Get ready! Jesus is coming for us!
Accept His promise in your life, repent, be washed by His blood, and be baptized by the Holy Spirit!
We're about to cross the Jordan and enter His promised land, the House of God, the place prepared for us in heaven!
Before Elijah was taken into heaven by a whirlwind, God instructed him to go to three places: Bethel, Jericho, and Judah.
First Stop, Bethel: This is where Abraham pitched his tent right after receiving God's promises to give him the land of Canaan.
"Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants, I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent..." Gen 12:7-8
The Hebrew name Bethel means “House of God”.
Second Stop Jericho: Jericho was the first city conquered by Israel after crossing the Jordan River and occupying the Promised Land.
Under the Lord's direction, they entered Canaan and began to take possession of the land. The first city standing in Israel's way was Jericho, a secure fortress with high, intimidating walls that were miraculously destroyed after marching around it seven times, blowing trumpets, and giving a mighty shout. The soldiers entered the city and destroyed it.
Third Stop Jordan: The Jordan River was a miraculous location where God instructed Joshua to have the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stand in the river's waters. As soon as they obeyed, God parted the waters, allowing the people to cross over on dry ground. (Joshua 3:15–17).
It's the place where Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, causing the waters to divide. This allowed him and Elisha to cross over on dry ground. After Elijah was raptured, Elisha returned to the other side of the river, repeating the same action with the mantle to part the waters, just as Elijah had done.
More importantly, the Jordan River was the place where Jesus "fulfilled all righteousness" for us, God the Father proclaimed His love for and pleasure with the Son and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus.
"But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him." Matt 3:15
"And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You, I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21
Three places we need to visit before getting raptured:
1. We must go to Bethel, where we hear God's call, accept His promises for our lives, and follow His guidance. This is where we securely pitch our tent, just as Abraham did, and stand firmly on His promises.
2. Travel to Jericho in a spirit of repentance and let Jesus conquer our strong and intimidating enemy, which is SIN, through His blood! He fought humanity's greatest battle, which is our sins. He sacrificed Himself on the cross, taking our place before the Father, shedding His blood, and dying for our sins to secure our ultimate victory!
3. Head to the Jordan River to immerse ourselves in His presence and be baptized by the Holy Spirit, letting Him fill us!
Take heed! Jesus is coming, and the only way to prepare is to believe in Him and His promises, be cleansed by His blood, and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit! We'll soon be crossing the Jordan and take up to go to the true Promised Land – Heaven!
Comments