YOUR LIVING WORD

 

Jesus of Nazareth by Greg Collins

I stand in awe of Your sacrifice

And Your soul’s pain;

The body freely given

For nothing of You to remain.

 

I ache, I ache,

Knowing the cost;

Then I read Your living word

And I am comforted

Knowing nothing is lost.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

ON SUCCESS

 

Feast Upon the Word by Liz Lemon Swindle

“Success in righteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance in our daily lives, healing of the soul – These are but a few of the promises the Lord has given to those who will come to His word.

“Does the Lord promise and not fulfill? Surely if He tells us that these things will come to us if we lay hold upon His word, then the blessings can be ours. And if we do not, then the blessings may be lost. However diligent we may be in other areas, certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it as we make our way through the mists of darkness to the tree of life.”

-          President Ezra Taft Benson, “The Power of the Word”, Ensign May 1986, p 82

There are two things in particular amongst the promises here that I want to remark on. The first is deception which I am seeing is increasing in the world today at an alarming rate, especially amongst the younger generation that has been largely raised in the lap of luxury. So blinded are many of them that they deny their blessings and believe in lies that are being spread amongst them. They have come to believe the country of plenty they have been raised in is the worst country in the world, not the countries that people  have been fleeing for a better life for years on end.

Another type of deception can creep upon us. It’s the deception we are tempted to fall into when we are going through trials and any opposition to happiness we feel we are entitled to in this life. I have learnt through this difficult stage of illness I am going through that my thoughts and convictions can be distorted hourly and even daily and deception about God’s goodness and His ability to care and save starts to set in. Time and time again, the scriptures have brought me back to sanity and truth and enabled me to see my life and myself more clearly. It has given me strength and a will to carry on. To this I testify.

This in turn brings me to the healing of my soul, the other blessing I wanted to comment on. Whenever emotions of opposition strike, they damage the soul within. If this damage is not addressed on daily basis, it festers and grows until our outlook on life itself sets in unfavourable dimensions. Turning to the word of God daily repairs the tears in the fabric of our spirituality. This comes through the administration of the Holy Ghost. When we feel His presence, the healing comes to the innermost recesses of our spirit that no one else can reach. To this also I testify.

President Benson asked, “Does the Lord promise and not fulfil?” One year I studied the Book of Mormon and wrote in the margins the Saviour’s characteristics that I came across. When I finished and looked back, I found two of them on just about every page, that the Lord is merciful and that He always fulfils His promises.  In fact I realised the prophets of the Book of Mormon wrote their history to be a witness of this truth. One such reference to this is: “Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled.” (Mosiah 21:4).

The Lord himself has testified to us of this quality that belongs to Him when He said: “Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?” (D&C 58:31). The next verses explain that when blessings don’t come, it’s often because people didn’t obey, not because God failed to keep His word.

I have found a world of knowledge, comfort, perspective, enhancement, a path to truth and strength to endurance in the scriptures. Whenever I need to hear God, I allow my scriptures to fall open randomly and 99% of the time, they would open to a page with a highlighted scripture I needed to read. It never fails to amaze me.

There is a story that reinforces this practice of a businessman who came to his pastor with deep concerns about the financial ruin he was facing. The pastor advised him to allow his scriptures to fall open randomly and to act on the first sentence he sees on that page. Some years later he came to the pastor again to tell him of the financial abundance and security his family was blessed with. The pastor asked him if he had followed his advice and if it worked. The man replied he did. The pastor asked what was the first sentence he read and the man replied: Chapter 2. It was as simple as that. This is the power of the scriptures.

Daily I stand in my holy place

As I feast upon Thy word,

Ever hopeful I will meet You there,

Thy Spirit to embrace

And the cares of this world to arrest.

I reach for You in darkness

And step up to heaven’s door;

I am bathed in light

And am granted entrance to Your heart.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A CALL TO BATTLE

 

A Warrior of Light by Greg Collins

There is a desire in my soul

That wants to conquer Goliath

And watch him fall….

This warrior within me never sleeps

And yearns to hear the angels’ call,

A call to battle to make the devil fall.

And when Christ comes in clouds so holy

He will conquer that enemy

And we will confess His glory.

 

-      Cathryne Allen

 

THE PRINCE OF PEACE

Like A Dove by Chris Brazelton

“Saying that He came not to send peace but rather a sword seems at first impression a contradiction to the scriptures that refer to Christ as ‘the Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6), the proclamation at His birth – ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’ (Luke 2:14) – and other well-known references, such as ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you’ (John 14:27).

“It is true that Christ came to bring peace – peace between the believer and God, and peace among men. Yet the inevitable result of Christ’s coming is conflict – between Christ and the anti-Christ, between light and darkness, between Christ’s children and the devil’s children. This conflict can occur even between members of the same family.”

-          Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Finding Your Life, Ensign March 2016

I don’t usually write about political matters but I will make an exception this time because I can see clearly the battle between good and evil in the world is escalating. The western world is at peril of losing its Christian base. We are seeing this in many countries and now even in America, the stronghold of spiritual freedom it has been based on since it began.

I watched a couple of videos yesterday commenting on the outcome of the mid-terms. The first video highlighted the reason for the blue wave was the Iran war. It maintained that the President focused wrongly on the global issue rather than the domestic one. The commentator maintained that the average citizen does not worry about existential threat of terrorism but rather how much gas prices are affecting his life. I could see the point even though I had always felt the war on terrorism is seeing the whole picture.

I then watched another video that presented a thought provoking altruistic vantage point. This commentator pointed out that the President of United States should now at the end of his political journey focus more than ever on leaving a legacy that would benefit humanity at large rather than proving himself and making himself look good. I was enthralled. This man could see the battle of good vs evil and that humanity at large was the target of the global movement of terrorism which seeks not to only destroy us physically but spiritually also. Christian faith is under attack and we know who the leader is, the archenemy of the Prince of Peace. His coming is drawing closer and closer and this anti-Christ is intent on destroying His Kingdom and its subjects.

So many of us are blinded by the trees that we cannot see the forest. I get it, survival is a tough challenge in today’s world and so we don’t feel equal to seeing the whole picture but we must be willing to take up the sword of righteousness to preserve the peace or at least support those who rush to the battle lines to save the rest. We should pay a visit to Calvary every once in a while to understand that someone has already done that…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE FLAME

 

I Am The Light by Mindi Oaten

Such love as Yours

Burning bright in my heart,

I will forever know.

Through highs and lows,

Through depths unknown,

Its flame I will carry with me

Wherever I go.

- Cathryne Allen 

IN AWE OF HUMANITY

 

Fascinated by Vladimir Volegov

Sometimes when I consider the atrocities in the world today and some of the things we say and do, from our leaders down to the common man, I am convinced we are operating here on the level of intelligence called stupidity. I don’t know how God tolerates us in this weakened state of mortality.

At other times I hear a piece of music that lifts me to the gates of heaven or I see a piece of art that rends my soul with gratitude for beauty or read a poem that bares someone’s soul and I see the other side of humanity. I am often amazed by the talents, strengths, attributes and achievements of many of us.

I marvel at our uniqueness, our creativity, our intelligence, our very essence and all that we are and are yet to become. I imagine if there were no mortal days of probation I might never have heard of a man called Abraham Lincoln in the vastness of the Universe or been moved by music written by Mozart or heard Renee Fleming sing Casta Diva.

Somewhere along the path of all my life’s difficulties I lost sight of this concept and had forsaken the pleasures of life that once lifted me above my moments of discontent and even despair….such pleasures as reading literature. The other day I decided to change that. I don’t recall ever reading a book twice but I am doing so now. I am getting lost in The Book Thief again and I am once again celebrating our humanity.

This is a book of words that strikes at the recesses of my heart. The brilliance of this author’s writing is once again astounding me. I don’t know which I admire most, the talent of the written word or what the narrator of this story is teaching me. Once again I stand in awe of Markus Zusak who introduced Death as the narrator of World War 2 for who would know this war better than Death??? And so Markus turns Death, which "delivers souls to the conveyor belt of eternity" into an entity who learns about humanity in the midst of suffering and ends the story with these searing words: “I am haunted by humans….”

What an amazing gift it is to be a witness of someone's unique expression of self and of the mark they leave on this world. Most of us will not earn a page in the annals of history. Most of us will never become another Abraham Lincoln or Mozart or Isaiah but all of us have a unique light within with which we can illuminate the world.

God sees us in our entirety. He sees who we were, our present limitations and what we will yet become. He sees us as an amazing assortment of humanity and most of all He sees our potential. This is how He can tolerate us here and now.

I am especially enthralled by people enshrined in holy writ…..their capabilities, their sufferings, their level of endurance, their skills at handling life, and especially their faith, devotion to and love of God. They are my idols. They show me the way to what I can become.

In the realms of heaven when your glorious destiny hung in the balance, the Saviour saw you and your worth and your potential. Besides His overriding desire to bring glory to the Father, this is what propelled Him to the cross.

In the words of Dr. Seuss: "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You". How truly magnificent are you?!!!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE RETURN OF THE LOST

 

(Artist Unknown)

One day when Your tears cease to fall

For the ones that go astray

And You reach for them from Your throne

Your power to display;

I will praise

I will rejoice

I will join the heavenly throng in song

For the return of the lost

For whom You suffered for so long.

 

-     Cathryne Allen 

THE PRICE

 

In All He Loves You by Greg Collins

There will come a time when the House of Israel shall know that Jesus Christ is the Lord and their God, and when He will not let them pollute His holy name anymore (Ezekiel 39:7,22). Unfortunately, there will be a high price to pay for that knowledge.

The Lord makes it plain to understand that He will be the mastermind behind the great battle of Armageddon which will usher in the Millenium,  wherein all the nations of the earth will come against the ‘unwalled villages, without walls and having neither bars nor gates’ in the mountains of Israel ‘to take a spoil, and to take a prey’ (Ezekiel 38:8,11). Think of how the ancient world protected itself from enemies by building walls and gates around their cities. Now consider how open the land of Israel is today.

The great Gog, the prince of the land of Magog who will lead the great army of all  nations to march against Jerusalem and the prosperity of Israel, will be a pawn in Christ’s hand to afflict and bring God’s covenant people to their knees and claim victory for Himself ( Joel 3:1,2; Zechariah 14:2). The Lord makes this clear through Ezekiel with simple repeated declaration of “I will”:

-          I will…put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army (38:4);

-          I will…cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel (39:2);

-          I will…smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand (39:3);

-          I will… give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured (39:4);

-          I will… send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles; and they shall know that I am the Lord (39:6).

-          I will…gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 14:2)

This army that will come upon Israel will be so great and so terrifying it will ‘cover the land as a cloud’ (Ezekiel 38:9).

 “Joel stated that the army would be the greatest army in the history of the world up to that point (Joel 2:2). He described it as being like a “fire” that devours the land, leaving what had looked like the “garden of Eden” before their coming as a “desolate wilderness” (Joel 2:3; see also Joel 2:2,4-5). Joel also said that the army would be highly disciplined in warfare and virtually invincible: “When they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded” (Joel 2:7,8,9)”  (The Battle of Armageddon: A Prophetic View, Enrichment I, Old Testament Student Manual Book 2, p 291)

 But their defeat at the hands of the God of Israel will be equally terrifying. As the army descends upon Israel, “the Lord will then come, and all men shall shake at his presence, there will be such an earthquake as has never before been known, which will throw down the mountains; there will be pestilence, blood, fire, and brimstone which will descend upon the armies; the forces of Gog and Magog will be destroyed upon the mountains of Israel; the Supper of the Great God shall then take place as the beasts and fowls eat the flesh and drink the blood of the fallen ones (Rev 19:17-18; D&C 29:18-21); and the house of Israel will be seven months burying the dead and seven years burning the discarded weapons of war (Ezekiel 39:8-13).

“The armies of Gog will turn upon each other, perhaps in the panic and confusion of the great earthquake (see Ezekiel 38:21; Zechariah 14:13). A great rain of fire and hail will shower down upon the army (see Ezekiel 38:22; D&C 29:21; Revelation 16:21). John said the hailstones will weigh a talent, which is about 75.6 pounds or 34.3 kilograms (see Bible Dictionary, s.v. weights and measures).”  (Old Testament Student Manual Book 2 p 284 and 294)

And this is the price that Israel will pay for its betrayal of their God and for profaning His name: “Zechariah says that only one-third of the nation of Israel will survive this final extremity when the “city [Jerusalem] shall be taken, and the houses rifled [looted], and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity” (Zechariah 14:2; see also Zechariah 13:8-9; 14:1); and 7,000 will be slain and one tenth of the city destroyed (Revelation 11:13).” (The Old Testament Student Manual Book 2 p 294)

“So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward.” (Ezekiel 39:22)

And thus this prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled:

“Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”  (Isaiah 40:2)

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

SENTRIES OF THE HEART

 

Jesus by Land of Dreams

Like Israel of old

I foolishly sought man’s protection

And trusted in the arm of flesh

Until you showed me the strength

Of Your invincible arm

And how much easier You can make

My journey’s difficult path.

How foolish I was to trust in man’s might,

How foolish to seek mortal comfort

And settle for feeble sentries of the heart.

 

-       Cathryne Allen

HIS HOLY NAME

 

Ripples of Influence by Greg Collins

When I read Ezekiel 36 this week I came to see a very serious result of idolatry which caused the scattering of Israel:

“…when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings…..wherefore, I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it…and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries…..and when they entered unto the heathen…they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land.”  (Ezekiel 36:17-20)

 What in reality Israel was saying to the heathen nations they were scattered amongst is this: We had a God but He was really not so good in looking after us so we had to turn to your gods for protection and prosperity. They in reality profaned Jehovah’s name by their idolatrous betrayal of a God who in all reality delivered them over and over and prospered them as many times. They did more than reject their God, besmirched His name….

For this betrayal, Israel’s God has sworn that He will recover His holy name and wipe away the negative influence Israel’s idolatry has had on the world.  Israel, who was a chosen nation to bear the name of Jehovah, did in fact do the opposite. How many people would they have turned away by this negative influence rather than bring the awareness of the only source of salvation to them? In all their boasting that they had Abraham for a father (Matt 3:9; John 8:33,39) they totally over-looked the responsibility which the Abrahamic covenant placed them under to bless all the families of the earth (Abraham 2:9-11).

Herein is the ultimate wisdom of God and herein is Jehovah’s vengeance. He would not utterly destroy them but save them….no destruction, but salvation… and here is why:

 “But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore…thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.” (Ezekiel 36:21,22)

To clear His name, the Lord promises restoration of Israel instead of destruction and likens it to resurrection in chapter 37, verses 1-14:

“The exiles are represented as having lost hope (their bones are dried up) of ever living again as a nation. But the Lord shows them that they can be restored through His mighty power even as the dead will be raised in the resurrection…..The symbolic meaning of this [dual] prophecy as it relates to the gathering of Israel is apparent. The bones represent Israel in its lost and scattered state, the graves indicate where Israel is as well as its condition of spiritual death. The spirit…means the new spirit of righteousness the people will have when they have been resurrected, that is, restored from their fallen state.”  (Sidney B. Sperry, The Voice of Israel’s Prophets, pp 225-26)

I wondered at first why the Lord would liken the restoration of Israel to the resurrection and upon reflection I came to understand that this so because ‘restoration’ is a component of the Atonement. The Atonement performed only by Him hence His power to destroy or to save. Resurrection in its proper definition is restoration (see Alma 40 & 41). Notice the cleansing power of the Atonement in this verse referring to the gathering:

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land….. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean, from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you….A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you…...” (Ezekiel 36:24-28).

But that is not all. After they have been cleansed, the Lord will turn the desolate land of Israel into a fruitful one akin to the Garden of Eden (Ezekiel 36:33-35). Put simply:  I will show you who I really am…”I will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and you shall know I am the Lord”. (Ezekiel 36:11)

The Mighty Jehovah will clear His name before the heathen nations when He again gathers Israel and establishes an everlasting covenant with them in the midst of His temple, and the heathen will know that the Lord does sanctify Israel. (Ezekiel 37:26-28)

Referring to the gathering of Israel, the Lord repeats this phrase five times in the book of Ezekiel:  “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Ezekiel 11:20; 14:11; 36;28; 37:23, 37:27). Is this not a God of mercy???? And the God who never breaks His covenants (Deut 4:31; Leviticus 26:44,46; Isaiah 49:15,16; 2 Kings 13:23).

We, modern day Israel have a responsibility to show the world the God of mercy, the God of integrity and the God of power through the influence we wield. May our commitment, dedication and love for the Saviour of the world bring honour to His holy name.   

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

HEALER OF MY SOUL

 

He Cares by Greg Collins

Your lessons, so piercing

And so raw

Leave me spent

As I exhale the hurt and let it go;

Your wisdom prevails

And tutors me when I need it most;

You are the healer who saves

The broken hearted and the lost.

 

-      Cathryne Allen  

PERFECTION OF CHARACTER

 

Jesus Christ Our Lord by Edit Voros

Over and over again I come across the inexhaustible mercy of Christ in the Old Testament. I used to think His mercy was excessive and that He should have wiped people off the face of the earth more often than He did, until I realised one day if His mercy was any less than what it is, there would not be any people left … that’s how frustrating humanity is and that’s how tolerant God is.

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I have been collecting Christ’s attributes and characteristics for many years as I find them in the scriptures. I would like to mention a few that I see in Him and why so I will start with MERCY.

I have always felt a stronger sense of justice than mercy and wondered how Christ came to be so merciful until one day during reflection I saw the Saviour in my mind on the cross and I understood that even though He possessed this attribute before He came to earth, His inexhaustible mercy was born during His earthly life and in particular on that fateful day when He bore the culmination of all pain and sorrow and He understood to the depths of His soul our humanity.

I also see the Saviour as a God of STRENGTH. Strength has to come with mercy because strength brings with it self-control. It is His strength that doesn’t allow us to be obliterated because we are weak and stumbling in the dark most of the time. But at the same time strength is needed to correct, chastise and command the children in us.  

With strength also comes power and with this POWER He does not spare the wickedness that proceeds from the enemy who seeks to destroy us. I have noticed this especially this year in the book of Ezekiel. His mercy does not rob justice but neither does justice rob His mercy. Because of this we can be assured that the balance between justice and mercy will be so perfect on Judgment Day that we will not be able to question it.

Another quality I admire in the Saviour is MEEKNESS. Meekness is not weakness but self-restraint. The Saviour never used His godly power for His own purposes whilst in mortality. It was solely used for the purpose of humanity’s salvation. There are examples of this in the scriptures.

The temptations of Christ are a perfect example to this end. When Satan came to Jesus after 40 days of fasting in the desert, following His baptism and at the onset of His ministry, he appealed to His ego by tempting Him to prove that He was the Son of God and therefore had power to assuage His, by then, overwhelming hunger (Matthew 4:3-4). Turning stones into bread was easy. The Saviour knew it and Satan knew it. What lay at stake was succumbing to the use of His power for His gain and His purpose. This Satan also knew. He knew that Christ’s power was only meant to be used for the benefit of others and not His own. And so the Saviour of mankind would not feed Himself even at the peril of His life but He would feed 5,000 others who ‘might’ have been hungry whilst listening to Him (Matthew 14:13-21).

Another example….after walking from Judea to Samaria, He was thirsty, hungry and weary. As He sat at Jacob’s well to rest while His disciples went to buy provisions, He who had power to draw food and drink from the elements, who could have transported himself at will to any location, didn’t. He chose instead to subject himself to the proper experiences of mortality and waited for food to come to Him and asked a Samaritan woman to draw water for Him to drink (John 4:6-10)

The greatest example comes from the pinnacle of the temple where He confronted Satan’s temptation to perform some dazzling feat by casting himself off the temple’s heights which would attract crowds of amazed onlookers to prove His superiority. It would have given Him public recognition and would have caused many to believe that the Messiah had indeed come. It would have been so easy for His ministry to prove who He was by such a feat.

It is one thing to study the scriptures and be informed, educated, spiritually fed and even entertained but to know the Saviour through them is the real challenge. I realised this years ago. We are meant to know HIM, not to know OF Him.

I have come to see Him differently in each book of the Holy Writ. In the Old Testament I see the Merciful Jehovah; in the New Testament I see the Loving Saviour; in the Book of Mormon I see the Resurrected Christ; in Doctrine and Covenants I see the Powerful God; in the Pearl of Great Price I see the Promised Messiah. He is all of that and more……He is everything.

Speak to me softly

What you would have me hear;

Speak to me gently

In my willing ear.

Leave nothing unsaid

Kind, good and everlastingly true;

Speak to me softly

And reveal the splendour of you.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A WORLD OF PRIDE 2

 

He Pierces My Soul by UrielsAtalier

It can be discouraging living in our world. There are people who fully believe we are heading for total annihilation from one source or another. I am always grateful, as someone who fully believes in Christ, for my knowledge of what is really to come when I hear messages of doom. Just one serious study of the Book of Ezekiel can make us see that the adversary who seeks to destroy us can never win the destruction of humanity.

It seemed for a long time that the adversary was winning anciently as the Canaanite nations afflicted Israel and led her into idolatry but when Israel fell into captivity, Jehovah revealed His mighty arm in vengeance by destroying these nations and empires of Egypt, Assyria, Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Persia and Idumea. The Lord calls them ‘the mighty that are fallen….which are gone down to hell’ (Ezekiel 32:27). Egypt, which was the power to be reckoned with was probably the greatest tragedy. Ezekiel devoted four chapters (29-32) to the description of Egypt’s beauty, prophetic destruction and lamentation. Much like Tyre of which I wrote in part 1, Egypt’s splendour was destroyed because it sought to exalt itself to the status of God (Ezekiel 29:9; 31:10).

After pronouncing judgment on these ancient nations and affirming that the destruction will be His doing (71 times no less), Jehovah testified: “I have caused my terror in the land of the living” (Ezekiel 32:32). Why such terror and such terrible destruction? Because these nations were built up on excessive pride and what is built on pride cannot stand. Pride is the foundation of a kingdom that cannot last because it seeks to elevate itself above God and we all know who HE is.

This is what fascinates me. Ezekiel made every vision he had of the destruction of these nations known to the exiles in Babylon but the exiles got complacent with all the prophecies. Their prevalent belief was: “The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.” (Ezekiel 12:27) 

I think of how bad our world is becoming with division amongst the people, the hatred, the crime, the wickedness that never ends. The Saviour has promised throughout centuries that He will return to crush the enemy of all righteousness and reveal the arm of His power. The Second Coming has been prophesied throughout the ages (see Matthew 16:27; 24:30; Isaiah 40:5; 3 Nephi 24:2; D&C 45:44, 49-50; 63:34; 88:93; 101:23, Moses 7:65; Malachi 3:1; JST4:1; Acts 1:9-11; 3 Nephi 24:2; Revelation 1:7; John 14:3). It has been believed in by the Christendom at large for over 2,000 years but in the world at large Christ has become something of a folklore……until that day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess….(Romans 14:11)

Let us not become like the exiles in Ezekiel’s day who think the time of the Second Coming is ‘far off’ or that it will never happen. There is nothing that the Saviour has promised and not fulfilled. The promises are delivered in our time but fulfilled in His. He is a God of integrity and keeps His word. If promises don’t become fulfilled, it is because the fulfilment is a lot of times dependant on us. We either repent and avoid destruction or we become disobedient and prevent blessings promised. The Second Coming is assured but it will very much look like that: destruction to the wicked and a blessing to the righteous who repent. If we want to fall into the second category, we need to be prepared. Let us remember that the time of waiting will one day come to an end:

“Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 12:28)

He will come and crush the enemy who sought to elevate himself and the nations of this world with pride. He who has said: “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God….I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-15), has never received a body, and though the king and ruler of world-wide empire of spiritual Babylon, he shall never have a tomb or monument to his name and the kings of the earth will exclaim in amazement when they see him cast down to hell: “Is this the man that made the earth tremble, that did shake the kingdoms?” (v 16).  Like the prideful nations, he will be stripped of his power and his pride, and he will not stand…..

 

Where is the sting of death,

The enemy of righteousness,

And humanity’s foe?

The fire of its power lies in ashes

Quenched at Calvary long ago.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A WORLD OF PRIDE 1

 

He Pierces My Soul by Greg Collins

I was reading chapter 9 of Ezekiel yesterday with my mouth open. In this vision Ezekiel was shown the vengeance of God that was coming upon the kingdom of Judah in their final stage. After instructing the angels of destruction to mark in the foreheads those few who were to be spared, the Lord told them to go through the streets of Jerusalem and slay every man, woman and child with this explanation: “….mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.” (v 10)

The ‘way’ of the Israelite’s that took them to their last breath was idolatry. There is another grievous sin, however, which brings destruction upon the nations, the sin of pride. Ezekiel prophesied that this sin will be the fall of many nations and empires in the ancient world which is a warning to us in our dispensation of time as well.

I was mesmerised with the fall of Tyre as I studied Ezekiel one year, which is clear proof of Ezekiel’s predictions . This island was anciently located between Carmel in Israel and Beirut in Lebanon. In short, Tyre was a major destination for merchant ships in the eastern Mediterranean. Because of this commerce, Tyre amassed obscene wealth and became the crown jewel of the seas (Ezekiel 27:5-9). The Lord compared it to the Garden of Eden….until iniquity was found in her (Ezekiel 28:15). 

So great was Tyre that Ezekiel devoted three chapters to lament the fall of its glory (chapters 26,27,28). Chapter 26 states the reason for the fall. Tyre rejoiced in the fall of Judah but an even more serious crime becomes evident by chapter 28: “Thus saith the Lord God: Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou has said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God.” (v2).

This is the outcome of those who elevate themselves to the status of God: “I will destroy thee…I will cast thee to the ground….I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth…and never shalt thou be any more (vs 16-18). Because of its strong fortifications, nobody could conquer Tyre and so the more detailed prophecies of its destruction (in chapter 26) remained unfulfilled for nearly three hundred years….until 332 B.C. when Alexander the Great swept in and reduced this island to rubble. Today the island of Tyre is nothing more but a small peninsula jutting into the sea where the local fishermen come to spread their nets to dry. (see Old Testament Student Manual Book 2 p 280 for more descriptive end of this island)

I look at the world today and I see the pride of Tyre….even those who are not swimming in wealth are lifted up in the pride of their hearts elevating themselves and fortifying the culture of self-importance and self-identity. We are encouraged from all sides to put ourselves first so we can become our own gods and worship the father of me-ism who is Lucifer, son of the morning (Isaiah 14:12);  the author of all sin (Helaman 6:26-31); the source of ultimate pride (Moses 4:1); the thief in the night who comes to steal our spiritual identity, kill our faith in God and destroy our commitment to Christ (John 10:10).

Make no mistake about it, the Lord wants to care for us and protect us but He will not allow the enemy to win and the wickedness to prevail. He who loves God the Father without comparison has ensured the penitent will not be swallowed up in the despair of the damned. He has ensured our victory over death and sin. He has saved us and paved the way to our safety. He is the antidote to all the destruction the adversary can bring upon us. He is the light, the truth and the way. To all who want to be saved He says:

 

I wait for you to come

Into the shadow of my wings;

I have paid the price: come unto Me,

Your God and Your King.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

 

 

TREAD SOFTLY

 

Give Light by Greg Collins

Tread softly on my tender heart,

Though we are separate

In both body and mind,

We are linked together

on humanity’s path.

Tread softly on my tender heart,

In spirit, we are not

so many miles apart.

 

-      Cathryne Allen

HE LIVES

 

The Ascension of Jesus Christ N3040 by Edit Voros

There is a certain phrase I have noticed in the scriptures where the Lord bears witness of Himself. This phrase is: “AS I LIVE”. It is mostly used in conjunction with His promises to carry out judgment on rebellious Israel, or blessings in time of gathering. This phrase can be found in Ezekiel 12 times: 5:11; 14:16; 16:6,48; 17:16,19; 18:3; 20:3,33; 33:11; 34:8; 35:6.

There is another phrase in Ezekiel that the Saviour uses often stating that He will affirm His existence to us either through His just punishment or His saving grace and that phrase is: “YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD”. It can be found in Ezekiel 24 times: 6:7,14; 7:4,9; 11:10,12; 12:20; 13:9,14,21,23; 14:8; 15:7; 16:62; 17:21; 20:38,42,44; 24:24,27; 25:5,7; 36:11; 37:6. This phrase is also used in conjunction with His promises to carry out His judgment upon the inhabitants of the earth where He proclaims: “and they shall know that I am the Lord” thus flooding the earth with knowledge and proof of His existence (6:14; 30:19,26; 32:15; 35:4,9,15; 38:23; 39:6).

I can bear witness to the ‘saving grace’ nature of the second phrase. Some years ago, I took a certain petition to God in prayer and, as is my custom, I retreated to the scriptures afterwards to see if He would give me an answer through His written word. The scriptures opened to a page with only one phrase highlighted: “Ye shall know that I am the Lord”……I knew in that instant that the Saviour lived, that He had heard my prayer, and that He would grant me my heart’s desire. I knew that I was kneeling in front of Him who has all power, might, mercy, wisdom and love. I knew the Lord that day because He bore witness to me of Himself.

 

How great Thy wisdom,

How great Thy mercy,

How great Thy love

That fills my joyful heart;

How very great Thou art!

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN