Christians, what are your thoughts on looking up instead of down while our redemption draws near?

Question

You know what I mean by looking down? Getting down in the dumps over all the attacks we get.

"Stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28 NIV).

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven" (Mt. 5:12).

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Col. 3:2 NIV).

Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15 KJV).

Answer 1

That bit in Luke is the run-up to Jesus returning to usher in the Day of Judgement, when people will be suffering heart-failure for fear of the things coming on the earth. But the principle applies at all times - our eyes are to be fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and Jesus is in heaven.



All believers in God have been down in the dumps and suffered times of wobbly faith. Just read the Bible! Consider John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, miraculously born and full of the Holy Spirit - yet he began to doubt if Jesus was the Messiah! He did the right thing in enquiring of Jesus, though. Jesus reminded John that his peaceful ministry was not contrary to John's fiery preaching about judgement and repentance. He directed John to Isaiah's prophecies about Messiah declaring good news and healing the poor. He validated John as the foretold type of Elijah who would prepare Messiah's way. And he said "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist" - despite John's down-in-the-prison-dumps-and-doubts! Isn't that tremendously encouraging?

Answer 2

Well as long as you are looking right through the core to the other side of the world and into the sky on the other side then you are still technically looking up.....well...if this is possible for you then by all means just do it....lol :) no seriously now....you have to focus on God and focus on what he thinks of you....as he will never let you be tempted beyond which you are able to bear. Hint...Sorrow lasts but for a moment but joy comes in the morning....dont give up cause thats just what the Devil wants you to do....keep focussed on God and take the focus off the devil and you will find that he has gone completely....remember this scripture in everything you do :-"no good thing shall he withhold from those whose walk is upright". Also remember the little chant I made up...."the firery trials of life are better than the firery pits of hell".

God will give you happiness 100 fold if you keep walking with him. Remember also 'give and it will be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together and spilling over in your lap'. Bless others and God will outpour onto your life.

Answer 3

i think of thinking is extremely necessary, in spite of the undeniable fact that, you are able to no longer do it on my own with the Bible till you have information interior here factors: Linguistics/language Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Criticizing the Bible in English is a trademark of critics, who ought to unavoidably motel to a minimum of one among numerous excuses: "The translators for sure concept this grow to be good adequate, so as that settles it." It by no ability happens to them to ask why a definite translation selection grow to be made, or to make a serious learn of the interest in question as necessary. Literature some human beings "examine the Bible like a newspaper." this is the absolute worst advice that could settle for for examining any text cloth that may no longer a newspaper. The genres of the Bible contain narrative, poetry, proverbial literature, know-how discourse, a treaty (that's what Deuteronomy is, have faith it or no longer!), felony codes, genealogies, biography (that's what the Gospels are!), very own letters and familiar letters, rhetoric (an artwork form in the classic international), riposte, and apocalyptic. Textual grievance this may well be an extremely expert field of determining the unique state of a text cloth. look for help from good factors.

Answer 4

If one truly believes that he was risen with Christ from death unto life, he will then seek those things above where Christ is seated, Colossians 3:1... setting his affections on things above, As important it is to them who really want to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ who is faithful and true, I would think he would also want to be found faithful and true, for surely one cannot think to arrive at the same, unless he follow His example,



Its like him who claims to have fellowship with God, while walking in darkness. It is the words of Christ which is filled with the knowledge of God's will and is the New Testament of the Testator, Hebrews 9: 16-17 , In it, contains everything that is pertains to life and godliness, which no religious person can obtain to without the knowledge of the Word of God. The Word of God's grace is the knowledge of the Testator, and through His death , were we separated to this New Testament whereby we are made perfect through the knowledge therein, and with the blood of Christ is it dedicated. In His body and blood , which speaks of His death is it understood then that this will and Testament is made of force and strength, because of the death of the Testator 1 Corinthians 11: 26



James 3: 17-18 also speaks of whay is meant by looking up; because the wisdom of God which has come down and continues to come.

Answer 5

I LIKE YOU. King David said, " I WILL LOOK UP!"

I mess with people all the time. I say, "Why are you standing there with your head down,

looking into hell? Look Up! For your redemption draws near!"

People think redemption is some far away thing, on Judgment Day. True believers know it happens at the time of physical "death".

Answer 6

Looking up shows an expectancy of the Lord's soon return; while looking down is keeping our eyes on the world.

Answer 7

Oh please. You Christians have been predicting the apocalypse for millenia, and guess what, we're still here!



1745, September 15, 1829, October 22, 1844, 1874, 1914, 1917–1930, 1930s, 1975, June 28, 1981, June 21, 1982, 1994? And 2011, 1999 Through 2009, 1999, September 13, 2007, September 30, 2008, 2012, 2025, By 2057.



Yeah I think we can go through a few more.

Answer 8

There isn't a whole lot I can say to people who honestly believe we are living in the End Times. You people have given up your ability to think critically.

The earth, and indeed the universe, will endure long after your death from natural causes. There will be no rapture. Ever.

Answer 9

Thanks Marj, I need this Word this morning. I've been looking down these last two days and it's time to shake it off and start looking up for our redemption is drawing ever so close. Praise God!

Answer 10

I am soo anxious for my lord to come and take us home!! the signs are here!! we are so close =) It's kinda hard though soo many people call us christians fools for believing in jesus christ and believing jesus will come again,but i try to block them out but one day they will all see the truth!! then they can not deny my lord any longer People of god draw close to god more then ever before!! you will need him in the hard times to come

Answer 11

look up for the crown and jesus,look down for money and careful of my steps.

Answer 12

Yay, apocalyptic preaching.



Go stand on the corner with your wafer signs, now.

Answer 13

My crystal ball will inform me of this "happening", I am sure.

Wait I'll just go and check.....................

Nope. Sorry.

Answer 14

Job was a dedicated masochist! He didin't give a sh*t that the Bible God killed all his family except for his wife!



Job 31:9-10 (NIV) [“Righteous” Job says to God] "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then may MY WIFE grind another man's grain, and may OTHER MEN* (*plural, like “many men”) SLEEP WITH HER* (*“have sexual intercourse with her.” Fair deal! If Job’s wife is cheating on him, he can always wonder which girl he was fantasizing about that FORCED GOD to answer his prayer! The Bible God said that Job was totally right in ALL that he said Job 42:7-8! The Playboy magazine comes short of the Jewish wit writing the Bible!)



According to the Bible writers when God created “Heaven” 1/3 of the angels dissented, including Lucifer, the most beautiful and intelligent angel ever created TO PROTECT the Divinity of God. They were not one bit impressed with God’s Beauty and Holiness. They used their “free will” and rebelled against God on the spot! GOD WAS LEFT WITHOUT A GUARDIAN OF HIS HOLINESS (the position is still open!)



The preachers stick to a story that Satan “fell from Heaven” when he was caught “deceiving the nations,” but that is plain Bull Crap. Satan was on his toes “deceiving” Eve into acquiring PLAIN KNOWLEDGE before any nation is ever mentioned in the Bible stories!



The angels that God created had the capacity to become Demons and Satan on the spot! This drama took place BEFORE God created Adam! Eve was put together much later on ONLY as an afterthought when it was discovered that no animal would satisfy Adam sexually! By then Satan was ready to compete with God to control the world population, according to some Christian dogmas.



Proverbs 16:4 - The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, EVEN THE WICKED FOR THE DAY OF EVIL* (*the day Satan tempted Eve sending humanity to Hell so God the Son Jesus Christ could be crucified for the Christians of the correct “faith”).



In the Bible story God doesn’t provide Adam and Eve with ANY useful KNOWLEDGE about any TALKING SNAKE, aka “that old serpent Satan” (Rev 20:2). Eve had NO KNOWLEDGE that the snake that had 2 legs and talked was evil! After this event God had a talk with the snakes, and clipped their legs, and didn’t let them talk any more, otherwise today we would still have walking and talking snakes (Gen. 3:14)! God’s sadistic pleasure in creating this world was to have his only begotten God the Son Jesus Christ beaten to a pulp, totally tenderized, heavily marinated in Roman soldiers’ spit, and NAILED STRIPPED NAKED BY THE HANDS to a Holy Cross that cannot possibly hold a human body hanging in there, without a convenient foot rest!



1,000 Bible years after “Creation” in the days of Noah, God couldn’t keep the remaining angels happy in Heaven. They discovered that the Earthling girls are BEAUTIFUL! So a whole bunch of them made full use of their “free will” and left “Heaven” in pursue of happiness on this microscopic spec of dust in this humongous universe, that we call the Earth. They had sex with the girls here and they raised families (Gen 6:1-4). ANGELS aka “Sons of God” are ALL MALE. According to the Bible writers they were created with well hung and fully functional sexual organs. Sex in Heaven must be very boring. The angels had to look elsewhere to satisfy their GOD ENDOWED SEXUAL CRAVINGS. Even God the Holy Ghost took a leave of absence from Heaven to get the hottie Virgin Mary pregnant when she was barely a teenager!



God was very upset at all the dissenting angels that he already created a sulfuric Hell so they can be punished not now, but at the END OF THE WORLD!



Matthew 25:41 (KJV) (Jesus speaking to the JEWS that he came to SAVE as their Messiah... spiritually speaking, of course!) Depart from me, ye cursed* (*the Jews are cursed!), into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:



RIGHT NOW, all the Demons and Satan are freely commuting back and forth between Heaven and the Earth to collect information on all the lukewarm Christians residing in this microscopic speck of dust that is part of this humongous that we call the Earth.



Revelation 12:9-10 (KJV) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent* (*that tempted Eve!), called the Devil, and Satan, which DECEIVETH the whole world he was cast out into the earth* (*SATAN IS IN HEAVEN RIGHT NOW! Mormons rightly believe that Satan is Jesus’ brother!), and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven* (*like in an old Greek theater!), Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN IS CAST DOWN, WHICH ACCUSED THEM BEFORE OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT.



The “Holy Throne” of the Bible God is infested with all sorts of Demons and Satan blowing the whistle in a 24 hour shift on any misbehaving Christian! God destroyed Sodom based on their sketchy gossip. It was so bad that he had to PERSONALLY come down to this microscopically small speck of dust that we call the Earth in this humongous universe to see for himself if what he “heard” about Sodom was true (Gen 18:20-21)!



Satan is very much respected in Heaven! No human or angelical being has the power to hurt or offend the Devil. The elite Archangel Saint Michael, and Satan had a fetish tearing apart the dead body of Holy Moses with due respect for each other, of course! (Jude 1:9)! At times, Satan is much more powerful than God! (1 Thes 2:8, Judges 1:19) Some Bible writers claim that God lost to Satan ALL the kingdoms in the world… God must have been a lousy poker player (Mat 4)! Satan dragged Jesus to a spot in a secluded rest area on top of a high mountain to show him ALL the kingdoms on this flat Bible Earth. When nobody was watching, Satan was ready to hand them over to Jesus only if he would discreetly KNEEL DOWN and worship him guy to guy without any foreplay or ceremonies (Mat 4:9)!

Answer 15

AMEN!