I'm generally not a fan of taking a teaching from a couple of verses, preferring line upon line and precept upon precept to establish a lesson. However, sometimes a picture is given in a very few verses and, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. The same is true about the picture that I would like to put forth in today's post. The post is the figure of the altar, which was given to Moses when he was at Sinai, and the picture is worth many words. Here is the passage that I am referring to:
"An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record My name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon int, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon."
~Exodus 20:24-26
This is how I read this passage.
There are two different configurations of altars that God instructs here. One - the first choice that God puts forth - is the earthen altar, the second is the stone altar. The altar is where the People would approach to give their offerings and sacrifices when worshipping God; therefore, I see the altar as representing our mindset, or our approach, to worship. The offering is what we give to God; it is our actions.
The first figure is that of the earth. The Hebrew word for earth here is "adamah", which is very close to "Adam", and is in fact the word for ground in Genesis 2:7, where it says, "the Lord God formed man [Hebrew: "Adam"] of the dust of the ground [Hebrew: "adamah"]." This is worshipping God from the very substance that He made you from. Earth is soft, it's pliable, it's merciful; there is a lot of room for different constructions of an altar of earth (our approach to worship) that will still form an altar and will still be acceptable to God. This is illustrated in the fact that God says "make an altar" but doesn't give detailed instructions on what the altar will look like, only that it must be able to hold an offering of worship - these are very loose parameters, as long as the offering is to Him and to Him alone. To me, this is synonymous with when Jesus wrapped up all of the commandments and the law into two statements when He was teaching at the Temple (which is where the altar was when He walked the earth) shortly before His crucifixion. One of the crowd, a lawyer - whose primary interest was in the tenants of the law - had asked Jesus what the greatest commandment (law) ever given was, and Jesus replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40)." Now love comes in a lot of shapes and sizes, but the one thing that you can't take away from love is that it has to come from your being - it has to come from what you have been made of.
The second altar configuration is that of stone. It is much harder than the earthen altar, much more rigid. The altar of stone is worshipping God by the tenants of the law. In fact, the law was written on two stone tablets when it was given to Moses. The law is hard, rigid, not pliable; it must be carefully pieced together. There are two important things that I would like to point out about this configuration. First, God says "IF" you choose to make an altar of stone... which means that it is an optional configuration. I'm not saying that the law itself is optional, because the law was the way that God told His people what He hated, and that is still very important to know. However, there are a lot of ways to show love for God and one another that are outside of the rigid structure of the law. (An example could be giving someone a hug: nowhere in the law does it say that you have to hug someone, but it is an acceptable way to show people that you love them.) So God says if you want to make it harder than it needs to be, that is acceptable. But He then puts a caveat on worshipping by the law. If you are to build the altar of stone, you use the stones that He gave you, and you don't change them one bit. That means that you don't shave off any pieces of the stones to make them fit together better, nor do you engrave your words into them to add unto them. This represents two of the passages from my prior post warning against taking away from or adding unto God's Word. God says that doing that is polluting His Word, and it causes an unacceptable offering to Him.
So there is more leeway in giving an offering on the earthen altar than on the stone altar, and the choice of the altar configuration is up to you.
One final item to note is the last part where God instructs the People not to go up to the altar by steps. This, to me, represents placing ourselves above anyone else - thinking that we are better than anyone else because of how we worship God. God hates this attitude (see Isaiah 65:2-6). Jesus Himself instructed to His disciples, who were the most well honoured students of the Word because they were directly taught by Him, "Be ye not called 'Teacher': for One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren (Matthew 23:8)." When we put ourselves on pedestals, it only means that we have farther to fall to hit the ground because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." And that sin is the nakedness that the last part of passage above refers to; it is the shame that Adam felt when he knew that he had sinned and was required to stand before God to face it. Everyone sins. But when we place ourselves above others and continue to sin, we become hypocrites. We become useless in giving God a good name (as best we can). We tarnish the name of God through our own stupidity. But if we are humble, and admit that we too are not perfect, but that we are trying to follow our beliefs as best we can, then we are much more relatable to every other person on the face of the earth... because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is important to be humble. In fact, God told one of His prophets, "what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God (Micah 6:8)?" That's what is required when we worship. That is encompassed above in Exodus 20:24-26. And that is an acceptable approach to worshipping God. God bless.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Repent Ye: For The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand...
God has declared the end since the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10). This is a message that is repeated over and over in the Bible. He does this so that we will be prepared for it. It's almost as though you were getting the answers to an approaching test, but it's not a "cheat sheet", because the Teacher is saying, "Here, I've given you the answers, now you just study it real good." That's good news. That's "gospel". And it's true. In fact, the title of this post refers to the beginning of the New Testament. Right when John the Baptist comes out and starts preaching, the first thing he's recorded as saying is, "Repent ye: for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 3:2)." Similarily when Jesus begins His ministry, the first thing He preaches is, "Repent: for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17)." That means, "this age could come to an end at any moment, henceforth from this moment." People take this further to think that Jesus will appear at any moment and there will not be a tribulation - if you are tempted to think this now, read my last post where God lays out very clearly the events that will happen before the end of this age. Notwithstanding, these first teachings by John and Jesus make it very apparent that "understanding the end times" is a part of understanding the gospel.
The last post laid out Mark 13 in detail, but that was not the end of Jesus' teachings when He was giving that speech. Matthew 24 is the same speech as Mark 13, but Jesus continues teaching lessons about the end times and judgment in Matthew 25. There are three additional parables that give more understanding of what is to come. The parables let you know, once you have a knowledge of what the end times are to bring, what you are supposed to do with that knowledge. It is a continuation of the gospel.
I say it is a continuation because the all of the teachings of Jesus were "gospel" (meaning "good news"), in that they all told of His salvation. Knowing what is going to happen in the end IS good news, though some don't want to look at it that way. People will cut some of that message out and say, "only this part is the gospel," or, "only this is important," while others will add to it, saying, "you also needed this." Do not believe them! (My next post will touch on this.)
John warned against these methodologies in Revelation 22:18-19, saying, "if man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life..." which, in turn, is echoed from Dueteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it." And it was also taught by figure in the law of how to build an altar (see next post).
Paul also stated the importance of all scriptures when he wrote his second letter to Timothy, saying, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reporoof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." So the entire gospel, including the continuation, is important for us to know, especially if you are a person that lives in the "end times". The first parable that Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 teaches you that. I will be going into those three additional parables, but there is some groundwork to lay first, which has been brought up in an online study group of mine; I think it is important in regards to "what you are supposed to do with the knowledge of the end times" and the approach to delivering the message.
The key to this post, however, is knowing that if you are still reading this, you can still repent. God has left repentance open to anyone and everyone up until the very last moment of this age. Please don't take this as me saying that someone can put it off... because we could pass away at any moment. But take this as me saying, if you are reading this and it connects with you, then this is your opportunity to repent, right now, right where you are, get on board this train, and begin the journey into a fantastic life full of blessing. Paul told us how to do it in Romans 10:9, saying, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." That is the first step to wisdom in God. The next was given by God in Ezekiel 18, saying, "if the wicked man will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and will keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done shall he live." Don't know what the commandments and statutes are? Jesus put it very succinctly to give you some time to learn them if you are a beginner, saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40)." The golden rule. Treating others as you would be treated will get you through until you learn the rest of the law and the prophets (if that is your goal) and it is key in loving God with all your heart soul and mind. The first baby steps to "perfection", or maturity in God's Word. Spread the good news. God bless.
The last post laid out Mark 13 in detail, but that was not the end of Jesus' teachings when He was giving that speech. Matthew 24 is the same speech as Mark 13, but Jesus continues teaching lessons about the end times and judgment in Matthew 25. There are three additional parables that give more understanding of what is to come. The parables let you know, once you have a knowledge of what the end times are to bring, what you are supposed to do with that knowledge. It is a continuation of the gospel.
I say it is a continuation because the all of the teachings of Jesus were "gospel" (meaning "good news"), in that they all told of His salvation. Knowing what is going to happen in the end IS good news, though some don't want to look at it that way. People will cut some of that message out and say, "only this part is the gospel," or, "only this is important," while others will add to it, saying, "you also needed this." Do not believe them! (My next post will touch on this.)
John warned against these methodologies in Revelation 22:18-19, saying, "if man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life..." which, in turn, is echoed from Dueteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it." And it was also taught by figure in the law of how to build an altar (see next post).
Paul also stated the importance of all scriptures when he wrote his second letter to Timothy, saying, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reporoof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." So the entire gospel, including the continuation, is important for us to know, especially if you are a person that lives in the "end times". The first parable that Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 teaches you that. I will be going into those three additional parables, but there is some groundwork to lay first, which has been brought up in an online study group of mine; I think it is important in regards to "what you are supposed to do with the knowledge of the end times" and the approach to delivering the message.
The key to this post, however, is knowing that if you are still reading this, you can still repent. God has left repentance open to anyone and everyone up until the very last moment of this age. Please don't take this as me saying that someone can put it off... because we could pass away at any moment. But take this as me saying, if you are reading this and it connects with you, then this is your opportunity to repent, right now, right where you are, get on board this train, and begin the journey into a fantastic life full of blessing. Paul told us how to do it in Romans 10:9, saying, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." That is the first step to wisdom in God. The next was given by God in Ezekiel 18, saying, "if the wicked man will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and will keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done shall he live." Don't know what the commandments and statutes are? Jesus put it very succinctly to give you some time to learn them if you are a beginner, saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40)." The golden rule. Treating others as you would be treated will get you through until you learn the rest of the law and the prophets (if that is your goal) and it is key in loving God with all your heart soul and mind. The first baby steps to "perfection", or maturity in God's Word. Spread the good news. God bless.
Friday, 23 September 2011
Let No Man Deceive You By Any Means...
Over the past few days, I've seen and heard the agitation stir up again over "when will the end of the world be?... Is Jesus coming back on October 21st, 2011?... when is the rapture?... will I be taken with Him?..." and so on. These questions are plainly answered in the Bible so that we do not have to be agitated. Here are two places where the events are clearly laid out, and the narrator in both cases says, "do not let any one deceived you about what will happen." The speakers should know - they are two of the most credible sources in the Bible. The first is Jesus - and if you believe that the Bible is true, there is not a more credible testimony in the Bible than Jesus'. The second is Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament. If you can't believe these two, then I don't know who you can believe. The passages are from Mark 13 and from 2 Thessalonians 2.
I will not add any interpretation to the narrative - their words are much better than mine, and I believe that the unaltered text speaks clearly for itself. I would like to point out a couple of facts about the narrative though. I hear people quote the "no one knows the day or the hour of His return" passage all the time - which is true! No one knows the time. However, we can't let someone spin that statement into "we don't know what will be happening at that time," because Jesus and Paul tell us clearly what will be happening. Second, some people may say that the description is too vague to get any meaning out of and that you should just take it with a grain of salt because it was meant to be intentionally vague. Do not believe them! During the course of the Mark 13 speech, Jesus uses terms that tell you to pay close attention to what is being said 12 times. 12 times. That's emphatically saying, "you pay close attention to this." I will underline these instances in the passage. Also, Jesus directly references scripture 7 times in Mark 13 (with many other indirect references) and 3 of those times are from the Book of Daniel. Paul is also citing Daniel in 2 Thessalonians. I will also mark the scriptural references below.
Mark 13
And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answering said unto him, "Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"
And Jesus answering them began to say, "Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying 'I am Christ;' and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom [see Isaiah 19:2]: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents [see Micah 7:6], and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not [see Daniel 9:27], (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be [see Daniel 12:1]. And except that the LORD had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days.
And then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ;' or, 'lo, He is there;' believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken [see Amos 3:7]. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds [see Daniel 7:13] with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
2 Thessalonians 2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God [see Daniel 11:36-39]. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
There you have it. Do not be deceived. God bless.
I will not add any interpretation to the narrative - their words are much better than mine, and I believe that the unaltered text speaks clearly for itself. I would like to point out a couple of facts about the narrative though. I hear people quote the "no one knows the day or the hour of His return" passage all the time - which is true! No one knows the time. However, we can't let someone spin that statement into "we don't know what will be happening at that time," because Jesus and Paul tell us clearly what will be happening. Second, some people may say that the description is too vague to get any meaning out of and that you should just take it with a grain of salt because it was meant to be intentionally vague. Do not believe them! During the course of the Mark 13 speech, Jesus uses terms that tell you to pay close attention to what is being said 12 times. 12 times. That's emphatically saying, "you pay close attention to this." I will underline these instances in the passage. Also, Jesus directly references scripture 7 times in Mark 13 (with many other indirect references) and 3 of those times are from the Book of Daniel. Paul is also citing Daniel in 2 Thessalonians. I will also mark the scriptural references below.
Mark 13
And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answering said unto him, "Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"
And Jesus answering them began to say, "Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying 'I am Christ;' and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom [see Isaiah 19:2]: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents [see Micah 7:6], and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not [see Daniel 9:27], (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be [see Daniel 12:1]. And except that the LORD had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days.
And then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ;' or, 'lo, He is there;' believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken [see Amos 3:7]. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds [see Daniel 7:13] with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
2 Thessalonians 2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God [see Daniel 11:36-39]. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
There you have it. Do not be deceived. God bless.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
I Have Set Before You Life and Death...
This will be a short one, but a good one. The reason that we are hear on the earth is to make a choice. We choose life, or we choose death. Pretty simple. Paul said in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Life and death - a juxaposition. Moses told the Israelites about this choice in Deuteronomy 8:2 (which the Lord had told him about in Exodus 16:4), "thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no." That is the life and death statement: the blessing and the cursing. That's the point of this post.
Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the life." Paul said in Hebrews 2:14, "... him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."
But there is one monkey wrench that I must introduce here. Satan, the devil, always, always, always is trying to imitate Jesus. Satan wants to be considered as God, and so he constantly tries to steal that title. It started in the Garden of Eden and has been the same ever since. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan tries to disguise himself as an angel of light (or, rather, the Angel of Light, Who is Jesus). So there is a bit of a tricky thing that happens when we read the Bible; we must learn to rightly divide the subject matter so that we know who the text is talking about. We need to know when it is talking about Jesus and when it is talking about Satan. Here are some of the times that Satan tries to imitate Jesus:
Both are spoken of as trees in the Garden of Eden (the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)
Both are refered to as the morning star
Both are refered to as a rock
Both are refered to as lions
Both are compared to a thief (in the night)
Both are princes (one the Prince of Peace and one the prince of the world)
Both have marks that will be implanted in the minds of their disciples
Both have come to bring a fire in the earth
The list goes on and on, but the key is to be able to decifer which is which. It's not always easy, but always worth investigating the Word to find out. God bless.
Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the life." Paul said in Hebrews 2:14, "... him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."
But there is one monkey wrench that I must introduce here. Satan, the devil, always, always, always is trying to imitate Jesus. Satan wants to be considered as God, and so he constantly tries to steal that title. It started in the Garden of Eden and has been the same ever since. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan tries to disguise himself as an angel of light (or, rather, the Angel of Light, Who is Jesus). So there is a bit of a tricky thing that happens when we read the Bible; we must learn to rightly divide the subject matter so that we know who the text is talking about. We need to know when it is talking about Jesus and when it is talking about Satan. Here are some of the times that Satan tries to imitate Jesus:
Both are spoken of as trees in the Garden of Eden (the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)
Both are refered to as the morning star
Both are refered to as a rock
Both are refered to as lions
Both are compared to a thief (in the night)
Both are princes (one the Prince of Peace and one the prince of the world)
Both have marks that will be implanted in the minds of their disciples
Both have come to bring a fire in the earth
The list goes on and on, but the key is to be able to decifer which is which. It's not always easy, but always worth investigating the Word to find out. God bless.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Lapping Living Water...
In my last post, I covered a reference to God being the Fountain of living waters (Exodus 15:22-26). God calls Himself the Fountain of living waters in Jeremiah Chapter 2. Jesus makes reference to Himself being the Fountain of living waters in John Chapter 4. So what has my blog name got to do with that? I noted in the last post that I believe the living waters are the ways of God, "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live (Deuteronomy 8:3)," and every word that we need to know is recorded in the Bible.
When we read the Bible, we find that God has repeated over and over that He has chosen a number of people that will rekindle the fires of the Spirit in the end times. Is one of those people you? It may very well be; but that is something between you and Him. You may just want to ask God about it. Though I would say this, that even if you do get a "yes" answer, Paul set a good example for the chosen to follow. When he knew that he was chosen himself, he said, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:1-4)." Which, to me, says that Paul knew that he had a great understanding of the scriptures and what the purpose of life was, and what he was supposed to do with that knowledge, but he knew also Who to give credit to for the knowledge. He knew that he could understand nothing of the Bible, except that God opened his eyes to it. So, even though he was "chosen", he didn't dare act as though he was any better than anyone else (those who read the Bible know that God hates that type of behavior anyway), because he had no knowledge without God's say so... just like all of us. And the reason that he had that knowledge was to help others out with it... just like all of us.
Those mysteries that he spoke of are found in the Bible - and he ate them up, just like it was his last meal. He loved scripture; his astonishment that others didn't seem to love scripture as much as he did rings through in his writing. And this is where lapping living waters comes in. (The story is found in Judges chapter 7.)
After Israel had entered the promised land, they didn't have kings for quite a long time. Rather, God placed wise people over them to act as judges in matters of dispute and to lead them in war - but God Himself was their King.
Moses was a judge. Joshua was a judge. And Gideon also was a judge.
Just before Gideon was made a judge, some of the foreigners began to cause trouble in Israel. The Midianites ("Midian" is a Hebrew word meaning "strife"), who were descendants of Abraham by his second wife Keturah, and the Amalekites ("Amalek" is a Hebrew word meaning "valley dwellers" or "dwellers in the low land" or, more bluntly, "lowlifes"), who were descendants of Esau, had begun to opress Israel. The Lord told Gideon that he would be the one to deliver Israel - he was chosen - "Gideon" is a Hebrew word meaning "harvester" and symbolizes those chosen of God that will help Him with the spiritual harvest.
When Gideon was ready to fight the Midianites and the Amalekites, there were 32,000 of his tribesmen with him (32 is the number of the covenant with God, and 1,000 is the number of God's grace), but God told him there were too many peope to fight. God was going to deliver Israel by the hand of a few to show His power to Israel and to the surrounding nations. God told Gideon that anyone that did not want to fight could go home - so those who were ready to fly away for fear of the battle left. The amount that left was 22,000, leaving Gideon with 10,000 remaining (10 is the number of the law (or testimony) of God, and 1,000 is the number of His grace). But God said that 10,000 was still too many. So God got the people to all drink from a nearby water source - they partook of the living waters! Those that casually kneeled down and scooped the water with their hands were sent back to their tents, but 300 of the people were so thirsty for the water that they got down on their hands and knees and lapped up the water like a dog - these people were chosen to fight (3 is the number of the Divine nature of God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - and 100 is the number of the chosen, the "elect").
300 people against two full armies... 300... against an army of probably thousands, or tens of thousands. All of the 300 were all given a lamp (to let their light shine) and were given a trumpet (to sound the battle cry). And when they blew their trumpets, the armies of the Midianites and the Amalekites fled in terror. Not one hair on the heads of the 300 was harmed.
This is why I named my blog "lapping living waters" - whether I have been chosen or not.... I judge not mine own self. All I know is that once you have tasted the living waters, you too will want to lap it up because it is so refreshing. There are no other waters like it. "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6)"... and so they shall. What's your water source? God bless.
When we read the Bible, we find that God has repeated over and over that He has chosen a number of people that will rekindle the fires of the Spirit in the end times. Is one of those people you? It may very well be; but that is something between you and Him. You may just want to ask God about it. Though I would say this, that even if you do get a "yes" answer, Paul set a good example for the chosen to follow. When he knew that he was chosen himself, he said, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:1-4)." Which, to me, says that Paul knew that he had a great understanding of the scriptures and what the purpose of life was, and what he was supposed to do with that knowledge, but he knew also Who to give credit to for the knowledge. He knew that he could understand nothing of the Bible, except that God opened his eyes to it. So, even though he was "chosen", he didn't dare act as though he was any better than anyone else (those who read the Bible know that God hates that type of behavior anyway), because he had no knowledge without God's say so... just like all of us. And the reason that he had that knowledge was to help others out with it... just like all of us.
Those mysteries that he spoke of are found in the Bible - and he ate them up, just like it was his last meal. He loved scripture; his astonishment that others didn't seem to love scripture as much as he did rings through in his writing. And this is where lapping living waters comes in. (The story is found in Judges chapter 7.)
After Israel had entered the promised land, they didn't have kings for quite a long time. Rather, God placed wise people over them to act as judges in matters of dispute and to lead them in war - but God Himself was their King.
Moses was a judge. Joshua was a judge. And Gideon also was a judge.
Just before Gideon was made a judge, some of the foreigners began to cause trouble in Israel. The Midianites ("Midian" is a Hebrew word meaning "strife"), who were descendants of Abraham by his second wife Keturah, and the Amalekites ("Amalek" is a Hebrew word meaning "valley dwellers" or "dwellers in the low land" or, more bluntly, "lowlifes"), who were descendants of Esau, had begun to opress Israel. The Lord told Gideon that he would be the one to deliver Israel - he was chosen - "Gideon" is a Hebrew word meaning "harvester" and symbolizes those chosen of God that will help Him with the spiritual harvest.
When Gideon was ready to fight the Midianites and the Amalekites, there were 32,000 of his tribesmen with him (32 is the number of the covenant with God, and 1,000 is the number of God's grace), but God told him there were too many peope to fight. God was going to deliver Israel by the hand of a few to show His power to Israel and to the surrounding nations. God told Gideon that anyone that did not want to fight could go home - so those who were ready to fly away for fear of the battle left. The amount that left was 22,000, leaving Gideon with 10,000 remaining (10 is the number of the law (or testimony) of God, and 1,000 is the number of His grace). But God said that 10,000 was still too many. So God got the people to all drink from a nearby water source - they partook of the living waters! Those that casually kneeled down and scooped the water with their hands were sent back to their tents, but 300 of the people were so thirsty for the water that they got down on their hands and knees and lapped up the water like a dog - these people were chosen to fight (3 is the number of the Divine nature of God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - and 100 is the number of the chosen, the "elect").
300 people against two full armies... 300... against an army of probably thousands, or tens of thousands. All of the 300 were all given a lamp (to let their light shine) and were given a trumpet (to sound the battle cry). And when they blew their trumpets, the armies of the Midianites and the Amalekites fled in terror. Not one hair on the heads of the 300 was harmed.
This is why I named my blog "lapping living waters" - whether I have been chosen or not.... I judge not mine own self. All I know is that once you have tasted the living waters, you too will want to lap it up because it is so refreshing. There are no other waters like it. "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6)"... and so they shall. What's your water source? God bless.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
And They Came To Elim...
This is how I read this. The well is God - the Fountain of living waters (see Jeremiah 2). The mouth of the well is the mouth of God, and the waters thereof are His commandments and statutes (His ways). They were perceived as being bitter until Christ, the Tree of life, was cast into the well, into the pit, into the belly of the earth, and thereafter the sweetness of God's ways were made known. The twelve wells are the twelve tribes of Israel - in spirit and not according to physical geneology (see Galatians 3) - and the 70 strong trees are the elect in the end times - who are a part of the 7 churches in Revelation 1-3. "I am the Lord that healeth thee"... "By His stripes, we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)
The other interesting thing about this passage is the time stamp. The Israelites came up from the Red Sea, where only a few people passed through (that being Israel) while many people were flooded out (all of the Egyptians that pursued them). It's very reminiscent of Noah's flood (Genesis 7), where only a few survived the flood. So the Israelites come up from the flood, three days pass, and then they have this sign of the Christ at the well of Marah. Peter says in 2 Peter 3:8, "one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." The interesting thing here is that Noah's flood occurred about 3,000 years before Christ was crucified on the cross. Three days from the flood at the Red Sea to the well at Marah, three thousand years from Noah's flood to the crucifiction of Christ. I think it's pretty neat that it works out that way. God bless.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Be of Good Cheer; I Have Overcome the World...
Jesus says to His disciples in John 16:33, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." And it's true - His death on the cross was the price paid so that all mankind may have everlasting life; His ressurection by the Father was the sign that He had indeed received all authority in the earth. But I like to look at this statement in a different way. I like to look at it in the fact that Jesus faced all of the temptations that Adam and Eve had, and overcame them. Here's how it happened.
The interesting thing about the statement, "I have overcome this world," in John 16, is that earlier in the chapter, in John 16:11, Jesus makes reference to "the prince of this world." It's clear that His statement is about Satan - who else could it be? But John is the only author in the Bible who uses the term "prince of this world". John also gives some discussion to overcoming Satan and the things of the world in 1 John 2:14-16: "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him That is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
There are three unique items in that passage: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life; these are all temptations that Eve faced in her encounter with the serpent.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life, because the serpent had just told her that the fruit of the tree would make her as a god], she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~Genesis 3:6
Eve failed three temptations - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and Adam failed one - he disobeyed God when he allowed his bride to cause him to turn from what was right. The first three of these temptations happened at one time, and the fourth occured later when Eve gave the fruit to Adam. In all of these cases, Adam and Eve should have said, "Get lost, Satan."
Now, Jesus faced all of these temptations, in the same pattern, and He triumps over all of them by saying, "Get lost, Satan," or rather "Get behind Me Satan." Here is where it happens:
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, 'All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.' And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'' And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'' And Jesus answereing said unto him, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'' And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." (Luke 4:1-13)
Now the devil left for a season, but he'll be back with one final temptation, the hardest one of all, as you will see. However, the temptations here are also the same temptations that Eve faced and, though they are ordered differently in Matthew 4, they are the same order that Eve faced in this passage in Luke:
1) turn the stone to bread for hunger - the lust of the flesh;
2) want to rule all the kingdoms of the earth - the lust of the eyes;
3) want to have angels save you at any peril - the pride of life.
Jesus overcomes these first three temptations with flying colours. But what about later? For this last temptation, the pattern must be shown.
Adam did not resist his bride; rather he chose to follow her sin instead of standing against her and standing for what was right.
Symbolically, the bride of Christ is the church (see Revelation 19:9). Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) is the head of that church, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a Greek word meaning "rock"], and upon this rock I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)." Then, only a few verses later, Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23)." But why? These are two very contradictory statements!
This is where it gets tricky. Peter is symbolic of the church, which is symbolic of the bride - and no doubt that Peter is one of the most beloved disciples and, if it were possible to influence Jesus' actions or behavior, Peter would be the one who would be able to do it. But, just as Eve had tried to draw Adam away from God's purpose by offering him the forbidden fruit, Peter, in verse 22, had told Jesus that he would not allow Jesus to die on the cross. The cross was Jesus' purpose, and He knew that it was God's will for Jesus to go to the cross, so to not go would have been akin to eating the forbidden fruit. So here Jesus is faced with His fourth and most powerful temptation, to defy God and please the ones He loved. But He recognizes the temptation and says, "Get thee behind Me, Satan."
And this is how Jesus faced and overcame every temptation that Adam and Eve had faced, and gave to us the benefit. And with His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5) because He chose not to listen to Satan, but rather to die for us on the cross. God bless.
The interesting thing about the statement, "I have overcome this world," in John 16, is that earlier in the chapter, in John 16:11, Jesus makes reference to "the prince of this world." It's clear that His statement is about Satan - who else could it be? But John is the only author in the Bible who uses the term "prince of this world". John also gives some discussion to overcoming Satan and the things of the world in 1 John 2:14-16: "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him That is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
There are three unique items in that passage: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life; these are all temptations that Eve faced in her encounter with the serpent.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life, because the serpent had just told her that the fruit of the tree would make her as a god], she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~Genesis 3:6
Eve failed three temptations - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and Adam failed one - he disobeyed God when he allowed his bride to cause him to turn from what was right. The first three of these temptations happened at one time, and the fourth occured later when Eve gave the fruit to Adam. In all of these cases, Adam and Eve should have said, "Get lost, Satan."
Now, Jesus faced all of these temptations, in the same pattern, and He triumps over all of them by saying, "Get lost, Satan," or rather "Get behind Me Satan." Here is where it happens:
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, 'All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.' And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'' And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'' And Jesus answereing said unto him, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'' And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." (Luke 4:1-13)
Now the devil left for a season, but he'll be back with one final temptation, the hardest one of all, as you will see. However, the temptations here are also the same temptations that Eve faced and, though they are ordered differently in Matthew 4, they are the same order that Eve faced in this passage in Luke:
1) turn the stone to bread for hunger - the lust of the flesh;
2) want to rule all the kingdoms of the earth - the lust of the eyes;
3) want to have angels save you at any peril - the pride of life.
Jesus overcomes these first three temptations with flying colours. But what about later? For this last temptation, the pattern must be shown.
Adam did not resist his bride; rather he chose to follow her sin instead of standing against her and standing for what was right.
Symbolically, the bride of Christ is the church (see Revelation 19:9). Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) is the head of that church, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a Greek word meaning "rock"], and upon this rock I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)." Then, only a few verses later, Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23)." But why? These are two very contradictory statements!
This is where it gets tricky. Peter is symbolic of the church, which is symbolic of the bride - and no doubt that Peter is one of the most beloved disciples and, if it were possible to influence Jesus' actions or behavior, Peter would be the one who would be able to do it. But, just as Eve had tried to draw Adam away from God's purpose by offering him the forbidden fruit, Peter, in verse 22, had told Jesus that he would not allow Jesus to die on the cross. The cross was Jesus' purpose, and He knew that it was God's will for Jesus to go to the cross, so to not go would have been akin to eating the forbidden fruit. So here Jesus is faced with His fourth and most powerful temptation, to defy God and please the ones He loved. But He recognizes the temptation and says, "Get thee behind Me, Satan."
And this is how Jesus faced and overcame every temptation that Adam and Eve had faced, and gave to us the benefit. And with His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5) because He chose not to listen to Satan, but rather to die for us on the cross. God bless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)