Fw: forever and a day

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2017 7:45 AM
Subject: forever and a day

It is easy to find a dichotomy between our life on earth and eternity in Heaven.  We think of this life as temporary and Heaven as eternal.  We consider our lives here as separate and distinct from our ultimate life there.  But there are important intersections and interventions when Heaven and earth collide.  At Creation the voice from Heaven spoke earth into existence as well as planting the seed of our own lives.  In Bethlehem the Son of God intersected earth with his arrival as a baby.  And there will come a day when the forever of Heaven will intersect earth for an awesome judgment.  The Bible calls this "the day of the Lord", or "the day of Christ Jesus".

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In Philippians, chapter one, Paul makes this positive statement: (verse 6) "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Paul is addressing folks who have crossed over from this life to the heavenly life while still living on earth.  Their lives were intersected by the living God on the day that faith came to them personally.  And Paul is stating that Heaven will continue to intersect their lives in an ongoing way until the awesome climax when Christ comes to judge all.

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The Old Testament prophet Joel makes this fascinating prophecy:

Joel 3:

¹⁴ 

Multitudes, multitudes,
    in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
    in the valley of decision.

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From the standpoint of eternity, the day of the Lord is near and each one must make a decision before that day arrives.  Will we bow before Him now, while He can begin a good work of new life that prepares us for a forever life, or will we decide to live only for this life and bow before Him as the judge on that awesome future day?

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Joel also says in the verse just before: "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.  Go in, tread, for the winepress is full.  The vats overflow, for their evil is great."

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Forever will be intersected once again on a calendar date when the Lord will come in judgment.  Have you moved through the valley and made your decision?

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blessings,

Rob Smith