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What is the way to paradise and eternal life?
Our world is broken. Our world is full of pain. We all want freedom and escape from the pain & suffering. We want escape from the brokenness. Surely there must be some sort of beautiful paradise where we…
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What is the way to paradise?
Yesterday we considered the question: How do we get to paradise?? We all long for paradise. We long for escape from the brokenness of the world we are living in. We long for escape from the chaos, the…
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Gateway to Heaven??
When we think of a gateway to Heaven, we instantly imagine a spectacularly grand gate … leading to a setting of indescribable beauty beyond. However, you will notice that the gate pictured in today’s background photo is not…
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Come and See
Yesterday we pondered how that when we come to Jesus, the Gateway to Heaven, we will not be instantly swept through a spectacularly grand gate into a paradise of indescribable beauty. No. When we come to Jesus, the…
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Jesus in Genesis
The very first book of the Bible, Genesis, opens with God creating the most wonderful paradise! Imagine for a moment the most fabulous vacation resort ever … can you see the immaculate, beautifully landscaped grounds … lush green…
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Jesus in Exodus
Our background photo for today features a farm gate … it is clear that hard work is done here! The book of Exodus opens with the people of Israel under the oppression of hard labor!! Their freedom has…
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Jesus in Leviticus
It is significant that the gate in today’s background photo is flanked on either side by large garbage cans. The people of Israel were miraculously delivered from oppression and slavery in Egypt. No longer were they marginalized, mistreated,…
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Jesus in Numbers
As we open the book of Numbers, it is time for the people of Israel to enter and settle in the special homeland God promised to give them. But when the people of Israel reach the special land…
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Jesus in Deuteronomy
Our background photo for today shows a gate leading from one pasture … to another pasture. But, as you can tell, it is a long way off. Barbed wire is prominent in the foreground of our background photo.…
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Jesus in Joshua
In our background photo for today a beautiful paradise awaits just beyond the gate. Brilliant sunshine beckons … just beyond the gate. Glimpses of the Pacific Ocean can be seen … deep blue waters stretching far away to…
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Jesus in Judges
In the book of Joshua we saw great success! Tremendous victory! God was with His people Israel in mighty power! God was faithful to bring His people into the fabulous land He had promised to give them! But…
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Jesus in Ruth
Our background photo for today features a lovely pink gate. However, if you look closely, you might notice that the photo seems slightly off-tilt. Things don’t seem to be quite level. This is because the road in front…
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Jesus in 1 Samuel
Our background photo for today was taken from a high place. So also, as we read through the first half of the book of 1 Samuel, we see that the nation of Israel is at a high point. …
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Jesus in 2 Samuel
The prominent design element in today’s gate is … a Branch. This is hugely significant! The book of 2 Samuel is a biographical account of the life of the greatest king of Israel … King David. David is…
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Jesus in 1 Kings
How do you follow the Greatest King of Israel?? … the Great King David! * A man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) * Greatest among warriors! (1 Samuel 18:7) * 40 years of experience…
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Jesus in 2 Kings
The gate in today’s background photo is flanked on either side by imposing heads of stern-looking statuary. No doubt prominent, influential heads-of-state back in their day. And so, just as the imposing head-statuary stretches away on either side…
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Jesus in 1 Chronicles
The gate in today’s background photo speaks to the fact that the people of Israel have been carried away into captivity in a far-away foreign land. 70 years is a long time to live as exiles in a…
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Jesus in 2 Chronicles
The books of 1 & 2 Chronicles are written to the first remnant of Jews returning back to their homeland after 70 years of captivity in the far-away land of Babylon. The very first group to return comes…
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Jesus in Ezra
Our background photo for today was taken in a botanical garden … one which is filled with a dazzling array of gorgeous plants showcasing vibrant blooms. But this gate?? Where are the dazzling plants with vibrant blooms?? This…
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Jesus in Nehemiah
As we look at today’s background photo, to be honest, it means nothing to us. A crumbling wall … there isn’t even a gate … the gate is completely gone. So what. Now think for a moment to…
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Jesus in Esther
The gate for today’s background photo is located along a paved walking path. Every day, a sea of humanity passes by this gate … normal, common, ordinary people … passing by on the walking path. So it was…
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Jesus in Job
Our background photo for today was taken in motion … and so the book of Job opens in a blur of motion! A blur of tragedy! … after tragedy! … after tragedy!! A blur of tears. You will…
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Jesus in Psalms
Music is powerful! Music can capture the emotions like nothing else! Music can pull us in through meter, tempo, rhythm. It can get our hands clapping! It can get us up on our feet and dancing! The joy! …
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Jesus in Proverbs
Today’s background photo was taken while whizzing down the road. A quick glance off to the side and in a blink, we see a gate flash by. The book of Proverbs is the gateway to wisdom. Wisdom calls…
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Jesus in Ecclesiastes
Our background photo shows a wearisome set of stairs. What you can’t see is that these stairs extend endlessly higher than can be seen in the photo. Up, up, and further up … they climb!! Exhausting! The gate…
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Jesus in Song of Songs
Our gate today leads into a beautiful garden! So we come to the book of Song of Songs. This book of the Bible is a very personal and private glimpse into the relationship between a husband and wife. …
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Jesus in Isaiah
Our background photo today looks through a gate … far down the road, into the future. So also, the book of Isaiah is a prophetic book, which looks through the gate of “here and now” … far down…
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Jesus in Jeremiah
As we look at our gate in today’s background photo we notice a couple of things. First off, we see that the ground right around the gate is marshy and muddy. Our gaze travels past the gate to…
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Jesus in Lamentations
Trauma. Jeremiah was caught in the STORM that came because of the sin of his nation. Jeremiah had been wholly faithful to God … yet he too suffered in the backwash of the consequences. “Look, an army is…
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Jesus in Ezekiel
Ezekiel lived during the same time and through the same circumstances as Jeremiah and Daniel. All three were great prophets of God! Yet all three had completely different ministries. Jeremiah prophesied to the people prior to their captivity.…
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Jesus in Daniel
The book of Daniel opens in a scene of military conquest, as Nebuchadnezzar invades Jerusalem and carries off to Babylon both treasures and captives. (see 2 Kings 42:1-4) Among the captives taken away was a young teenager ……
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Jesus in Hosea
As we look at our gate for today, the thought comes to mind that this location would be a beautiful venue for a wedding. In fact, this very gate has been seen strung with ribbons and wedding décor. …
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Jesus in Joel
Probably none of us have ever experienced a plague of locusts. Most of us have never even seen locusts. Laura Ingalls Wilder, in her writings about growing up in the American Midwest during the late 1800’s, gives us…
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Jesus in Amos
What a gate! Lavish opulence … can be found beyond the gate. The wealthiest of the wealthiest enjoy luxurious homes and properties with sweeping dramatic views of the valley and mountain range … beyond the gate. Private and…
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Jesus in Obadiah
Our background gate today leads upward, to the “heights” (so to speak), to lovely living accommodations. The gate could almost look like a copper gate (if we were to use our imagination). The ancient nation of Edom was…
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Jesus in Jonah
God loves all people! God wants all people of the earth to repent and turn to Him! * The prophet Isaiah delivered many messages from God to the surrounding nations warning them to repent! * The prophets Jeremiah…
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Jesus in Micah
Our background gate today is located in a courtroom. If you look closely at the banister in the foreground you will notice two distinct breaks in the banister where a gateway opens so that witnesses may pass through…
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Jesus in Nahum
The gate in our background photo today speaks a very clear, very direct message: If you keep proceeding down this road, it will cost! The Assyrian people, living in the capital city of Nineveh, had been traveling for…
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Jesus in Habakkuk
Have you ever found yourself trying to exit a parking lot, but when you reach the gate … it won’t go up. For some reason the gate won’t go up. So, there you sit … stuck … and…
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Jesus in Zephaniah
Our background photo today features a gate, whereupon passing through, one encounters rows upon rows of lounge chairs … all lined up for people to relax and enjoy life. Sunshine and palm trees. Gentle breezes and not a…
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Jesus in Haggai
Our background photo today shows a road which, at some point in the past, was almost completed. Only a little bit more was left. But the surrounding neighbors did not want the road to be completed. The surrounding…
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Jesus in Zechariah
The road beyond the gate is long … so long. “Home” waits at the end of the road – beautiful and peaceful. But the road is so long! It had already been a long wearisome journey just to…
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Jesus in Malachi
Over the past 43 days we have been pondering the question: What is the gateway to Heaven? How can I get to Paradise? This question has led us on a journey through each book of the Old Testament.…
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Waiting … for a way to Paradise
We all long for Paradise. God created us to live forever in a beautiful paradise, in perfect loving relationship with Him! This is what we were made for. But alas, we stand outside the gate … with no…
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Prepare the Way!
It’s time! Spring is here … the plants are beginning to come back to life. Now is the time. It’s time to prepare the way. Move the huge boulders from out of the way. Pull up the blackberry…
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Jesus in Matthew
It had been 400 years since God had spoken to the Jewish people through His prophets. 400 years of silence. So, in that time of silence, the Jewish people poured over the words God had already given them. …
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Jesus in Mark
When we open the pages of the New Testament, we notice right away that the times are Roman. The Roman empire is at its height! The long-awaited promised Savior has arrived! Jesus Christ! Jesus has broken down the…
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Jesus in Luke
Our background photo today shows the entrance gate to a hospital. This particular hospital is located in a third world country in southeast Asia. On any given morning, this very gate at this hospital is crowded with hundreds…
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Jesus in John
Our background photo for today was taken from a boat … and, as you can see, the gate is made from netting. The book of John was written by a fisherman, John, who before meeting Jesus spent his…
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Jesus in Acts
Our background gate today is the entrance to a Power Substation. Here great amounts of power are brought in from the generation facilities in the foothills of the Cascades. And from here the power is disseminated and sent…
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Jesus in Romans
Today’s gateway arch is reminiscent of a Roman-era Triumphal Arch. This particular gateway arch spans a major thoroughfare in a prominent capital city of Europe. And so we come to the book of Romans. We have seen already…
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Jesus in 1 Corinthians
Today we see a beautiful arched gateway … leading from one area of a lovely shopping center to another. What a wonderful place. Palm trees and sunshine! Warm gentle breezes! The city of Corinth was much like our…
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Jesus in 2 Corinthians
Our beautiful arched gateway today is leading us to a church worship center. We are still in the same region as yesterday … warm breezes and palm trees. But today’s gateway is overcast and cloudy. The book of…
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Jesus in Galatians
The region of Galatia was located in today’s central area of modern-day Turkey. The Apostle Paul had traveled throughout the region of Galatia preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ: Jesus has come from Heaven! Jesus has broken…
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Jesus in Ephesians
Our gateway today leads to the United States Mint. Abundant riches can be found beyond this gate. So also, when we open the book of Ephesians, we see that God’s abundant riches are freely available to us, through…
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Jesus in Philippians
Today’s gateway is the boarding gate at an airport. We are boarding the plane of Salvation, through the boarding gate of Jesus Christ. We’re headed for the Kingdom of Heaven! As we settle into our seat, we notice…
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Jesus in Colossians
What does it mean to be a Christian? What does the Christian life look like?? The people of the city of Colossae (in the area of southwest modern-day Turkey) had heard the Good News about Jesus Christ! They…
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Jesus in 1 Thessalonians
Our gateway today is the entrance to Glacier National Park. As is obvious, everyone cannot freely enter into the Park. A fee must be paid to enter. Imagine for a moment that someone graciously paid the fee for…
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Jesus in 2 Thessalonians
Our background photo today follows the same theme as yesterday. Once again, our gateway leads to a National Park. And as is obvious, everyone cannot freely enter into the Park. A fee must be paid to enter. Neither…
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Jesus in 1 Timothy
Throughout the Bible, the people of God are often referred to as “sheep.” – Isaiah 53:6 – “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” – Matthew 9:36 – “When…
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Jesus in 2 Timothy
Our gate today is a lonely gate … near the bottom of a steep hill. It is a chained gate. In the book of 2 Timothy, we see that the Apostle Paul is lonely. Everyone has deserted him.…
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Jesus in Titus
What does it mean to be a Christian?? What does it look like to live the Christian life?? The book of Titus offers the answer. The island of Crete is located in the Mediterranean Sea, below Greece and…
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Jesus in Philemon
Our gate today is a very warm welcoming gate. It looks like we are coming home. As humans we are well-aware that we make mistakes. We fail. We mess up. Yet God offers us grace and forgiveness. Because…
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Jesus in Hebrews
Our background gate today is weary. It is weathered and worn down. So also the book of Hebrews was written to people who were weary. They were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. They were worn out.…
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Jesus in James
Taking a quick glance at our background photo today, one would not even question whether or not this is a gate. However … upon taking a closer look, the question arises: Is this really a gate?? It doesn’t…
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Jesus in 1 Peter
Our gate today is not a fancy gate. It does not even have a hinge. Nevertheless, this gate is very effective at doing the work of a gate. – It swings open and shut. – It provides protection.…
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Jesus in 2 Peter
Our background gate today sits on a piece of property which once used to be vacant and barren. It was just a lonely empty field, on the corner of a busy street … with a dilapidated house and…
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Jesus in 1 John
Perhaps you might be wondering why there are so many books of the Bible with the title of “John.” Already we have looked at the book of John near the beginning of the New Testament. Now, here…
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Jesus in 2 John
The book of 1 John emphasized “walking in the Light” … therefore our background photo for 1 John emphasized a gateway which sat upon a dividing line between the shadows and the light. Pass through the gateway of…
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Jesus in 3 John
The book of 3 John is another short letter written by the Apostle John, with the emphasis of “walking in the Light.” The book of 3 John opens with commendation for “walking in the Light” … in…
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Jesus in Jude
What is the Bible about? The Bible is God revealing to humanity: – who God is – how the world came into existence – how humanity came into existence – what is wrong with the world – sin!…
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Jesus in Revelation
Our background gateway today is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. For the people who lived in the early 1800’s, St. Louis was the “Gateway to the West” … the gateway to faraway lands where there existed…
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Is this the gateway to Heaven??
Our background photo today features a lovely shiny gate with a keypad. Many people think that as long as they get the correct combination entered into the keypad, then the gateway to Heaven will open … right?? All…
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What is the gateway to Heaven??
Over the past 2 ½ months we have been pondering the question: What is the gateway to Heaven? How can I get to Paradise? This question has led us on a journey through each book of the Bible.…