Till Death Do We Part -- Is There Marriage In Heaven?

Today’s Reading:
• Mark 12:18 - 37
  
• Psalm 48:1 - 14

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Mark 12:18 - 37
In my reading today I came across a verse that was very interesting to me.  I came across the same exact verse while I was reading the book of Matthew, but I wasn't ready to think about it at the time and so went a different direction with that post.  The verse is Matthew 22:30, or Mark 12:25.  In these verses Jesus said:

For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage.  In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.

This is radical thought for me, and probably for many other people also.  My whole life I've been under the misguided impression that I will have a spouse in heaven.  Which spouse, I do not know -- because I am on my second marriage after rushing into a bad first marriage.  Regardless, I always thought that I would be with my family when I entered heaven -- and that thought includes my husband.

Once again, I don't think we can even fathom how our existence will be different when we enter heaven.  The Lord won't be taking away marriage as a means to punish it.  I am certain we won't feel a loss about it, or like anything is missing. 

Here on Earth we rely upon our families -- spouse, children, parents, grandparents, etc -- to feel loved.  They are the ones we bestow the majority of our love upon.  Jesus tells us that the greatest commandments are love (Mark 12:29 - 31):

The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'  The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these.

In heaven we will be exactly as God intended us to be, perfect servants of the Lord.  If the greatest commandants are to love the Lord above all else, and to love all others as you love yourself, then there will be plenty of love to go around in heaven and I don't think any of us will feel like anything is lacking.

How does the commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself allow room for you to love another (such a spouse) greater than you love the person who is serving the Lord right next to you? We will just have to learn to trust the Lord and take this piece of information in stride, knowing that it will not upset us after we enter heaven. It appears marriage really is "till death do we part."


Psalm 48:1 - 14
This is another psalm of the descendants of Korah.  In it they praise the Lord and lift Him up as the defender of Jerusalem. 

I long to live in a nation of people who declare the Lord to be the greatest and to be their defender.  I am thrilled that I live in the US, but even though we are "One Nation Under God", we are far from it.  I don't feel like our nation has any right to call upon God to defend it, for our nation is failing the Lord. 

People are demanding that their rights extend so far as to have to see or hear anything to do with Christianity.  The Christian people in the US are losing their simple rights to display religious items on public property, or losing the ability for their children to say "one nation, under God" while reciting the pledge of allegiance. 

Christians are losing rights while people of all other religions (or lack thereof) are gaining them.  I don't care if you don't want to participate in a Christian ritual, or you don't want to believe in God -- that's your choice.  But that doesn't mean I don't have to right to display my faith in a public setting. 

Anyway, that is just a small rant.  The real point is that it would be so lovely to truly live in "one nation under God".

End of the Beginning, One Nation Under God

Today's Reading:

• Genesis 48:1 - 50:26
• Proverbs 4:20 - 27

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Genesis 48:1 - 50:26

Today I read the end of the beginning of mankind.  As I read the final words of Genesis I really felt like an entire chapter of mankind had closed.  I know that the history included in the book of Genesis spans over a couple thousand years (this is according to the timeline in my NLT Study Bible) and therefore it feels really odd for me to feel like this is an era that ended, but somehow that's just how it feels to me.

I read about the deaths of Jacob and of Joseph.  I saw Jacob's twelve sons divided into the twelve tribes of Israel.  These tribes became the foundation for all Jewish people.  From this point on Israel is a nation that God deals with as a whole, instead of individuals and their descendants.  Perhaps this is why I feel like there is such a shift with the closing of this book.

I am saddened to see the end of this era and to experience the deaths of Jacob and Joseph.  The book of Genesis ends with a promise that God will deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt.  And while I know how this story goes, I look forward to truly studying the book of Exodus for the first time in my life, just as I have now finished truly studying Genesis for the first (but not last, God willing!) time in my life.

Psalm 20:1 - 9

This is a simple Psalm that calls upon God to be with and bless his followers.  God had delivered David from his enemies through His mighty power, and David knew who to attribute his victory to.

It's the end of this Psalm that commands most of my attention.  This Psalm says that the nation who relies on chariots and horses will fall, yet the nations who rely on God will rise up.  I am so thankful that I live in the United States.  I fully realize that living in this country is unlike living in any other country and that I have great advantages that people all over the world desperately long for.

Multitudes of people make our way into this country with a need to succeed, and they work so hard to obtain a better life for themselves and for their children.  In this country that is completely possible.  But I am scared to live here because I know that our nation -- which was founded under God -- is turning away from God.

I feel a blessing when I look upon our currency, and see the words "One Nation Under God."  Should those words ever be removed, well, God help us all.  Our nation will only be great as long as it is a nation under God. I believe this with all my heart and soul.  When our nation removes itself from God -- and I believe it will -- then our nation is going to fall.

Many may argue that our nation is already crumbling.  Our demise might not happen right away.  The bible is full of examples where empires continue to rule for long periods of time.  Regardless, it will fall eventually when we move away from God.

Please, fellow followers of Christ, pray for our nation.  Pray for God's continued protection.  Pray that it remains a great place for us, for our children, and for our grandchildren to live.  Pray to God that He might recognize that a good deal of people in this nation are His people, and that He watch over us and our families, keep our nation strong, and help us to move the focus back to being one nation under God.

Salvation or Lack Thereof is an Eternal Sentence; One Nation Under God

Today's Reading:

• Matthew 2:13-3:6
• Psalm 2:1-12

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Matthew 2:13-3:6

Herod was told that the Messiah had been born and was immediately angry and afraid.  In verse 2:16 we learned that Herod had all the baby boys in and around Bethlehem murdered, but Joseph had already been warned in a dream and fled with his family.  The act of ordering the murder of children alone is an unspeakable offense to me, but what makes it worse is the idea Herod really thought he could just kill the Messiah. That somehow Herod could give one order, and just wipe out the fulfillment of the God-given prophecy.  I guess to me the idea is ludicrous, for I know God's power is above all, but so many people think that if they don't believe it, then it doesn't apply to them.  Or they want the proof, but refuse to open their hearts to feel the proof for themselves.

My bible contains a small excerpt on "Herod the Great."  He was a brutal, ruthless tyrant.  He even murdered two of his wives and three of his own sons when he thought they were plotting against him. 

It's easier to deal with the fact that a tyrant like Herod or Hitler never knew salvation, but what of friends?  Friends who are really good people, but they just refuse to believe?  Family you love, yet whom you fear will never turn to know God?  We think of these tyrants and perhaps we feel justified that they will not have eternal salvation, but the fate of the regular -- and perhaps otherwise good person --  who just never found salvation carries the same eternal sentence.  It's tough to think about, isn't it?

Psalm 2:1-12
Psalm 2 tells us that the nations who submit to God will experience joy, while those who attempt to break free of the chains of slavery to God (2:3) will be smashed like clay pots (2:9).  The state of our nation really scares me at times.  I take pride in the fact that we are "One Nation Under God."  But how long will that last?  It surely doesn't feel like we are living in One Nation Under God any longer.
In many schools, the Pledge of Allegiance is banned for that sentence alone.  Lawsuits are filed over publicly displayed nativity scenes.  Stuff like that makes me more angry than anything else -- okay, so you're Atheist and you want to a non-denominational holiday to celebrate?  Fine, celebrate your X-Mas.  But don't take away our holiday in your fight just because you don't want to be reminded that CHRISTmas was founded as a Christian holiday.  I can co-exist with you, can't you co-exist with me?

Where is the Christian's right in all of this?  You have every given right not to believe in the Lord, and I don't protest when I see your non-denominational mickey mouse santa claus.  Why is it that the Christian has fewer rights than the non-Christian?  When did it become such an inconvenience for you to have to drive past a nativity scene?  How does that infringe on your rights?

The state of our nation scares me, and this will probably be a topic you will hear an awful lot about if you continually read this blog.  We have been a strong nation as we were founded UNDER GOD.  But take that away, and there goes our foundation, and with that comes the wrath of God and the end of our prosperity.

Conclusion
It seems the readings today have left me quite bitter!  Not at God, of course, but at all those who shrug away from God, all of those who think that they can best God, all of those who want to tear away our beliefs just because the very idea that there is a God infuriates them.  Compared to many times throughout history, throughout many countries;  even today throughout the world -- the Christians of America have it quite good and easy.  I will try to remember this in the future when complaining about minor annoyances such as nativity scenes.  At least no one is ordering the life of my son or outlawing Christianity from the United States.