And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Revelation 21:1.
Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One. A branch of this school was established in Eden; and, the plan of redemption accomplished, education will again be taken up in the Eden school….
The prophet of Patmos thus describes the location of the school of the hereafter: FLB 360.3
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away…. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:1, 2….
The giving of the tree of life in Eden was conditional, and it was finally withdrawn. But the gifts of the future life are absolute and eternal….
Restored to His presence, man will again, as at the beginning, be taught of God: “My people shall know my name: … they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.” Isaiah 52:6….
All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God’s handiwork. And the years of eternity, as they roll, will continue to bring more glorious revelations. “Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) will be forever and forever, the impartation of the gifts of God….
The life on earth is the beginning of the life in heaven; education on earth is an initiation into the principles of heaven; the lifework here is a training for the lifework there. What we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure foreshadowing of what we shall be.
The Faith I Live By p. 360
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Prayer Requests
—-A former classmate, Donna, passed away having had cancer for one and one-half years. Please pray for her husband, children, and family members as they grieve her loss. Rose
—-A daughter of one of our church members had a seizure for the first time. Pray it is the last. Keep Katie J. In your prayers. Barbara
—-Please pray for JayDen, my 11 yr old daughter. She has a concussion. Shannon
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Dear Friends,
Often my children will reminisce about special times in their childhood. It is interesting what they remember. Usually, Esther will comment on a certain walk we took when she was three or four. We lived on a narrow, dirt road near a lake at the time and I took them on many walks just letting them explore their surroundings. Whatever they noticed became an opportunity to teach them of our Great Creator and His love and plan for us. One day, Esther happened to notice a frog that had been run over by one of the few cars that drove down that narrow path. She stopped and looked sadly at the flatted frog’s remains that had been dried by the North Carolina sun. This gave me an opportunity to point her to a time when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” Rev 21:4 That simple lesson impressed her so much that she remembered it all of her life.
So it should be in the Christian’s walk. If we will allow Him to, our Heavenly Father will walk with us and teach us just as surely as I did with my children. He has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps. 32:8 What a wonderful blessing! To be taught by the One Who made all things, Who loves us so much that He died to save us, to walk with Him each day as He unfolds new and beautiful truths from His Word, this is His great desire. This is our great privilege!
Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us in our walk with Him is as real today as it was when He walked this earth so long ago. He said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:13 What blessing is ours to have the Great God of the Universe love us and change our hearts and lead us ever upward on the path to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Let us submit to the lessons He is so willing to teach us. Let us place our hand in the hand of the One Who loves us so much that He gave His All for us. Let our fondest memories be of our time spent with Him.
Rose

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Corintians 4:17.
I was pointed to the glory of heaven, to the treasure laid up for the faithful. Everything was lovely and glorious. The angels would sing a lovely song, then they would cease singing and take their crowns from their heads and cast them glittering at the feet of the lovely Jesus, and with melodious voices cry, “Glory, Alleluia!” I joined with them in their songs of praise and honor to the Lamb, and every time I opened my mouth to praise Him, I felt an unutterable sense of the glory that surrounded me. It was a far more, an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Said the angel, “The little remnant who love God and keep His commandments and are faithful to the end will enjoy this glory and ever be in the presence of Jesus and sing with the holy angels.”
Then my eyes were taken from the glory, and I was pointed to the remnant on the earth. The angel said to them, “… Get ready, get ready, get ready. Ye must have a greater preparation than ye now have, for the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Sacrifice all to God. Lay all upon His altar—self, property, and all, a living sacrifice. It will take all to enter glory. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where no thief can approach or rust corrupt. Ye must be partakers of Christ’s sufferings here if ye would be partakers with Him of His glory hereafter.”
Heaven will be cheap enough, if we obtain it through suffering. We must deny self all along the way, die to self daily, let Jesus alone appear, and keep His glory continually in view.
The work of salvation is not child’s play, to be taken hold of at will and let alone at pleasure. It is the steady purpose, the untiring effort, that will gain the victory at last. It is he who endureth to the end that shall be saved. It is they who patiently continue in well-doing that shall have eternal life and the immortal reward.
The Faith I Live By p. 359
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Prayer Requests
—-We just got news that Hal Meyer suffered a stroke last Sunday. He’s struggling with speech, his left side is compromised, he’s in hospital still. Please pray for him and his wife Betsy – as well as the ministries he runs (Keep the Faith and Abide). M
—-update—Brian is not out of the woods yet – fevers still coming and going… but maybe there is a tiny improvement. M
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Dear Friends,
When Eileen was seven, we were in a store looking at baby clothes, since it would not be long and Ronnie Jay would be born. The clerk , smiling, said to Eileen, “It looks like you will soon be a big sister! Isn’t that wonderful?”
Eileen said, “Yes! I prayed and prayed for a baby and finally Jesus said, ‘Oh, all right! You can have it.” Both the clerk and I had a hard time holding in our amusement.
On the way home, however, I explained to my little girl that God didn’t answer her prayer with exasperation because she had asked so much. He had answered her prayer because He saw that it was best for us to have a baby at that time. I explained that God answers our prayers even when they seem to go unanswered. He knows what is best for us. Jesus said, “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Matt 6:8
Our dear Saviour tells us the conditions for answered prayer, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9,10
This does not always mean that we will get just what we ask for. James explains, “Ye ask, and receive not,because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3 But if we abide in Him and ask according to His will, we will have our petitions. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14,15 What a wonderful Father we have! He listens to our prayers and weighs each request. Then He gives us an answer that is better than we could ask or think.
Let us have confidence that He hears and gives us our requests according to His great knowledge and understanding. Let us trust Him to take complete control of our lives. Let us put our hand in His and let Him lead us to His Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose

He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:48.
The wicked receive their recompense in the earth…. Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished “according to their deeds.” The sins of the righteous having been transferred to Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God’s people to commit. His punishment is to be far greater than that of those whom he has deceived. After all have perished who fell by his deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on.
In the cleansing flames the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch—Satan the root, his followers the branches. The justice of God is satisfied, and the saints and all the angelic host say with a loud voice, Amen. FLB 358.3
While the earth is wrapped in the fire of God’s vengeance, the righteous abide safely in the Holy City. Upon those that had part in the first resurrection, the second death has no power. (Revelation 20:6.) While God is to the wicked a consuming fire, He is to His people both a sun and a shield. (Psalm 84:11.)
And a shout of praise and triumph ascends from the whole loyal universe. “The voice of a great multitude,” “as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings,” is heard, saying, “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Revelation 19:6….
The fire that consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin….
All that was lost by sin has been restored…. God’s original purpose in the creation of the earth is fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” Psalm 37:29.
The Faith I Live By p. 358
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Prayer Requests
—-Please keep a very dear friend of mine in prayer. her husband is very sick they don’t know what is wrong he can’t keep anything down. they are wonderful Christians who love their Lord and serving Him thanx. also an elderly lady who is 89 she can’t keep anything down her stomachs hurts her and she won’t go to a DR. to find out what is wrong. M
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Dear Friends,
Until I was 10, I was raised by my grandparents, Edwin and Ida Harmon. My grandfather had his own special room where he could relax and keep his stuff. He had a big overstuffed chair that was very comfortable and in the evening he would relax in that chair and read his magazines, when I was outside playing. Those magazines were not fit for children’s eyes and he should have kept them well hidden. He didn’t. Often while he was at work and my grandmother was in the kitchen (where she spent most of her time), I would look at grandpa’s magazines. Many of them were about hunting and fishing, some were Adventure magazines that had cartoons that were not a bit funny. He also had books about World War II. I remember especially one book that had very graphic pictures of prisoners at Auschwitz as well as other casualties from the war. They fringhtened me and fascinated me at the same time. I spent time looking carefully at each picture. Just the thought of some of them makes me shudder.
There is a war going on in every part of this old planet—the war between the King of the Universe and his good angels and the devil and his evil ones. This battle is as real as any war that has ever been fought between nations. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted . . . . the remnant. . . which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev 12:7-17
This war is waged daily in our lives. Daily the evil one tries to ensnare us. Daily he is held back by the power of Jesus if we ask Him to help us to recognize his traps and resist them as Peter says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8 Paul tells us, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” Eph 6:10-18
May we stand firm on the side of Jesus. May we “pray without ceasing” for the help that we so much need. 1 Thess 5:17 May we keep our weak and trembling hand in His Strong and Might Hand as we walk the path of life.
Rose

Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. Psalm 9:5.
Now Satan prepares for a last mighty struggle for the supremacy…. As the wicked dead are raised, and he sees the vast multitudes upon his side, his hopes revive, and he determines not to yield the great controversy…. He represents himself to his deluded subjects as a redeemer, assuring them that his power has brought them forth from their graves…. At last the order to advance is given, and the countless host moves on…. The armies of Satan surround the city, and make ready for the onset.
Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst from every yawning chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn as an oven. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up. The earth’s surface seems one molten mass—a vast, seething lake of fire.
Satan and all who have joined him in rebellion will be cut off. Sin and sinners will perish, root and branch (Malachi 4:1)—Satan the root, and his followers the branches…. “They shall be as though they had not been.” Obadiah 16.
It will be seen that Satan’s rebellion against God has resulted in ruin to himself, and to all that chose to become his subjects. He has represented that great good would result from transgression; but it will be seen that “the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23…. An end will be made of sin, with all the woe and ruin that have resulted from it. Says the psalmist, “Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end.” Psalm 9:5, 6.
He [Satan] had hoped to break up the plan of salvation; but it was laid too deep…. He himself must finally die, and his kingdom be given to Jesus.
The Faith I Live By p. 357
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for us. It is urgent. Please also pray for God to give me wisdom and strength to know what to do about my situation because my life is not good. Only God knows what I have to go through. Connie
—-My great niece that is 14 years old and became very ill with Hodgins Lymphoma. She went thru the chemo works, was deemed in remission and 4 months later, BAM. it’s back. Please pray that she will be healed. M
—-Please pray for a little baby who has Sturge-Webbers syndrome and is having seizures. If they can’t get the seizures to stop they will have to do a hemispherectomy. She’s just a baby. Pray also for Amara who has infantile spasm seizures. Esther
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Dear Friends,
Uncle Lloyd and Auntie Bessie were not able to have any children; but when my mother and aunt would come to visit them when they were children, he kept them laughing and happy. My mother fondly remembered him and the good times she had there. Uncle Lloyd was a bit eccentric, however. He could not bring himself to part with anything that had come into his possession. In his basement he had rows of file cabinets full of every letter, every circular, every note that he had ever received. Each was neatly filed and labeled. He would spend hours every evening in his basement going through all of his belongings and rereading many of his favorite correspondences, then filing them neatly away again.
How often we are like Uncle Lloyd. Our whole life is wrapped up in the things that we possess. All of our energies, all of our focus is upon living comfortably, acquiring wealth. Yet, “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Luke 12:15 Our Dear Saviour “spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Luke 12:16-21; Mat 6:19-33
In the parable of the sower, our Loving Saviour explains the danger of having the wrong focus and becoming “choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring(ing) no fruit to perfection.” Luke 8:14 Unless we turn away from these things and keep our eyes upon our Great Redeemer, we will one day utter those awful words, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20
Let us never “trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, Who supplies all of our needs.” 1 Tim 6:17 “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:1,2
Rose

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10, 11.
In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven the final coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against His government, and executes justice upon those who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people…. As … the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed…. FLB 356.2
Above the throne is revealed the cross; and like a panoramic view appear the scenes of Adam’s temptation and fall, and the successive steps in the great plan of redemption….
The whole wicked world stand arraigned at the bar of God, on the charge of high treason against the government of heaven. They have none to plead their cause; they are without excuse; and the sentence of eternal death is pronounced against them. It is now evident to all that the wages of sin is not noble independence and eternal life, but slavery, ruin, and death…. Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. He who was once a covering cherub remembers whence he has fallen. A shining seraph, “son of the morning;” how changed, how degraded! …
Satan sees that his voluntary rebellion has unfitted him for heaven. He has trained his powers to war against God; the purity, peace, and harmony of heaven would be to him supreme torture. His accusations against the mercy and justice of God are now silenced. The reproach which he has endeavored to cast upon Jehovah rests wholly upon himself. And now Satan bows down, and confesses the justice of his sentence…. With all the facts of the great controversy in view, the whole universe, both loyal and rebellious, with one accord declare, “Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” Revelation 15:3.
The Faith I Live By p. 360
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for the victims of all of the tornadoes that happened recently.
—-A lady at church just called and asked for prayer for an 80 year old family member who has cancer . and they said he isn’t going to make it. she asked that the family will accept his soon passing and that they will be at peace with the Lord and let the patient go in peace. Also pray for Kristy she is working two jobs her first one she ha sto be at work at 4:am work a few hours then go to her second job then back to her earlier job she doesn’t get home until 10:00 or 11:00. thanks. M.
—-Please pray for my family and I. Two years ago we had a son who was born premature and is ventilator dependent, being medically needy he has a private duty nurse. We had good insurance, but my husband’s company has changed insurance companies and we will no longer have the benefit of a private nurse that is needed. My friends, family and I have been praying for God to show us what He has in store.. But nothing yet. The insurance changes on Sabbath June 1. I have called everyone I can think of with no help. State services says we over income to get their help. Our current nurse is awesome and meticulous in her tasks and treatment of him.. looking to the author and finisher of our faith to help, because right now I am helpless! Debby
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Dear Friends,
Every couple of weeks, we learn a new song for worship. Some of the songs are really old ones, but are new to the children. I thought I would share with you the song we are learning this week. The words of this song have been such a blessing to me over the years. I’ve sung it for special music and often played it for offertory.
They Brought Their Gifts to Jesus
by Eben E Rexford
They brought their gifts to Jesus,
And laid them at His feet,
And love for this dear Saviour,
Made every offering sweet;
Good deeds and words of kindness,
Help for the poor of earth,
And not a gift among them
Was thought of little worth.
Apart from other givers
A poor wayfarer stood;
He saw the gifts they offered,
The poorest counted good;
And he was filled with longing,
A gift, though poor, to bring;
Alas! all emptyhanded
He stood before the King.
“Dear Lord,” he cried in sorrow,
“I know how kind Thou art,
Take all I have to give Thee,
My sinful wayward heart.”
Then Jesus answered softly,
“Count not the gift as small,
Though all of them are precious,
Thine is the best of all.”
Wouldst bring a gift to Jesus,
That He will count most sweet?
Say, “Lord, my heart I give Thee,”
And lay it at His feet.
May we give our heart to our Dear Saviour for it is the gift that He most desires. May we bring others to His feet that they, too, may receive His blessing of eternal life. May we someday soon see Jesus coming in the clouds to take us to His Heavenly home is my prayer.
Rose