God has sealed to the promises with His truth, His word, and His oath. Let us now mutually seal them with our faith. John 3:33: ‘He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.’
My mentor, David F. Reagan, gave me some last thoughts before he left this world. One of those was, "When things look down, stop looking at things." I have gained great strength from that line of wisdom, especially in light of the condition of our nation. While thinking along these lines, another thought came to mind "When things look down, we look up". With this in mind consider the following thoughts about the situation of our heavenly abode in heaven versus our temporary abode in this world.
In George Whitefield's journal entry of November 14, 1738, he wrote of the hardships he endured during an ocean voyage from America...
Of the 17 times the word firmament is used in the Bible, over half (or 9) of the times are found in Genesis One. Firmament means an expanse or expansion of space and it refers to the expansion of space between the earth and God's heavenly abode. It is bound by the waters above and the waters below (Genesis 1:6-8). This explains why there are "waters that be above the heavens" (Psalm 148:4). Of the three heavens indicated in 2Corinthians 12:2, the firmament includes the first two heavens while the third heaven refers to God's dwelling place. The first heaven is the "open firmament of heaven" where the birds fly (Genesis 1:20). The second heaven is "firmament of the heaven" where the planets and stars reside (Genesis 1:14-15). As known to anyone who has considered the heavens as the work of God's finger (Psalm 8:3), the firmament exalts God. As the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
His original name ends in El, the Hebrew name for God. He is the only son of his father. He is sent to earth because men "lack the light to show the way." He is superhuman, but he can also suffer. At one point, he receives a stab wound in the side. He returns from a deathlike absence in order to save the world. Who is this man? It is the Superman of the new movie "Superman Returns." In short, the movie and the storyline of Superman is blasphemous. He is "another Jesus" (2Corinthians 11:4) declaring an "other gospel." Galatians 1:8-9 clearly proclaims, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
For centuries, the Romans controlled the Western world. Their many advantages included their military, their commerce, their administration, and their transportation systems. The Roman legion was feared by many. However, most people do not know that one of the greatest advantages of the Roman army was what is known as the marching camp.
