Five days. No big deal.
A verse to get back into the swing of things...
'May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.'
[2 Thessalonians 3:5]
Showing posts with label 2 Thessalonians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Thessalonians. Show all posts
March 23, 2010
October 13, 2008
Ch. 217 - A Thorough How-To
Sometimes I just wish that there was a step-by-step guide... manual... map... to my life. I could see where I'm supposed to be going, who I'm supposed to be interacting with, what I'm supposed to think, say and do. I could see how to live my entire life. Wouldn't that be grand?
I have no clue what I'm going to do. I go back and forth, back and forth between options. I can't just not have a plan anymore. I need a goal. An objective. A dream or two, at the very least - and I do. I even spoke of said dreams in a previous post. But I feel like that's not good enough.
And I want more than a gentle nudge in one direction or a faint whisper in my ear. God obviously doesn't understand that I don't operate that way. Oh, wait... He's the one who created me. Oops. I guess He does... hmph. You fooled me, God, that's for sure.
I'm still learning patience. Every time I think I've got it under my belt, I am proven wrong. Not that there's anything wrong with that. If patience is such a virtue (a 'particular moral excellence'), as the saying goes, I suppose there's no way that we can ever have it down pat after a year or two. That would be too easy.
But God knows what He's doing. And that is a comforting thought.
'May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.'
[2 Thessalonians 3:5]
I have no clue what I'm going to do. I go back and forth, back and forth between options. I can't just not have a plan anymore. I need a goal. An objective. A dream or two, at the very least - and I do. I even spoke of said dreams in a previous post. But I feel like that's not good enough.
And I want more than a gentle nudge in one direction or a faint whisper in my ear. God obviously doesn't understand that I don't operate that way. Oh, wait... He's the one who created me. Oops. I guess He does... hmph. You fooled me, God, that's for sure.
I'm still learning patience. Every time I think I've got it under my belt, I am proven wrong. Not that there's anything wrong with that. If patience is such a virtue (a 'particular moral excellence'), as the saying goes, I suppose there's no way that we can ever have it down pat after a year or two. That would be too easy.
But God knows what He's doing. And that is a comforting thought.
'May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.'
[2 Thessalonians 3:5]
March 28, 2008
Ch. 73 - Revelation
Where to begin, where to begin?
Actually, what I have to say isn't that complicated.
I simply like to say, "Where to begin, where to begin?"
A couple weeks ago I had an interesting dream. Basically, I dreamed the book of Revelation. Start to finish - from John being on the island of Patmos to the multitude in white robes worshiping God... from the sounding of the seven trumpets to the fall of Babylon. It was incredibly vivid. Very surreal. Having read the book of Revelation enough times before, and then having read it a couple times after, I saw that my dream was very, very accurate to the book.
You know, I love the book of Revelation. It is, quite possibly, my favorite book of the Bible. I've been doing a lot of study on it recently; it's positively fascinating. Every time I read it I 'see' something new. Something different stands out.
One part of my dream that really stood out was the immense amount of death. And suffering. And pain. And loss. It was horrible, really. I don't really like to think about it, but I know that it has to happen.
Just so you can wrap your minds around it, I'll give you some numbers.
The earth's population is approximately 6.7 billion. When the fourth seal is opened, a quarter of the earth's population will be killed. When the sixth trumpet is sounded, a third of the earth's population will be killed. Here are the first set of numbers:
.25 x 6.7 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
.33 x 6.7 billion = 2.23 billion deaths
1.675 billion + 2.23 billion = 3.905 billion deaths
I looked up some populations on earth, and 3.905 billion happens to be the approximate population of Asia. So imagine - all of Asia - gone. Wiped off the face of the earth.
Now, when I was calculating these numbers, I didn't think about the fact that the third of the population that would be killed would be of the 'new' population once the quarter of the original population had been killed. So here's what the real numbers would be:
.25 x 6.7 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
6.7 billion - 1.675 billion = 5.025 billion
.33 x 5.025 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
1.675 billion + 1.675 billion = 3.35 billion deaths
3.35 billion deaths. Amazing. 3.35 billion is half of the original population, 6.7 billion. Half of the people of this earth - gone. It's interesting that Asia holds more than half the earth's population. Fun fact: Did you know that India will soon take over China's rank as the most populous country? Well, I mean, 'soon' means in thirty-two years. I thought that was interesting, too.
It's just a reminder of how powerful our Almighty God is and that He can do whatever He wants. He doesn't have to be just. He doesn't have to be kind. He doesn't have to be merciful. He is. But He doesn't have to be. We are blessed to be so loved.
'The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.'
[2 Thessalonians 2:9-10]
Actually, what I have to say isn't that complicated.
I simply like to say, "Where to begin, where to begin?"
A couple weeks ago I had an interesting dream. Basically, I dreamed the book of Revelation. Start to finish - from John being on the island of Patmos to the multitude in white robes worshiping God... from the sounding of the seven trumpets to the fall of Babylon. It was incredibly vivid. Very surreal. Having read the book of Revelation enough times before, and then having read it a couple times after, I saw that my dream was very, very accurate to the book.
You know, I love the book of Revelation. It is, quite possibly, my favorite book of the Bible. I've been doing a lot of study on it recently; it's positively fascinating. Every time I read it I 'see' something new. Something different stands out.
One part of my dream that really stood out was the immense amount of death. And suffering. And pain. And loss. It was horrible, really. I don't really like to think about it, but I know that it has to happen.
Just so you can wrap your minds around it, I'll give you some numbers.
The earth's population is approximately 6.7 billion. When the fourth seal is opened, a quarter of the earth's population will be killed. When the sixth trumpet is sounded, a third of the earth's population will be killed. Here are the first set of numbers:
.25 x 6.7 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
.33 x 6.7 billion = 2.23 billion deaths
1.675 billion + 2.23 billion = 3.905 billion deaths
I looked up some populations on earth, and 3.905 billion happens to be the approximate population of Asia. So imagine - all of Asia - gone. Wiped off the face of the earth.
Now, when I was calculating these numbers, I didn't think about the fact that the third of the population that would be killed would be of the 'new' population once the quarter of the original population had been killed. So here's what the real numbers would be:
.25 x 6.7 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
6.7 billion - 1.675 billion = 5.025 billion
.33 x 5.025 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
1.675 billion + 1.675 billion = 3.35 billion deaths
3.35 billion deaths. Amazing. 3.35 billion is half of the original population, 6.7 billion. Half of the people of this earth - gone. It's interesting that Asia holds more than half the earth's population. Fun fact: Did you know that India will soon take over China's rank as the most populous country? Well, I mean, 'soon' means in thirty-two years. I thought that was interesting, too.
It's just a reminder of how powerful our Almighty God is and that He can do whatever He wants. He doesn't have to be just. He doesn't have to be kind. He doesn't have to be merciful. He is. But He doesn't have to be. We are blessed to be so loved.
'The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.'
[2 Thessalonians 2:9-10]
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