The Christian Alphabet Poem

This past week the professor of my Old Testament survey class mentioned that when he was in public grammar school back in the 1970’s, he was taught the alphabet by learning a Biblically-based poem. While I could not find the exact poem he mentioned, I did find two Christian-based alphabet poems that I wanted to share because I thought, in addition to being extremely creative, they also perfectly captured the basic tenets of the Christian faith.

I was also thinking as my professor recited a portion of the poem he learned in school, how far away from God we have moved as a nation over the past few decades. I can still remember standing every morning and reciting the Our Father and the Pledge of Allegiance. Today, a child cannot even mention of the name of God within our public school system without ridicule and possible punishment. It seems as though everything the forefathers of this nation stood for and based the constitution of this country on has moved further and further into the rear view mirror of the minds of our leaders, teachers and politicians. It is very sad indeed.

I hope these poems bless your heart as they did mine.

General Christian Alphabet Poem

A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of "Camp Complaining"
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o "thank" is a command
U ntil we meet Jesus
V ictorious in the sky
W e'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there will be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

A Christmas Alphabet Poem

A is for Angels, appearing so bright, telling of Jesus that first Christmas night.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host." Luke 2:13.

B is for Bethlehem, crowded and old, birthplace of Jesus by prophet foretold.
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel." Micah 5:2.

C is for Cattle, their manger His bed, there in the trough where He laid His head.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger." Luke 2:7.

D is for David and his ancient throne promised forever to Jesus alone.
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." Luke 1:32.

E is for East, where shone the bright star which Magi on camels followed afar.
"Behold, there came wise men from the east asking 'Where is the king of the Jews?'" Matthew 2:1,2.

F is for Frankincense, with myrrh and gold, brought by the Wise Men as Matthew has told.
"And when they had opened their treasurers, they presented unto him gifts gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:11.

G is for God, who from heaven above sent down to mankind the Son of His love.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

H is for Herod, whose murderous scheme was told to Joseph in a nocturnal dream.
"The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt... for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." Matthew 2:13.

I is for Immanuel, "God with us," for Christ brought man back to the Father's house.
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14.

J is for Joseph so noble and just, obeying God's word with absolute trust.
"Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife." Matthew 1:24.

K is for King. A true king He would be, coming in power and authority.
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, the King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation." Zechariah 9:9.

L is for Love that He brought down to earth God enfleshed in lowly birth.
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." 1 John 4:9.

M is for Mary, His mother so brave, counting God faithful and mighty to save.
"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." Luke 1:38.

N is for Night, when the Savior was born for nations of earth and people forlorn.
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." Luke 2:8.

O is for Omega, meaning "the last;" He's eternal present, future and past.
"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Revelation 22:13.

P is for Prophets, when living on earth foretold His redemption and blessed birth.
"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel." Numbers 24:17.

Q is for Quickly, as shepherds who heard hastened to act on that heavenly word.
"And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." Luke 2:16.

R is for Rejoice. The sorrow of sin is banished forever when Jesus comes in.
"And you will have joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth." Luke 1:14.

S is for Savior. To be this He came; the angel of God assigned Him His name.
"She will bring forth a son, and you will call his name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

T is for Tidings of joy, not of danger, telling of Him who was laid in a manger.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:10.

U is for Us, to whom Jesus was given to show us the way and take us to heaven.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11.

V is for Virgin, foretold by the sage, God's revelation on prophecy's page.
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:23.

W is for Wonderful, His works and His words, the King of all Kings, the Lord of all Lords.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given... and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.

X is for Christ. It's X in the Greek, Anointed, Messiah, mighty, yet meek.
"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." Acts 10:38.

Y is for Yes, called God's Yes in His Word; God's answer to all is Jesus the Lord.
"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 2 Corinthians 1:20.

Z is for Zeal as it burned in Christ's heart. Lord, by thy Spirit to us zeal impart.
"And his disciples remembered that it was written, the zeal of your house has eaten me up." John 2:17.

Making a Strong Case for a Pre-tribulation Rapture Position

As a follow up to my previous post on the return of Christ, I wanted to touch on the subject of the timing of the Rapture of the saints, which is a different event from the Second Coming of Christ. My church, as well myself, hold to a pre-tribulation Rapture position. There are other Christians that believe in a mid-tribulation Rapture and still others that believe in a post-tribulation Rapture.

I think it makes the most sense to define our terms up front in order to adequately differentiate the Rapture from the Second Coming of Christ. The Rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth. The Rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. The Second Coming is when Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His millennial (1,000 year) kingdom. The Second Coming is described in detail in Revelation 19:11-16.

It is important to note that while both events involve Jesus returning, they are distinct in purpose. The Rapture, according to a pre-tribulation position, is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath known as the Tribulation period or the Day of the Lord, which will last seven years according to Daniel 9:20-27. The Second Coming is the return of Christ to the earth to bring the Tribulation period to an end, and in the process, defeat the Antichrist and his evil world empire. At its conclusion, the Lord Himself and His saints will rule on the earth for a thousand years, which is known as the millennial kingdom period.

As I mentioned earlier, there is quite a lot of debate within the Christian community on the timing of the Rapture and if believers will be present on earth at the time of God’s wrath and judgment. The pastor of my church recently gave eight evidences for a pre-tribulation position. I have read many books and listened to many messages on this topic and these eight evidences are the best reasons I have ever heard that support a pre-tribulation position. My goal is not to persuade anyone’s position on this topic but to offer compelling information straight from the Word of God.

I also want to emphasize something that my pastor mentioned before he gave these evidences. The Scripture does not state in clear, unmistakable terms that the Rapture is pre-tribulational, mid-tribulational or post-tribulational. However, the evidences for a removal of God’s people, both dead and living, before the Great Tribulation is compelling to say the least. The Pre-Tribulation position also answers more problems than the other positions create or answer. So, without further delay, below are the eight strong evidences.

1. Revelation 3:10 teaches that Christ’s promise to the church at Philadelphia was “I will keep you from the hour of testing.” This is not saying that God would preserve them "within" the testing time, but that He would keep them from entering the time of testing altogether.

2. The Bible does not warn believers of the impending Tribulational judgments. It warns of present tribulation or trials, false prophets, and unholy living, but not the Tribulation period.

3. The church does not appear at all after chapter four, verse one in the Revelation (chapters 4:2-19 detail the Tribulation period). This silent witness speaks volumes regarding the absence of the church at this time of prophetical history.

4. The event of a Rapture at the end of the Tribulation offers no hope for the believer’s loved ones or themselves being spared the Tribulation. This was the major concern Paul was addressing in 1 Thessalonians in the first place as the people believed they were already experiencing the Tribulation period and were concerned for their loved ones who had already passed away.

5. If God raptured all believers just prior to establishing the Millennial kingdom, there would be no one left to enter the kingdom in their natural bodies to populate the earth.

6. Revelation 19 does not mention any Rapture, or where it would likely occur if post-tribulational.

7. If it is post-tribulational, then the Rapture accomplishes little at this time. It would make the separation of the sheep and the goats as detailed in Matthew 25:31-33 unnecessary because the post-tribulation Rapture of believers would have just accomplished that fact.

8. The sequence of events as detailed in Revelation chapters 4-19 requires a pre-tribulation Rapture for the following reasons:
a) The Rapture mentions a resurrection; the Second Coming does not.
b) At the Rapture the saints meet Chris in the air; at the Second Coming Christ comes with his saints to meet the saints on the earth.
c) At the Rapture the Mount of Olives is not involved; at the Second Coming it is divided.
d) At the Rapture saints are taken up; at the Second Coming there is no mention of the saints being taken up.
e) At the Rapture the saved are in view; at the Second Coming both the saved and unsaved are in view.
f) At the Rapture Satan is not mentioned; at the Second Coming he is bound during the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth.