Hi!  This is Eric.  I have recovered from the medical procedure I had, thank the Lord.  I trust you have enjoyed the posts my son, Steve, daughter-in-law, Hope, and my wife, Donna wrote as guest bloggers when I couldn't write.  It is good to be back.  Thank you for taking the time to read our teachings.  If you have a friend who would benefit from reading the posts,  feel free to share.  Praying the Lord will use His Word, spoken through me, to encourage and help you to build your faith to have victory over the challenges you will face in the days to come.

Acts 1:9-11 (NLT), "After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!"

Let's look at Luke 21:25-28 (NKJV) where Jesus told his disciples, "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

We read some good news in 1 Thessalonians 5:4 and 5 (NKJV), "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness."  The word for darkness in the Greek, skotos, means metaphorically, of moral and spiritual darkness.  We will be aware that the Day of His coming is drawing near.  People everywhere are beginning to sense that there is a shift taking place in the spiritual realm.  Note though that the exact time of His return is known only to the Father.  Matthew 24:36 (NASB20), ""But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

Reading further in Matthew 24:42-44 (NLT) we read, "So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."  We need to take, very seriously, the admonishment that we must keep watch and be ready at all times because His return will come unexpectedly.

Reading these scriptures leads us to ask, "What then, will take place when Jesus returns?"  We find our answer by reading 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 (NLT), "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever."  Read the last sentence again!  So, let me ask you, how important is it for us to Be Ready? There will be no "next time", no "re-do of that day!  Once He appears in the sky, the decision of what you were going to do with Jesus has already been made.  My heartfelt prayer is that you will have made the decision to live for Jesus.

Titus 2:11-14 (NLT), "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

There is an anticipation among many believers that we are living in the beginning of the last days. There are various beliefs concerning His coming and the 'catching up' of believers (known as some as the rapture) to be with Him.  However, the scripture foretells of an event which will take place before Jesus returns.  That event is the perfection or maturity of His church (His people).

Ephesians 5:25-27 declares that Jesus is looking for a glorious mature church.  The church (His bride) is to be glorious, without spot or wrinkle, holy (separated to God), and without blemish. What does it mean to be without spot, wrinkle, and blemish?  It means He desires us to be blameless.  How can that be accomplished?

There are a number of things we can do to help us to be blameless.  We must choose to live a godly obedient life.  Secondly, we must always seek Him first, as instructed in Matthew 6:33 (NLT), "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."  The Greek word used for 'seek' in this verse is zeteo, which means: to seek after, seek for, aim at, and strive after.  Then we read in Romans 12:1 and 2 that we are instructed to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God.  As we present our bodies to God, we are seeking to always do His will.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 and 13 reveals that as "we increase and abound in love for one another, He will establish our hearts, blameless in holiness before our God and Father!" 

Also, we see that Paul, Silas, and Timothy, in writing to the church in Thessalonica, prayed this in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NLT), "Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again."

The last action, I will mention today, that we can take to become blameless is found in 1 John 2:28 and 29 (NLT), "And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God's children."

Even though you and I have no control over the many signs we have been seeing that are taking place today, we do have control over drawing near to God.  James 4:8a (NLT) reveals, "Come close to God, and God will come close to you."

A mature believer is one who recognizes that this world is not their home.  This world and all that is in it, is only temporary.  Our citizenship is in heaven.

1 Peter 1:4 (NLT), "And we have a priceless inheritance--an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay."

2 Corinthians 5:2 (NLT), "We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing."

Philippians 3:20 (NLT), "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior."

Our attention needs to be on what is eternal, not temporary.  1 John 2:15-17 (NLT),"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."

Our goal then is to become more intimate with God through the fellowship we have with Him in His Word and prayer!

Be encouraged because we are assured of this truth: Jeremiah 29:13 (NASB20), "'And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

We are to be separate from the world with our sight being set on 'taking on' the nature of God.  2 Peter1:2-4 (NASB20), "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature (the holiness distinctive of the divine nature), having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust."

Then, we will be ready to join Him when He comes again!