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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 17, 2010
“Some Things Are Forever”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Some things are forever.
You can’t go wrong banking on things that are forever.
So I decided to drill into the Scriptures and discover what the Bible says is forever; and here’s what I found. Here is a summary of things to which the Word has applied the word forever.
First of all, as you can imagine, God is forever. He said it very succinctly in Deuteronomy 32:40, “…I live forever…”
Psalm 10 says the Lord is King forever.
Psalm 66 says He rules by His power forever.
Second Corinthians 9:9 says God’s righteousness endures forever.
Then there is God’s word. First Peter 1:25 says, “…the word of the Lord stands forever.”
Psalm 33:11 says the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.
Psalm 135:13 says the Lord’s name endures forever.
Speaking of the Lord’s name, in Second Chronicles 33:4 God said His name will remain in Jerusalem forever.
And over and over in the Old Testament it is declared, “His love endures forever.”
But I guess it’s no surprise that all those things about God are forever.
Now here are some interesting forevers from the Old Testament about people.
In Genesis 13 the Lord spoke to Abram and basically said, “See all this land? I will give it to you and your offspring forever.”
He made a covenant with Abraham, and Psalm 105:8 points out that God remembers His covenant forever.
Exodus 31 says that the Sabbath is a sign between God and the Israelites forever.
God told the Israelites that if they would fear Him and always keep His commandments, things would go well for them and their children forever. But if they disobeyed, certain curses would come upon them, and those would be a sign to them and their descendants forever.
God established the tribe of Levi as His priests, to “minister in the name of the Lord…forever.”
And Joel 3 says something interesting about Judah and Jerusalem. It says they will be inhabited forever.
Now what about Jesus? Yes, there are some great forever statements about Jesus in the Bible.
First of all, Jesus lives forever, as it says in Hebrews 7:24.
Jesus said it Himself in Revelation 1:18, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”
And Jesus will reign forever. A prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 9 said, “He will reign on David’s throne…forever.”
You probably remember the song from Handel’s Messiah, “And He shall reign for ever and ever!” Well that’s right out of Revelation 11:15, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.”
Remember what the angel told Mary before Jesus’ birth? “…He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.”
Not only does Jesus reign forever, He is also a high priest forever, as it says in Hebrews 6:20.
In a grand statement of Jesus’ foreverness, Hebrews 13:8 declares, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
Okay, God, Jesus, Israelites – but are they any forevers that apply to me?
In John 6:51 Jesus said He was the living bread which came down from heaven. Then He said, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”
First John 2:17 says that he who “does the will of God lives forever.”
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, Hebrews 10:14 says He has made us perfect forever.
In John 14 Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be with us forever.
Second John 1 says the truth lives in us, “and will be with us forever.”
Daniel 7:18 says the saints of the Most High will possess the kingdom for ever and ever.
And Revelation 22 says God’s servants “will reign for ever and ever.”
Not all the forevers sound so positive.
Psalm 92 says that all evildoers will be destroyed forever.
Jude wrote about certain godless men, “who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” It says that for them “is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”
Revelation 14 talks about those who take the mark of the beast, and says they “will be tormented with burning sulfur” and “the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever.”
And Revelation 20 says the devil, the beast and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Yes, I realize that forever is inconceivable, but it is a certainty.
So when it comes to getting our priorities in line, it’s important to keep this in mind.
Some things are forever.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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