Saturday, January 6, 2024

D.L. Gardner: Open the Door in 2024

In the first chapter of the Revelation to John, the Apostle sees a vision of Jesus Christ telling him to “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

What did Jesus want these churches to know? The Book of the Revelation is filled with spiritual symbols, prophecies, and signs that will precede and accompany Jesus’ return to reign on earth. And, ever since readers have wondered what it all means. The third verse of the first chapter promises a blessing: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

What better way to begin 2024 than by reading this book and heeding what Jesus wants us to know? The seven churches represent a number of things. First, the actual churches themselves and Jesus’ unique letter to each one. Second, each church has unique good qualities and almost all have characteristics Jesus warns them about. Some believe each church represents a unique time in church history. For example the church at Ephesus is a picture of the early church. The Church at Laodicea is a picture of the church in the last days.

Before John writes the letters, he sees Jesus: “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things.’”

The letter to the church at Laodicea is in Revelation 3:14-22. Jesus tells John to write: “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of My mouth.”

Jesus continues His rebuke saying they are self-deceived and haughty and self-righteous. Then He says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.” Jesus is standing outside the door of His own church!!! Are Christians dining alone, performing religious rituals as if we were enjoying true fellowship with our Master and Lord?

Lastly, Jesus tells the Laodicea church, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Christians can overcome unbelief only with faith in and fellowship with Jesus. We are utterly incapable of living spiritual lives without Him.

May 2024 be the year we open the door to fellowship with Jesus!

Daniel L. Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Some believe..."

DL, others pay more attention to Biblical scholars who can read the original language and know historical context than to an old man in Starkville.

You are no Dr. Pollard.

Anonymous said...

Why no comments? Are The Book of Revelation Chapter 2 & 3 simply too controversial and prescient for this blog?

Anonymous said...

@2:01 PM Tired of this particular person. Opinions are always off the mark.

Anonymous said...

@3:37
Honestly, I’m tired of bootlicker bot, sheeple NPCs like you, myself.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Jesus would have thrown Daniel out of the temple. Daniel's typical political spiel is one of the least Christian attitudes I've encountered. Interesting that he is now focused more on opining about divinity and theology than politics. Maybe that's a good sign for his soul.

Anonymous said...

I suppose I could make a good political case for Trump being one of the 4 Horsemen and add Putin, Xi and Jong Un or maybe the Ayatollah of Iran...tough last choice.

I didn't overlook in Revelations that we won't KNOW when it's the End of Days. I didn't overlook in another Chapter how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven or other passages that seem inconvenient in Christianity these days.

But, I'm pretty sure anyone who tells lies or believes the lies of false prophets aids in empowering the Four Horsemen. And, I'm certain that anyone who can blog can do their due diligence to discern facts from lies these days AND make their own decisions on which policies are actually possible and that may have some chance of success in delaying the End. But if we can't pick wise and benevolent leaders who are honorable and are doomed, pretty certain we'd better be moral and treat others as we want to be treated.

The thing one should get out of Revelations, is to adhere to the Ten Commandments, to Jesus' teachings and to beware of the Seven Deadly Sins is our road to Salvation whenever our end comes.

IF you want to think of Revelations in political terms, I would suggest it would be to know that a leader who seeks money and power for himself, who lies to do it, who is not benevolent to his people is not the " who" we should choose. We can't find " perfection" in any human leader but surely we can tell the difference in a man or woman who tries to show the best of his faith in word and deed and one who never ever acknowledges or tries to make amends for mistakes, much less his sins.

We can't even seem to tell the difference between being strong or a brute, between being kind and mean so no wonder we can't distinguish between a lie and the truth. But we are very good at judging others.

I really want DL to get medical advice. If he was a good man in his youth and early adulthood and not a member of the KKK or Neo-Nazis all of whom likely suffer from psychiatric problems, he needs help.









Anonymous said...

@12:25

DL didn’t say anything related to what you bloviated about.
Press CTRL+F on your keyboard and type “Jesus” into the search box that pops up.
Now count how many times DL wrote the word “Jesus” and ask yourself what his article is really about.

HINT: It’s about JESUS.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, no intent to throw stones, or pass judgment, but to those who prefer the opinion of Bible scholars who have read copies of the original language NT documents, I would say, "Be like those of the Church in Berea." You may be better off to verify whatever you have been told is the truth through your own study of scripture, regardless of who tells you.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I hit enter too quickly. Also be wary of any interpretation of the book of John's Revelation and the person making it because the author himself wrote,


“For I testify together to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book. And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.”

Anonymous said...

Still too quick.

Amen.




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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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