A Year of Grace

25--Good-Bye 2016

Today is the last day of 2016, and it was my goal to cover the whole gospel story by the end of the year. We made it from Genesis to Revelation! The promises made by God in Genesis 3:15 after the fall have all been fulfilled in Christ who was "revealed" in Revelation as the now ruling human king who reigns over heaven and earth. The Old Covenant was completely abolished in 70 A.D. when the temple was destroyed and sacrifices were no longer possible. The New Covenant is here and we are in the "last days" that all the prophets spoke of. 

Only one prophecy remains to be fulfilled: the Second Coming of Christ when he comes the final time to restore Eden. There will be no signs preceding this coming; rather he will come like a thief in the night, when everybody least expects it. People will be saying, "Peace and security" and partying, getting married and living life in normal ways when the end finally comes. It could be today or it could be thousands of years from now, but God will wait until the last of His elect enters the Kingdom. When the last of His elect escapes death, then death will be completely conquered and nothing will stop His return for His bride. 

There will be a final judgment for the wicked, but the Bride of Christ will be fully arrayed in the most beautiful attire and the Wedding Feast will commence after which there will be a honeymoon that lasts forever! 

My goal for the next year is to write about how we should live in the meantime. The letters of Peter, James, John, and Paul will be the basis for what we can expect and how we should respond to all the trials and tribulations that will come our way in 2017 and beyond. 

The year 2016 has brought great suffering into our lives, but God has always been so faithful. He has surrounded us with many blessings and so we end the year with grateful hearts for all the grace he has given so freely. Here we are in the Rocky Mountains to end the old year:

Tami and Diane

Diane and Vern

Sprague Lake

Sprague Lake