The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 25:10, “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came,

and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.”

Have you ever gone somewhere for something important and found that it was too late?

I have had that to happen. It is a sad, maybe even a disastrous experience, depending

upon the value of the venture.

As I was reading Matthew 25 today, I could not seem to get past the importance of the

words, “the door was shut.” Have you ever had someone shut the door on you? “To shut”

often means “to lock,” so as to prohibit entry. On the other hand, if you are on the inside

when the door is shut (or locked), it may mean that you are a prisoner of the situation

and cannot escape. That is even more serious. But that’s the purpose of doors: they

keep us out and they keep us in.

Interestingly, the word “shut” is used 80 times in the Bible. The word “open” is used 317

times. The word open is used almost four times more frequently than the word shut.

Notwithstanding the context in which these words appear in the Bible, would I be pushing

a point to say that the LORD is far more interested in our “coming in” than He is in our

being “shut out”? By my count, “come to me” occurs some 22 times in the New Testament

alone, while “depart from me” occurs only five times. That’s a little more than four percent.

Let me conclude by saying that the LORD is far more loving of us than anyone.else could be.

It is His desire that we be with Him on the inside rather than shut away from Him. Of course,

being with Him means being born-again, converted; but it also means living according to

His standards.

Oh I’d rather be on the inside looking out

Than to be on the outside looking in

When the rain began to fall,

Sinners on the Lord did call

But the door was shut and night was settin’ in.

Then old Noah lookin’ out

Gazed beyond the water spout.

And he said “I thank the Lord

That I took Him at His Word;
I’d rather be on the inside lookin’ out.”

Are you on the INSIDE? And if you are, are you living for the LORD?

Our prayers of love and hope cover you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 24:3-14, “And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

6 “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name.

10 “And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another.

11 “And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.

12 “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.

13 “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.

14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”

Matthew 24 is arguably the richest information we have concerning the Coming Again of our LORD Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was asked about His Coming, He cited the following things:

1.False Claims by some that they are the Messiah (v. 5) – There have been many throughout history.
2.Frightful Circumstances that will come on the Earth (vv. 6-8). This is taking place now.
3.Fearful Conditions that will come upon men (v. 9) – It is the worst in my memory.
4.Failure of support among fellow-men (v. 10) – Already love has turned to hatred in the lives of many.
5.False Proclamations by false prophets (v. 11) – Television is literally filled with false teachings and teachers!
6.Increase of lawlessness throughout the world (v. 12). – Multiple Criminals escape punishment every day.
7.Faithfulness of the few (v. 13). – Only a few can be acknowledged as true and faithful.

Finally, there is His promise that the Gospel will be proclaimed to the whole world (v. 14) before the final end.

The other day I received an email from Israel that noted a famous rabbi’s claim that he knew the name of the Messiah. To my amazement, the rabbi said the Messiah’s name was JESUS! I took the opportunity to write the Jew, who had sent me the piece. I applauded the rabbi’s pronouncement and included an attachment of Old Testament prophecies that were (and will be) fulfilled in Jesus. It would appear that there is a spiritual awakening on the horizon in Israel. The long-awaited Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ may be much closer than we think. We may not have much time left to share the Gospel with the lost. With all of the senseless noise and clamor in the world, our voices will have to be LOUD if people are to hear. How loudly can you shout?

Lovingly we pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Galatians 1:8-9, “But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”

“Don’t be so dogmatic!” Have you ever heard someone say that? Of course, you have. “Ease up. You don’t

know everything. How can you be so sure you’re right?” Paul emphasized his teaching in verse eight by repeating it in verse nine. He had no tolerance for anything that did not equate with the true Gospel. He further emphasized his meaning with the word “accursed.” It is the Greek word ??????? (anathema), which means “set aside for divine destruction.” Paul was not speaking rashly. He meant every word of what he had initially said. So, he said it again that we might know that he had not misspoken.

All that being true, I want you to notice the words before and again. “As we have said before, so I say again now…” Good Friday is fast approaching; and the Sunday after is Resurrection Sunday. (I don’t like the word

Easter because it’s origin is from pagan worship.) True, Christian pastors everywhere will be emphasizing the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They said it all last year at that time. Why do they need to say it again? It’s because 1) some have never heard it, and 2) we all need to hear it again and again.

Some years ago, I conducted some meetings in a church in Memphis, Tennessee. While I was there, my host pastor took me to Mid-America Seminary and introduced me to professor-friend of his –a man who knew more than 30 languages! How on Earth could anyone keep up with that many languages? He reviewed several of them every year. Once he had truly learned them (before), it was easier to review them (again). Never take for granted that you will remember something, unless you review it over and over again. Okay, so you’ve read that book of the Bible before; now, read it again! Memorize, review, and share its truth with someone else. Someone once said, “We never have anything so much as that which we give away.”

We hold you lovingly before the LORD in our daily prayers,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 11:17-25, “So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;

19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.

21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 ‘Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’

23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother shall rise again.’

24 Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’

25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.’”

There could hardly have been a better lesson for Martha and Mary. Lazarus, their brother had died,

and Jesus had come to comfort them. I remember so clearly my pastor coming when my grandfather

died. Just seeing him was a comfort. Yet, with Jesus there was to be more than mere comfort. He was

there to prepare Mary and Martha for His own coming death.

We sometimes neglect to view the whole picture. When we are troubled, we see only a part of what

is intended. Our focus is clouded by the immediate circumstances. But there is more. The late Charlie

Riggs was the crusade director for the Billy Graham Crusade in St. Louis in 1973. I remember him saying,

“If Sir Isaac Newton had said, ‘What happened?’ when an apple fell from the tree and hit him, someone

would have replied, ‘You silly fool. An apple fell from the tree and hit you.’ But, Newton said, ‘What is

happening?’ And that led him to discover the Law of Gravity.”

Apply that thought to the verses above. Lazarus’ death gave Jesus the opportunity to teach Martha

and Mary that death was not the final end of life. Jesus Himself is the “resurrection and the life.” He

was crucified and buried, but He arose from the dead! But, that’s not all. He assures us that all who

believe in Him will live eternally, even beyond physical death. To believe is to trust. And that is our

hope as Christians! No other religion offers that hope! So, when we witness to others, we are giving

them a hope that they can get nowhere else except in and through Jesus Christ.

We love you and we pray for you every, single day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Revelation 1:12-16, “And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

It was the characteristic of the Hebrews to always cite the most important things first. Thus, in the Revelation, it

is appropriate to mention Christ Jesus in chapter one. The term “son of man” comes from the Book of Daniel,

and was the term Jesus’ most often used of Himself. Here the “son of man” emphasizes His humanity and as the One risen from the dead. The robe “reaching to the feet” signified His rank, and His garments identified Him as being of the priesthood. White always speaks of purity, and even today eastern people view white hair as belonging to wise men.

His eyes view and discern everything. Nothing escapes Him. His feet enable His movement. He goes where He wishes. His voice is powerful and commanding, instructing His people with everything they need to know. The “right hand” is significant, too. So many times in Scripture the “right” speaks of honesty, strength, position of dignity and honor. Have you ever wondered why we extend the right hand when we greet someone? From His mouth, He instructs and commands all living beings. His shining face, smiling as it were, is our reassurance of

His pleasure with us, as we adhere to His will for our lives.

Truly, we serve a Mighty Master! It is His nature to be tender and loving; yet, He is powerful and strong to protect us, as well as to correct us when we veer from the path He has for us to follow. He is the One who is

soon to return for us. Keep clean! Keep vigilant! He is sure to come when we’re not expecting Him!

Love and prayers for your all every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”