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Epiphanies
by Steve Countryman There have been some epiphanies that I have had through the revelation and visions that God has shared with me these past few years. I have included them in some of my writings. There are a couple that I want to share with you now. The first has to do with "The Lamb's Book of Life". Exodus 32: 31 &3231 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin-but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." 33 The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. Psalm 9:5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Psalm 69:28May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. Revelation 3:5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. In the Lamb's Book of Life, there is a list of names of every person ever born since the beginning of time. The names listed represents those who have not rejected Jesus Christ or blasphemed the Holy Spirit. How much does God loves us? It is so apparent how much He does. By writing everyone's name in the Lamb's Book of Life, God shows his loving character and desires that no one should perish but have everlasting life. What better way than to have everyone's name in the Lamb's Book of Life at birth. It then is up to us if our name stays in there. That becomes our decision, unlike popular religious beliefs that you get your name there by works or at that time of salvation. This proves that we are not capable of doing anything worthy enough to obtain salvation through works or deeds. We can't earn our way in to heaven or have our name put in to the book because God has already put our names there. It is only through the work of the cross, through Jesus Christ, faith and the repentance of our sins that you are saved. God gives us every opportunity to except His Son that is why He has our names in the Lamb's Book of Life from before we were born. Only by you rejecting His Son and His salvation can you cause your name to be blotted out or removed from The Lamb's Book of Life. What a paradigm shift! Think about it carefully, your name is already there. The difference is as a Christian your name stays in the Lamb's Book of Life while the unrepented sinner's name is blotted out. The other epiphany deals with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I have heard preachings about why Jesus was so distraught and concerned about what He was about to physically go through. God shared with me that Jesus sweating drops of blood and His concerns DID NOT have to do with all of the physical punishment, torture, humiliation, being falsely accused or even death. All of that had been prophesied and Jesus Himself told His disciples repeatedly about His death and resurrection to come. What was the revealing part of the story had to do with the relationship between Jesus and God the Father. Since before time they had never been separated. Being part of the Trinity is a closeness that we can't even imagine. Even when Jesus walked on the earth the Father was always with Him. John 8:29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. It was in the garden that the reality of the separation that Jesus would have to endure from the Father was almost too much for Jesus to bear. The only equivalent to that separation is known as Hell. God cannot look upon sin. When all of the sin of the world was placed on Jesus on the cross at that moment Jesus felt the absence or separation from the Father and His love when God the Father no longer could look at Jesus and had to look away from His only Son. That is when Jesus cried out..."why have you forsaken me". Jesus suffered that portion of the torment of Hell for our sins! All of the physical suffering that Jesus endured didnt compare to the torture of the separation from Father God that He suffered on the cross. Relationship is part of the character of God. In the beginning God walked with Adam every day in the Garden of Eden. Close, personal, intimate relationship between God and man daily! No surprise that the absolute closes relationship that could ever exist would be found only in God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. A close personal relationship with you is very important to Him! Fear is the lack or absence of faith. Until this revelation was given me all of the sermons about Jesus in the garden in the past that I had heard referred to Jesus as being worried about what He would have to go through including the cross and that is why He sweated drops of blood. That implies that Jesus was fearful. Now Jesus knew no sin and feared nothing and no one save Father God. Jesus fully knew what would happen to Him. If Jesus were fearful then He would have lacked faith in Father God, far from it! Because of the relationship that Jesus shared with the Father, there is nothing that man or Satan could do to Jesus that would cause Him to fear or worry. Jesus was there before creation began and knows the end from the beginning. Because of their relationship that they had forever shared and because of the faith and trust in Father God Jesus knew that father God would take care of Him and that on the third day HE would rise again and be with Father God. It makes perfect sense then that Jesus' main concern, not fear, was temporary separation from the Father and not what most people think. Considerate it carefully and you too will understand it! These have been life and thought changing epiphanies to me and I hope to you too! One last thing I want to share is a truth that took me awhile to understand. Revelation is only revelation to the person who receives it as revelation. Not everyone receives revelation the same way or at the same time. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |