I know you...
of you at least.
or maybe more. Maybe I've seen you in my heart.
In my mind I wonder if what I see is a remnant of things you were seeing.
I ask you Son of Man. I ask you in no elevated tone or stature, for whom am I to ask
I am not any one man that could demand an answer,
but I ask...
How alone were you?
As a man aware of a kingdom... your kingdom,
and your people, angry, violent and proud.
Did it break your heart to look them in the eyes and see their thirst for stature?
How could it not?
How many times did you just want to be alone?
Because they didn't understand.. or many of them didn't care to..
Did you retreat to the shoreline to gaze upon the reflective waters, and reflect upon them?
What crossed your mind? Did you think of the beginning?
When there was just water, and darkness, and a hovering spirit over it?
Where you able think on it? Were you distracted by the swarms of people that crowded around you?
Was there isolation within the company?
Then I think of them, the men, the ones that knew every rule.
They knew the Torah through and through but,
They didn't know what it means to live it. Or, live it right.
I want to know what you saw when you looked in their eyes.
Did you hate them the way God hated Esau?
Was your anger burning slowly, and righteous?
Or,
where you with grief? A sadness dripping in as you peered into their
souls and saw them destroying things with the means of imparting life?
I see it.
I've seen it. So many times when I have looked at them.
Occasionally when i've looked within.
Graceless as they were or I've been.
Isn't that the thrust of it all? Compassion, servitude, for us, for each other.
Why is it that we have such a hard time with that?
The taking care of each other.
Isn't that why you washed their feet?
or fed the crowds
or healed them
... It was always for them.
Was your life lonely as it was lived for others, whom lived for themselves?
I know it mattered to you, to matter to them...
How disappointed were you when they wouldn't stay awake for even an hour, in your final hours
Did
it annoy you when you told them everything that was going to play out,
and even, as it was playing out, and they still did not understand?
Was there any comfort found in the words of the thief, that as he died, he knew you...
that he saw you truly?
Tell me Son of God,
as you are, in what you have done, and what I have seen, as I fall and fail and stagger, and try to stand again...
Will you call me friend?
do you look at me as you did Peter?
My desire is to walk with you, and yet still, the undertow tends to take my focus.
I know you are King, I know you are worthy. I know you are holy.
I know these things. I know them about you,
but it terrifies me that though I know much of you, that I may not really know you.
Will you tell me, if it is pleasing to you, do I see you truly?
Do I know you as you are?
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Church Softball. Part 1.
I was sitting in this chair of which I currently write this post from, sipping a can of Coke, when my phone began to buzz. I flipped the top up and pressed it to my ear. It was my brother.
"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" He asked
I looked down at my coke and then across the room to the freezer that currently housed the frozen burritos that I intended to make for dinner.
"I don't have any concrete plans" I respond. Having lame plans isn't the same as having no plans.
"HOW...Would ... you feel about joining a softball league? .... with me?... tonight?"
I could tell from the slow progression of words that he was probably driving and his attention was slightly divided.
"Yeah man" I exclaimed " I love baseball, but I don't have a glove"
"We'll get you one" He responded.
Its interesting to me to see that this is how I joined the church league, but it is very similar to how I was saved. I was about nine going on ten or so, and my brother was staying with us in Santa Fe for a few months. A knock came to my door followed by it creaking open without a response. His face peered through at me laying on the cleared out spot that I slept. "Hey, you wanna come with me tonight? We're going to go play some football?" I didn't care much for football as it were, baseball was really more my sport but I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to spend some time with my busy brother. In the back seat of a beat up Chevy, I listened to my brother profess a testament of God, His Son, and the Spirit in which He sends. He spoke of sin, and death, and heaven and hell, the cross and redemption. I politely listened to his story with a slight apathy as a child might if he were to partake in a lecture of the history of British Parliament. Distant figures of long ago times didn't seem to mean much to me. That is, until he enlightened me to an aspect of Gods character that should be true, was absolutely irresistible. "He'll never leave you, or forsake you" he said. I couldn't pass that up. We pulled into the tree lot, where they were holding a bible study, and my brother beaming with joy regaled the tale of my coming to Christ.
They began to crack open their bibles and asked If I wanted to read. "I don't have a bible" I said as I looked to my brother. "We'll get you one" he said with a smile.
"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" He asked
I looked down at my coke and then across the room to the freezer that currently housed the frozen burritos that I intended to make for dinner.
"I don't have any concrete plans" I respond. Having lame plans isn't the same as having no plans.
"HOW...Would ... you feel about joining a softball league? .... with me?... tonight?"
I could tell from the slow progression of words that he was probably driving and his attention was slightly divided.
"Yeah man" I exclaimed " I love baseball, but I don't have a glove"
"We'll get you one" He responded.
Its interesting to me to see that this is how I joined the church league, but it is very similar to how I was saved. I was about nine going on ten or so, and my brother was staying with us in Santa Fe for a few months. A knock came to my door followed by it creaking open without a response. His face peered through at me laying on the cleared out spot that I slept. "Hey, you wanna come with me tonight? We're going to go play some football?" I didn't care much for football as it were, baseball was really more my sport but I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to spend some time with my busy brother. In the back seat of a beat up Chevy, I listened to my brother profess a testament of God, His Son, and the Spirit in which He sends. He spoke of sin, and death, and heaven and hell, the cross and redemption. I politely listened to his story with a slight apathy as a child might if he were to partake in a lecture of the history of British Parliament. Distant figures of long ago times didn't seem to mean much to me. That is, until he enlightened me to an aspect of Gods character that should be true, was absolutely irresistible. "He'll never leave you, or forsake you" he said. I couldn't pass that up. We pulled into the tree lot, where they were holding a bible study, and my brother beaming with joy regaled the tale of my coming to Christ.
They began to crack open their bibles and asked If I wanted to read. "I don't have a bible" I said as I looked to my brother. "We'll get you one" he said with a smile.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Bar Scene
Earth is a night club called purgatory. We're born in line waiting to
get in and when we do, we see our cover charge was the choices we made
to get here. Me, I've made my way to the bar and I'm trying to drown out
the hedonistic trance music that is playing over head.
I order a glass of wine and it comes in a grail from an Israeli bartender, and he warns me that sipping of this cup will cost me my life. A casual glance around the room and I am aware of the lack of light in the place. At one end of the bar I see what looks like a neatly groomed man with his hair parted to the side and a genuine smile on his face. His suit is black and his hair is blonde and he moves with a rigid composure in my direction. I can tell this man has the appearance of light as it shimmers so dimly off the gold cufflinks. I remark to myself on how clean his appearance is as I look him in the eyes and see a quiet darkness. He introduces him self as The Latter Day saint and offers his card while grabbing me a coaster. "Sign here on this line and we'll give you stock options, and direct deposit of spiritual blessings with 10% annual growth" His voice is smooth, convincing and for a moment I think about joining until he hands me his solid gold pen. I thank him for his kindness and his service as I turn back to the cup of wine sitting before me.
The music in this place is so awful, but the beat, it can be enticing, the longer I sit here. At the other end of the bar there is a woman in a deep blue dress standing on one foot on the bar stool. I find her beauty alluring, as she seems to be perfectly at peace with the fact that she is doing something so absurd. Her hair is long and dark, pulled back into a pony tail the way that I find so attractive. She seems so unphased by the crowded room and all the people fighting on the dance floor. Now that I think of it, I see most of the people are driven mad on the dance floor for they want so desperately to stop dancing, but they can't, because they equate the moment with feeling alive, and the high they get from the fun is their god. To stop is to die, and they aren't ready to admit that they are already dead. I turn back to the woman in the dress and her eyes are shut. She is aware of everything that is going on, but you couldn't tell from her face. The eastern slant in her eyes and her composure tells me that she isn't American to say the least. I think about asking her to dance, but there are a group of people with their fingers in their ears with wide eyes screaming that none of this is real, and that when you stop dancing that is all.
The bouncer at the door is holding a staff with a cross as he is patting people down and pointing people to where they can score some blow. I sigh a heavy sigh and say aloud that "I see too much" as I stare down into this grail of wine. I turn and look at the mirror across the bar, glaring deep into my eyes, into my soul and I beg to know who I really am. My thoughts are interrupted by the Jewish bartender with the white rag wiping the insides of some beer mugs. "you're dead" he says.
I take a sip of the wine, which is strange because I have never really cared for it before, and I ask"how'd you know?" "Everyone is from the second they're born, and the irony is they spend their time looking for the meaning of life." I ask him what her story is as I point to the woman at the end of the bar. "she thinks we're all just energy, and she has part of it right about balance and things. Your friend over there who passed you his card, has the essence of what it means to be a servant, but, some of the finer details of who and why are off. Let me ask you, why not dance?" HE asked as he set his glass down and peered over the bar. The tone in his voice resonated with me, like he had some authority, and I knew better than to lie to him. " Because I think that that life is a wasted life. That is a real death. If I am a dead man already, I don't dance. I just move when moved." I answered. He smiled through his thick beard and he took my glass in his hand. " This is the wine of the covenant, my blood, poured out. Keep drinking dead man, and I will show you what real life is."
I order a glass of wine and it comes in a grail from an Israeli bartender, and he warns me that sipping of this cup will cost me my life. A casual glance around the room and I am aware of the lack of light in the place. At one end of the bar I see what looks like a neatly groomed man with his hair parted to the side and a genuine smile on his face. His suit is black and his hair is blonde and he moves with a rigid composure in my direction. I can tell this man has the appearance of light as it shimmers so dimly off the gold cufflinks. I remark to myself on how clean his appearance is as I look him in the eyes and see a quiet darkness. He introduces him self as The Latter Day saint and offers his card while grabbing me a coaster. "Sign here on this line and we'll give you stock options, and direct deposit of spiritual blessings with 10% annual growth" His voice is smooth, convincing and for a moment I think about joining until he hands me his solid gold pen. I thank him for his kindness and his service as I turn back to the cup of wine sitting before me.
The music in this place is so awful, but the beat, it can be enticing, the longer I sit here. At the other end of the bar there is a woman in a deep blue dress standing on one foot on the bar stool. I find her beauty alluring, as she seems to be perfectly at peace with the fact that she is doing something so absurd. Her hair is long and dark, pulled back into a pony tail the way that I find so attractive. She seems so unphased by the crowded room and all the people fighting on the dance floor. Now that I think of it, I see most of the people are driven mad on the dance floor for they want so desperately to stop dancing, but they can't, because they equate the moment with feeling alive, and the high they get from the fun is their god. To stop is to die, and they aren't ready to admit that they are already dead. I turn back to the woman in the dress and her eyes are shut. She is aware of everything that is going on, but you couldn't tell from her face. The eastern slant in her eyes and her composure tells me that she isn't American to say the least. I think about asking her to dance, but there are a group of people with their fingers in their ears with wide eyes screaming that none of this is real, and that when you stop dancing that is all.
The bouncer at the door is holding a staff with a cross as he is patting people down and pointing people to where they can score some blow. I sigh a heavy sigh and say aloud that "I see too much" as I stare down into this grail of wine. I turn and look at the mirror across the bar, glaring deep into my eyes, into my soul and I beg to know who I really am. My thoughts are interrupted by the Jewish bartender with the white rag wiping the insides of some beer mugs. "you're dead" he says.
I take a sip of the wine, which is strange because I have never really cared for it before, and I ask"how'd you know?" "Everyone is from the second they're born, and the irony is they spend their time looking for the meaning of life." I ask him what her story is as I point to the woman at the end of the bar. "she thinks we're all just energy, and she has part of it right about balance and things. Your friend over there who passed you his card, has the essence of what it means to be a servant, but, some of the finer details of who and why are off. Let me ask you, why not dance?" HE asked as he set his glass down and peered over the bar. The tone in his voice resonated with me, like he had some authority, and I knew better than to lie to him. " Because I think that that life is a wasted life. That is a real death. If I am a dead man already, I don't dance. I just move when moved." I answered. He smiled through his thick beard and he took my glass in his hand. " This is the wine of the covenant, my blood, poured out. Keep drinking dead man, and I will show you what real life is."
Thursday, January 24, 2013
War.
War is a hell of a thing.
I believe that we each have our battles, and struggles. We all have our fights and the wars we wage. Many of us think that admitting that we don't have it all together is a flaw, others believe admitting adversity itself is weakness.
From the day we are born we are at war. We are either at war with God, or at war with ourselves.
I think about that some times.
Is war the opposite of peace?
Is peace only obtainable through war?
What properties mirror each other, I often wonder.
I picked up a copy of the Screwtape letters by C.s. Lewis a while back, with every intention of reading it. However I think it was right before a move and my interests waned.
The premise is of a demon writing his nephew advice on how to disrupt the walk of a follower of the Christ.
I've wondered from time to time in the back of my mind about the question of a plan.
How would the enemy take me out?
It isn't something that I would say that I dwell on, as some might say that the question is irrelevant if you're focused and pursuant of God... But then again... Ephesians 6 makes the point that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
So in transparency, and awareness I can tell you what has worked on me, and on many occasions still does, as a point of caution, transparency and honest vulnerable accountability i suppose.
The Moment that I met God I was cautioned and aware of the enemy that sought to separate me from the one that I believe imparts life and light.
First off, I believe the goal of the enemy is to isolate and destroy the believer. This is done by undermining the value of both, Christ sacrifice, and also the soul that accepts it as such.
The enemy would tell you that you are part of some sort of package deal, like your soul came with the redemption of everyone thus minimizing the fact that Christ sacrificed his life for yours. Instead of being that person that he shed his blood for, you're now the coconut air freshener that they kinda just threw in with the free car wash. This is a clever tactic of the enemy, because you are in fact unworthy of such a gift. The irony is that , you were unworthy before you received it, and you are not any less unworthy of it having obtained salvation as such.
Upon the realization of that, and the monumental epiphany that Christ would have still gone to the cross for just me, because I matter to God, as I am made in his image... the enemy cleverly works in extremes and will push a strong sense of superiority, self righteousness, pride and hyper-spirituallity. Its times like this that the word of God becomes a pill that is forced on people, instead of life saving wisdom for those who really would like to live. This fosters the "Us" vs" them" mentality. Instead of seeing myself as a sinner who was redeemed and strives and fails daily, we start to draw lines of those in the church and those outside of the church. Those who are saved as being superior to those who are not. This is asinine when you pull from the entirety of scripture and see how many times God got pissed off at those who thought they were better than everyone else.
So, there is this delicate balance that we struggle to maintain between a sniveling nothing, and a condescending jerk. An awareness of this doesn't help maintain the complex balancing act that one has to do. Some times this is frustrating. When you fail, the enemy says that you're always going to fail, so why try. When you think you're doing alright, then you may be blind to the occasional helpful bit of criticism that might help you grow. It's interesting that a little advice is great wisdom, and too much a detriment.
When you get a pretty good balance of this after years of failure and refusing to just give up because things are hard... Then the enemy will say that you're spending too much time focusing on yourself. They'll start throwing up sins of the past, and ways that you have hurt others... and how you need to change all of these things about yourself....
which is a truthful lie. While we do have to surrender the things that aren't godly and die each day to self, the enemy pushes a vast emergency on that order, mandating that one must change everything that they were at once. The task of changing everything that you are, all your habits, thoughts, ticks, memories, quirks, dreams, mannerisms... in the blink of an eye, is more than a person could bear. The word says that God is patient.
That is when the enemy will try to push patience to a distorted extreme. They'll keep a person distracted from working on any one specific thing, all the while citing the patience of God as a justification for an obscure sense of apathy.
The adversary will try and get things pushed really far one way, or another. All head and no heart is out of balance. All heart and no head is equally out of balance. The head can be ignorant, and lack wisdom as the scripture comments on. The heart also can be deceitfully wicked, but is the place where God writes His Commandments for any whom are part of the Covenant.
Sometimes, God will show you something and because others do not see it, the enemy will do what it can to make you seem crazy. The oldest and only sin really is "did God really say"
Doubt, when honestly explored isn't the enemy of faith... but often establishes it. Yet, the enemy will often try to instill a fear of the unfamiliar in regards to biblical text. Asking questions may prove a doctrine to be false when rendered to scripture. The fact that there are many false doctrines out there, as stated in the Word, will make a person amazingly unpopular when you reconcile them to scripture. The enemy will show this to you, and you will have to make a choice between standing firm in your convictions, or compromising for comfort. There is solace in the fact that Israel killed all their prophets. There is warning that Christ says that if you seek to save your life, you'll lose it.
The enemy will tell you that the only thing that matters is love. What they will fail to emphasize is that love encompasses discipline, consequences, justice, sacrifice and serving others. IF they don't shy away from the point of serving others, they will try and twist it to the point where serving comes to the point of being treaded on.... then they will morph that perception into the greater body of the church, that all serving is the abuse experienced.
The enemy will either try to get you ridiculously dependent on God, so that you are to the point where you are starving to death, while praying that God put your shoe on your foot, and then when he doesn't then there must be something wrong with your faith... or they will try to get you so completely self reliant that you try to take everything that you have handed over to God that you couldn't fix, and then you try and fix it. Both of these are wrong. Remember that God brought them out into the wilderness and fed them Mana, but they still had to gather it. Depend on God, but also be obedient to what he has called you to do, things you should know as you mature as a believer.
The enemy will try and make you think that all of this is some burden. That God is nothing but work. That God is busy and wouldn't have time for you, and you must keep following a set of rules for the sake of being "spiritual" or "holy". If you are following rules to avoid hell, the point of the work of salvation has been missed. If you are following the commands of God for any reason other than your heart is compelled to out of the love that you have for him, then something is off. The enemy exploits that.
The enemy will exploit sicknesses and illnesses. they will say that you are sick because you lack faith or because your sin has caused God to remove his hand of protection over you. This is possible, but it isn't the standard I don't think. Sometimes you're broken because God made you broken... and if you were made broken with a purpose, then you aren't really broken at all. I fight bi-polar disorder. I have all my life. Though this has been something that has been really really tough for me, as some people yell at me for being sad or hurt from time to time, it does not denote a lack of faith in God. The disorder has enabled me to see patterns and draw deep connections that not everyone sees. However, I feel emotional pains and highs deeper than most people. This goes back to the head vs heart thing. My mind keeps the feelings in check most of the time. The enemy would often say that an acknowledgement of this disorder is to speak a curse, and that God could deliver me from it if I just had more faith. I am reminded of the fact that it was the faith in God that resulted in the physical breaking of Jacob. Sometimes God does things contrary to human thinking because he is a masterful artist with a pallet of wonder no man could match. That doesn't mean God couldn't heal me if he wanted to.... because he has the authority and the power... but he also has the sovereignty. I've always struggled with that idea of speaking curses over my life by admitting I have a sore throat or something. I mean, I don't think that I am some kind of mythical wizard that with the power of the word can just say something and have it be. If that were the case, I'd have blessed myself with riches that would have cursed me a dozen ways. On the other hand I know that the word does say that there is an element of authority that we are given in God. Authority to cast out sickness. I've seen this first hand when praying for my nephew or other family members.
God says blessed are the peacemakers, and he also states that he has come not to bring peace but a sword. The enemy will try and get the simple sinful mind to take this as an excuse to toss out all of faith at a surface glance. Pretend that this is a contradiction and go out living lustful worldly desire feeding every whim and fancy. There is an explanation, and a rather simple one.Look for it. Ask questions, seek the truth. yearn for understanding, and help those who fall around you.
So yeah, I hope that helps. In this perceived dichotomy of guidelines and advice in which the enemy has tried to bring my mind down from within, know that there are answers, and that that it is called the straight and narrow for a reason.
I believe that we each have our battles, and struggles. We all have our fights and the wars we wage. Many of us think that admitting that we don't have it all together is a flaw, others believe admitting adversity itself is weakness.
From the day we are born we are at war. We are either at war with God, or at war with ourselves.
I think about that some times.
Is war the opposite of peace?
Is peace only obtainable through war?
What properties mirror each other, I often wonder.
I picked up a copy of the Screwtape letters by C.s. Lewis a while back, with every intention of reading it. However I think it was right before a move and my interests waned.
The premise is of a demon writing his nephew advice on how to disrupt the walk of a follower of the Christ.
I've wondered from time to time in the back of my mind about the question of a plan.
How would the enemy take me out?
It isn't something that I would say that I dwell on, as some might say that the question is irrelevant if you're focused and pursuant of God... But then again... Ephesians 6 makes the point that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
So in transparency, and awareness I can tell you what has worked on me, and on many occasions still does, as a point of caution, transparency and honest vulnerable accountability i suppose.
The Moment that I met God I was cautioned and aware of the enemy that sought to separate me from the one that I believe imparts life and light.
First off, I believe the goal of the enemy is to isolate and destroy the believer. This is done by undermining the value of both, Christ sacrifice, and also the soul that accepts it as such.
The enemy would tell you that you are part of some sort of package deal, like your soul came with the redemption of everyone thus minimizing the fact that Christ sacrificed his life for yours. Instead of being that person that he shed his blood for, you're now the coconut air freshener that they kinda just threw in with the free car wash. This is a clever tactic of the enemy, because you are in fact unworthy of such a gift. The irony is that , you were unworthy before you received it, and you are not any less unworthy of it having obtained salvation as such.
Upon the realization of that, and the monumental epiphany that Christ would have still gone to the cross for just me, because I matter to God, as I am made in his image... the enemy cleverly works in extremes and will push a strong sense of superiority, self righteousness, pride and hyper-spirituallity. Its times like this that the word of God becomes a pill that is forced on people, instead of life saving wisdom for those who really would like to live. This fosters the "Us" vs" them" mentality. Instead of seeing myself as a sinner who was redeemed and strives and fails daily, we start to draw lines of those in the church and those outside of the church. Those who are saved as being superior to those who are not. This is asinine when you pull from the entirety of scripture and see how many times God got pissed off at those who thought they were better than everyone else.
So, there is this delicate balance that we struggle to maintain between a sniveling nothing, and a condescending jerk. An awareness of this doesn't help maintain the complex balancing act that one has to do. Some times this is frustrating. When you fail, the enemy says that you're always going to fail, so why try. When you think you're doing alright, then you may be blind to the occasional helpful bit of criticism that might help you grow. It's interesting that a little advice is great wisdom, and too much a detriment.
When you get a pretty good balance of this after years of failure and refusing to just give up because things are hard... Then the enemy will say that you're spending too much time focusing on yourself. They'll start throwing up sins of the past, and ways that you have hurt others... and how you need to change all of these things about yourself....
which is a truthful lie. While we do have to surrender the things that aren't godly and die each day to self, the enemy pushes a vast emergency on that order, mandating that one must change everything that they were at once. The task of changing everything that you are, all your habits, thoughts, ticks, memories, quirks, dreams, mannerisms... in the blink of an eye, is more than a person could bear. The word says that God is patient.
That is when the enemy will try to push patience to a distorted extreme. They'll keep a person distracted from working on any one specific thing, all the while citing the patience of God as a justification for an obscure sense of apathy.
The adversary will try and get things pushed really far one way, or another. All head and no heart is out of balance. All heart and no head is equally out of balance. The head can be ignorant, and lack wisdom as the scripture comments on. The heart also can be deceitfully wicked, but is the place where God writes His Commandments for any whom are part of the Covenant.
Sometimes, God will show you something and because others do not see it, the enemy will do what it can to make you seem crazy. The oldest and only sin really is "did God really say"
Doubt, when honestly explored isn't the enemy of faith... but often establishes it. Yet, the enemy will often try to instill a fear of the unfamiliar in regards to biblical text. Asking questions may prove a doctrine to be false when rendered to scripture. The fact that there are many false doctrines out there, as stated in the Word, will make a person amazingly unpopular when you reconcile them to scripture. The enemy will show this to you, and you will have to make a choice between standing firm in your convictions, or compromising for comfort. There is solace in the fact that Israel killed all their prophets. There is warning that Christ says that if you seek to save your life, you'll lose it.
The enemy will tell you that the only thing that matters is love. What they will fail to emphasize is that love encompasses discipline, consequences, justice, sacrifice and serving others. IF they don't shy away from the point of serving others, they will try and twist it to the point where serving comes to the point of being treaded on.... then they will morph that perception into the greater body of the church, that all serving is the abuse experienced.
The enemy will either try to get you ridiculously dependent on God, so that you are to the point where you are starving to death, while praying that God put your shoe on your foot, and then when he doesn't then there must be something wrong with your faith... or they will try to get you so completely self reliant that you try to take everything that you have handed over to God that you couldn't fix, and then you try and fix it. Both of these are wrong. Remember that God brought them out into the wilderness and fed them Mana, but they still had to gather it. Depend on God, but also be obedient to what he has called you to do, things you should know as you mature as a believer.
The enemy will try and make you think that all of this is some burden. That God is nothing but work. That God is busy and wouldn't have time for you, and you must keep following a set of rules for the sake of being "spiritual" or "holy". If you are following rules to avoid hell, the point of the work of salvation has been missed. If you are following the commands of God for any reason other than your heart is compelled to out of the love that you have for him, then something is off. The enemy exploits that.
The enemy will exploit sicknesses and illnesses. they will say that you are sick because you lack faith or because your sin has caused God to remove his hand of protection over you. This is possible, but it isn't the standard I don't think. Sometimes you're broken because God made you broken... and if you were made broken with a purpose, then you aren't really broken at all. I fight bi-polar disorder. I have all my life. Though this has been something that has been really really tough for me, as some people yell at me for being sad or hurt from time to time, it does not denote a lack of faith in God. The disorder has enabled me to see patterns and draw deep connections that not everyone sees. However, I feel emotional pains and highs deeper than most people. This goes back to the head vs heart thing. My mind keeps the feelings in check most of the time. The enemy would often say that an acknowledgement of this disorder is to speak a curse, and that God could deliver me from it if I just had more faith. I am reminded of the fact that it was the faith in God that resulted in the physical breaking of Jacob. Sometimes God does things contrary to human thinking because he is a masterful artist with a pallet of wonder no man could match. That doesn't mean God couldn't heal me if he wanted to.... because he has the authority and the power... but he also has the sovereignty. I've always struggled with that idea of speaking curses over my life by admitting I have a sore throat or something. I mean, I don't think that I am some kind of mythical wizard that with the power of the word can just say something and have it be. If that were the case, I'd have blessed myself with riches that would have cursed me a dozen ways. On the other hand I know that the word does say that there is an element of authority that we are given in God. Authority to cast out sickness. I've seen this first hand when praying for my nephew or other family members.
God says blessed are the peacemakers, and he also states that he has come not to bring peace but a sword. The enemy will try and get the simple sinful mind to take this as an excuse to toss out all of faith at a surface glance. Pretend that this is a contradiction and go out living lustful worldly desire feeding every whim and fancy. There is an explanation, and a rather simple one.Look for it. Ask questions, seek the truth. yearn for understanding, and help those who fall around you.
So yeah, I hope that helps. In this perceived dichotomy of guidelines and advice in which the enemy has tried to bring my mind down from within, know that there are answers, and that that it is called the straight and narrow for a reason.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A Reasonable Post on Faith
It seems that when discussing issues of Biblical faith with those of the scientific doctrine, I have experienced what I perceive to be a superiority complex from those of the scientific persuasion.
It would appear that many who follow (some blindly) the faith of scientific interpretation think that the Bible and science are opposing forces. As if to say that science is based on nothing but facts, and The Bible is only about dead myths from primitive people
Some have said that if anything in the Bible contradicts, then the entire thing is to be thrown out and discredited. This is an interesting sentiment as many people who assert this claim have never actually looked into the Bible's validity at all. To say that something doesn't make sense because you do not understand it or have never really looked for an answer seems lazy.
Some cite trivial things to attempt to disqualify the text. Others have a slightly more merit to their claims for example, in the books of Matthew and the book of Luke, the genealogy of the Messiah differs. A little resaerch shows that one is through the mother, the other through the father, neither contradict, and the emphasis on Hebraic thinking and understanding explains it nicely.
To say that the Bible contradicts without ever studying it is equal to saying that A + B cannot = C because AB and C are letters and not numbers therefore algebra is a lie.
Did you know that the reason that we even have some discoveries is because the Bible says so?
For example, Matthew Maury, the father of oceanography, was an avid believer in the Bible. After study of Psalms 8 he sought to study these "paths of the sea" and is credited to have helped reduce sea travel.
This kind of example of partnering faith and a bit of reason should be encouraged.
Before Sir Isaac Newton discover that light can be divided into prisms, God mentioned that light can be divided when he was yelling at Job . ( Job 38:24)
Scientist have tried for a long time to state that the universe is eternal . Well, the Bible states that it had a beginning in Genesis 1:1 and Hebrews 1:10-12. Many Scientist refer to the discovery that the universe has a beginning as "The Genesis problem" in which it admits that there is no explanation for the origin of the universe outside the hand of a creator.
In light of this discovery, it in fact takes more faith and belief to hold to the doctrine that there is no "god" or "creator" It is interesting that many in critique of Biblical understanding, accuse others of finding things that fit and explain supposed conflicts in the text... but easily dismiss the fact that science does this in their own research and on occasion... has no answer at all.
The second Law of thermodynamics states that the universe is running down and becoming more disorderly, as cited with the article above we can see that this is more proof against the idea of an infinite universe. Also this was cited in Psalm 102:25-26.
Where Scientific study has been revised, reworked and edited... the Bible had pretty consistently been the Bible.
Consider this, The bible states that the earth is round long before it was "discovered" as being so (Isaiah 40:22)
Pangaea and continental drift are inferred in the Biblical text in Gen 1:9-10 and 7:11
The Law of Bio-genesis is outlined in Genesis 1. all life comes from existing life.
Scientist have laughed at the verse in Psalms 19 , which in speaking of the sun states
"Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat."
They laughed thinking in their understanding that it taught geocentricity, that the sun revolved around the earth. They laughed saying that the sun is stationary. Science has recently discovered the fact that the sun moves.... fast... on a circuit, thus giving even more credibility to the Bible.
It is even more interesting that this is something known without a ancient Hebrew version of NASA. How did they know that the earth hung independently in space, as Job 26:7
"He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth on nothing"
This is thousands of years before Armstrong or Russian Cosmonauts. Yet there in the text it states matters of scientifically proven fact.
The text states that there is weight to the wind in Job 28:25, something that meteorologists have come to discover as storms carry thousands of pounds of rain. To carry this load, air must have mass.
At a time when the wind was thought to just blow strait, The Bible mentioned Jet streams.
Ecc. 1:6
Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues swirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
It wasn't until WWII that airmen discovered the Jet streams.
The Bible describes dinosaurs in Job 40:15-24, this is the description of Sauropods
The Bible states that there were cave men. Job 30:1-8
Pleiades and Orion star clusters were mentioned. Pleiades is gravitationally bound while Orion is loose and disintegrating because the gravity of the cluster is not enough to bind it together.
This is a recent discovery, yet God asked Job 4,000 years ago
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion? Job 38:31
There is no mention of primitive ancient aquanauts, But Jonah is about as close as we get... and He mentioned underwater mountains. Jonah 2.
Here is another thing. The chicken or the Egg... Which came first? The Bible says it was the chicken in Gen. 1: 20- 22.
Which came first, DNA or Proteins? The code for each protein is in the DNA/RNA system, however proteins are required in order to manufacture DNA. The explanation is that they were created together.
Based on statistical probabilities, Either God created us, we are part of some intelligent design, or we are by and far the luckiest most random result of a meaningless purpose. For example, we wouldn't exist without water, and if the earth were closer to the sun it would boil and evaporate or something, of if we were farther we would freeze.( see Isaiah 40:12) Upon that, the amount of radiation solar radiation should kill us... except for the "magic" barrier that is keeping it off of us. ( see Isaiah 45:18) Further more, the "random mutations that occurred" to enable such things as the eye. Further more, the probability of cells being able to exist, because the probabilities of the right random gasses swirling in the just right way, to randomly have the right combustive properties, To randomly combust. There are many things which have such a narrow chance of happening, let alone all happening together, That make the mathmatic probability of all these probabilities coming together to form life... all those narrow possibilities, stacked upon each other... according to Occam razor, God is the scientifically more likely cause of the universe that we live.
Hebrews states that the world was created from things not seen. Later we discovered atoms and subatomic particles, things not observable to the naked eye.
We have learned that Stars emit radio waves. Stated in Job 38:7.
Science expresses the universe in five terms: time, space, matter, power, and motion. Genesis 1:1,2 revealed such truths to the Hebrews in 1450 B.C.: "In the beginning [time] God created [power] the heaven [space] and the earth [matter] . . . And the Spirit of God moved [motion] upon the face of the waters." The first thing God tells man is that He controls of all aspects of the universe.
The Bible talks about not eating swine or shellfish, which scientific studies have found links to all kinds of health risks.
So, to draw to a close... Believing in the validity of the Bible isn't just a blind endeavor. The people following the Bible like sheep are no better or worse than those who lean on the religious elements of scientific faith. Both sides of the isle can be ignorant or arrogant.
The Bible is far more than dead myths. Perhaps there are elements of life and death that we have yet to discover.
_
In putting this together I pulled from various sources... and it frustrates me a little bit to see that now at the end, I find this site that did it all better and cited more things than I did
It would appear that many who follow (some blindly) the faith of scientific interpretation think that the Bible and science are opposing forces. As if to say that science is based on nothing but facts, and The Bible is only about dead myths from primitive people
Some have said that if anything in the Bible contradicts, then the entire thing is to be thrown out and discredited. This is an interesting sentiment as many people who assert this claim have never actually looked into the Bible's validity at all. To say that something doesn't make sense because you do not understand it or have never really looked for an answer seems lazy.
Some cite trivial things to attempt to disqualify the text. Others have a slightly more merit to their claims for example, in the books of Matthew and the book of Luke, the genealogy of the Messiah differs. A little resaerch shows that one is through the mother, the other through the father, neither contradict, and the emphasis on Hebraic thinking and understanding explains it nicely.
To say that the Bible contradicts without ever studying it is equal to saying that A + B cannot = C because AB and C are letters and not numbers therefore algebra is a lie.
Did you know that the reason that we even have some discoveries is because the Bible says so?
For example, Matthew Maury, the father of oceanography, was an avid believer in the Bible. After study of Psalms 8 he sought to study these "paths of the sea" and is credited to have helped reduce sea travel.
This kind of example of partnering faith and a bit of reason should be encouraged.
Before Sir Isaac Newton discover that light can be divided into prisms, God mentioned that light can be divided when he was yelling at Job . ( Job 38:24)
Scientist have tried for a long time to state that the universe is eternal . Well, the Bible states that it had a beginning in Genesis 1:1 and Hebrews 1:10-12. Many Scientist refer to the discovery that the universe has a beginning as "The Genesis problem" in which it admits that there is no explanation for the origin of the universe outside the hand of a creator.
In light of this discovery, it in fact takes more faith and belief to hold to the doctrine that there is no "god" or "creator" It is interesting that many in critique of Biblical understanding, accuse others of finding things that fit and explain supposed conflicts in the text... but easily dismiss the fact that science does this in their own research and on occasion... has no answer at all.
The second Law of thermodynamics states that the universe is running down and becoming more disorderly, as cited with the article above we can see that this is more proof against the idea of an infinite universe. Also this was cited in Psalm 102:25-26.
Where Scientific study has been revised, reworked and edited... the Bible had pretty consistently been the Bible.
Consider this, The bible states that the earth is round long before it was "discovered" as being so (Isaiah 40:22)
Pangaea and continental drift are inferred in the Biblical text in Gen 1:9-10 and 7:11
The Law of Bio-genesis is outlined in Genesis 1. all life comes from existing life.
Scientist have laughed at the verse in Psalms 19 , which in speaking of the sun states
"Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat."
They laughed thinking in their understanding that it taught geocentricity, that the sun revolved around the earth. They laughed saying that the sun is stationary. Science has recently discovered the fact that the sun moves.... fast... on a circuit, thus giving even more credibility to the Bible.
It is even more interesting that this is something known without a ancient Hebrew version of NASA. How did they know that the earth hung independently in space, as Job 26:7
"He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth on nothing"
This is thousands of years before Armstrong or Russian Cosmonauts. Yet there in the text it states matters of scientifically proven fact.
The text states that there is weight to the wind in Job 28:25, something that meteorologists have come to discover as storms carry thousands of pounds of rain. To carry this load, air must have mass.
At a time when the wind was thought to just blow strait, The Bible mentioned Jet streams.
Ecc. 1:6
Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues swirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
It wasn't until WWII that airmen discovered the Jet streams.
The Bible describes dinosaurs in Job 40:15-24, this is the description of Sauropods
The Bible states that there were cave men. Job 30:1-8
Pleiades and Orion star clusters were mentioned. Pleiades is gravitationally bound while Orion is loose and disintegrating because the gravity of the cluster is not enough to bind it together.
This is a recent discovery, yet God asked Job 4,000 years ago
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion? Job 38:31
There is no mention of primitive ancient aquanauts, But Jonah is about as close as we get... and He mentioned underwater mountains. Jonah 2.
Here is another thing. The chicken or the Egg... Which came first? The Bible says it was the chicken in Gen. 1: 20- 22.
Which came first, DNA or Proteins? The code for each protein is in the DNA/RNA system, however proteins are required in order to manufacture DNA. The explanation is that they were created together.
Based on statistical probabilities, Either God created us, we are part of some intelligent design, or we are by and far the luckiest most random result of a meaningless purpose. For example, we wouldn't exist without water, and if the earth were closer to the sun it would boil and evaporate or something, of if we were farther we would freeze.( see Isaiah 40:12) Upon that, the amount of radiation solar radiation should kill us... except for the "magic" barrier that is keeping it off of us. ( see Isaiah 45:18) Further more, the "random mutations that occurred" to enable such things as the eye. Further more, the probability of cells being able to exist, because the probabilities of the right random gasses swirling in the just right way, to randomly have the right combustive properties, To randomly combust. There are many things which have such a narrow chance of happening, let alone all happening together, That make the mathmatic probability of all these probabilities coming together to form life... all those narrow possibilities, stacked upon each other... according to Occam razor, God is the scientifically more likely cause of the universe that we live.
Hebrews states that the world was created from things not seen. Later we discovered atoms and subatomic particles, things not observable to the naked eye.
We have learned that Stars emit radio waves. Stated in Job 38:7.
Science expresses the universe in five terms: time, space, matter, power, and motion. Genesis 1:1,2 revealed such truths to the Hebrews in 1450 B.C.: "In the beginning [time] God created [power] the heaven [space] and the earth [matter] . . . And the Spirit of God moved [motion] upon the face of the waters." The first thing God tells man is that He controls of all aspects of the universe.
The Bible talks about not eating swine or shellfish, which scientific studies have found links to all kinds of health risks.
So, to draw to a close... Believing in the validity of the Bible isn't just a blind endeavor. The people following the Bible like sheep are no better or worse than those who lean on the religious elements of scientific faith. Both sides of the isle can be ignorant or arrogant.
The Bible is far more than dead myths. Perhaps there are elements of life and death that we have yet to discover.
_
In putting this together I pulled from various sources... and it frustrates me a little bit to see that now at the end, I find this site that did it all better and cited more things than I did
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Christmas, The 25th, and The Bible.
I know a lot of you love Christmas and you ascribe to it as the day
that Jesus was born and that He is the reason for the season and think
that there are people who have no right calling it a holiday tree
instead of a Christmas tree...
and if you are one of those people who wants to have nothing infringing on your traditions, then this probably isn't the post for you.
Because in this post, I am going to point out a lot of stuff from a Biblical perspective, and it is possible that what the word says may be offensive to some people in regards to Christmas.
I preface this post with this disclaimer not to be offensive, but to avoid offense.
In the past year or so, I think some weird switch got flipped in my brain because I started reading the news. I used to hate the news because it was all depressing, going on about who got shot today and how dark the world is and all that, but I digress. I was reading the news and I cam across This Article that had a quote directly from the Pope that says as follows:
"The idea that Christ was born on Dec 25 also has no basis in historical fact. "We don't even know which season he was born in. The whole idea of celebrating his birth during the darkest part of the year is probably linked to pagan traditions and the winter solstice.""
The Man with the super tall hat is partly right. The idea that Christ was born in Dec has no historical basis.
Also, The idea of his birth being celebrated in December has to do with an infusion of pagan customs. What I disagree with is the notion that we don't know what season.
Luke 2
8 In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
SO the time that the Light of the World was being born, the Shepherds were still bringing the flocks out. I don't think that sheep eat snow... but anyway.
Have you ever asked yourself how the "christmas" tree every came to be? Who sat around one day and said," you know, the Savior died for my sins, so I am going to take a pine tree and
and dangle balls and and stream silver tinsel and gold garland and stuff on it to commemorate his birth"
Well, The Bible describes these actions:
Jeremiah 10:2-4
2 Thus says the Lord,
“Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Although the nations are terrified by them; 3 For the customs of the peoples are delusion;
Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
Now if you take these two passages together it says don't worship God in the ways of paganism, and the act of decorating trees is outlined as a pagan practice.
How does that tie into December 25th?
"Saturnalia is a festival of light leading to the winter solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth. The renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the "Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun," on December 25
Without going too deep into historical accounts of Emperor Constantine and Him thinking Jesus was the Sun god, instead of the Son of God... because really there is a LOT there... I'd like to point out the fact that this is the very thing that the Pope just said.
You may ask yourself, "So what, what is the big deal? Its just a tree and it's tradition? Plus, there is a lot of love and giving and such so there is good coming from it"
At the heart of a question like that is a mindset that states "I'm only going to follow the parts of God that I like, and even then I am going to do it my way in my control"
...no offense.
But really, it's like ignoring passages about fornication and sexual sin and throwing orgies because you can say that the bible states to love your neighbor.
Now I know a lot of you want to celebrate God dwelling coming and dwelling among men and you genuinely love the gift giving , many of you want to celebrate the coming of the King....
...and if that is genuinely in your heart, Instead of taking something not biblical and worshiping God in ways that he has said that aren't ok.... why not try some of these Biblical days that have the very meanings that you are trying to ascribe?
1) Sukkot/ Feast of booths.
In this God appointed time, ( God holiday, I.E. Holy days) the whole thing is about God dwelling among His people after He has brought them out of bondage.
You want to celebrate little baby Jesus as God in man, there is much to be said about this. In this appointed time, People dwell in temporary dwellings.... You know, like Mary and Joseph were in the Manger.... or what could be considered a Sukkah
2) The feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah
This is the Biblical holy day in which declares the coming of the King
It is called the day of blowing ( of trumpets) and there are trumpet blasts that signify deeply prophetic things of God
Celebrate the Birth of the King by the blowing of the trumpet announcing the coming of the king.
Interesting enough, those two Biblical holidays occur in the fall, when shepherds would still be talking there sheep out into the fields.
The third one is the one that has probably the most symbolism is The Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah. Most people don't even realize that this is mentioned in the bible.
2 Chronicles
Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts, and the Levites also, with the instruments of music to the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His lovingkindness is everlasting”—whenever he gave praise by their means, while the priests on the other side blew trumpets; and all Israel was standing.
7 Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat.
The Feast of Dedication
8 So Solomon observed the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly who came from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar they observed seven days and the feast seven days.
The second scripture is the actions of Jesus Himself being in the Temple at the feast of dedication.
John 10
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
There is so much to celebrate in this. There is the fact that we are the temple and Christ dwells in us. The fact that there was the miracle of the Light continually burning in the Menorah during the Maccabees refusal to infuse with worldly oppression. Jesus is The Light of the World..
The point is, that there are far more biblically backed God orchestrated Holy days that don't have a bunch of practices that aren't ok. We all have traditions that we have that are passed down from our parents.... My parents had a tradition of addiction, and God said that wasn't ok. I think we should start some traditions of listing to Our Heavenly Father, and not even learning the practices or customs of paganism.
-
Edit: There is also this:
and if you are one of those people who wants to have nothing infringing on your traditions, then this probably isn't the post for you.
Because in this post, I am going to point out a lot of stuff from a Biblical perspective, and it is possible that what the word says may be offensive to some people in regards to Christmas.
I preface this post with this disclaimer not to be offensive, but to avoid offense.
In the past year or so, I think some weird switch got flipped in my brain because I started reading the news. I used to hate the news because it was all depressing, going on about who got shot today and how dark the world is and all that, but I digress. I was reading the news and I cam across This Article that had a quote directly from the Pope that says as follows:
"The idea that Christ was born on Dec 25 also has no basis in historical fact. "We don't even know which season he was born in. The whole idea of celebrating his birth during the darkest part of the year is probably linked to pagan traditions and the winter solstice.""
The Man with the super tall hat is partly right. The idea that Christ was born in Dec has no historical basis.
Also, The idea of his birth being celebrated in December has to do with an infusion of pagan customs. What I disagree with is the notion that we don't know what season.
Luke 2
8 In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
SO the time that the Light of the World was being born, the Shepherds were still bringing the flocks out. I don't think that sheep eat snow... but anyway.
Have you ever asked yourself how the "christmas" tree every came to be? Who sat around one day and said," you know, the Savior died for my sins, so I am going to take a pine tree and
and dangle balls and and stream silver tinsel and gold garland and stuff on it to commemorate his birth"
Well, The Bible describes these actions:
Jeremiah 10:2-4
2 Thus says the Lord,
“Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens
Although the nations are terrified by them; 3 For the customs of the peoples are delusion;
Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
Now if you take these two passages together it says don't worship God in the ways of paganism, and the act of decorating trees is outlined as a pagan practice.
How does that tie into December 25th?
"Saturnalia is a festival of light leading to the winter solstice, with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth. The renewal of light and the coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the "Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun," on December 25
Without going too deep into historical accounts of Emperor Constantine and Him thinking Jesus was the Sun god, instead of the Son of God... because really there is a LOT there... I'd like to point out the fact that this is the very thing that the Pope just said.
You may ask yourself, "So what, what is the big deal? Its just a tree and it's tradition? Plus, there is a lot of love and giving and such so there is good coming from it"
At the heart of a question like that is a mindset that states "I'm only going to follow the parts of God that I like, and even then I am going to do it my way in my control"
...no offense.
But really, it's like ignoring passages about fornication and sexual sin and throwing orgies because you can say that the bible states to love your neighbor.
Now I know a lot of you want to celebrate God dwelling coming and dwelling among men and you genuinely love the gift giving , many of you want to celebrate the coming of the King....
...and if that is genuinely in your heart, Instead of taking something not biblical and worshiping God in ways that he has said that aren't ok.... why not try some of these Biblical days that have the very meanings that you are trying to ascribe?
1) Sukkot/ Feast of booths.
In this God appointed time, ( God holiday, I.E. Holy days) the whole thing is about God dwelling among His people after He has brought them out of bondage.
You want to celebrate little baby Jesus as God in man, there is much to be said about this. In this appointed time, People dwell in temporary dwellings.... You know, like Mary and Joseph were in the Manger.... or what could be considered a Sukkah
2) The feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah
This is the Biblical holy day in which declares the coming of the King
It is called the day of blowing ( of trumpets) and there are trumpet blasts that signify deeply prophetic things of God
The way the shofar is blown can be defined in the following way:
“tekiah” - a long single blast that depicts the sound of the King’s coronation.
“shevarim” - three short wail-like blasts (signifying repentance).
“teruah” - several short blasts of alarm to awaken the soul.
“tekiah hagadol” - a long final blast that prepares the way for the coming of the King,
Celebrate the Birth of the King by the blowing of the trumpet announcing the coming of the king.
Interesting enough, those two Biblical holidays occur in the fall, when shepherds would still be talking there sheep out into the fields.
The third one is the one that has probably the most symbolism is The Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah. Most people don't even realize that this is mentioned in the bible.
2 Chronicles
7 Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2 The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts, and the Levites also, with the instruments of music to the Lord, which King David had made for giving praise to the Lord—“for His lovingkindness is everlasting”—whenever he gave praise by their means, while the priests on the other side blew trumpets; and all Israel was standing.
7 Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat.
The Feast of Dedication
8 So Solomon observed the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly who came from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar they observed seven days and the feast seven days.
The second scripture is the actions of Jesus Himself being in the Temple at the feast of dedication.
John 10
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
There is so much to celebrate in this. There is the fact that we are the temple and Christ dwells in us. The fact that there was the miracle of the Light continually burning in the Menorah during the Maccabees refusal to infuse with worldly oppression. Jesus is The Light of the World..
The point is, that there are far more biblically backed God orchestrated Holy days that don't have a bunch of practices that aren't ok. We all have traditions that we have that are passed down from our parents.... My parents had a tradition of addiction, and God said that wasn't ok. I think we should start some traditions of listing to Our Heavenly Father, and not even learning the practices or customs of paganism.
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Edit: There is also this:
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Eusebius and Passover.
The Catholic writer Eusebius recorded that Polycrates of
Ephesus, around 195 A.D. wrote the following to the Roman Bishop Victor
who, as the previous writing showed, wanted all who professed Christ to
change Passover from the 14th of Nisan to Sunday:
We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord’s coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. He fell asleep at Ephesus. And Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna. Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead? All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brethren throughout the world, and have gone through every Holy Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying words. For those greater than I have said ’ We ought to obey God rather than man’ (Eusebius. Church History, Book V, Chapter 24. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two, Volume 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).
Notice that Polycrates said that he and the other early church leaders (like the Apostles Philip and John, and their successors like Polycarp, Thraseas, Eumenia, Sagaris, Papirius, Melito) would not deviate from the Bible, and that they knew the Bible taught them to keep the Passover on the correct date, and not on a Sunday. Also notice that they always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. Polycrates also reminded the Roman bishop that true followers of Christ "obey God rather than men"
( A scrap that I came across in my studies)
We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord’s coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. He fell asleep at Ephesus. And Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna. Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead? All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brethren throughout the world, and have gone through every Holy Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying words. For those greater than I have said ’ We ought to obey God rather than man’ (Eusebius. Church History, Book V, Chapter 24. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two, Volume 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).
Notice that Polycrates said that he and the other early church leaders (like the Apostles Philip and John, and their successors like Polycarp, Thraseas, Eumenia, Sagaris, Papirius, Melito) would not deviate from the Bible, and that they knew the Bible taught them to keep the Passover on the correct date, and not on a Sunday. Also notice that they always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. Polycrates also reminded the Roman bishop that true followers of Christ "obey God rather than men"
( A scrap that I came across in my studies)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Judges 6 Commentary
I have heard that Israel means To strive with God ( and man, and prevail.)
This is really conveyed in the first several chapters of judges.
As there is much weighty sadness in the perpetual, habitual forsaking of God by his people...
But there is also a solemn acknowledgment that he is the only salvation that is to be grasped.
What comes through in the beginning of the chapter is God's faithfulness to a rebellious stiff necked people.
Verse 1
1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years
That is basic cause and effect. A forsaking of God leads to his hand to place you into an atmosphere where you are more inclined to remember him.
Reading further down to verse 11, I began to see parallels in Gideon.
11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.
The first thing that I see in this, is the position of Israel. In the Gospels those faithful to the call of God are likened to wheat. Here we find that there is wheat in the bottom of a winepress... which to me, paints the picture of the state israel was in... They are the wheat, being crushed and oppressed.
In that analogy, Gideon would be likened to the Messiah as the harvester, gathering his wheat from the enemy that seeks to devour it...To take what he has not rightly sown.
Further parralles are drawn from 14-15
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
This may seem like a basic link, but i felt that it should be mentioned none the less. Both Gideon and Yeshua ( Jesus) were given the charge to deliver Israel from oppression.
15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
When i read this verse, I was reminded of a teaching that I heard that brought up the fact that The messiah came from Nazareth, which was likened to a town of nothingness. I would assume that would be like a garbageman rising up out of Jerome Arizona, and being charged with liberating Israel from geo-political pressures. ( no offense to sanitation engineers who may follow current events on a global stage) I saw that as a big thing as I see biblical men being brought up for a purpose coming from nothing of any sort of stature. What was Joseph but a slave? I digress. Just thinking here.
I found a great deal of interest in verse 17
17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. 18 Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.”
He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”
I know of many whom would argue against this type of scenario and classify it as testing God. Yet, i see in other places in scripture where we are to test spirits to see if they are of God. Is this a backing of that? Probably. I don't know.
What exactly entails testing God? I need to look into that in greater detail, because I think a lot of people may mix up trying to discern his voice and will for something that is an affront to him... and that is an area that needs clear definition as one is of great benefit and the other determent.
21Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight
The things that stood out from this are as follows: We have an offering of a slaughtered animal and unleavened bread... it is placed on the rock... where there is consuming fire.
That may mean something... but... I dunno what. I just see that they are kinda signs of the messiah right? Or perhaps I am just reading too much into something...
( Jesus is our passover lamb. Jesus is the bread that is unleavened by sin, He is the Rock of our foundation, He is the consuming fire)
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23 “It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.”
Who was this that Gideon was speaking to that he feared he would die? Is this in reference to the scripture that states that no man has looked on God and lived? Usually, when men encountered "angels" they figuratively crap themselves and bury their face in the dirt. That was not Gideons initial reaction, which leads me to wonder what was different about this messenger of the Lord. Could this perhaps, maybe, be the same person Jacob wrestled with?
now I am going back to that offering...
20The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.
Could the broth be a shadow of blood poured out for us? Or am I just hungry and thinking about food too much during scripture time. I dunno.. Moving on.
34So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.
So, Gideon has the Spirit of the LORD with him, and He already has confirmation from God as to what he is supposed to do.... he should be ready to roll out right?
Nope... better check again:
36Then Gideon said to God, "If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken,
37behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken."
38And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.
What makes me wonder is why he questioned what God had already spoken? He knew it to be God and the was no question about that. He knew what God asked and he had no misinterpretations about that.
So, he does the fleece thing to make sure and God answers him clearly. Now he should be ready to roll out right?
Nope. Better make sure it wasn't a fluke...
39Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground."
40God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.
I believe this is a testament to God's patience. Sometimes i wonder how many times a person needs to ask a question that he already knows the answers to. At what point does that cross over into testing God? It seems that he is pushing a little bit... but for the right reason I guess. Maybe that comes back to God striving with man. If my life was about to be put in harms way, I may want to go forward with 1000% certainty. However... I would hope that the angel of the Lord might be enough for me. I dunno. Thats all i have for Judges 6
This is really conveyed in the first several chapters of judges.
As there is much weighty sadness in the perpetual, habitual forsaking of God by his people...
But there is also a solemn acknowledgment that he is the only salvation that is to be grasped.
What comes through in the beginning of the chapter is God's faithfulness to a rebellious stiff necked people.
Verse 1
1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years
That is basic cause and effect. A forsaking of God leads to his hand to place you into an atmosphere where you are more inclined to remember him.
Reading further down to verse 11, I began to see parallels in Gideon.
11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.
The first thing that I see in this, is the position of Israel. In the Gospels those faithful to the call of God are likened to wheat. Here we find that there is wheat in the bottom of a winepress... which to me, paints the picture of the state israel was in... They are the wheat, being crushed and oppressed.
In that analogy, Gideon would be likened to the Messiah as the harvester, gathering his wheat from the enemy that seeks to devour it...To take what he has not rightly sown.
Further parralles are drawn from 14-15
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
This may seem like a basic link, but i felt that it should be mentioned none the less. Both Gideon and Yeshua ( Jesus) were given the charge to deliver Israel from oppression.
15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
When i read this verse, I was reminded of a teaching that I heard that brought up the fact that The messiah came from Nazareth, which was likened to a town of nothingness. I would assume that would be like a garbageman rising up out of Jerome Arizona, and being charged with liberating Israel from geo-political pressures. ( no offense to sanitation engineers who may follow current events on a global stage) I saw that as a big thing as I see biblical men being brought up for a purpose coming from nothing of any sort of stature. What was Joseph but a slave? I digress. Just thinking here.
I found a great deal of interest in verse 17
17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. 18 Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.”
He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”
I know of many whom would argue against this type of scenario and classify it as testing God. Yet, i see in other places in scripture where we are to test spirits to see if they are of God. Is this a backing of that? Probably. I don't know.
What exactly entails testing God? I need to look into that in greater detail, because I think a lot of people may mix up trying to discern his voice and will for something that is an affront to him... and that is an area that needs clear definition as one is of great benefit and the other determent.
21Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight
The things that stood out from this are as follows: We have an offering of a slaughtered animal and unleavened bread... it is placed on the rock... where there is consuming fire.
That may mean something... but... I dunno what. I just see that they are kinda signs of the messiah right? Or perhaps I am just reading too much into something...
( Jesus is our passover lamb. Jesus is the bread that is unleavened by sin, He is the Rock of our foundation, He is the consuming fire)
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23 “It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.”
Who was this that Gideon was speaking to that he feared he would die? Is this in reference to the scripture that states that no man has looked on God and lived? Usually, when men encountered "angels" they figuratively crap themselves and bury their face in the dirt. That was not Gideons initial reaction, which leads me to wonder what was different about this messenger of the Lord. Could this perhaps, maybe, be the same person Jacob wrestled with?
now I am going back to that offering...
20The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.
Could the broth be a shadow of blood poured out for us? Or am I just hungry and thinking about food too much during scripture time. I dunno.. Moving on.
34So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.
So, Gideon has the Spirit of the LORD with him, and He already has confirmation from God as to what he is supposed to do.... he should be ready to roll out right?
Nope... better check again:
36Then Gideon said to God, "If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken,
37behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken."
38And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.
What makes me wonder is why he questioned what God had already spoken? He knew it to be God and the was no question about that. He knew what God asked and he had no misinterpretations about that.
So, he does the fleece thing to make sure and God answers him clearly. Now he should be ready to roll out right?
Nope. Better make sure it wasn't a fluke...
39Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground."
40God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.
I believe this is a testament to God's patience. Sometimes i wonder how many times a person needs to ask a question that he already knows the answers to. At what point does that cross over into testing God? It seems that he is pushing a little bit... but for the right reason I guess. Maybe that comes back to God striving with man. If my life was about to be put in harms way, I may want to go forward with 1000% certainty. However... I would hope that the angel of the Lord might be enough for me. I dunno. Thats all i have for Judges 6
Sunday, November 11, 2012
60 Facts about the Sabbath of God
WHY keep the Sabbath day? What is the object of the Sabbath? Who made
it? When was it made, and for whom? Which day is the true Sabbath? Many
keep the first day of the week, or Sunday. What Bible authority have
they for this? There is now a growing count of over 400 denominations in
the world that keep the seventh day, or Saturday. What Scripture have
they for that? Here are the facts about both days, as plainly stated in
the Word of God.
1. After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1.3.)
2. This stamped that day as God's rest day, or Sabbath day, as Sabbath day means rest day. To illustrate: When a person is born on a certain day, that day thus becomes his birthday. So when God rested upon the seventh day, that day became His rest, or Sabbath, day.
3. Therefore the seventh day must always be God's Sabbath day. A person cannot change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one on which you were not born. . Neither can a person change God's rest day to a day on which He did not rest. Hence the seventh day is still God's Sabbath day.
4. The Creator blessed the seventh day. (Genesis 2:3.)
5. He sanctified the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11.)
6. He made it the Sabbath day in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:1-3.)
7. It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type; for types were not introduced till after the fall.
8. Jesus says it was made for man (Mark 2:27), that is, for the race, as the word man is here unlimited; hence, for the Gentile as well as for the Jew.
9. It is a memorial of creation. (Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as God did at creation, we commemorate that grand event.
10. It was given to Adam, the head of the human race. (Mark 2:27; Genesis 2:1-3.)
11. Hence through him, as our representative, to all nations. (Acts 17:26.)
12. It is' not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2,300 years before ever there was a Jew.
13. The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God's holy rest day.
14. Evident reference is made to the Sabbath and the seven-day week all, through the patriarchal age. (Genesis 2:1-3; 8:10,12; 29:27-28. etc.)
15. It was a part of God's law before Sinai. (Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)
16. Then God placed it in the heart of His law. (Exodus 20:1-17.) Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts, which all admit to be immutable?
17. The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (Deuteronomy 4:12,13.)
18. Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (Exodus 31:18.)
19. He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (Deuteronomy 5:22.)
20. It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)
21. God forbade work upon the Sabbath, even in the most hurrying times. (Exodus 34:21.)
22. God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (Ezekiel 20:12-13.)
23. It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (Ezekiel 20:20.)
24. God promised that Jerusalem should stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:24-25.)
25. He sent them into the Babylonish captivity for breaking it. (Nehemiah 13:18.)
26. He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation. (Jeremiah 17:27.)
27. God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep it. (Isaiah 56:6, 7.)
28. This is in the prophecy, which refers wholly to non-Jews. (See Isaiah 56.)
29. God has promised to bless all who keep the Sabbath. (Isaiah 56:2.)
30. The Lord requires us to call it "honourable". (Isaiah 58:13.) Be careful not to call it the. "old Jewish Sabbath," "a yoke of bondage," etc.
31. After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down "many generations," it is to be restored in the last days. (Isaiah 58:12-13.)
32. All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.
33. When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (Luke 4:16; John 15:10.) Thus He followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son?
34. The seventh day is the Lord's Day. (See Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.)
35. Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), that is, to love and protect it, as the husband is the lord of the wife, to love and cherish her (1 Peter 3:6.)
36. He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man's good. (Mark 2:23-28.)
37. Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, He carefully taught how it should be observed. (Matthew 13:1-13.)
38. He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Sabbath day but what was "lawful" (Matthew 12:12.)
39. He instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded forty years after His resurrection. (Matthew 24:20.)
40. The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (Luke 23:56.)
41. Years after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit' expressly calls it "the Sabbath day,"(Acts 13:14.)
42. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it the "Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (Acts 13:27.) How shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?
43. Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it the "Sabbath day." (Acts 13:44.)
44. The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (Acts 13:42.)
45. In the great Christian council, A.D. 49. In the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the "Sabbath day." (Acts 15:21.)
46. It was customary to hold prayer meetings upon that day. (Acts 16:13.)
47. Paul read the Scriptures in public meetings on that day. (Acts 17:2-3.)
48. It was his custom to preach upon that day. (Acts 17:2-3.)
49. The Book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11.)
50. There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did.
51. In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why did they not, if he did not keep it?
52. But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?
53. The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament fifty-nine times, and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, "the Sabbath day."
54. Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath's being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind.
55. God has never given permission to any man to work upon it.
56. No Christian of the New Testament, either before or after the resurrection, ever did ordinary work upon the seventh day. Find one case of that kind, and we will yield the question. Why should modem Christians do differently from Bible Christians?
57. There is no record that God has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the seventh day.
58. As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the restitution. (Isaiah 66:22-23.)
59. The seventh-day Sabbath was an important part of the law of God, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai. (See Exodus 20.) When Jesus began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets." Matthew 5:17
60. Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love God, while at the same tune they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition. The keeping of Sunday is only a tradition of men
-
This post was not originally compiled by me but it was slightly revised by me.
1. After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1.3.)
2. This stamped that day as God's rest day, or Sabbath day, as Sabbath day means rest day. To illustrate: When a person is born on a certain day, that day thus becomes his birthday. So when God rested upon the seventh day, that day became His rest, or Sabbath, day.
3. Therefore the seventh day must always be God's Sabbath day. A person cannot change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one on which you were not born. . Neither can a person change God's rest day to a day on which He did not rest. Hence the seventh day is still God's Sabbath day.
4. The Creator blessed the seventh day. (Genesis 2:3.)
5. He sanctified the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11.)
6. He made it the Sabbath day in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:1-3.)
7. It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type; for types were not introduced till after the fall.
8. Jesus says it was made for man (Mark 2:27), that is, for the race, as the word man is here unlimited; hence, for the Gentile as well as for the Jew.
9. It is a memorial of creation. (Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as God did at creation, we commemorate that grand event.
10. It was given to Adam, the head of the human race. (Mark 2:27; Genesis 2:1-3.)
11. Hence through him, as our representative, to all nations. (Acts 17:26.)
12. It is' not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2,300 years before ever there was a Jew.
13. The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God's holy rest day.
14. Evident reference is made to the Sabbath and the seven-day week all, through the patriarchal age. (Genesis 2:1-3; 8:10,12; 29:27-28. etc.)
15. It was a part of God's law before Sinai. (Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)
16. Then God placed it in the heart of His law. (Exodus 20:1-17.) Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts, which all admit to be immutable?
17. The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (Deuteronomy 4:12,13.)
18. Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (Exodus 31:18.)
19. He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (Deuteronomy 5:22.)
20. It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)
21. God forbade work upon the Sabbath, even in the most hurrying times. (Exodus 34:21.)
22. God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (Ezekiel 20:12-13.)
23. It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (Ezekiel 20:20.)
24. God promised that Jerusalem should stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:24-25.)
25. He sent them into the Babylonish captivity for breaking it. (Nehemiah 13:18.)
26. He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation. (Jeremiah 17:27.)
27. God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who will keep it. (Isaiah 56:6, 7.)
28. This is in the prophecy, which refers wholly to non-Jews. (See Isaiah 56.)
29. God has promised to bless all who keep the Sabbath. (Isaiah 56:2.)
30. The Lord requires us to call it "honourable". (Isaiah 58:13.) Be careful not to call it the. "old Jewish Sabbath," "a yoke of bondage," etc.
31. After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down "many generations," it is to be restored in the last days. (Isaiah 58:12-13.)
32. All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.
33. When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (Luke 4:16; John 15:10.) Thus He followed His Father's example at creation. Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son?
34. The seventh day is the Lord's Day. (See Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.)
35. Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), that is, to love and protect it, as the husband is the lord of the wife, to love and cherish her (1 Peter 3:6.)
36. He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man's good. (Mark 2:23-28.)
37. Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, He carefully taught how it should be observed. (Matthew 13:1-13.)
38. He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Sabbath day but what was "lawful" (Matthew 12:12.)
39. He instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded forty years after His resurrection. (Matthew 24:20.)
40. The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (Luke 23:56.)
41. Years after Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit' expressly calls it "the Sabbath day,"(Acts 13:14.)
42. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it the "Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (Acts 13:27.) How shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?
43. Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it the "Sabbath day." (Acts 13:44.)
44. The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (Acts 13:42.)
45. In the great Christian council, A.D. 49. In the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the "Sabbath day." (Acts 15:21.)
46. It was customary to hold prayer meetings upon that day. (Acts 16:13.)
47. Paul read the Scriptures in public meetings on that day. (Acts 17:2-3.)
48. It was his custom to preach upon that day. (Acts 17:2-3.)
49. The Book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11.)
50. There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did.
51. In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why did they not, if he did not keep it?
52. But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?
53. The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament fifty-nine times, and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, "the Sabbath day."
54. Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath's being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind.
55. God has never given permission to any man to work upon it.
56. No Christian of the New Testament, either before or after the resurrection, ever did ordinary work upon the seventh day. Find one case of that kind, and we will yield the question. Why should modem Christians do differently from Bible Christians?
57. There is no record that God has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the seventh day.
58. As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the restitution. (Isaiah 66:22-23.)
59. The seventh-day Sabbath was an important part of the law of God, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai. (See Exodus 20.) When Jesus began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets." Matthew 5:17
60. Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love God, while at the same tune they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition. The keeping of Sunday is only a tradition of men
-
This post was not originally compiled by me but it was slightly revised by me.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Though My World May Fall...
As I watched the results of the election results last night I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Granted, it was probably the results of the Chimichangas that I had eaten for dinner, I still felt concerned for the nation and the people in which dwell within its boarders. Having been in church nearly every week for the past twelve years or so, I have heard dozens of sermons and lots of various praise and worship songs. As I was praying for God's will to be done, and that He put whomever He sees fit into office to fulfill His purpose, A song popped in my head that I haven't heard in a while.
The lyrics are simple enough:
Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Jesus, I will never let you go
You’ve taken me from the miry clay
You've set my feet upon the Rock, and now i know
I love you, I need you,
Though my world may fall, I’ll never let you go
My Saviour, my closest friend,
I will worship you until the very end
The part that was stuck in my mind was the "though my world may fall"
Now I'm not going to go off leaning to any political side, because this blog is about the Biblical side and not secular. however, I saw in the previous election something that I am seeing now.
An impending sense of dread and fear. Believers and non-believers alike have unified in either their misplaced hope or overwhelming disgust.
Why are we so easily shaken ?
Why are we so easily scared ?
Do we put our faith and Hope in the God who authority comes from and pray for our leaders?
Or do we slander them and curse them and thus rebel against God's plan?
Consider David:
16 Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2 The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” 4 So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and cut off his head.” 10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
If God puts people in place for to bless a nation, or curse them... then who are we to fight that? Does not God do what is right in His own sight? In my own life I have had to look at my heart and repent for my rebellion against God, His wisdom, and His authority.
I believe that David really knew this concept of "though my world may fall, I will never let you go"
1 samuel 2
“The Lord makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
8 “He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 “He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.
Not by might shall a man prevail.
Where is your security? Where is your foundation? If we place our trust in things other than the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, we are going to be devastated when ruin befalls us.
Do we elect Christ and his policy to usher in prosperity and peace in our lives, or do we rebel as was done in the book of 1 Samuel 8
19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Though my world may fall...
The lyrics are simple enough:
Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Jesus, I will never let you go
You’ve taken me from the miry clay
You've set my feet upon the Rock, and now i know
I love you, I need you,
Though my world may fall, I’ll never let you go
My Saviour, my closest friend,
I will worship you until the very end
The part that was stuck in my mind was the "though my world may fall"
Now I'm not going to go off leaning to any political side, because this blog is about the Biblical side and not secular. however, I saw in the previous election something that I am seeing now.
An impending sense of dread and fear. Believers and non-believers alike have unified in either their misplaced hope or overwhelming disgust.
Why are we so easily shaken ?
Why are we so easily scared ?
Do we put our faith and Hope in the God who authority comes from and pray for our leaders?
Or do we slander them and curse them and thus rebel against God's plan?
Consider David:
16 Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2 The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” 4 So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”
5 When King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came. 6 He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. 7 Thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! 8 The Lord has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and cut off his head.” 10 But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
If God puts people in place for to bless a nation, or curse them... then who are we to fight that? Does not God do what is right in His own sight? In my own life I have had to look at my heart and repent for my rebellion against God, His wisdom, and His authority.
I believe that David really knew this concept of "though my world may fall, I will never let you go"
1 samuel 2
“The Lord makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
8 “He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 “He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.
Not by might shall a man prevail.
Where is your security? Where is your foundation? If we place our trust in things other than the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, we are going to be devastated when ruin befalls us.
Do we elect Christ and his policy to usher in prosperity and peace in our lives, or do we rebel as was done in the book of 1 Samuel 8
19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Though my world may fall...
Monday, November 5, 2012
The coming Kingdom.
I've been talking a lot about the Sabbath and God, and many of the things not commonly taught in modern protestant theology. A friend of mine made a request that I talk more about the coming Kingdom. So, at my friends request, I am going to talk a little bit about the New Heaven and New Earth that is going to be made.
How many of you even knew that the bible talks about making a New Heaven and Earth?
Lets take a look at some scriptures about it.
It's mentioned as something that is coming in Revelations 21.
(1) Interesting point on this concept of overcoming. What is it that we overcome? Revelation 12 gives us insight. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
(2) Side point on things that are abominable Proverbs 28:9
Isaiah 66
18 “For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. 19 I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. 20 Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21 I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the Lord.
(1) Note that in heaven people keep the sabbath and the feasts of God.
(2)Jesus make mention of this in Matthew 24
But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
This is also mentioned in Luke
Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] 37 And answering they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
Peter has this to say:
2 Peter- 3:10- 16
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
And finally Jesus mentions the New Heaven and New Earth
Matthew- 5:17-19
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
There you have it folks. The coming of Christ and His Kingdom.
How many of you even knew that the bible talks about making a New Heaven and Earth?
Lets take a look at some scriptures about it.
It's mentioned as something that is coming in Revelations 21.
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. (1) He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and (2)abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”(1) Interesting point on this concept of overcoming. What is it that we overcome? Revelation 12 gives us insight. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
(2) Side point on things that are abominable Proverbs 28:9
Isaiah 66
18 “For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. 19 I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. 20 Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21 I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the Lord.
22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord,
“So your offspring and your name will endure.
23(1) “And it shall be from new moon to new moon
And from sabbath to sabbath,All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord.
24 (2)“Then they will go forth and look
On the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm will not die
And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord,
“So your offspring and your name will endure.
23(1) “And it shall be from new moon to new moon
And from sabbath to sabbath,All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord.
24 (2)“Then they will go forth and look
On the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm will not die
And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
(1) Note that in heaven people keep the sabbath and the feasts of God.
(2)Jesus make mention of this in Matthew 24
But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
This is also mentioned in Luke
Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] 37 And answering they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
Peter has this to say:
2 Peter- 3:10- 16
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
And finally Jesus mentions the New Heaven and New Earth
Matthew- 5:17-19
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
There you have it folks. The coming of Christ and His Kingdom.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Define your Belief
Sin, Strong's G266 - hamartia
1 peter 2
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Repent, Strong's G3340 - metanoeō
Luke
1 peter 1
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Submit, Strong's G5293 - hypotassō
James 4
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grace,Strong's G5485 - charis
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
1) equivalent to 264
a) to be without a share in
b) to miss the mark
c) to err, be mistaken
d) to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong
e) to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin
2) that which is done wrong, sin, an offence, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act
3) collectively, the complex or aggregate of sins committed either by a single person or by many
1 peter 2
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Repent, Strong's G3340 - metanoeō
1) to change one's mind, i.e. to repent
2) to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins
Luke
13 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Obedience, Strong's G5219 - hypakouō
1) to listen, to harken
a) of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is, (the duty of a porter)
2) to harken to a command
a) to obey, be obedient to, submit to
1 peter 1
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Submit, Strong's G5293 - hypotassō
1) to arrange under, to subordinate
2) to subject, put in subjection
3) to subject one's self, obey
4) to submit to one's control
5) to yield to one's admonition or advice
6) to obey, be subject
James 4
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grace,Strong's G5485 - charis
1) grace
a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
a)
of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon
souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in
Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise
of the Christian virtues
3) what is due to grace
a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
b) the token or proof of grace, benefit
1) a gift of grace
2) benefit, bounty
4) thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward
Titus 2
Perseverance, Strong's G5281 - hypomonē
1) steadfastness, constancy, endurance
a)
in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his
deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the
greatest trials and sufferings
b) patiently, and steadfastly
2) a patient, steadfast waiting for
3) a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance
Revelation 14
12 Here is the perseverance of the [j]saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
12 Here is the perseverance of the [j]saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
Subject, Strong's G5293 - hypotassō
1) to arrange under, to subordinate
2) to subject, put in subjection
3) to subject one's self, obey
4) to submit to one's control
5) to yield to one's admonition or advice
6) to obey, be subject
Romans 6
6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
I believe that we are Saved by Grace.
I believe that those are saved are to Repent from Sin.
I believe that we are to be Subject to God and Submit to Him and His ways in Obedience.
I believe that we are called to Perseverance against the flesh and the ways of the enemy.
I believe that this is good news.
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