Even if you have to die, says the Lord,
keep faithful, and I will give you
the crown of life. REV 2:10
DANIEL 2:31-45
My Soul's Beloved,
Kingdoms come and go. Governments fall, and new ones come, and they are all built on shifting sands. None of them lasts. Some govern with greater wisdom and compassion than others, but by and large, they are mostly self-serving, power-hungry despots, or puppets of the real shadow leaders who pull their strings. The people who are governed are merely a means to an end. The powerful and the greedy are never satisfied, and when their thrones are threatened, they use fear, violence, division, and lies to extend their reign.
Who do we have, Lord? We who are in a minority, whose voices are hushed and silenced, who are crushed, should we dare to complain, who have false allegations made against them, and who are judged by corrupt judges, and where every institution is manipulated by those who govern.
We have You, O Lord, the King of Kings, to whom the heavens and the earth belong and everything in it. As Daniel explained to King Nebuchadnezzar, kingdoms come and go, but the rule of God, the justice of God, and the authority of God are everlasting. And God is always on the side of His little ones.In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold.
Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, ‘You have had a vision, O king; this is what you saw: a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see. The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part earthenware. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and earthenware and shattered them. And then, iron and earthenware, bronze, silver, gold all broke into small pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will explain to the king what it means.
‘You, O king, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength and glory – the sons of men, the beasts of the field, the birds of heaven, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king of them all – you are the golden head. And after you another kingdom will rise, not so great as you, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the whole world. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that shatters and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the earlier kingdoms. The feet you saw, part earthenware, part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together. The feet were part iron, part earthenware: the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. And just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together in the seed of man; but they will not hold together any more than iron will blend with earthenware. In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.’
DANIEL 3:57-61
All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord.
Heavens! bless the Lord.
Waters above the heavens! bless the Lord.
Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord.
LUKE 21:5-11
My Soul's Beloved,
When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’
‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’
Kingdoms come and go. Governments fall, and new ones come, and they are all built on shifting sands. None of them lasts. Some govern with greater wisdom and compassion than others, but by and large, they are mostly self-serving, power-hungry despots, or puppets of the real shadow leaders who pull their strings. The people who are governed are merely a means to an end. The powerful and the greedy are never satisfied, and when their thrones are threatened, they use fear, violence, division, and lies to extend their reign.
Who do we have, Lord? We who are in a minority, whose voices are hushed and silenced, who are crushed, should we dare to complain, who have false allegations made against them, and who are judged by corrupt judges, and where every institution is manipulated by those who govern.
We have You, O Lord, the King of Kings, to whom the heavens and the earth belong and everything in it. As Daniel explained to King Nebuchadnezzar, kingdoms come and go, but the rule of God, the justice of God, and the authority of God are everlasting. And God is always on the side of His little ones.In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold.
Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, ‘You have had a vision, O king; this is what you saw: a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see. The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part earthenware. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and earthenware and shattered them. And then, iron and earthenware, bronze, silver, gold all broke into small pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will explain to the king what it means.
‘You, O king, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength and glory – the sons of men, the beasts of the field, the birds of heaven, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king of them all – you are the golden head. And after you another kingdom will rise, not so great as you, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the whole world. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that shatters and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the earlier kingdoms. The feet you saw, part earthenware, part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together. The feet were part iron, part earthenware: the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. And just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together in the seed of man; but they will not hold together any more than iron will blend with earthenware. In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.’
DANIEL 3:57-61
All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord.
Heavens! bless the Lord.
Waters above the heavens! bless the Lord.
Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!
LUKE 21:5-11
My Soul's Beloved,
If we only took the time to educate ourselves thoroughly on the Word of God, we would know that kingdoms come and go, but those who stand on the Word of God will never be shaken. It is there for anyone with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to comprehend. Nothing in this world lasts; it is all decaying and fading away. Yet we chase after temporal things as if our lives depended on it, and we neglect that which is of supreme importance, the salvation of our souls. How we live every moment of every day will determine our eternal destination, and yet we are clueless about the things that matter.
You predicted the fall of the Temple, but they believed it was too magnificent for it to be destroyed and ruined. Never again will the Temple be rebuilt; its old glory has passed into memory. You, Beloved, came to give us a temple not built by human hands, a Kingdom that is not of this world. We are destined to belong to the new Israel under a new Covenant made with us by God and sealed in the Spirit and the Blood of the Lamb.
Time will end, but we need not live in fear that it is close at hand. We are people of the Resurrection, and at the appointed hour, You will return in glory. While we wait in longing for that day, we live with joy as we prepare for that day when You will return to establish Your Lordship over the whole world. What does the actual time or day matter as long as we live in fellowship with You and are nurtured and nourished by Holy Mother Church? When our own personal hour comes to return home to You, we shall be tranquil if we have lived in love with God and neighbor.
When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’
‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’
No comments:
Post a Comment