On the Threshold

 

 

Standing on the threshold

Of a brand-new year,

Lord, we offer up to you, thanks

In this prayer.

 

It is because of you

That we are not consumed,

Daily we receive of your mercies

And daily we bloom.

 

Many have passed on

During this current year

And we thank you for their mark

Though no longer here.

 

Their legacy remains

Upon which we can draw

But their passing reminds us all

We are but straw.

 

Unstable in the wind

But for your mighty hand

And your constant revelation

Regarding your plan.

 

 

 

The bigger picture

Regarding all the called

And all those that trust in you

As their God.

 

Thank you, Lord

For such assurances

And for imputing to your children

Christ’s righteousness.

 

For ‘tis in you we live,

Move and have our being

And without the Spirit’s guidance

None would be seeing.

 

 

 

Thank you for your care

In this closing year,

And for reminding us in our peril

We need not fear. 

  

 Just as in this year

So, in the one to come,

Teach us Lord to number our days

And not before you run.

 

Thanks for marking

The way we should go

And for the light of your Word

That makes it glow.

 

And as we close out

This remarkable year,

We thank you again dear Father

For your Divine care.

 

Stewart Russell © December 31, 2025

 

 

Joseph’s Dilemma

 

 

Betrothed to a maiden

Who had known no man

With the intention to marry her

My foremost plan.

 

Only to discover

That she was pregnant

Was nothing short of a shock

And disappointment.

 

I had not touched her

For our laws were strict

So, I proposed to put her away

In private.

 

That she was unfaithful

Was very clear to see

So, I deemed it best to leave her

Privately.

 

At first, I rejected

Her farfetched story

But Mary was not that type,

Believe you me.

 

 

 

The dream clinched it

Re the angel’s words,

It was the sweetest revelation

I’d ever heard.

 

Fear not to take

Mary for your wife!

This was of the Holy Ghost-

Not of strife.

 

Not the exact words

But the essence

And I was calmly reassured

Of God’s presence.

 

Then came the census:

Bethlehem, our town

And when we arrived there,

Crowds were around.

 

 

 

Mary was ready

But there was no room

Thus, we settled for a stable

With animals off-tune.

 

Cattle were lowing

And sheep were bleating

But none disturbed baby Jesus

A-sleeping.

 

I hear the innkeeper

His words rang true,

The Lord be with you, said he,

But little he knew.

 

At first, a dilemma

But it all worked out,

That Emmanuel was with us

I have no doubt.

 

Stewart Russell © December 21, 2025

 

Objective Is Subjective

 

 

 

Objective is subjective

Synonyms they’ve become,

Ah, but it was not always like this

But today, that’s how it runs.

 

Let me make this point

Now I have got the chance

And I promise I will be objective

Re the point to be advanced.

 

When did these two

Become synonyms, you ask,

But to pinpoint a particular time

Is a difficult task.

 

I use to think and still do

That they were really opposites

But given the way we argue now

Synonymous is the edict.

 

“You are being subjective,”

One says to the other,

Whereupon the other replies,

“You are being a bother.

 

 

 

Both argue objectivity

But within a specific context

Thus, as one analyses their content,

They argue from a pretext.

 

Three plus four is seven

It matters not the base,

Is a clear case of ignoring context

For in base 5 it’s not the case.

 

The lines are now blurred

Re objective and subjective

And arguing based on such a flaw

Has become addictive.

 

“Context is what matters!”

We are great at saying this

But our practice is so at odds,

It’s this tenet we miss.

 

 

Steeped in our traditions

As passed on for years,

We will disregard a biblical text

And what it actually says.

 

Objectively we will pretend

When subjectively we are

And true objectivity will elude us

And the two will be on par.

 

So, what is objectivity?

Let the dictionary speak:

It’s based on observable phenomena

And to this we must treat.

 

Ignore personal bias

And open up your mind

To the actual therein expressed

And accept the new find.

 

Twelve verses in Revelation

Speak to a specific time,

However, we misconstrue all of these,

And void an objective mind.

 

 

 

Subjective we are

But objective pretend

And those twelve verses though clear

We not so cleverly bend.

 

Explicit is ignored

And so too, the implicit,

And sticking to denominational ideals

Become our remit.

 

Objective is subjective

Within denominational confines

And pretext trumps context

And abuses our mind.

 

Read the Bible

With an objective mind

And therein pearls of great price

You will find.

 

Stewart Russell © October 25, 2024 

 

God Has Spoken

 

 

No new revelation

It’s all in the Word,

Be cautious, I warn you,

Don’t be absurd.

 

No new thing

God has done it all,

And He inspired Moses, Isaiah,

John and Paul.

 

There are more

That He did inspire,

I entreat you in His Word

To enquire.

 

 

By His prophets

God has spoken,

And through all the apostles

By Jesus chosen.

 

 

Be aware, I warn you,

Don’t be absurd,

All God wants us to know

Is in His Word.

 

By prophets/apostles

Did He speak

But by His Son, in these times,

Does he speak.

 

We have the Word

Both living and written

As well as the Holy Spirit-

God has spoken.

 

God has spoken:

Hence, our only revelation,

And God has also spoken

Via His inspiration.

 

Holy men wrote

Whom God made holy

And they wrote as God dictated

By inspiration only.

 

 

Not by brilliance

Or by their own choice

But by God-inspired direction

As they heard His voice.

 

God’s only revelation

By God’s inspiration

And thirdly we have come to

Holy Spirit’s illumination.

 

The Spirit of Truth

Has already come

And we need to trust him

And no other one.

 

For there’s one God

And one Christ who came

As well as the one Holy Spirit

Who speaks in Jesus’ name.

 

 

‘Tis he that enlightens

And illuminates

The pages of Holy Scripture

Of which we partake.

 

The bread of life

Which is Jesus, the Word,

By whom we have salvation.

Haven’t you heard?

 

Stewart Russell © December 15, 2024

 

Besotted

 

 

Be not drunk with wine

Wherein is excess

But be drunk in the spirit,

Do note the common ‘s’.

 

There are many spirits

And we are advised to test them,

To ignore such counsel

Is to invite a problem.

 

But what is our compass

For testing these spirits?

Getting into the Word of God

Must become our habit.

 

And this, especially so,

Given the current trend

In which lots of silly practices,

Some stoutly defend.

 

Besotted by charisma

And charismatic leaders

Many pursue the highly emotive,

Flirting with danger.

 

Besotted with the unreal

With the real suppressed,

Having an extra-biblical revelation

Failing the biblical test.

 

Besotted by another spirit

Unlike the Spirit of God

And engaging in behaviours

Akin to a brawl.

 

 

 

Caught up in a stupor

Like they are really drunk,

Often in uncontrollable laughter

Sometimes out for the count.

 

 

Dramatics and theatrics

Lured by the devil’s tricks,

Besotted by spiritual epilepsy

Also known as fits.

 

Besotted and empowered

And feeling especially bold,

Yes, but drunk in some other spirit

And surely not in control.

 

Going after an experience

And ending up being “stoned”

Just like on drugs and narcotics;

But in another zone.

 

Keep it simple, I’d advise,

Besotted is being absurd,

Knowledge trumps experience!

Let us live by God’s Word.

 

Stewart Russell © May 27, 2024

 

Two Eschatological Views

 

 

The historicist and Idealist

The preterist and futurist,

Four eschatological positions

Comprise our last days list.

 

Feverish arguments

Concerning which one is right,

Each of the proponents

Claiming to have the light.

 

Like Armenians and Calvinists

Splitting Christendom in half

And people knowing no better

Sometimes having a laugh.

 

Mud-ites and non-Mud-ites

Arguing incessantly:

Concerning the healing of the blind

They disagree vehemently.

 

Four eschatological positions

Agreeing to disagree

And not necessarily agreeably

Or citing commonalities.

 

They have more in common

Than all that divide

But their focus on differences

Causes them to collide.

 

Two are particularly prominent

And two relatively mute,

I will focus attention on the two

At the centre of the dispute.

 

 

 

Preterist and Futurist:

These are the dominant two

The former adopts a past position

The latter: a future view.

 

Preterist indicates the past

Futurist is self-defining,

In terms of last days prophecies

Which, if either, is binding?

 

“Opinions” is not the truth

Though at times they converge

So, when arriving at a conclusion,

Hold to the Bible, I urge.

 

Neither position is salvific

Nor is a barrier to salvation

But both cannot be equally right

Is my humble submission.

 

Concerning last day prophecies

Most are already fulfilled,

The Futurist believe otherwise

They remain to be fulfilled still.

 

Concerning the Revelation

This book is about our future,

Preterist look at the 1^st century

And advance a different picture.

 

 

Preterist focus on stated time clues

And the audience relevance

While Futurist make light of these

And argue for a far distance.

 

Futurist prophetic stance

Is based on a modern-day Israel

Who from Old Testament times

Was God’s chosen people.

 

God broke off with the Jews

That Gentiles could be ushered in

And some spectacular event will occur

To bring most of the Jews to Him.

 

First: the rapture of the Church

Then a time of great trouble

For all those that are left-behind:

In particular the nation of Israel.

 

In this seven-year tribulation

The Jewish nation will turn to God

And in a single day

All Israel will answer God’s call.

  

Next will be the millennium

During which Christ will reign:

This will be an exact thousand years

Is what the Futurist claim.

 

The final judgment will follow

And the consummation of all things

And Jesus will hand over to God:

The Father and eternal King.

 

 

Conversely Preterist believe

In an inexact thousand years:

Of a period beginning at Pentecost

Till the second advent appears.

 

The time of the final judgment

When Satan is cast in the lake of fire

With all that rejected Jesus Christ

And were in Satan’s hire.

 

Futurist interpret prophecy

Via current events

The matter of signs and wonders

Is their intent.

 

Thus, they’ve erred many times

As to when the world will end,

Regarding world event after event

They often see a trend.

 

They use modern day tabloids

To make sense of the Word

As it especially relates to Israel

As we have already heard.

 

Conversely, for the Preterist

Revelation is an almost done deal

A record of 1^st century events

As they back then unreeled.

 

John’s generation back then

Not a 21^st century generation

Thus, the proof of Biblical prophecy

And the book of Revelation.

 

Some Preterist believe

No prophecy is left to be fulfilled

But their eschatological explanation 

Leaves me baffled still.

 

 

For Futurist Israel is the key

And it always has been,

God made a promise to Abraham

That all Israel will be redeemed.

 

The question, however arises:

Which Israel does the Bible mean?

“Since not all Israel is Israel”

This from Romans we glean.

 

Preterist believe Jesus is the key

As shown in Matthew 24

And all he said to his audience then

In Revelation he develops more.

 

It was urgent for them:

They would see Revelation unfold,

They were not left in the dark

By John they were told.

 

Let Scripture interpret Scripture

As you finally decide

But understand that on neither view

Does our salvation ride.

 

Salvation solely rests

On our acceptance of Christ

And the only offering that suffices

Is Christ’s expiatory sacrifice.

 

That’s soteriology not eschatology

Accept Christ today!

What think ye of Christ?

He is the only.

 

Stewart Russell © June 5, 2021

 

The Book of Revelation

 

 

 If Revelation is a revelation

Why is it so difficult to understand?

And why is it so puzzling?

I am sure that was not the plan.

 

Surely it’s full of symbolism

And very strange looking creatures,

Their mixture of human and animal

Makes for a weird picture.

 

It speaks of all kinds of events

The timing of which we are uncertain,

Still many associate these events

With the final curtain.

 

But do all of these events

Relate to the end of time?

I am inclined to think not so

And it’s more that what I opined.

 

 

If we could get the timing right

Perhaps, we would have a clue

Concerning when the events unfolded

To give us a better view.

 

In addition to the fore-mentioned

The context would be critical,

And thirdly, but not finally,

Distinguishing the symbolic from the literal.

 

Some things we have seen as literal

Surely cannot be so,

So the meaning of the symbology

Would be something we ought to know.

  

The Bible must be taken as a whole

And is best at explaining itself,

Take the Word away from the Word

And there is absolutely nothing left.

 

So what Jesus said is critical

As it relates to the book of Revelation,

If we can uncover that important link

There would be less misapprehension.

 

We focus on the judgments

Without quite understanding them

And miss the benefits we already have

And therein lies one problem.

 

Revelation is about a journey

It is not simply about the last day,

In fact it is more about Jesus Christ

And the new covenantal way.

 

 

It is the person and work of Jesus

And the Church, his chased bride,

The spiritual and physical resurrections

Of those for whom he died.

 

When viewed in New Testament light

The imagery becomes quite clear,

And much of the current speculation

Simply disappears.

 

The prophetic utterances of the day

Conflict with those in the Word,

And the time setting for Jesus’ return

Is becoming more and more absurd.

 

Let us take our eyes off Israel

And focus on the Gospel of salvation,

Bearing in mind the great commission

Of reaching every nation.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019