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John A Carroll

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Mar 12, 2018

Are we there yet? Lessons from a forty-year journey

A road trip of many hours frequently elicits the whining question of kids, “Are we there yet?” But what if the trip were not for many hours but for forty years? Would we whine or would we look for important lessons to learn about God and Mankind? This blog is based on last week’s reading: Numbers 11-36 Numbers–the story of a forty-year journey What stands out in the book of Numbers? God is gracious but His people are rebellious. God provides everything for Israel’s success

Dec 29, 2017

God’s Sovereignty: The Key and the Book

Scholars disagree over the interpretation of certain prophecies. But none can deny that Scripture affirms God’s sovereignty over everything in the cosmos. Zechariah 10-12; Revelation 20 Selected Verses For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs. Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock

Dec 27, 2017

Final Victory

God will bring final victory over all the forces of evil, therefore He calls His people to separate themselves from those who are doomed. Today’s Reading Zechariah 4-6; Revelation 18 Selected Verses Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace t

Dec 22, 2017

Judgment: Does God Delay?

Beware of confusing God’s apparent slowness to anger with any weakness or ambivalence. He will bring judgment sure and final in His time. [1] Today’s Reading Nahum 1-3; Revelation 13 Selected Verses The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm,

Dec 21, 2017

Choosing Sides in the War

Satan is at war with the children of the woman. We are faced with the choice: whose side will we serve? God’s or the dragon’s? Today’s Reading Micah 6-7; Revelation 12 Selected Verses He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandme

Dec 17, 2017

Silence in Heaven

Those who boast proudly before God now will someday learn to keep silence before Him. What should be our attitude toward God? Today’s Reading Obadiah; Revelation 8 Selected Verses The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares t

Dec 16, 2017

Restoration after Tribulation

Tribulation is real, but it is not the end for God’s people. He promises a final and ultimate restoration for all His elect. Today’s Reading Amos 7-9; Revelation 7 Selected Verses I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God. Amos 9:15 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” A

Dec 15, 2017

The Day of Wrath

The day of wrath is coming, and no one will be spared. Will we prepare to meet our God, as Amos urged? How can we do that? Today’s Reading Amos 4-6; Revelation 6 Selected Verses Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel! For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, th

Dec 13, 2017

The Day of the Lord

On the day of the Lord, those who know Him will worship taking refuge in Him, but those who refused Him will tremble in terror. In which group will you be? Today’s Reading Joel 1-3; Revelation 4 Selected Verses The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. Joel 3:16 They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord a

Dec 7, 2017

There’s a War On

Since the Fall, the cosmic war has been going. Satan and his minions deceive and oppose God’s people, but they triumph through His truth and power. Today’s Reading Daniel 9-10; Second John 1 Selected Verses The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is f

Dec 3, 2017

This World–It’s All Gonna Burn

Christ’s disciples must live in this world but never forget that this world will ultimately pass away. And do you know what will last? Read on to find out. Today’s Reading Daniel 1-2; First John 2 Selected Verses And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw th

Nov 30, 2017

When Shame is Good

To experience shame for sin is a hopeful sign that repentance and faith in God are still possible. Do not fear feeling shame but rather not feeling it. Today’s Reading Ezekiel 43-44; Second Peter 2 Selected Verses As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its