Just a Guy and his Journey Back to God

Send us Fan Mail Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. Revelation 11:19 What did John see when the Temple was opened? Was it a God that was angry? Ready to send people to their doom? No, instead it was the ark of His covenant! Spurgeon wr...

Send us Fan Mail He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Revelation 10:9-11 The...

Send us Fan Mail The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent Revelation 9:20 John MacArthur writes about this age: "There is a sense in which the present age is man’s day; he is free to do what he wants within certain limitations. It is also Satan’s day, during which the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4) has been granted certain liberties within the parameters o...

Send us Fan Mail Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Revelation 8:3-4 Charles Spurgeon states the prayers of the saints and the about the...

Send us Fan Mail After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:  “Salvation belongs to our God,  who sits on the throne,  and to the Lamb.” Revelati...

Send us Fan Mail While I didn't want to get into interpretations and a review of the symbolism found in Revelation, this explanation of the next 10 chapters is very helpful. I found it in Preaching the Word Commentary and I hope it's as helpful to you as it was to me.  The author starts by asking how do Christians persevere when persecuted savagely? He discusses many examples and comes t...

Send us Fan Mail Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”...

Send us Fan Mail To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever! Revelation 5:13 In chapter 5 and previous ones, we've read about the elders who fall on their faces and praise the Lord constantly. We read about the creatures of heaven flying and proclaiming God's majesty. It all leads me to wonder, why don't I? Why do I keep...

Send us Fan Mail “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,  for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 "... and by your will they were created and have their being!" God created us. We exist because He wants us to exist. Saint Augustine is quoted, "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our heart...

Send us Fan Mail These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Revelation 3:1 I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8 that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are luk...

Send us Fan Mail I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Revelation 3:1 I know your deeds. Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Revelation 3:15 So often, I think the sin I'm committing is unseen by anyone. The thought or action may be hidden from others, but the one person it isn't hidden from is Jesus. As He says in this...

Send us Fan Mail Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. Revelation 1:17 Charles Spurgeon makes an important point about one of Jesus's initial instructions to John when He said, "Fear not." Spurgeon wrote, ""Fear not" is a plant which grows very plentifully in God’s garden. If you look through the lily beds of Scripture you will continually f...

Send us Fan Mail AW Tozer states about Revelation, "The book of Revelation is apocalyptic. The original Greek title of this book referred to the “Apocalypse,” meaning “unveiling” of things known to God. The book’s symbolic imagery is meant to comfort—not confuse —its readers. "The Revelation is a great book because it is the revelation of Jesus Christ! It is not, as some suppose, a book...

Send us Fan Mail At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:3-5 Charles Spurgeon says, "If you have judged yoursel...

Send us Fan Mail Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Titus 2:2 The book of Titus is quickly becoming a favorite of mine because of its straight forward method of teaching. Chapter 2 lays out some basic actions we as believers need to strive towards, regardless of our age, sex or situation.  AW Tozer reminds us to th...

Send us Fan Mail AW Tozer provides the below introduction of Titus: "Titus was a Greek who was brought by Paul to Jerusalem (Gal 2:1–3), where he became an example of Paul’s mission to bring the gospel message to the Gentiles. Titus probably traveled with Paul on his third missionary journey years later; Paul sent him to Corinth, even entrusting him to deliver what we know as 2 Corinthians (s...

Send us Fan Mail To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 3 John 1:1 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 3 John 1:3 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 3 John 1:9 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone —and even by the truth itself. 3 John...

Send us Fan Mail Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 2 John 1:3 The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary explain this verse in this way: grace ... mercy ... peace—" Grace " covers the sins of men; " mercy ," their miseries. Grace must first do away with man's guilt before his misery can be...

Send us Fan Mail For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 1 John 5:7-8 This verse has generally left me scratching my head over the years. I didn't understand the symbolism of the water, blood and Spirit. I'd heard a number of sermons over time, but they left me still mostly just a little less confused. I struggled with how wa...

Send us Fan Mail There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:18-19 AW Tozer comments on the above stating, "If you love somebody, really love him, you’ll want to be good to them and to do good to them. You’ll never want any harm to come to them if...

Send us Fan Mail See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have...

Send us Fan Mail My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 As Charles Spurgeon preached, "The Apostle John presents us with a very clear and emphatic testimony...

Send us Fan Mail First John, like many other letters in the New Testament, tackles the issue of false teaching. Heresy at its root is a denial of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although the letter does not disclose its author, Greek and Latin church fathers consistently identified the author as the apostle John, the son of Zebedee and author of the Gospel of John. The letter includes no salutation; m...

Send us Fan Mail Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and t...

Send us Fan Mail Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly. Hebrews 13:22 The author of Hebrews is summing up the book. As the ESV Commentary states: "Up to this point the “word of exhortation” (13:22) has been structured as a sermon expounding a series of OT passages in order to show Jesus as superior to the offices...