The Christ is God's emblem. People use emblems for quality assurance and for branding. Christ Jesus is the One of whom God said publicly "This is my son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him."
Then when Christ was killed, crucified by evil people, it was impossible that this emblem of God could stay dead so God raised Him from the dead.
Two thousand years later, He having appeared to many in special ways since He rose from the dead, He made Himself known to me too. One day, years ago, I was in a somber mood walking up Blackswarth Road in Bristol, UK, up from the river where I had been contemplating the very high water level at a time of quite severe flooding in the UK. It had been in my reading of the Bible that day from a Psalm, I think, to "go see the desolations He has wrought", the judgements on mankind wrought by God and the fact that prophets had foretold much flooding as part of God's judgements against nations. I had looked at the effect of UK floods on the river and considered the misery to people affected and the fact that this judgement is so real and vivid. Then as I walked back up the hill He made me know the other side to things. He showed me His powerful mercy which triumphs over judgment. He compelled me as I walked to put down my umbrella. The rain had been coming down as a terrible torrent. Within the time it took me to put down the umbrella it stopped so suddenly it was as if not a single drop landed on me. (Must have looked strange to drivers driving past me up the Blackswarth Road at the time.) I suddenly realised 'it is Him, Jesus Christ' and I remembered how the Gospels recorded that disciples of His said this to themselves when He appeared to them after His resurrection "it is the Lord". Later that night I specified a sign I asked Jesus to give me if indeed it was Him who had made Himself known to me like that and He did it precisely. At the moment He did so (in the middle of the night) I understood it was in fact Him who had done this.
A while later, I was waiting meditatively for something to say at a church I was attending (where they let ordinary, 'lay' folk like me speak) and a spirit I believe was God's spirit 'said' to me "Israel has sinned". He showed me a vision of a condor (eagle, vulture) of war flying over the House of Israel. I saw many generals talking war. The vulture-like bird of war would be evidenced as a sign a bit later when the Americans started sending spy planes over Iraq (back before the more recent wars - this was some years ago now) and in the first use of police helicopters in surveillance over my home town of Bristol (they even called it Operation Vulture). Then the word came "shout from the mountain top 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your...'" and as those last words came there was an overriding "all your VOICE". So now I do. This is God's command still, like it was when He gave it to Moses for the nation of Israel thousands of years back. Maybe Israel is different now; more people regard Israel as broader than just the nation and that since Christ's coming it has included all those of faith. Maybe all these now have sinned. Maybe many have become hardened against loving God this way. Yet still His command is there to all people, to you too, to Love Him. And to love Him with not just heart - all of it - but body, mind and soul and lastly with your voice too, as much as you have one. Use it in love for God - love for this God whose Son Jesus Christ is His emblem of whom He said "This is my beloved Son, Listen to Him."
To those who love Him, He has promised through Christ to make Himself known.
Then when Christ was killed, crucified by evil people, it was impossible that this emblem of God could stay dead so God raised Him from the dead.
Two thousand years later, He having appeared to many in special ways since He rose from the dead, He made Himself known to me too. One day, years ago, I was in a somber mood walking up Blackswarth Road in Bristol, UK, up from the river where I had been contemplating the very high water level at a time of quite severe flooding in the UK. It had been in my reading of the Bible that day from a Psalm, I think, to "go see the desolations He has wrought", the judgements on mankind wrought by God and the fact that prophets had foretold much flooding as part of God's judgements against nations. I had looked at the effect of UK floods on the river and considered the misery to people affected and the fact that this judgement is so real and vivid. Then as I walked back up the hill He made me know the other side to things. He showed me His powerful mercy which triumphs over judgment. He compelled me as I walked to put down my umbrella. The rain had been coming down as a terrible torrent. Within the time it took me to put down the umbrella it stopped so suddenly it was as if not a single drop landed on me. (Must have looked strange to drivers driving past me up the Blackswarth Road at the time.) I suddenly realised 'it is Him, Jesus Christ' and I remembered how the Gospels recorded that disciples of His said this to themselves when He appeared to them after His resurrection "it is the Lord". Later that night I specified a sign I asked Jesus to give me if indeed it was Him who had made Himself known to me like that and He did it precisely. At the moment He did so (in the middle of the night) I understood it was in fact Him who had done this.
A while later, I was waiting meditatively for something to say at a church I was attending (where they let ordinary, 'lay' folk like me speak) and a spirit I believe was God's spirit 'said' to me "Israel has sinned". He showed me a vision of a condor (eagle, vulture) of war flying over the House of Israel. I saw many generals talking war. The vulture-like bird of war would be evidenced as a sign a bit later when the Americans started sending spy planes over Iraq (back before the more recent wars - this was some years ago now) and in the first use of police helicopters in surveillance over my home town of Bristol (they even called it Operation Vulture). Then the word came "shout from the mountain top 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your...'" and as those last words came there was an overriding "all your VOICE". So now I do. This is God's command still, like it was when He gave it to Moses for the nation of Israel thousands of years back. Maybe Israel is different now; more people regard Israel as broader than just the nation and that since Christ's coming it has included all those of faith. Maybe all these now have sinned. Maybe many have become hardened against loving God this way. Yet still His command is there to all people, to you too, to Love Him. And to love Him with not just heart - all of it - but body, mind and soul and lastly with your voice too, as much as you have one. Use it in love for God - love for this God whose Son Jesus Christ is His emblem of whom He said "This is my beloved Son, Listen to Him."
To those who love Him, He has promised through Christ to make Himself known.
