MYSTERY WRITERS FROM THE BIBLE TALK ABOUT THE SECOND COMING

  

By Ada Nicholson Brownell

Did you know the Apostle Paul was a mystery writer? He was among those who wrote about the return of Jesus Christ to earth.

One of his most famous passages begins, “⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’”

What a wonderful passage of scripture from 1 Corinthians 15:51-57!

During Christmas I thought again of how wonderful it is that God became a human, lived among us, and gave his life to ransom our souls from sin. Then Jesus walked out of the tomb alive and later ascended into heaven.

The hope the angel gave when he said Jesus would come back means everything to me. I am excited to go to heaven and see Jesus, lots of people I know from the Bible, and also embrace my loved ones. First probably would be our daughter Carolyn, who has been with the Lord since 1990.

Then I’d find Mama, Daddy, and my siblings, Virgil, Marjorie, Clara, Erma, Joan, and a stepbrother Clarence, and aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, cousins, and friends I expect to be there, and my two living brothers Everette and Joe, will be there too.

Today there’s sadness here on earth among friends where doctors have discovered a brain tumor, a damaged heart, kidney failure, and cancer among so many. We’ll never hear those diagnoses in heaven.

But we all live in hope because the Bible says Jesus will return!

 

 FROM ACTS:1:9:

  “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

 

Is there anything we can do to get ready for His coming?

ST. MATTHEW WROTE:  “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42).

¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Matthew 25:13

THE APOSTLE PAUL DESCRIBES WHAT HAPPENS:

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

THE WRITER OF THE BOOK OF HEBREWS SAID IN HEBREWS 9:28:

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

FROM PETER (2 PETER 3:9-11)

 

“…Scoffers will come in the last days walking according to their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation…  

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are in it will burned up.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to his promises, look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

People argue about when the end will come. All I say BY GOD’S GRACE I WILL TO BE READY!”

MORE SCRIPTURES ABOUT THE SECOND COMING, We've heard from the Apostle Paul, Matthew, and Peter.

Mark

Here's a scripture from Jesus, quoted from Mark, who precedes this with information about the tribulation.

"Watch, therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning--lest, coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all, 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:35-37).

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FROM LUKE:

Luke 21: 25-28

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon and in the stars; and in the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men’s hearts failing them for fear and the expectation of things that are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.

Then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when you see these things begin to happen, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.”

LUKE ALSO WRITES:

“Watch therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).

NOTICE THESE WORDS FROM ST. JOHN:

“Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

FROM REVELATION

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according to his work. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Rev. 22:12).

“Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city…” (Rev. 22:14).

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely” Rev. 22:17).

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WHY CHRISTMAS JOY IS RELEVANT AND REAL

 

By Ada Nicholson Brownell

The church today is accused of being irrelevant.

      Irrelevant?  What is more relevant than we’re all destined to die, but Jesus Christ came to get us off this planet alive?

What is more relevant than John 3:16? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

      The relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is never more real than when death invades your life. When our oldest daughter died of cancer less than a month after her 31^st birthday, I knew there was hope because of Jesus.

      Jesus did something about death, and since then people have been singing “Joy to the World! The Lord is come.” Not necessarily the words written by Isaac Watts. The song wasn’t written until 1719.

      But on that first Christmas, which became the dividing point of time—B.C. and A.D.— a choir of angels sang a joyful song about tidings of comfort and joy. The tidings were for all people, “for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

      Why did humankind need a Savior? Because sin brought death.

      God warned Adam and Eve that although they could eat everything else in the Garden of Eden, they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die.

 “You won’t die!” the Tempter told Eve.

So Eve ate, shared the fruit with her husband, and not long afterward they sat at the gravesite of a murdered son. Eventually, death claimed them.

      When Adam and Eve disobeyed, the Heavenly Father still loved them. He created them for fellowship. So He designed a “just” way to restore humans to righteousness and life forevermore.  He would bring a Redeemer to reverse the penalty of sin (Genesis 3:15). But blood would be required, because sin is so serious and always hurts someone, especially the sinner.[1]

      Yet, death became the enemy of every mortal person, despite a glimmer of hope with repentance and the sacrifice of bulls and goats. Bull and goat blood wasn’t enough to thwart the Tempter—the Enemy who is delighted when people fall into sin and are destined to eternal death away from God.

Then God-the-Son slipped into a baby’s skin, and He landed in a straw-filled manager surrounded by cattle, sheep and the smell of manure. A long, hard road stood between the Christ Child and victory. He grew and demonstrated His love, but people loved themselves more than God and killed Him. His blood trickled down a splintery cross and He died. Hope seemed lost.

 Three days later, Jesus’ walked out of the tomb alive without even unwrapping the grave clothes. He told the Apostle John, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Revelation 1:17-19 ).

      Isaiah wrote in his prophesies about the Messiah, that “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2-4). But we’re like Adam and Eve. We decide whether to obey God. It’s up to us whether we accept the gift of salvation and the resulting joy.

      Joyful singing about Jesus has erupted from mortal lips since His birth and for good reason. And we’re still singing, “Joy to the World!  The Lord is come!”

      If you’re human, that’s relevant--and REAL!.

      © Copyright Ada Brownell

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See Genesis 3:14-15

Interview with NIke Chillemi about her new book, Courting Danger

Courting Danger, Ada Brownell, Spotlight-Interview

Blurb:

Newly installed Pelican Beach, Florida detective Katerina "Kat" Andruko fears the prime suspect will get off in the murder of a teen with the help of the department's forensics psychologist, a man she's just started to trust.

This case has national security implications that gives former US Army Ranger, Dr. Dimitri Garmonin a chance to work with the FBI. The case could give him the chance to obtain the funds needed to expand his small Behavior Analysis Unit. He's unmoved by the chic FBI agent sent to assist but is intrigued by Kat with whom he shares a Slavic heritage.

Kat and her partner detain two wrong suspects, giving the department negative press. The predator turns his anger on Kat, targeting her. Can Dimitri use his profiler skills to catch this killer before he hurts the woman he's growing to love?

Questions:

Q: Give us an insight into your main character(s). What does he/she do and/or what attributes does she/he possess that are so special?

A:  In COURTING DANGER both Detective Katerina "Kat" Andruko and forensic psychologist Dimitri Garmonin share a Slavic heritage. They even share more than that. As children both spent years in a Slavic country. Dimitri was born in Russia and lived there at the fall of the Soviet Union. His father was murdered there, and his mother escaped with him to America. As an adult, he still speaks with a faint Russian accent. After her parents were killed by a drunk driver in northeastern Florida, Kat was shipped off to an aunt and uncle she didn't know in Ukraine. She spent two of her teenage years there. Yes, Kat and Dimitri share a Slavic heritage, but culturally and politically, the Ukrainians and Russians hate each other. So, Kat not only distrusts Dimitri, she actually has him as her number one suspect in the murder case of a teenage girl whose body is found on the beach.

Q:  What inspires you?

A:  The truth is its the little, many times off-hand things that inspire both my novel and blog writing. Several years ago, I was totally taken by a pair of cardinals who flew north for the summer and how they related to each other for the two days they came to my backyard. I put a red cardinal and his mate in two of my novels as a symbol of love between spouses. COURTING DANGER is the exception. My own Slavic/Baltic heritage is Ukrainian, Czechoslovakian, and Croatian. When Russia was invading Crimea, I saw photographs of unarmed Ukrainian Orthodox Priests, in their robes, standing in front of the invading Russian tanks. Some held a Bible, others a cross. It was sort of, "You have to get through us firsts before you can get to the people." Those photographs are seared into my consciousness. I knew I'd write a story about a Ukrainian American woman who doesn't trust Russians and yet she's falling in love with a Russian born man … as they try to stop a wanton killer.

Nike Chillemi

Bio:

Nike N. Chillemi writes contemporary detective and/or suspense novels with a touch of wry humor, and there's often a national security twist to them. She likes her bad guys really bad, her good guys smarter and better, and a touch of the comedic. Her newest endeavor is COURTING DANGER.

Nike is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chair, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She has been a judge in the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories; and an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category. Her four novel Sanctuary Point series (out of print), set in the mid-1940s has finaled, won an award, and garnered critical acclaim. The first novel in the Veronica "Ronnie" Ingels/Dawson Hughes series HARMRUL INTENT won in the Grace Awards 2014 Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller/Historical Suspense category. She has written book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and John 3:16 Marketing Network.  https://nikechillemi.blog/

Purchase Courting Danger on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Courting-Danger-Katerina-Authorized-Operations-ebook/dp/B07KCBMFCX/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541866039&sr=1-1&keywords=Courting+Danger%2C+Chillemi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nike.chillemi

Twitter:  @NikeNChillemi

DO YOU LIKE WHO YOU ARE?

A MOST UNUSUAL CHRISTMAS GIFT

By Ada Brownell

Do you like who you are?

An old guy I knew well told me one day before he died he’d like to live his life over—as somebody else. I was astounded. I thought he had an inflated ego, and viewed himself as better than others. I was wrong.

While they were small children, our granddaughters used to play dress up. I don’t remember if they were pretending to be someone famous, or themselves as adults, but it somebody else. Yet they did grow up to be beautiful young ladies.

God, who designed us in the beginning, has a special feature he added to humans, that can only occur supernaturally. We can be changed into a new person!

People who repented and accepted Jesus as Savior after living a life of sin are most noticeable when the change occurs.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus discussed supernatural changes when he talked to Nicodemus (John 3) who I’ll call Nick. Jesus told Nick, “Unless one is born again (changed), he cannot see the kingdom of God.

I imagine Nick’s eye’s bulged when he said, “How can a man be born when he is old?”

Jesus explained at first we are born “in the flesh,” but we can be changed when we are born again by the Holy Spirit. And a few moments later He said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Faith in Jesus changes everything about a person when he repents and accepts Him as Savior. I’ve seen the drunkard set free, the wicked changed in a moment, different inside out.  Those filled with hate, fear, bitterness and greed find it all washed away with the rivers of living water, joy unspeakable and full of glory. A black heart can be washed white by the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Then the love, joy, peace and other fruits of the Holy Spirit flow in.

When I was a child, my aunt screamed, “I’m lost!” in the middle of the pastor’s sermon and ran to the altar crying out for God’s mercy. She was changed from that day, dancing for joy—and loved on people until she died in her 90s.

I know she liked the new person she became.

Some people have said all they want for Christmas is their two front teeth, but God made it possible for us to become a totally new person because Jesus came to earth to be our Redeemer.

Forget sitting on Santa’s lap. Instead kneel at the feet of Jesus who made it possible for us to receive things we’ve never dreamed we could have, but would fill us with incredible joy. You’re promised in Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Perhaps it will be things you didn’t even know you needed!

Merry Christmas!                              

A Tall Christmas Doll

A TALL CHRISTMAS DOLL

By Ada Brownell

The Great Depression left tracks all over my family, so in the early 1940s with eight of us children and I the youngest, many Christmases we had no gifts. But one year, probably while I was 4 or 5, I received a doll almost as tall as I was. She obviously was used because she had little cracks all over her hard "skin," even up into her molded hair. Her clothing, however, clean and new, showed someone made it for her, probably Mama.

 I hated that doll. I wanted a soft baby doll like I saw another girl have, with a bottle that you could fill with water, and when you stuck the nipple into the hole in the doll's mouth, the bottle emptied and the baby doll wet its pants. That big doll I had did nothing but stand up.

 Just a little growing up, and every time I looked at that doll, I was ashamed of myself--a selfish, unthankful kid who hated a gift given in love. I didn't like the doll any more than I ever did, but I loved my parents more. I saw myself, probably as God saw me, and that did something in me.

I learned whether or not there are gifts under a tree, or who we share the holiday with, it's possible to have a merry Christmas. Jesus came, and I knew He loved me because I learned to sing Jesus Loves Me in Sunday school. He brought the gift of hope to anyone who will receive it, and that not only made the angels sing, humankind has been singing year 'round since that day.

©Ada Brownell