Midnight Cry

Here are the lyrics:

I hear the sound
Of a mighty rushing wind
And it’s closer now
Than It’s ever been.

I can almost hear the trumpet
And Gabriel sound the chord
At the Midnight Cry
We’ll be going home.

Chorus:
When Jesus steps out
On a cloud to call his children
The dead in Christ shall rise
To meet him in the air.
And then those that remain
Shall be quickly changed
At the midnight cry
When Jesus comes again

I look around me
I see prophecies fufilling
And signs of the times
They’re appearing everywhere
I can almost hear the father
As he says
“Son go get your children.”
At the midnight cry
The Bridge of Christ will rise.

Midnight Cry REPEAT CHORUS and Tag Midnight Cry

Tag:
And then those that remain
Will be quickly changed
At the midnight cry
When Jesus comes again
At the midnight cry
When Jesus comes again
When Jesus comes again…

13 Things the Bible Shares Concerning Angels

1. Angels were created by God:

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished

Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

2. Angels were created to live for eternity:

Luke 20:36 ...nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Revelation 4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings.Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

3. Angels were present when God created the world:

Job 38:1-7 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: "...Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? ...while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"

4. Angels do not marry:

Matthew 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

5. Angels are wise and intelligent:

2 Samuel 14:17 Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’

Daniel 9:21-22 ...while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding."

6. Angels have knowledge of, and interest in, the affairs of men:

Daniel 10:14 "Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."

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

7. Angels are faster than men:

Daniel 9:21 ... while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

8. Angels are spiritual beings:

Psalm 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.

Ephesians 3:10 ... to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places ...

9. Some angels are invisible:

Job 4:15-18 Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair on my body stood up. It stood still, But I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying: ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? If He puts no trust in His servants, If He charges His angels with error ...

10. Angels are not meant to be worshipped:

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

11. Angels have a will:

Isaiah 14:12-14 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."

Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

12. Angels are subject to Christ:

1 Peter 3:22 ... who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

13. Angels express emotions like joy and longing:

Job 38:7 ... while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

The image with this post is one of Gustave Dore's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy titled Paradiso Canto 31

Catch other 13s here.

Wordless: Verse 39

In the lower right quadrant of this image you can see the opening of a cave. This is one of the famed caves at Qumran. By the end of King Herod’s reign the Temple and the high priesthood were firmly under the control of the Sadducees. Many Jews were soon fed up with their system and went to the desert to live according to God’s law as they interpreted it….One of the communities in the desert wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls that were eventually found in 1947.

You can view other wordless images here.

For a listing of Bible passages that refer to the Sadducees see this page,

The Beatitudes in Two Views

Not too long ago I was given a slip of paper in Sunday school where two views of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-11) was provided. The painting provided with this post is Jesus giving his sermon on the Mount of Olives by Simon Gustave Dore in 1865 taken from this site where you can find more information regarding the Beatitudes and their interpretation.


1. Jesus: Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
The World: Blessed are the rich and famous, for they will be recognized as important people.

2. Jesus: Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.
The World: Blessed are people who party, for they will enjoy life to the fullest.

3. Jesus: Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.
The World: Blessed are the aggressive, for they will inherit the earth.

4. Jesus: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be
filled.
The World: Blessed are people who do their own thing, for they will find personal fulfillment

5. Jesus: Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.
The World: Blessed are those who take care of number one, for they don’t need to worry about anyone else.

6. Jesus: Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.
The World: Blessed are the wheelers and dealers, for they are winners in this dog-eat dog world.

7. Jesus: Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.
The World: Blessed are those who do not get involved in other people’s problems, for they will not get caught in the middle.

8. Jesus: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of
heaven is theirs.
The World: Blessed are those who don’t rock the boat, for everyone will like them.

Was It a Morning Like This?

Good Friday

I Peter 3:18-22:

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm. In that state He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while an ark was being prepared; in it, a few—that is, eight people —were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now that He has gone into heaven, He is at God's right hand, with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to Him.

Wordless: Verse 38

These are a recreation of Herod’s Three Towers that were built along Jerusalem’s western wall. Each tower was given a specific name, but today they no longer exist. Find out more information including each tower's name here.

We learn about Herod’s Palace through the writings of Josephus, Strabo, Dio Cassius, and through Jewish literature.

An article regarding the archeology of the site is here

You can find other wordless images here.

The Potter's Hand

Many thanks to the reader that put this song in my head for Monday Music. Here is a version sung by the song's composer Darlene Zschech, as well as more information on Hillsong music and Darlene Zschech herself.

The Lord Always Has a Plan

As my tagline up above states my intention with taking over the writing at this site was to focus on the geography, writing, and history of the Bible. I also wanted to use the site as my own forum to study the Bible in relation to current times.

I also see this site as a mission field of sorts as it is a form of communication where people arrive as they are looking for all sorts of things on the Internet. My site meter indicates several visitors have stopped and stayed for a bit. Perhaps I’ve written something that has answered a question, proven a point for them, or informed them in some other way.

Recently in the sidebar I placed a link for readers who have questions regarding how to become a Christian. My private email is also available for readers who want to contact me but don’t want to leave a public message.

The other day a reader did just that….she sent me a private email to let me know that she had found my site at a time when she needed a lift. Originally she instituted a Google search for “the Bible in 50 words”, and that’s how she found my post on the subject. I originally posted it because I thought it was cute, and I didn’t want to lose it. Then my reader saw where I had begun to post Monday Music and she clicked on Chris Tomlin’s version of Amazing Grace. I’ll be honest here…..I began posting “Monday Music” as a way to have post that I didn’t have to write, and one where I could relive a bit of music we had sung at chuch the day before. My motives were purely selfish.

God had a plan at work the whole time.

Then my emailer wrote:

You see there is a young woman at our church that is in the hospital and needs every bit of prayer than anyone and everyone could offer up to the Lord on her behalf. Her name is R., and she has three little girls. She has Addison’s and was in the hospital last year as well. You can find more information about Addison’s here.

R. was admitted to the hospital Friday for more testing, and her father is asking for folks to pray specifically for:

1. wisdom for the doctors to get to the bottom of her problems
2. protection and safety while in the hospital
3. protection when the spinal tap for fluids is done
4. strength for the husband and other family members
5. a stopping of the onslaught of the enemy
6. provision for all the needs
7. especially for the children being moved here and there and separated from mom and dad

I believe God has another plan. He wants me to pray for R., and I have.

I will continue to pray for her.

I invite you to pray for R. as well. Why?

Because God has a plan. Perhaps it is the very reason why you are reading this at this very minute.

You were meant to.

I started this post recapping my plans regarding the focus of this site. I’m sure you would agree with me that God often moves through our selfishness when we least expect it. He certainly has in this instance. It would seem that I need to focus on the prayer aspect a bit more around here as well.

I invite you to leave prayer requests and praises in the comment section if you have a mind to, and I plan to build a link into the sidebar here for those types of request in the future.

Carnivals for the Weekend

The newest edition of the Georgia Carnival is up for your reading pleasure over at Shelbinator.com.

The Christian Carnival midway is also open over at Fish and Cans

13 Answers to the Question "Where Can I Find..." in the Bible

Someone has died.

Someone wonders how to pray.

Someone wants to know why our sins should be confessed.

Each and every day we are faced with questions regarding how to live our lives. God has given us instructions regarding choices in life and how to make them if we just take the time to read His word.
It can be a little daunting if you don’t know where to look. You find yourself snapping your fingers and saying, “Hey, where’s that section in the Bible about…?”

To help you out here are 13 “hot topic” passages we all need every now and then.

1. The Ten Commandments Exodus 20

2. The reasurance chapter Joshua 1

3. The faithfulness of God chapter Joshua 14

4. The shepherd chapter Psalm 23

5. The confession of sin Psalm 51

6. The praise of God Psalm 103

7. The Word of God Psalm 119

8. The wisdom chapter Proverbs 8

9. The virtuous woman chapter Proverbs 31

10. The majesty of God chapter Isaiah 40

11. The great invitation chapter Isaiah 55

12. The Beatitudes chapter Matthew 5

13. The Lord’s Prayer chapter Matthew 6

Hope this helps a little……other 13s can be found here

Wordless: Verse 37

This is a Rembrandt and is titled The Evangelist Peter Inspired by an Angel. I wrote about inspired scripture yesterday and included another Rembrandt image of Paul writing in his jail cell.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. You can see other images here

Inspired Scripture

I graduated from a private, non-denominational high school. At the time I attended Woodward they still had a bording program. Students from all over the United States attended my school as well as many students from foreign countries including France, England, Iran, Aruba, Brazil, and Germany. There were also many immigrant students from China, Vietnam, and India. Needless to say it was not only a diverse student population based on country of origin, but it was also quite a diverse population based on religion as well. I learned many things about Judaism, Hinduism, Buddism, the Muslim religion and various denominations of Christianity.

While all of this exposure was a great thing to broaden my base of knowledge in relating to people with cultural and religious viewpoints that differed from mine, there was one aspect of my education that really challenged my personal framework of beliefs. I took a required course regarding the history of the Bible. The course was taught by our school chaplain. It was not meant to be a course that would entice students to convert to Christianity. It was to be an overview of the Bible as a source of literature and history. Looking back on it now and based on what I know about the delivery of curriculum the chaplain did a great job, and I really did enjoy all of the information I learned about the Bible during the course.

What bothered me and what really made me wrestle for quite some time regarding what I believe about the Bible was the fact that for all of my Sunday School attendance, and for all of the Godly people in my path growing up I was astounded that I didn’t know more of what I was learning in my Bible course. New knowledge of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Gnostics confused me. I was shocked Jews couldn’t agree on what they believed. I learned about the Bible specifically from how it was put together over many hundreds of years, and how over time certain things were included and certain things were left out that had at one time been counted as scripture by Jews and early Christians alike including the Apostle Paul.

It was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that a group of men hundreds of years ago had sat around a table and had decided for me what I would read in my Bible and what I wouldn’t. They decided what fit and didn’t fit. I was amazed to learn that the Bible as I held in my hand didn’t just appear one day all written, all together, for men to read, learn, and enjoy. Now put my feelings of shock and awe next to the context of what was going on in the United States at the time……the aftermath of Vietnam, Watergate, and an ever growing distrust of anyone in authority….and you can understand why in my young mind I felt a conspiracy of some sort had transpired.

During the Bible course I learned about the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Geneva Bible. I learned that before the printing press was in use scribes would print out the Bible by hand and often some scribes would make a mistake or include an addition of text that was not there previously. I learned that for approximately the first three hundred years of the Christian Church there was no standard Bible like I have today, and the main purpose for Paul’s letters was an attempt to encourage and instruct various churches that might have misconceived ideas regarding Christianity. There was no uniformity and over time some pagan practices were remixed, revamped, and repackaged into Christian tradition.

By the end of the course I had new knowledge, but the new knowledge had greatly confused and clouded my old knowledge. As many do I could have just left it at that and decided that the Bible was just some form of manipulation the Church used to control a group of people. I could have left things alone and bought in to the belief that the Bible is just a manmade compilation of myths and fairytales. I could have taken the idea that the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is nothing more than a historical record of a particular people attempting to create an indentity for themselves on the world stage.

I didn’t though.

It took me several years and quite a bit of study to make sense of historical facts and myths to arrive at what I believe today.

The other day at church we got into a discussion regarding II Timothy 3:16 which states, All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in rightousness. Memories of my confusion and angst regarding my beliefs came back to me. No, I no longer have doubts. I do believe as Paul stated that all Scripture (Old and New Testament) are inspired by God meaning that the Lord breathed the words through the author’s bodies.

Many scholars confirm that at the time Paul wrote II Timothy he was in Mamertine Prison in Rome. They also agree that when he refers to Scripture he is not referring to the Bible I have in my possession. The approximate date of writing for II Timothy was A.D. 67 and there was no established New Testament being handed out on street corners. In fact, it would not be until the year A.D. 393 when the Council of Hippo, one of many, many Church synods, approved an official canon of Scripture that included Old and New Testament writings. The Scripture the Council of Hippo approved parallels with the Roman Catholic text known today and included the Apocrypha. There were synods before the one at Hippo and many, many more in the years that followed each one setting precident regarding church doctrine, Scripture, etc.

In his letter Paul reminds Timothy to harken back to his childhood and hold fast to the Scripture he learned at the side of his mother and grandmother. Based only on a historical timeline Paul had to be referring to the Old Testament and in particular the Septuagint which included the Pentateuch or Torah and books that are referred to as the Apocrypha which are now included in the Roman Catholic canon but not the Protestant. The Alexandrian text was widely used by the time of Jesus and afterward for study and worship. It would not be until around A.D. 100 when Jerusalem rejected the Greek language of the Septuagint, the Apocryphal books, and the books of Daniel and Esther as well. As a student of Gamaliel, Paul would have been very familiar with the Septuagint and the Hebrew text as well. However, I have found no scholarly mention that Paul ever quoted from any book included in the Apocrypha even though those books were considered to be Scripture at the time Paul was writing his various letters. Protestants do not include apocryphal books in their canon for many reasons, but the main one that works for me is the writings are not referenced by Jesus, Paul, or any other New Testament author such as James or Luke, even though some of them were known.

So, does this mean because the New Testament was not yet in use it cannot be included in Paul’s description of inspired scripture? I don’t believe so.

The other day I was helping my daughter with her American Government homework, and we were looking at the Preamble of the Constitution. In particular we were discussing the word posterity within the line … and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. I was explaining to my daughter that of all the language written in the Constitution those words stir me the most because our Founding Fathers were inspired enough to look forward two hundred , three hundred, dare I say five hundred years into the future knowing that Americans would still be using the Constitution for guidance and as our government playbook. Not only were they thinking of themselves as they tried to work their way out of the mire the Articles of Confederation had caused they also were thinking of me, my grandchildren. They were thinking of future generations.

Paul addressed the letter to Timothy and even pointedly gave him specific instructions, but Paul knew that Timothy would read the letter to his church and knew that the letter would be recopied and passed along to other groups. Since I believe that Paul was divinely inspired I know that he had to realize his letters would become missives that would be passed along from Christian to Christian, from church to church, and over time would be available for posterity by becoming part of Scripture….Scripture that is indeed inspired by God.

The painting with this post is called St. Paul in Prison by Rembrandt. It was painted in 1627.

Agnus Dei

This week’s Monday Music is Agnus Dei performed by the band Third Day. Agnus Dei is a Latin term and refers to the holy lamb or Jesus Christ.



The lyrics are:

Alleluia, Alleluia
For our Lord God Almighty reigns
Alleluia, Alleluia
For our Lord God Almighty reigns
Holy, Holy

Are You Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb
You are Holy
Holy

Are You Lord God Almighty
Worthy Is the Lamb
Worthy Is the Lamb

Amen

Holy, You are holy
King of kings, Lord of lords
You are holyHoly, you are holy
King of kings, Lord of lords
I worship you

Wordless: Verse 36

The title of this painting is The Flood. The artist is Johann Henrich Schonfeld who lived between 1609 and 1684. He was a German who painted during the Baroque period.

The Biblical passage this image is linked to is Genesis 7.

You can find out more about Schonfeld in this Time Magazine article.

Enjoy other wordless images here.

My Redeemer Lives!

Hard to believe that Monday has rolled around again. This song performed by Nicole C. Mullen has wonderful lyrics, and this slideshow ‘s images are awesome.

Ah, the Weekend and the Living Is Easy: NOT!

The Georgia Blog Carnival is up over at Georgia on My Mind. It’s the perfect combination of great reads! I hope I get my usual time over the weekend to peruse in depth all of the submissions, but this is a busy weekend for me.

Why is it busy?

I’m an innkeeper this weekend. Go read the intro to the Georgia Carnival and discover why. One thing is for certain....it’s very difficult to keep 8 female guests supplied with enough towels and toilet paper to get them through their day and evening. Last night at bedtime (2 a.m.) two of our toilets flushed continuously for 30 minutes…I kid you not! Also, don’t believe that hogwash regarding how teen boys eat more than girls. This evening they plowed through an entire stock pot full of chili and since last evening I’ve already thrown away six empty 2-liter drink bottles not to mention a gallon-sized milk jug that was full this time last night. Don’t get me wrong….for all my fussing I’ve enjoyed being their host. The whole situation has proven to me though that I will never be a hotel mogul.

Have a great rest of the weekend. I have to go on a reconnaissance mission regarding toilet paper and fold more towels. I’ll post more about DNow later.

A portion of this post also appears at History Is Elementary.

UPDATE: 6-16-08.....I received a CD with pictures from the D-Now weekend. Many of the girls pictured in this slideshow were guests in our home over the weekend. You can access the slideshow by heading here.