The Bible says that the enemy comes to “wear out the saints” (Dan. 7:25b). As the coming of the Lord draws closer and closer, there will continue to be onslaughts of the enemy’s tirades to wear us down more and more. However, I also believe the Lord has the answers to all that we are going through and will go through.

The Word is our firm foundation upon which we stand. It keeps our feet steady. And, as David said in his psalm, “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble]” (Ps. 18:33a, AMP). The MEV translation says, “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.“

Because the enemy comes to wear us out, our spiritual battery can get run down. We get slow, tired, lethargic, sluggish and burned out! I believe the Lord has something to say to us about our spiritual battery and recharging us in His Holy Spirit.

He Is Recharging Your Mind, Body and Family

The Lord of heaven’s host says to you today:

“My Holy Spirit is coming to you. I am coming to recharge and revitalize your inner man. I have seen your weariness and your struggles, and I understand them, for I have felt them, just as you are feeling them even now!

“I am releasing My shekinah glory over you. My shekinah glory is the same glory that descended on the temple that My servant Solomon built, when the glory was so strong that even My ministers could not minister. My glory is coming upon you just like in the day of Pentecost, when My Spirit fell and they all spoke with tongues and fire sat on each of them.”

The Spirit says, “Charge! Charge! Charge! Be charged and be recharged in your mind. Be recharged in those things that have held you captive in your thoughts and dreams. Be recharged in the things that have held you captured in believing Me for the great and the mighty.

“I am reprogramming your mind to think My thoughts. I am rearranging the pattern of your memory to reorganize you into thinking the patterns of My Word. Remember My Word: ‘… Whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things’ [Phil. 4:8]. I declare a recharge! Recharge, recharge!

“Be also recharged in your body. My hand is upon you right now to give you healing in your body. I am still the God who heals you! It is My will that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. I watch over My Word to perform it, and I am performing My Word over you to bring healing and deliverance,” says the Lord.

“This sickness is a sickness that is not to death! For I am raising you up to walk in the newness of life! Just like I raised My friend Lazarus from the grave, I am raising you from the grave of this sickness in your body. I am raising you to a recharge.

“The vitality of My Holy Spirit is coming on you to make you run and not grow weary; to walk and not faint. You will feel supercharged in your body. Again, I say, charge and recharge!

“In your family, I declare to you today: The family was My idea from the beginning. I made you all in My image. You look just like Me. I am doing a new thing in you all. My Spirit is taking you back to the season of joy and peace, as in the beginning. For some of you, it will be a new beginning that I will place in your lives, homes and relationships.

“Take My joy today! My joy is a joy that is long-lasting and genuine. The happiness that the world offers is temporary and ‘plastic,’ but the joy that I give is a wonderful reality. It is a joy that the world didn’t give to you, and the world can’t take it away!

“Trust Me in this season of your life. I am doing a great work, a mighty work, a powerful work and a lasting work. I am recharging your family structure, and when I finish, nothing will be, look, seem, sound and feel the same,” says the Lord of hosts!

The Lord says, “My will and My purpose will prevail over all others. I will have My perfect will in this matter, and you will look back on this day and declare, ‘The hand of the Lord has wrought this!'”

The Everlasting Battery

“My battery is an everlasting battery! There is no shortage to My power that surges through this battery,” says the living God. “There is no need to worry about what will happen in the midnight hour, when all the light is gone. I will be the light to supercharge your path!

“There is no need to worry if your battery will fail when you are needing it to take you forward, for I am recharging your battery. I am recharging your battery to climb the steep hills and go through the low valleys of rough places and crevices—places that you will plow through with ease.

“There is no need to be consumed with whether or not this battery will last through the heat or through the cold. I will comfort and strengthen you in the coldest of storms and winters that come through your life. I will gather you under My wings and hide you in My secret place.

“The heat may be overbearing at times. It may feel as if you will be consumed. But, My breath of freshness will blow on you, giving fresh perspective and fresh insight into My plans. You will walk out of your darkness, coldness, valley and extreme heat; you will walk out recharged with My precious Holy Spirit.

Thank the Lord! Your Latter Will Be Greater Than Your Former

“I am coming now to rev up your supernatural engine of endurance, perseverance and well-being! Lean on Me and trust Me,” says God. “Right now, I am standing over heaven’s balcony, sending reinforcements of recharge for you. Can’t you feel it? Can’t you sense it? It is coming on you and strengthening your feeble hands and weak knees. Your smile is coming back, your courage is growing stronger and your faith is flexing!

“All that is left to do is to thank Me. With expectation, lift up your eyes and heart, believe My Word and you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

“I am not just making you survive. I am causing you to thrive!

“Go in My victory, My glory and My promise! Your latter will be greater than your former. Everyone who hears of your recharge will want it. You will be able to lay hands on them and infuse My supernatural deliverance to them.

“Many will say to you, ‘What happened to you?’ And you will say, ‘It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes!’

“Go in My victory! Go in My authority! Be refreshed, be renewed and be recharged.”

Amen! Get ready, get set, C-H-A-R-G-E…to be recharged! Hallelujah. Can you sense the Lord recharging your battery already? Take a moment and receive from the Lord as you let Him charge you up right now. {eoa}

Judy Jacobs is internationally known for her declarative worship and powerful message of the gospel. She has ministered personally in over 50 countries, and has also ministered through several TV networks such as TBN, Inspiration Network and Daystar. She has also been honored to minister and be involved with T.D. Jakes and The Potter’s House, and many crusades. Pastor Judy serves as the co-pastor of Dwelling Place Church International. She is also the director of the International Institute of Mentoring and has published five books and eight solo albums. She is married to Pastor Jamie Tuttle, and together they have two daughters.

Pastor Bob Sawvelle has a heart to see people live out the fullness of their identity in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. To do that, Sawvelle says, believers must adhere to a simple passage in the Bible that many struggle with on a daily basis.

“In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul tells us to ‘be anxious for nothing’—or don’t worry about anything,” Sawvelle, the pastor of Passion Church in Tucson, Arizona, told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “He says ‘but by everything, in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’

“This whole sermon is a lesson in worry-free living. And how do we do that? It ties in with Proverbs chapter 3, where we learn to lean not unto our own understanding but trust completely in the Lord. It’s where we get to a place where we don’t even understand what’s going on around us. We refuse to give in to fear and our anxious thoughts.

“The enemy has been defeated in Christ, and we live out that victory in Him. We need to guard our minds and our hearts carefully. When we lean not on our own understanding, we rest in Him and we bring our prayers and our petitions before Him. When we live in His peace, we intentionally learn how to allow the peace of the Holy Spirit to guide us even in the midst of our chaos and storms. When we do that, we live a much more fulfilled and abundant life.”

Click here to listen to more of this “Greenelines” podcast with Bob Sawvelle. Also check out Bob Sawvelle’s podcast, “Empowered for Purpose.”

I remember the very first time I heard someone say the words, “When you read the Bible, you must read it biblically.” It sounded a little simple-minded and even a little bit goofy. But, the longer I study the Scriptures, the more important and valid this statement becomes. What does this statement mean?

It means that the only way someone can read and understand the Bible is to read it from within its pages. Too often, we are trying to read the Bible through the lens of the 21st century and through the lens of our own culture and thoughts. This almost always results in a wrong understanding of the Scriptures. In many cases, it causes the reader to come to false and faulty conclusions.

Let me give you an example. How many seasons are there? Almost everyone reading this will immediately respond by saying, “Four.” However, biblically, there are two seasons: spring and fall.

These two seasons, spring and fall, both begin with seedtime, and both end with harvest. “Why is this important?” you may ask. “What difference does it make how many seasons there are?” Well, believe it or not, it is extremely important and in fact it is vital to understanding the message of the Bible.

Let’s take a look at these two seasons.

• Spring begins with a new year as we enter the month of Aviv (Ex. 12:2), and the season starts with an eight-day festival called Pesach (Passover).
• The fall season ends with an eight-day festival called Sukkot, or Tabernacles (Lev. 23), and ends with a new rear (Ex. 34:22).
• The spring season starts with Passover, a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt as we gather for our Seder meals and eat matzah.
• The fall season ends with a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt, as we dwell in sukkot (tabernacles).
• The spring ends with the blowing of the shofar (Ex. 19:19).
• The fall begins with the blowing of the shofar (Lev. 23:24).

If you have not noticed yet, you will see that G-D, through His Word, set the moedim, appointed times or seasons, in such a way that they are mirrors of themselves—two sides of a coin, so to speak. The spring begins with a celebration of G-D’s deliverance, and the fall ends with a celebration of G-D’s deliverance.

Each season points to the other, and each season tells the same story, one telling it from the present to the future and one telling it from the future to the present. When we stopped using the biblical calendar, we added two seasons and distorted the perfect message G-D placed in His Word. The spring and the fall remind us that time is not linear with a beginning and an end, but rather time is circular and infinite with no beginning and no end.

The biblical calendar taught to us by the spring and fall also reminds us that if you have a circle, there must be a center, and the center of the biblical circle, the center of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, is the story of redemption. The Bible, like the spring and the fall seasons, mirrors itself. Genesis 1 begins with light and water, and Revelation 22 begins with water and light. When you read the Bible, you must read it biblically.

Eric Tokajer is author of With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians, and Galations in Context.

At the lowest point in her life, Kimberly Jones-Pothier, aka Real Talk Kim, knew she needed to make some hard decisions. It was time for a heart check and some major reevaluation.

“For the majority of my life, I was just bitter, like I always found everything in the negative,” Jones-Pothier told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “I was always one of those people that looked at the glass as half empty. And then, when you hit rock bottom and find out who the rock is at the bottom, you start to reevaluate your life.

“At that point, you’re either going to allow life to beat the tar out of you, and you’re going to get mad and bitter and take it out on everybody … nobody wants to be around you. If you died, nobody would go to your funeral.

“Finally, you wake up one day and say, ‘I’m sick and tired of bringing a storm everywhere I go, the dark clouds.’ Life is hard all by itself, and we need some people who bring the sunshine in.

“For me, I made a decision. I could cry in my milk and eat my emotions, or I can start looking at this thing like the glass is half full and pour some more water in. You can be focused and be intentional and start deleting what ain’t working in your life. Get that book going, get that business going and let go of some of the termites in your life.”

For more of Real Talk Kim, listen to this podcast. {eoa}

The secular marketplace is full of Christians. The problem is, many of them struggle to feel like they’re actually contributing to the kingdom.

Boosting productivity is obviously a common goal. But Linda Fields, the head of International house of Prayer’s Marketplace ministry and the founder of TrueTribe, an online community of believers going after God-made success, also knows that it takes more than simply hard work to do so. Through her podcast, “The Linda Fields Show,” Fields helps leaders understand the high calling on their lives in the marketplace and provides spiritual tips to help them thrive and walk in their God-given authority.

“As a believer, you have a place of bringing an impact in your sphere of influence,” Fields told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “We just like to bring that down to a practical level so that a business person can understand that there is a way they can bring a great impact in their lives by the way they treat the people they meet each day—the way they speak to them, the way they honor them.

“So many people feel disqualified from the real spiritual work that needs to be done because they are in a secular workplace. Nothing can be further from the truth. It’s a ministry. We’re gifted to work and to walk in it. …

“Everyone wants to boost their productivity every day, right? To do that, I say quit waiting for permission. Too many people are waiting on someone else to recognize them before they step out. And second, when you show up at the table, show up with something to contribute—an idea, a resource, volunteering an hour to move something forward. Be a solution finder and a solution bringer and be that person who, when you show up at the table, everything gets better. Be a source of light and truly bring your God-given gifts with you.”

For more of Linda Fields’ ministry, listen to this podcast.

If we want to know the purpose for our life, we must go to the source—to the God who created us. God’s Holy Spirit is the one who reveals His mysteries to us, and if we are hungry to discover our purpose, He is willing to disclose it. He will show us the truth of who we are and the reason for our existence.

There is a significant difference between the process of “discovering” something and the process of receiving revelation. Discovering involves acquiring knowledge through studies, research, experiments, statistics and so on. It also refers to seeking out what is unknown. Receiving revelation, on the other hand, is a supernatural process in which our spiritual senses are opened to God and our understanding is enlightened.

When we receive revelation, this knowledge comes directly from God by the Holy Spirit. God does give us other indicators of our purpose that involve natural processes of observing and analyzing, but we must set those indicators alongside the revelation of His purpose for us in order to confirm our calling.

The process of receiving revelation is vital for us to understand, because many people confuse the purpose of their life with the profession for which they prepared in college or trade school. The two may well coincide. However, education is a function of the natural realm, and purpose, although it operates in the natural, has spiritual characteristics—its effect is supernatural and eternal. Therefore, education may prepare us for a job, but it does not prepare us for a purpose.

Receiving Revealed Knowledge

How does the revelation of God’s purpose come to us?

The Holy Spirit is in charge of revealing our unique, unrepeatable and eternal purpose. The Spirit chooses the way in which He reveals our purpose, and it is different for each person.

Is there anything we can do to cooperate with Him in the revelation of this purpose? Can we prepare our spiritual senses to be open to receiving His knowledge? Yes, we can! Here are some vital guidelines for doing so:

1. Know God. No one can know their purpose without first knowing God. When we know Him, we find out who we are, and we turn our hearts toward His purposes. We need to seek the Lord because aligning ourselves with the one true God is the only way we can really understand what we were created for. We must dedicate time and effort to knowing Him better and to understanding His plans and our role in them.

The best way to know God is to recognize His voice, and one of the means by which God speaks to us is through His written Word. In the Scriptures, God reveals who He is. He Himself inspired the Scriptures to make Himself known to mankind. When we know God’s Word, we will know Him, because His Word tells us His nature and will.

In addition to knowing God’s Word, we need to be in continuous communion with Him through prayer, fasting and seeking Him daily. “The counsel of the LORD is with those who fear him, and He will make His covenant known to them” (Ps. 25:14).

If we want to know our purpose, we must come to know God in a deeper way, and a significant means by which we do this is by worshipping Him. It is during worship that God reveals Himself to us, and in that revelation comes the knowledge of our purpose. As our relationship with God grows, we will receive more revelation of our calling.

2. Be in the right environment. To fulfill our purpose, we must be in the right environment—spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically and geographically. If someone is in an environment that does not cultivate, nourish or develop their purpose, they will be unable to accomplish it.

Think about the current environments in which you live, in all aspects of your life. What are you doing to prepare and adjust these environments for the nurturing of your purpose? Your preparation can range from simple matters, such as having better organization in your workspace, to greater issues, like discerning which friends and associates with whom you should spend your time. Recognize that if you are not in the right environment, you will be hindered from achieving your purpose.

3. Serve a vision. The idea of “vision” is often defined as how we see our future. However, in terms of purpose, vision is God’s perspective on our future. It is what He reveals to us as we develop an intimate relationship with Him.

If we want to know our purpose, we must be committed to a vision. Whatever vision you have—whether it is to be a doctor, firefighter, scientist, builder, musician, businessperson, writer, nurse, pastor or apostle—it is almost always necessary to begin by serving the vision of someone else and being faithful in that capacity. Often, by serving someone else’s vision, we can find the place of our own purpose because vision is the point where purpose begins.

We can say that our purpose reflects who we are, but our vision guides us to where we are going. We must have a strong vision to be able to reach our destiny.

4. Receive a supernatural encounter. I believe God reveals and confirms our purpose by using supernatural means, such as a dream, a vision, a sign, a prophetic word or a supernatural encounter. We can receive a revelation of our destiny through a supernatural encounter directly initiated by God. The pattern we see throughout the Scriptures is that God presents Himself to His people through such encounters.

Supernatural encounters transform your heart, reveal your purpose and activate your calling. If you want an encounter with God, you must be hungry for Him and eager to know His purpose for you. Through encounters, God makes you a bearer of His presence, purpose and power. Ask the Lord to open your spiritual senses to perceive what He wants to reveal to you.

All of the above involves a process that is often lengthy but has incalculable value, because, through it, our character is formed and we are prepared to be successful in fulfilling our destiny in God. {eoa}

Edited excerpt from Created for Purpose, © 2019 by Guillermo Maldonado, published by Whitaker House. Used with permission.

Active in ministry for over 20 years, bestselling author Apostle Guillermo Maldonado is the founder of King Jesus International Ministry—one of the fastest-growing multicultural churches in the United States—which has been recognized for its visible manifestations of God´s supernatural power. He is a spiritual father to 400 churches in 70 countries, which form the Supernatural Global Network. He is also the founder of the University of the Supernatural Ministry (USM). Apostle Maldonado has a doctorate in Christian counseling and a master’s degree in practical theology. He resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife and partner in ministry, Ana, and their two sons, Bryan and Ronald. Visit whitakerhouse.com/product/created-for-purpose/.

Join Dr. Candice as she interviews apostle Kathy DeGraw on the subject of exposing spiritual darkness during Halloween, and on her new e-book “Why Christians Shouldn’t Celebrate Halloween.”

If you would like to become more educated on this subject for your family and friends and learn to build a hedge of protection this time of year, then this video will help.

To read DeGraw’s e-book on Halloween for only $3.99, click here.

As a youth, I remember thinking that the Jewish kids in my classes were sure lucky. It seemed that every fall they were excused from school several times for religious holidays.

It was many years later that I began to understand the biblical basis for and the spiritual significance of these fall Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which occur in September or October each year.

A third fall holiday, Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths: Lev. 23:33-43), along with the spring holidays of Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost) are the pilgrimage holidays or feast days. They were the three times each year when all males in ancient Israel were to “appear before the Lord your God in the place where He will choose” (Deut. 16:16).

These prescribed observances are based on a lunar calendar and this year (2019) Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles) is to be featured by Jews for a full week, from Oct. 14-20. It serves to remind the Jews (and us) of the years Moses led the Exodus from Egypt when they lived in temporary shelters during the 40 years of wanderings.

A Weeklong Party

The weeklong observance of Sukkot is a joyous time of generosity, festival and fellowship. Families build temporary “dwelling places” or shelters (some more authentic or elaborate than others) where their family and friends may review the biblical story, eat a meal together or even sleep overnight.

These traditions all help the worshippers focus on God’s provision for their lives and look forward to a time when God will make all things right in this world, during the Messiah’s future, earthly reign.

While we, as Christians, aren’t obligated to celebrate the holidays of ancient Israel, they still offer rich insight and meaningful reminders of the wonderful works that God has done throughout history. They also point modern-day believers to the work that Jesus Christ did, is doing and will do in us, for us and through us.

Accordingly, it’s worth taking the time during these days of Sukkot to reflect on and thank God for His gracious and wonderful work in our lives.

Other References to the Feast of Tabernacles

John wrote, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The word John chose to speak of Jesus “dwelling” among us is the word translated as tabernacle, which simply means to “dwell in a tent.” Acknowledging this religious holiday can remind us of His dwelling among us temporarily at His first coming, but the Feast of Tabernacles may also look forward to His Second Coming, from when we shall dwell with Him forever (1 Thess. 4:17).

During the weeklong, holy celebration in ancient Israel, a ceremonial pouring out of water was offered each morning to the Lord as a visual prayer for rain for the harvest.

A priest carried water from the Pool of Siloam to the temple, then poured the water on the right corner of the altar.

As people watched this significant occurrence of Sukkot, Jesus said: “On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water'” (John 7:37-38).

This Feast of Tabernacles will also be a required observance by Gentiles during the millennium, when God will require the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem during the final battles before Christ’s return to go up to Jerusalem to “worship the king, the Lord of Hosts” (Zech. 14:16-19).

Learning From Jewish Festivals and Traditions

Christians can learn from the Jewish festivals and the traditions that have grown up around them to celebrate the spiritual essences of each one.

For instance, I would like to suggest that as we acknowledge the Feast of Tabernacles or temporary booths this week, these frail dwellings can remind us that neither health, wealth, good investments in the stock market or even gold or real estate are ultimate safeguards. It is God who sustains us, in good times and bad.

Whether we live in mansions or tents, any assets we may possess come to us from God and will only endure as long as it is the Father’s “good pleasure” (Luke 12:32-34). We brought nothing into this world, and the only thing we can take out with us is the recognition of souls of those we may have influenced for good and for eternity.

Promises for Believers

In John 14:2-3 Jesus described our future home in heaven as permanent dwelling places, in contrast to the temporary dwellings built when celebrating the godly party of Tabernacles:

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And … I will come again to receive you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Later, when John penned the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he described seeing “new heavens and a new earth,” as the prophet Isaiah had centuries before (Isa. 65:17-25).

John exclaimed, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, ‘Look! The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them. They shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God'” (Rev. 21:3-4).

John, in both his Gospel and Revelation, describes our future home as a real and permanent place uniquely prepared for real people—us! And from that heavenly abode we “shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5b).

Happy Sukkot! {eoa}

Ordained to the ministry in 1969, Gary Curtis is a graduate of LIFE Bible College at Los Angeles (soon to become Life Pacific University at San Dimas, California). He has taken graduate courses at Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois, and Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Gary served as part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, California, for 27 years (1988-2015); and served the last 13 years as the vice president of Life on The Way Communications Inc., the church’s not-for-profit media outreach. Now retired, Gary and his wife have been married for 50 years and live in Southern California. They have two married daughters and five grandchildren.

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the demise of Communism began in earnest in Eastern Europe. And with it, opportunities to share the gospel in the former Soviet Union became abundant.

John Bernbaum, who worked for the U.S. State Department from 1972 to 1976, saw the changing times as a chance to spread the gospel to a vast group of people who were hungry for something different from the oppression it had felt for decades—those who were hungry for Jesus. Bernbaum helped to plant Russia’s first Christian liberal arts university, the Russian-American Christian University.

And although that school is now closed, and the door to the gospel may once again be closing again under now-Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bernbaum says the seeds of faith were planted in his students and the kingdom is firmly entrenched in that country.

“The relationships we built with Christians from a wide range of perspectives in Russia, it was a very extraordinary experience,” Bernbaum told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “We have much to learn from people who have lived through a very hostile environment. The relationship we built with those students was just a tremendous blessing for me to see.

“It was such a great joy to see the courage these students had, that they were so on fire for Christ. We’ve been working in Russia for 25 years now, and we have used our resources to support Christian educational programs and Christian ministries in Russia and Ukraine. The Lord has opened up all kinds of opportunities for us to build networks there.”

Now, however, Bernbaum is considered a “foreign agent” by Russian law, and he is no longer working there. But he continues to do the work of the calling God put before him, if only from a distance.

For more of Bernbaum’s incredible story, listen to this podcast. {eoa}

During their High Holiday season, practicing Jews observed the “Days of Awe!” In Judaism, this short season signifies the 10 days of repentance between Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

This was also a great time for a Christian or Messianic believer to search his or her own soul, forgive others and prepare for the “end of this age” and “the age to come.”

The Eternal Gospel

These Days of Awe reminded me of a special message that Revelation 14:6-7 (MEV) says will be proclaimed in the last days, just before Christ’s Second Coming. It is called “the eternal gospel” and will be proclaimed by an angelic messenger, as a final opportunity for “every nation and tribe and tongue and people” to turn to God before His final judgment on “those who dwell on the earth.”

Here is how John the Revelator explained it: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. He said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water'” (Rev. 14:6-7).

The church’s mission has been to proclaim the Good News of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ “… to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15b-16).

At the point in the chronicles of human history, when the “eternal gospel” is angelically proclaimed to everyone who dwells on the earth, the dead in Christ will have been resurrected and the living saints “raptured” (snatched or caught up), and together they will “meet the Lord in the air” to be with Him “forever” thereafter (1 Thess. 4:13-17).

The significant, source-passage in Revelation 14:6 indicates this special, angelic messenger will provide one last opportunity for those who yet live on earth to respond to God.

Let’s unpack this very significant, and yet simple, “eternal gospel,” which applies to all people:

—Fear God: Respect Him for His awesomeness.

—Give Him glory: Honor Him for His creative actions and righteous judgments.

—Worship Him: Express repeated thanks to Him, as the Creator and sustainer of heaven and earth.

Worshipping Our Awesome Creator

David wrote in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.”

God is righteous and just and will judge even those who may be ignorant of or have rejected the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ by how they responded to their basic, innate knowledge of God as Creator. That is the “eternal gospel,” which this final angelic messenger will bring to those yet dwelling on the earth at the end of this age.

The apostle Paul explained this natural guilt of mankind to the believers in Rome:

For what may be known about God is clear to them since God has shown it to them. The invisible things about Him—His eternal power and deity—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world and are understood by the things that are made, so that they are without excuse.

Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him or give thanks to Him as God but became futile in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things (Rom. 1:19-23).

A critical understanding from this passage is why natural mankind is “without excuse.” It is that they innately understood there was a “greater power,” yet they did not “glorify Him” and honor Him or even express their thankfulness. Instead, they created idols and images to represent this magnanimous, external “force” that was with them, sustained them and kept them. They “worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (v. 25b).

Biblical Ecology

David declared in Psalm 24:1 (NIV): “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” He created it and called it “good.” While the title deed to our dwelling place belongs to God, He has made mankind to “subdue” it (Gen. 1:28) as stewards. As such, we are to care for it and protect it.

As a matter of fact, we read in Revelation 11:18 (MEV) that those who abuse and “destroy the earth” will not go unpunished. We should treat the earth with the respect of knowing it is God’s own possession and not ours.

When God had completed creation, He viewed everything and declared it “very good.” He blessed humanity, which was made in His image, with a rich social and cultural life in this creation.

But soon God observed that “the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was continually only evil” (Gen. 6:5). The understood sovereignty of God over the earth and everything in it and on it was co-opted by various idolatrous cultures and evil spirits.

Much of what is pursued as ecology today is a humanistic rejection of God as Creator. Mankind has substituted an ethos that honors creatures and things rather than God, who alone deserves our praise.

Let us wisely commit to joining with the 24 elders in heaven saying:

“You are worthy, O Lord* to receive glory and honor and power; for You have created all things, and by Your will, they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

(*Please see this video and learn this related Hymn: “Thou Art Worthy” by Pauline Mills.) {eoa}

Ordained to the ministry in 1969, Gary Curtis is a graduate of LIFE Bible College at Los Angeles (soon to become Life Pacific University at San Dimas, California). He has taken graduate courses at Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois, and Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Gary served as part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, California, for 27 years (1988-2015); and served for the last 13 years as the vice president of Life on The Way Communications Inc., the church’s not-for-profit media outreach. Now retired, Gary and his wife have been married for 50 years and live in Southern California. They have two married daughters and five grandchildren.