Church of the Ascension

Family Dynamics

Sermon Three in Advent 2023 about Family Preparation for Christmas. Special emphasis on God's blessing on families.

Women Across the Bible

Sermon Two in Advent 2023 about Family Preparation and Christmas.

Men, Wake Up & Watch

Advent 2023, Sermon One on Family Preparation for Christmas.

The Time Is At Hand (?)

1.  Understanding the Times    Rev. 1:3 – Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.  Rev. 22:6, 10 – God…has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place… And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’ Daniel 8:17, 26; 12:4, 9 – I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, ‘Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.’ … seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now… Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end… Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.  Rev. 10:4 – And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down. … (cf. Deut. 29:29)  Rev. 10:5b-7 –…there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled...   2. Days of Visitation   Rev. 1:7; 2:5; 16:15; 22:7 – Behold, he is coming [erchomai] with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him… Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. … Behold, I am coming [erchomai] like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked or seen exposed! Rev. 3:3 – Remember then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come [heko; be present] like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.  1 Pet. 2:12 – Keep your conduct…honorable, so that when they speak against you…they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation [episkope; Luke 19:44]. 3. The Second Advent of Christ   2 Thessalonians 2:1, 8 – Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him…  Matt. 24:32 – From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. … Acts 1:3 – He presented himself alive to them after his suffering [for] forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. …Matt. 13:11, 38 – To you is has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven… The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom… the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels… 4. The Near and the Far  Isa. 7:14 – Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel… For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose kings you dread will be deserted. (cf. Matt. 1:23) Amos 9:11 – In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it ... the remnant of Edom. (cf. Acts 15:16) Rev. 19:17 – 20:7 - …beast captured…the dragon…bound for a thousand years… Satan will be released … deceive the nations… devil thrown into the lake of fire..    5. The Goal of the Present   Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses...   Rev. 22:2b – the tree of life with twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations…They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads…Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life   Rev. 21:7 – The one who conquers…I will be his God and he will be my son.

The Lion's Roar

The Lion's Roar    1.  Jesus’ Authority is Total    Rev. 10:3 – He cried out with a loud voice, as when a Lion roars... Rev. 10:1, 5 – And I saw another strong Angel coming down out of heaven, and clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was on His head, and His face was like the sun, and His legs like pillars of fire; and He had in His hand a little book that was open. And He placed His right foot on the sea and his left on the land… 2. The Dragon Wars Against the Church   Rev. 12:4 – And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth…he might devour [her child].   Rev. 12:12 – But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath… he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child…the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus [cf. 1:2-3] And he stood on the sand of the sea.   3. The Bottomless Pit Empties  Rev. 13:1 – And I saw a beast rising out of the sea…And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority… And they worshiped the dragon… ‘   Rev. 13:11 – Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon… It performs great signs…   Rev. 9:1-11 – The fifth angel blew his trumpet…he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit… rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace…locusts…   Rev. 11:7b – the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them…  4. The Victorious Martyrs Rev. 9:4 – [Locusts] were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any green tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.   Rev. 11:11-12 – a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them… ‘Come up here!’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud…    Rev. 12:11 – And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.  The Month of Tishri: Jesus’ Birth & His Reign Tishri occurs between September and October on our calendar. It is called the “seventh month” and was used by the kingdom of Judah to mark the new year. It was also connected with the Feast of Trumpets. From Jewish tradition (Talmud, etc),  †      Adam and Eve were created on 1 Tishri, based on Jewish tradition; cf. Gen. 1:1-5. ‘The birthday of the world.’ †      This was the traditional day when everyone added a year to their age (not their individual birthday).  †      Noah became 601 on 1 Tishri when he also opened the ark, to see dry ground (Gen. 8:3). †      The last trumpet of trumpets was sounded on 1 Tishri, Lev. 23:24; Num. 29:1.  †      Israelite kings also marked this day as the next year of their reign; 1 Kings 1:34; 2 Kings 9:13; 2 Kings 11:4.  †      Tishri is comparable to the Christian season of Advent; joy & penitence in preparation for Immanuel.  †      The 7th Trumpet heralds the enthronement of Christ (11:12-19).  o   The 24 elders in heaven worship with eucharistic worship and praise. o   You have taken your great power and begun to reign (Eph. 1:20ff) o   The nations were enraged and your wrath came (Ps. 2:5; 110:5) o   Time for the dead to be judged (2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 27:51-53) †      7th Trumpet heralds the New Covenant, new creation, new king, new Adam/Eve, and reign of Christ.    Sunset, 11 September 3 BC, based on star charts, was 1 Tishri (Day of Trumpets, New Year) the virgin appears in the night sky with the messiah in her womb; the planet Jupiter appears within the constellation of Virgo ­- directly over Bethlehem. Rev. 12, the woman is crowned with 12 stars. The moon is under the virgin’s feet – from about 6:15 PM until 7:45 PM.    25 December 2 BC, Jupiter “stops” due to retrograde motion. It is “touches” with Venus, making a very bright star, not seen since.