There are 2 parts to today’s voice note.

Voice Note Part 1:

Voice Note Part 2:

Transcript:

Hi. I’m still having this flare-up of eosinophilic esophagitis and I’ve lost my voice. So today I was going to talk a little bit about that. And I was also going to talk about, I’ve posted on here, how um. What was going on at the time that I started reading the Bible was when I heard about Jesus’ return. So, about His second coming, so I was going to talk a little bit about that. As

Again, I’m having this really bad flare-up of eosinophilic esophagitis. I’m having trouble concentrating, so I’m hoping that by starting to do these voice notes, maybe I can kind of talk through some things here and get my brain working again.

Because I’m realizing I really haven’t updated since the time of COVID a few years ago. I’m trying to unfreeze from the stress of that. because of what was happening to people, and I had an autoimmune condition, so I was very concerned about it. So trying to get those gears turning in your mind again after the pandemic. I think it’s just wondering how many other people are having trouble kind of waking your mind up after that.

Things are back to normal here. You can go places again. It has been that way for a long time. Just uh my brain hasn’t updated from that yet. And so What I was going to be talking about today as you have a, if you’re familiar at all with the polyvagal theory about fight, flight, and freeze. The polyv..It’s hard to say. The Polyvagal Theory is by Stephen Porges. There’s books about that. But these fight-flight-freeze responses are there to warn you of danger it’s defensive systems. And It’s about resolving threats. If there’s a threat, You either fight or flee, and if you can’t do that, then you freeze. You’re trying to wait for the threat to pass. So I’ve gotten stuck in freeze. And. There are…Well, what I’m trying to…uh connect together here is thinking about that feeling that I had when the COVID pandemic was happening, that panic that you have because you don’t know how bad things are going to get. You don’t know if you’re going to get it or what’s going to happen. It reminded me of that terror feeling I had in the 90s when there was talk of the world ending in 2000. And that’s why I was going to try and talk about some of that today. Try and sort through it.

I had posted on here that I’ve studied a lot about the second coming of Jesus. That was why I started studying the Bible and we don’t know when that will happen. And so, let me just try and start here. Well, what I’m saying, we’re preparing to meet God, whether that’s um when we die and we meet him at that point or whether his return happens in our lifetime and so we can’t know when that will happen. It could be another thousand years from now. Or it could be today, and that’s why we’re supposed to be preparing for that. So That’s where I’m going with it, just to let you know that. And then I was going to try and talk through…

Again, what I’m experiencing is if I’m trying to update my mind from COVID, There’s still that feeling there now. I think everybody’s still sensing that this world is passing away. We’re getting closer to the end of it and there’s still that. I still experience that feeling of terror with it. We’re not supposed to have that feeling with it. Sometimes by talking about it just acknowledging that you still are feeling those things that you can work through them

[05:00] so let me try to get my thoughts together. Again I was born in 1982, so in the mid-90s was when I was in middle school, so that was around the 4th or 5th grade time well it was around the 4^th or 5^th grade when I was getting confused and was. I had tried praying and there were things that were happening that I wasn’t understanding. And that’s when God had started leading me towards studying the Bible, and then it was when I got into the sixth grade. which would have been like 1994, 1995, was when the talk of the world ending had started.

And I think I had heard that Jesus was returning before that had started happening, but I had not heard anything about it being terrifying or something to be afraid of then you started seeing all these sensationalized things. You’d see videos in Youth Group or, you know, where about like the rapture where people were taken away, and some people were taken away and some people were left. And it was very disturbing and then you know how it happens when Then people would be saying different things. I think I heard someone say that they thought that Jesus was going to return during a thunderstorm. So, I remember there was one night I had written about this in an earlier post on here, and there was a thunderstorm. And I was having a panic attack you feel that uh it was a feeling of terror and I didn’t think that Jesus was returning right then. What was happening was I was hearing things that I didn’t know whether they were true or not. and I didn’t know what to do, so then I had asked my mom about it. She was saying that yes, she had heard that Jesus was returning. But That she hadn’t heard it talked about in the way that it was starting to be talked about. She was surprised by what was happening with how…How scary and disturbing some of those things were in the way that it was being talked about.

That was when I was realizing, okay, so I need to study more about this. This is what I’m going to do. So the first thing I was learning was, okay, Jesus is returning. And then again, it was at that time where I remember the feeling I had when people were saying things that they were saying were in the Bible and it didn’t sound right to me, but I didn’t know. I remember that feeling of not knowing what was in the Bible when what really was in there. How am I going to know what’s right if I haven’t read it? How will I know if something is in there or not if I haven’t read it myself? That was part of what God was leading me to of you need to read it.

And so, one day after school, I asked my mom to take me to the bookstore. I went over to the section with religious books in it. There was a section about Revelation, so I thought that was okay. Then I got a book. It was titled something about Revelation. So I thought, you know, I’ve got a book. I’m going to go home and then I’ll study. And that was I realized that you cannot just do that. You can’t go get one that says that it’s about Revelation. So I had taken my book out there with me onto the deck. I took my Border Collie Chloe out there with me. I realized I don’t know that the book was going to be helpful. But the Bible that I was using was the NIV Zondervan Study Bible. So I thought, okay, well, I’ll start just reading through Revelation, and I’ll read through these study notes. And it was really helpful.

[10:00] And again, I knew when I was reading it that I was not understanding everything that I was reading. But I got a sense of comfort from it, that God was in control of whatever was going to happen. I was able to see that certain things I was hearing that I’m not mentioning on here because they were not accurate. I was hearing all kinds of different stuff. I’m not going to say those things because they weren’t accurate, but I was able to see that those things were not in there. And I remember feeling comforted, but I remember when I was reading it that it was saying that there was going to be A lot of things that were going to be happening that were painful.

So I got a mixture of comfort and then seeing the seriousness of what was being written about there. And… I’m not a Bible scholar or a pastor, so in terms of like interpreting the prophecies I would point you to the pastors and theologians that I’ve been reading. So I read, you know, Matthew Henry, and Calvin, Spurgeon and people like that that can go through the verses and talk about those things.

And what I can talk about now. Let me look at my notes here.  So again What I’m trying to work through here and talk through here is you’re trying to get these warning signals, the amplification of those warning signals to be turned down in my mind and trying to wake up your mind from the pandemic the fight, flight, or freeze. Those things get set off if there’s a danger or a life threat. And so we’re trying to Wake up from COVID and then…the the return of Jesus and also it registers it can register with that part of your mind too as a life threat even though you know because we’re talking about the end of the world and everything, and if we can talk through it and sort through it, then we can turn down those warning signals about it. And again, I’m not a scholar or a theologian, so I would point you to the people I’m studying to go through the prophecies in Revelation. But again, it’s helped to learn a lot about just what is and what are we waiting for, what will happen there and there are places that you can, or other things you can study about in the Bible that can help you get an idea of that such as, Jesus uses a phrase that’s something like, talks about a day of renewal. So if Jesus is your king, if you’ve submitted to him as your Lord and your God, Then we’re longing for his appearance, and I do long for that, so I have that happening. We’re longing for that. Then we also have this fear that goes with it. A lot of that can be, again, just hearing these things talked about that sound disturbing. And you can be comforted by going to the scriptures. So if we take a step back from it and just think, okay, so what is it that’s happening and why? So remember that God created the world perfect. There was no sin, no death. Then Adam and Eve sinned. And they were cast out of the Garden of Eden so that they would not eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in that condition. And God provided a Redeemer, Jesus, to save us from our sins, cleanse us of our sins, and give us that righteousness to make us He’s making us acceptable in God’s sight. God was reconciling us to himself through Jesus.

And then we’re being taken into that what I’m still learning about why it’s a more exalted state of friendship that John Gill talks about that we’re being taken into a more exalted state of friendship with God through our  union with Jesus and we get to…our reward is we get to live forever in heaven with Jesus and we’ll see God face to face.

[15:00] That’s one thing that has really helped me to learn more about. It was in a Spurgeon sermon. I can’t remember the title of it, but it was one that he was talking about that something clicked with my mind in realizing  really being able to form a concept of in my mind we’re going to be fully alive in heaven. And we’re going to have a life there, I think that these are things that I just hadn’t really sat down and thought about. And when you’re not doing that, you may not realize what image your mind has of it when you think of heaven like. Maybe you just had an image of like a sunset where you’re just at peace.

But I knew I would be reunited with loved ones there, so we know we’re going to be able to talk and everything there. But if you…Again, something clicked in that sermon of seeing that we really are going to be fully alive there. We’re reunited with our loved ones. We’re going to meet all of the saints in heaven. And that will be when we get there it’s like the beginning of eternity if that’s the way to say it like you’re You’re going into eternity. It’s forever. You’ll be there forever. It’s like hundreds of millions of endless years there. We’re going to have a life there. We’re going be walking and talking and having new experiences, and it really helped me to think of that.

And the reason that we still have a mediator now is that we’re still in a sinful condition. We have to be transformed, cleansed of our sin nature, transformed and made fit to be living in heaven. We wouldn’t have. God didn’t want Adam and Eve to live forever in that condition they were in after they had sinned and He doesn’t want us to live forever like that. We’re going to be transformed.

So there’s that’s one passage you can study to be learning about that can bring you comfort and help you get An idea in your mind of what we’re waiting for is 1 Corinthians 15. And that helped me learn about what the last day is. It’s actually Resurrection Day. It’s Judgment Day, you might have heard of it that way, but also it’s Resurrection Day. which I’m realizing I’ve already been talking for a while and I’m going to try and summarize it quickly here. So there was one phrase that I was reading in the older commentaries. It said the intermediate state of the soul. Well, what does that mean? And it went along with this chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, if you read through it, what you’re learning about is that…Remember, as human beings, what are we? We’re a spirit that has a body. So, or a soul with the body. And then at death, the body and soul are separated. So the body returns to dust. But the soul is preserved it’s not harmed at all and the soul will live eternally in heaven. So, if someone’s a Christian, at the time of death, their soul separates from their body and is taken to heaven, and that’s the intermediate state of the soul, where the soul and the body are separated.

There’s different interpretations of different passages about what actually happens in the intermediate state of the soul, some people think that they’re asleep in Christ, not aware of what’s going on. There are other passages that would that I tend to agree with that they’re in a state where they’re aware of what’s going on. Some pastors wonder if they’ve gone into all of heaven yet or if they’re in like a waiting area there and the After the last day when all of the saints are there in heaven,

[20:00] then we all go into heaven together. I can’t remember where I read that but someone was saying that. So there’s different ideas about what it is.

So everyone who passes away before the last day, their soul is separated from their body. And the last day It’s Resurrection Day, where the body will be resurrected. And rejoined to the soul. We’re transformed. So again, there’s too many things to be trying to explain quickly. But they’ll be…their body will be made fit for the heavenly realms. We’re supposed to be meditating and wondering what that will be like and what it will feel like to have a transformed body and to be fit for living in heaven. And the so Everyone will be raised to life and then the judgment will take place. There’s a lot of chapters and things to be talking about here, but that’s the…you can read through there and start it comforts me to get an idea of like what we’re waiting for so that’s one thing to study about is the intermediate state of the soul and Resurrection Day. And then, again, remembering why this earth is passing away and it’s because that force of sin entered into it and it causes death and decay in people and in the creation. So God had created it perfect. Adam and Eve sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden, but they were provided with a Redeemer. And from that point until the last day, people are being given a chance to accept that free pardon and be adopted as children of God, and to get to go to that heavenly kingdom. And many people will have passed away and their souls will already be in heaven before that last day. So…When Jesus returns, that’s the last day, and there will still be Christians alive on the last day. And there are passages that explain that they will be taken up into the air. And then, that’s when the earth John Gill you’ve heard of the great conflagration. So it’s interesting when you’re reading about it there are eminent pastors like John Owen that talk about that the elements of the earth they think will be just melted down and then the earth will be reformed perfect.

So again, the process is taking place, or it’s God’s cleansing it from sin. So he’s cleansing people from sin that have believed in him, and accepted that free pardon they’ll be cleansed from it and the earth is being cleansed…possibly melted down and reformed, then you have the new heavens and the new earth, that renewal of everything, and we’ll be living forever in perfect peace and rest, with transformed bodies that are not going to get tired, or they’re not going to get sick, they’re not going to grow old. And we’ll be in the new heavens and the new earth totally cleansed from all effects of sin.

And we’ll be fully alive, living, having new experiences, getting to see God face to face, hearing him when he talks. And we’ll get to see what heaven’s like and what life’s going to be like there. And that’s supposed to be the, like, the thing we’re focusing our mind on. When we’re meditating, we’re supposed to spend a lot of time. We’re supposed to spend a lot of time wondering about that, wondering what it’s going to be like.

But the reason why the world is ending is in order to get to that everything has to be cleansed of the effects of the fall so we’re remembering that whatever is specifically going to happen with it God’s sovereign over it. And He loves us and Remember the verse is, well, we’re not having to convince an angry God to love us. He loved us so much that he sent Jesus to us as a redeemer to make that way for us to be reconciled to him. The verse that you’re at John 3:16 that you’ve probably heard, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” So, again, it brings you comfort to think about what the process is that’s going on. God had created it perfect. Then there was this sin that entered and was corrupting everything, decaying everything, and brought about death, and he’s…working to correct that. I was trying to remember. I was thinking about something else while I was talking that there’s a verse The last enemy to be conquered is death and you conquer death by we’re going to be eternally alive. So “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” So these are all things that you can be learning about to find comfort in. And then there are passages in Revelation that I could talk about that. of what’s going to happen after that. So you have the last day here, the last day of Earth. But remember, that’s the…

then we will be in eternity and something that um helps to learn about is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb so we’ll all be there for that’s I’m running out of time to be trying to summarize all of these things, but those are things you can learn about. what all is going to be happening in heaven that has been revealed to us in the scriptures. So again, it’s the process of preserving a people for himself, everybody that’s believing in Jesus and that We get to go to that heavenly kingdom, the new heavens and the new earth, where Everything will be perfect. There will be no effects of sin there. It will be a perfect peace and rest forever.

[00:00] So I needed to start a new recording here because the app that I use to make transcripts, it’ll do it for a 30 minute recording.

So, I was…talking I didn’t realize I had been talking that long but again I’m trying to sort through my thoughts here and I hope you’re seeing what I’m saying about there are things we can study about that can bring us comfort. And, um, There were a few more things in my notes here that I was going to mention where I was reading Matthew Henry’s commentary and I was starting out with that. I was starting in Genesis. And I was reading in Genesis 1, I think it was there, that he had these notes about this. He was writing about the creation, how God created the world. It was either there nor in Genesis when, with Noah and the flood. So, what’s going to happen when he talks about is…

As the old world was destroyed by water, this world will be destroyed by fire. So the flood that happened the last time is a sign of what’s going to happen at the end. And what happened in the flood with water will happen with fire at the end.

And Matthew Henry was writing about that flood in Noah’s time. the flood happened where the waters below and waters above so the floodwaters on the earth and then rain from above and he said something that kind of just stunned me or stopped my mind when he was saying that he has noticed that everything may be in place already for the destruction of the world at the end. I shouldn’t say destruction, but the end of the world. Because there’s fire below is lava. Like that you see come out. You’ve seen that for a volcano, there’s lava in the earth and lightning from above. And so that may be how it happens. He was saying that might be what happens, that maybe lava flows up and there’s lightning from above. But he also said something that was comforting. I’m saying that he’s saying that as the old world was destroyed by water, this world will be destroyed by fire. And you need to be found in Christ, the ark. So again, when you start studying the Bible, you’ll see that everything is There’s so much imagery where a sign uh it’s something that happens is a sign of something to come. So, you can look to that picture of Noah and his family in the ark. They were safe from the flood.

So there is safety from what’s going to be happening on the last day. So that’s Christ. He’s our Ark of Refuge. So you can go to Him your He’s your Savior, your God, and you will be kept safe from any destruction that’s going to be happening. So, God has his arms outstretched to humankind. He’s offering them that free pardon by grace. And then, if you accept that, you get to go into Christ as your ark of safety, and as that ark protected Noah and his family from the floodwaters, we’ll be protected from the fire that’s going to happen at the end.

And again, we can’t know whether that will happen in our lifetime or not. So hopefully It’s been helpful to talk through these things. I know it’s helping me clear my thoughts.

Because again, if one thing that I’m experiencing, if I’m getting my mind to update from the COVID pandemic and see that, okay, I’m still here. You’re waking up and you still have that sense that we’re getting closer to the end. There’s well like for example, with the COVID pandemic that happened. I think we all just have that sense that it’s moving in that direction because we know, literally we know that it is. We’re one day closer to that. But we can’t know when it will happen.

but we’re supposed to be preparing for it. One way to prepare for it is to study what has been revealed about it. You will find a lot of comfort in that. Um. And again, we’re preparing to meet God, whether His return happens in our lifetime or not. We know that we’re going to be there standing before God one day.

We’re longing for that. We’re getting ready for that. We’re learning about what it means to go through the sanctification process and be made fit. And be made fit for heaven.

So, thank you for listening. I think I’ll stop there for today. And I really hope you can hear me. I hope these voice notes and I hope the transcripts are helpful. And I’ll post again sometime soon. Thanks.