We have much to celebrate and be thankful for in November of 2024. Another American presidential election has successfully taken place, just as it has every four years in the 248-year history of this Republic of the United States of America. On January 20, 2025, America will once again reset and reboot our governmental leadership at all levels of our federal, state, and local offices across the nation by retaining some politicians and giving others the boot.

It is a proven process of transferring power on a clockwork four-year basis, which has kept the United States of America the greatest country in the world for nearly two and a half centuries. Quite the accomplishment for a democracy, thanks be to God’s blessing on us! Let us praise God daily for making the last 248 years something truly special to celebrate.

Next up is Thanksgiving Day, an annual celebration of the founding of our nation and the plethora of blessings God has bestowed on this American nation since the English settlers established themselves at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 and held thanksgiving services. Followed by when the Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where they founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620. Their first Thanksgiving celebration dates back to 1621 when they shared a harvest festival with the Native Americans who helped them with their crops. The courage and perseverance of the early Pilgrims, by the grace of God, became a cherished and celebrated part of our American heritage up to the present day.

On October 3, 1789, George Washington made the first presidential proclamation setting aside a day in November for citizens to celebrate what we call ‘Thanksgiving Day’ today. Have you ever read his proclamation? I have attached it below for you to read for yourself all the references to God, the Ruler of all Nations, and how we should give humble thanks.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be– That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions– to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York on the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

This is just one of many examples in our nation’s historical documents about how our nation was indeed based on a Judeo-Christian foundation, which Satan does not want anyone in the United States to know about in our revisionist history taught to us today.

Then comes Christmas, a day set aside in December each year, originally intended as a day for us to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. Today, it seems the 25th of December has become more of a secular and pagan observance with each passing year; however, the millions of Christians still residing in America today help ensure that our nation remembers and retains the original intended spirit of the Christmas season from year to year, in order that we are still able to celebrate the real ‘reason for the season,’ which is to praise and glorify Jesus Christ.

Most of our favorite traditional pre-20th century Christmas hymns and songs contained sacred references to honor the birth of Jesus Christ and the saving impact of his life on us. Most of our traditional Christmas songs in the 20th century became more secular in nature.

It is amazing the diverse group of men and women God chose to write, compose, and translate our traditional Christmas songs and hymns. Some were wealthy, and others were professional musicians, but in many, many cases, God chose either poor people or individuals with all sorts of physical ailments and infirmities or societal obstacles to overcome in order to create our traditional Christmas music over the course of centuries.

If you wish to learn more about our traditional Christmas music and the people behind it, in order to help your celebration of Christmas this year, I wrote a book published in 2018 titled The Lives of the Christmas Music Makers, which takes a deep dive into the biographies of the people who God used to create our traditional Christmas songs and hymns as we know them today. You can find it for sale on Amazon and other online places.

As I said at the beginning of this article, Americans have much to celebrate during the remainder of this year and in the years to come, for as long we continue as a unified nation.

Ultimately, though, the best thing we have to celebrate is what Jesus Christ did for us after his birth and during his relatively short life on earth. After a three-year ministry intended not only for the spiritual edification of the Israelite people but for all the Gentile people of the world as well, right up to the present day, Jesus willingly laid down his life and shed his blood as a sacrificial lamb to make us righteous with God the Father. Then, through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, He was victorious over death, making it possible for all who believe in Him to have eternal life with God the Father and God the Son. That is truly a cause for joyous celebration every year. My best advice—is to believe in Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Celebrate a new life in Christ this holiday season by giving your heart and life to Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember the short doxology with the Latin title ‘Gloria Patri? In English, it means ‘Glory to the Father.’ This short ‘hymn of praise to God’ (a doxology) goes as follows:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

The Latin words of the full doxology as we know them today date back to the early 16^th century. The words were translated into English in 1851. The Biblical scripture reference for the words of the doxology comes from Ephesians 5:20, “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” and Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

It is a true statement in this doxology that the world will not end, but over the course of time, our planet Earth and even the heavens will undergo an extreme makeover in the future, and I do not mean just the run-of-the-mill ‘climate change’ effects that certain segments of mankind fret so much about. Climate change effects will seem like small potatoes compared to the plan God has for the heavens and our earth in the future.

God built in up-and-down climate change for the earth from the very foundations of the world. Climate change has been happening on Earth long before mankind began to worry about man-made global warming and climate change in relatively recent times.

I have compiled a list of things to come upon the earth in the future, as well as in the heavens, as prophesied in the Bible, which mankind, especially non-Christians, should be concerned about taking place.

Let me preface this list by reminding the skeptics out there in the world that the Bible has a 100% accuracy record on all prophesies and promises mentioned in the Bible until now. So, there is no reason to believe the rest of these future Godly changes and judgments will not come to pass, because the ‘Word of God’ says they will happen. Therefore, be assured, they absolutely will happen!

This may not be a comprehensive Biblical list of things yet to happen on the earth and in the heavens, but you will definitely get the picture. God has painted us a clear picture. The following list of catastrophic things to take place will all happen during the post-Rapture period, commonly known as the seven-year Great Tribulation period.

I reckon several things on this list will come as a complete surprise to anyone who has not read or studied the Bible.  Thankfully, Christians will not be around to experience this list of bad things because Jesus Christ will come and rapture all true Christians, both the living and the dead, from the earth prior to these terrible things taking place.

Let’s take a look at the things yet to come on the earth and in the heavens during the seven-year Tribulation period following the Rapture of the Church (Christians) by Jesus Christ.  These future conditions of God’s judgments are all prophesied in the biblical book of Revelation, but some of them are mentioned in other books of the Bible as well.

Global war

Famine

¼ of the world’s population will die from war and hunger.

New tribulation period Christians will be slain for their faith.

Earthquakes

Sun darkened

Stars fall

Mountains and islands will be moved.

Panic and terror will be universal.

Hail and fire falls from heaven, mingled with blood.

1/3 of everything in and on the sea will be destroyed.

Bitter, poisoned waters

Sun smitten, affecting light and temperatures

Demonic creatures torture unsaved people

Another 1/3 of the world’s population dies.

More great earthquakes and great hail

Malignant sores plague all the unsaved people.

Seas becomes blood; all in the seas will die.

Only blood to drink from rivers and springs

People are scorched with fire and great heat.

People will gnaw their tongues due to pain and sores.

Preparation for the ‘Battle of Armageddon’

The greatest earthquake ever known to mankind

Cities throughout the world will crumble.

Every island and mountain will disappear.

Huge hailstones will fall, weighing about 100 pounds each.

Remember, these things listed above all occur during a brief seven-year period of time.  Then, when Jesus Christ returns to Earth to begin His 1,000-year millennial reign on Earth from His center of government located in the city of Jerusalem in Israel, even more changes are in store for planet Earth. And then, when that millennium ends after a thousand years, even greater, truly astounding, amazing, and awesome things will take place on Earth and in the heavens. These changes will all be good and glorious!

God will make new heavens and a new earth, which will serve as the forever home for all the Old Testament Saints, the New Testament Christians, all Christians right up to the time the Rapture takes place, and those people who become Christians during the Tribulation period. The new earth includes a wondrous New Jerusalem city of massive proportion, which God tells us about in great detail in the biblical book of Revelation.

There are too many details about the Rapture, Millennium, the New Heavens, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem to cover in this article, but you can read about them for yourselves in the biblical books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Revelation. Also referenced in many other books of the Bible, including Daniel, 1 Thessalonians, Zechariah, Matthew, Psalms, Acts, and in many of the other minor prophet books of the Old Testament, etc.

The important thing to remember about all these future events is your need to become a Christian before the Rapture in order for you to avoid all the bad things listed above during the Great Tribulation. In addition, after becoming a Christian, reading the Bible will make better sense to you and be much easier to understand because you will have the Holy Spirit in you to help enlighten you and explain God’s Word while you study.

The main point to remember is to accept Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your personal Lord and Savior, who died on a cross for you and all of us, shedding His blood for us as the Lamb of God and then rising from the dead. Jesus took all of our sins, past, present, and future, and had them nailed on the cross with Him. By His Resurrection, Jesus defeated Death and made us righteous with God the Father. Therefore, we are justified by God’s grace and mercy, enabling us to gain entry into heaven for all eternity.

Now, in conclusion, just for clarity’s sake, the order of future events is first the Rapture, then the Great Tribulation, followed by the battle of Armageddon, then Jesus’ return to Earth on the Mount of Olives to rule from Jerusalem during the Millennium, and finally the New Heavens, New Earth, New Jerusalem, and Eternity spent with Jesus Christ.

But until these things come to pass, we can keep singing the doxology of ‘Gloria Patri’!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

To God be the glory, great things He has done
So loved He the world that He gave us His son
Who yielded His life, an atonement for sin
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood
To every believer, the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

These verses are from an 1875 hymn by Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915)