Banquet With The King

Monday, July 24, 2023

What More Can We Learn About the New Jerusalem?

Prayer – Lord, please show me something new about Heaven and the New Jerusalem today. There are so many mysteries—open my eyes and give me understanding that I would understand the depth of the details that You have revealed in Your word.

The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Revelation 21:18-27

Meditate. Think about the precious stones that make up the city walls.

Precious stones. Twelve precious stones. Twelve. That is a number that is repeated often throughout the Bible. Twelve sons. Twelve tribes. Twelve sacrifices. Twelve spies going into the land of Canaan. Twelve stones in the Jordan River. Twelve oxen holding up the Sea. Twelve years old – Jesus at the Temple. Twelve baskets of leftover food. Twelve disciples. Twelve foundation stones. Twelve gates of pearl. Twelve crops of fruit. Twelve. Is that a significant number to you?

No key needed.
The gates of heaven are never locked.

Exciting details are revealed in this passage. Those twelve gates through which everyone enters—the ones made of pearls will never be locked—we are welcome anytime. There is never nighttime. God–His very glory—lights up the world and now the New Jerusalem. Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will walk down the main street made of pure gold—so pure it is clear. Purity is essential in this New Jerusalem—no evil is allowed there. All the nations will bring glory and honor into the city.

It is an honor to glorify God. He is worthy of our praise. He’s given us information about His eternal home for us…in the New Jerusalem.

Verse of Salvation ~ This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. 1 Peter 1:10-12

Knowing the Lord is what life is all about.

Knowing Him is Life.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Sunday, July 23, 2023

What Do We Know About Heaven?

Prayer – Lord, please show me something new about Heaven today. It is a mysterious place…although You have revealed so many things about it. Help me to share the Good News about salvation, eternity, and heaven facts with others that there would be more and more people in heaven. Hallelujah!

So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone--like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side--east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). Revelation 21:10-17

Meditate. Consider what God has told us in scripture about Heaven.

Gate at the Garden of Gethsemane
Are there angels guarding this gate?

Have you ever seen a building with walls 216 feet thick? Measure out 216 feet to totally visualize the thickness of the walls of the New Jerusalem. Crystal walls made out of jasper a brownish stone. That is intriguing—crystal clear, brown- or rainbow-colored stones.

Now, imagine the size of the city 1,400 miles in each direction completing a square or actually a cube. Just out of curiosity, I tried to find a town or city 1,400 miles from where I live and that distance stretches all the way to Worthington Minnesota and to Tucumcari, New Mexico. Those are a long way away—days of driving! The New Jerusalem is going to be a big place. Lots of room for you and me and millions of other people. This passage tells us that there will be twelve gates with twelve angels guarding them. Why do they need to be guarded? Will other people be trying to get in—is security needed? Other translations do not use the term “guarding.” Will heaven be full? It is up to each person to decide if they want to believe in Jesus as their Savior and ultimately end up for eternity with Him. For now, it seems there will be room for everyone. Jesus promised that.

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:1-3

What have we learned about Heaven and particularly the New Jerusalem? It is an enormous and beautiful place with more than enough room for everyone.

Verse of Salvation ~ This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. Romans 13:11-14

Knowing the Lord is what life is all about.

Knowing Him is Life.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Do You Live as a Citizen of Heaven?

Prayer – Lord, show me how a citizen of heaven is supposed to live…to behave…to be worthy of salvation, even though salvation is a gift from God. Help Christians to stand together—to be united in love. Love for You and love for each other. I praise You and thank you for You devotion and guidance for those who love and follow You.

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Philippians 1:27

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance through Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Do you think you are “one in the spirit” with other Christians…with the people in your church—like the song says? Do you agree with others about who Jesus is and what He has done for you?

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 1 Corinthians 6:17

We all need goals in life. No goals…

Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives--especially the ability to prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:1

This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. Habakkuk 2:3-4

Winston Churchill is credited with the famous quote…“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This quote has been a favorite of mine for years, stressing the importance of planning and setting goals. Who wants to set themselves up for failure, yet we can so easily get sucked into the tyranny of the moment that we just don’t set goals or get anything worthwhile accomplished. There are a couple of verses in the Bible that focus on setting or having goals.

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. Galatians 1:10

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Is it your goal to have a home in heaven…to be a citizen of heaven? Are you surrendering your life to Christ and living to please Him?

Verse of Salvation ~ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9

Knowing the Lord is what life is all about.

Knowing Him is Life.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Friday, July 21, 2023

Will You Have a New Body?

Prayer – Lord, like Paul, I am ready for my new body—one that won’t wear out. A body where I will be at home with You. It’s going to be so wonderful. I praise You and thank you for this awesome plan—and the hope that You give each of us.

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

Meditate. Consider God’s promise of a heavenly body.

Have you ever heard of someone seeing a ghost—a spirit floating around in some creepy house or forest? That would be a spirit without a body and I think it is usually considered demonic. Don’t get involved or deceived by that. Ugh.

We are assured that we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. A heavenly body sounds wonderful! What a great promise that we can be confident that we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. So, this is one more fact about our relationship to life in heaven that we can discern from scripture—in this case, from the New Testament. Additionally, Jesus promised that that we will have a home in heaven that is referred to as a mansion in some translations.

A home in heaven and heavenly bodies. Yes, we will have new bodies. God promised and He keeps His promises.

Verse of Salvation ~ God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:12-14

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Have you seen any Fireweed in your neighborhood lately? They grow wild and are a great plant to forage. All of the plant is edible and nutritious as it is high in Vitamins A and C. The leaves can be used to make tea and I’ve been told by a couple of people that the blossoms make jelly. It is especially popular in Alaska—that is where I first heard of it several years ago when we went on an Alaskan cruise. Now I’m trying to cut sugar out of my diet…but can I resist Fireweed Jelly?

Fireweed Jelly

· 4 cups of fireweed blossoms (packed)

· 4 cups of boiling water

· 2 tbsp lemon juice

· ½ tsp butter (dairy or non-dairy) to prevent foaming

· 5 cups sugar

· 1 package dry pectin

Instructions

Wash the blossoms and remove from the stem. Pour boiling water over fireweed blossoms, and allow them to steep in the hot water for at least ten minutes. Only use the blossoms.
You will notice that once the boiling water touches the petals, that they will lose their vibrant purple color, turning into a muted beige color. But don’t worry, the color will return to the liquid when you add the lemon juice.
Once steeping is complete, drain the flowers from the liquid using a fine sieve or a coffee filter. Squeeze the fluid from the flowers, and discard the flowers.
If you are a little short on fluid add some extra boiled water to make the total amount equivalent to four cups.
Add the liquid, pectin, lemon juice, and butter to a pot. The mixture will immediately turn a bright pink color when the lemon juice is added. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. There may be little foaming, but skim that off.
Add the sugar. Bring to a boil again.
Allow the mixture to boil in a rolling boil for one minute, then remove from the heat.
Pour into pint or jelly jar sized mason jars that have been sterilized in the oven at 225 °F for 10 minutes. Cap with sterile lids and rings.
Add to a water bath canner for 10 minutes to further sterilize and prolong shelf life.
Allow the jelly to set at room temperature prior to storing.

Knowing the Lord is what life is all about.

Knowing Him is Life.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Battles on Heaven and Earth

Prayer – Lord, please give us insight and understanding in the spiritual realm of this world, heaven and earth. Prophets in the Old Testament times had glimpses into heaven—but it is not all golden streets, fruitful trees, and crystal decorations. There will be wars and spiritual battles. At least Your word, Lord God, gives us the reassurance that You win. Hallelujah!

Read 1 Kings 22.

Then Micaiah continued, "Listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left.” 1 Kings 22:19

Meditate. Listen to what the Lord is saying.

Is there anyone you know that is always pessimistic when it comes telling you what to do—or gives you advice that gets you into trouble?

At this time the nation of Israel was divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. The king of Judah—to the south—and the king of Israel—to the north—were having a discussion about land that once belonged to them. Should they take it back from the current inhabitants? They decided to consult the 400 prophets…and then to also consult God’s prophet, Micaiah, who prophesied against Israel’s northern kingdom’s King Ahab. Ahab was killed in battle. Micaiah spoke of his vision of God in heaven, seated on His throne with angels all around Him. Interesting aspect is that among these angels is one that is willing to be a lying spirit. Does that mean that evil angels stand before God’s throne now, too? It seems that all the fallen angels were not cast from heaven with Satan—even Satan goes before God—remember their discussion about Job (see Job 1). Satan and his angels will ultimately be thrown out of heaven. Cast down to earth—oh my. That will be a scary time for anyone on earth. Evil will be loosed on the whole world.

Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Revelation 12:7-9

What a day that will be! There is so much that we don’t understand about God, Satan, angels, heaven, and spiritual warfare. Heaven has some mysteries—but God has a plan. We know that He wins the battles on earth and in heaven. We can feel safe knowing that the Lord has His armies surrounding His throne in Heaven. Praise be to the Lord!

Verse of Salvation ~ Living with our Lord God forever is salvation—only if we are saved from our sin by the blood of Jesus will we live in the house of the Lord forever.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

Knowing the Lord is what life is all about.

Knowing Him is Life.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Holiness of Heaven

Prayer – Lord Jesus, because of Your unfailing love, we will see You and see Heaven. I praise You…and our Heavenly Father for His great plan and mercy to accept us through the sacrificial blood offering that You provided. May the world know of Your obedient sacrifice and love for us. Many are called, but few are chosen…few accept You as their Savior. I love You, Lord, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Blessings on You and all who know and trust You. Thank You.

I will tell of the LORD's unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love. He said, "They are my very own people. Surely they will not betray me again." And he became their Savior. In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them. Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, "Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people? ... LORD, look down from heaven; look from your holy, glorious home, and see us. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now? Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, LORD, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past. Isaiah 63:7-11, 15-16

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance through the ages…from Heaven.

What does “holy” mean to you? Reverence, morally blameless, consecrated.

Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. Hebrews 8:1-2

Heaven is not only a holy, sacred place—containing the throne for our Heavenly Father, but it is His actual dwelling place.

Heaven is a holy place.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22

Now I know that the LORD rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power. Psalm 20:6

"Now prophesy all these things, and say to them, "'The LORD will roar against his own land from his holy dwelling in heaven. He will shout like those who tread grapes; he will shout against everyone on earth.” Jeremiah 25:30

Cross depicting the life of Christ.
From Medjugorje

We must be holy to enter heaven, and to stand before the very throne of God one day. How do we become holy? Not by any efforts of our own—only by the blood of Jesus who gave Himself sacrificially on the cross, covering our sin with His blood. By His blood we are washed clean, pure and holy. Praise be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Verse of Salvation ~ Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 'Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it." Acts 28:24-28

Knowing the Lord is what life is all about.

Knowing Him is Life.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories