Coming up in a few days is a holiday weekend where many people take a vacation at the beach. I grew up in “The Ocean State”, Rhode Island, the beach was never far. Nor the Bay, or the Cove, or the Inlet. I was always at some beach or other. I grew to detect and love the ocean’s moods, the weather in all its forms. The beach is such a relaxing vacation. The ocean is beautiful, mysterious, dangerous, life-sustaining, and at sunset, the beach displays the Creator’s artistry in the sky for its backdrop.
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. (Genesis 1:21-23)
Myrtle Beach
When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed. (Acts 21:5)
Lubec Beach, Maine
There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. (Acts 27:6, 8)
Portofino, Italy
For he takes up the drops from the sea; he sends them through his mist as rain (Job 36:27)
Jasper Beach, Maine
Our mighty God has created all that we see and all that we don’t see. He is our Creator, and as for the sea, what a wondrous gift it is.
It’s a riff off the famous line in the classic 1975 movie, Jaws. I was born in Providence, Rhode Island and grew up in Little Rhody. I was 14 1/2 when the movie came out, timed for Memorial Day Weekend and the blockbuster season of summer fun movies. They filmed the movie on the nearby island of Martha’s Vineyard.
A friend from high school whose family had a trawler invited me to join them for a weekend jaunt to the ‘The Vineyard’. We’d all seen Jaws of course, and like everyone else the movie scared me to death. When we got to Edgartown, one of the main towns on the island, we anchored. Immediately my friend’s teenage brothers started cannon-ball jumping from the top of the bridge into the water. I looked down at those Atlantic seal-grey waters that obscured everything underneath, and thought about the shark, filmed in that very spot, and said ‘nope.’ The filming gear was still around, including the floating platform they used to film the mechanical shark, dubbed “Bruce.” Spooky!
The line “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” is embedded in American consciousness and has become iconic. For me, I cannot believe it has been 45 years since that Martha’s Vineyard summer! Where does the time go?! I remember being shy around my friend’s brothers, of seeing the sun set over the harbor, of cobblestone streets, of scrimshaw shops, of eating fresh fish for dinner. Because of the movie, I thought about death for the first time, really thought about it. Where do people go when they die?
By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)
What happens after we die? It was an impenetrable question to which my 14-year-old brain had no answer. What lay ahead for that gal, only the Lord knew. As I look back over the bridge of time, I know that it has been quite a ride.
As we age, I guess in some respects we become melancholy in reminiscing about the past. I’m not fond of memories because mine tend to be sad, or filled with wistful regrets.
I returned to Martha’s Vineyard many decades later. My husband and I had our own boat by then. We lived on it for 2 years, cruising up and down the eastern seaboard and over to the Bahamas. We spent some time in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven harbors, swinging on anchor and enjoying the summer breezes. I was a 30-year-old adult by then, twice the age I was when I’d first visited.
My time living on our boat taught me that the earth is beautiful. It could not have been banged into existence because of its easily seen currents, tides, beauty, progression of the sun, moon, and stars nightly. “This couldn’t have happened by chance,” I kept thinking. “There must be a God.”
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20).
The Jesus thing, though, forgeddaboutit. Not for nothing, but that sin and blood and cross stuff was wack.
Twelve years later I was closing in on the cross but not there yet. I was still pondering the mysteries of the universe, this time, the nature of evil. I was running the local newspaper then, and there was an epic struggle for the soul of the town. Dems vs Republicans, liberals vs conservative, old ways vs influx of people with newfangled ideas. You know, it was a mini-version of the same thing we saw in the 2020 election campaign season and culminating on January 6th. Bad.
The struggle turned ugly, with the entire array of dirty tricks, hatred, bitterness, and words said. Tires were slashed, slander spread, whisper campaigns galore. Why are people so mean? I wondered. If we go to heaven when we die, what makes that place different from here, if we’re all there? It would be the same? What makes heaven, heaven?
Now it’s eighteen years later. I’ve been saved since then. My church is a wonderful place. We had a great service yesterday with truth proclaimed in a steady, strong stream for an hour and a half in music, prayer, and sermon. We had supper afterwards, and friends and I talked, laughed, enjoyed each other’s company. Our church is a generous church and it is a reading church. When we planted, all of our elders were educators either in Christian schools or public schools. We have a lot of grad students, college students, and educators. We read. Our church buys boxes of books and gives them to us. We have book clubs sprinkled over two counties of our congregants. I SO appreciate their wisdom in making sure they recommend good material and provide the means to get good books to us!
One of the boxes of books they bought was John Piper’s new magnum opus, Providence. I eagerly went to the book room and grabbed a copy, excited to start reading it this summer while I’m home from work. I’m not a huge fan of Piper but I hear great things about this particular work.
As I hefted the book from the shelf and wrestled the tome into my smallish bookbag, I realized how big of a book it was. “I’m going to need a bigger bookcase…” popped into my head. Right after, all those thoughts of that long-ago summer in Martha’s Vineyard with Jaws filming props scattered around came back to me.
"Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate."
"Through divine providence God accomplishes His will. To ensure that His purposes are fulfilled, God governs the affairs of men and works through the natural order of things."
And sometimes He works through the UNnatural order of things, like stopping the sun, parting the sea, or changing water to wine.
Providence is a comfort, it is reassuring, it gives me license to hand over control in submission to a wise and compassionate God. I’ve sometimes wondered if the Lord’s planning of my birth before the foundation of the world in the state of Rhode Island in the city of Providence was connected to my growing love for the Doctrine. It tickles me anyway, that I was born in Providence and I love the doctrine of Providence.
I AM going to need a bigger bookcase, lol. I’m running out of room and when I add this bad boy it’s going to make the shelf sag for sure. Good thing I providentially have time during the summer to read. See what I did there?
I’m grateful for God’s providential care, His salvation of my wretched soul at age 42, His raising up of good men turned to elders who plant churches for His name, for books, for my life. Take some time today to ponder Him, His creation, His plan, His providence in caring for you.
The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. (Psalm 103:19).
Kay Cude is a Texas poet. Published with permission
Artist’s Statement:
I was compelled to say something that spoke encouragement for “the saved to continue on,” even while recognizing and knowing the true character of sin, the taste and its aroma. Our efforts to reach the lost become harder each day; the news-media ridicules Christ’s redeemed, and with deceptive words, demands we not speak Gospel Truth. But we must “continue on.” I must keep fresh in my mind that previous centuries of the lost hated Christ, and that this present century of the lost will hate us (even as we the “saved” seek their rescue).
What will heaven be like? It is a marvelous question those of us who long for our heavenly home ask often. On the one hand, the glimpses given to us in scripture are wonderful and awe-inspiring. On the other hand, those glimpses make us long to be there even more!
There are some things the Bible is silent on however, regarding our future in eternity. We know heaven will be a place where we will be active, and working for Jesus. We don’t know exactly what we will do. “Rule and reign”, worship Jesus, of course, and it won’t be boring. But as to exactly what we will do in the eternal state, the Bible is silent.
We do know that our citizenship is in heaven, our new name is in heaven, our brethren are in heaven, our reward is in heaven, our life is in heaven, our hope is in heaven- Jesus is in heaven!
What word in the New Testament is used only once, in Matthew 24:12?
First, the scene.
“Olive Trees”, Vincent Van Gogh
The disciples had asked Jesus about the Temple, the times, and when His return would be. His answer is the longest discourse in the NT after the Sermon on the Mount, and the longest answer to any question the disciples asked. It comprises the entire chapters of Matthew 24 and goes on to Matthew 25. The response, given on the Mount of Olives and thus known as the Olivet Discourse, is about the Tribulation period. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, when Jesus pours out His wrath on the unbelieving world, and punishes Israel for the final 7 years of time, three and a half of which are called the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 12:14, Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7).
So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11).
Parents know what their children need and want and would bring them joy. So they give good gifts. The Father in heaven knows all the greater what to give His children.
Today I’m looking at what children give their parents. Let’s think about the gifts children give to the adult loved ones in their life.
In the first century, there were 7 churches that Jesus caused John to write messages to. These were actual churches with actual congregations, doing and saying actual things. Jesus told apostle John, exiled at Patmos, what to write to these congregations. Jesus spoke commendations, criticisms, and instructions. Not all 7 churches were commended. Not all 7 churches were criticized. All had an instruction, though.
The church at Smyrna and the church at Philadelphia were not criticized. The church at Laodicea was not commended. The rest had both.
The churches were: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea.
Can you imagine being assembled on Sunday, hearing a knock on the church door, a messenger arriving and handing a scroll to your pastor, and the pastor reads a letter from the head of the Church, Jesus Christ Himself? Jesus is very much alive and in charge of His global body of worshipers, AKA His bride. He was directly involved then, and He is directly involved now.
Each of the seven churches was not only an actual church but is also a type of church dealing with a problem mentioned in the letters. The problem is not unique to that church for that time. There are always the same kind of systemic problems many churches deal with and have been recurring throughout the centuries. Always, there is a church somewhere that is busy but not alive. Always, somewhere, is a church that is indifferent and lukewarm. On this earth, there is a collection of churches gracefully enduring suffering, or being persecuted. And so on.
Please read Revelation 1-3, it is not hard. Those chapters offer the reader plain language and it’s not heavily symbolic.
Ephesus: I was struck by the fact they had abandoned their fervent love for Jesus. I imagined how, hearing this, John might have felt like he had ashes in his mouth and ears. “Nothing’s as cold as ashes, after the fire is gone.” (Loretta Lynn).
Smyrna: No criticism. Only light, the crown of life in heaven, and joy.
Pergamos: Compromise was their problem. Anyone who ever had a house built knows that if the contractor compromises on the concrete foundation, cracks appear at the first frost-freeze-thaw cycle. Nothing cracks a structure or an organization faster than compromise.
Thyatira: This church had a problem with a seductress teaching sexual immorality and the people tolerated it. It is a harlot church, literally.
Sardis: Revelation has a change in tone here. Sardis is dead. Can you believe that a church alive with people can be dead? According to the word of God here, it can and did happen.
Philadelphia: No criticism. This church is loved eternally from above. Its door will never close. This church is beloved in heaven.
Laodicea: Indifferent. Jesus hates that worst of all. He excoriates it with a lengthy invective no other church received in their message. He will vomit this church from His mouth.
If a messenger were to appear at your church door on a Sunday and hand a scroll written by Jesus to your pastor describing your church, what type of church do you think yours would be? If it is a church sliding into one of the less well-loved type of congregations, is there something you are contributing to its decline? Are you praying for your elders and pastors? Are you helping, or can find a spot to serve that will relieve some of the issues in the church? If your church is gloriously thriving, do you praise the Spirit for this? Pray for your pastor in gratitude for his hard work in the Lord?
In Matthew 12:22-37, Jesus is teaching. The crowds had begun to swarm around Him. He had made a blind man see and mute man talk. The crowds were beginning to wonder if Jesus was indeed the promised Son of David. Of course, the proud Pharisees and scribes who were on hand did not like to hear that. They tried to dismiss the sovereign divine power of Jesus by claiming he casts out satan by satan.
Jesus replied with his famous teaching, that a divided house cannot stand, and if He drives out satan by satan, who did they drive out satan by? He went on for many verses with a teaching and a warning and reminders to this evil group of religious non-believers. He spoke of the unforgivable sin. He warned, He said by their words they will be justified…or condemned.
The Pharisees and scribes replied, replied, yeah, yeah, but we want a sign.
There is a Tribulation to come. It is not the Tribulation now. However, the terrible things we see happening on earth today remind us of God’s stored-up wrath that the Lord will pour out on the world during that time of judgment.
Do I refer to the judgments to come because I believe we are in the Tribulation now? Of course not. The rapture of the church will happen first, and then the judgments will be rendered by the Holy and Just Judge exactly and in the order as chronicled in Revelation.
Do I speak of the severe judgment to come in order to instill fear? A little. Holy fear and biblical knowledge of the power of God in wrath is a good thing. His judgment and His wrath are holy attributes of which we should be acquainted.
I’ve been told we should not speak of judgment. “It’s so negative” people say. “You should only talk of the happy things to make people feel comfortable with Jesus,” they say. Yet, the first thing John the Baptist said in his ministry was to warn us to flee the wrath to come. He started with a message of repentance, because judgment was looming. (“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 3:1; and Matthew 3:7, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?“)
Repentance for sin and warnings of judgment are part of the Gospel message.
For me, the lone tree speaks of God’s wonderful handiwork, not only representing His gift of nature, but brings to mind that His redeemed are not alone, but safely tucked within His Might eternally. And as the brilliance of the sun pierces boldly through the dark-ending of the storm, one thought leads me to another — remembrance of Christ’s death and resurrection. Then speaks to His beloved redeemed: the “things” of this world are now more clearly seen through the light of His Salvation! We must daily pause to remember…
the-end-time.org 