to Israel to be fulfilled on earth; it rewards those who have been faithful during the Tribulation. It allows justice, peace, and righteousness to fill the earth. It allows Christ to reign on the throne of David, and it prepares for the final judgment of Satan. But the Millennium is not heaven. It is only a foretaste of the glories that will last forever in the eternal state.

If the blessings of the Millennium seem exciting, remember—it’s only a thousand-year prelude to the eternal blessing to come.

We must live and work in the world. Yet we do so as people who know that they are on their way home, and anticipate the joy of return and arrival.
Alister McGrath

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:2

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 20:1-6

When we entered the new millennium 23 years ago, millennium became a popular word. The United Nations came up with its Millennium Development Goals. Chicago boasts its Millennium Park. Numerous businesses have included this word in their titles, such as Millennium Records, Millennium Bank, and Millennium Media.

But the real Millennium is coming—a thousand years of world peace when Satan will be bound, Jesus Christ will reign, and righteousness will rule. The Bible teaches that after the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will physically return to this planet. He will defeat His enemies and set up His Kingdom on earth. And He will reign on the earth for a thousand years. During this time all the promises of the Old Testament concerning the Kingdom will be fulfilled with the redeemed Jews living in their homeland in peace and prosperity.

Too often we overlook the first verses of Revelation 20. But we should long for that day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God!

The Millennium will be the time when there will be the full manifestation of the glory, the power and the will of God over this earth.
J. Vernon McGee

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.
Revelation 11:4

 Recommended Reading: Revelation 11:1-6

Beginning with the classic TV series featuring fictional defense attorney Perry Mason, there has been no shortage of courtroom-based dramas. People who have never set foot in a courtroom are thoroughly versed in the procedures and principles of a trial—including the role of the character witness.

A character witness is someone called to establish the believability of a defendant. But often the opposing attorney will call a witness to discredit the reputation of the character witness, hoping to make his testimony unreliable, unbelievable, or irrelevant. If the character witness cannot be trusted, neither can his testimony. God will call two witnesses “to the stand” during the Tribulation to testify for Him—and their character will be beyond reproach. Moses and Elijah will return to the prophetic stage and bear witness to God’s message of judgment on the earth. They are as life-giving as an olive tree and light-giving as a lampstand.

The Bible is filled with witnesses to the words and works of God—witnesses who have never been proved wrong, witnesses you can trust.

Scripture is not only human witness to God, it is also divine self-testimony.
J. I. Packer

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10

 Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

In the 1995 film that dramatized the story of the near disaster during the Apollo 13 mission, a member of NASA’s Houston team said to Gene Kranz, mission commander, “This could be the worst disaster NASA’s ever faced.” Kranz replied, “With all due respect, sir, I believe this is going to be our finest hour.” And it was.

We tend to think of victories as life’s finest hours, but the opposite is often true. Trials and tribulations call forth faith, perseverance, prayer, and creativity in ways that victory never will. Thankfully, the Church will not be on earth during the seven years of the Tribulation to come. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be increased persecution and a need for perseverance leading up to that hour. In any kind of tribulation we experience, the Christian can have his finest hour by God’s grace. The apostle Paul took pleasure in persecutions for Christ’s sake, knowing that when he was weakest was when God’s grace was strongest.

If you are experiencing trouble, ask God for the grace to make it your finest hour.

The weakness of man sets the stage for the display of God’s strength.
Janet Wise

https://www.davidjeremiah.org