Tag: God

Posted in theology

Longing for His Appearing

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Will today be the day my faith becomes sight?
Will today be the day I am reunited with my Savior and Lord to worship Him perfectly?
Will today be the day I see his glory?
Will today be the day I sing praises to Him with the angels and the multitudes?
Will today be the day I am glorified and my struggle against sin ends forevermore?
Will today be the day I see the place He prepared for me?
Will today be the day I step through the veil and enter eternity?
Will today be the day I stand by the Crystal Sea?
Will today be the day I see His face?
Will today be the day I praise Him at His feet for saving me?
Will today be the day I understand fully, knowing even as I am known?
Will today be the day the tears will be wiped from my eyes?
Will today be the day I come into my inheritance?
Will today be the day I thank my ministering angels?
Will today be the day my faith becomes sight?

Do you have this fervency in your heart? Do you pray these things every day? Are you eager to put aside this tent, this life, these earthly concerns, in anticipation of His call? He rewards this eagerness:

“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

Earth is our temporary home. It is roughing it here. We put up with what we have to put up with in the way of trials, diseases, persecution, even inconveniences… because the real home awaiting us when we return to it is so fabulous. When you were at camp during the summer or on a sleepover you had a good time but weren’t you happy to get back to your Mom & Dad? Your own bed?

Jesus came to earth to die, as the atoning sacrifice for sin of the world, to be resurrected by the power of God, proving He is God, and lives in heaven now, waiting for the time He will call His bride to Him. He came “To guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79b). We are at peace, knowing we are reconciled to Him, no longer His enemy but His children.

That is how we should feel. This is not our home. When will we see our real home? I don’t know. Will today be the day?

Posted in theology

Meditating on the Beatific Vision

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The following is from the newsletter I receive monthly along with the booklet Free Grace Broadcaster from Chapel Library. Chapel Library is a ministry from Mt. Zion Bible Church in Pensacola, FL. This ministry sends out, at no cost, edifying material from solid pastors of long ago. They supply free evangelistic and discipleship materials to churches, missionaries, ministries, prison chaplains, and individuals for the glory of God. They offer print and digital formats, as well as audiobooks. You can read their material online or request it through the mail.

They also oversee spurgeongems.org and JohnBunyan.org as well as the chapellibrary.org website.

The editor of this month’s letter introducing the quarterly Free Grace Broadcaster #276, Summer 2026, Jeff Pollard, wrote:

I invite you to think deeply with me about the following text: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8:29). Have you ever meditated on this passage? Not eastern meditation-the mind-emptying sort. I mean meditation of the biblical sort: Have you ever drawn away from everyone, turned off all your distracting devices, and found a quiet place to pray and meditate? The meditation I’m speaking of does not empty you, but fills your mind with a verse or passage of God’s Spirit-breathed Word. Have you prayed earnestly about God’s truth and thought about it until you began to experience the wonder, the depth, the beauty, and the mystery of it? If so, have you ever meditated on this passage?”

This month’s issue focuses on the topic of “Beatific Vision” from 1 John 3:2. “We shall see Him as He is”. Pollard continued:

“Our Christian life points in one direction, one goal- conformity to Christ for all eternity. The greatest conformity to Christ, the greatest joy that we will ever experience, the greatest fountain of love and glory from which we will drink, will come from gazing upon God- the beatific vision. God in His glory will glorify His people with the image of His glorious Son.“

Friends, in these hectic, bewildering, dark days, focus on your blessings. On this side of the veil, the great blessing that Christians have is salvation, promise of heaven, and the deposit of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. On the other side of the veil, we have the promise of eternity in glory with Jesus, the GREATEST blessing of all. We shall see Him as He is!

Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

Groaning and Singing

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I love the pre-dawn. It is quiet and cool and dark but the light is coming, and already is.

I live in an area which is fairly rural, and there is not much traffic. Though I live on a major artery in the county, there isn’t enough traffic even during the day to really bother me. However, in the pre-dawn, there is none at all. I can hear from afar off the dogs bark, cows moo, occasional owl screech, an early rooster…

EPrata photo

At about 6 am there is always one bird. From out of the darkness, suddenly, there will be a happy series of lone chirps. He is loud, and the sound is joyous to me. Not to anthropomorphize too much, but the bird really does sound happy. The piercing, lengthy call sounds like he is waking up his brethren. Perhaps it is an ovenbird.

After the first bird goes first, then in a few moments the dawn chorus begins. The dawn chorus is a worldwide event. At Cornell, they wrote, “The dawn chorus is one of the most conspicuous vocal behaviors of birds, and one of the least understood. Near sunrise, birds often sing more loudly and vigorously than they do at other times of the day.“

EPrata photo

I like to think they are thanking their Creator. He knows them, and I like to think they know their Creator back. God says, “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” (Psalms 50:11). We know that all creation groaneth in travail until now, (Romans 8:22). They groan…do they sing in joy as well?

Birds suffer for man’s sin, (Genesis 6:7; Jeremiah 12:4; Ezekiel 38:20; Hosea 4:3). The Bible says they flee away when calamity comes as well. (Jeremiah 4:25; Jeremiah 9:10)

Yet they sing:

10You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. (Psalm 104:10-13)

Imagine the ‘dawn chorus’ in heaven! Birds will sing all the time because there is no dusk and no dawn, only day! (1 John 1:5, Revelation 21:25).

I believe that in heaven when He brings His bride to her place and presents our dwelling place to us, our rooms will not have screens on the windows. Because why would they? No biting insects or animals will creep in and harass us. All creation will be reconciled to its Creator and there will be no reason to have bars or screens to keep things out, or in. Maybe a bird will swoop in to my room and sing in joy at the perfection of the Creator and gladness to be part of it, and I will join. Together we are all groaning now, but the Day will come when we will all sing in joyous praise to the One who made us. Birds too.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the first bird each morning, knowing that before the day’s groaning begins, there is joy in creation among the created.

you lookin at me

Posted in discernment, personal revelation, whisper

Listening for God—or Listening to Ourselves?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS: The passage rejects the idea that Christians receive personal “whispers” from the Holy Spirit. Criticizing popular Christian women authors, it argues that God’s revelation is complete in Scripture and that believers should seek guidance through prayer, biblical wisdom, and spiritual discipline rather than subjective impressions or inner messages.

Continue reading “Listening for God—or Listening to Ourselves?” →
Posted in theology

What Does “Throwing a Sandal” Mean in the Bible?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In my daily Bible reading, I came across a phrase with which I was not familiar:

“Moab is My washbowl; I will throw My sandal over Edom; Shout loud, Philistia, because of Me!” (Psalm 60:8)

Why is throwing your shoe over a country or region an insult or a statement of dominance, as it appears to be in the verse?

You have heard scripture interprets scripture. In this case we can refer to Ruth 4:7 for an explanation of the shoe handling:

Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the way of confirmation in Israel.

I looked it up some more. This is where commentaries come in handy.

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says the same as the Ruth 4:7 verse above, and goes on with a bit more context-

He here expresses the utmost confidence that he would succeed in this, notwithstanding the adverse events which had occurred. It is supposed that there is allusion in the expression “I will cast out my shoe,” to the custom, when transferring a possession, of throwing down a shoe on the ground as a symbol of occupancy. Compare Ruth 4:7. In the middle ages this was expressed by throwing down a glove; in the time of Columbus, by solemnly taking possession and setting up a cross; in other times, by erecting a standard, or by building a fort. 

You may have heard that ‘throwing down a glove” (gauntlet) in the Middle Ages meant the fight was on. History.com and Merriam-Webster Dictionary explain,

The term “gauntlet” comes from the French word gantelet, referring to the heavy, armored gloves worn by knights, according to History.com. Meaning: It was a literal, public act of defiance that, if accepted (by “taking up the gauntlet”), required personal combat to resolve a dispute

Apparently in Bible times, throwing the shoe was the signal that one side was prepared to fight for victory, in other words, ‘I’m coming for you! – and I will win!”

It’s helpful to pursue some of these long-ago idiomatic phrases that help us understand the verse more deeply.

Posted in theology

Serving Behind the Front Line

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS: I reflect on the dignity and necessity of support roles, comparing them to biblical examples like Baruch, Jonathan, Ruth, Barnabas, and Timothy. I emphasize faithful service, humility, loyalty, and contentment, arguing that ALL roles, whether front line or background support – ultimately glorify God and strengthen His people.

Continue reading “Serving Behind the Front Line” →
Posted in theology

The Bible’s Brutal Honesty About Lying

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS: This essay explores God’s hatred of lying, tracing deception through Scripture, modern culture, media, government, and everyday life. Using biblical examples and commentary from pastors and theologians, it argues that dishonesty corrupts society, reflects Satan’s influence, and violates God’s standards. Yet through repentance, Christ offers forgiveness, restoration, and the call to pursue truthfulness.

Continue reading “The Bible’s Brutal Honesty About Lying” →
Posted in amen, encouragement

Jesus IS the AMEN!!!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In Revelation, Jesus instructs John to write seven letters to seven churches. He introduces Himself to each church as a different aspect of Himself.

In Revelation 3, Jesus instructs John to write to the Church at Laodicea. He is concerned that this church is lukewarm, not hot nor cold. He began it this way:

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” (Revelation 3:14 KJV)

JESUS IS THE AMEN.

Pulpit Commentary says of The Amen,

“The word “Amen” is here used as a proper name of our Lord; and this is the only instance of such an application. It signifies the “True One.” It is a word much used in St. John’s Gospel, where it appears repeated at the commencement of many discourses, “Verily, verily.””

Gills Commentary says of The Amen,

“Christ may be so called, because he is the God of truth, and truth itself; and it may be expressive of his faithfulness, both to God his Father, and to his people, in whom all the promises he either made, or received, are yea and amen; and also of the firmness, constancy, and immutability of Christ, in his nature, person, and offices, in his love, fulness of grace, power, blood, and righteousness…”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says “His unchanging faithfulness as “the Amen” contrasts with Laodicea’s wavering of purpose, “neither hot nor cold” (Revelation 3:16).”

In Isaiah 65:16 it is noted in the Hebrew He is the God of a-men (truth)-

“So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth,” (God of Amen)

In the New Testament Paul explains,

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

God is the God of truth, His Son is Truth, He is the Amen! John MacArthur explains both the Revelation 3:14 verse and the 2 Corinthians 1:20 verse:

“Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, a very important truth. It says, “For all the promises of God in Him are amen.” All the promises of God in Him are amen. What does that mean? That means that all God’s promises and all God’s covenants are guaranteed and affirmed by the person and work of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament God said I will forgive your sins. God could never do that if it were not for the person and work of Christ, right? Because forgiveness was purchased by His atoning death. All of the promises that God made to take men and show them mercy and loving kindness, grace and give them a Kingdom and a hope and an eternal life are bound up in Jesus Christ fulfilling His work. So that everything that God ever planned or purposed for man, everything that God ever promised for man finds its amen in Jesus Christ. God’s promises are all certain in Him. They all become sure in Him. And so, Jesus Christ is God’s amen, “