The Arrival Awakens
Dead Sea - “Salt Sea” - Sea of Arabah (desert) - 10/5/2023
Rest … Awaken en Rest
The arrival begins at a place of rest. The presence of rest begins within Whose presence we choose to reside. May we awaken to His rest.
Reside - inhabit, dwell, live, abide
Finally, a day when I was not concerned about jumping rope, we headed to Jericho, the Jordan River, then finished at the Dead Sea.
Here I am reminded of what my body and face were expressing while I spent 10 minutes in the Dead Sea (any more than 10 minutes in that highly concentrated mineral water had the skin burning).
Oh, the sweetness of residing with Jesus.
On this day of the trip, I was residing in the presence of Holy Spirit at the lowest place on earth (430 meters below sea level). Some historians believe this location to be where God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with sulfur and fire from heaven (Genesis 19:23-26). How could this place be so restful if this location was where the sins of the people were so blatant and willful?
In this moment, I was floating. It was spectacular to me because I do not know how to float on water, but I was so effortlessly floating and it brought a sense of peace, rest, and awe.
How was I floating? What was different about this water?
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I Am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
So here are the two things I am questioning today:
How could there be peace in one of the most sinful places on earth?
If God rained sulfur and fire from heaven in this location, will He burn earth again due to the willful sin of man?
Ultimately, I do not know the full answer to the questions I ask. But I do know the One who has the answers to all of the questions I ask. So I ask, “Will God burn the earth again like He did before?” I believe one of the best places to find answers to questions for God is the Bible. This question leads me to Luke 17:29-30 and also Revelation.
Luke 17:29-30
“Just like it was in the days of Lot (Genesis 19), they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building (kind of sounds like the world we live in today), but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all - so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
What is the revealing of the Son of Man?
“Look! He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will mourn on account of him. This will certainly come to pass. Amen” - Revelation 1:7
So what happens when the Son of Man is revealed?
“to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation.” - Hebrews 9:28
Where is the fire?
Revelation 20 is a great place to read. I do not understand it all yet, but maybe you do.
Let us touch on the first question, as I believe it might be less heavy and bit easier to grasp.
How could there be peace in one of the most sinful places on earth?
In the moment I floated in the water that some to believe to be where God rained down sulfur and fire on the people, I resided in something quite different than what the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah sought after the pleasures of the flesh.
Romans 8:7-8
“For to set the mind of the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:9-10
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. “
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Going back to Luke 17 where the questions began to awaken today, I am led to one of my favorite verses of this year. “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”
This sounds like some reverse psychology to me.
Laying down my life, losing my life, and giving it to Jesus, who came to this earth and died for me, is the only way I get to keep life for eternity. Yes, my body (flesh) will die, but my spirit and soul will live forever in heaven.
The greatest victory will come from the greatest loss. Peace has a cost.
Where are you residing? May you arrive at your awakening as you close your eyes and reside in the presence of Holy Spirit.
Take a deep breath.
Turn your gaze to Jesus.
Take a deep breath.
Close your eyes.
Rest … Awaken en Rest