spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

Jun 30

A Chariot of Fire

by Brenda Poulos

2 Kings 2:11- “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”

My husband and I went to our community pool a few days ago. As we were drying off, a strong wind came out of “nowhere.” 

John grabbed onto a nearby table to steady himself, but the wind literally picked me up and slammed me down onto the cool deck.

I am fine except for a bruised elbow, cut finger, sore hip, and goose egg on the back of my head (which is responsible for a lingering headache).

Thinking about my experience as my husband drove us home, I remembered the story of Elijah and the strong whirlwind that took him up to heaven, an event witnessed by Elisha.

Elijah’s name means, “The Lord is my God.” We speculate that due to the miracles God worked through him, Elijah was spared physical death.

I reread the amazing story of Elijah’s “home going” this morning. He was a man who was faithful and obedient to God. He is also mentioned in several commentaries as perhaps being one of the two future end-time witnesses in the book of Revelation.

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Jan 28

The Meanings of 666 and 777

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 13:16-18. “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”

Recently, someone asked me the significance of the numbers 666 and 777.

If you’ve ever wondered about these, keep reading.

The number 666, commonly known as the Mark of the Beast, serves as a warning about the consequences of rejecting God and following a path of sin and rebellion.

It is a reference to the end times (and many Bible scholars believe we are now living in that period of time) and the coming of the Antichrist who will lead a rebellion against God before the final judgment. He will require all people to take his mark. Those who don’t will not be able to buy or sell goods, among other things. 

Remember, 666 is man-centered… God-denying. It means  “never God, never God, never God,” whereas 777 is the divine number of God.

Triple sevens in scripture show something that has been divinely ordained is being perfectly fulfilled.

The number 7 has been significant throughout the Bible: God rested on the 7th day; the apostle John describes seven churches and seven spirits before God’s throne in Revelation 1:4; 777 is the number of the perfect Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the number emphasizes the importance of God’s work being completed perfectly in our world.

The message? Refuse the mark and stand up for God. Heaven is your reward.

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Apr 23

Get Ready!

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 25:10 – 12 “… while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

As I was going through some old photos recently, I found a picture of my best friend in high school. I thought about some of the fun times we had, running here and there in our little VW bugs.

The thing about Shirley (not her real name, of course), is that she was always late. I was constantly waiting on her to finish her hair and makeup.

I was usually pretty good-natured about her lateness, but one time in particular we missed the first half of our school play. The third member of our little trio had a lead role in it and we had promised her we would be there to see her perform. I felt terrible to have missed it.

We had a serious talk after that about her seeming inability to be ready on time and how we had missed something important because of it. (Years later, she was on time for her own wedding).

The story of the ten virgins in Matthew, among others found in the Bible. tells us how important being ready will be when Jesus comes for us. And staying ready will be even more important because in the book of Revelation He says we won’t know when He will arrive. In fact, only God the Father knows when that will be. 

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Dec 27

Love Across the Miles

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 3:20- “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Rob and Amber had been inseparable all summer.

Then, in the fall, Rob left for college.

At first, he called her every night.

Then one day he realized it had been a week since he’d phoned.

He chided himself. 

If he wanted to rekindle his relationship with Amber, he needed to stay in touch. If he loved her, as he had said, it would be up to him to make sure to let her know it.

He reached for a card in a local drug store. Love Across the Miles.

Just like Amber, God tells us that He is always there. Waiting.

If we want a relationship with Him, we have only to come to Him.

He remains the same, never changing in His desire to be our God… our friend… our refuge… 

He wants to be our first love…

Across the Miles.

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Jul 31

A Place at the Table

by Brenda Poulos

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Revelation 19:7a- “Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”

 

Growing up, my Dad had a favorite chair in the living room. It was off limits, if he was home. It was his chair.

At the kitchen table, each of us had a designated chair. When Mom called us to dinner, we took our predetermined seats.

It probably works like this for most families—at least that’s what I’m told.

My sister is a terrific cook. When we eat at her house, we don’t care which chair we sit in. We’re happy just to be invited to dinner.

I look ahead to Heaven and the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, as described in the book of Revelation. Imagine having dinner with our Lord and Savior!

I hope to be surrounded by family and friends, but I don’t care how the table is decorated or what kind of food is served.

I will be grateful just to be there—to have a place at the table.

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