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"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen."
~Revelation 1:7
Today’s Scripture Reading:
Revelations 1:7, Hebrews 11, Matthew 24:30, Daniel 7:13, Revelation 19-22
Beloved of God, LOOK TO THE EAST! Lift up your eyes to the eastern sky! Let your eyes gaze upon the eastern skies where history's greatest moment approaches—where your eternal hope draws near! There is a reality more glorious than all earthly concerns, a truth more magnificent than our present trials, this present world, and its present rulers—Jesus Christ, our Coming King, is returning! The return of the King is coming from the east. Sent by the Ancient of Days Himself, He shall come quickly. Not as a humble babe in a manger, not as the suffering servant who bore our sins, but as the Conquering King, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, whose eyes blaze like flames of fire and whose voice thunders like mighty waters—The One also named Emmanuel, The True Messiah, The Son of God, The Son of Man, The Word made flesh since before time itself began, The Savior, The Bread of Life, The Rock, The Good Shepherd, The Light of the World, The Resurrection, The Way, The Truth, and The Life, The True Vine, The Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, The Bright Morning Star, The Mediator, The High Priest, The Holy One of Israel, The Hope of Israel, The Glory of Israel, The King of the Jews, The God of Israel, The only true King of Israel, The Bridegroom, The I AM, The Chief Cornerstone, Faithful and True, The Righteous Judge, The Alpha and The Omega, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
We stand now at a pivotal moment, drawing nearer to the end of this age. We stand in a vital moment where the Church must come to a fuller revelation of the risen and coming King Jesus. Yes, we cherish the Christ who was—the One who died for our sins, the One who shed His blood. Yes, we walk with the Resurrected Christ who is—our present help and constant friend. But oh, let us lift our gaze to the east for the blessed hope of The Christ who is yet to come—Jesus who lives in us—the Righteous King whose perfect government and peace is also still yet to come, and shall have no end!
Like Abraham, the patriarch of old, we are called to be a people who look forward to that eternal city—the city which is pure gold, as clear and transparent as glass, whose architect and builder is God Himself. The very place Jesus ascended into Heaven to go and prepare a place for us. The patriarchs of old were commended not merely for believing in God's present help, but for fixing their hope on an eternal inheritance that still awaited them, which still awaits us. They saw themselves as strangers and pilgrims on earth, seeking a homeland not of this earth but rather a heavenly one, as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, a heavenly city, that would one day descend in glory. Therefore, the scriptures tell us that because of their faith and conviction in this, "God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." He has prepared a city for you and for me!
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." ~Hebrews 11:13-16
“In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. You know where I go, and you know the way.” Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.’” ~John 14:2-6
"I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband." ~Revelation 21:2
Can you see it with your eyes of faith? Can you see the literal description spelled out in the ancient text of the Scriptures, God’s Word? For, “as the days of Noah were, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” We will look up to the Eastern skies to see Heaven itself split open, and behold—a white horse coming on the clouds with a great heavenly host! Upon it sits the Faithful and True, the One crowned with many diadems, robed in garments dipped in blood, coming in great power and glory. The armies and hosts of Heaven follow Him on white horses, and from His mouth comes a sharp sword to strike the nations. A name is written which no one knows but Himself. The Root of David, who is the only one found worthy, who has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. On His garment and on His thigh, a name will be written: “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” And we who are truly His shall be gathered together to Him at His great appearing, and at His return, His second coming. The day is coming when every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
"For when they are saying, 'Peace and safety,' then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. They will in no way escape."
~1 Thessalonians 5:3
"instructing us to renounce ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly in this present age; looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works." ~Titus 2:12-14
Therefore, do we not see that the dominion of the earth is not ours to claim in this present age? No, beloved, we dare not grasp at that which only the One found worthy to take the scroll and open its seals will rightfully take for Himself on that great and terrible day. Beloved, let us remember the Great Commission given to us by our risen King—not to take dominion over the earth, for that authority belongs to Christ alone and will be fulfilled on that great and glorious day of His return. No, our charge in this present age is not to establish His earthly Kingdom by our own might or effort to conquer the regions of the earth, but rather to labor in obedience to His command to establish His Kingdom in the hearts and lives of men. We do not take dominion to establish ‘Peace and safety!’ only to be torn down by Christ Himself. Do we not remember 1 Thessalonians 5:3 and what is still to come? “For when they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. They will in no way escape.”
His great last command to us before His ascension: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things I have commanded.” This is the sacred task entrusted to us—the Great Commission—our divine assignment until the King Himself returns to claim what is rightfully His. While we are given His authority and empowered to trample on serpents and scorpions, to overcome the Kingdom of Darkness through the authority of His name, His blood shed, and His stripes, we do not presume to take the dominion of the earth, for that is reserved for the Return of the King, Jesus Christ alone.
Oh, how we eagerly anticipate that day when the Righteous Judge descends with the clouds, His glory outshining the sun, His voice shaking the heavens! Until then, we war not for earthly thrones or crowns; we do not war against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This is the “dominion” we are given in this present age, until the end of the age. To shine as lights in the darkness, the salt of the earth, cities on a hill which cannot be hidden, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to destroy the works of the devil through the power of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. On that day, when the eastern skies are torn asunder, and He appears coming on the clouds in all His majesty, for every eye to see, the dominion over the earth will be His and His alone to take on that day. The kingdoms of this world at that time will become the Kingdom of our Lord God, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. We shall then rule and reign with Christ for the “One Thousand Year Reign.” Let us therefore fix our eyes upon Jesus, as we obey His commands and commission for us in this age. May we work and obey to fulfill His Great Commission with unwavering zeal, for the time is short, and that day draws nearer! We fulfill the Great Commission while we look to the east.
"Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years." ~Revelation 20:6
This is no mere theological concept, no abstract theology or doctrine—this is our blessed burning hope that ignites our very souls and being forevermore! It is the prophecies! The very Word of God declared to come to pass, spoken from the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself, the promises still yet to be fulfilled but drawing nearer with every passing day of history. We are called to be as the wise virgins Jesus spoke of, to prepare us, so that we be rightly prepared and ready for Him. We must now keep our lamps trimmed and burning, filled with the precious oil of intimacy, readiness, and ablaze with holy Maranatha anticipation. This is our very heart's cry, a passionate expectation of what is to come at the close of the age. Just as we never really expect the ending of our days on earth to come, but somehow, someday in the future, it becomes our present reality, passing us on into eternal glory or death and judgment, so is the coming of the end of the age. This day, when all this shall come to pass, like the age of a man, soon expires in the end—so too will this age soon expire unto the Day of our Lord and King, Jesus.
Maranatha—an Aramaic word meaning “Our Lord, come!” or “Come, O Lord!” It’s a cry of longing and anticipation, an expression of eager expectation for the return of Jesus Christ. It captures the heart of the early Church, who lived in constant hope of His second coming.
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working by which He is able even to subject all things to Himself." ~Philippians 3:20-21
Like the wise virgins, we must keep our lamps filled with oil, our hearts ablaze with holy anticipation. May you also be found among the wise virgins, as one who has made and kept yourself ready! When that sound of the last trumpet thunders through the air, from east to west, for all to hear and see, and behold the King of Glory—the Lamb who was slain, “with the precious blood of the Lamb, without blemish or spot, the blood of Christ, who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in this last age for your sake.”
"but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish or spot, the blood of Christ, who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in this last time for your sake." ~Peter 1:19-20
For He comes this second time to earth not just as the meek Savior but as the true Righteous Judge, and Conquering King over all, and the Sovereign of all creation. For He comes not as the humble Lamb but as the mighty, roaring Lion of the Tribe of Judah; not as the Servant of all, but as the Eternal King whose reign shall never again be challenged or fade. He shall slay all who come to oppose Him and His reign; sudden destruction will come upon the earth, as never seen in all the histories of the ages. Out of His mouth will proceed a sharp sword with which to strike the nations of the earth. He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, the Ancient of Days. There will be blood to the horse’s bridle in that final battle, as far as sixteen hundred stadia. The gates, hordes, and armies of Hell shall fall and not prevail against Him. The great angel will stand in the sun, and he will cry with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midheaven, “Come, be gathered together to the great supper of God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”
The reigns of democracy, monarchy, and tyranny alike shall be swept away, for He will usher in the Kingdom of God—the Kingdom of an incorruptible King, ruled by the Lord of Lords Himself. We shall rule and reign with Christ, as citizens of our heavenly inheritance in Jesus Christ, not as citizens of the nations of this earth. Do you not remember children of God that are now seated in heavenly places with Him, and “If children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.” His rule shall be absolute, unchallenged, and eternal; His justice, an unwavering flame of righteousness, and His love, as deep and boundless as the stars and heavens themselves. For the very heavens declare the glory of God. The Lamb who was slain for the world’s salvation and redemption now returns as the Lion whose roar will shake the heavens with the sound of the last trumpet—the Righteous Judge whose justice is pure and unyielding. This is the vision that burns in our hearts, the promise that compels us forward, and the hope that fills our souls—one that we live for, and, if need be, die on this earth for. The great coming risen King Jesus, who will wipe away every tear from our eyes. After this age comes to a close, under His rule and reign, as we rule and reign in the age to come with Him, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. But hold fast and remember, we are citizens of Heaven, who eagerly await our Savior and coming King with the Maranatha cry!
"If we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us."
~2 Timothy 2:12
"Behold, I am coming quickly! My reward is with Me, to repay to each man according to his work."
~Revelation 22:12
Maranatha! The Spirit and the Bride cry, "Come, Lord Jesus!” From every nation, tribe, and tongue, the cry is rising: "Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!" This must become the heartbeat of our worship, the pulse of our prayers, the focus of our faith. We are not just saved from sin—we are saved unto Him and for His appearing! We are not just washed in His blood—we are being prepared as His Bride! As a pure and spotless bride!
Let us then live as those who know their great eternal King is coming soon and quickly. Let every decision, every priority, every ambition be shaped by this glorious reality. When He splits the eastern sky with the mighty sound of the last trumpet, will He find us ready? Will He find YOU ready? When His feet touch down upon the Mount of Olives, that eastern mountain ridge next to the ancient city of Jerusalem, and His glory fills the earth as the waters cover the sea, will we—will YOU—be among those who have longed for His appearing? Will we—will YOU—be among those wise virgins who made and kept themselves ready for The Return of The King, Jesus?
~ Prayer: Pray This Now with All Your Heart to God~
"Lord Jesus, I now come to You with a humble, repentant heart, longing for Your love and return. Awaken in me a greater revelation of truth now by the power of Your Holy Spirit, with anticipation for the glorious day of Your appearing and return. Purify me by the power of Your Holy Spirit; make me Your pure and spotless bride now, today, and forevermore.
Make me as one of Your wise virgins, ready and faithfully awaiting that day. Give me humble and meek eyes to see and ears to hear. Open my spiritual sight and discernment, and give me ears to hear by the power of Your precious Holy Spirit. Forgive me where I have fallen and for my sins; cover them and wash them with Your precious blood.
Help me now to look to the east with a Maranatha heart cry—this urgent and holy anticipation for You, my King Jesus. Forgive me for placing my identity in the nations of this earth more than in You, Your coming Kingdom, and my citizenship in Heaven. In the name of Jesus, I renounce all earthly attachments and citizenships. I set my heart on Your eternal Kingdom as I fix my eyes on my true homeland with You.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and fire, and keep my lamp full of oil as I wait for Your return. I step into my eternal identity as a son or daughter of the true and living God through the only door to God—Jesus Christ alone. Stir in me a desperate Maranatha cry—“Come, Lord Jesus, come!”—and keep me watchful in prayer and prepared.
Keep me obedient to You in Your harvest and Great Commission until You return, so that I may also be found faithful and worthy of Your reward. May I abide in the vine of Your presence and prayer every day. As I look toward the eastern skies for Your appearing on that day, may my life reflect a heart of readiness as a wise virgin.
Until that day, keep me faithful and steadfast by Your Spirit. Until I see You face to face, in Your mighty name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen."
"If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. He who testifies these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"
~Revelation 22:19-20
Behold, the day is coming when King Jesus Christ will split open the eastern skies, coming in great power and glory. The one thousand-year reign of Christ, us ruling and reigning with Him, is coming soon in the next age; the holy city is coming soon, the New Jerusalem. Truly, beloved, the return of King Jesus Christ is coming soon! Look to the east!
