To kick off a new season of MOMS, our Minister for Women, Pam Larson unpacks this year's theme verse:

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

—Lamentations 3:21–24

Three Keys for Reading Judges:

1—Remember, you have a King!

2—Remember, Judges depicts Israel’s downward spiral into moral collapse.

3—Remember, there is always reason to hope:

• Unity between the Tribes
• God-appointed Judge ruling in Israel
• Israel cries out to the Lord
• Israel gives God glory for their salvation
• Israel seeks God’s guidance before acting
• God pities his people
• The undercurrent of kingship

Dr. David Howard helps us get an overarching sense of the book of Judges as we head into our study this Fall. He begins with the theme of the book—the downward spiral of Israel’s national and spiritual life into chaos and apostasy, showing the need for a godly king to lead it—and helps us to see how it was written in order to show the consequences of religious apostasy and to point the way to a king, who, if he were righteous, would lead the people to God.

Dr. Howard teaches Old Testament and Hebrew courses in the M.Div. and M.A. programs at Bethlehem College and Seminary. Previously, he taught for 28 years at Bethel Seminary, where he is now Professor of Old Testament Emeritus.

This week we considered what our life will be like in eternity. Although we may have some funny misperceptions (floating on a cloud with a harp?), the reality that we observed in our text is full of rich delight and soul-stirring joy.

We noted these five elements in Revelation 21:9–27:

• Wedding (verses 9-10): The wedding supper of the Lamb inaugurates a relationship of communion and love with Christ that will grow and grow in endless joy and satisfaction.
• Wonder (verses 11-21): The holy city is going to have the glory of God, and we are going to be fit to dwell there with him in everlasting wonder.
• Worship (verses 22-23): No longer constrained by indwelling sin and the weakness of our flesh, we will finally be free to delight in worship as we were always meant to.
• Walking (verses 23b-26): We will experience every function of our lives shining with the love and beauty of Christ.
• Welcome Home (verse 27): All those who are present will really belong. Each one will be a living trophy of grace, purchased by the Lamb on the throne.

To sum up: Life with Christ in the new heavens and new earth will satisfy every true desire and fulfill every promise of God.

The marriage supper of the lamb is a biblical picture of the joy-filled fellowship which awaits God’s people. In Revelation 19:6–9, we get a vision of a rejoicing heavenly multitude and the four reasons they overflow with praise to God on that occasion.

1. The Almighty God reigns! He has conquered every enemy. (1 Corinthians 15:54–57)

2. The marriage of the lamb, a glorious groom, is finally here! He loved us so much he paid for our sins. (John 1:29)

3. Christ’s Bride is ready! She has been given a beautiful garment of righteous deeds. (Ephesians 5:25–27)

4. The celebrants enter into an eternity of satisfaction and joy. (Psalm 16:11) The certainty of this feast is a great comfort! I have prayed that it will make us more excited about our union with Christ and encourage us toward greater faithfulness while we wait for Jesus to collect his Bride.

Pure Delight!

In heaven, our capacity to behold and receive God’s glory will be different. When we experience God’s glory, our own will pale in comparison. Self will seem microscopic and insignificant in light of God’s glory, not because people do not matter, but because we will see the God whose image we bear. Worship will be unfiltered as faith becomes sight, and our capacity to take in God’s glory will be unhindered by sin because it will be utterly eliminated in light of the presence of our perfect God and Father and the God-man, Jesus. Our experience of the Spirit will be unquenched, and we will live with one another in perfect harmony.

In John 14:1–3 Jesus speaks of leaving his disciples to prepare the way for them, and they are troubled. He responds by calling them to believe in him and to believe in God.

As he calls them to believe, he is also calling them to relationship with himself. He calls them to replace their troubled hearts with hearts of faith. He promises he is going to prepare a place for them. He will take them to dwell with himself!

1. Heaven is about God, his sovereignty over all things, and his being our God and we living as his people. In other words, we will be present with God!
2. In Revelation, God through John shows that the promises he made in Genesis, and throughout all of scripture, are coming true for his people! Most spectacularly, all the hurts that we have committed or have been committed against us will be redeemed, as well as all brokenness of every kind. These words are trustworthy and true.
3. Remembering who Jesus is and what he did for us empowers us, by his Spirit, to persevere on this earth. Participating in his suffering with faithfulness brings us into sweet fellowship with him, and he will walk us all the way home.
4. Isaiah 62:11–12 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.