Tests, Trials and Temptations (Poem)

My, my. Tests, trials and temptations of this life abound!

Suddenly, on life’s stage they appear, with power to astound.

Through them we fret: ‘From this and that, will I ever rebound?!’

They demand center stage, refusing to stay in the background.

While we may understand what differentiates this trio,

Like trials are much more difficult and challenging than tests,

And temptations trick us to fail, then fall from a plateau, ¹

Still, we may despair when any one of these manifests.

God promises to test our minds and our hearts, ²

And to allow trials that strengthen our mettle.

He allows the tempter to throw fiery darts, 

And warns, us of this trio, to be mindful.

If in tests, we are inclined to squirm, moan, groan, then fail,

Then in trials, hopes that we’ll endure evaporate,

And in temptations, we’ll be prey for devils to assail.

Thus, it’s on tests that we should mostly concentrate.  

Tests: a chance to apply lessons introduced previously,

Like a proving ground to gage where more work may be required,

So in target areas we’ll enhance our proficiency,

And by God, the quality of our lives will be admired.

While this may be all good and generally accepted,

The Scriptures reveal God has clear, much higher objectives,

Than mere focus on things in life to which we’re subjected.

Thus He desires us to embrace His …higher perspectives.

While our eternity is His perspective, ultimate,

Scriptures give us few clues of what this will be like.

There’s more clarity on His perspective, pen-ultimate,

When we will inherit the Earth, our ‘re-birth right’. ³

Throughout The Bible, God’s eye is keen,

On the pending Millennial Reign of His Son,

When Earth, once again, will be pristine, 

And all life will then be guided by His canon. ⁴

In light of this, it therefore must stand to reason,

That tests, trials and temptations of our lives, mortal,

Are closely linked to this millennial season,

When, like Him, we’ll govern Earth in bodies, immortal.

Imagine the challenges of a thousand-year government!

Perceive the posts that must be filled the world over.

Envisage complexities that demand ad hoc assignments,

As righteousness on Earth, we intend to bolster.

Ponder this thought the next time a test manifests,

A helpful insight to aid in your test assessments:

Unlike school assignments that prepare us for tests,

God’s tests prepare us for millennial assignments. ⁵

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¹ "I, The Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:10) This theme is both iterated and demonstrated throughout The Bible.

² A spiritual/moral plateau

³ Christ will inherit the Earth (Psalm 2), and His born-again saints with Him (Zechariah 14:5, Ephesians 1:11, 14 and 18).

⁴ Canon: a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which things or people are judged

⁵ See also: Let's Test the Tester, 7 Fitness Tests Areas and Lessons and Recalibrating Our Focus

Understanding Eden (Part 3 - Summary)

 

See the series here

For diligent, motivated students of The Bible, here is a summary of insightful aspects of the four Eden-type experiences elaborated in this series.

 

Each one:

    a. Is Earth-centric, not Heaven-centric. God is clearly Earth-minded.

    b. Follows God’s judgment. That’s the 2^nd point in His Jeremiah 9:24 strategic plan.

    c. Is preceded by massive de-population,(e.g., devils in Heaven, most folks on Earth).

    d. Is aimed at achieving righteousness on Earth, the 3^rd point in His strategic plan.

    e. Involves some significant re-creative aspects, cleaning-up sin’s results on Earth.

     f. Is longer than the preceding one - a possible ramping up to eternity.

    g. Involves many more people than the preceding one, as human population explodes. 

    h. Involves people speaking one pure language, thus languages today are temporary until Zephaniah 3:9 is activated.

     i. Is preceded by massive violence and corruption, first by angels who from Grace fell, then by humans. Think these are BADD NOW? Strap-in for much worse! See: Anti-Christ Series, especially Part 5.

     j. Involves great wealth. Adam, Eve, Noah and his family ‘owned’ all earthly wealth! Isaiah 60 describes the wealth that will be accumulated in the substantially-expanded Israel when Jerusalem is the seat of Jesus’ global, millennial government. 

    k. Involves only 1 law-giver or government - Jesus and Noah, as patriarch. Adam was inaugurated as THE first law-giver, but due to his sin, his time was short.

     l. Is a time of peace, with no warfare. Subsequent sinfulness and greed trigger wars! 

Moreover, the wealth mentioned above becomes a basis for warfare that will usher in the next two Eden-types!! (See: Ezekiel 38, 39, Revelation 20:7-9 and also Booty Pre/Post Millennial Reign (Series)) Wealth accumulated via The Goshen Effect in Israel might be what will trigger the 1st War of Gog and Magog, likely sometime during the tribulation age, and before the Armageddon War at the end of the great tribulation. Similarly, wealth accumulated in Israel during The Millennial Reign, especially in Jerusalem, might be what triggers the second War of Gog and Magog, noted in Revelation 20:7-9. In both cases, wealth serves as The Lord’s bait to expose sinfulness hidden in folks’ evil hearts! Caveat/beware!

Each, except the 2^nd,

--Involves people with exceptionally long lifespans

--Involves animals in their non-threatening mindsets

--Involves people and animals eating their original Genesis 1:29-30 diets

Think

--The first 2 include the presence of devils, whereas in the last two, no devils will be present. 

--Each, except the 2nd, features the physical presence of Jesus.

--In the 1^st and 4^th, Earth is likely one land mass. (Genesis 10:25 and Revelation 21:1)

--The first 3 were/will be time-limited, whereas the last one will be eternal.

--Only the 4^th one will involve ALL resurrected, then immortal saints from across the ages. Resurrected saints from the first resurrection will feature in The Millennial Reign. This group will not include people who will be saved later on. See: Salvation in The Millennium (Series) and also Anti-Christ Series), especially Part 5.

Finally:

It is critically important to perceive each of the 4 Eden-type experiences with an eye toward the inner vision God iterates and confirms in Numbers 14:21, Isaiah 11:9, and Habakkuk 2:14, namely that: 

‘With knowledge of God, the knowledge of,

and with His glory, all of the Earth will be filled.’  ^* 

--Though they likely lasted only a relatively short time, the 1^st and 2^nd Eden-type experiences (i.e., the Garden of Eden and the immediate, post-flood world) actually achieved this, historically.

--For a thousand years, the promised 3rd Eden-type experience (i.e., Christ's iron-rod Millennial Reign) will achieve this, forcefully!

--The promised 4th Eden-type experience (i.e., the new Earth) will be a world with nothing BUT this, eternally. 

Long after the initial 3 Eden-type experiences, the knowledge of God and of His glory ...quickly faded/will fade, just has it has done in our world today. Thus, it may help to think of each successive Eden-type experience as a vaccine booster shot, boosting the fear, awe and respect of God and His Son, Jesus, The Lord God, across the remnant/surviving human race.

Reader, as you study and ponder this enlightening series, please share any additional, significant similarities and differences you note between The Garden of Eden, the immediate post-flood world, The Millennial Reign age, and the promised new, eternal Earth. I am sure there is much more to learn about this interesting sequence of ‘post-judgment, righteousness, Eden-type experiences’ on Earth.

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* See: wOw! Earth, Filled (Series) and also Anti-Christ (Series), especially Part 5.

Understanding Eden (Poem, Part 2)

See the series here

Ahhh…. Eden. What thoughts does it bring to mind?

A fairy tale in an old, dusty book?

Blissful life that from all folks Adam took?

Man’s fall from Grace, and now …our daily grind?

Whatever your perspective, it is sure to change,

When from The Lord’s clear end-game you take a long peek.

So come along, allow me your interest to pique.

Let’s change our perspective for His, a fair exchange.

We now see Eden as a type, not just simply a garden.

And as such, we can see three more such types in The Bible:

The Earth - post-flood; post-Armageddon; then anew, final.

God’s multi-millennial, strategic plan birthed in Heaven.

A careful look through the lens of human history,

Shows each subsequent type, historical or prophetic,

Is much longer than the preceding one. That’s didactic!

Taking a peek into Scripture, this is what I see.

1^st Eden

Defeated after his attempted coup in Heaven,

I’d bet satan was eager to become lord god of Earth.

Thus he likely worked quickly to diminish Adam’s worth.

It’s possible man’s time in the garden was shortened.

Here’s why…

By the time Adam was 130 years old,

He and Eve had started their second generation,

So the first one was much earlier - 2 full-grown sons. ¹

You do the math and see if my guesstimation holds.

2^nd Eden

Noah and family exited the ark to Earth, pristine,

Eden-like the world over, with only 8 survivors.

Quickly afterwards, they began-to-beget …more sinners, ²

It took some time, but soon on Earth, man’s sinfulness was obscene! 

Thus, God activated His plan to find a man,

A people for a unique job assigned,

Descendants greatly tested and refined,

So God could return to Earth as …a son of man.

3rd Eden

God found the man, long tested his people, then brought forth His Son.

His earthly birth in a village called Bethlehem,

Foretold His return as King in Jerusalem.

Now we perceive His coming reign as …an Eden-type, long-run.

It will last for a thousand years, not just a short few.

And so unlike mankind’s first two Eden experiences,

This will be the first with no devilish interferences, ³

A set-up for the last Eden-type, the world anew!

4th Eden

You might say this is the grand-daddy of them all,

An Eden-type world with no sun or stars, ⁴

No sin or death, only one thing that mars,

And you’re invited, if your respond to His call. ⁵

Ahhh…. Eden. Now… what thoughts come to your mind?

In the third, you or your ancestors may be intended.

For the fourth, God’s invitation to you is extended.

Sadly, He predicts by most …it’s declined.

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¹ See: Genesis 5:3

² See: Genesis 11:10

³ See: Revelation 20:3, 7. During the last 2 Eden experiences, no devils will be present

⁴ See: Hebrews 1:10-12 and Revelation 21, 22.

⁵ See: Prayer of Salvation (Poem). To understand the one thing that will mar this final ‘Eden of a world’, see Earth 5.0, The Final Version (Poem)

Double-Dose Protections (Poem)

In the midst of a hundred-year global pandemic,

The scramble is on! Vaccinate anyone, everywhere,

All who desire the two-dose jabs – man, that’s’ gigantic!

All nations now seek to protect their citizens’ welfare.

Faced with mounting infections and deaths so horrific,

All across the world, there is fear and deepening despair.

National leaders, appointed to lead at this time,

Show leadership proficiencies, or total lack thereof,

Embracing science-based guidance, or their own designs.

There is no end to kraziness that some are proud of,

As sickness and deaths mount and economies decline!

No matter the consequences, power is what they love!

Even with wise leadership, much foolishness abounds,

Among folks who still believe the pandemic is a hoax.

They object when leaders order closures and crackdowns,

Insisting their lifestyles and livelihoods should not be choked!

They reject precautions with behavior that astounds,

Yet when sick, they demand care, crowding out more needy folks!

In the background of all this pandemic clutter,

Vaccines were quickly developed, tested and then approved.

Soon, vaccination systems began to sputter,

And across the spectrum, all aspects were harshly reproved!

That’s when fears exploded when these words were uttered:

The virus is mutating; new variants have diffused!

Friends,

It shouldn’t be hard to see parallelisms,

Between our responses to the Covid virus,

And our human, sinful recidivisms. ¹

Many folks regard the ‘sin virus’ as bogus, ²

And, therefore, embrace moral relativism. ³

Yet God sees us through His lenses, sharply focused.

His primary lenses are sin and Grace.

Thus, His first response to our sinfulness is patience.

But when sin viruses spread and debase,

He is duty bound to respond with judgment’s vengeance,

For you, me, nations …the whole human race.

Yet we tend to dismiss His response as …just science.

When His judgments hit like a pandemic wave,

The scramble is on!! Deflect, deny and defend,

Trying anything our derrieres to save!

But into hopelessness, the wise do not descend.

Though they do sin, to sin they are not a slave,

Because on The Lord’s ‘two-dose jab’ they depend.

Since He knows sin acts and affects like a virus,

He designed a two-inoculation equivalent.

Against both, ‘anti-vaxxers’ have a huge bias. ⁴

Some folks get His first. Of His second, they’re ambivalent.

We whom He calls, ‘wise’, complete His prescribed modus,

And to sin viruses, become more and more resistant.

His first equivalent is forgiveness in Christ.

That’s when from our sin’s full wages, we are un-tied,

Because on Calvary’s cross, He paid our due price.

But if to His second dose we have not complied,

To sin willfully, we’ll be easily enticed.

So what counts as His second dose? In Christ abide!!

While some vaccines may require a booster shot,

The Lord’s equivalent is continuous doses,

On-going, just like our heart beats, breaths and thoughts.

For some, it’s just too hard to do what He proposes,

Thus, this crucial part of His plan they boycott,

Till weakened protection triggers …bad diagnoses.

After by sinful temptations they are awed,

Their scramble is on …to ponder sin traps they fell into!

As they ponder, some folks might get mad at God,

Or they sulk, wondering why, for them, He did not come through.

So because His second dose they didn’t regard,

To some protections for the righteous, they had bid …adieu!

‘Been there, done that!’, Yep, that is my confession.

Friends, and what about you? 

Counting only on His first dose protection?

Skimping on number 2?

Learning to abide is our …life-long mission. ⁵

Just God’s first shot …won’t do!

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¹ Recidivism - repeated or habitual relapse, as into criminal or antisocial behavior patterns

² See: Elephant in the Room (Poem)

³ Moral relativism -  the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles

⁴ That is spiritual anti-vaxxers

⁵ While some folks may embrace the born-again experience as ‘fire insurance’, i.e., an escape from hell’s eternal fire, it is critical to understand salvation in Christ is a two-step process. Being born-again without learning to abide in Him is taking a serious risk! Some argue, ‘Once saved, always saved!’, but they obviously, and sadly skipped over Revelation 3:14-22. Check it out!