I was in the backyard and noticed that one of the squash plants in a planter looked somewhat bleak. Its leaves had drooped to the ground and were all withered. I thought the plant might have actually died, but I took the hose and gave it a good watering to see if that would help. When I looked at the plant on the next day, it had totally revived. The leaves were no longer drooping but were upright and looked good.

It is amazing what water will do to a plant. Water is a crucial element for human and plant survival. Humans consist of a little over 70% water. They can survive longer without food, when they have water, than without any food and water.

We have a garden which gets watered twice a day, but because of restrictions, the lawn only gets watered three times a week. We have a sprinkler in the garden which waters it but also some grass on each side. Since this grass is watered twice a day, it is much greener then the grass a little beyond it which only gets watered three times a week. We notice a big difference between well-watered grass and partly-watered grass. One is green and looks bright, while the other looks faded.

In the Millennium, a river of living water will flow from the temple in Jerusalem, which is mentioned in Ezekiel 47:1-9. These waters will be crystal clear and free of pollutants. They are not just healing waters but restorative waters in that they heal and also restore life, since all fish and many plants will have been destroyed just prior to Christ’s return.

Christ also mentions living waters in John 7:37-38: “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, [which] those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

In the incident at the well, in John 4:7-14, Christ said that those who drink the water that He gives them shall become fountains of living waters leading to eternal life. He is referring to God‘s Spirit flowing from true Christians, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. The closer we are to God, the more these living waters will flow from us.

We find in the book of Revelation a statement in regard to perseverance. In Revelation 3:10, Christ is quoted as telling the Church in Philadelphia: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Other translations word it in this way:

“Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth” (Young’s Literal Translation).

“Because you have obeyed my command to endure, I will keep you from the hour of testing that is coming to the whole world to test those living on the earth” (International Standard Version).

Notice, this is not just a suggestion, but rather a command.

The definition of “persevere” is to “continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.” For example, we may read that “his family persevered with his treatment.”

Synonyms for “persevere” are “persist, continue, carry on, go on, keep on, keep going, struggle on, hammer away, be persistent, be determined, see/follow something through, keep at it, press on/ahead, not take no for an answer, be tenacious, stand one’s ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, stop at nothing, leave no stone unturned.”

This important character trait must be active at the current time. We must be tenacious so that we can obtain what God has destined for us—eternal life in His Kingdom as His sons and daughters.

It is also emphasized that we need to persevere so that we can be protected from the great tribulation which shall come upon the whole earth.

It is not just a matter of hanging on to our dear physical life in a state of fear, but rather being engaged in the process of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to this world, even as we face more and more pressure from misguided governments, increased persecution and even martyrdom for some of God’s children.

The end of this present evil age will not come until our commission has been accomplished, according to God’s evaluation. Matthew 24:14 tells us: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

In the meantime, we are strongly admonished to put our shoulders to the plow with perseverance, to bring us to that point in time when the Kingdom can be established under a just and equitable rulership.

Let us ensure to persevere to that end.

Many come to America because they look upon it as the land of opportunities. You may have perhaps heard the saying, “Only in America,” when someone makes a fortune in a business venture or earns money selling a patent.

Americans have liberties which many in other countries do not enjoy. Women can vote, drive cars, start their own business and go about freely—something they cannot do in some countries. There is no violent religious persecution at this time, although that could change rather rapidly. Right now, a person can pursue life, liberty and happiness as long as it is within the confines of the law.

There is relative safety and peace of mind in smaller rural areas. This is not true, of course, in larger cities where there is crime and violence. Americans enjoy freedom of speech which is protected by the First Amendment, without fear of imprisonment or death, which is a possibility in some countries.

But American freedoms cannot remotely compare with what God is promising true Christians. They have been offered a land of opportunity where there is true prosperity and peace. That land is the world tomorrow, the Millennium, when Christ returns to establish world rule under Himself with the resurrected saints as co-rulers. It will be a time of joy and true peace, with wars having been abolished.

Zechariah describes it this way in Zechariah 8:4-5:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’”

This scenario is hard to imagine, when we think of the violence and ghettos of our major cities today.

Notice, the citizens of Jerusalem will be of great age and the children will be safe to play in the streets of the city where there will be no more bombings or stabbings like we see today. We will rule as kings and priests, as Revelation 5:10 says: “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”  Kings will rule in accordance with God’s laws, and priests will teach God’s laws which describes part of our future responsibilities to spread the law of God over all the earth.

Isaiah 2:3-4 casts additional light on what lies ahead in the future: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

What is pictured here is the true land of opportunity where there will be peace and harmony with one world religion, which is something we ought to be looking forward to. We are admonished in Revelation 3:11 to hold fast to the end: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

It is imperative to hold fast to the truth without compromise if we want to enjoy the benefits of becoming co-rulers with Christ. God is anxious to bestow on us the gift of eternal life and to grant us our reward of rulership, as well as the potential to be involved in this future land of opportunity.

Most of our spiritual growth and understanding comes from Christ working through the ministry. If angels can learn something being said from the pulpit (compare 1 Peter 1:12), then logic dictates there certainly is something for us to learn. People who think they do not need the ministry and can just sit at home are guilty of overlooking several biblical concepts.

For one, they reject the admonition to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). In addition, they forget that iron sharpens iron and that cannot be done at home alone (Proverbs 27:17).

There is also a tendency of being wise in our own understanding, which usually leads down the path of self-righteousness and error.  I have noticed that over time, the arrogance of knowing better than the ministry is self-delusional.

What we need to accept is the fact that God, not man, places the offices of the ministry in the Church. Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us:

“And [Christ] Himself gave some to be apostles, some, prophets, some, evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Notice the purpose for God doing this: To become a perfect man, to be more Christ-like.

Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), and the Church is likened to a woman. We are spiritual embryos, as it were. A baby in the womb is protected. The ministry has the responsibility to protect the sheep from wolves and their false doctrines. The baby in the womb is also fed by the mother. We are being fed by our mother, the Church.

The umbilical cord connected to the baby carries blood, food and oxygen for growth and nourishment to the baby. Imagine if the baby in the womb decided that it no longer needed the mother; that it was mature enough to be on its own, wanting independence.  How long would it survive, once being disconnected from the mother?

This analogy can be applied to the independent Christian who feels mature enough so that he no longer needs the ministry for spiritual growth. The outcome is predictable. It is usually only a matter of time until the “babe in Christ” suffers premature spiritual death, unless genuine repentance and forgiveness prevents this from happening.

Our continued growth in spiritual understanding hinges on our understanding and belief that the ministry is a vital part of that growth. We should be grateful to God when He provides faithful servants who fulfill their responsibility of feeding, nourishing and protecting God’s sheep in a non-compromising manner (John 21:15).

For those of us who have been around for a long time, we remember the talk in the late 60’s about God’s Church fleeing to a place of safety in 1972, then in about 1985; and more recently, 2017 was proposed as the year of Christ’s return, allegedly following an imagined “seven year contract” between the “beast” and other nations and 3 ½ years of Great Tribulation. None of that has been remotely accurate. Then there were other dates proposed, but in each case the score has been zero for accuracy. The reason is, no human being knows the date of Christ’s return, and it is rather foolish to draft up charts and speculations about the time, since in Christ’s own words, not even He knows the exact date, but only the Father knows, as He will decide as to when He will send Christ back to this earth.

Mark 13:32 quotes Christ as follows: “But of that day and that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

So if one wants to pursue futility and engage in a waste of time, then one can try to “figure it out.” But what is really important to God is to come out of the world, by God’s mercy, and if we endure to the end, we will be saved and enter God’s Kingdom. Matthew 10:22 tells us:  “And you will be hated of all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”

All of us are getting older, but we must push on and finish the job we have been given. The Church has not yet finished its commission to preach the gospel to the world as a witness, but the time will come when sufficient testimony will have been given to the last generation, and God promises He will take care of those who faithfully carry out the task at hand. We must not neglect our spiritual growth in the process, but coupled with our God-given responsibility to preach the gospel, we become, as it were, the “complete” man.

What lies ahead, prior to Christ’s return? Will we live in a better, peaceful world? Not according to the Word of God. Instead, we can expect more problems, more wars, terrorist attacks and a general deterioration of the moral fiber of America, Canada, the UK and all nations around the world.  Some of us may not be around in a few years from now and there will be new faces in the Church to pick up the challenges, but the work  must and will go on. Otherwise, Christ could not return, but He will, as He is the ultimate solution to all the problems in the world. He must return to save mankind from itself.

Matthew 24:22 gives us this frightening prophecy, and at the same time, this reassuring promise:  “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

Will we face problems and challenges? The answer is yes, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going. That is not to say that we should get calloused about our job; rather, we have to do it zealously, knowing that it is for the ultimate good of mankind.

The category we want to be in when Christ does return is framed in Mathew 25:21:  “His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”

Donald Trump has been chosen as the 45th President of the United States. He is a successful business man with no political experience who considers himself an outsider.  He built up a fortune of some nine plus billion dollars and promises to make  America great again.

There is so much corruption in politics that it is difficult to sort everything out and get an accurate evaluation of what is really going on. The one thing we know for sure is that Mr. Trump will not make America great, because the problems are insurmountable.

To put an end to the madness, the only real solution to making America great, and every nation on the face of the earth, is the return of Jesus Christ.

We have just gotten back from the Feast of Tabernacles which pictures a world of true peace and harmony, being ruled by the incorruptible Family of God. The sons and daughters of God, under Christ, will not be subject to political pressures, bribes and corruption, but they will govern with equity and fairness, something this world has never seen.

We, as God’s Church, have the responsibility to get this message out to the world. It has to get done so that Christ can return, and it will get done. Matthew 24:14 says: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we a part of the process of fulfilling this God-given commission which will, in due time, make the whole world great again, not just America?