Wonder of Wonders
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
Patience had her perfect work in the Lord Jesus, and until the last day of the feast He pleaded with the Jews, even as on this last day of the year He pleads with us and waits to be gracious to us. The long-suffering of the Savior is truly admirable as He bears with some of us year after year despite our insults, rebellions, and resistance to His Holy Spirit. Wonder of wonders that we are still in the land of mercy!
Mercy expressed herself most plainly, for Jesus “cried,” which implies not only the loudness of His voice, but the tenderness of His tones. He entreats us to be reconciled. “God making his appeal through us,” says the apostle, “we implore you on behalf of Christ . . .” What earnest, pathetic terms are these! How deep the Father’s love that causes Him to weep over sinners and, like a mother, to tenderly call His children to Himself! Surely at the sound of such a cry our willing hearts will come.
Provision is made most generously: Everything that man needs to quench his soul’s thirst is available. To his conscience the Atonement brings peace; to his understanding the Gospel brings the richest instruction; to his heart the person of Jesus is the noblest object of affection; to the whole man the truth as it is in Jesus supplies the purest nourishment. Thirst is terrible, but Jesus can remove it. Even if the soul were utterly famished, Jesus can restore it.
Proclamation is made most freely, that every thirsty one is welcome. No other distinction is made but that of thirst. Whether it be the thirst of greed, ambition, pleasure, knowledge, or rest, he who suffers from it is invited. The thirst may be bad in itself, and not be a sign of grace, but a mark of inordinate sin that longs to satisfy itself with deeper lust; but it is not goodness in the creature that brings him the invitation—the Lord Jesus sends it freely and without respect of persons.
Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus—not to works, ordinances, or doctrines but to a personal Redeemer who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising Savior is the only ray of hope to a sinner. Oh, for grace to come now and drink, before the sun sets upon the year’s last day!
No waiting or preparation is even hinted at. Drinking represents a reception that has no special requirements. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; our sinfulness is no barrier to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We need no golden cup, no fine china, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and drink of the life-giving stream. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it but will themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, listen to the dear Redeemer’s loving voice as He cries to each of us, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
We Are The ‘Convergence Generation’ — Top Ten Bible Prophecy Stories Of 2025
1) President Trump is forming a “Board of Peace” made up of ten international leaders from Arab and Western nations—leaders who will collectively oversee the next phase of governance, security, and reconstruction in Gaza and the broader Middle East peace framework. Ten leaders. Not nine or twelve. Does this not prick the curious mind of the average Bible prophecy student?
2) Last days mockery and scoffing is front-and-center. It is from within–that is what is so heartbreaking. We all have loved ones who call us–in a deriding manner–“End-Times Eddie” or “Gloom and Doom June.” We are warning that time is running out.
In 2025, some claiming to be Christians predicted a specific date for the rapture. Many sold all possessions and awaited the rapture of believers. In a sense, those folks deserved some scolding but it hit all believers in end-time eschatology and weakened our last days’ witness. And, there was more mocking and scoffing from believers and unbelievers.
3) There was much cheering for evil in 2025. Yes, the Bible says that in the last days, evil will wax worse and worse (II Timothy 3:13) so why are we surprised? Hamas was cheered. So was Zohran Mamdani. How nutty is this? Mamdani is preparing the world for the Antichrist! Somalis financially raided my home state of Minnesota and the Left celebrated their evil accomplishments and lies. Leftists thought Charlie Kirk’s murder was just fine. Some celebrated. Luigi Mangioni, who killed a healthcare executive in cold blood, is a modern-day hero to some. Jews were set on fire in Colorado. OK by some.
4) There was much destruction of “people of the book”—Jews and Christians. Zohran Mamdani was elected because he hated Jews. It is cool. This is the new normal but it will drive Jews to Israel, so God is causing good out of evil. It is clear that the Jews are the “burdensome stone” to the world (Zechariah 12:3). Australia’s Prime Minister blames guns, not people, for the slaughter of Jews on Bondi Beach recently. The cancellation of New Year’s Eve activities worldwide is a reminder that “globalize the Intifadeh” is real.
At the same time, Christians are being persecuted and slaughtered more than any time in history. But here’s the twist of this story–you will be hard pressed to find details in today’s media.
5) It was made clear in 2025 that we are the “convergence generation.” We are on the cusp of digital money and an Antichrist system. Wars and rumors of wars cause us weariness and sorrow. The spirit of the Antichrist seems to reign. Natural disasters crush our spirit as we watch on various media platforms. The Middle East is a powder keg. The decline of society is staggering. Love is growing cold. People are without natural affection. It’s all coming together:……
The many shades of Islam
Following the massacre on Bondi Beach earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that the murderers were adherents of a “radical perversion of Islam.”
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett added that the men who gunned down 15 Jews, including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, were aligned with the Islamic State, which she claimed is a terrorist organization – “not a religion.”
Really, mates?
It’s been a generation since Al Qaeda’s attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Back then, most people had no idea who Osama bin Laden was, much less what he believed.
No one wanted to tar all Muslims with the terrorist brush. That was admirable. Just days after 9/11/01, President George W. Bush proclaimed that “Islam is peace.” That was morally generous but analytically incorrect.
These many years later, it’s no longer excusable for powerful and influential people like Mr. Albanese and Ms. Barrett to not know much about history and even less about theology.
Cutting to the chase: members of Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, the regime that rules Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Boko Haram are all terrorists but we may presume that they also are true believers whose interpretations of the Koran and the Hadiths (collections of the sayings of the prophet Muhammad) are not insupportable.
Many members of these bellicose groups self-identify as “Salafi-Jihadis,” meaning they see their version of Islam as akin to that of the Prophet Muhammad’s 7th century companions and followers whose armies marched out of Arabia, swords raised, conquering foreign peoples and settling in foreign lands.
Vast Islamic empires and caliphates soon dominated much of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as significant swaths of Europe and Asia.
It was not until the 1920s, in the aftermath of World War I, that the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the last Ottoman caliph, Abdülmecid II, boarded the Orient Express at a station near Istanbul, heading for exile among the unbelievers of Europe.
Hassan al-Banna, an Egyptian school teacher, saw this as a historic tragedy. In 1928, he founded the Muslim Brotherhood. Its mission was – and still is – to reestablish Islamic supremacy and domination everywhere and anywhere.
Since then, Brotherhood theologians have provided inspiration to pretty much every group committed to waging jihad against Jews, Christians, Hindus, and others.
Those “others” include Muslims who decline to embrace the jihadis’ reading of Islam and the obligations the jihadis insist are incumbent upon Muslims.
Under a doctrine known as takfir, these jihadis excommunicate and, on many occasions, kill Muslims who decline to toe their theological line. ….
Newsfeed News.com 