December 2005
In the last Monthly View, "The Ezekiel Wheel Project" helped us to visualize that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. 1 We read about these men of faith in Hebrews, chapter 11. They were men who walked by faith in God, not by sight. 2They dared to believe in the invisible God, Who created them for a personal realization of Him in the Spirit. Today, they are our heroes of faith.
The Throne's Seven Levels
These heroes help us to see the seven levels of God's throne, which are illustrated on the Ezekiel Wheel Project chart. The center core, the first level, is revealed in Revelation 4:2,3 by the Apostle John saying, "...I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne." The invisible God Almighty [El Shaddai] became visible to him, "And He who sat there was like a jasper [red, yellow or brown opaque quartz] and a sardius [reddish brown] stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald [deep green]." John saw God's throne in its entirety in this one verse, the throne of God on the highest level to the rainbow, or the outer seventh level. Can you see the view from where you sit?
In an August 2005 survey of 1004 Americans, NEWSWEEK magazine andBeliefnet found that 67% say the soul goes to heaven or hell when we die. Remarkably, 81% of Protestants and Catholics believed that a good person of another faith can attain salvation or go to heaven, even though their Savior Jesus declares: "I am the way, the truth, and the life.
Our lives pass in a moment compared to the time we will spend in eternity. It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Life doesn't have to be a continual struggle. Jesus said, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But be of good courage, because I have overcome the world."
People often asked how someone could follow Manson to the extreme I once did? My usual reply is that the crazed Manson we see in interviews is not the person that misled us in the '60s. Things that deceive us often do not appear damaging until later.
The third Sunday of this month is Father's Day. Years ago, we discovered that in prison Father's Day is not as popular a day. Hallmark sent our chaplain thousand's of free cards for the men, but we couldn't give them away. We discovered that only a few of the men were in contact with their fathers.
On the second Sunday this month, we celebrate Mother's Day. One thing we all share in common is that we have a mother. All of us know the importance of this day. We will either be with her, or hold her close in our hearts and minds. She is our love, no matter what!
The last Sunday in this month is Easter Sunday. The whole body of Christians will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With Mel Gibson's film The Passion of Christ still fresh in our minds, we can't help but remember Christ's suffering at Calvary three days prior to His resurrection.
"Mr. Smith was a man who always clocked in at work on time. He took his job seriously, never missing a day. He always paid his bills on time. He loved his car and was always diligent to change the oil every 3000 miles. His yard was always perfectly manicured. He walked his dog faithfully. He never missed a Sunday at church in all the years we'd known him. He was faithful with his tithes and offerings. He is survived by his wife Betty. They had no children."
Augustine said, "...the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee." Augustine spoke of a void that every man has in his heart that can only be filled by God. In other words, the search for the meaning of life is endless until our life is filled with the righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.