Come Up Hither

Revelation 19:4-9 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.”
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

Revelation 21:9-11 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

Come up hither!
See the bride, the Lamb’s wife
The holy city set on a hill -Mt 5:14-16
A great and high mountain
On the mount of the Lord it shall be seen{provided}! -Gen 22:14

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. -Rev 21:23

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. -Dan 12:3

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. -Prov 4:18

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. -2 Cor 4:6

Beloved
I AM making you a strong mountain
My city set on My holy hill
A light shining bright for all to see
I AM building up Zion -Ps 102:16
My glory revealed in your midst
The glory of God in the face of Christ. -2 Cor 3:18

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
… I have drawn you with loving-kindness. –Jer 31:3

May He kiss me with the kisses of His mouth! For your love is better than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. Therefore the virgins love you. Draw me away! Let us run together! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you! –Song 1:2-4

Draw me, draw me away Lord Up into Your holy hill, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High That I may adore You Oh to taste Your love and behold Your face! One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. -Ps 27:4-6

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Related:
Heart Cry

Look Up!

… Look up and lift up your heads(gates of praise), because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near. -Lk 21:28

Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in. -Ps 24:7

Lift up your eyes and KNOW!

He takes His battle position; He stands, and shakes the earth;
With a mere look He frightens the nations.
The nations tremble and the ancient mountains are shattered;
The perpetual hills are flattened, bowed down.
His ways are everlasting! -Hab 3:6

I see the King of Glory
Coming on the clouds with fire –Rev 1:7,14
The whole earth shakes,
The whole earth shakes … –Ps 18:6-7

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved{shaken, removed}, but abides{endures} forever. As the mountains surround{encircle} Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds{encircles} His people, from this time on and forevermore. -Ps 125:1-2

Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast{unfailing} love{mercy, lovingkindness} of the LORD surrounds{encompasses} those who trust in Him. -Ps 32:10

Lift up your eyes and SEE!

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. -Ps 34:8

Beloved
I know you feel the shaking
I know you see the darkness
Do not be afraid – COME to me
I AM
Set Me continually before –Ps 16:8-9
TRUST Me
ABIDE.

I AM making you a strong mountain
A mountain which cannot be shaken or removed
A mountain that abides forever
Upon the strong foundation of Christ our King!

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.  -Mt 5:14-16

Lift up your eyes and SING!
HOSANNA! BLESSED IS THE KING!
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!

The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted. -Ps 18:46
I will not be moved!
My heart is glad and my glory rejoices!!!!! -Ps 16:8-9

***
Psalm 46
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

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Related:
Don’t Let the Rocks Cry Out! (meaning of hosanna)
Come Up into the Mount

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Men tell us that our preaching should be positive and not negative, that we can preach the truth without attacking error. That we should only say encouraging things. Remember that saying ‘If you can’t say anything nice – don’t say anything at all’? Is this biblical?

After pondering this I thought of the story of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.

In case you don’t remember the story:

The emperor and his subjects were afraid to admit that they couldn’t see the new clothes because they would appear stupid. So the emperor walked around with no clothes until a child told him.

Imagine how the emperor felt then.

That emperor would have been far better off if someone would have risked appearing stupid {or negative} to tell him the truth — sometimes the truth hurts — but it’s better than pleasant lies.

Proverbs 27:6    Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.

Qualifications for an elder:
Titus 1:9    He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can ENCOURAGE others by sound doctrine AND REFUTE those who oppose it.

Flattery paired with pride causes you to go out in public naked.

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Related:
Contend for the Faith!{Spurgeon}

The Day The Sun Stood Still

Joshua 10:12-14
Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“O sun, stand still at Gibeon, and O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”
13So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies – Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

14There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

Think of it! At the voice of Joshua, the LORD listened and the sun stood still. What a wonder! With this in mind read the following again.

Matthew 20:29-34
Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
32 So Jesus stood still(stopped, stayed set in place[2476]) and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Jesus the ‘Sun of Righteousness’ stood still! He stood still when the two blind men addressed Him as ‘Lord, Son of David’.

From: David’s Son, David’s Lord (Biblegateway)

By addressing Jesus as ‘Lord, Son of David’ the two blind men were acknowledging Him as the Messiah and their Lord. It’s after the persistent cries of the blind men to their ‘Messiah’ for mercy that Jesus the ‘Sun of Righteousness’ stood still. He stood still and called them to Himself. He had compassion and touched them; they obtained their mercy. Their eyes were opened and they followed Him.

Malachi 4:2 AMP
But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves [released] from the stall and leap for joy.

What do you want Me to do for you?

Matthew 20:29-34
Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Why would Jesus ask this question in v32? Didn’t He already know the answer?

Look how the prayer of the two blind men changed after Jesus asked this question.
From: “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
To: “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”

Notice also that the two blind men asked and kept on asking defiantly for mercy, inspite of the crowd telling them to be quiet v31.

Maybe Jesus wants us to ask — asking persistently and specifically is an act of faith …

You do not have, because you do not ask. -Ja 4:2
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. -Mt 7:7 AMP

If you want to experience the power of Jesus in your life, you’ll have to defy the critics and the skeptics and ask anyway – ask and keep on asking, even louder!

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Related:
Joyful in Hope

Refined

Psalm 147:3 AMP    He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].

1 Peter 1:6-7    In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Isaiah 43:1-3 … thus says the LORD … Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

***

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
That You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right
Yea, one day You will set all things right

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Your hands
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave You when…

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave…
I never leave Your hands