martha vancise

Clues to End Times

by martha vancise | JunFri2015 | SIGNPOSTS

All of Israel expected the Messiah to come and they carried in their minds a picture of how he would come: a powerful king that would deliver them from political oppression. With the Messiah in power, they would trample their enemies and live in prosperity.

Only a handful of people, though, recognized the first coming of Christ: Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, a band of scruffy shepherds, an entourage of wise men, and a couple old people in the temple courts. All the signs and prophecies about his first coming were fulfilled, but since they weren’t fulfilled in the way the people had imagined, few recognized Christ’s appearance.

Thirty-three years later, after he had fed thousands, healed hundreds, raised a few from the dead and walked on water, they begin to think this just might be the Messiah. Still with their image of how it would all play out, they threw their cloaks on a donkey, hoisted Jesus on it and spread palm branches on the road to Jerusalem. That day, it was just as they had imagined.

When he hung, though, stretched out on a cross and refused to show his power for self-delivery, even his closest followers and intimate friends turned away, saying, “Nope. Got that wrong. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to play out for the Messiah.” The prophecies—the CLUES—were all there, but they just didn’t unfold the way the people had imagined.

Jesus and other writers in the Scriptures have left us prophecies—CLUES—about the second coming of Christ and the End Times. Our Christian culture is swamped with books, movies, songs, sermons, and conferences that explain the prophecies and how they will unfold, but

THE PROPHECIES WILL NOT UNFOLD AS WE IMAGINE

When Jesus spoke to the disciples about End Times (Mark 13) he said, Many will be deceived (v.6) Be on your guard (v 23) Be on guard! Be alert! (v 33) “No one knows about that day or hour …If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (vs 32,36)

THE FULFILLMENT OF END-TIME AND SECOND-COMING PROPHECIES WILL NOT BE AS WE IMAGINED

While we watch for headline clues, fulfillment may be unfolding in some obscure place, recognized by only a few, and bathed in blood. Pay attention to the CLUES, but be alert and open to the way God fulfills the prophecies of End Times.

Martha Hawn VanCise©

Bible Dementia

by martha vancise | MayWed2015 | SIGNPOSTS

E.G Marsh was truly a godly man. He spent his life teaching, preaching, writing, and leading a Bible college through dark days. He never wavered from presenting the Bible as God’s Word. In his last days, though, friends and family watched with sadness as dementia silently crept into his life and frayed his connection with reality. One day, his caretaker found him in his room, ripping pages from his Bible and discarding them on the floor.

Today, we watch with sadness as Bible Dementia creeps into churches. We expected non-Christians, left-leaning liberal churches, and cults to reject basic teachings of the Scriptures, but we did not expect the churches that rose out of revivals of the early 20^th century to lose touch with the reality of a personal walk with God and obedience to his Word.

How can we avoid Bible Dementia?

Leave all the pages in the Word of God.

You may not understand everything but leave the pages alone. You may even disagree with others about the importance or interpretation of some scriptures, but don’t rip out any pages. Each generation finds its hope in the Word of God and your verse of encouragement may not be on the same page that another generation will find hope. The page you rip out may be what your grandchildren need for guidance and strength to face spiritual battles you never could have imagined.

You may not avoid physical dementia, but you can avoid Bible Dementia.

DO NOT RIP PAGES FROM THE BIBLE.

Literature

by martha vancise | MayThu2015 | SIGNPOSTS

I enjoy reading the Bible not only as a Christian, but as an avid reader and writer. The pages abound with literary devices including metaphors, similes, contrasts, and parallels.

Jesus spoke of his longing to protect the children of Jerusalem as “a hen gathering her chicks under her wings.” (Luke 13:34) He infuriated the hypocritical Pharisees by telling them they were like beautiful whitewashed mausoleums, with rotting bones inside. (Matthew 23:27)

Isaiah wrote about: Earth wearing out “like a garment.” (Isaiah 51:6); “The bread of adversity and the water of affliction.” (Isaiah 30:20); People drawing sin along with “cords of deceit.” (Isaiah 5:18)

Paul spoke of our bodies as “earthly tents” and ” jars of clay.” (II Corinthians 5:1, 4:7) Peter wrote of the devil “prowling as a roaring lion.” (I Peter 5:8) The Christian journey is likened to running a race in an arena filled with spectators. (Hebrews 12:1)

Job spoke of God “wrapping up the waters in clouds.” (Job 26:8); About himself, Job said, “I’m nothing but skin and bones: I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.” (Job 19:20)

Amos spoke of a “famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” (Amos 8:11) Jeremiah described Israel’s turning away from God as “forsaking the spring of living water and digging broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13) Hosea spoke about lawsuits “springing up like poisonous weeds.” (Hosea 10:4) James said that doubters are “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6)

Many familiar sayings that originated in the Bible have become clichés and can be found in lists on the internet. As for the trite saying, “God helps those, who help themselves,” you’ll find that in Hezekiah 6:1. (Let me know when you find the book of Hezekiah.)

Familiar Sayings from the Bible

Earn something by the sweat of your brow.” (Genesis 3:19)
A man after my own heart. (Acts 13:22)
Out of the mouths of babes. (Psalm 8:2)
Pride goes before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
A time and place for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we will die. (Ecclesiastes 8:15; Isaiah 22:13)
A drop in the bucket. (Isaiah 40:15)
Rise and shine. (Isaiah 60:1)
A leopard cannot change his spots. (Jeremiah 13:23)
Go the extra mile. (Matthew 5:41)
United we stand. Divided we fall. (Matthew 12:25, 26)
The blind leading the blind. (Matthew 15:14)
A little birdie told me. (Ecclesiastes 10:20)
The powers that be. (Romans 13:1)

List taken from http://tinyurl.com/m35gu2x

Martha Hawn VanCise©

Is My Name Written Down?

by martha vancise | MayThu2015 | SIGNPOSTS

Do you ever Google your name? Have you ever thought of all the different places your name is written? You would be surprised to find the databases that include your name: graduating classes, organizations, churches, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and property records. Your name may even appear in a list of arrested, ticketed, or wanted people.

WHERE IS YOUR NAME WRITTEN?

Friends and acquaintances may be impressed by the places our names are listed, but in the sight of God our earthly accomplishments — both good and bad— are written in sand. For most of us, the tide of a couple of generations will wipe out the remembrance of our names. No matter where our names are written, revered, or despised all earthly records will someday be deleted. When all the books, Kindles, and Nooks are closed and the databases of the world no longer load and open, two books will still remain—the Word of God and the Book of Life.

“…the word of the Lord stands forever …” (I Peter 1:25; Isaiah 40:8)

The Book of Life is mentioned several times in the Bible. Paul speaks of fellow workers “whose names are written in the book of life.” (Ephesians 4:3) The writer of Hebrews speaks of a day when “thousands upon thousands of angels meet in joyful assembly, with the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” (Hebrews 12:23)

In the Revelation, God reveals to John, the importance of being prepared to reject the anti-Christ by having our names written in the book of life. “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast —all whose names have not been written in the book of life…” To those in Sardis who were dying spiritually, the warning comes, “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die….” so that your name will not be blotted out of the book of life. (Revelation 3: 1-5)

Near the end of the Revelation, an angel takes the Apostle John on a tour of the capital city of heaven, the New Jerusalem, and tells him, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27) The Revelation continues with a verse that describes the fate of those who ignore or reject God’s free gift of eternal life. “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:15) To be honest, I would like to delete Revelation 20:15 from the Word of God, but the last paragraph of the Revelation warns against adding or deleting any of the words of this prophecy.

THE WORD OF GOD WILL ENDURE FOREVER
THE BOOK OF LIFE EXISTS AND WILL BE OPENED SOMEDAY
IS YOUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE?

Don’t “Hope so.” Make sure. If you aren’t sure, tell God, “I want to make sure my name is written in the Book of Life. I am a sinner, and don’t deserve to have my name in your Book of Life. My only hope of being made pure and acceptable to you is by trusting Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to give me eternal life. I’m trusting and asking Jesus for eternal life, right now. Write my name in the Book of Life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

Auto Setting

by martha vancise | MayMon2015 | SIGNPOSTS

During the past years, I’ve taken thousands of photos of people, places, events, scenery, animals, and flowers. To be honest, I’ve used the Auto setting most of the time rather than study the manual that came with my D5000 Nikon camera to learn about the combinations of aperture, light, and speed available with the camera.

I’ve managed to capture a few shots that have garnered scores of “likes” on Facebook, but recently, while looking through libraries of my photos, I saw how my contentment with an automatic setting had produced mediocre photos. Taking time to set up a shot, or to tweak the aperture, speed, or lighting could have transformed many OK photos into dramatic photos.

The number of great photos that I produce in the future will be directly related to the amount of time I’m willing to spend mastering photography. It all comes down to one question. “How important is photography to me?” The decision is mine. It’s a personal choice.

In our spiritual journey, most of us tend to go through life on the point and shoot automatic setting. We know the basics of being a Christian: I’m a sinner—Christ died for me—I accept God’s forgiveness—I will try to love my neighbor— and I should help the poor and needy. With these basics in place, we receive many “likes” from friends and associates. Our spiritual life, though, can be so much more. We can have an OK walk with God, or we can experience some Wow! moments in the journey. Excellence in spiritual development will never be found automatically. It requires:

Studying God’s Manual—the Bible
Finding a correct view of sin in the light of God’s word
Examining the depth of our commitment to obey God
Focusing on God when we worship
Taking time for unhurried prayer
Making the effort to adjust attitude settings
Meeting with others who are striving for spiritual excellence.

It all comes down to one question. “How important is spiritual development to you?” It is your choice. It is a personal choice.

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