Prayer That Opens the Path to Deliverance (June 1)

 The word for the day is “prayer.” Today, in our reading of Acts 12:1-11, we learn how God delivered the apostle Peter from the hands of King Herod.  In summary, Luke writes, “Peter was kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (Acts  12:5). Peter’s circumstances were bleak. A mob had stoned the pious deacon Steven to death.  King Herod had killed James, the brother of John, to death by the sword.  Now, when he saw that James’ martyrdom pleased the crowd, he arrested Peter and put him in prison. The King intended to put Peter before the same angry crowd as soon as the Passover was over.

    There are times in our lives when the way ahead seems as desperate as Peter’s. Trouble looms before us, and peril lies behind us. Our situation is like a jail from which there is no escape.  In this desperate situation, we may be bound by despair as if, like Peter, we were fastened in chains. There seems to be no way to escape from our circumstances. No matter how hard we try, we face one block after another, blockades like the guard posts and gate that ensured that Peter could not get away. In this state, we go through each day as if we were sleeping like Peter in prison, and In this condition, we may no longer be aware of our captivity to hopelessness. We are only numb, downcast, and depressed.

             

 But our reading assures us there is a way out of the bondage to despair. There is one source of hope for deliverance, escape, and freedom. The writer of Acts identifies that resource as he begins to tell the story of Peter’s release from prison. He says that Peter was kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.  No matter how bound we are to our circumstances, this is the way out.  Prayer, you see, opens the pathway to deliverance.

             

Have you been released from something that has troubled you, something that has kept you in bondage, something that has stolen thanksgiving, hope, and joy from you?  If so, you know what kind of prayer Luke was talking about.  That kind of prayer is “constant,” better translated as fervent. The term is derived from the Greek meaning “stretched out tight,”  “stretched to the limit, “and “stretched so there is no slack.” The prayer that delivers, thus, is the appeal to God that is so vibrant that it will not quit until it has an answer.  Even so. Jacob wrestled all night with a heavenly foe, and when daybreak came and his adversary asked for release, Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:60).

    Yet fervent prayer is “offered” to God.  The Greek term is difficult to translate but generally means “to become.”  Thus, ardent prayer comes into being” or “arises” from the hearts of those who utter it. Prayer is like the smoke of incense; it comes from the burning of the heart, and then, by the heat of its fervor, it rises heavenward until it reaches the throne of God.  

Prayer like this is directed to God, who alone can help, as the psalmist confessed to God, “You are my Lord; apart from you, I have no good thing” (Psalm 16:2).

    Finally, this kind of prayer is made by the church.  In this situation, the church was active, while others were inactive.  We can imagine that while Peter was sleeping, the guards were nodding off, and Herod was in bed.  But the church is alert, watchful, waiting for an answer from the Lord. In fact, they were so engrossed in their prayer that they ignored the maid who said that Peter was at the door (Acts: 12:15). Luke reports that the church was gathered together in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark.  But Peter tells the gathering to tell of the miracle to the “brethren” in Jerusalem under James the Just. 

              

    Thus, we see that the power of prayer is multiplied when members of the Body of     Christ come together in prayer. Yet, all the members of the Lord’s body are united in prayer, and knowing that others are praying worldwide adds to their zeal and ardor.

For Reflection

What are the circumstances that require fervent prayer offered to God? In the broader sense, we depend on God for everything we are and have. When in despair, we need prayer.  When in temptation, we need prayer. When in danger, we need prayer.  When under stress, we need prayer.  When discouraged, we need prayer.  When in trouble, we need prayer.  When we are sick, we need prayer.  When we suffer the loss of loved ones, we need prayer. But in ordinary circumstances, when the waters of life are calm, we also need prayer, and we need to pray for those who are storm-tossed on the sea of life.

Beware of Withstanding the Work of the Holy Spirit (May 31)

 Christ is risen! 

The Word of the day is “withstand.”  Some will cling to the old ways whenever something new arises, whether the new is good or bad. Thus, when something new appears, the wisdom of the Jewish sage Gamaliel applies: you must beware “lest you be found to fight against God” (OSB Acts 5:39). Today, in our reading of Acts 10:44-11:10, Peter had to stand before the apostles in Jerusalem and defend his action of baptizing the first Gentile and his household (OCB vs. 11-18). Peter explained that while preaching to the Gentile Cornelius and his family, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He had rested on the apostles on the day of Pentecost…” (OSB vs. 15). He ended his defense by introducing something new with the question, “Who am I to withstand the work of God?” (OSB 11:17). Consider Peter’s answer to those who questioned his actions Today. We note that we are warned against thwarting the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

We might think that the Holy Spirit had settled the matter of accepting Gentiles into the Church when He confirmed the faith of Cornelius and his household. On the contrary, when the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to baptize Gentiles, the Church took a bold step in its growth. However, that advancement was only with opposition, and it caused a new division.

First Dumbfounded, Then Opposed

The group of Jewish believers who accompanied Peter from Joppa were “astonished” because the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles so that they spoke in tongues as the disciples had done on the Day of Pentecost (OSB vs. 45). The translation of “astonished” (OSB vs. 45) or “amazed” (NASB) is much too weak to capture the sense of the reaction. The term in Greek means “to be thrown out of position” (Strong’s #1839, 92). We might say, “thrown for a loop.” That means they were dumbfounded or stupefied. Nothing like this had ever even crossed their minds.

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the bewilderment had turned to outright opposition. Luke reports that “those of the circumcision contended with him” and accused him of eating with Gentiles (OSB vs. 11:2). The responses of “those of the circumcision” in Caesarea (vs. 10:45) and Jerusalem (vs. 11:2) are the first references to the “circumcision party” (“Judaizers”) that would hound Paul throughout his missionary work among the Gentiles.

Peter’s Defense of His Acceptance of Gentiles

Note that Peter offered a vigorous defense of not only sharing a meal with Gentiles but preaching the “words by which you and all your household will be saved” (OSB vs. 14). And he recalled the Word of the Lord that “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (OSB 11:16). In fulfillment of this Word of the Lord, the Holy Spirit had descended upon the Gentiles as he spoke. Peter argued that this outpouring of the Spirit confirmed the Almighty’s approval of what he did, for he observed that this was the same gift of the Spirit that had been distributed to the original believers at Pentecost (OSB vs. 11:17). Peter then concluded his report of the Holy Spirit’s work among the Gentiles, “Who was I that I could withstand God (OSB vs. 11:17), that is “hinder” or “restrain” the Almighty (Strong’s 2967, 148).

Opposition Rises Again

Luke writes that Peter’s report silenced the circumcisers, and they praised God for granting the Gentiles “repentance to life” (OSF 18). Yet by Chapter 15, the historian of Acts narrates that “certain men came down from Judea” to Antioch, the center of the Gentile mission. They began to teach that to be saved, the Gentiles had to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses (OSB 15:1). Their interruption into the life of the Gentile church caused a huge argument. And like Peter did in Today’s reading, Paul and Barnabas had to travel to Jerusalem to meet with the elders to settle the matter. In later readings, we will study the outcome of this “Council.”

For Reflection

As Peter said, we must be careful lest we put roadblocks before the Holy Spirit’s work. How would we do this? One way would be to insist on requirements to be met after baptism before one is accepted as an equal part of the communion of believers. Another would be setting up unscriptural constraints on participation in the Holy Mysteries, the Church’s sacraments.

Ways of Withstanding  the Spirit

Language barriers may not be an issue in your circle of believers, but they represent an obstruction to reaching both newcomers to the faith and the next generation. To be sure, demanding money to forgive sins or perform other sacramental acts and peddling the Gospel for power and profit are hindrances.

Then too, we can resist the Holy Spirit by stirring up discord in the Body of Christ. We can quench the Holy Spirit by discouraging the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our fellowship or by judging others. We can hamper the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives by applying the Word of admonition to others and not ourselves.

In short, consider how many ways there are to obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. There are as many as the devil can devise. Let us, therefore, pray that the Spirit would break down any blockade that we or others may put in front of His gracious work. And let us resolve that we clear away any barriers to those who come to us seeking the truth and life of belonging to the Body of Christ.

The Word of the Day for Thursday, May 30

Why We Should Not Take the Remission of Sins for Granted

The word of the day is “remission.” One temptation of the faithful is hardly ever mentioned. That shortcoming is to take the forgiveness of God for granted. When we do so, our over-confidence assumes that if we surrender to sin, God will indeed excuse us.

But that presumption of God’s mercy forgets a critical article of the Creed. In our reading of Acts 10:34-43, we find this essential element of our faith. There, in his sermon to the Gentile Cornelius and his household, Peter witnessed to the Risen Christ and that He is the one “ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead” (OSB vs. 42). It is only after the apostle has referred to the Judgment of Christ that he concludes: “… through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive the remission of sins” (OSB vs. 43). By this Word, we understand that repentance must come before the forgiveness of sin. We must earnestly seek God’s mercy in sincere contrition so that we will not be condemned when Christ comes to judge the world.

The Last Judgment and the Remission of Sins

Our reading returns to the story of the reception of the first Gentile to be baptized into the fellowship of faith. We have learned that the Holy Spirit brought Peter the Apostle and Cornelius the Roman Centurion together. In today’s passage, Peter launches into an oration as if this meeting were some diplomatic mission. He affirms what he has learned in the vision on the housetop: “In every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him [God]” (OSB vs. 35). Then the Apostle preaches the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the “Lord of All” (OSB vs. 36-42).

But Peter does not stop at this point. He affirms that the Almighty appointed Christ as “Judge of the living and the dead.” Note that this judgment includes every human person. In the light of this judgment, Peter offers the way of redemption from condemnation. He says that whoever believes in Him [Christ] will receive “remission of sins” (OSB vs. 43).

The Remission of Sins: A Central Theme in Luke/Acts

The term “remission” in Greek refers to letting sin go unpunished. It signifies the pardoning of transgressions as if they never happened (Strong’s #859, 48). Accordingly, at the Judgment, God will not condemn those who believe in Christ but, for His sake, will release them from the penalty of their wrongdoing.

This message that God will absolve sin is a repeated theme in Luke’s early church history. In Acts Chapter 3,  Peter urges, “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (OSB Acts 3:19). His promise is that the transgression of those who repent will be wiped away or canceled (Strong’s #1813) as debt is forgiven.

Moreover, in Acts Chapter 2, Peter finishes his sermon on Pentecost with the appeal, “Repent and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (OSB Acts 2:38). Later in Acts, Paul says that God called him to open the eyes of Jews and Gentiles alike so that they would turn from Satan’s power and receive the remission of sins and an “inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith…]” [i] (OBS Acts 26:18).

The Remission of Sins to Be Preached to All Nations

We even find the theme of the “remission of sins” at the end of the Gospel of Luke. At his Ascension, the Risen Christ outlined His mission to the apostles. He declared, “Thus it was written that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and remission of sins be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (OSB Luke 24:46-47). Thus, the Lord teaches that the center of the Gospel that He sends the apostles to proclaim is the “remission of sins,” the same term that we have found in the preaching of Acts.

Our study concludes that the “remission of sins” lies at the heart of the Gospel. It is not a secondary belief to be mentioned once and left behind. But the pardon of trespasses is closely connected to the essential belief in Christ’s return to judge the living and the dead. By the pardon of sins, we are delivered from God’s condemnation at the Last Judgment. Thus, by the grace of forgiveness, we have the assurance of salvation.

For Reflection

How can we take the wiping away of our trespasses against God for granted when all the blessings of our redemption in Christ revolve around it? Instead of presuming on the pardon of the Holy God, let us heed the warning of St. Isaac the Syrian: “Our frail nature would not be strong enough if God’s justice were to rise up to take vengeance. Therefore, He always employs mercy since we are held by debt. But do not sin, O man, expecting you to repent; and do not succumb [to being overconfident] of forgiveness! Remember that death will not be delayed. Do not craftily seek means to draw nigh the pleasure of sin with a knavish mind! God is not mocked [Gal. 6:7). [If you think God will forgive you], affliction will overtake you suddenly, and when you cry out, He will not answer you” (Ascetical Homilies #64).

Therefore, if we are tempted to presume on the Lord’s pardon of our offenses against Him, let us call to mind that we must appear “before the dread Judgment seat” of Christ” (The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). And let us earnestly seek the remission of our sins that we might not be condemned but redeemed.

Notes

[i] The OSB translates as “receive forgiveness,” but the Greek term is remission, like the other verses mentioned. 

The Word of the Day For Wed. May 29 (Acts 14:6-18)

 Christ is risen!

Knowing God by Knowing His Goodness 

The word of the day is “witness.”  The farther away we are from God, the more we forget about His goodness and lovingkindness. Yet, the signs of His mercy are everywhere to be seen by believers and nonbelievers alike. Today in our reading of Acts 14:6-18, Paul preaches to pagans who think that he and Barnabas are gods come down to earth.

Paul proclaims that they should turn to the One Creator. He teaches that the “Living God” has “not left Himself without a witness in every place.”  Everywhere, “He did good, gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling [our] hearts with food and gladness” (OSB vs. 15). Today we learn how we become blind to these signs of grace. We consider how we should pray for the healing of our spiritual sight so that we might recover the gift of gratitude and know the depth of the mercy of God.

Today is the midpoint between Pascha and Pentecost. Our reading at this juncture interrupts the story of Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to Christianity.  Paul and Barnabas are on their first missionary journey. Hearing a plot against them in Iconium, they flee to the cities of Lystra and Debre in Lycaonia. They are now in pagan territory in the heart of Asia Minor.

Mistaken for Pagan Deities

In Lystra, they raise a disabled man to his feet, and the miracle leads the locals to believe that they are a visit from the gods Jupiter and Mercury. Paul and Barnabas could hardly restrain them from offering sacrifices to them. Paul takes the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to them.

Note that in Jewish circles, Paul could argue from the fulfillment of scripture. The pagans do not know of the scriptures. Thus, Paul sets back to the basics of the faith, the belief in God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. As he says in Romans and Acts, God can be known. In Romans 1:19, Paul claims God reveals His “eternal power and divine nature” in creation. Moreover, in Romans 2:14, the apostle argues that their conscience is God’s Law written in their hearts. Then too, Paul says that the “Lord of Heaven and Earth” is near everyone on earth, just as the philosophers have said, “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:24-27).

God Witnesses to Himself by His Goodness

But these arguments are for the learned. To the unsophisticated crowd in Lystra, Paul teaches that God has provided a “witness” to Himself in His goodness (Acts 14:17). He sends rain from heaven that produces a fruitful harvest. The harvest provides food. And food fills them with both nourishment and (Acts vs. 17).

Why, then, don’t the pagans read these signs and believe in the witness of the Creator’s existence, power, and goodness? The answer lies in the response of the crowd to the healing of the man who was crippled. They do not attribute the miracle to the living God but to the lifeless gods of paganism. Paul makes the point in Romans: “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God… and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals, and creeping things” (OSB Romans 1:22-23). In other words, false belief in idols blinded them to the truth. This spiritual confusion was so strong that Luke reports that the apostles could hardly prevent the mob from making sacrifices to them.

For Reflection

The signs of God’s grace surround us and lie within us. But we have our own idols that blind us to all the signs that give witness to the steadfast love of God. Yet the troubles of this world, the suffering of illness and grief, the attractions of this age, the temptations of greed, jealousy, and avarice, and the press of daily affairs conspire to hide the goodness of God from us. Further, in times of distress, we might even blame the Almighty and All-Merciful for our troubles.

The remedy for this spirit of ingratitude is the healing of our spiritual sight so that we see the indications of God’s mercy wherever we look. Thus, we should pray for the gift of gratitude, the ability to perceive and give thanks for the never-failing mercy of God in all things, and in all that happens,

Gratitude: A Way of Knowing God

In summary, gratitude is a way of knowing God as Thomas Merton says, “To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love; every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude, therefore, takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, and is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference” (Merton 2021).

Works Cited

Merton, Thomas. 2021. “To Be Grateful” AZQuotes.com. https://www.azquotes.com/quote/378255, 

 

Overcomng the Limits of Partiality : Then and Now

 The Word for Today (Tuesday, May 28)

Christ is risen.

The word of the day is “common.”  One thing is for sure, the Holy Spirit, who is “everywhere and fills all things,” hates limitations. If you doubt it, just test Him, for the Lord Jesus said, “…with God, all things are possible (OSB 19:26). But though led by the Holy Spirit, the early church had one significant limitation to overcome. The fellowship of faith was held captive within the boundaries of its origins in Judaism.

Today, in Acts 10:21-23, we read Luke’s report of how the Holy Spirit directed the early church to leap over that limit. In response to a vision, we hear Peter preach, “In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (OSB 10:34). Today, we apply that principle to the contemporary church. According to the will of God, who created all human persons in His image, the church cannot be partial but calls for all to be restored to that image.

A Test of the Limitations of Judaism

In Today’s assigned reading, we find that the Holy Spirit has arranged a test of the boundaries of the fellowship of faith. At this point, the early church consisted of Jews, whether “Hebrews” from Judea and Jerusalem or “Hellenists” from the diaspora of Jews throughout the Roman Empire. A defining feature of Judaism was that “It is unlawful for a Jewish man to keep company or go to one of another nation” (OSB Acts 10:28).

From the Jewish viewpoint, Gentiles are “common,” that is, “unclean.”  Consequently, associating with them would also make Jews who “join together” with them impure. Below this restriction lies the foundation of the Law of Moses. According to the Law on Mt. Sinai, a line divides God’s creation into two categories: "clean” and “unclean.”  These classifications determine the diet, sacrifices, rituals, contact with the dead or lepers, sexual relations, and association with non-Jews.

Crossing the Line with the Reception of Gentiles

But now, Peter has had a vision that he must not call “common” what God has “cleansed” (OSB Acts 10:15). In obedience to that message, Peter crosses that dividing line. Moreover, his explanation draws out the tremendous implications of the meaning of his violation of the Law of Moses. The apostle preaches that if “God shows no partiality,” then His dying and rising must apply to all or none. And that means that “whoever believes in Him will receive the remission of sins” (OSB vs. 34-43).

Finally, the intent of the Holy Spirit, whose freeing work began with two visions, has become apparent. By falling on those who heard and believed Peter’s proclamation, the Holy Spirit confirmed Peter’s new insight. The barrier that prevented Gentiles from joining the circle of believers was broken down.

 For Reflection

The implications of the principle of impartiality remain in effect to this day. St. Paul put it clearly, “If One [the Lord Jesus] died for all, then all died, and He died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for Him who died for them and rose again” (OSF 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). The death and resurrection of Christ “for the life of the world” means that the Son of God did not take on the “Jewish nature.”  The Lord did not take on the “American nature,” an ethnic nature, or any other distinctive nature. He took on human nature.

A Calling for All

The conclusion of these thoughts is that Orthodox teaching applies to all people no matter their background (1 Peter 2:7). From the beginning onward, the scriptures teach that all human persons are made in the image of God (OSB Genesis 1:27). It follows that, since we are made in the image of God, we are called to realize our likeness to God. That vocation is “not our own special thing,” while others have “their thing.”  The divine calling to what Orthodox call “deification” is the divine mandate for all persons everywhere. As in all others, the God of grace shows “no partiality.”

The Word of the Day: When a Turning Point in Life Is Coming

 Christ is Risen!

 When a Turning Point in Life Is on the Horizon (Mon. May 27, 2024)

The word of the day is “vision.”  The turning points of our lives have various causes. They may be life events such as births, graduations, weddings, divorces, or deaths. They may be disruptions to our situation, such as changes of work or moves to new locations. They may be new interests or new senses of direction. In today’s reading of Acts 10:1-16, we learn of another turning point in the growth of the church. As often happens in scripture, visions set the change of course in motion. Cornelius, the Gentile and Roman Centurion, “saw clearly in a vision an angel of God” (NKJV vs. 3). Likewise, the apostle Peter “fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth” (NKJV vs. 10-11). Today we learn that God’s will of a change in the course of our lives often requires faith and obedience. We may have that sense that something new is on the horizon. But the Holy Spirit who directs our lives does not reveal the intention or destination of that change.

Not Knowing What the Holy Spirit Has in Mind

If we were reading this story for the first time, we would not know what the Lord had in mind for either Cornelius or Peter. Cornelius only knows that God is responding to his prayers and almsgiving at this point in the narrative. Therefore, the centurion is to send for a man named Simon, who is called Peter. The only information that the angel gives is that Peter is staying with a tanner by the seaside in the port city of Joppa.

Likewise, at the moment, Peter’s vision only instructs him not to call unclean what God “cleansed,” that is, what is essentially or ceremonially “unclean” (Strong’s #2511, 124). Yet Peter does not know what to do with this instruction. Luke, the historian, says that he wondered inwardly what this vision meant (OSB vs. 17).

Later manuscripts add insertions attempting to fill in the gaps of this lack of knowledge of God’s intention. In verse six, they add that Peter “will tell you what to do” (OSB vs. 6). In verse twenty-one, they report that Peter acknowledged that the men that found him had been sent from Cornelius” (OSB vs. 21). And in verse thirteen, Peter says that an angel told Cornelius that the apostle would explain how the centurion and his household “will be saved” (OSB 11:13).

However, we should trust the early manuscripts and suppose that these statements are interjections of the copyists of the early manuscripts. They are unnecessary to the narrative and rob the story of its drama. Moreover, they omit the need of both characters for faith and obedience.

Preparations for a Change in Direction

No, when we read these opening visions, we only know that God is preparing the actors in the story for some change of direction. We would say that something of divine importance was “in the offing.”

This is an apt phrase for the way that the Holy Spirit often directs the course of our lives according to his will. The term “in the offing” refers to what is seen on the horizon when you are on a ship. The “offing” is the panorama of what is in sight but is so distant that one cannot make out the details.

It is in this sense that Cornelius and Peter do not know what God has in store for them at this critical moment. Something is “in the offing” that requires faith and obedience:  faith that God is in charge and has what is good and beneficial to them in mind; and obedience to God’s instructions as His will unfolds.

For Reflection

From these observations, we get an insight into the way the Holy Spirit often directs our lives. The Spirit rarely sends an e-mail full of instructions about what we should do. It is rare to receive a vision of His plan. Rather, the initial sign of an upcoming change in the course of our lives comes with circumstances, discontent about one’s situation, a chance word from a friend or family member, or just an inner conviction that the Lord wants something else from us. We rarely know what the will of the Lord is at once. But the sense of a new direction starts with an unsettled feeling in our hearts that something is in the “offing.”  As time goes on, what is on the distant horizon becomes clearer to us. We begin to grasp the will of God as we pray, ponder, and test different possibilities, and remain open to surprises.

Waiting for God to Reveal His Will: Faith and Obedience

In these unsettled times, faith and obedience are especially important. The eternal God is not often in a hurry. He typically works slowly but steadily to show us His gracious will so that we might fulfill it. But once we discern that something new has appeared on the horizon, we should prepare ourselves for Him to disclose His good purpose for the next phase of our lives.

Yet, in all the circumstances and stages of our lives, we should remain steadfast in our hope in Christ. Ultimately, we know what is “in the offing” for all believers. We do not know the details of our life beyond death. But on the horizon is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory and our final resurrection to life eternal.