God's Established Order For The Family. Sabbath Afternoon. 04/04/2015

In the beginning when God created man upon the earth, He established an order, or a set pattern for all future families of earth to follow, a godly pattern, which when adopted and followed closely, would form the building blocks of a strong, durable, and well balanced society, once the first two parents should walk in obedience to the stipulated order. Adam was created first, and after God brought all of the lower animals to be named by him, he intelligently observed that something was missing in his life, because he saw that all of the animals had a help meet, but he had none.

Thus after God caused intelligent desire to be awakened in Adam’s mind, He put him to sleep and performed the world’s first surgery, by making an incision in his body and removing one of his ribs, and from this single bone, woman was made. But even though Eve was created after Adam had been on the scene, The Lord ordained

that they both should stand shoulder to shoulder in the administration of the dominion that was given them as stewards of the entire earth, meaning that collaboration and joint decision making should characterize their relationship with one another. Let’s read:

Genesis 1:27   So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

  1:28   And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

 Genesis 2:21   And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 

  2:22   And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 

  2:23   And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 

Genesis 5:1   This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 

  5:2   Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 

However, there are certain things that must be observed in the rapid fall of the human race, because the situation which developed in the garden of Eden, between the cunning serpent and our first parents, prepare the stage for what was to follow next, for in the wisdom of God He saw it necessary to make certain adjustments that He deemed necessary for the continual cohesiveness of the family unit. It is worthy of note that the serpent never ever addressed Adam directly, for he would have most likely been detected in his guise, and therefore the devil

awaited an opportune moment when Eve would be isolated from her husband, so that he could introduce his temptations to her with the least possible resistance.

From the sacred record we learn the sad truth that he was indeed successful, and then used Eve as the human agency in taking down Adam. This pattern satan has followed ever since, and with alarming success, for he often operates covertly through wives to destabilize their husbands, a sobering truth that can be traced in the history of patriarchs and prophets alike. It was Sarah who came up with the “brilliant” idea to have her handmaid have sex with her husband, and Abraham succumbed to the temptation, since he thought it wasn’t a bad idea after all. From this one, singular act we have the never-ending disturbances in the Middle East today, where both Jews and Arabs claim Abraham as their father. Let’s read:

  Genesis 16:2   And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now,the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray

thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 

  16:3   And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 

  16:4   And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 

  16:5   And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong [be] upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 

Then we have Rachel, who suggested to her son Jacob, that he deceive his father Isaac, in order to obtain the promised birthright, which would have been given him anyway, at the appointed time of God’s choosing. She then went about to practice fraud behind her husband’s back, and sewed the skins of sheep and goats together in order to carry out the scheme. However, the result of her suggestion almost cost Jacob his life, and it was the cause of their permanent separation, for she saw the face of her favorite son no more until the day that she died. Let’s read:

Genesis 27:6   And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 

  27:7   Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 

  27:8   Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 

  27:9   Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 

  27:10   And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 

  27:11   And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man: 

  27:12   My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. 

  27:13   And his mother said unto him, Upon me [be] thy

curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me [them]. 

  27:14   And he went, and fetched, and brought [them] to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 

27:15   And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which [were] with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 

  27:16   And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 

  27:17   And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. 

Then we have Jezebel, who acted as a double agent on behalf of satan, and who stirred up her husband Ahab to commit evil and gross idolatry and outright murder in the sight of God and man, by suggesting that there were alternative methods for obtaining the coveted vineyard of Naboth. It was Jezebel who took the lead in this crime, and who used the imperial stamp of the king behind his back, in order to authorize the slaying of Naboth. Let’s read:

1st Kings 21:2   And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it [is] near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; [or], if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. 

  21:3   And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. 

  21:4   And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 

  21:5   But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? 

  21:6   And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee [another] vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. 

  21:7   And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, [and] eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 

21:8   So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed [them] with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that [were] in his city, dwelling with Naboth. 

  21:9   And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 

  21:10   And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And [then] carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. 

21:15   And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

Moses too almost suffered a premature death, because his wife did not agree with the rite of circumcision, for in her mind, and in the mind of the “humane” society back then, it was an unreasonable and bloody requirement by the God of heaven, and so she also was instrumental in getting Moses to disregard what The Lord had specifically enjoined upon all Hebrew males. The decision to go along with his wife in disobeying God’s commands almost cost him is life, and it was only when faced with imminent danger that she unwillingly submitted to the requirement of God, albeit with a verbal remonstrance on her part. Let’s read:

Exodus 4:19   And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 

4:24   And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 

  4:25   Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast [it] at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband [art] thou to me. 

  4:26   So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband [thou art], because of the circumcision. 

It was for all of these foreseeable reasons why The Lord saw fit to appoint the man as the head of the household after our first parents fell, for someone would have to take the lead in administrating the family, which forms the essential building blocks of society. It is worthy of note that after Adam and Eve fell into sin, The Lord did not call Eve first, and as a matter of fact, the order in which He addressed all those who were involved in the first transgression, says much about the order that was to be implemented from this point onward. Let’s read:

Genesis 3:9   And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where [art] thou? 

  3:10   And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself. 

  3:11   And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 

  3:12   And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 

  3:13   And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 

  3:14   And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

Genesis 3:16   Unto the woman he said”….. “in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 

This passage of scripture given in verse sixteen of Genesis chapter three has been a point of contention by both men and women alike, and there are millions of women who have deeply resented the order God saw fit to establish after the fall of man. And throughout the history of the world there has been a steady effort on the part of satan to reverse this order, and to a great extent he has been successful, for man now sits at the bottom of the social food chain, with animals taking precedence over man, children next, women in third position, and men at the very bottom of the social totem pole. This is a complete and direct reversal of God’s established order where the man was placed at the head, women next, children in third position, and dumb animals last.

However, it is a well-documented fact that in many cases, the actions of men have been catalysts in bringing about the reversal of God’s established order, for the position of authority has indeed been abused in very many cases, thus leading women to resent the God-ordained position of man. Therefore there are some urgent issues that must be addressed objectively in order to remedy the situation of increased divorces and separations that have now become the order of the day.

One of the more prominent sticking points in the order of the family is that of arbitrary rule, a matter that has inherent problems in different societies of the world. The order that God has established was designed for an imperfect world, and by default will of necessity come with both pluses and minuses. But even in these not so ideal situations, God has ordained that certain vital principles be followed. For instance, in the setting up of governments, God has clearly stipulated that we as Christians should abide by the laws of the land, whether we agree with them or not, once they do not force us to violate the direct commandments of God.

This command to obey secular authorities will obviously sometimes put us at odds with what the government thinks is reasonable, and what we ourselves think is reasonable. For instance there are what some would describe as pretty dumb laws on the books, and yet the secular, God ordained authorities expect us to comply, and as Christians we should, even though we may not agree with them in our minds. Let’s read:

Since the 1960s, the city has banned people from parking their pickup trucks in their driveways or on city streets from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

After Aug. 8, 2011 Coral Gables will start issuing tickets to people who violate the parking ban. The first violation will cost $100.

 (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, or give away in the city baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under four (4) weeks of age, or rabbits under eight (8) weeks of age, to be used as pets, toys or retail.

It is also illegal in some places to hang clothes out to dry in the open air, for this constitutes a violation of state law where applicable.

Now the Bible is crystal clear as it pertains to the duty of Christians who are living within the jurisdiction of the county or state where laws that we do not agree with are in force. We are to abide by them if the county insists, and we are not to have an attitude whilst doing so, because the requirement of obedience does not come merely from man, it comes from God Himself. Let’s read:

Romans 13:1   Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 

  13:2   Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 

    13:4   For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil. 

  13:5   Wherefore [ye] must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 

  13:6   For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 

  13:7   Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 

In like manner, there will be times in the administration of the family where the wife or the children do not agree with the requests of the father, for in their judgment the laws of the household may seem arbitrary. For instance, in some Christian homes there is a 10 o’clock curfew for kids and teenagers, and some of them might deeply resent this, while in other homes the threshold may be 11 or twelve o’clock as the parents see fit. Now while it is true that the safety and wellbeing of our children should be the guiding principle in matters such as these, yet the main issue of concern is obedience to the God ordained authority of both parents, and if for any reason there is a disagreement between the Christian husband and his wife, as to the time when the children should come home, then the father should have the last word, if a compromise cannot be reached.

This format and principle is set forth in the Bible that there may be no misunderstanding of what God’s will is, as it relates to such matters. Let’s read:

Ephesians 5:22   Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 

  5:23   For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 

  5:24   Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. 

And husbands are not to be let off the hook either, for we are commanded to love our wives, just as Christ loves His church, meaning that we should be willing to die doing the right thing, in order to save our wives. The eternal salvation of one’s wife has a lot to do with the husband, and therefore no means should be spared in making the necessary reasonable adjustments to facilitate a good working relationship between the two. Let’s read:

Ephesians 5:25   Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 

  5:26   That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 

  5:27   That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

  5:28   So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 

  5:29   For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.

The warmth and affection that should exist between husbands and wives, and their respective families is greatly compromised whenever the God-ordained order is disturbed. Husbands are to love their wives, but never to the point where they will be led to surrender their position as head of the household, and wives are to submit themselves to their husbands in the Lord, but never to the point where they are forced to surrender the truth or godly principles, just to be in harmony with the head of the home. And Children are required to render obedience to both parents, even if their own ideas conflict with the parent’s wishes. When most of us were younger, some of the rules of our parent’s home seemed unreasonable, but this was never permitted as an excuse to disregard their God ordained authority. Let’s read:

Ephesians 6:1   Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 

  6:2   Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 

  6:3   That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

The same principle holds true when we become married, when we may deem some requirements of the household head to be arbitrary; this also is no excuse for turning our backs on the scriptural order, for the issue of obedience carries with it, far more weighty consequences than many Christians realize. In the very near future when we are hedged in with dangers on every side, the disposition to obey will play a very crucial role in our survival, for if we have cultivated the disposition to disregard God ordained authority, we will also disobey His voice at a critical time when implicit obedience is needed to shield us from the onslaughts of the enemy, in order to save us from certain death.

We therefore end with a passage of scripture which enjoins Christians to submit ourselves in humility to God’s ordained order, for it will go a long way in promoting the health, peace, and happiness, which seems to evade so many households. Let’s read:

Ephesians  5:30   For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 

  5:31   For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 

  5:32   This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 

  5:33   Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband. 

May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.

                                          God bless!

Supernatural Forces At work In The 21st Century. Sabbath Afternoon 03/28/2015

Since the fall of man there have been two opposing forces at work on our planet, one originates with God, and the other originates with satan, and throughout the history of the world, with the rise and fall of kingdoms and nations, these two supernatural forces have been at war over the domain of the human heart, a conflict in which every person is of necessity involved. Many of this world’s intellectuals have dismissed with disdain the thought that there are good and evil angels interacting with us daily, even though the Bible specifically states that this is indeed the case. Let’s read:

Hebrews 1:6   And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 

  1:7   And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels

 spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

1:14   Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

Luke 2:9   And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 

  2:10   And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people

2:13   And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 

  2:14   Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

These holy angels, as stated in the book of Hebrews are the invisible agents of God upon the earth, and they do interact with real people on a daily basis, guiding persons to Christ, and protecting the children of God from the malice of the evil one. Even though many people do not know it, holy angels have been present in the common assemblies of men, at political rallies, at amusement parks, and in the courts across the land, but we are not aware of their presence for they are masked as regular folk. This sacred truth is stated hundreds of times in the scriptures. Let’s read:

Genesis 18:1   And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 

  18:2   And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 

  18:3   And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 

  18:4   Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 

  18:5   And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 

  18:6   And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead [it], and make cakes upon the hearth. 

  18:7   And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave [it] unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. 

  18:8   And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set [it] before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Genesis 19:1   And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 

  19:2   And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 

  19:3   And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 

  19:4   But before they lay down, the men of the city, [even] the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 

  19:5   And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where [are] the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

As the children of God go about their daily duties, these mighty angels attend us on our way, and they keep their watch over us 24/7, so that if we were to fall into any difficulty suddenly, or if we were about to stumble into one of the many snares laid for our feet, they are right there to deliver and guide us into safe paths. When the Bible states that angels of God encamp around His people continually, it must be taken literally, for were it not for their unceasing ministry, every human being would have long since been destroyed, including those

who are avowed followers of the enemy. Let’s read:

Psalm 34:6   This poor man cried, and the LORD heard [him], and saved him out of all his troubles. 

  34:7   The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 

  34:8   O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him. 

However, the Bible also brings to light the sobering truth that there are millions of evil angels also roaming the planet, searching for opportune moments to destroy the lives and properties of anyone who is not especially guarded by God, hence the reason why as we get closer to the end of time, and unexplainable calamities begin to escalate dramatically, those skeptics who had formerly mocked at the idea of a devil, will be forced to rethink their philosophies, for things of a supernatural character will force them to the negotiating table.

The fact that a very real devil often makes forays into the human experience, is well documented in the scriptures, and before we search for answers to the many problems that are now arising out of apparently nowhere, we will need to take a closer look at the real agencies behind many of the unexplainable events that are happening in quick succession. First of all, let’s establish a few of the pertinent facts about the notorious work of evil angels in the world. (1) They can cause destruction when permitted. Let’s read:

Job 1:8   And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 

  1:9   Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 

  1:10   Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 

  1:11   But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 

  1:12   And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. 

1:13   And there was a day when his sons and his daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

  1:14   And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 

  1:15   And the Sabeans fell [upon them], and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

(2) They can, and do cause sickness and diseases, a fact that is generally thrown out as fictitious, but one which is currently impacting our world in very negative ways, and which in the not too distant future, is scheduled to escalate at an alarming rate. Even now their work is being made manifest in dramatic ways, but the secular world generally attributes it to scientific causes, whilst the real unseen agencies mock at our so-called analysis and discoveries.

The Bible teaches us that the devil is the prince of the power of the air, and therefore he can, and does initiate hurricanes and deadly tornadoes, whenever he is given permission to do as he pleases. But we chalk it all up to global warming or other scientific factors, while the devil and his evil angels laugh at our touted intelligence. Let’s read:

Ephesians 2:1  And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins: 

  2:2   Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

 Job 1:18   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

  1:19   And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

(3) Evil angels can bring a person’s will under their direct control and force them to do the unthinkable by remote control. This often takes place when an individual or a nation deliberately chooses to do evil over an extended period of time, and thus with every indulgence and every decision in their favor, the evil angels bring their power to bear more directly and forcefully upon the person’s mind, until finally they automatically do satan’s bidding, even if they disagree with what he has stipulated. The fact that the enemy of souls can override a person’s will, intelligence, and choice is no laughing matter, for it will explain what recently took place in France. Let’s read:

2nd Timothy 2:24   And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, 

  2:25   In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 

  2:26   And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 

One of the great misconceptions harbored, especially in our day is the erroneous idea that a person can maintain complete control of their minds, apart from, and totally independent of Christ. Another error that abounds in philosophical circles is that every manifestation of mass murderers, and terrorist groups is the direct result of a theological belief, a medical condition, or the abuse of drugs and other banned substances.

Whilst it is true that these factors can play a role in influencing persons to do great harm to themselves and others, yet we must not forget that a completely normal person, outside of Christ, is capable of doing the very same things, when driven to do so at the beck and call of the enemy. This cold truth raises the bar much higher, for it takes the problem out of the hands of the medical and scientific communities, and rests it squarely in the arena of the spiritual.

 Judas did not do any drugs, neither was he suffering from any known medical condition. He was not drunk, or schizophrenic as is often claimed when a person seeks to harm others and themselves. Judas was what most of us  would refer to as a completely normal person, with an executive job as the treasurer of a thriving organization, complete with his briefcase, suit and tie. The only known problem, and one that is almost never brought into the equation, is that he wanted to have his own way, and was motivated by an inordinate craving for money, a very common occurrence in the world of capitalism. This is all that was needed for satan to take full control of his mind, and drive him by remote control to sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and then to commit suicide. Let’s read:

John 13:27   And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 

  13:28   Now no man at the table knew for what intent

he spake this unto him.

  13:29   For some [of them] thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy [those things] that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. 

13:30   He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

When The Bible says that Judas went out “Immediately” after being fully taken over by the devil, it means that from this point forward, the enemy will have full control of his mind, and Judas will be forced to do his bidding, whether he likes it or not. This sobering truth raises the prospect that currently, there are millions of apparently normal people who are fully possessed by satan and they know it not, and so it is only a matter of time, and at an opportune moment that he will bring the full force of his power to bear directly upon them, thus driving them to commit unimaginable acts of violence or depravity, out of the apparent blue.

Many people choose to laugh or scoff at what the Bible explicitly states on these matters, but their laughter will soon come to a halt when it is finally realized that we are under the control of one of two masters, and that our individual choices determine who that master will be. The same spirit that possesses the minds of terrorists and suicide bombers to do the unthinkable, is the same spirit that drove the copilot to do what he did, the difference is that one happens in the air, whilst the other happens on the earth. Let’s read:

1st Samuel 18:10   And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit”.. “came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and [there was] a javelin in Saul's hand. 

  18:11   And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall [with it]. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

1st Samuel 19:9   And the evil spirit”… “was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with [his] hand. 

  19:10   And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. 

  19:11   Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning”

The thought to slay other people or oneself, originates with satan, and the act is just the end product of what they were moved to do. The co-pilot on the German wings flight may have had medical issues or may have been suffering with depression, but the idea, and the decision to deliberately accelerate the jet at full throttle, to slam it into the mountains, originated with satan, and then the human agent just carried out his bidding. Sooner or later the world will have to face this stern, cold truth, and the remedies that are given in the scriptures will need to be closely investigated. Let’s read:

  John 8:38   I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 

  8:39   They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 

  8:40   But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 

  8:41   Ye do the deeds of your father.

8:44 “And the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

(4) Evil angels can, and do override instinct, the formula by which the lower animals operate. All animals and creeping things instinctively avoid danger and their very nature recoils at the prospect of imminent death. Thus every effort to avert calamity will be naturally made on

 their part when they realize they are in harm’s way.

 We see it demonstrated on the news whenever there is a wild fire, for the untamed animals of the forest do not at this time prey on each other, because their instincts tell them that there is something much more urgent to be addressed, other than seeking for food, and so the wildest as well as the most docile of creatures will stand shoulder to shoulder together with one another when facing imminent danger, for instinct drives them to act in this way. But according to the scriptures, evil angels can also override their instinctive nature by taking full possession of them, and can drive dumb animals to do the unthinkable, just as occurs with human beings.  Let’s read:

Mark 5:1   And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 

  5:2   And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 

  5:3   Who had [his] dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 

  5:4   Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any [man] tame him. 

  5:5   And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 

  5:6   But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and

worshipped him, 

  5:7   And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, [thou] Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 

  5:8   For he said unto him, Come out of the man, [thou] unclean spirit. 

  5:9   And he asked him, What [is] thy name? And he answered, saying, My name [is] Legion: for we are many. 

  5:10   And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 

5:11   Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 

  5:12   And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 

  5:13   And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

This Bible study seeks to highlight the enormity of the problem the world is now facing, and it will also show the only means whereby the power of satan can ever be contained. In the previous verses we see where the legion of evil spirits, numbering anywhere from six to twelve thousand had to ask Christ’s permission first, before causing havoc and loss to the swine and their owners respectively.

This then tells us that there is only one Being in the universe that they must respect and fear, and that’s none other than The Lord Jesus Christ, hence the reason why Daniel describes those who have The Son, as being wise, for accepting Jesus as Lord and savior of our lives is not only the right thing to do, it is also the most and best intelligent choice we can ever make.

But of particular interest is the next example of your average Jane Doe, someone who like the co-pilot of the doomed flight of German wings seems to be pretty decent, and has her ducks all in a row. This woman of whom we speak seemed to be deeply interested in spiritual things, and when the good news of the kingdom of God was being preached in her area she came out in full support. This person apparently had no criminal background, and unlike the demoniac who haunted the tombs and frothed at the mouth, seemed to be unusually intelligent and was in good and regular standing in her community.

She was well dressed in the latest fashions with her hair and nails well done, and when she saw Paul and his fellows preaching the kingdom of God, she began to advertise their meetings, encouraging everyone within the hearing of her voice to attend. But there was one problem, she too, like the demoniac of Gadara was also possessed by the devil, and those seemingly good words she uttered came directly from satan. Let’s read:

Acts 16:16   And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 

  16:17   The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. 

  16:18   And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 

One of the reasons why Christ came to die for the human family, is so that we would be freed from the spiritual bondage that has enveloped us for so long, and even though atheists and secularists may deny the fact, or may deliberately choose to ignore the teachings of the Bible, yet they too are beneficiaries of God grace through Christ who died to redeem not only saints, but also sinners. The minds of mortal man must inevitably be controlled by one or the other of the two diabolically opposed forces now operating in the universe, and our destiny is directly linked to the choices we make from day to day. Let’s read:

Matthew 6:24   No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other”…

Matthew 12:25   And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 

  12:26   And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

  12:28   But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

  12:29   Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

12:43   When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 

  12:44   Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished. 

  12:45   Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 

Christ has for many centuries been calling on earth’s inhabitants to turn to Him and live. In words of solemn entreaty He has pleaded with us to accept of His grace, and so be delivered from the cruel oppression of the devil and his angels. As a longing parent yearns after the wayward child, whilst hoping, and praying, and searching desperately for ways and means whereby the self-willed one may change course, just so The Lord of heaven has been beckoning to humanity to change course, by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, for He is the only solution and remedy for this sin-sick world of ours. This sacred truth has been written in words of solemn pathos, with the hope that earth’s inhabitants will finally get the message. Let’s read:

John 3:16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

  3:17   For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Ezekiel 33:11   Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn

ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die”….

Romans 5:6   For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

  5:7   For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 

  5:8   But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

    5:10   For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 

God is now making a direct appeal to the inhabitants of earth, for us to reason soberly from cause to effect, and to acknowledge that we do not have the solutions for the plethora of problems we now face, for every so-called solution we come up with is certain to have loop holes that the enemy can circumvent and use to his advantage. Having two people in the cockpit at all times is a good move, but what happens if the devil suddenly takes control of both?

As individuals it is necessary that our minds be girded with the Holy Spirit at all times and in all places, so that the evil thoughts and desires that lurk in phantom form in our minds, will be subdued and uprooted before they find expression in senseless deeds of violence, or moral abandon. Hence the reason why the appeal from God to this generation is so urgent and heartfelt, for God sees what is coming upon the world in the very near future, and He is actively seeking to shield us from the sudden onslaughts of the enemy of souls, who as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Let’s read:

Revelation 12:10   And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 

  12:11   And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony”…

  12:12   .. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

2nd Peter 3:9   The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

Those of us who have been trifling with God’s gracious overtures to save us for many years, and to those who now sit in darkness, and in the region of the shadow of death, Jesus Christ is now speaking, making the last final calls to find shelter in Him whilst we can. The door of mercy is still open for anyone who will enter, and thus it behooves us to choose Christ, not only for the glory of God, but also because it is in our best interest, both in the temporal and eternal sense. We therefore end with a promise to those who are willing to accept of God’s salvation, for He is well able to harness the forces of evil that threaten to do us harm. Let’s read:

Psalm 91:1   He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

  91:2   I will say of the LORD, [He is] my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 

  91:3   Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, [and] from the noisome pestilence. 

  91:4   He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler. 

  91:5   Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day; 

  91:6   [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday. 

  91:7   A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee. 

  91:8   Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 

  91:9   Because thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation; 

91:10   There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 

  91:11   For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 

  91:12   They shall bear thee up in [their] hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

91:14   Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 

  91:15   He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I [will be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 

  91:16   With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. 

                                         God bless!

The Last Crossing Of Jordan. Sabbath Afternoon. 03/21 2015

The past experiences of the Hebrew people are full of instructions for Christians living in the 21st century, and their history was chronicled for the benefit of those of us, who like themselves, hope to cross spiritual Jordan for the very last time, before entering the heavenly Canaan. Throughout their entire sojourn in the wilderness, the devil had been successful on different occasions, in getting them to stumble, and the forty years spent wandering to and fro in the desert was a direct result of satan’s efforts to fore-stall God’s plans for His people.

And now, once again, as they prepare to cross Jordan for the very last time, the devil is in a frenzy, knowing that if he fails here, he must suffer severe loss. Just across the Jordan the Hebrews can see the rich cities that were to be theirs, and as their eyes behold distinctly, the verdure and tropical fruit of the plain, they are buzzing with much enthusiasm and anticipation, knowing that just over the border lies the promised land. And so the devil goes to work in what can aptly be described as a last ditch effort to overthrow as many as he can, and thus prevent them from entering the goodly land.

The previous time when the Hebrews had reached this close to the Promised Land, temptations on appetite had been brought to them and they had then murmured and complained, thus placing them in the wrong frame of mind to deal with the challenges of the giants that were in the land. There is a direct relation of disposition to diet, and the spiritual graces and strengths that are so urgently needed to penetrate by faith into new and unconquered territories, are severely compromised by that which is not in harmony with God’s ideal will. Let’s read:

Numbers 11:1   And [when] the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard [it]

11:4 ...“And the children of Israel also wept again, and said,

11:6…“Now our soul [is] dried away: [there is] nothing at all, beside this manna, [before] our eyes.

In other words, what they were implying is that the food provided them  by God was inferior to what they had been accustomed to in Egypt, and therefore the logical reasoning is that since adopting the new diet, they had suffered loss, and were actually being malnourished by God, a very serious charge indeed, for if God had taken away something superior to now give them something inferior, or of less nutirtional value, thus causing them to be malnourished, then their charge against God by default would be maliciousness.

 If a dietician were to take away our well rounded diet of proteins, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and grains, and were to put us on a regimen of French fries and sodas, then we can charge that person with deliberate maliciousness, for introducing us to foods that are greatly inferior to our previous diet, thus causing us to be weak and severely malnourished, and thereby putting our health and our longevity at risk. So the real question that needs to be answered, as it pertains to the Hebrews’ charge is, did they actually suffer loss as a result of the change in diet that God had instituted? Did they become weaker and more malnourished as a result, or did they become much

stronger and healthy since the switch was made. It’s a very simple and direct question, and it deserves a very simple and direct answer. Let’s read:

Psalm 105:37   He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and [there was] not one feeble [person] among their tribes.

The above passage makes a very serious claim, one that defies both logic and modern scientific discoveries on food and nutrition, and so the question is, can it be true, or was God feeding the Hebrews with something that was detrimental to their health? Here at omega truth we decided to put the original God-given diet to the test, a diet that consists of no meat, no fish, no cheese, no milk, and no eggs, and over a period of time we have made some amazing discoveries, in which a diet of fruit, nuts, vegetables, and grains, coupled to together with prayer,  faith in God, regular exercise, and appropriate rest,  has proven to be not only vastly superior to what current, conventional knowledge teaches, but literally confirms what we just read in Psalm 105.

The following is just a tidbit of a documentary we are currently working on, and it will be released worldwide when it is completed. It will be jam packed with simple  information on methods, diet, exercise, foods, and the highly debatable issue of not eating between meals. In the next three exhibits we are not far from our goal of 2000 lbs.

Let’s read:

Numbers 14:1   And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 

  14:2   And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! 

14:3   “Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 

  14:4   And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 

The children of Israel first fell at the borders of Canaan on the issue of appetite, and now that they are just about to cross over Jordan for the last time, satan brings back the same temptation, repackaged in another form. There are only three categories of temptations he can choose from, and although many people, even amongst Christians, may not be aware of it, these three temptations are recycled, modified, and tailor-made to suit our various weaknesses, and thus, as we ourselves stand on the borders of the heavenly Canaan, we need to make certain that by the grace of God all sinful desires, whether in reality or in phantom form are uprooted from our hearts, lest there be a repeat of ancient history in our lives.

Christ was tempted with only three temptations in the wilderness, and the very first one was on appetite. But the temptations on appetite assume different many forms, ranging from forbidden diets and foods, to forbidden pleasures and practices. And any area of these, in which we come up short, we are thereby rendered vulnerable to the assaults of the enemy of souls, who lurks in the shadows, awaiting for an opportune moment to take us down at our weakest point. Let’s read:

1st John 2:15   Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

  2:16   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. 

  2:17   And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

Numbers 25:1   And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 

  25:2   And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 

25:3   And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 

25:6   And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

25:15   And the name of the Midianitish woman”.. “was … Cozbi”… “of a chief house in Midian.

  What is worthy of note is that many of the people who now fell on the banks of the Jordan river at this time, were also looking forward with eager anticipation to entering the promised land, but there were some evil thoughts and desires that were still harbored in the dark recesses of their minds, which had not been fully overcome. Thus when the enemy came, dangling his temptations before their eyes through the human agencies he so often uses, he found a responding chord in un-renewed hearts, and the rest is history.

The problem with the Hebrews who fell on the banks of the Jordan is that their eager hope of the Promised Land did not translate into victorious living, and because of this,  their faith was not found to be commensurate with their works, a very serious problem indeed, for it cost them the earthly Canaan, and quite possibly, also the heavenly. Thus the following passage which closes off the episode is pregnant with both instruction and warning for us who are living on the brink of eternity, with the real Promised land in full view. Let’s read:

Numbers 26:1   And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 

  26:2   Take the sum of all the congregation of the

children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward,

throughout their fathers' house”…

  26:3   And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, saying, 

  26:4   [Take the sum of the people], from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt. 

26:63   These [are] they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho. 

  26:64   But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 

  26:65   For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 

God never sugar coats the truth to suit the carnal desires and cravings of the natural man, neither does He promise heaven to those who deliberately choose to continue on living contrary to His revealed will. That’s why, as we stand upon the borders of the heavenly Canaan, we should study carefully the points on which the Hebrews fell, so that we too may be instructed as to what will certainly come our way, and how the various pitfalls of satan can successfully be avoided. The Bible specifically warns us to be careful of repeating particular sins that the Hebrews fell a prey to, and the cautions listed in the following verses constitute a sort of blueprint of what we can expect, just before Christ puts in His appearing. Let’s read:

1st Corinthians 10:1   Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 

  10:2   And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 

  10:3   And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 

  10:4   And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 

  10:5   But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 

  10:6   Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 

  10:7   Neither be ye idolaters, as [were] some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 

10:10   Neither murmur ye, as some of them also

murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 

  10:11   Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

  10:12   Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

  10:13   There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. 

  10:14   Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 

  10:8   Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 

  10:9   Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 

The various fanciful interpretations of scripture which now abound in modern Christendom offer heavenly rewards without effort or sacrifice, and they may sound pleasing to itching ears that are bent on self pleasing. But these doctrines and teachings which promise eternal life to the deliberate sinner, fail of producing victories in the lives of those subscribe to such teachings, and as such, produce a false hope that is built upon the shifting sands of mere human interpretations, human ideologies and philosophies, whilst the plain cutting truths of the word of God, that are a savor of life unto life, sit on the back burner, and are cast out as being archaic and irrelevant.

Hence the reason why The Lord through His servants and prophets makes the truth as plain as plain can be, so that no one may have any misgivings about the terms and conditions of obtaining immortal life. The following passages of scripture should be taken at face value, and should never be altered, misinterpreted, or reasoned away, if we are to have a clear compass to guide us to the pearly gates. Let’s read:

1st Corinthians 6:9   Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

  6:10   Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:16   [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

  5:17   For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

  5:18   But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

  5:19   Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 

  5:20   Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 

  5:21   Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

  5:22   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

  5:23   Meekness, temperance”….

  5:24   And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

  5:25   If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

In closing, The Lord would have us understand clearly, that His grace can enable us to overcome the most deeply seated, inherited or cultivated tendencies to evil, if we will seek Him every day for a renewal of grace to help us in times of need. None of us need be intimidated by the sin that so easily beset us, for by looking to Jesus, even the weakest saint can live victoriously.

 We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to shoot for the gold of Christ’s imputed and imparted character, and God will give us the grace and strength through His Spirit dwelling within us, to bring it to pass. Let’s read:

Revelation 3:18   I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

  3:19   As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

  3:20   Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,

and will sup with him, and he with me. 

  3:21   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

  3:22   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

May god add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.  God bless!

Every Sacrifice Must Be Perfect. Sabbath Afternoon. 03/14/2015.

The doctrine of a perfect sacrifice begins with Christ who was the embodiment of the sacrificial system, which began in the days of Moses and the Hebrews, and which was climaxed at the Cross in the perfect offering of The Son of God. All of the sacrificial lambs used in the sanctuary system pointed to Christ, and as such were required to also be perfect, being representative of the perfection of Christ’s life and death. Thus the instruction on perfection in sacrifices was given to the Hebrews, with no margin of error to be tolerated for any reason, for God requires the highest and best service, and we are to bring only the choicest offerings that are indeed commensurate with His exalted state. Let’s read:

Leviticus 22:17   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

  22:18   Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever [he be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering; 

  22:19   [Ye shall offer] at your own will a male without blemish” …..  22:20   [But] whatsoever hath a blemish, [that] shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. 

  22:21   And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish [his] vow” …. it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. 

  22:22   Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. 

    22:24   Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make [any offering thereof] in your land.

Now it’s important in our exegesis that we do not restrict these instructions to mere literal offerings and sacrifices, for spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and as such we should seek to extrapolate the principles involved in the instructions given, rather than confine them to any animal or vow. For instance, a blemished, bruised, or broken sacrifice would then represent any vow, service, or offering that is of a sub-standard or inferior quality, or any financial contribution which was derived from illegal or forbidden sources, such as gambling, prostitution, or extortion.

 In other words, a person was not to return an offering to God after he or she had won the lotto, or had gambled and won big in Las Vegas. These methods of obtaining money, and subsequent offerings, are contrary to the God-ordained methods in the scriptures, and therefore the proceeds or winnings from such enterprises are never to be brought into the sanctuary as an offering or sacrifice to God, for He will signally reject it. Let’s read:

Proverbs  28:22   He that hasteth to be rich [hath] an

evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come

upon him.

Genesis 3:19   In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast

thou taken” ….

Proverbs 13:11   Wealth [gotten] by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. 

Deuteronomy 23:18   Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both of these [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God. 

The reason given for these instructions is because the greatness, majesty, and perfection of God demands the best of the very best, and all leftovers, and compromised products, animals, sacrifices, and services were to be left for inferior creatures, but definitely not for the God-Head: Let’s read:

Malachi 1:14   But cursed [be] the deceiver, which hath in

his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I [am] a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name [is] dreadful among the heathen. 

Many of us may not have understood the principle involved here, and for that reason we may have given to God a lame offering in the form of financial gifts, goods, or services, or worst yet, we may have offered to Him leftovers, after we ourselves were well taken care of. The Lord would have us know that no such offering has ever been, or will ever be accepted by Him under any circumstances, for it belittles the greatness and majesty of His exalted office and Person. But in order to get a better idea of the high esteem in which we should always hold our services, sacrifices, or offerings to God, we will need to examine some statements from Christ, as it pertains to the priority, and the importance of services and sacrifices He expects from us. Let’s read:

Luke 9:59   And he said unto another, Follow me. But he

said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

In this instance a person was called to active duty in the army of Christ, to preach the gospel, one of the most prominent and important sacrifices one can render to God, but he offered what would be considered by many a valid excuse, the burial of his father. Theological debate has raged for years over whether the man’s father was terminally ill, or whether he was actually deceased, but it matters not, because the issue at question is one of his priority. In his estimation of things, will he put intimate family concerns in front of his sacrifice of service, and if so, will his service to God be always held in subjection to other important issues that will arise from time to time.

Right here in America we have often seen on the news where soldiers are going off to war, and we watch with aching hearts as they leave their kids, their spouses, their loved ones, their in-laws and their out-laws behind, in order to serve their country with undivided attention and honor. But often when it comes to our sacrifices of

service to God in things of eternal consequence, we often bring a host of excuses which we would never even think of bringing to the armed forces. This is the reason why Christ sought to correct the man’s order of priorities so that he could offer his sacrifice of service without blemish, or “Scurvy”. Let’s read:

  Luke 9:60   Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 

  9:61   And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 

  9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 

Whenever we have pledged to serve in God’s kingdom, in one capacity or another, we should always deliver the very highest quality of service possible, and this should be done on a consistent basis, without the many so-called valid excuses we are prone to offer, when we do not desire to continue fulfilling the covenant we may have pledged to perform. The very concept ingrained in the word sacrifice, speaks to us eloquently of cost in some form or another, and beyond the shadow of a doubt, serving God will cost us something; some more or some less, but no one serves God without incurring cost.

After David had sinned by numbering the children of Israel, he was instructed to go offer a sacrifice so that the plague upon the people might be stayed, and as he arrived at Aruanah’s threshing floor, he was offered oxen and sheep, and instruments for the sacrificial service free of charge, by the owner of the property. But if David had accepted Aruanah’s offer, he would have been guilty of  offering a lame, blemished sacrifice that could not be accepted by God, and the plague would not have been stayed, and as a result, many more lives would have been lost. Let’s read:

2nd Samuel 24:21   And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 

  24:22   And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what [seemeth] good unto him: behold, [here be] oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and [other] instruments of the oxen for wood. 

  24:23   All these [things] did Araunah”… “give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. 

  24:24   And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy [it] of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 

Now there are different types of sacrifices that we offer from time to time, and the very same principles which were enjoined in days of old pertaining to perfection in sacrifices, also need to be applied today in our own experiences. It is true that we ourselves are imperfect beings, but the instructions given deal with bringing our very best to the Master, whatever our best may be. The woman who offered her two mites in Christ’s day, gave more than everyone else in the eyes of God, for she gave her entire living, which was the best that she could do at the time.

But the excuses that are commonly given such as the wife, the kids, the weather, transportation, a lack of funds, hypocrites, snitching, tiredness, forgetfulness, business, homework, lack of cooperation, lack of ideas, poor attendance, and a host of other so-called valid reasons that are often given, should be avoided if our sacrifices, offerings and services to God are to be offered without blemish. For this reason we will examine some of the more common factors that cause our sacrifices to be blemished, and we will study from the word of God, how these can be corrected.

(1) Financial sacrifices: When offerings are being brought to the altar, prayer is usually made first, and there are some familiar words which most of us have heard for many years. Some of the words used go like this: “Bless those who give, and bless those who have not to give”, and for years it has probably boggled our minds what those words really mean. According to the Bible, we should always have something to give, for the very fact that we are alive means that there must be something we can offer to God.

No person was ever exempt from giving an offering to the Lord on account of poverty or financial constraints, for as far as God is concerned, we find money to do other things so therefore we must be able to find something of worth to give, be it little or much. The sacrifices of old were staggered in order of monetary value so that even the poorest of the poor could participate in bringing an unblemished, perfect offering to God, thus showing us by precept and example that there are no valid excuses in this area. Let’s read:

Exodus 30:14   Every one that passeth among them that

are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 

  30:15   The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when [they] give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 

Deuteronomy 16:16   Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose” … “and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 

  16:17   Every man [shall give] as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. 

Leviticus 5:6   And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin. 

  5:7   And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one

for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. 

5:11   But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put [any] frankincense thereon: for it [is] a sin offering.

Luke 2:21   And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 

  2:22   And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord; 

  2:23   (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 

  2:24   And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 

Mark 12:41   And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 

  12:42   And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 

  12:43   And he called [unto him] his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 

  12:44   For all [they] did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, [even] all her living. 

According to the sacred record, there is no such thing as having nothing to give, for an offering may be small, but yet perfect and without blemish in the sight of God, if it is the best we can do.

(2) Oratory sacrifices: Whenever we are called upon to serve by reading, singing, praying, or preaching, our sacrifices or services must also be perfect, meaning that they should be done and executed to the best of our ability. We should not be found fumbling words and sentences, if it can be avoided, nor should we read in an incoherent manner by which the meaning of the words spoken, or those passages of scripture read, are lost upon the minds of the hearers, for this also constitutes a lame or blemished sacrifice. If there is a problem with reading or diction, the one who is to serve in that capacity should practice the material at home before entering the pulpit, so that the very best service can be rendered to God. Let’s read:

Nehemiah 8:6   And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground. 

  8:7   Also Jeshua” …. “and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people [stood] in their place. 

  8:8   So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading. 

8:12   And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions” ….. “because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. 

There is another aspect of oratory sacrifices that should be guarded against by all Christians, and that is the tendency to fall asleep whilst praying to God. Whenever we approach the throne of grace, it should be with alert minds wherever possible, but to deliberately leave our communion with God for last, after we are wearied and tired and drowsy, does a great disservice to the King of Kings, and should be avoided, for as the principle of perfection dictates, only the best of the very best should be offered.

(1) Living Sacrifices: Last but not least is the offering of our bodies as living sacrifices to God, which should be free from blemishes, disease and kept in pristine health wherever and whenever possible. Many Christians do not realize the great importance of this sacrifice, and for this reason there is a disconnect between the spiritual and the physical, a concept that is utterly refuted in both the old and new testaments. It was the will of God that all diseases be removed from amongst His people, so that they could bear witness to the world in their persons, about the benefits of serving Him. This sacred truth is written in several passages of scripture. Let’s read:

Romans 12:1   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 

  12:2   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Deuteronomy 7:14   Thou shalt be blessed above all people”…  7:15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee” ….

3rd John 1:2   Beloved, I wish above all things that thou

mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

As Christians, we cannot treat our bodies in a careless manner, whilst at the same time endeavoring to offer a perfect, living sacrifice to God, hence the reason why the principles of health that God has been pleased to give us should be adopted and implemented in collaboration with the power of the Holy Spirit. Though this may be a tall order in some cases, yet God has solemnly promised to strengthen and enable us to do His will, and if we set our minds to the task, we will soon find that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Whatever our sacrifices may be, let us always remember that God requires the best of our time, talents, and our resources, for God is honored and glorified in our lives, only when we give Him the best, because, as stated before in the scriptures, any sacrifice that is offered must be perfect, for it to be accepted. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to do so, for God never asks us to give, or to do that which He will not empower us to perform. Let’s read:

Ephesians 4:7   But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

  4:8   Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 

    4:11   And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 

  4:12   For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 

  4:13   Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 

                                    God Bless!

To Him That Overcometh. Sabbath Afternoon. 03/07/2015

It is important that as Christians living on the brink of eternity, that we do not buy into the other gospel and the other Jesus that is being peddled today under the garb of Christianity. The purity of the faith once delivered to us has been watered down to the point where there is almost no distinction between the secular world and the Christian, except in name only. And because of this more and more people do not see the need to be converted, for Christians are now found to be living and doing the very same things the secular world does, and in some instances even worse, hence the reason why the apostle Paul warns us of another gospel with another Jesus who will appeal to the popular majority. Let’s read:

2nd Corinthians 11:3   But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

  11:4   For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him]. 

The popular gospel that is being preached today in many Christian circles is one that is void of the basic essentials God has laid down, and teaches its adherents to accept the Lord on man-made terms and conditions, where only a profession of godliness is made, but no overcoming of inherited and cultivated tendencies is required. This other gospel gives Jesus all the praise for His own victories, while we ourselves are exempt from the work of overcoming, and thus a truce between good and evil is accommodated in the lives of many Christians.

But the Bible tells us that no one passes through the pearly gates without overcoming, and therefore it is high time that we awake out of slumber and address the work that has been sitting on the back burner of our own

consciences for too long. In the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, Christ addresses targeted messages to the seven Christian churches, spanning the period beginning from His day, down to our present time, in which the last of the seven churches, Laodicea by name, is found to be living.

At the end of each message to the individual churches, Jesus attaches this brief, candid statement: “To him that overcometh”, meaning that He expects the individual members of the Christian churches to live victoriously, and not form an agreement with the devil and his agencies, by harboring and practicing any known sin in our lives. The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is to bring the entire human family, as many as are willing, back into harmony with our Creator, and therefore the work of overcoming forms an integral and necessary part of our lives, if it is our intention and desire to be saved. That’s why Jesus makes the promise of eternal salvation, not merely to those who are Christian in name only, but rather to those who overcome, not to any other group. Let’s read:

Revelation 2:1   Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 

  2:2   I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 

  2:3   And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 

  2:4   Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 

What Christ is here saying is that He understands and knows that serious efforts have been made by the Christian church of the Ephesus period, and He commends them for their patience, labor of love, and their intolerance for the pseudo form of discipleship that was now entering the churches. But then Christ points out the areas in which they needed to come up to speed, meaning that He will not be satisfied with a partial form of victory, in which the devil and satanic agencies are given an equal seat at the negotiating table, so that the  principles and forces of evil become firmly entrenched in the church. This Christ says will not be accepted by Him under any circumstances. Let’s read:

  Revelation 2:5   Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 

    2:7   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 

This same pattern of close observation by Christ, and the accompanying promise to those who overcome is repeated to each successive church of the Christian dispensation, and the reason why He continues to make that solemn statement at the end of each message, is so that we may understand that the standard of God’s righteousness will not be lowered with the passage of time for any reason, and thus He implies that we should fall in line with the admonition and warning He is giving. Let’s read:

Revelation 2:8   And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 

  2:9   I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan. 

  2:10   Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 

  2:11   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 2:12   And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 

  2:13   I know thy works and where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan's seat [is]: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas [was] my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 

  2:14   But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 

  2:15   So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. 

  2:16   Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 

  2:17   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth [it]. 

And Christ continues on with the very same pattern of commendation of the things which are right, and also His disapproval of those which are not, after which He adds that solemn statement: “To him that overcometh”. Finally He reaches the last Christian church of our day, Laodicea by name, and as He looks and inspects it with His all-seeing eye, He has nothing good to say about it, for He observes a lukewarm church that has one foot in the world and the other in the church, and this situation is so nauseating to Him, that according to His own testimony, He is on the verge of vomiting it out. But true to His earlier pattern He encourages rigorous reform and radical changes where needed, then He closes with that same solemn statement: “To him that overcometh”. Let’s read:

Revelation 3:14   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the

 faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 

  3:15   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

  3:16   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

  3:17   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

  3:18   I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

  3:19   As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

  3:20   Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

  3:21   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

  3:22   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The theological concept that has become so popular in today’s Christian church, that it is impossible for us to overcome inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil, is one of the doctrines of devils that has been concocted in spiritual Babylon, and has proven to be one of the most deadly and spiritually debilitating doctrines ever introduced to mortals. What is alarming is that so many Christians have now bought into it that we have become comfortable with sins that Christ died to save us from, and for this reason many of us are found to be straddling both sides of the fence, by which we hope to gain entrance to God’s kingdom, whilst harboring, practicing, or countenancing the very sins that caused Christ’s death in the first place. But anything short of overcoming amounts to cheap grace, and will meet with signal disappointment when the Son of man is revealed. Let’s read:

1st John 3:7   Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 

  3:8   He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

  3:9   Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 

  3:10   In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil” ….

1st John 1:6   If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 

  1:7   But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

Another poisonous draft from the wine of Babylon is the excuse that “the devil made me do it”, as if we have no choice in the matter of deciding. Resisting temptation by the grace of God is not merely a suggestion, it is a positive command coming from the Lord Jesus to those of us who are His followers, for if we were to buy into this falsehood, we would thereby be literally handing the victory to the devil, for if he cannot be resisted, the next logical question will, be what’s the use of trying anyway? The Bible signally rejects this notion by stating unequivocally that the devil must be resisted if we are to overcome, thus teaching us that we are not to cower in fear of our own faults, but that we should stand firm in the strength of God. Let’s read:

James 4:7   Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

  4:8   Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded. 

Christ Himself set the template for us who follow in His footsteps, and therefore the work of subduing those tendencies which strive for the mastery can be entirely routed through the grace and power of God. When we give ourselves entirely to Christ, trusting in His promises and trusting in His righteousness, God then makes us impregnable to the assaults of satan, who has no time to waste in futile efforts. This is what Christ did in the war against sin in the desert of temptation, and this is what all true Christians are expected to do by the grace and power of God. Let’s read:

Luke 4:1   And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

  4:2   Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those

days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he

afterward hungered. 

  4:3   And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 

  4:4   And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 

4:13   And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 

However, the work of overcoming is just as important as the way in which we overcome, for many sincere Christians really desire to live victoriously, but the method by which we attempt to do so will ultimately determine whether will fail or succeed. God has given us clear guidelines in this matter so that none of us need be vanquished in the battles of life. One of the most common mistakes made in the work of overcoming is that of fighting against sin. God’s ordained method for us fighting sin is not with will-power, or by avoiding the appearance of evil, even though these are incorporated into the process.

 The main method is by looking unto Jesus, and studying His life, His teachings, and His character on a daily basis, for when this is done consistently every day, an imperceptible change will gradually take hold of us. This sacred truth is alluded to by Christ with the hope that we will finally get the message. Let’s read:

2nd Corinthians 3:18   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

John 3:8   The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

3:14   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 

  3:15   That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

  3:16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

One of the very worst things we can do is to try to be good without God. There are latent tendencies to evil that are lodged in the dark recesses of our minds which only await the opportune moment or the right triggering mechanism to surface in actions and deeds that will alarm even ourselves. This is why Christ states that without Him we can do nothing. As David pondered his sin with Bathsheba, he was surprised and disappointed that he, who walked so close to God, could commit so horrible a crime. The fact is that David had stopped looking unto Jesus for a while, and then the propensities to evil with which we are all born were fanned into life when the right conditions were orchestrated. Let’s read:

Psalms 51:1   “A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 

  51:2   Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 

  51:3   For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me. 

  51:4   Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest. 

  51:5   Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

  51:6   Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 

  51:10   Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 

  51:11   Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 

  51:12   Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit. 

  51:13   [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 

  51:14   Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou

God of my salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of

thy righteousness. 

This is why we must of necessity study very closely the history of the Hebrews in the experience of the uplifted serpent, so that we too may be instructed in the work of overcoming. The Jews in Moses’ day had been stung by fiery, poisonous serpents on account of their own sin, and now it was time to “Overcome” and live. The instruction from God at this time was direct and as simple as it gets, for they were not to try to do anything with the poisonous bite. They were not bidden to put any ointment, or to take any anti-venom injections or man-made solutions. All they were asked to do is to look up at the uplifted serpent and they would live. Let’s read:

Numbers 21:7   Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 

  21:8   And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 

  21:9   And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. 

It is of critical importance for Christians to understand the deep significance of this instruction, for it applies directly to us in the work of overcoming. All have been bitten by the serpent in one way or another. Some of us have been bitten with anger and a hot temper, where we often lose our cool and blurt out sentiments that are withering in nature. Others have been bitten by drug addiction in which the bottle and the needle have exerted their power over us. And some of us have been bitten sexually, where the urge to merge overpowers us to the point where we have done really senseless things.

The recent experience of a local police chief is a prime example, for many people wonder how a married man, with children, and a good paying job, with bright prospects for the future, could do something so non-sensical. The problem is not with intelligence, but rather with those powerful propensities to evil, which when left to run riot without the intervention of God, will lead us to do and say things that will shock our own selves, hence the reason why the work of overcoming is centered squarely in the command to look and live.

As we spend quality time with Christ each day through a study of His word and character, we will partake of His life-giving Spirit, and as we continue to do so, the forces of evil within and without are held in subjection and finally uprooted entirely from our hearts, so that the sins which had previously bulldozed us, fall powerless at the feet of Him who paved the way for us. This sacred truth is embedded in the scriptures with the hope that all who read it may live victoriously from this point forward. Let’s read:

2nd Corinthians 10:3   For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 

  10:4   (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 

  10:5   Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

  10:6   And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 

In our own personal struggles with sinful desires and

divers lusts, let us always remember the instruction of Christ to look and live, for everything else that is involved with the work of overcoming will never be accomplished without this one, singular element. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this sacred truth to our hearts, and it is the will and purpose of God that every sincere and honest hearted Christian live victoriously each day, for Christ was manifested to save us from our sins, not in our sins. Let’s read:

  Ephesians 6:10   Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

  6:11   Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

  6:12   For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. 

  6:13   Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

  6:14   Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

  6:15   And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

  6:16   Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

  6:17   And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

  6:18   Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

The Sacred Nature Of Vows. Sabbath Afternoon. 02/2/28

Many Christians who believe in God do not understand the very sacred nature of vows that are made to God and man, and for this reason the oaths uttered before God do not carry much weight, and are often held in a subjective manner, being fluid and subject to change, to alteration, to feelings, and in some instances, signal dismissal. When this attitude is left to run its course, it ultimately affects our character and the way we deal with our fellowmen, because the same way we treat God is the very same way we will treat others, if not worse. When vows of any kind are made to God, careful consideration should be prayerfully made, and once we have received clearance from God, then we should do all we can to honor our word, even though it may be at great inconvenience or cost, for all vows are sacred in God’s sight.

After it became necessary for God to destroy the entire

earth by the flood, because of the multitude of man’s transgressions which had enveloped the whole earth, God then made a solemn vow between Himself and all living creatures, both man and beast, that the earth will never again be destroyed by a flood. And even though in our day we are doing just as the antediluvians did, and in some instances worse, yet the earth will never ever again be overspread by a flood of waters, because of the sacred nature of the vow God has made. Let’s read:

Genesis 9:12   And God said, This [is] the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations: 

  9:13   I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 

  9:14   And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 

  9:15   And I will remember my covenant, which [is] between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 

  9:16   And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that [is] upon the earth. 

  9:17   And God said unto Noah, This [is] the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that [is] upon the earth. 

The same sacred nature of His covenant is seen in the way His mercies are dispersed to those who believe in Him, and who comprise the spiritual descendants of Abraham. Even though some of us have done the unthinkable, sins that will cause even the heathen to shudder, yet God remembers the sacred covenant He has made to His people, and refuses to deal with us as we deserve. The sacred nature of His promise to forgive is manifested in several passages of scripture, one of the most notable being 1st John 1:9. Let’s read:

 1:9   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

This is a very serious and sacred vow for God to make to the human family. To get an idea of the weightiness of this vow, we need to read another passage of scripture to find out the extent and far-reaching implications of the pledge.  Peter once asked Christ how often should forgiveness be extended to a person who might be a repeat offender. Many of us do not even practice two strikes and you’re out; we sometimes only tolerate one strike, but according to the forgiveness that God as solemnly pledged to us, we would need to at least start with 490 strikes before a person is considered “out”. At this level it requires raw faith to keep coming back to God for pardon, for at such a stage we may not see any valid reason why we should come. Let’s read:

Matthew 18:21   Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

  18:22   Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 

The sacred nature of vows made to God need to be addressed in the lives of all Christians, for the same way God holds Himself accountable to His word, is the same way we should hold ourselves accountable for ours. Let’s read:

Genesis   15:7   And he said unto him, I [am] the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 

  15:8   And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 

  15:9   And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 

  15:10   And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

15:13   And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 

  15:14   And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Several solemn promises are here made in this sacred vow: (1) He promises that the affliction of the Hebrews will not last for more than four hundred years. (2) That the nation that afflicted them will be judged before their emancipation. And (3) Abraham’s seed will leave that land with great substance. So let’s fast-forward to the future to see how God regards the sacred obligation He has committed to. Let’s read:

Exodus 2:23   And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 

  2:24   And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 

  2:25   And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto [them].

Exodus 3:6   Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 

  3:7   And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.

The reason why God now mentions Abraham’s name first

and then his offspring, in the form of Isaac, Jacob, and their descendents is because the original vow then made to Abraham was given in the same order, and therefore He is reminding Moses that the fulfillment of the pledge He made four hundred years ago has not been forgotten with the passage of time, as is often the case when we seem to forget the vows we have made to God. And now the time for their emancipation is drawing near, so God rolls up His sleeves and goes to work, in order to fulfill what He himself has solemnly promised to do. Let’s read:

Exodus 3:20   And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 

  3:21   And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 

  3:22   But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put [them] upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

Exodus 11:1   And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague [more] upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let [you] go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. 

  11:2   Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. 

  11:3   And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses [was] very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. 

Exodus 12:29   And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 

  12:30   And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for [there was] not a house where [there was] not one dead. 

  12:31   And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, [and] get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. 

  12:32   Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 

  12:33   And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We [be] all dead [men]. 

12:51   And it came to pass the selfsame day, [that] the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. 

The Hebrews also understood the sacred nature of vows made to God and man, for the perfect example of God was before their faces, and therefore they were expected to follow in the footsteps of God, in all of their pledges made to The Lord, and to fellow human beings. A striking example of this took place when the Gibeonites practiced fraud and deception upon the Israelites, in order to avoid being destroyed in battle. Upon learning of the stunning, and miraculous victories God had been giving His people, they became afraid, and thus resorted to stratagem in order to save their lives and their cities from certain ruin. And the sacred record shows that they were successful in getting the Israelites to make a solemn vow before God, a pledge that could not afterward be overturned with impunity on the part of Israel. Let’s read:

Joshua 9:3   And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, 

  9:4   They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; 

  9:5   And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry [and] mouldy. 

  9:6   And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. 

  9:7   And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? 

  9:8   And they said unto Joshua, We [are] thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who [are] ye? and from whence come ye? 

  9:9   And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 

9:11   Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We [are] your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. 

  9:12   This our bread we took hot [for] our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you;

but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: 

  9:13   And these bottles of wine, which we filled, [were] new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. 

  9:15   And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the  congregation sware unto them. 

This incident which took place here is what is known as premeditated and deliberate fraud on the part of the Gibeonites, a well-planned and coordinated effort to deceive the Hebrews, and based on those blatant lies that were uttered with a straight face, the Hebrews inadvertently, and ignorantly entered into a solemn covenant with the Gibeonites to let them live amongst them. To many minds this was a valid reason to void all that was solemnly pledged, since they were deliberately deceived as to what they were getting themselves into.

This is the equivalent of a stranger coming to our front door, and uttering a series of well thought out lies and fabrications, stating that they are poor and miserable, and blind and naked, and they need food, raiment, and shelter for themselves and their kids. And then after we believe their story and our hearts are touched by the feelings of their infirmities, we solemnly pledge to let them live at our house for a number of years, only to discover three days later that they are indeed rich and increased with goods. The burning question is what do we do next? Let’s read:

Joshua 9:16   And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they [were] their neighbours, and [that] they dwelt among them. 

  9:17   And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities [were] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. 

  9:18   And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. 

  9:19   But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. 

  9:20   This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. 

9:22   And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We [are] very far from you; when ye dwell among us? 

  9:23   Now therefore ye [are] cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

There are some very serious and disturbing lessons for us to learn from this singular experience, as it pertains to the inviolability of vows made before God and man. The very first lesson, and one that should resonate in our consciousness whenever serious decisions or pledges are to be made, whether it be in material goods, finances, or services to God and man, is to pray without ceasing. It is imperative that we take our pledges that are under consideration to The Lord in prayer first, before they are uttered in His presence or sealed with a verbal or written note. This first lesson is of very critical importance in order to avoid making vows that can be extremely costly and difficult to fulfill. Let’s read:

Joshua 9:14   And the men took of their victuals, and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the LORD. 

Ecclesiastes 5:2   Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 

  5:3   For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by multitude of words. 

5:6   Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 

  5:7   For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God. 

Proverbs 3:5   Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

  3:6   In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

  3:7   Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Praying first, and waiting on God for clearance in matters of consequence will save us many a heartache, and when coupled together with a proper understanding of the sacred nature of vows, will help greatly in decreasing the rates of separations that are increasing exponentially across the land, and sometimes for some of the most trivial reasons. The marriage institution is very sacred, and the vows attached to it are to be held as being most sacred, and therefore the various clauses, prenuptial agreements, addendums, and modifications that are often brought in to accommodate the nullifying of the sacred vow made before God and man, should be dispensed with, by all who desire to walk in the footsteps of God in the keeping of solemn pledges. Let’s read:

I, Christian, take you Princess, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

Lesson (2) Vows that are made without consulting God first are not to be viewed as non-binding, for Joshua and the elders did not pray first, yet they understood that it would be a sin for them to recant what they had pledged, even though it was done in a fraudulent manner on the part of the Gibeonites. Fraud, ignorance, or unforeseen circumstances are no excuse to default on vows and pledges made, and even though resentment , anger  and great inconvenience are involved, yet we should always do our very best to meet our sacred obligations, for those who go against their own grain to keep their word, will develop characters of sterling worth, and by so doing will be enabled to penetrate into unchartered territories of faith and experience with God. Let’s read:

Psalm 15:1   LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 

  15:2   He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 

    15:4 ….  “He that sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not. 

  15:5  … “He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved. 

Lesson (3) The serious and sacred nature of vows should

not prevent or intimidate us from making vows to God and man where warranted, for the Christian walks by faith in God, and anything God gives us clearance to do, comes with the guaranteed wherewithal to do it. This last point is not understood by many Christians, and because of this, some hesitate greatly in stepping out in faith. But God’s promises are enablings, and He always gives us the needed strength and resources to perform that which He gave us clearance to do. The unfaithful steward hid his Lord’s money in the sand and kept it in pristine condition, but was debarred from the gates of heaven because he did not step out in faith.

And we are never to assume that just because God gave us clearance to move forward in the making of a pledge, that we will therefore encounter no difficulty in the fulfillment of those vows. Moses accepted the covenant of God to be used in the deliverance of His people, but on several occasions the Hebrews tried to stone him. Even this is no excuse to turn back from our sacred vows, for their sacredness stands totally independent of all extenuating circumstances. In the performance of duties we have pledged to do we might be criticized, heckled, applauded, or ostracized, but none of these constitute valid excuses for annulling sacred vows. Let’s read:

Numbers 11:11   And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 

    11:14   I am not able to bear all this people alone, because [it is] too heavy for me. 

  11:15   And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. 

Exodus 17:2   Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? 

  17:3   And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore [is] this [that] thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 

  17:4   And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 

In closing, it is necessary for us to know that if by the grace of God we change and reform our attitudes toward vows made to God and man, a positive ripple effect will be seen throughout the entire spectrum of our lives. It will impact our devotional times which we have set aside for communion with God, it will affect the church offices we may hold, especially when we become discouraged and everyone seems to be against us. It will cause us to go to the gym on those days when we are not feeling to exercise, when the temperature plummets.

It will affect the way we pay our mortgage and rent, and the many other bills that come due. It will positively affect our marriages, by enabling us to lock the door and throw away the key. It will affect our diet and the necessary discipline required to lose those stubborn pounds. And we can go on and on and on, but the truth is that without a sacred regard for vows, nothing that is worth accomplishing will ever get done. We end with a passage of scripture which sets the tone, the actions and results as it pertains to the making of vows before God and man. Let’s read:

Psalms 50:14   Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: 

  50:15   And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.  

May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. God bless!

Global Warming Or Global Sinning? Sabbath Afternoon. 02/21/2015

Some of the science that is being taught in our schools today is incomplete and seriously flawed at best, for it deliberately dispenses with the God factor, without which right analyses and concise conclusions can never be drawn, nor can we find permanent solutions to the emerging problems we’re facing, if God is eliminated from the human equation. The Bible makes reference to a type of science that is falsely so-called, and it finds an answering chord in the theory of evolution which removes God entirely from any scientific theories and conclusions, and as a result we are left without answers to some very fundamental questions of life, and related experiences on this planet. Let’s read:

1st Timothy 6:20   O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain

babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:  6:21   Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.

Unless we humble ourselves by zipping up our boots and returning to our roots, which are seated in the Person and the creative power of The omnipotent God, then our efforts at finding answers to some of life’s most urgent and perplexing problems will be futile, and consequently we will not be able to trace accurately the causes and effects to many of the serious issues we find ourselves grappling with today. Science without God is equal to foolishness according to the Bible, and cannot solve the many environmental and social threats we now face. Let’s read:

1st Corinthians 1:19   For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

  1:20   Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where [is] the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish

the wisdom of this world? 

1:27   But God hath chosen the foolish things of the

world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 

  1:28   And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 

  1:29   That no flesh should glory in his presence. 

For instance, the issue of global warming is taking center stage more and more in the scientific community, as it is well documented that the glaciers up north are melting at an increasingly alarming rate, which in turn is found to be triggering the deadly snowstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes, like the super storm Sandy which brought tremendous destruction to very many states, the likes of which have not been witnessed for many generations.

Science chalks it all up to global warming, but the Bible teaches us that the real problem stems from global sinning, because whenever the much more potent spiritual law is deliberately and constantly violated, then it throws out of balance the lesser physical and natural laws which are subject to it, and because of this, all of the scientific laws we know of can be adversely affected, derailed, or even reversed, if the potent spiritual law is interfered with or deliberately violated. For this reason the Bible study for this afternoon will focus squarely on Root cause, Resulting effects, and Real solutions. We must of necessity include the God-factor into our scientific analysis, or else it will remain seriously flawed.

It is clearly stated and documented in the word of God that disobedience to God’s commands and laws affect the planet and weather systems in very negative ways, and because this sacred truth has now been eliminated from our educational system, we are left to figure out the symptoms, not the real cause of the many weather related and social problems we are facing. Beginning with the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, the Bible states that the ground wherever Cain lived would thereafter become stubborn in the production of fruit and grain, and thus he would find it necessary to coax the ground much more than other farmers, in order for it to produce. Let’s read:

Agriculture:

Genesis 4:8   And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 

  4:9   And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper? 

  4:10   And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 

  4:11   And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 

  4:12   When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 

This statement of fact stipulating cause and effect pertaining to the shedding of innocent blood is not incorporated into our educational system, nor is it even considered in the scientific community, and as a result, our answer to the increasing stubbornness of the earth to produce fruit and grain, is to plant genetically modified foods that are increasingly lesser in nutritional value, whereas the real cause lies in the wanton murders and executions that are now taking place globally. The sacred truths and scientific fact relating to the root cause of sin, and its accompanying adverse results are clearly stated by God, so that we would reason accurately from cause to effect. Let’s read:

Numbers 35:33   So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye [are]: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

Earthquakes:

But the issue of global sinning as it pertains to global warming, is not restricted to the weather alone, for it is a well-documented fact in the Bible that sin can result in massive earthquakes. Again, our so-called science restricts the cause of all earthquakes to the erratic shift of tectonic plates deep within the earth, or other natural factors, but according to the Bible, earthquakes can be caused by a number of other different factors which have absolutely nothing to do with any shifting of tectonic plates. Let’s read:

Numbers 16:1   Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took [men]: 

  16:2   And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 

  16:3   And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, [Ye take] too much upon you, seeing all the congregation [are] holy, every one of them, and the LORD [is] among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? 

  16:4   And when Moses heard [it], he fell upon his face: 

  16:5   And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will show who [are] his, and [who is] holy; and will cause [him] to come near unto him: even [him] whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. 

  16:23   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

  16:24   Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 

    16:26   And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. 

16:28   And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for [I have] not [done them] of mine own mind. 

  16:29   If these men die the common death of all

men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all

 men; [then] the LORD hath not sent me. 

  16:30   But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that [appertain] unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. 

  16:31   And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that [was] under them: 

  16:32   And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that [appertained] unto Korah, and all [their] goods. 

  16:33   They, and all that [appertained] to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. 

  16:34   And all Israel that [were] round about them

fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth

swallow us up [also]. 

It matters not whether God brought about the earthquake or whether satan was permitted to bring it about, the basic fact is that the triggering mechanism was sin on the part of Korah and his cohorts, and the end result was an earthquake. The questions that are often raised, about who brought about the judgments when instances like these are spoken of in the scriptures are irrelevant, for the main issues we need to consider is root cause and end result, regardless of whether it is heavenly agencies, satanic agencies, or human agencies that are employed in the resulting casualties. As stated before in previous Bible studies, God is the Supreme Ruler in the universe, and everything which takes place on the planet is by direct intervention, or by permission. Let’s read:

Isaiah  29:5   Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 

  29:6   Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 

Amos 1:1   The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 

  1:2   And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. 

  1:3   Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof: 

But earthquakes are not always the result of sin, for they can also be triggered when angels put on their brakes. As the angel Gabriel sped on his way, faster than the speed of light, to call forth the Son of God from the tomb on resurrection morning, he needed to slow down, but in his eagerness he apparently didn’t, and landed on the earth with such force that a mighty earthquake was produced. And again, our modern science does not take these facts into account when analyzing upheavals of the earth such as these. Let’s read:

Matthew 28:1   In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary

Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 

  28:2   And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 

  28:3   His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 

  28:4   And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead [men]. 

Acts 16:25   And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 

  16:26   And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

 Revelation  6:12   And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 

  6:13   And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 

  6:14   And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.   

Note well what takes place when the potent and powerful spiritual law of God is opened and revealed in the heavens. Let’s read:

Revelation 11:19   And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

 Revelation 16:16   And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 

  16:17   And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 

  16:18   And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great. 

  16:19   And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God”

 16:20   And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 

 Matthew 24:3   And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 

24:4   And Jesus answered and said”….

24:6   Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars”..  24:7   For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 

  24:8   All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.

  Hail and Snow:

Global sinning also can result in much snow and hail, for as stated before, whenever the potent spiritual law of God is trampled upon, or deliberately violated, it then throws out of balance the lesser physical laws that are under its jurisdiction, and the results can be manifested in different adverse ways, including deadly snowstorms and hail. Let’s read:

Exodus  9:18   Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until

now. 

  9:19   Send therefore now, [and] gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; [for upon] every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 

  9:20   He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: 

  9:21   And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field. 

  9:22   And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. 

  9:23   And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 

  9:24   So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 

Job 38:22   Hast thou entered into the treasures of the

snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, 

  38:23   Which I have reserved against the time of

trouble, against the day of battle and war?

Psalms 148:7   Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 

  148:8   Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 

Storms, Hurricanes, and Tornadoes:

Psalms 107:23   They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; 

  107:24   These see the works of the LORD, and his

wonders in the deep. 

  107:25   For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 

  107:26   They mount up to the heaven, they go down

again to the depths: their soul is melted because of

trouble. 

  107:27   They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. 

  107:28   Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 

  107:29   He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 

  107:30   Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 

  107:31   Oh that [men] would praise the LORD [for] his goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men! 

Isaiah 4:5   And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory [shall be] a defence. 

  4:6   And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

 Isaiah  29:5   Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 

  29:6   Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Nahum 1:3   The LORD [is] slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit [the wicked]: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [are] the dust of his feet. 

Mark  4:37   And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 

  4:38   And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 

  4:39   And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said

unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

    4:41   And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? 

 Jonah 1:1   Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 

  1:2   Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 

  1:3   But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 

  1:4   But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 

  1:5   Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 

  1:6   So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 

  1:7   And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil [is] upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 

  1:8   Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil [is] upon us; What [is] thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country? and of what people [art] thou? 

  1:9   And he said unto them, I [am] an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry [land]. 

  1:10   Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 

  1:11   Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 

  1:12   And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest [is] upon you. 

  1:13   Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring [it] to

the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 

  1:15   So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 

  1:16   Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. 

The following occurrence, which is the last one we will examine is of critical importance as it pertains to the issue of global sinning, and consequent global warming, for we are now treading on very dangerous ground by attempting to alter and interfere with the potent and spiritual law of God. God gives each person the freedom to choose to do good or evil, with the stated results for each course of action, but for us to presume to change His sacred law, or to alter it in any way to suit the clamors of the popular majority, will then open up the floodgates of woe and trouble on many nations, and we will be drawn into a long, protracted, and unending battle with forces of evil that will never be overcome with the force or arms, and  very much blood will be shed as a result. Hence the reason why it is necessary for us to pay close attention to the following verses.

1st Samuel 5:1   And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. 

  5:2   When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 

  5:3   And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon [was] fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 

  5:4   And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon [was] fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands [were] cut off upon the threshold; only [the stump of] Dagon was left to him. 

Here in these verses we see where the potent spiritual law of God contained in the ark adversely affected the Physical law of gravity, and pulled down the idol of Dagon from its pedestal because of the Philistine’s efforts to blend the sacred and the vile into one. This effort to forge a coerced partnership between the God of heaven and idols is strictly forbidden in the very law which stood next to Dagon, and as a direct result the graven image was dismembered, an evil omen of things to come. Let’s read:

Exodus 20:3   Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

  20:4   Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: 

  20:5   Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; 

  20:6   And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

This commandment means that we are not to have any false gods, in front of God, neither behind Him, nor next to Him, nor in collaboration with Him, neither are we to try to forge a friendship between God and any idols, for this will result in throwing out of balance all the physical and natural laws that sit squarely under the very potent spiritual law. For this reason the following text must be given due consideration. Let’s read:

Isaiah 42:8   I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 

What took place next after these two warning bells were sounded in the temple of Dagon, is important for us to consider, for similar occurrences, and much more deadly will take place, if we interfere with the potent spiritual law for any reason. God takes no delight in the death or destruction of those He has made, but if we presume to poke our fingers in His eye by altering His laws, then the peace and tranquility we have enjoyed for many years will suddenly be reversed, and a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation will ensue. The history of the philistines daring actions, with the adverse accompanying results are written for admonition, upon whom the end of world is approaching. Let’s read:

1st Samuel 5:6   But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, [even] Ashdod and the coasts thereof. 

  5:7   And when the men of Ashdod saw that [it was] so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. 

  5:8   They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about [thither]. 

  5:9   And it was [so], that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. 

  5:10   Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

    5:11   So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 

  It is of critical importance for us to pay attention to the analysis and the advice of the Philistine magicians, for in certain desperate situations, when stubborn persons and nations will not listen to the voice of God, He then permits the magicians in the land to speak sense to the people. Very, very important:

1st Samuel  6:2   And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 

  6:3   And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 

  6:4   Then said they, What [shall be] the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague [was] on you all, and on your lords. 

  6:5   Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 

  6:6   Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 

  6:7   Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 

  6:8   And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him [for] a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 

  6:9   And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, [then] he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that [it is] not his hand [that] smote us: it [was] a chance [that] happened to us. 

  6:10   And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 

  6:11   And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 

  6:12   And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, [and] went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside [to] the right hand or [to] the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh. 

In June of 2015, a very weighty decision is to be made pertaining to the sacred institution of marriage, and the laws pertaining to it. The warning bells that once sounded in the temple of Dagon are again sounding loud in our ears, with the hope that we will reason soberly from cause to effect, and do not take that fatal step of attempting to alter in any way, the law of God, because of the clamor of the popular majority. What is worthy of note is that the decision will be handed down just before hurricane season, and therefore God is pleading with us to carefully consider the results that accrued to the philistines, who refused to listen when the alarm bells sounded.

We therefore end with a passage of scripture which provides the solution to the deepening social, global, and weather related problems that are overshadowing the land, for the door of mercy is still open, and if we repent of and forsake our personal and national sins, we may yet receive a reversal of ill-fortune, which if left to run riot will cost us tremendously, both in lives lost and in insurmountable financial burdens. Let’s read:

2nd chronicles 7:13   If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 

  7:14   If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

  7:15   Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place. 

He that hath an ear, let him hear what The Spirit of God is saying to the churches and to secular leaders. God bless! 

The Death Of Moses. Sabbath Afternoon. 02/14/2015

There are some very precious and sobering lessons for us to learn from the death of Moses, as it pertains directly to those of us who are living on the brink of eternity, and the lessons thus gleaned should be applied to our own personal experiences in the process of overcoming and living victoriously. The reason why the death of Moses should concern every Christian is because the prospect of us not ever dying is before our faces, and this sacred truth is stated in several passages of scripture, with the hope that we would give them due consideration. But before we investigate the death of Moses let us take a brief look at the mindset of a pilgrim, who is living in earnest expectancy of Christ’s imminent return.

Abraham was very rich in silver and gold and cattle, some of the means whereby the ancients measured wealth, yet his focus was never set on the mundane and material things of this earth. Whilst sojourning on this planet he was a faithful steward in the many blessings God bestowed upon him, but he never once lost sight of his eternal, and ultimate home, and for this reason he apparently made no serious provision for death as so many of us often do.

Now, while it is good to plan for the future, and the golden years when we may retire, yet we should avoid the current snare and obsession of laying up for ourselves much treasure upon the earth, for where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. And so it is very important for us to observe the following passages of scripture, and contemplate soberly what is implied, for it has direct meaning for every Christian living in this generation, where the evening shadows of this earth’s history are drawing nigh. Let’s read:

Genesis 13:1   And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 

  13:2   And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Genesis 23:1   And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah. 

  23:2   And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 

  23:3   And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 

  23:4   I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 

  23:5   And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 

  23:6   Hear us, my lord: thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

 Hebrews 11:8   By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

  11:9   By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 

  11:10   For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God. 

11:16  “Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

So let’s begin by establishing from the word of God, the fact that many thousands of human beings living in the last generation may never die, for like Abraham, we are just pilgrims passing through this earth, on a brief probationary period, and headed for a better world. Many of us have lost sight of the sacred truths we are about to study, and because of this we have now become obsessed with retirement savings accounts, 401k’s, and the like, as if the focus of our lives is to retire in ease and contentment. But the fact is that very many Christians will be alive when Jesus comes and they will be translated to heaven without ever passing through the portals of the tomb. Let’s read:

1st Thessalonians 4:16   For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

  4:17   Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

  4:18   Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

1st Corinthians 15:51   Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

  15:52   In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Moses, like all of us was, born in sin and shapen in iniquity, and although the Bible gives us just a few highlights of his stay in Egypt, yet the sacred record says that he had problems and weaknesses just like any other human being, and he sinned many times in his life, and he also needed to be forgiven just like any other person. But the scriptures reveal that Moses had a nagging problem with his temper, a problem that surfaced from time to time when he was pushed to the edge by the murmuring and complaining of the Hebrews. Also when grievous and blatant sins were committed by them, he sometimes got angry, and did things which he would not otherwise have done under different circumstances. Let’s read:

Exodus 2:11   And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 

  2:12   And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that [there was] no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 

  2:13   And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 

  2:14   And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 

Exodus 32:17   And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, [There is] a noise of war in the camp. 

  32:18   And he said, [It is] not the voice of [them that] shout for mastery, neither [is it] the voice of [them that] cry for being overcome: [but] the noise of [them that] sing do I hear. 

  32:19   And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 

This problem with anger, if not controlled in every volatile situation, is that it could cause Christians to say and do things that can do great harm to the cause of God, and cause the religion of Christ to be brought into disrepute. In all situations and under all circumstances the Christian must maintain his cool, for the devil will push us to the very limits of sanity if we let him. This is exactly what took place with Moses, when after many long years of dealing with the turbulent minds of the people under his care, he finally gave way, and in a burst of rage, publicly disobeyed what God had instructed him to do, in speaking to the rock to bring forth water for the clamoring multitudes. Let’s read:

Numbers 20:7   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

  20:8   Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 

  20:9   And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 

  20:10   And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 

  20:11   And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also]. 

What follows next is of great importance to every Christian living in this generation, upon whom the end of the world is fast approaching, for it speaks volumes to the sins which easily beset us from time to time, which if not permanently overcome, will cause us to come under the domain of death, just like Moses. What is worthy of note is that none of the previous outbursts of anger which led Moses to sin, would have prevented him from withstanding the advance of death, for all his prior sins had been completely forgiven and washed away. But this one specific instance did him in, and for that reason he was laid to rest. Let’s read:

  Numbers 20:12   And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 

Deuteronomy 32:48   And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, 

  32:49   Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, [unto] mount Nebo, which [is] in the land of Moab, that [is] over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: 

  32:50   And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: 

  32:51   Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. 

It’s very important for us to know that Moses did not die of old age or of natural causes, for the Bible specifically states that his natural force was not abated, meaning that he was just as strong at 120 years as when he was much younger. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that Christ came down to resurrect Moses not long after his death, where He had an exchange of words with satan who was guarding Moses’ tomb. And therefore, there are two very important questions which need to be urgently answered as they pertain to the death of Moses: (1) Why was satan guarding his tomb? And (2) What caused his death? If these two questions are answered correctly, they will shed much light on whether many of us will pass under the domain of death, or whether we will never die. Let’s read line upon line with an understanding heart, and a teachable spirit:

  Deuteronomy 34:5  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.    34:6   And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 

  34:7   And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 

Isaiah 49:24   Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 

  49:25   But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered” ….

  Isaiah 14:12   How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 

14:16   They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 

  14:17   [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners? 

Jude 1:9   Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 

Romans 6:23   For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Matthew  17:1   And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 

17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 

  17:3   And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 

  17:4   Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

Some of us Christians, like Moses, have some nagging problems that surface from time to time in our experiences, yet we too have been completely forgiven, and our sins washed away by the blood of The Lamb. But as we draw closer to the throne of God, and are granted greater revelations of God’s perfect character, it becomes necessary that a corresponding growth in grace also take place, so that our faith and practice may be in sync. Like Moses too, we have the prospect of living eternally without ever dying, but we will need to live by the grace and power of God, victoriously each day, until the character of Christ is fully formed within us.

The 144,000 who will be translated from this earth without ever seeing death will have some mortal battles with sin and self to fight and overcome, and like it was with Moses, the devil is sure to turn up the heat several notches in order to cause us to slip. Not everyone has the same problem to battle with, for the 144,000 will be made up of those of us who have had various, serious weaknesses, yet were victorious through the grace and strength of The Living Christ.

For instance, some Christians who will comprise that number will like Moses, have had a problem with anger management, by which they had been tempted to say and do things that are contrary to the character of God, yet by earnest prayer and severe self-denial, will have gotten the victory over sin and self. Let’s read:

Revelation 7:2   And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 

  7:3   Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our

God in their foreheads. 

 Revelation 7:7   Of the tribe of Simeon [were] sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi [were] sealed twelve thousand” …..

Did we hear correctly when the Bible says that

some Christians who had characteristics similar to Simeon and Levi would be translated without seeing death? These two brothers were renowned for their anger and violence, in so much that Jacob, when uttering his final blessings to his sons, was moved to also include a curse upon their anger. Let’s read:

Genesis 49:5   Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. 

  49:6   O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. 

  49:7   Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 

Genesis 34:2   And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

  34:5   And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come. 

  34:7   And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard [it]: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done. 

34:25   And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 

  34:26   And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of

Shechem's house, and went out. 

34:30   And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 

Before we continue, let’s take a little detour to observe something deep in the Bible as it pertains to these two brothers who were prone to anger and violence. In the book of Revelation, twelve thousand of their spiritual descendents, or people with similar characteristics are said to have gotten the victory over their tempers, and therefore will be translated to heaven without seeing death. But this victory came the hard way, through severe internal conflicts and trusting wholly to the power of God and the merits of Christ. The Bible says that it must be studied line upon line, and for good reason. Let’s read:

Genesis 29:33   And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I [was] hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also: and she called his name Simeon. 

  29:34   And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. 

Genesis 42:6   And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth. 

  42:7   And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 

  42:8   And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

42:13   And they said, Thy servants [are] twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest [is] this day with our father, and one [is] not.

  42:24   And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 

Numbers 25:6   And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

  25:7   And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw [it], he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 

  25:8   And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

Question: How many sons did Jacob have?

Amswer: Twelve.

Question: How many of those brothers were noted for their anger management problems:

Answer: Two

Question: How many apostles did Christ choose for himself?

Answer: Twelve.

Question: Of the twelve apostle of Christ, were there two brothers who were noted for their fiery tempers, who had a problem with anger too?

Answer: Yes. They were James and John. Let’s read:

Mark 3:14   And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 

  3:15   And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 

  3:16   And Simon he surnamed Peter; 

  3:17   And James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.

Luke  9:49   And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 

  9:50   And Jesus said unto him, Forbid [him] not: for he that is not against us is for us. 

  9:51   And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 

  9:52   And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 

  9:53   And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 

  9:54   And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 

  9:55   But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 

  9:56   For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village.

Question: In Revelation chapter seven, how many Christians will be sealed and translated to heaven without seeing death?

Answer: 144,000.

Question: is that number divisible by twelve?

Answer: Yes.

Question: How many of that number would have had the same characteristics like those two re-occurring brothers?

Answer: Twelve thousand.

Last question: How is it that the number Twelve keeps on recurring throughout the history of God’s people, even down to our day when twelve thousand of each spiritual tribe will be sealed? Let’s read:

Matthew 19:28   And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

But anger management is not the only problem that some Christians have, for others can control their tempers while others may have a problem with sexual sins and desires that are entirely contrary to God’s revealed will, yet many of them will overcome and live victoriously in the last days, and for that reason they too will be translated to heaven without seeing death. Satan does not as a general rule of thumb waste time tempting us on sins which do not faze us, for it’s usually one, or maybe two weaknesses that keep tripping us up. Let’s read:

Revelation  7:5   “Of the tribe of Reuben [were] sealed twelve thousand”.

Did we hear correctly when the Bible says that some people with characteristics such as Reuben, will never see death? Rueben was not perfect by any means, for he too had to do severe battle with internal and external sexual sins, lusts, and evil thoughts and desires which carried on a military campaign against his soul. Yet, through the grace and the power of Christ, overcame and lived victoriously on a continual basis. Let’s read:

Genesis 30:14   And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes. 

    30:16   And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 

Genesis 49:1   And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days. 

  49:2   Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. 

  49:3   Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 

  49:4   Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my couch. 

In our day, those who will be translated to heaven without seeing death will have very specific sins that they must overcome if they would not pass under the domain of death, hence the reason why the death of Moses should be studied closely, so that we too do not make similar mistakes. The habit of only confessing the sins we have committed is grossly insufficient for the days in which we live, for now is the time when we should be confessing and forsaking those sins which we did not actually do, but were harbored and pondered in the dark recesses of our minds. And it’s for this reason why the following scriptures are given, so that we will not be misled as to what constitutes real victory in the spiritual realm. Let’s read:

Hebrews 12:1   Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

  12:2   Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

  12:3   For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 

Revelation 3:21   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

  3:22   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word, for the time is at hand. God bless!

Inherent Problems Of Universal Religion. Sabbath Afternoon. 02/07/2015

Because of the ongoing and ever increasing threat of global terrorism born of extremist ideas and philosophies, there will be a very strong temptation for the nations of the earth to consolidate together in establishing a universal form of religion, in which all of the gods of the major religions are given a seat at the table of compromise. This temptation must be utterly resisted for it will push western nations to do the very thing they are trying to prevent, that is coercion of the conscience on pain of death, a system of religious enforcement, which is what satan desperately desires.

There are extremists in every religion on the planet. There are those who interpret the Quran in the most literal sense, and thereby are driven to religious extremes in philosophy, thought, and action. But right here in America there exists very extreme elements within the Christian community, some of whom believe in a very strict and literal interpretation of everything in the Bible.

 For instance, there is a supposedly Christian church that sincerely believes that rattle snakes and Burmese pythons should be welcome guests at every service, for according to their strict and literal interpretation of what Christ said, they believe they are now authorized to handle these deadly serpents  as an integral part of their worship. As a matter of fact, one such snake handling preacher recently died after being bitten by a rattlesnake, because he stubbornly refused to seek any medical help, since according to his belief, God was duty bound to deliver him.

Extremists are born when a literal interpretation is given to every text in the Bible, in the Quran, or any other religious text. When Christ bade his servants to compel men to come to His banquet, which really represented the gospel invitation to be given to all the world, He was not sanctioning the use of force with a baseball bat, in coercing unwilling minds into accepting Christianity. Let’s read:

Luke 14:16   Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 

  14:17   And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 

  14:18   And they all with one [consent] began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 

  14:19   And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 

  14:20   And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 

  14:23   And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled. 

In order not to wrest these verses from their true meaning, and thereby be driven to extremes, we must of necessity study other passages which relate to the same subject matter. In the personal and public example of Christ, we find the correct answer and interpretation, for the use of force in coercing the conscience is strictly forbidden by God, even when it is done with the very best of intentions. Let’s read:

Luke 9:51   And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 

  9:52   And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 

  9:53   And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 

  9:54   And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 

  9:55   But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 

  9:56   For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village. 

 Again when Christ stated that one of the signs that will follow true believers is that they would pick up deadly snakes and not be harmed, He was not there advising anyone to go to the everglades and bring a Burmese python to church. Literal interpretations such as these are counter-intuitive and when they are adopted, breed extremists and do real damage to the name of Christ, in the name of religion. Let’s read:

Mark 16:17   And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 

  16:18   They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 

What the passage really means is that if a true believer were to accidently pick up a deadly serpent, then they can expect protection from God according to His good will. However, for us to go and deliberately search out rattlesnakes and handle them, with the expectation that God must deliver us, is a form of presumption, and all who thus choose to go that route, will find out sooner or later that the same rattle snake that bit Adam and Eve in the garden, is still lurking at the forbidden tree, seeking whom he may devour.

 A perfect example of what Christ meant can be found in the experience of Paul, who was accidentally bitten by a poisonous snake as he sought wood to make a bonfire, as he and others with him sought refuge from the cold. Let’s read:

Acts 28:2   And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. 

  28:3   And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid [them] on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 

  28:4   And when the barbarians saw the [venomous] beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. 

  28:5   And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. 

  28:6   Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. 

 However, if a person or a congregation so chooses to deliberately go to such extremes, then they are free to do so, once they do not endanger the lives, or violate the basic human rights  of any unwilling persons. God has given them the freedom to go to church and be bitten as many times as they like, for it will be counted as “Love at first bite”, and then they can live, or die happily ever after, that is their own business, and their God-given freedom to do so. However, it must be stated here that stipulated, eternal penalties are attached to this type of folly, yet they are free to choose whichever course of action seems right in their own eyes.

However, politics and religion has always made for a very toxic mix, and the word of God warns us against the establishment of any universal form of religion or creed, whereby the inhabitants of the earth will be forced to pray and worship against the dictates of their own consciences. Calls for prayer in schools are made in apparent sincerity, but the immediate question we will be faced with is, who is the official deity we will be forced to pray to?

The genius of Christianity is that it allows a person to be wrong as well as right in their conclusions about God, and even though there are irremovable consequences for our choices and actions, yet we are left as free moral agents to do good or evil, once our actions do not compromise or infringe upon the  fundamental human rights and freedoms of others. This sacred truth is clearly stated in the scriptures. Let’s read:

1st Kings 18:21   And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 

  Joshua 24:15   And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 

 Exodus 19:3   And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 

  19:4   Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 

  19:5   Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: 

  19:6   And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 

  19:7   And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 

  19:8   And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. 

Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon tried in vain to mix politics and religion by instituting a universal religious system, when he attempted to force his own brand of religious ideas on the populace, and the result was that three innocent Christians were thrown into the burning fiery furnace, because of non-compliance with a creed that was contrary to sound doctrine, and which also violated their own conscience.

It was at this point in the history of Babylon that God intervened for the deliverance of His chosen people, and if the same mistake made by king Nebuchadnezzar, in mandating a particular brand of religious creed and practice is repeated in our day, for the purpose of eradicating what is considered to be extremist ideologies, the same God will again intervene in a marked and decisive manner for the deliverance of His people, because history always repeats itself, and God never changes. Let’s read:

Daniel 3:1   Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height [was] threescore cubits, [and] the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 

  3:2   Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 

Some of these state officials were most likely of different religious persuasions. There were probably some Baptists, some Muslims, some Mormons, some Catholics, some Jews, some Hindus, some Atheists, some Evangelicals, and yes, there were also some Seventh day Adventists, who held public office, and who were commanded to come to the dedication of the golden image Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

But when three of these Christians were forced to bow to the universal form of worship instituted by the king, they remonstrated, for Nebuchadnezzar had crossed the hidden boundary between freedom of choice and coercion of the conscience, and for this reason Jesus was moved to pay him a sudden and unexpected visit, to let the king know who is the real Boss, and to make it abundantly clear that he had gone too far in violating the conscience of others. Let’s read:

Daniel  3:3   Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 

  3:4   Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 

  3:5   [That] at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 

  3:6   And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 

  3:8   Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 

  3:9   They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 

    3:12   There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.   

  3:19   Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 

  3:20   And he commanded the most mighty men that [were] in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace. 

  3:21   Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their [other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 

3:24   Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 

  3:25   He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 

  3:26   Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come [hither]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 

3:27   And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 

However, it is worthy of note that the king of Babylon humbled himself before the great God of heaven when he realized his folly, and in this respect he is to be commended. But after his public acknowledgement of the true God, he then again repeated the same error of trying to force his convictions on the people. The God of heaven is never pleased with the use of force in coercing the conscience, even if it is for a good cause, for it violates a basic and fundamental freedom He has given to each person. Let’s read:

 Daniel 3:28   [Then] Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed [be] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 

  3:29   Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. 

God could not be well pleased with this second decree, for it goes contrary to His manner of dealing with the free moral agents He has created. And furthermore, God did not cut off Nebuchadnezzar from the earth when he deliberately set up an image to worship, in defiance of God, so now that the king has been straightened out, who gives him the authority to cut other people in pieces if they do not agree with his convictions? These are just a few of the problems that are incident to forming a one world religion, whereby all the inhabitants of the earth are forced to agree to a universal code of beliefs, moral values, and creeds.

Furthermore, there are three sacred truths that

should be clearly understood, if for any reason, the institution of a one world system of religion and government is considered, in an attempt to root out what the majority may view as being radical or even extremist views. (1) The God of heaven will not be a part of any worldwide summit, whereby the great religions of the earth call for a truce and thereby forge a universal religion or creed by which each god has an equal seat at the negotiating table. This option is absolutely off the table as far as Christ is concerned. Let’s read:

Isaiah 42:8   I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 

(2) Every member of the human family is left free to serve God or not to serve Him, but if for any reason we individually choose to serve Him, it will have to be on His terms alone, with no human input, advice, recommendations or amendments to His law by the human agent. Furthermore, the scriptural methods of interpretation will also have to be adopted, with no social or political strings attached, so that the manipulation of certain passages to suit one’s ends, or to please the sin-loving multitudes, may not take place. In addition to these parameters, the majority or popular opinion is not to be consulted, nor does it receive any consideration whatsoever, when it comes to interpreting God’s laws, His statutes, and His ordinances. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 4:1   Now therefore hearken”… “unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you” ….  4:2   Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:32   What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. 

Revelation 22:16   I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star. 

  22:18   For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 

  22:19   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, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.

(3) If for any reason the leaders of the world forge ahead with the institution of a universally enforced religion, then God will as of old intervene in a very marked and decided manner that will permanently bring the nations of the earth to their knees. This stern warning has been given in the most graphic language, with the intent that we may not take that final and fatal step which will push us over the cliff, from which there will be no recovery, no pardon, or any additional probationary period in which God’s great mercies are displayed. Let’s read:

Daniel 12:1   And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 

  12:2   And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt. 

  12:3   And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 

Revelation 14:9   And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 

  14:10   The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 

  14:11   And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 

  14:12   Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 

In closing, it is necessary for us to deal with the threat of global terrorism in a manner that will preserve the God-given freedoms with which we are all endowed, and if we sincerely seek after God through the confession, repentance, and forsaking of our national and personal sins, He will respond in the positive, by removing this cancer of extreme violence and bloodshed, with which the world is now plagued. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which still offers us hope as we live in the evening of this world’s history, for God still delights in mercy, and is more than willing to heal and to cleanse if we so desire. Let’s read:

2nd Chronicles 7:14   If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

  7:15   Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place.

May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

The Renewal Of Our Youth. Sabbath Afternoon. 01/31/2015

The will of God for the human family is always joy, peace, contentment, service, prosperity, and both physical and spiritual health, and every command and instruction He has given to us centers around these central themes, without exception. As a matter of fact this sacred truth is embodied in a single verse of scripture that has now become a trump card for many televangelists and laity alike. However, the passage in question is not lopsided in nature, but rather calls for a fine-tuned balance between the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of our being, for they are all intertwined into one complete and inseparable whole. Let’s read:

3rd John 1:2   Beloved, I wish above all things that

thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 

This well-known text suggests that any imbalance between the three facets of our being will have very deleterious effects on the others, and thus we are instructed to bring all three dimensions into one harmonious whole, through the grace and power of God, and in co-partnership with Him. The way that this is accomplished is very simple so that anyone who is willing may understand, for it involves following the commands and instructions of the Almighty with a diligent, willing, and consistent mind.

Any other method that is suggested is doomed to failure from the start, for anything that is contrary to what God says is inherently dangerous in nature, and should therefore be avoided like the plague. When God took the Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage, He made a very solemn promise to them, and the promises then made do extend down to our era, for they were not only for the Hebrews, but for any member of the human family who would believe and obey the instructions given on an ongoing basis. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 7:11   Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. 

  7:12   Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 

    7:14   Thou shalt be blessed above all people”…

  7:15   And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee”….

This is a very serious promise indeed and it is reiterated in the words of the Psalmist who further amplifies on the very same theme. When writing about the same topic, David includes the washing away of sins, together with all of the other benefits that come with serving God. Now it’s not that our focus in accepting Christ should be benefits per se, however, God has plainly stated what He would do for us if we enter into a saving relationship with Him, and therefore there is absolutely no harm in finding out what those mega promises are, that He has given to the faithful. Let’s read:

Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. 

  103:2   Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 

  103:3   Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 

  103:4   Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 

  103:5   Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

The word “Renew” is a very disturbing word, for it suggests that the aging process we have now been accustomed to, can be forestalled to a great extent if the conditions laid down are met. In addition to this, when the word “Renew” is understood in the context in which it is given, it is clearly seen that the renewal of our youth is directly tied to what we eat, because the passage states that God will satisfy our mouth with good things, in order that our youth may be renewed like the eagles’. There is only one question remaining to be answered, “What are those good things” David is speaking about?

Before we proceed with the discovery of those “Good things” it is necessary that we do some preliminary investigation, beginning with the meaning of the word “Renew” as taken from the dictionary, and also from the original Hebrew. The word “Renew” in the English dictionary means: “To make new again, or to restore” so if David is saying that God promises to restore or renew our youth he is suggesting that the faithful can live forever young during our sojourn on this planet, not suffering any depletion in energy and strength, just as when we were sweet sixteen.

Now this is a very serious claim to make, especially in the context of our current knowledge and understanding of the normal aging processes, and so it becomes necessary for us to observe what the Hebrew says of the word “Renew”. The Hebrew word is “Chadash” which also means to renew or “Repair”, and therefore if we were to add the word repair to the concept of renewal of our youth, then it means that we should be able to heal much more quickly in our senior years, just like we did when we were teens. A very disturbing claim indeed!

The diseases of the Egyptians as referred to in the book of Exodus came to our knowledge with the many excavations of the tombs of the Pharaohs that have been dug up during the last two centuries. The mummies contained in these tombs shed a significant amount of light on what caused their early and often sudden demise, and in our close investigations of the diseases of these mummies, it is the will of God that we reason soberly from cause to effect so that we can make wise choices moving forward.

A careful analysis of many Egyptian mummies reveal that they died of the following diseases which are given in order of destructive potency: Cancer, leprosy, diseases of the aorta and coronary arteries, tuberculosis, polio, arthritis, together with such ailments as arteriosclerosis of the kidney and heart, some of the common causes of death in the ancient Egyptians. In addition to all this, the average lifespan of a one year old child was less than forty years, in males and less in females, which brings us to the question of what was causing these untimely deaths amongst the populace?

What is worthy of note in the promises of long life and health made by God to us through His servant Moses, is that Moses himself had actually grown up in the court of pharaoh, and must therefore have been exposed to the same diet and conditions that many of the elite in Egypt were partakers of, yet of Moses we read an entirely different lifespan and aging process, than most of his former peers. Thus we must of necessity search for answers as to why the great difference in length of days and quality of life that Moses experienced, when contrasted with the pharaohs of his era. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 34:5   So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 

    34:7   And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

In the instruction given to us through Moses, as it pertains to the removal of all sicknesses, the word diligently is used repeatedly, which tells us that the information given must not be followed in a haphazard manner, being based on feeling and impulse, but rather a well-structured regimen which incorporates the proven knowledge gained from a careful study of the word of God in tandem with the scientific knowledge we have at our fingertips, which are not at odds with the scriptures. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 28:1   And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 

  28:2   And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 

28:13   And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]:

Exodus 15:26   And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee.

The Lord removed to a great extent, flesh foods as a part of the Hebrews’ diet, and one of the main reasons this was done was to get rid of the leading causes of cancer and coronary heart diseases in His people. Even though the knowledge that we have today was not available back then, yet it is an undeniable fact that flesh foods, especially those that are unclean, contribute more than anything else to the early demise of human beings, more than all wars, and terrorism combined.

 And in our day, where so many chemicals, steroids, and unnatural boosters are being used in meat products, the situation has worsened tremendously, and can be described as a form of dietary terrorism.

But in order for us to get a better idea of why the Lord endeavored to change the diet of the Hebrews, we must first look at what is taking place currently with the staggering figures of cancer occurrences and deaths in the united states. In 2011 there was a combined total of 145300 deaths from various cancers in the U.S alone. That same year the amount of deaths to U.S citizens resulting from terrorist activity was a total of 34 worldwide. This is according to the official records from The U.S state department. Let’s read:

Obviously there must be something very serious taking place behind the scenes that would be causing so many people to be dying prematurely, in an age where modern science and recent discoveries in proper diet and nutrition are at our very fingertips. We can get some helpful insights into the cause of the problem simply by judging from the amount of recalls of meat products that have taken place so far this year alone. Let’s read:

The hundreds of thousands of pounds of meat now being recalled almost daily and weekly is withheld because it will be cause for alarm. The figures we’re reading are for the month of January alone!

And we can go on and on, but God desires that we focus our attention on the instructions He has given and the knowledge He has made available through His servants, and through the recent discoveries in proper diet and nutrition that are now widely and readily available.

The next seven instructions when diligently implemented will go a long way in the renewal of our youth, when done in collaboration with God, for He is described in the Bible as being The Great Physician, and if we desire good health and longevity, we will have to follow His own instructions and use His medicines, just like we obey implicitly the instructions of our family doctor.

(1) Eliminate all flesh foods wherever possible, and those meats that are declared to be unclean in the Bible should be entirely dispensed with. There is now a wide variety of much better substitutes and alternatives available, and with a little research, we can be on our way to cooperating with God in the renewal of our youth. The use of milk and dairy products should also be severely restricted to a bare minimum, if any at all, for they contribute greatly to migraine headaches and many allergic reactions that we often suffer from. Let’s read:

Numbers 11:4   And the mixed multitude that [was]

among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 

11:10   Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly” …..

Psalm 78:21   Therefore the LORD heard [this], and

was wroth” …..  78:22   Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.

(2)  The habit of eating large quantities of food late at night is productive of great evil, and triggers many disorders in the stomach, brain, and nervous system, and it also causes our vital organs to wear out prematurely because of insufficient rest. When Christ yielded up His life on Calvary it was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and it was just about that time that the priests would eat their second and last meal of the day. This practice gave their digestive system several hours to process the food they had eaten, before they retired at night to sleep undisturbed by bad dreams and nightmares, on Elm street. Let’s read:

Psalm 127:2   [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep. 

Proverbs 3:24   When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 

(3) The inordinate use of sugars and artificial sweeteners should be avoided as far as possible for they are often loaded with calories which contribute to a host of diseases. Furthermore, any product or even fruit which contain a lot of sugar should be carefully observed for caloric content, because sweet is sweet, even if it comes from natural sources like maple syrup, Stevia plants or even honey. Let’s read:

 Proverbs 25:16   Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

Proverbs  25:27   [It is] not good to eat much honey”….

(4) Reasonable portion sizes that are sufficient for good health should be eaten, but the tendency to eat until we are bloated should never be indulged, for it causes undue work on the brain and digestive system, preventing them from allocating blood in right proportions to the various organs that need them. When by the grace of God we are privileged to sit at the welcome table in heaven, it will not be “All you can eat” but rather “All you should eat”, for buffet style eating is an invention of the devil, who specializes in driving us into intemperate eating habits, with all of the negative physical and spiritual results that inevitably accrue. Let’s read:

Exodus 16:16   This [is] the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, [according to] the number of your persons; take ye every man for [them] which [are] in his tents. 

  16:17   And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 

  16:18   And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 

1st Corinthians 10:31   Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

1st Corinthians 9:25   And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 

  9:26   I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 

  9:27   But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

(5) Regular physical exercise is an absolute must in the great plan of renewing our youth, for a body that’s inactive becomes more and more inactive, hence the reason why so many people find it difficult to resume their exercise regimen, after stopping off for a period of time. When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He made certain to immediately put them to work, so that their joints, tendons, and muscles would be well exercised. Exercise or regular physical exertion also has the effect of warding off a host of ailments, and contributes to a large degree in the building up of our immune systems.

One of the evils that have robbed millions of the fountain of youth is the one-eyed monster who sits in the corner, and takes up valuable time that could otherwise be spent gaining some much needed exercise. Television, potato chips, soda, and video games are all members of the same family, and when permitted, do carry on a military campaign to drag us down to perdition, where the grim reaper awaits with a satanic smile on his face. Even if the only exercise we get is manual labor in the great out-doors, it will put us in a much better stead than becoming enslaved by television and similar gadgets. Let’s read:

Genesis 2:8   And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 

2:15   And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

   3:19   In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground” …..

    3:23   Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 

(6) Eating between meals should be totally abandoned, for it is counter-productive to good health. The common practice of nibbling on candy, sweets, snacks, or other articles of food during the day causes our digestive organs to wear out prematurely, and puts us at risk for a host of diseases and ailments that could otherwise be avoided. The constant release of gastric acids in the stomach causes the walls of the stomach to become greatly compromised, and health issues will certainly occur, for which we may be at a loss to find answers.

(7) Last but not least is faith and trust in God who gave us these instructions in the first place, for without Him there would be a serious imbalance between the physical and spiritual nature of our being. When faith in God is coupled together with a diligent implementation of the pointers He has given, our youth will be renewed from day to day, and the speed by which our bodies repair will be increased exponentially. This fact is clearly stated in the scriptures, and should receive the due consideration it deserves. Let’s read:

Isaiah 40:29   He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. 

  40:30   Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 

  40:31   But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. 

In closing, it’s important for us to know that one day soon, every instruction and command God ever gave to us will be seen as being for our very best temporal and eternal good, and it is our privilege even now to partake of the abundant life that Jesus came to give. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to put God’s word, His ways, and methods to the test, and we will soon find out that tremendous benefits will accrue to all who walk by faith. Let’s read:

Proverbs 3:1   My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 

  3:2   For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.   

  3:4   So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 

  3:5   Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

  3:6   In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

                                  God bless!

God's laws On Religion And Freedom Of Speech. Sabbath Afternoon. 01/24/2015

All of the laws and instructions given to us in the Bible are always for our best temporal and eternal good, and there is no exception to this rule. The Sovereign of the universe did not create us to put us in iron bands of laws and statutes that are not designed to perpetuate life, health, happiness, and prosperity.  Any conclusions about God’s laws which give the idea that they are not for our best good are simply inaccurate or ill-informed at best. The scriptures teach us in many places that the commandments of God are the key to life and longevity, both to parents and their posterity after them, and thus it rests with us to find out what these laws and statutes are, and how they should be applied to our everyday experiences. Let’s read:

Psalm 1:1   Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

  1:2   But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

  1:3   And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

  1:4   The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 

  1:5   Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 

  1:6   For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 Deuteronomy  4:39   Know therefore this day, and

consider [it] in thine heart, that the LORD he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: [there is] none else. 

  4:40   Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong [thy] days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever. 

Exodus 5:16   Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Deuteronomy 12:23   Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood [is] the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. 

  12:24   Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. 

  12:25   Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do [that which is] right in the sight of the LORD.

But there are certain vital points pertaining to the laws of God that should be thoroughly understood before we proceed. (1) It is important for us to know that because God is the sovereign Ruler in earth and heaven, He is under no obligation to give us explanations for every law and instruction He gives, because the laws of most sovereign nations do not come with explanations. For instance, right here in the sunshine state, there are laws pertaining to driving under the influence, with the penalties for violations attached, but the explanation for such laws are strangely absent, for it is assumed that the residents will understand that the laws were made with the best interest of the citizenry in mind. Let’s read:

DUI (Driving Under the Influence of Alcoholic Beverages, Chemical Substances or Controlled Substances). s. 316.193, F.S.

Under Florida law, DUI is one offense, proved by impairment of normal faculties or unlawful blood alcohol or breath alcohol level of .08 or above. The penalties upon conviction are the same, regardless of the manner in which the offense is proven.

       Fine Schedule s. 316.193(2)(a)-(b), F.S.

• First Conviction: Not less than $500, or more than $1,000. With Blood/Breath Alcohol Level (BAL) of .15 or higher or minor in the vehicle: Not less than $1,000, or more than $2,000.
• Second Conviction: Not less than $1,000, or more than $2,000. With BAL of .15 or higher or minor in the vehicle: Not less than $2,000, or more than $4,000.
• Third Conviction More than 10 years from second: Not less than $2,000, or more than $5,000. With BAL of .15 or higher or minor in the vehicle: Not less than $4,000.
• Fourth or Subsequent Conviction: Not less than $2,000.
•  

There is no explanation given whatsoever, and yet we all agree that the laws pertaining to Dui are indeed good, and are given in our best interest. The same is true with the Laws of God, where explanations are given for some but for others there are none, yet we are to understand that they were given for our best good. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 22:6   If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, [whether they be] young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 

  22:7   [But] thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and [that] thou mayest prolong [thy] days.

(2)Just because we may not know of a law pertaining to some issue does not mean that one or several do not exist. Ignorance does not mean that there aren’t any laws governing certain actions or behaviors, for the Bible often speaks of the sin of ignorance, which is described as committing sin without the knowledge of wrong doing. This has occurred a million and one times in the human experience, and is addressed in the scriptures. Let’s read:

Leviticus  4:13   And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done [somewhat against] any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which should not be done, and are guilty; 

  4:14   When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.

(3) We sometimes become aware of an existing law only after it has been broken, and the negative results have been set in motion. The preferable godly method of “Prevention is better than cure” is not always adapted, either because of a genuine lack of knowledge, or because of a callous disregard to the instructions God has given. Wherever the latter is the case, the resulting evils that accrue will have to be dealt with, unless urgent confession and repentance is made, and even then, we are not guaranteed of any reversal of fortunes, for once the dogs have been let out, it is often difficult to rein them in again.

On the issue of religion and freedom of speech, there are laws written in the Bible that are given as always, in the best interest of the human family, and they should be heeded, especially because of the heated and volatile environment in which we find ourselves, so as to avert any unnecessary turmoil and bloodshed that will certainly accrue with continued violations. Let’s read:

Exodus 22:28   Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. 

Exodus 23:13   And in all [things] that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

We observe that no explanation for these laws are given with them, and there is no mention of the negative results that will come when they are violated. There is no detailed explanation about resulting protests and national uproar, or revenge killings, or the deep hurt and animosities that will result. All it says is “Do not revile the gods”. The word “Revile” means to assail with scornful or abusive language. It also means to denounce, to disparage, to denigrate, to lambaste, and also to indulge in character assignation.

 After the human family fell into sin, God instituted the plan of salvation whereby every living person would have opportunity to be reinstated to the favor of God through Jesus Christ, but God already knew that many people would reject His offers of mercy and pardon, and would thereby choose to live in blatant opposition to His revealed will. And starting with Cain, many different religions began to come upon the scene of action, thus prompting God to regulate the relations of His people to those of other beliefs and religious orientation.

God has given to each individual the freedom of choice,

and however that freedom is used will be our personal responsibility, but it remains our God-given privilege, and as such should be respected by everyone. The surgeon general has posted grave warnings about the dangers of smoking, with the dire results that will follow indulgence of the habit, but we are left free to choose to smoke, until fire comes out of our nostrils. Both the choice and the results are ours, and as such should be respected.

The same is true of the issue of the many religious sects that exist in the world. Some of the world’s great religions hold Christ in contempt, while others accept a greatly compromised form of Christianity, yet The Sovereign of the universe has given us all the freedom to choose, even if it means living contrary to His will. It is very important that Christians everywhere understand this important truth, and live accordingly. Let’s read:

Genesis 4:16   And Cain went out from the presence of

the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.  

Joshua 24:14   Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 

  24:15   And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

  Hosea 4:17   Ephraim [is] joined to idols: let him alone.

 1st Kings 18:21   And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 

Now it is true that in ancient times The Lord instructed the Hebrews to eradicate those pagan nations which had filled to the brim their cup of iniquity, yet this was done by the direct command of God, and therefore was not the responsibility of Israel. And vice versa, when Israel departed from the path of rectitude, God also authorized other nations to afflict them to bring them back into line, and therefore the responsibility was squarely on God’s shoulders, and not on the human agency that carried out His direct will. Let’s read:

Genesis 15:13   And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 

  15:14   And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 

  15:15   And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 

  15:16   But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full. 

Numbers 25:16   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

  25:17   Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 

  25:18   For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.

   Isaiah 46:9   Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, 

  46:10   Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 

  46:11   Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken [it], I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed [it], I will also do it. 

  46:12   Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that [are] far from righteousness: 

Isaiah 45:1   Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 

  45:2   I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 

  45:3   And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call [thee] by thy name, [am] the God of Israel. 

  45:4   For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 

  45:5   I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 

  45:6   That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else. 

The last execution to take place in Florida was the result of a directive from the legislature, and therefore the man who actually strapped the convict to the gurney and carried out the death penalty cannot be held in any way culpable for that which he received instruction from

the judiciary to do. But if the executioner takes it upon himself to revile and take the life of a convicted felon, then he would be usurping the lawful authority of the judge, and would thereby be found guilty.

Ancient Israel, or any other nation for that matter was never to decide when the cup of iniquity of other pagan nations was full, and until such time that their probation would be closed, they were commanded by God to live peaceably with the surrounding nations who served and worshipped false gods. This is a very important truth for Christians everywhere to understand and adopt, for it has to do with our ability to live peaceably with our neighbors and nations of other faiths, that do not believe and practice as we do.

In our day there is an alarming upsurge of religious intolerance around the world, and the tokens of bigotry are breeding violence, alienation and deep hatred amongst the nations of the world, and one of the main reasons has to do with the violation of that law which

says “Do not revile the gods of the people”. The genius of true Christianity when practiced according to the spirit and letter of the law, is that it allows Muslims, Jews, Christians, Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus and New-agers to live peaceably on the same street, once the basic human rights and freedoms are respected by all.

And even when Christians feel threatened by other religions, the Bible gives us instructions on how to deal with such situations. These instructions may not be in harmony with our natural desire for revenge and justice, yet they are written in infinite wisdom, and if followed in the letter and spirit, will go a long way in alleviating the growing turmoil and violence amongst world religions that threaten to destabilize the entire planet. Let’s read:

Romans 12:17   Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 

  12:18   If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 

  12:19   Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 

  12:20   Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 

  12:21   Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

We therefore end with a portion of scripture which shows us in great detail how the principles of God’s kingdom, when applied under His direct supervision can produce amazing results, and as we read, let us be humble and patient enough for God to do His good pleasure in the earth, for we too were once alienated from God, and were it not for His great mercy and kindness towards us, none of us would be saved. Let’s read:

2nd Kings 6:8   Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp. 

  6:9   And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 

  6:10   And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 

  6:11   Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us [is] for the king of Israel? 

  6:12   And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 

  6:13   And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan. 

  6:14   Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 

  6:15   And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

   6:16   And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. 

  6:17   And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 

  6:18   And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 

  6:19   And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 

  6:20   And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these [men], that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, [they were] in the midst of Samaria. 

  6:21   And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]? 

6:22   And he answered, Thou shalt not smite [them]: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 

  6:23   And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 

May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

Faith And The Diabolically opposed priesthoods. Sabbath Afternoon. 01/17/2015

The Bible teaches us that without faith it is not possible to please God, and this statement of fact is not altered by good intentions, good works, or even charitable deeds. Neither does a good credit score, or a good standing in the community, or several doctorates affect in anyway the active faith that is necessary for a meaningful relationship with God. While all these things may be good in their legitimate sphere, it takes faith to have a living connection with God, and nothing else will do.

The reason for this is because our faith in God, and all of the experiences that are associated with our relationship with Him, all have the single common denominator of invisibility, and if a person is not

willing to exercise trust in the unseen God, and the invisible operations of His omnipotence, then the Bible says that such a person cannot please God. According to the scriptures, faith is described as the evidence of that which is invisible, which puts our understanding of the natural and spiritual worlds on a completely different level than those who only believe in what is seen, and that which can only be scientifically proven. Let’s read:

Hebrews 11:1   Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

  11:3   Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 

  11:4   By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts” …  

 11:5   By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

  11:6   But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

  11:7   By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 

  11:8   By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

  11:11   Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 

  11:12   Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 

Every verse that we have just examined, without exception has that one common denominator, the element of invisibility, and none of the things there mentioned were ever seen before, nor can they be proven scientifically in a laboratory. And the same common thread continues in the experiences of those who are born again, for our sins are washed away by faith, and we pray to God whom we have never seen or touched, and we expectantly wait to enter the city of God, which has never been proven scientifically to exist anywhere in the universe.

We have indeed witnessed many conversions and baptisms, and we have seen hundreds, if not thousands of converts take the plunge, but we have never actually seen the actual sins being washed down the drain into the sea, where according to the Bible, they are carried. The promise of The Holy Spirit is indeed given to those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior, and we ourselves have been made partakers of The Holy Ghost, but if we were to ask anyone listening presently if they have ever literally seen The Holy Spirit, all would unanimously say no, even though the undeniable evidences of His work are constantly before our faces.

Hence the reason why Christ also continues with the common denominator of faith in the invisible God, and the commands and instructions He has given, as a fundamental necessity for all would-be citizens of His kingdom. The following statement of fact crosses all boundaries and applies equally to all people, regardless of ethnicity, creed, nationality or political affiliation. This statement made by Jesus pertains to Democrats, Republicans and so-called “Independents”, even though in fact we are all “Dependent” on the invisible God for everything that pertains to our temporal and eternal life. Let’s read:

John 3:5   Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

  3:6   That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

  3:7   Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

  3:8   The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

This same element of invisibility applies to the priesthood of Christ now taking place above in the heavenly sanctuary, which replaces that which was formerly instituted by God in the garden of Eden, and which was more fully amplified at Mount Sinai after God called unto Himself the Hebrew people. After the system of sacrifices was instituted in the nation of Israel of old, the people brought a literal lamb to a literal sanctuary, to be examined by a literal priest, before whom real-time confessions were made, and after the sacrificial offering was examined and slain, a literal pardon for sins was uttered by the priest, and the supplicant then went on his way literally rejoicing. Let’s read:

Leviticus 5:1  And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and [is] a witness, whether he hath seen or known [of it]; if he do not utter [it], then he shall bear his iniquity.

 5:4   Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with [his] lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever [it be] that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth [of it], then he shall be guilty in one of these. 

  5:5   And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these [things], that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that [thing]: 

  5:6   And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned” …

5:10 …  “And the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. 

Then after all of the sins that were committed by the Hebrews had accumulated over the entire year, the high priest, Aaron would make a once a year sacrifice on the day of Atonement, in which he would literally and audibly confess the sins of the children of Israel over the head of a literal and visible scapegoat, which would then be taken by a literal man into the literal wilderness, where it would be literally let loose. After this, the man who had carried the scapegoat into the wilderness had to literally bathe himself in real water, before he could be re-admitted into the camp. Let’s read:

Leviticus 16:21   And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send [him] away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 

  16:22   And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

 16:26   And he that let go the goat for the

scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh

 in water, and afterward come into the camp.

Now even though there were some who were able to penetrate with the eye of faith to discern the real meaning behind the extensive array of ceremonies and sacrifices, the overwhelming majority of the people could not see beyond the veil, to behold Christ, The Lamb of God who would come to take away the sins of the world. Most of the Hebrews therefore got stuck on the literal aspects of the sacrificial services, and the deeply symbolic meaning that God intended was lost upon them.

This then led them to regard the sacred service as a mere ritual that would grant them absolution every time they sinned, and this mentality produced the practice of stocking up on sacrificial lambs, with the intention of sinning, knowing that when confession was made to a literal priest, their sins would be pronounced forgiven.

Then this cycle of deliberate sinning and procuring apparent pardon effectively removed the need for faith in their minds, for they were not able to discern The Invisible God who read their thoughts, motives and actions, and who would bring all of these issues into the final equation of forgiveness. The Lord expressed both His concern and His disgust with the practice, by reproofs given through the prophet Isaiah. Let’s read:

Isaiah 1:11   To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 

  1:12   When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 

  1:13   Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 

  1:14   Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them]. 

1:16   Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 

  1:17   Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

And then a serious warning is issued to us in our day who might be following in the footsteps of those who have passed, because the same pattern has resurfaced in the contemporary priestly ministry, subscribed to by millions of Christians. Let’s read:

Hebrews 4:1   Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 

  4:2   For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].

There is now a diabolically opposed priestly ministry in operation on earth, and there is also another genuine and authentic High priestly ministry running concurrently in heaven, where Christ is now in the process of wrapping up His mediatorial work in behalf of those who by faith, enter within the veil of the heavenly sanctuary. In this work of final atonement, the people of God confess their sins to The Invisible God, Who then forgives our iniquities, and guarantees us a place in His kingdom if we endure to the end, all without ever seeing Him. Let’s read:

 Romans 8:33   Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? [It is] God that justifieth. 

  8:34   Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Hebrews 8:1   Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 

  8:2   A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 

Hebrews 7:25   Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

  7:26   For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

This Invisible God is prayed to, and real answers are given to us, and numerous deliverances, and many blessings are bestowed upon our heads from day to day, yet we have never actually seen Him, although the undeniable evidence of His working and power is amongst all Christians who by faith lay hold on the Invisible. This is how Moses and all of the other heroes of faith were enabled to receive a good report, for as the scripture says, faith is the evidence of things not seen. Let’s read:

Hebrews 11:24   By faith Moses, when he was come

to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 

  11:25   Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 

  11:26   Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 

  11:27   By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 

  11:28   Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 

  11:29   By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry [land]: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. 

  11:30   By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. 

But there is a diabolically opposed priestly ministry that has usurped the place of Christ’s heavenly ministry, and because of this the minds of millions of people are now diverted from the genuine to the counterfeit. In this substitute priestly ministry, confession is made to a literal priest, and penances are given, with the literal, verbal assurance of sins forgiven, after which the people are sent on their way rejoicing, not knowing that the entire ritual is in opposition to Christ’s heavenly ministry, and that the sins that are thus confessed to a mortal, erring man have never been washed away.

In this system of absolution, faith in the invisible God is not required, for a mortal man declares us clean, after a number of good works and charitable deeds are performed, and because of this, the same error that proliferated among the children of Israel has once again reared its head, and indeed has now become mainstream, and the order of the day for

 many Christians.

 In this system, deliberate, presumptuous sins are committed over and over again, with the assurance that all will be forgiven once the stated penance is performed, and because of this, millions are now planning to do what is wrong, with the vain hope of finding peace and pardon with God after sins have knowingly been committed.

In the lovely tropical island of Trinidad, carnival time or bacchanal time, as many people know it, is a period in which the country is generally given over to drunken revelry, accompanied by gross sexual immorality, and moral abandon in many individuals. The very meaning of the word “Bacchanal” refers to a feast dedicated to the pagan god Bacchus, in which the participants indulge in various kinds of

debauchery, including sensual pleasures, orgies

 and dissipation of all sorts. Let’s read:

  Bacchanal:

 noun 1. A follower of Bacchus. 2. a drunken reveler. 3. an occasion of drunken revelry; orgy; bacchanalia. adjective 4. pertaining to Bacchus; bacchanalian.

But strangely enough, the two days dedicated to Carnival celebrations in Trinidad, better known as carnival Monday and Tuesday, are strategically located just before “Ash Wednesday”, the first day of Lent, on which many people receive a mark of ashes on their foreheads as a token of penitence, or sorrow for sin. So what takes place in effect is that many of the celebrants plan for “Bacchanal time”, and look forward with eager anticipation to all that pertains to it, with the expectation, that come Ash Wednesday morning, absolution from all the sins committed over the carnival season will be freely granted.

And so it is from year to year, and from one celebration to another, the masses are led to indulge in premeditated sins and moral abandon with the assurance of forgiveness of all sins afterward, very similar to the ancient practice of stock-piling sacrificial lambs to take care of sins the Israelites planned to commit in the future.

One of the worst things that we can do is to confess our sins to a fallen, mortal man like ourselves, for by doing so we expose our inner vulnerabilities to someone who is not designated by God, as was the case in ancient times. Furthermore, as more recent revelations have confirmed, the very men to whom confessions are being made, are sometimes found to be pedophiles and molesters of the young and innocent, drawing outrage and anger at the blatant betrayal of sacred trust, something which is in the sight of God an extremely grave offence, as is depicted by the words of Eli to his sons who defiled the priestly ministry with sexual sins. Let’s read:

1st Samuel 2:22   Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

  2:23   And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 

  2:24   Nay, my sons; for [it is] no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD's people to transgress. 

  2:25   If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. 

And after many years, and after many entreaties from the Lord for them to reform their pernicious ways went unheeded, God intervened with a startling message of coming judgments, which stand as a beacon of warning to all priests and clergy men who continue not only to usurp the place and ministry of Christ, but who also betray the sacred trust of the masses who place implicit confidence in their office. Let’s read:

1st Samuel 3:11   And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 

  3:12   In that day I will perform against Eli all [things] which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 

  3:13   For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 

  3:14   And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. 

  3:15   And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. 

  3:16   Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here [am] I. 

  3:17   And he said, What [is] the thing that [the LORD] hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide [it] not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide [any] thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. 

  3:18   And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good. 

The High-Priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary is drawing to a final close, and for many years The Lord has permitted a flood of light to shine on the atrocities committed under the disguise of the diabolically opposed priestly ministry, so that all thinking men and women everywhere can see for themselves the real agencies behind the counterfeit. God is now calling His people out of that system that has lulled the masses into carnal security by offering the forgiveness of sins on man’s terms instead of on God’s terms.

It is His will and desire that all of us who have inadvertently placed our feet in a path He has not ordained, escape for our lives, lest we become identified with the system and the sins associated with it. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to reason from cause to effect, and it is the will of God that all who were ignorantly deceived by the substitute system of priestly ministry, respond appropriately by shaking off the chains of darkness and putting on the armor of light. Let’s read:

Hebrews 9:11   But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands” …..

  9:12   Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]. 

  9:14   How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

9:24   For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 

  9:28   So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.

                            God bless!

The Sin Of Re-defining Sin. Sabbath Afternoon. 01/10/2015

Every nation on earth has laws that are instituted for its citizens to abide by, and the violation of these laws carry certain fines or punishments which are executed by the judiciary. These laws clearly explain what the regulatory boards require of the citizenry, and there are additional legislations regulating the fines or penalties attached to the violations of those laws. For instance, in the sunshine state of Florida there are laws on the books which stipulate what the speed limit in a school zone is, and then there are the stipulated penalties for breaking such laws. Let’s read:

Florida Statute #316.1895: Establishment of school speed zones, enforcement; designation.

5) A school zone speed limit may not be less than 15 miles per hour except by local regulation. No school zone speed limit shall be more than 20 miles per hour in an urbanized area, as defined in s. 334.03. Such speed limit may be in force only during those times 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the periods of time when pupils are arriving at a regularly scheduled breakfast program or a regularly scheduled school session and leaving a regularly scheduled school session.

(10) A person may not drive a vehicle on a roadway designated as a school zone at a speed greater than that posted in the school zone in accordance with this section. Violation of the speed limits established pursuant to this section must be cited as a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318.

Chapter 318 section 18:

(3)(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, $60 for all moving violations not requiring a mandatory appearance.

(b) For moving violations involving unlawful speed, the fines are as follows:

For speed exceeding the limit by:     Fine:

1-5 m.p.h..........Warning

6-9 m.p.h..........$25

10-14 m.p.h..........$100

15-19 m.p.h..........$150

20-29 m.p.h..........$175

30 m.p.h. and above..........$250

(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), a person cited for exceeding the speed limit by up to 5 m.p.h. in a legally posted school zone will be fined $50. A person exceeding the speed limit in a school zone or designated school crossing shall pay a fine double the amount listed in paragraph (b).

 According to what we’ve just read, a state trooper cannot issue a citation and fine that is outside the bounds of what is written, merely because he feels to fine a person more than what is stipulated. He must stay within the confines of chapter 318: 18. Therefore, any attempt to redefine the state traffic laws must of necessity also include a modification to the retribution stipulated for all violators.

This same principle holds true as it pertains to the law of God. The law of God not only designates the definition of sin, but it also plainly states what the penalty for violation is. When God commanded Adam and Eve in the garden not to eat or touch the forbidden fruit, the penalty of death is what the legal result was, and therefore, any attempt on our part to redefine what sin is, will automatically lead to a change in the penalties written. Let’s read:

1st John 3:4   Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 

James  4:17   Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.

Romans 6:23   For the wages of sin [is] death; but

the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ

our Lord. 

The Bible clearly states that sin is the transgression of the law, so when we attempt to redefine sin as not being something wrong, then the death of Christ for our sins is literally rendered as being unnecessary, and with that conclusion, our need for the gospel goes out the window. But God has issued  very stern warnings in several passages of scripture against any attempt to change His laws or to modify them in any way with the accompanying results, for when this is done, we are literally presuming to take His place as The Sovereign Ruler of the universe. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 12:32   What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. 

Proverbs 30:5   Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 

  30:6   Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Revelation 22:18   For I testify unto every man that heareth the words” …. “of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 

  22:19   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, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book. 

Whatever we do, and whatever our choices may be, we dare not redefine sin as not being an infraction, for by doing so we will virtually destroy the entire moral fabric of society, leaving every individual to decide for themselves what is wrong and what is right. The problem with this variable standard of morality is that what is wrong for me will not be wrong for you, and wherever there is no absolute, universal standard of right and wrong, then the flood gates are opened for everyone to do what is right in their own eyes, as was the case in days of old when there was no judge in Israel. Let’s read:

Judges 17:5   And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. 

  17:6   In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes. 

Note well that the man Micah procured his own personal priest who would then be forced to justify him in a wrong course of action. The very same thing took place with king Jeroboam, who employed several priests from the lowest of the people, in order to sustain and confirm him in evil-doing. And in our day the same situation has again resurfaced, for it does not take much to be a priest or a spiritual leader now.

As in the days of Micah and Jeroboam, the original definition of sin has been changed, and in order to clear one’s conscience of wrong-doing, priests and bishops are put on the payroll, with a mandate to justify the sinner in violating God’s law with no penalties attached. This in turn has opened the way for the very worst kinds of sin and iniquity to be committed under the garb of love and Christianity, so that great confusion about the moral code now exists in the churches.

But the word of God specifically states that it is a

sin for us to set up our own standards of morality, because the original stated results for a wrong course of action will certainly accrue, and will be executed at God’s discretion, even if we do not agree with the judgments that are written. The laws of cause and effect will be fulfilled in due season, whether we believe or not, and therefore it is of critical importance that we be not brain-washed by any spiritual or political leader as to what exactly constitutes sin. Let’s read:

 Isaiah 5:21   Woe unto [them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 

  5:22   Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 

  5:23   Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 

  5:24   Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 

Proverbs 12:15   The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel [is] wise. 

Deuteronomy 12:8   Ye shall not do after all [the things] that we do here this day, every man whatsoever [is] right in his own eyes. 

In recent years there has been a steady and rapid decline in morality across the globe, and the root cause sits squarely at our doorsteps, as is now manifested in our tendency to redefine sin. What we now look upon as being right and socially acceptable, is what we used to recoil from in horror in years gone by, and with the many attempts to redefine sin, our ability to discern between right and wrong has become dangerously blurred, a dire condition that is referred to by Christ, as He aptly described the condition of the last Christian church to exist on the earth, Laodicea by name. Let’s read:

Revelation 3:14   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 

  3:15   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

  3:16   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

  3:17   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

  3:18   I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

  3:19   As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

In our day, adultery is no longer considered a sin in the minds of millions, for most men are now expected to have a mistress. In our day very great violence has been done to the marriage institution in ways that causes the heart to faint, and most marriages are now entered into with the common understanding of an opt-out clause, for the most trivial of reasons. Lying is now considered as a basic requirement for a political career, and it has now become so common place with the masses that we are expected to lie in certain situations.

Covetousness is encouraged as being necessary and beneficial, and the monetary systems of earth are actually designed to cultivate this debilitating trait of character. In addition to all these evils,we can now consume alcohol beverages and smoke weed in “Moderation”, and with many individuals and corporations, fraud is considered as an asset in business operations. The redefining of sin is one of the main triggering mechanisms for disaster, and The Lord refers to it as the main reason why He has not been listening to the prayers of many of the inhabitants of earth who call upon Him for help in times of adversity. Let’s read:

Isaiah 59:1   Behold, the LORD'S hand is not

shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear

heavy, that it cannot hear: 

  59:2   But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear. 

  59:3   For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 

  59:4   None calleth for justice, nor [any] pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

59:7   Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts [are] thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction [are] in their paths. 

  59:8   The way of peace they know not; and [there is] no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. 

  59:9   Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, [but] we walk in darkness. 

  59:10   We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead [men]. 

  59:11  ….“We look for judgment, but [there is] none; for salvation, [but] it is far off from us. 

  59:12   For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions [are] with us; and [as for] our iniquities, we know them; 

  59:13   In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 

  59:14   And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 

59:15   Yea, truth faileth; and he [that] departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw [it], and it displeased him that [there was] no judgment. 

  59:16   And he saw that [there was] no man, and wondered that [there was] no intercessor” …..

What makes the situation much worse is when spiritual and secular leaders confirm transgressors in sins that they know of. The doctrine that teaches its adherents that there is no absolute truth given by God, or that there is no universal standard of right and wrong, is a doctrine of devils, and based on what is written, we are now both witnessing and reaping the results of a plethora of such errors.

This will then cause the upcoming generation to develop a highly distorted sense of right and wrong, and the sure result will be moral anarchy, and spiritual mayhem, as billions of evil angels take possession of the minds of those who are not covered by the blood of Christ. This dangerous situation of things, and the resulting international upheavals that will accrue, are scheduled to occur in the very near future, according to Bible. Let’s read:

1st Timothy  4:1   Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Revelation 16:13   And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 

  16:14   For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 

Revelation 7:1   And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 

  7:2   And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 

  7:3   Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 

In lieu of the coming crisis, the Bible offers one and only one God-ordained solution, if we are to avert the coming judgments. The blood of Christ must be applied to our hearts, so that every stain of sin can be washed away, and we must return to the sacred principles that are contained in the law of God. If this is done by the grace of God granted to us, The Lord will intervene to prevent or restrict the many sudden tragedies, and unexpected loss of lives we are now witnessing and experiencing, both on a national level, and internationally.

But if we persist in a wrong course of action, by continuing to redefine sin and its consequences, there is one, and only one verdict for us; we will be consumed by the sword, and there will be none to deliver. Let’s read:

Proverbs  1:20   Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: 

  1:21   She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying], 

    1:23   Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 

  1:24   Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 

  1:25   But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 

  1:26   I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 

  1:27   When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 

  1:28   Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 

  1:29   For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 

  1:30   They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 

  1:31   Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 

It is imperative that we call sin by its right name, and seek diligently for the remedy that has been abundantly provided, for the times spoken of are at hand. Let us therefore not be deceived by fanciful and false interpretations of scripture, by prominent religious leaders, but let us rather take the word of God as it reads, and submit ourselves to God on His terms, so that we may find security and shelter in Christ who died to redeem us from the curse.

We therefore end with two passages of scripture which outline the terms of our reinstatement to the favor of God, and it is His will that we take the necessary proactive steps in doing so without delay. Let’s read:

2nd Chronicles 7:13   If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 

  7:14   If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

  7:15   Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place. 

Isaiah 1:18   Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

  1:19   If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 

  1:20   But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it]. 

May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

How Permission For Tragedy Is Granted. Sabbath Afternoon. 01/03/2015

There are certain truths pertaining to our well-being and to our very existence that must of necessity be brought to the attention of all inhabitants of the earth before the period of our probation closes. We are indeed living in the closing scenes of earth’s history, as is evidenced by the fulfillment of the many prophecies, signs, and developments that are predicted in the Bible to come to pass in our day. Some issues that were previously held in doubt will be made clear, and some of the answers we have long searched for will finally be answered with such clarity, that each person will have a knowledge of the truth, so that informed decisions can be made.

The fact that a tremendous amount of light and darkness will converge during the last days of earth’s history is one of the prophecies written in the scriptures, and in the last book of the Bible, The Lord specifically states that the mystery of God will be finished, in other words, those questions that pertain to our eternal destiny, which have been hanging in doubt for too long, will finally be disclosed to the view of all. Let’s read:

Isaiah 21:11   The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 

  21:12   The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire” …..

Joel 2:1   Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand; 

  2:2   A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations. 

Isaiah 60:1   Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 

  60:2   For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Revelation 10:4   And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 

 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 

The Bible states explicitly that the events which transpire upon the earth are under the direct and constant jurisdiction of God, so that nothing takes place without His foreknowledge, permission, or authorization, and when the Bible says nothing, it means nothing. This truth must be fully understood and cemented in our minds so that we can be stabilized to receive other truths that are incident to this central statement of fact. This truth is also clearly demonstrated in several passages of the Bible, so that even a little child can understand. Let’s read:

Matthew 10:29   Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 

  10:30   But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

  10:31   Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Daniel  4:4   I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: 

  4:5   I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the

 thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

4:10   Thus [were] the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof [was] great. 

  4:11   The tree grew, and was strong, and the

height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight

thereof to the end of all the earth:

4:13   I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; 

  4:14   He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: 

4:15   Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and [let] his portion [be] with the beasts in the grass of the earth: 

  4:16   Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him: and let seven times pass over him. 

  4:17   This matter [is] by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. 

Psalms 75:4   I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: 

  75:5   Lift not up your horn on high: speak [not with] a stiff neck. 

  75:6   For promotion [cometh] neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 

  75:7   But God [is] the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. 

Daniel 2:20   Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 

  2:21   And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 

  2:22   He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 

  Psalms 50:10   For every beast of the forest [is] mine, [and] the cattle upon a thousand hills. 

  50:11   I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field [are] mine. 

  50:12   If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world [is] mine, and the fulness thereof.

50:15   And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

50:16   But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? 

  50:17   Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. 

  50:18   When thou sawest a thief, then thou

consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with

adulterers. 

  50:19   Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. 

 50:21   These [things] hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether [such an one] as thyself: [but] I will reprove thee, and set [them] in order before thine eyes. 

  50:22   Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear [you] in pieces, and [there be] none to deliver.

2nd Thessalonians 2:3   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; 

  2:4   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, showing himself that he is God. 

  2:5   Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 

  2:6   And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 

  2:7   For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 

  2:8   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: 

  2:9   [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 

  2:10   And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 

  2:11   And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

  2:12   That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Although many people do not know it, The restraining Spirit of God is gradually being withdrawn from the earth, and because of the deliberate choices made by earth’s inhabitants, the scepter of rulership is being handed over to the cruelest of tyrants, and with God’s departure will also go His blessings, His protection, His mercy and His restraining power, so that major trouble and disaster such as this world has never known will begin to occur with such frequency and intensity, that all who are not shielded by the blood of Christ in that day, will wish they had responded to God’s

 gracious overtures of mercy whilst it lasted. Let’s read:

Daniel 12:1   And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 

  12:2   And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt. 

  12:3   And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 

This very important truth about God’s sovereignty

in the earth is well documented in the many interpositions and special interferences He has made throughout the history of our world, and it was the selfsame truth which the centurion in the days of Christ thoroughly understood, thereby drawing a rare commendation from Christ. And although it may be difficult for some of us to grasp, and others might be reluctant to accept it, or be reconciled to it, yet like the centurion, it is now necessary that we understand this sacred truth, for it carries with it very great implications and serious consequences for every individual living on the planet. Let’s read:

Matthew 8:5   And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 

  8:6   And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 

  8:7   And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 

  8:8   The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 

  8:9   For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this [man], Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it]. 

  8:10   When Jesus heard [it], he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 

  8:13   And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

As it pertains to tragedies and disasters that are

scheduled to multiply exponentially across the globe, three basic points must be taken into consideration.

Point # (1) Calamities can be brought about by a disregard of God’s laws, and it is the sole right and prerogative of God to issue judgments and corrections as He sees fit, in response to a callous disregard of divine authority. Even though He does not take delight in this activity, yet it remains His sole right. Let’s read:

Isaiah 26:9 ….. “When thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Isaiah  28:21   For the LORD shall rise up as [in] mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as [in] the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 

  28:22   Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth. 

Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.

  6:8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

6:11   The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 

  6:12   And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 

  6:13   And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Points: # [2] The devil and his evil angels must first be granted permission before wreaking havoc on the human family. This point must be clearly understood, for many people have erroneously thought that all disasters happen in a vacuum, with no supernatural interference whatsoever. And as a result, global warming and El Nino have often been blamed for activities that were actually triggered by satan. But because he is hidden from the view of mortal eyes, or is held in some circles as just being a mere caricature, natural and scientific causes are as a rule credited for most tragedies or calamities. But the Bible discloses to our view the real agencies in what we term often term as “Natural disasters”. Let’s read:

Ephesians 2:1   And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins: 

  2:2   Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

Job 2:7   So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

1:12   And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. 

  1:13   And there was a day when his sons and his daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

  1:14   And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 

  1:15   And the Sabeans fell [upon them], and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:16   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:17   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:18   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

1:19   And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

Point # (3) Disasters can also be caused by illicit human activity and human error. As was stated in a previous Bible study, God generally allows the laws of cause and effect to run their natural course, and because of this, our own activities will have an impact on events that will transpire in the near future. The Lord cannot be expected to reverse every evil we have set in motion, for then natural and spiritual laws will soon become obsolete, with no meaning, relevance or benefit to the inhabitants of earth. Let’s read:

Revelation 11:18   And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Proverbs 5:22   His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 

  5:23   He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. 

The deadly Mad Cow disease, which is known to affect the brain and nervous system in cows and humans, is largely brought about by the practice of feeding cattle with the remains of their own meat, instead of allowing them to exist and grow as herbivores, the way that God originally intended. And DDT is known to be a carcinogen, remaining toxic for many years after use. The Chernobyl disaster was the result of flawed nuclear technology and grave mistakes made by human agents who were ill equipped to operate the plant. God cannot be expected to reverse all of the evil side effects of human activity.

So now that it has been firmly established from the scriptures that God is in control of the affairs of the earth, the next logical question on the second point is why and how is permission granted to satan, so that calamities of epic proportions are allowed in various places of the earth? In other words, how is permission sought and legally granted to agencies of evil spirits, so that they are permitted to spread desolation across the globe? The answer to this question takes us back to the garden of Eden, where God told Adam and Eve not to touch or eat, nor almost touch the forbidden fruit, lest they die.

Satan could not follow them around the garden, but could only gain access to them at the forbidden tree. And so the template has been set, that the permission he often seeks to destroy and cause grief, is accessible at the points of disobedience. Although all tragedies are not as a result of his nefarious work, yet it is very often the case that through his temptations which entice us to violate God’s laws, his power is asserted over those who have done his bidding. The wages of sin is death, and therefore, after he has worked diligently to prompt us to a departure from God’s revealed will, he requests payment in return, on legal grounds of disobedience. Let’s read:

Matthew 8:28   And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 

  8:29   And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 

  8:30   And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 

  8:31   So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

Question: Why the swine, and not any of the other animals that were most likely in the same vicinity?  It is very possible that because it was a farming community, there were probably much sheep and cattle in the same area, so why are the demons now specifying a new place of abode in their request to Christ, should he choose to cast them out? The reason for this is because sheep and cattle were previously cleared by God for human consumption, whereas the swine was strictly forbidden as an article of food, and therefore, satan’s power could now be legally exercised upon the assets or persons of those who were in flagrant violation of the given dietary laws. Let’s read:

Leviticus 11:1   And the LORD spake” … “saying unto them, 

  11:2  …. “These [are] the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that [are] on the earth. 

  11:3   Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, [and] cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 

  11:4   Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: [as] the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he [is] unclean unto you. 

11:6   And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he [is] unclean unto you. 

  11:7   And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he [is] unclean to you. 

  11:8   Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they [are] unclean to you. 

11:11   They shall be even an abomination unto you;

ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.

And so it was, that because of a departure from the instructions and dietary laws given by God, the devils submit a legal request that the flood gates of destruction be opened upon the owners who were rearing the swine for human consumption, and it was only because of the grace of God why they were prevented from driving both the farmers and their illicit livestock over the cliff to meet a brutal and untimely death. However what follows next graphically illustrates what takes place once the devils receive legal permission. Let’s read:

Matthew 8:32   And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 

  8:33   And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. 

  8:34   And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought [him] that he would depart out of their coasts.

The same pattern was repeated with king David, as he yielded to the temptation of lusting after Bathsheba. God had protected him from many dangers previously, but when he committed a known sin of such gravity, as to kill a man and take his wife, “Somebody” has to get paid, for the Bible states that the workman is worthy of his hire. Let’s read:

2nd Samuel 11:2   And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman [was] very beautiful to look upon. 

  11:3   And David sent and inquired after the woman. And [one] said, [Is] not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 

  11:4   And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her” ….  11:5   And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I [am] with child. 

11:14   And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent [it] by the hand of Uriah. 

  11:15   And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. 

  11:16   And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men [were]. 

  11:17   And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell [some] of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 

And now, after having yielded to the temptations of satan and satisfying his own lusts, the devil puts in a legal request for payment, which begins in the very next chapter. He goes out to stir up the worst, vile passions that are lodged in the hearts of David’s sons, dark passions that they probably did not know existed previously, but which were held at bay by the power of God working silently in their behalf.

 These destructive but latent desires, and their accompanying actions are now going to be fanned into life by satan, to bring unprecedented trouble and national embarrassment to David’s kingdom and office, and were it not for the mercies of God, satan would have dragged every member of David’s family who were not covered by the blood, down to the pit of destruction. Let’s read:

2nd Samuel 12:7   And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man”…..

  12:9   Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 

  12:10   Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house” ……

2nd Samuel 13:1   And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name [was] Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. 

  13:2   And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she [was] a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. 

  13:3   But Amnon had a friend, whose name [was] Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab [was] a very subtle man. 

  13:4   And he said unto him, Why [art] thou, [being] the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. 

13:10   And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought [them] into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 

  13:11   And when she had brought [them] unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. 

  13:12   And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. 

  13:13   And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. 

  13:14   Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. 

  13:15   Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her [was] greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. 

13:28   Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. 

  13:29   And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled. 

  13:30   And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. 

  13:31   Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. 

Some of us may be wondering why such a dreadful study on the subject of disasters and their causes, and why at such a time as this when the new year is before us with bright prospects of prosperity. The reason is because of the laws of cause and effect that are allowed to run their natural course, and this applies across the board, both for obedience and for disobedience. The law of God pertaining to the sacred institution of marriage is being dragged in the streets, and is now trampled upon in many different ways, and therefore it has become necessary to remind ourselves that there are consequences that follow a flagrant disregard of what God has established as the foundation of society.

When yielding to the pressures of majority opinion, we make null and void His law pertaining to marriage, or any other sacred institution, then satan will certainly show up for payment in the most brutal form possible, and we will soon see with our very eyes, what the results of a wrong course of action will be. For those who may not be aware, the devil is already in the planning stages, only awaiting the Divine permission to spread desolation and disaster in several places. Let’s read:

Leviticus 18:1   And the LORD spake” …. “saying 

  18:4   Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I [am] the LORD your God. 

  18:5   Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the LORD. 

  18:6   None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover [their] nakedness: I [am] the LORD. 

18:20   Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her. 

    18:22   Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. 

  18:23   Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion. 

  18:24   Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 

  18:25   And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 

  18:26   Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit [any] of these abominations; [neither] any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 

  18:27   (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which [were] before you, and the land is defiled;) 

  18:29   For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit [them] shall be cut off from among their people. 

It is therefore the will of God that we take heed to these momentous truths, both on a national and individual level, so that we may be spared in the days of retribution that are soon to be revealed.

                                    God bless!

The Prerogative Of God To Permit Good And Evil. Sabbath Afternoon. 12/27/2014

Whenever disasters strike suddenly and without warning, the question is almost always asked, why did not God prevent such and such from happening, or where was God when this or that calamity came upon us. This question has long been fueled by various views held by different people, which are not always derived from scripture, but are often what someone may think is right or wrong about the way God operates in the earth. However, our opinions and concepts should always be based on the word of God so that we may arrive at sound, scriptural conclusions.

After 9/11 there was serious and agitated debate

on most of the major television networks, as many people sought to grapple with the unprecedented

magnitude of the disaster, and in our search for answers, many prominent clergy men were called in for questioning by the renowned Larry King, and other television anchors, as to why such a great tragedy was permitted by God.

The answers to this and other similar haunting questions should be addressed from a Biblical perspective so that we may have a better and clearer understanding of the prerogatives of God. It is worthy of note however, that God is always called into question by mortals when calamities and other natural disasters strike; but day by day as His blessings are poured out upon us, very few make any mention of His name, or acknowledge His consistent kindness in providing for all our needs.

At least there ought to be some sort of balance in the way we credit various circumstances to God, for if we believe that He permits catastrophes, we should also believe that He is also responsible for the many blessings and mercies that are renewed to us every day, instead of crediting the good things to “mother nature”, and the bad things to “an act of God”.

To begin with, the Bible teaches us that God cares for all of His creation, from the sparrow and the dumb animals which depend on Him for their daily food, to all members of the human family whom He also sustains with good. This first and very important point must be firmly established in our minds before we proceed. Let’s read:

Psalms 104:1   Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD

my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with

 honour and majesty.

 104:10   He sendeth the springs into the valleys, [which] run among the hills. 

  104:11   They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. 

  104:12   By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, [which] sing among the branches. 

    104:14   He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; 

  104:15   And” ….  “oil to make [his] face to shine, and bread [which] strengtheneth man's heart.

104:16   The trees of the LORD are full [of sap]; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 

  104:17   Where the birds make their nests: [as for]

the stork, the fir trees [are] her house. 

    104:20   Thou makest darkness, and it is night:

wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep [forth]. 

  104:21   The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. 

  104:22   The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. 

  104:23   Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.  

    104:27   These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give [them] their meat in due season.

But in spite of all these blessings, the fact still remains that we are living in an evil world, where sin is often allowed to run its natural course, and because sin pays wages, we are sometimes forced to grapple with the cold reality that bad things do happen to good people from time to time, and Christians are not exempt from all such circumstances.

There is something known as collateral damage, by which unintended consequences of destructive actions can affect those who had nothing to do with a war or a fight, in other words, those who have no say or input in a matter can be affected in negative ways. In our situation as human beings we often suffer from the natural fall-out of certain destructive behaviors that we ourselves, or others have indulged in, like those babies that are born with deformities and disabilities because of the collateral damage of second-hand smoke, or the other half a million individuals who die each year from the same destructive habit.

And so the first question that needs to be answered is, can God prevent all calamities, disasters, and all types of collateral damage from taking place? The answer is a definite yes. Then the next logical question is why does He not prevent them from happening? The answer to this question is, we do not always know, for there are issues that are often hidden from the view of mortal eyes that must of necessity be brought into the equation.

One such issue is the supremely important one of the smooth and uninterrupted operation of natural and spiritual laws which govern our planet. If God were to start interrupting the course of natural and spiritual laws from running their course, the need for such laws would become obsolete and irrelevant sooner or later, for they would be of no benefit whatsoever to the human family, as was originally intended. Furthermore, any continuous action by God to reverse the natural laws of cause and effect would thereby confirm and encourage us in many destructive behaviors, for there will be no form of accountability for the violation of  good, righteous laws.

We now know for instance that pollution and greenhouse gases are responsible for global warming, but if God were to reverse the natural results, we will almost certainly continue down a path of deliberate wrong-doing, knowing that no evil results will accrue. For instance, the Bible states that the wages of sin is death, meaning that when sin has run its natural course, the result is death, calamities, and disasters.

But the same Bible also states that sin is the transgression of the law, so that if we were to choose to sin, God will then have to interrupt and reverse the natural laws of cause and effect, in order to deliver us every time, and judging from our past records, He will need to spend the entire day of every year reversing and preventing that which should naturally accrue reasonable results, and this action of His will eventually invalidate the need for any good laws in the first place.

Let’s take for example the eating of blood or animal fat, and the natural results that obtain when this dietary law is violated. The Bible clearly states that very negative results will occur to anyone who ingests the blood or fat of animals, and therefore the injunction against indulging this self-destroying habit is given to us by God in the clearest language possible. Let’s read:

Leviticus 7:22   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

  7:23   Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 

  7:24   And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 

  7:25   For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast” ….. “even the soul that eateth [it] shall be cut off from his people. 

  7:26   Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, [whether it be] of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 

7:27   Whatsoever soul [it be] that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

God is not here saying what He will do; all that He is stating are the natural results that will certainly occur when these habits are indulged. Now, if after giving us His good and perfect dietary law against the consumption of blood and fat, we were to deliberately or inadvertently partake of what has been forbidden, then the question is whether or not we think it is right for God to allow the natural results to accrue, or whether we think He should now engage His supernatural power to deliver us from the evil results that follow cause and effect. Let’s read:

ABC News.

Eating Animal Fat May Lead to Pancreatic Cancer

June 27

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Fat from red meat and dairy products can increase your risk for pancreatic cancer, researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute report. Pancreatic cancer, which is usually fatal, is the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Now, it is true that from time to time in the history of mankind, God has intervened to reverse a wrong course of action which produced harmful results, yet this decision of His to do so remains His sole prerogative, and cannot be reasonably expected on a general on-going basis. In other words, it is His prerogative to permit good or evil to run their natural course as He sees fit, and according to sacred history, He usually does. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 11:26   Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 

  11:27   A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 

  11:28   And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 

For instance, if the governor of the sunshine state of Florida were to start reversing all of the speeding tickets that accrue when the laws against speeding are broken, our state troopers would soon mount a series of protests, because the governor’s actions would be rendering both the laws and their jobs obsolete and irrelevant.

 This reversal of good laws, and the interruption of the sequence of cause and effect will then clear the way for drivers to speed at two hundred miles an hour, with no respect or consideration for the lives and safety of others, because the just fines and disciplinary actions would have been removed from the back end, where the natural results generally accrue.

On a much larger scale is the law of God, and the natural consequences that accrue for either obedience or disobedience. In other words, the same law can be a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, depending on our relation to it. What is worthy of praise and note, is the fact that God has actually put the natural, permanent results of sin into reverse gear through His Son Jesus Christ.

But He did not do so by interrupting or reversing the sacred law; He accomplished this great feat by actually allowing the result of the broken law to run its natural course in Christ, who then suffered to the fullest extent of the law so that our sinful lives which naturally end in eternal death could be put into reverse gear. Let’s read:

Isaiah 53:4   Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

  53:5   But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

  53:6   All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

  53:7   He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

  53:8   He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 

53:10   Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

  53:11   He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Hebrews 9:22   And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

But there is a much more sensitive and difficult area to be understood, as it pertains to the prerogative of God to permit good or evil to come our way. In cases where a person has not been consistently living in deliberate violation of God’s law, is that person then entitled to an exemption from any misfortune? In other words, if nothing wrong was done on our part in a particular given situation, does God still retain the prerogative to permit bad circumstances to occur?

This last question is the one most of us have trouble with, and it is addressed in the Bible through the experiences of Job and other faithful souls such as Joseph, who suffered because of doing right. In such cases the question is asked, was God right and fair in permitting His faithful children to suffer, after they had done the right thing? In other words, was His prerogative to permit good or evil exercised in a judicious and righteous manner, or do we conclude that His dealings were somehow unfair? Let’s read:

Job 2:3   And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 

  2:4   And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 

  2:5   But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 

  2:6   And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he [is] in thine hand; but save his life. 

  2:7   So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 

  2:8   And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. 

In our answers and conclusions to situations such as these, there are certain truths about the way God deals with us that we should always bear in mind. The first is that God is love, and everything that He does is always for the benefit of humanity, without exception. There is absolutely nothing that God does that does not carry with it some benefit to His creation, and especially those who love and serve Him. All things might not be good in and of themselves, but when observed cumulatively and quantitatively, they always end up benefitting humanity without exception. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 32:1   Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 

  32:2   My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 

  32:3   Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 

  32:4   [He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he. 

 Psalms 84:11   For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 

But we are never to conclude that the righteous are the only beneficiaries of God’s goodness and blessings, for the Bible also states that those who are estranged from God are also blessed in very many ways, even though they may not know or acknowledge this fact. Furthermore, we were all estranged from God at one time or another, and that’s why the Bible teaches us that it is because of the goodness of God why we are led to repentance in the first place. Let’s read:

Psalms 73:2   But as for me” …. “my steps had well nigh slipped. 

  73:3  ….  “when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 

  73:5   They [are] not in trouble [as other] men; neither are they plagued like [other] men. 

   73:12   Behold, these [are] the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase [in] riches. 

Psalms 68:18   Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, [for] the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell [among them]. 

  68:19   Blessed [be] the Lord, [who] daily loadeth us [with benefits, even] the God of our salvation. Selah. 

Romans 8:28   And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

In Job’s case he struggled with the issue of why God permitted such tragedies upon him, after he had done that which is right, and as he pondered the laws of cause and effect it seemed to him as if something unfair might have taken place. Let’s read:

Job 9:12   Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou? 

  9:13   [If] God will not withdraw his anger” …  9:14   How much less shall I answer him, [and] choose out my words [to reason] with him? 

  9:15   Whom, though I were righteous, [yet] would I not answer, [but] I would make supplication to my judge. 

  9:16   If I had called, and he had answered me; [yet] would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice. 

  9:17   For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause. 

The experience of Job is often duplicated in our day when the same questions haunt our minds for answers. The Bible clearly states that Job was an upright and a perfect man who hated evil and loved and served God faithfully. Now, after being faithful, and doing much genuine good in his community, the issue that needs to be resolved once and for all is whether he is rightfully exempt from any negative circumstances, such as he was now experiencing. And the question for us in our day is whether the keeping of all of God’s commandments, exempts us from any trouble or tragedy.

Now it is true that as human beings we have become accustomed to rewards for good behavior, and the Bible also pronounces many blessings to those who obey God, and therefore it is not unreasonable for us to expect such results after having done the right thing. But we must be careful of the Santa Clause mentality, where our good behavior warrants us certain rights and lucrative entitlements, because with God, the blessings of prosperity and protection from our enemies comes as a result of His mercies and kindness, not because of any good we may have done.

Furthermore, it is worthy of note that all of us have sinned in some form or fashion against God, and that includes “Perfect” men like Job, Joseph and Daniel, and therefore we cannot be legally exempt from the collateral damage of all sin in general, since we are still living in an evil world. Daniel understood this sacred truth about us not being legally entitled to the benefits of God on account of our good deeds, but that it is only because of His mercies and kindness why we are not consumed. Let’s read:

Daniel 9:2   In the first year of his reign I Daniel” …

  9:3 ….  “set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 

  9:4   And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 

  9:5   We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

9:17   Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 

  9:18   O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

In our own individual and corporate experiences, we may not always know the reasons why God at times permits calamities or difficulties to come our way, but we are given the assurance in His word, that all things work together for good, and even though He always retains the prerogative to do with us, and for us as He sees best, yet we should be encouraged by the fact that His providences are given or permitted in love and always result in benefits to His people and the world in general.

We therefore end with two passages of scripture which confirm this sacred truth to us, and whatever the situation we might be currently going through, let us always remember that God does everything well and to perfection, so that we may rest by faith in the confidence that all things work together for our best temporal and eternal good. Let’s read:

Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Job 23:10   But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.           

                                  God bless!

Number Seven, And The Era Of Complete Compliance. Sabbath Afternoon 12/13/2014

The number seven in the Bible is representative of completion, and it usually brings to fruition a cycle of productivity. It is the number most often mentioned in the scriptures, and for good reason, because in the book of Genesis we read that after the earth was created by God, He rested on the seventh day from all His work, thus setting in motion for us the cycle of sevens that continue to this day, and that are to continue into eternity. Let’s read:

Genesis 2:1   Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 

  2:2   And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 

  2:3   And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 

  Thus throughout sacred history we have the number seven occurring very many times, ever reminding us of that first great cycle which was established by God Himself. Later down in the days of Elisha we observe the same number occurring again, as Elisha is used by God in the healing of Naaman the Syrian, who had heard of the prophet, and in faith had followed the counsel of his little maid, a young Jewish girl who had been taken captive by the invading Syrian army.

Naaman was at this time suffering from the deadly and incurable disease of leprosy, and as his young maid saw her master’s distress, she was moved to tell him about the prophet Elisha who she knew could heal him through the power of God. Upon hearing of the very prospect of a cure, Naaman set out on his journey to seek out the prophet, thus demonstrating that even though he was from a pagan country, he understood the basic concept that faith without works is dead.

After hearing of the good news, he did not just sit there with an intense look of belief on his face

doing nothing, but instead mounted his horse as fast as he could, with his whip in his hand and galloped at lightning speed to where he was told the healing could take place. It is of critical importance for Christians today to understand the relation of faith and works, and how they are inseparably linked together to bring forth the desired results.

Too often our belief is held as a theoretical asset instead of applying it directly to the experiences of life, and because of this the promises of God and His working amongst us is viewed as something of the past, and not directly applicable to us in our personal situation. When instructions from God come to us, we are to act immediately upon them not in a lax manner, but like Naaman we should mount our own proverbial horses and run as fast as we can with the knowledge that God has been pleased to reveal for our benefit. Let’s read:

Job 23:11   My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 

  23:12   Neither have I gone back from the

commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food].

What is Job talking about when he says that in his estimation, God’s word is of much more value than his necessary food? He is saying that when the word of the Lord comes to him, nothing else is of more importance, and because of this he acts upon God’s  commands immediately. This statement by Job is a reflection of the order of his priorities and is also exemplified in other Bible characters such as Cornelius, a Gentile and a centurion of the Italian band of soldiers to whom the word of The Lord came with startling clarity. Let’s read:

Acts 10:1   There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian [band], 

  10:2   [A] devout [man], and one that feared God with all his house”….

  10:3   He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 

  10:4   And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. 

  10:5   And now send men to Joppa, and call for [one] Simon, whose surname is Peter: 

  10:6   He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. 

  10:7   And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; 

  10:8   And when he had declared all [these] things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

And thus it was with Naaman who hastened to obey the word that his little maid spoke. That’s why our most important asset in these last days of earth’s history is not merely a theoretical or hands off approach to the word of God, but an attitude of living faith that takes hold of unseen realities, and acts immediately upon them, relying on the arm of omnipotence for both victory and deliverance.

But Naaman was confronted with a dilemma, in that he did not agree with the instructions given by the prophet Elisha, and it was soon disclosed to view that he had an attitude, which if left to run riot, would prevent him from being healed. The simple instructions given by the prophet did not make any sense to him, and he argued that there were better and cleaner rivers than the Jordan, in which he could otherwise carry out the instructions given, and because of this he went away in a rage. Let’s read:

2nd Kings 5:10   And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 

  5:11   But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 

  5:12   [Are] not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and

went away in a rage.

The problem was not with his attitude, although it would be well if obedience to God’s commands can be rendered with a cheerful and humble spirit. The only question that would ultimately determine the outcome is whether he will dip, and thank God there were  a few rational thinking persons through whom the Holy Spirit spoke, and thus appealed to Naaman’s intelligence. The servants reasoned that he had nothing to lose, since he was already terminally ill, and furthermore it was a simple instruction given by the prophet, which would be easy to accomplish if he were willing. Let’s read:

2nd Kings 5:13   And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, [if] the prophet had bid thee [do some] great thing, wouldest thou not have done [it]? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 

  5:14   Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 

  5:15   And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that [there is] no God in all the earth, but in Israel” ….

Now there are some very important lessons to learn from this experience of Naaman, for it was written and chronicled for our admonition and instruction, upon whom the end of the age is fast approaching. This miracle whereby Naaman was healed occurred only after complete compliance with the instructions given. Nothing happened on the first, second, and third dips, and nothing happened on the sixth dip, because nothing but full compliance with the instructions given will facilitate the miraculous healing.

Question: Why do we conclude that nothing occurred on the first six dips, and only on the seventh?

Answer: We make this conclusion not because of any dream or vision given by God, but rather because of a close observation of His ways as recorded in the scriptures. When Joshua was commanded by God to march around the city of Jericho for seven days, absolutely nothing happened during the first six days. All that took place was complete compliance with the word of the Lord. Let’s read:

Joshua 6:2   And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. 

  6:3   And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 

  6:4   And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 

  6:5   And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram's horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 

 Joshua 6:11   So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about [it] once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 

  6:14   And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. 

The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever and therefore if we were to take the time to study His ways, we will see a pattern of consistency which will lead us to the correct conclusion, that God is very dependable and trustworthy in all His ways. Nothing took place with Joshua and the Israelites as they marched with solemn tread around the walls of that doomed city, and nothing happened with Naaman during the first six dips. The same pattern of consistency on the part of God is again displayed in the experience of Elijah, who had to pray seven times for rain, and again, nothing happens during the first six prayers, for The Lord says of Himself, “I change not”. Let’s read:

1st kings 18:41   And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee

up, eat and drink; for [there is] a sound of abundance of rain. 

  18:42   So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 

  18:43   And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, [There is] nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 

  18:44   And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare [thy chariot], and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. 

  18:45   And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 

Genesis 33:3   And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 

  33:4   And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. 

Leviticus 14:7   And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. 

  14:8   And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.

 Leviticus 25:8   And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 

  25:9   Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth [day] of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

 2nd Kings 4:32   And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, [and] laid upon his bed. 

  4:33   He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. 

  4:34   And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. 

  4:35   Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

 Psalms 12:6   The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 

  12:7   Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. 

Daniel 4:30   The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 

  4:31   While the word [was] in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, [saying], O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 

  4:32   And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling [shall be] with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 

  4:33   The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' [feathers], and his nails like birds' [claws]. 

  4:34   And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [is] from generation to generation: 

  Exodus 20:8   Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

  20:9   Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 

  20:10   But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: 

  20:11   For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

In His first discourse in the temple at Jerusalem, Jesus referred to the experience of Naaman by telling the Jews that there were many lepers living in the days of Elisha, and none of them were healed except Naaman, the Syrian, who was regarded as a foreigner to the privileges and promises of God’s chosen people. After this first sermon, the Jews took Christ to the edge of a cliff to cast Him over, because they took deep offence at the reference He thus made. And many of us living today do not fully understand or grasp what is the full import of Christ’s words. Let’s read:

Luke 4:24   And he said, Verily, I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 

  4:25   But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 

  4:26   But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, [a city] of Sidon, unto a woman [that was] a widow. 

  4:27   And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 

  4:28   And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 

  4:29   And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

What Jesus was saying is that there were many Jewish widows, and many Jewish lepers, living

in the days of the prophets mentioned, and that those families that were dying from starvation could have been eating three square meals. Similarly with the Jewish lepers who were dying without hope, who could have been restored to health and lived for many more years, but who for some reason died prematurely, whilst deliverance was at their very fingertips. In other words, somebody was eating their lunch, and thus it was important for them and also for us to find out why and who.

Now there are certain things we must never ever do. It is a well known fact that satan is permitted at times to eat our lunch, when severe temptations are permitted to come our way for the purposes of purifying. But we should never be found giving him our lunch through those acts of noncompliance he often tempts us with, as was the case with the ancient Hebrews, and for this reason it has now become necessary for us to pinpoint the problem by a close examination of Naaman’s experience and ours, to see why the promises of God do not seem to be fulfilled in due season.

[1] Naaman was a sinner, and we are sinners too, so there is no difference on that point. Let’s read:

Romans 3:21   But now the righteousness of God” …

  3:22   Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

  3:23   For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

1st John 1:8   If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

[2] Naaman had diseases and we have diseases too, so that there is no difference on this point either. Let’s read:

Isaiah 1:5   Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 

  1:6   From the sole of the foot even unto the head [there is] no soundness in it; [but] wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 

Matthew 4:23   And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 

  4:24   And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

[3] Naaman had an attitude and we have an attitude too, so that no difference is revealed here also, as with the former points. Let’s read:

2nd Kings 5:11   But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 

  5:12   [Are] not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

Proverbs 5:12 ….  “How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 

  5:13   And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! 

[4] Naaman had a prophet, and we have a prophet, so again there is no difference on this point either, for The Lord has always given prophets to guide and instruct His people from generation to generation. The promise of prophets to guide His people into full compliance with His will is made with a solemn oath by God Himself. Let’s read:

Amos 3:7   Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 

2nd Kings 5:2   And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 

  5:3   And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord [were] with the prophet that [is] in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

Jeremiah 35:15   I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending [them], saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. 

The only issue remaining that set Naaman and the widow apart from the rest of the crowd of lepers and hungry families, was that of complete compliance with what the prophet said. In both instances there was some sort of remonstrance on the part of the human agent seeking help, but because God is not fazed by mixed up moods and

attitudes, He went on to reward their faith, after the prerequisites were met. In other words, nothing but complete compliance will do.

Now it is true that in times of ignorance God winks, but now we owe it to ourselves to find out what the prophets have said on the issues of health and spiritual well- being, because a wealth of information has now been made available at our fingertips, so that we are without excuse. It is important then for us to understand that we are now living in the era of complete compliance, as The Great God of number seven is approaching, and that’s the reason why the thousands of miraculous cures performed by God in ages past have slowed down significantly, because the issue of compliance has been disregarded for too long. Let’s read:

Revelation 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 

10:8   And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go [and] take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 

  10:9   And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take [it], and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 

  10:10   And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.   

In our day, more and more of God’s people are coming down with diseases of every stripe and description, and the afflictions which plague the non-believer are escalating amongst Christians  as well at an alarming rate, so that the casual observer is now questioning if being a Christian actually makes a difference, or even makes sense. The Lord has promised to heal all of our diseases, both physical and spiritual, but this can never be accomplished in our day without the prerequisite of complete compliance, since we are living in the era of number seven.

And it’s for this reason why many of the promises of God to us remain just as theoretical knowledge, and are as an elusive dream belonging to “Never land. Wherever we have available knowledge to facilitate good health and longevity, we should rise to the occasion by hastening to fully comply with all given instructions, and the same God who healed Naaman and provided bread for the widow will again do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

We therefore end with a question which is rhetorical in nature, and because of this, it must be answered within the domain of each and every heart. Let’s read:

Jeremiah 8:21   For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt” ….. “astonishment hath taken hold on me. 

  8:22   [Is there] no balm in Gilead; [is there] no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? 

May God bless His word to every heart!

When We Get Ourselves Into Trouble. Sabbath Afternoon 12/06/2014

There are two types of trouble in which we find ourselves from time to time, and sometimes when they occur, we are at a loss as to why the shadows are not lifted from off our eyes so that we can see the light of day. There is the type of trouble or temptation which God permits to come our way, in order to test and fine-tune our faith. This kind of trouble is the one we did not invite, nor did we set in motion a series of negative circumstances which resulted in hardship and difficulties that could have otherwise been avoided. This type of temptation or trouble is closely monitored by God to make certain that we are not overwhelmed, for the flames of the furnace of affliction are designed to cleanse and to purify, not to destroy. Let’s read:

Job 23:10   But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 

  23:11   My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 

  23:12   Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food].

 1st Corinthians 10:13   There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

A prime example of what we’re speaking about is what took place with Job, as he was serving God in spirit and in truth. All of Job’s ducks were in a row, for he was found to be following all of the laws and instructions given by God as best he knew how, and in his relationship with God and with man, there was no perverseness or insincerity on his part, that could have triggered the deluge of trouble that was to about to be poured out upon him. In other words he read his Bible and prayed every day, and put into practice that which he had seen and handled of the word of God. Let’s read:

Job 1:1   There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

1:4   And his sons went and feasted [in their] houses, every one his day” …

  1:5   And it was so, when the days of [their] feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings [according] to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

But as the story goes, even though Job was doing everything he could to avert trouble by walking uprightly, yet out of the blue, and without any warning, a series of severe temptations started coming at him fast and furiously, in so much that he lost everything he had held dear on this earth in just a few short moments. Nothing was done on Job’s part to precipitate the furnace of affliction he was about to enter, and because of this, his faith in God was severely tested, to the point where even his dearest friends began concluding that it must be something wrong that he had done to trigger such terrible tribulations. Let’s read:

Job 1:8   And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 

  1:9   Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 

  1:10   Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 

  1:11   But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

What follows next is a detailed revelation of the work of satanic agencies, through the forces of nature and through those human agents that are directly under his control. For those who may question whether there are supernatural agencies at work in the hearts of evil men, and the terrible and deadly hurricanes and tornadoes which occur from time to time, the Bible gives pause for serious reflection, because we are prone to blame the increase of natural calamities on global warming and other scientific factors, when in the background there are sinister forces at work which could put all of the triggering mechanisms in place, to cause untold harm to thousands. Let’s read:

Ephesians 2:1   And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins: 

  2:2   Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

In the case of Job, both human and natural agencies of evil were set in motion to bring upon Job, much trouble which he had done absolutely nothing to trigger or invite. Let’s read:

 Job 1:12   And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. 

  1:13   And there was a day when his sons and his daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

  1:14   And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 

1:15   And the Sabeans fell [upon them], and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:16   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:17   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:18   While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 

  1:19   And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 

  1:20   Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 

1:21   And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 

  1:22   In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Then again there’s the other type of trouble which we have brought on our own selves by a wrong course of action that was taken ignorantly or deliberately. In this kind of affliction we played a vital role in inviting the devil to tempt and harass us, and through various unwise steps and misguided decisions and actions, we now find ourselves deep in the mud of torment and adversity, spinning our proverbial tires and going nowhere.

It was this type of trouble that Jacob had gotten himself into, by practicing fraud upon his father and telling a series of white and black lies, some about himself being Esau, and others against God Himself. Let’s read:

Genesis 27:18   And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I; who [art] thou, my son? 

  27:19   And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

One of the negatives we will observe as we read is the fact that falsehoods never come in the singular form, but always in a plural format, since we always find ourselves having to cover our tracks with a second, third, and fourth lie, until we are led like Jacob to involve God Himself in the flurry of lies, while the devil sits grinning in the background. It is never advisable to utter any falsehood, for this method always leads to a cascading effect that ultimately gets us entangled in the snares of the devil, from which we can never extricate ourselves in our own strength. Let’s read:

  Genesis 27:20   And Isaac said unto his son, How [is it] that thou hast found [it] so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought [it] to me. 

  27:21   And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou [be] my very son Esau or not. 

  27:22   And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice [is] Jacob's voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau.

  27:23   And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. 

  27:24   And he said, [Art] thou my very son Esau? And he said, I [am]. 

  27:25   And he said, Bring [it] near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

These deliberate actions that were taken by both Jacob and Rebekah were the cause of their final and permanent separation, and Jacob was never again able to see his mother’s face, even when she was being buried. As for Jacob himself, he was banished from the face of his father, his friends and his family, and thereby found himself running for his life from the face of Esau who had vowed to take his life for revenge. This type of trouble is the kind we bring on ourselves through a series of ill-advised moves, the consequences of which are especially hard to bear, knowing that our consciences were violated in the process. Let’s read:

 Genesis 27:41   And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. 

  27:42   And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee. 

  27:43   Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

  Genesis. 28:10  And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 

  28:11   And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

The fact of the matter is that more often than not, the troubles that come our way are the result of our own doings, and when we become trapped by the enemy of souls, the question often arises, what do we now do to free ourselves from the chains that we permitted the devil to bind about our own necks. The answer to this question leads us into our Bible study for today, “When we get ourselves into trouble”, and it will be well for us to observe very carefully what is going to be presented from this point onward.

When we get ourselves into trouble, two basic questions arise in our minds - (1) Should we, and can we reasonably expect God to deliver? And (2) How, and how soon can we escape from the snares we laid for our own feet. Let’s start with the first question: Should, and can we reasonably expect God to deliver us from troubles we brought on our own selves?

Let’s take for instance a person who deliberately lies on a mortgage application, by superficially inflating their earnings in order to secure the desired loan, but after sometime found themselves not able to make the payments, and are now faced with threatening letters from debt collectors, as the prospect of imminent foreclosure looms on the horizon. Should a Christian who finds himself or herself in such self-inflicted difficulties reasonably expect God to deliver them from their trouble?

Answer: While it is true that God often delivers us from self-inflicted difficulties, yet it cannot be  reasonable to anticipate Him doing so, for this manner of reasoning sets us up to take actions that are unwarranted, by presuming on God’s goodness and mercy. If God were to give any written or stated guarantee that when we deliberately place our feet

in a known snare of the devil, He will certainly deliver us, then we will ultimately find ourselves taking risks that should never be taken, with the expectation of a reversal of the natural laws of cause and effect, which are set in motion by the decisions we make.

In the scriptural instances given in Jacob’s case, we observe that when he and his mom plotted to deceive Isaac, Jacob did not expect a blessing but a curse, and we in our experiences should understand this important aspect of our relationship with God, for it is often the case that we harbor unfounded and unrealistic expectations from God, at times when we knowingly chose to do wrong. Let’s read:

Genesis 27:11  And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man: 

  27:12   My father peradventure will feel me, and I

shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a

curse upon me, and not a blessing. 

This reasonable expectation of Jacob is fully in line with what the scripture teaches on such matters, for there is nowhere in the Bible where The Lord ever promises a blessing or deliverance when a wrong course of action is deliberately or ignorantly pursued. This very sacred and solemn truth should be clearly understood by all Christians as we seek a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. In other words, we can and should pray to God for His mercies to be extended in such situations, but we should also bear in mind that deliverance in such cases remains His sole prerogative, to be given or withheld at His discretion, and according to His good purposes. Let’s read:

  Deuteronomy 11:26   Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 

  11:27   A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 

  11:28   And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

A general misunderstanding of this sacred truth has led millions of Christians to expect a blessing and deliverance for a wrong course of action, and when nothing happens, many people become frustrated and confused in their relationship with God, which then leads to repining, murmuring and even open accusations against God. The Lord never blesses disobedience, and although at times He may choose to deliver us from self-inflicted wounds, yet we must always bear in mind that it is because of His mercy and love towards us, and not because of any obligatory agreement, why He rescues us when He does.

This basic understanding and the corresponding attitude has been manifested by all the faithful in ages past, and urgently needs to be understood and implemented in the 21st century, by all Christians and members of the human family, for the sacred truths pertain to them as well as to us. Let’s read:

Genesis 32:6   And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 

  32:7   Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” …..  

  32:9   And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 

  32:10   I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant” ….  

  32:11   Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, [and] the mother with the children.

The same sentiment and thorough understanding of God’s unmerited favor in the face of deliberate sin is also echoed by all the holy prophets of old, and urgently needs to be understood by all of us living today, where the very atmosphere is pervaded with the sin of presumption. Let’s read:

Daniel 9:4   And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 

  9:5   We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 

  9:6   Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 

  9:7   O Lord, righteousness [belongeth] unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, [that are] near, and [that are] far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 

  9:8   O Lord, to us [belongeth] confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 

  9:9   To the Lord our God [belong] mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 

  9:10   Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

Ezra 9:5   And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, 

  9:6   And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. 

  9:7   Since the days of our fathers [have] we [been] in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, [and] our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as [it is] this day. 

  9:8   And now for a little space grace hath been [showed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 

An understanding of this first point sets the stage for the next, which as stated before has to do with how, and how soon can we escape the snares of the evil one. On this second point it is imperative that we never ever try to disentangle ourselves from any deliberate sin in our own strength, and by using our own methods. This will certainly cause us to become more and more entangled, and will make the retrieving process all the more difficult and hard to bear. It’s important for us to immediately stop the hemorrhaging by seeking the Lord through confession and repentance, and we should then wait for His direction moving forward, so that He can guide us with wisdom and discretion.

It is of critical importance for us to understand and adopt this second point, because it has a direct effect on the healing process. After Jacob had wrestled with God all night and had gotten him the victory, The Lord then went before him and did what he could never have done, for a decided change of feelings towards his brother was imparted to Esau, so that instead of hatred sprung up pity, and instead of vengeance sprung up embraces and tears of joy. This was a supernatural work directly accomplished by God’s power alone, as is clearly stated in the scriptures. Let’s read:

Genesis 33:1   And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men” ….

  33:3   And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 

  33:4   And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. 

  33:5   And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who [are] those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. 

  33:6   Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 

  33:7   And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

It just reminds us of two passages of scripture which we should ever keep in mind whenever we’re facing daunting challenges or dangerous situations we got ourselves into. These verses will enable us to look to God from whence cometh our help, instead of trying man-made means and methods to free our souls from satan’s iron grip. Let’s read:  

Proverbs 21:1   The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Zechariah 4:6   Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD” … “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Whenever we get ourselves into trouble, let us then always remember that we serve a God who delights in mercy and specializes in restoration, but let us also remember that we are not worthy of the least of His mercies, and therefore we should come before Him with a humble and contrite heart, and a teachable spirit. With this attitude we can always appeal to His loving-kindness, and as sacred history shows, God often responds in the affirmative, by forgiving, cleansing and restoring us to His favor.

We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this very point, and it is the will of God that we seek His face in times of danger, even when we are in the wrong, for He delights in mercy and takes no pleasure in our sufferings. Let’s read:

2nd Chronicles 7:14   If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

  7:15   Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place. 

  7:16   For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

Responsibilities Of A Gospel Teacher. Sabbath Afternoon 11/29/2014

There are certain responsibilities that devolve upon the shoulders of any teacher, whether in the secular or spiritual realm, and these duties should be thoroughly understood by any person desiring to teach. First and foremost is the prerequisite of knowing what is to be taught, because whatsoever is presented in the classroom will be digested and adopted by the hearers, and this in turn will shape their view of the subject matter given. For instance, if a child of nine years is being properly taught by his math teacher, we expect the child to have at least a basic knowledge of mathematics, and as he progresses and grows older, we can reasonably expect him to move on to geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, and applied mathematics.

However we would be very concerned if we heard that the math teacher was teaching the child that two plus two is equal to three, for then we will have no choice but to inform the board of education that an erroneous form of math was being handed down to the students, which could then have dire consequences on any future transactions they may be engaged in.

Similarly when a student is learning at the feet of a medical instructor, we expect that at least the basics about medicine, disease and its causes to be a part of the curriculum. We would be very disturbed to find out that after being taught for many years, the student did not know what a syringe needle is, and if we were to find out that the instructor deliberately or ignorantly left out such basic information pertaining to the medical field, he or she would have to be called in for serious questioning by the relevant authorities.

A teacher in any field caries very serious responsibilities for which they must of necessity be held accountable. However, in the spiritual realm the implications and consequences of teaching are even more far-reaching than in the secular arena, because any erroneous form of instruction can ultimately cause the students to suffer an untimely and eternal death, which could have otherwise been avoided if the proper instruction was given. Furthermore, according to Christ Himself, the teacher must not only know what he is presenting, he must also be living what is presented, otherwise he or she will be called into account by God, for any erroneous doctrine or practice manifested or taught. Let’s read:

Matthew 28:19   Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

  28:20   Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. 

Matthew 5:17   Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

  5:18   For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

  5:19   Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

It therefore becomes very obvious that we have a serious problem on our hands, because in many of

the protestant seminaries, major portions of the law and the scriptures are being omitted, and other vital points which pertain to a persons’ salvation are either tossed out as being irrelevant, or are nullified because it does not suit the taste and fancies of the hearers. As a result we have a watered down form of Christianity that has been diluted with the poisonous doctrines of Babylon, and the resulting theological exegesis amounts in most part to a strange variation which God neither recognizes nor endorses.

The graduates from many of these seminaries and theological institutions take with them a greatly depreciated form of truth and grace, which is then in turn dispensed to the multitudes, and as a direct result we now have millions of Christians who sincerely believe erroneous doctrines, which actually prevent many of them from enjoying freedom from sin, and the liberties and benefits that are associated with the true gospel. And it was to address this dire state of things that the following passages of scripture were penned for our instruction. Let’s read:

 2nd Corinthians  11:3   But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

  11:4   For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or [if] ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [him].

2nd Peter 1:19   We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

  1:20   Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 

  1:21   For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost. 

One of the more prominent erroneous theories that have emerged over the centuries is the doctrine which teaches is adherents that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday, the seventh day of the week, to Sunday, the first day of the week. Passages of scripture have been pulled from their proper context and stretched to unreasonable lengths to try to support this theory, and because the Biblical methods of interpretation are not implemented, many generations of sincere Christians have been inadvertently seduced by the doctrines of devils, and have ignorantly accepted the spurious for the true.

 And it is because God will not be satisfied until every honest-hearted person has been exposed to a distinct knowledge of the truth why He has now ordained that His people who now sit in Babylon be called out through the preaching of the three angels’ messages, before the plagues are poured out, and before probation closes. The truths pertaining to the true Sabbath and the errors supporting the false will now be disclosed to the view of any objective listener, so that it may be settled in our hearts once and for all, that there is absolutely no scriptural authority to support Sunday worship as the true Sabbath of rest. Let’s read:

Revelation 18:1   And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 

  18:2   And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 

  18:3   For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 

  18:4   And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 

  18:5   For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

  John 10:11   I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 

  10:12   But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 

  10:13   The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 

  10:14   I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. 

  10:15   As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

  10:16   And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd.

The Sabbath of the fourth commandment has been given to us numerous times in the Bible, and again in the new testament it is reiterated and exemplified in the life and teachings of Christ. For reference purposes we must note that it is referred to in the book of Genesis as the one day out of the seven that God rested and was refreshed, and He thereby sanctified it, by setting apart for holy use. Let’s read:

  Genesis 2:1   Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 

  2:2   And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 

  2:3   And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 

It is also reiterated and confirmed by its placement in the Ten Commandments, where The Lord gave us more specifics about who are included in the obligation. It was not for the Jews only, as is commonly taught, but is also meant for protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Evangelicals, Buddhists, Atheists, and Rastafari. All of these groups are included in the provision for all of them need rest. As a  matter of fact, once you are a human being, the Sabbath was meant for you, for it is the only true universal day of worship, given by God to all of mankind, and it is the only existing marker which determines the length of a week. Let’s read: 

Mark 2:27   And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: 

  2:28   Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Exodus 20:8   Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

  20:9   Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 

  20:10   But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: 

  20:11   For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

The first day of the week by contrast is only mentioned but eight meager times and not in a single instance do the scriptures state anything about transferring the sanctity of the seventh day to Sunday. God is very clear and unambiguous in His instructions on this matter, therefore if at any time He had authorized a change in the official day of worship, we would naturally expect Him to say so in no uncertain terms. But such a law or command is nowhere to be found, because the Bible teaches us that God changes not, and is consistent and unvarying in the commands He has given us to live by. So let’s carefully analyze all eight references with a fine-toothed comb to see if there is even a hint of any change in the Sabbath law. Let’s read:

Matthew 28:1   In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 

  28:2   And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

    Mark 16:2   And very early in the morning the first [day] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 

  16:3   And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 

  16:4   And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

 Mark 16:9   Now when [Jesus] was risen early the first [day] of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 

  16:10   [And] she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 

Luke 24:1   Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them. 

  24:2   And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 

  24:3   And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

  John 20:1   The first [day] of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 

  20:2   Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

 John 20:19   Then the same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. 

  20:20   And when he had so said, he showed unto them [his] hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Acts 20:7   And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 

  20:8   And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 

  20:9   And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

1st Corinthians 16:1   Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 

  16:2   Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 

  16:3   And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by [your] letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

That’s all for now folks, for there are no more references to the first day of the week other than these instances. The word “Sabbath” by contrast is to be found 116 times in the scripture, thus giving us a 1 to14 ratio of references. The question that now needs to be answered is “How did such a drastic change come about? And how can so many millions of people be keeping the wrong day of worship, instead of the Sabbath given to us by God in the fourth commandment?

The answers to this question have to do with the institution of traditions, and the high esteem in which they are held by the masses, even to the point of viewing these man-made customs as being of more importance than the word of God. This basic attitude of making the law of God subjective, and our own traditions objective, is what constitutes the driving force of all erroneous teachings, and therefore, if we are to understand the plain teachings of scripture we should approach its study with a child-like attitude, being willing to be taught of God, and humble enough to surrender any preconceived ideas, wherever that becomes necessary. Let’s read:

Matthew 15:1   Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 

  15:2   Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” …  15:3   But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 

  15:6   “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 

  15:7   “Well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 

  15:8   This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. 

  15:9   But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men. 

The attempt to change the God-given universal day of worship was made by the Roman emperor Constantine in the year A.D 321, and ever since it has steadily grown in preeminence and importance in the minds of most worshippers, to the point where most of modern Christendom has adopted it, and millions of sincere Christians hold it as the true Sabbath, whereas the original seventh day Sabbath of the fourth commandment is generally consigned to the Jews. The following quotations with the exception of the first, are taken directly from the Catechism of the Roman Catholic church and the convert’s catechism, so that any honest seeker for truth may know the source of the attempted change. Let’s read:

Constantine decreed (March 7, 321) dies Solis—day of the sun, "Sunday"—as the Roman day of rest [CJ3.12.2]:

On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not suitable for grain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.

Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine / Geiermann, Peter ...

Q. Which is the Sabbath day?
A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
[ The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, 1951 printing, page 50. ]

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

2190 The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.

2192 "Sunday . . . is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church" (⇒ CIC, can. 1246 # 1). "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass" (⇒ CIC, can. 1247).

2194 The institution of Sunday helps all "to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their amilial, cultural, social, and religious lives" (GS 67 # 3).

2195 Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day.

2175 Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ:107

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God's holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

But something is noticeably absent; not a single verse of scripture is given showing the authorization of such a change. All that is ever stated is that the Roman church has the authority to do so, but no scripture is given to support that claim, and rightly so, for no such scripture exists. The seventh day Sabbath of the fourth commandment has always been, and will always be God’s ordained universal day of rest, and God is now calling on all citizens of earth to closely investigate and understand the Bible Sabbath, and also to separate themselves from those erroneous teachings and doctrines that are in opposition to the plain testimony of scripture. The Bible, and the Bible only should be the rule and guide of life for all people, and even though God grants us the freedom to do otherwise, yet He will call us to account for the choices we make. Let’s read:

2nd Timothy 3:16   All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

  3:17   That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 

Matthew 4:1   Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 

  4:2   And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 

  4:3   And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 

  4:4   But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

The reason why Christ was able to stop the devil dead in His tracks is because He instantly recognized that there was a scriptural disconnect given in the suggestion to turn stones into bread, for this method of obtaining bread was nowhere sanctioned or commanded in the word of God. In other words, Christ was saying that there is a correct way to obtain and eat ones’ bread, the only way stipulated in the scripture. Let’s read:

Genesis 3:17   And unto Adam he said” ….

  3:19   In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground” ….

Ecclesiastes 5:12   The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much” ….

Proverbs 13:11   Wealth [gotten] by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. 

Therefore the same method that Christ used of sifting every suggestion, every idea, every opinion, or doctrine by the word, must be adopted when studying issues pertaining to God’s law. For instance there is the claim that the original Sabbath was only meant for the Jews, and that Christians are under no such obligation. Nothing could be further from the truth, because when the Sabbath was instituted in Eden there was no Jewish nation around. Furthermore the claim that the Ten Commandments were first given at Mount Sinai is without merit, for the law of God has been in existence, even before Adam and eve were created. Let’s examine a few passages of scripture to verify these truths, and as we trace the history of God’s law through time and eternity to our present day, we will see that absolutely nothing has been changed by The Lord. Let’s read:

Ezekiel 28:13   Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 

  28:14   Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 

  28:15   Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 

  28:16   By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

1st John  3:4   Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Genesis 4:6   And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 

  4:7   If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

 Genesis 18:20   And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous.

Genesis  39:7   And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. 

  39:8   But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what [is] with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 

  39:9   [There is] none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou [art] his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Genesis 26:4   And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 

  26:5   Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

 Exodus 10:16   Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. 

  10:17   Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only. 

In all of these references Mount Sinai is not even mentioned, so how is it that pharaoh could come to the conclusion that he had sinned, and how did he know what sin is? How did Joseph know that adultery was wrong, and how did Abraham keep the Commandments, even though he lived hundreds of years before the law was written down on tables of stone? Let’s read:

Romans 7:7   What shall we say then? [is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Then the validity of God’s law and the sanctity of the Sabbath day continues before and after the death of Christ with no change or amendments whatsoever. Let’s read:

Matthew 5:17   Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

  5:18   For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

  5:19   Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 4:16   And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

 Matthew 24:20   But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 

  24:21   For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Mark 1:19   And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 

  1:20   And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. 

  1:21   And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 

 Mark 6:2   And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing [him] were astonished, saying, From whence hath this [man] these things? and what wisdom [is] this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

Luke 23:50   And, behold, [there was] a man named Joseph, a counsellor; [and he was] a good man, and a just: 

  23:51   (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) [he was] of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. 

  23:52   This [man] went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 

  23:53   And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. 

  23:54   And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. 

  23:55   And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. 

  23:56   And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. 

And after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the keeping of the seventh day Sabbath continues as normal, without any interruption or any change whatsoever, for God never changes and His word is not altered with the passage of time or events. Let’s read:

  Acts 13:13   Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 

  13:14   But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 

Acts 13:42   And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. 

  13:43   Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 

  13:44   And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. 

Acts 17:1   Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 

  17:2   And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts 18:1   After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 

  18:2   And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. 

    18:4   And he reasoned in the synagogue every

sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

And after the history of this present earth will have been closed, the memorial of God’s creative power will continue to live on throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. God did not establish the Sabbath institution, to remove or change it, only to restore it once more in the earth made new. This is directly contrary to His manner of working, for He says “I am The Lord, I change not” and the Bible speaks of “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever”. Let’s read:

Isaiah 66:22   For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 

  66:23   And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 

It is obvious therefore that no scriptural change has been made to the precepts and practice of the law of God, instead we are under a more serious obligation to meet its claims, since the times of ignorance have expired about two thousand years ago. Especially is it important for the teachers of the gospel to both understand and practice true Sabbath keeping, since it signifies the work of sanctification that is taking place in our hearts on an on-going basis. We therefore end with a promise to every person who embraces the truth of the Biblical Sabbath, and it is the will of God that all who were not aware of this truth previously, should now stand up and be counted as a faithful soldier of the cross, walking by faith and in obedience to all of God’s commandments. Let’s read:

Isaiah 58:12   And [they that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 

  58:13   If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: 

  58:14   Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it]. 

May the Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

The Interim Period. Sabbath Afternoon 11/22/2014

Many Christians stumble on the issue of trusting implicitly in God for everything, for there are times in our experiences when we are prone to doubt, on account of the evidences of our senses. There are certain truths that God has revealed in His word about Himself which must be forever settled in our minds, if we are to experience a much deeper understanding and relationship with Him. The question is often asked “How can I know what the will of the Lord is in any given situation”, and this question often becomes blurred amidst a number of other unresolved issues which haunt our minds from time to time.

For starters we should understand that a person who is not dependable and consistent in their ways cannot be trusted, and therefore if we believe that the ways of God are not predictable, as far as His promises and their fulfillment are concerned, then we could never reach to the point of placing our implicit faith and trust in Him.

 The bible bids us to study the character of God as manifested in His created works, and also His sustenance and upholding of them, for when this is done, there is no other conclusion that we can arrive at, other than God is perfectly trustworthy, consistent, and stable in all of His ways, and therefore He is also predictable, as far as promises and their fulfillment are concerned. Let’s read:

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. 

  19:2   Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. 

  19:3   [There is] no speech nor language, [where] their voice is not heard. 

  19:4   Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 

  19:5   Which [is] as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, [and] rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 

  19:6   His going forth [is] from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. 

Genesis 8:22  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 

Did the Bible just mention the fact that the four seasons, including winter will not cease from occurring in their due times as long as the earth remaineth? The last time we checked, winter was on its way, and as far as we can remember, and know for a certainty, the months of November to March have always brought snow, ice, and blizzards, thus confirming the sacred truth that God is not only predictable in his ways, but also dependable. Let’s read:

Psalms 147:15   He sendeth forth his commandment [upon] earth: his word runneth very swiftly. 

  147:16   He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. 

  147:17   He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? 

  147:18   He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, [and] the waters flow. 

It therefore becomes necessary to study carefully His methods, ways, and systematic manner of operation so that our expectations can be reasonably managed according to what is written, and in harmony with that which has been revealed in sacred history. The reason why we are strongly

advised to do so is because it has a direct impact upon our perspective and our interpretation of past, current, and future events, which in turn determines how we will react to various situations which may come upon us suddenly.

Let’s take a few examples from ancient sacred history. God had revealed to the Hebrews who were at that time suffering under the yoke of Egyptian bondage, that He was about to deliver them, and because of this announcement, certain dire circumstances obtained, and certain instructions were given in preparation for their departure.

The Lord did not choose to deliver the Hebrews at once, nor did He rain Manna from heaven on the first day they left Egypt, for there was an interim period between their departure and the time when food was provided miraculously.  The Exodus which followed later on contains blueprints of the ways and means God always employs when interacting with His people, and these methods must of necessity be studiously observed, so that our expectations will not be unreasonable or uninformed when future difficulties come our way.

The passages used are traced as it were, in brilliant letters of gold so that we may have a much more intelligent understanding of the way God’s omnipotent power is often displayed, especially in emergencies. The blueprints will be divided up into four main segments, because of the constraints of time and space, and as we study let us observe carefully the movements of God in the varied experiences of His people, for many of them are to be repeated in the near future.

[1] Making Bricks without straw.

One of the results of the announcement of emancipation was that the burdens and the work- loads of the Jews were significantly increased, to the point where it became virtually impossible to keep the Sabbath, or to serve God in the land of Egypt. When pharaoh learned of the re-institution of the Sabbath rest as a prerequisite for deliverance, he reacted very harshly by forcing the Hebrews to find raw materials to make their daily quota of bricks, whereas before these materials had always been provided. The reason given for this sudden and drastic change was idleness, a charge that was brought about by his own perverted view of Sabbath keeping.

God gave the command to rest on the seventh day not only for the benefit of the Jews, but also for pharaoh’s benefit also,  together with all other persons living on the planet, but just as it is today, pharaoh and his officers saw the keeping of the Sabbath as an infringement on their business and commercial pursuits, and because he erroneously thought that he would suffer temporal loss as a result of proper Sabbath keeping by the Hebrews, he literally forced them to work over the Sabbath hours, or else they were punished, beaten, harassed, and ill-treated, to force compliance from unwilling minds. Let’s read:

Exodus 5:4   And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 

  5:5   And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now [are] many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 

  5:6  And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 

  5:7   Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 

  5:8   And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish [ought] thereof: for they [be] idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go [and] sacrifice to our God. 

  5:9   Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. 

  5:10   And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. 

  5:11   Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. 

  5:12   So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 

5:13   And the taskmasters hasted [them], saying, Fulfil your works, [your] daily tasks, as when there was straw. 

  5:14   And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, [and] demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? 

  5:15   Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 

  5:16   There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants [are] beaten; but the fault [is] in thine own people. 

  5:17   But he said, Ye [are] idle, [ye are] idle: therefore ye say, Let us go [and] do sacrifice to the LORD. 

  5:18   Go therefore now, [and] work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. 

  5:19   And the officers of the children of Israel did see [that] they [were] in evil [case], after it was said, Ye shall not minish [ought] from your bricks of your daily task. 

It is of critical importance for us to closely observe the timing of the increased difficulties, for the Hebrews had not yet  been emancipated, but were rather in the “Interim period” that is referred to in this Bible study. Similarly, as we approach the close of this earth’s history, when the issue of the true Sabbath will again take center stage, we can expect a significant amount of retaliation on our jobs as we continue to request the entire Sabbath day off, so that we can worship and serve God according to the dictates of conscience.

And it is for this reason, why in anticipation of the coming conflict with the powers of darkness, that God is now moving preemptively by taking many of His people one by one out of the “Egyptian system” so that we can work independently for our daily bread, until such time that it becomes necessary to feed us miraculously. It all has to do with the “Interim period” which for many of us has already begun.

And because of this, we should not be surprised if in the future we are laid off for no apparent reason, but we should instead rejoice greatly, knowing that our redemption draws near, and that God will teach us how to navigate the coming difficulties until such time that the pillar of fire by night, and the pillar of cloud by day once again appears on the earth as a token of God’s protective shield and watch-care in behalf of His people, as in days of old. Let’s read:

Exodus 6:1   Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh” …  

  6:2   And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I [am] the LORD: 

  6:3   And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 

  6:4   And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 

  6:5   And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 

  6:6   Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I [am] the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.

Isaiah 4:3   And it shall come to pass, [that he that is] left” …. “and [he that] remaineth” …… “shall be called holy, [even] every one that is written among the living” ….

  4:5   And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory [shall be] a defence. 

  4:6   And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

When the national Sunday law will be reinstituted across the land, and all citizens and inhabitants will be “Caused” to worship or rest from their work on the national day of rest, then those faithful Sabbath keepers who refuse to work on the seventh day of the week will also be accused of “Idleness” because we will be having two days off of work, instead of one, like all of the rest of people.

 In order to compensate for the loss of business on account of the mandatory day of rest on Sunday, it will be deemed necessary to make up for the loss by legally requiring employers to make their employees work on the seventh day of the week, and when this occurs, the prophecy in Revelation 12 that has lurked in the shadows all these years will finally come to the forefront of our experience, and we will understand as never before what is meant by the dragon making war with the remnant of God’s people, for his anger is not directed at Isis, Alqaeda, Boko haram or other terrorist groups who are already doing his bidding, but against those who choose to obey the commandments of God instead of the laws of men. Let’s read:

Revelation 12:12   Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 

  12:13   And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child].

   12:17   And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Revelation 13:2   And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 

13:12   And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 

13:15   And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 

  13:16   And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 

  13:17   And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 

  13:18   Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. 

[2] The Blood.

 Exodus 12:21   Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families” …   12:22   And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that [is] in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 

  12:23   For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite [you].

12:29   And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 

12:33   And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We [be] all dead [men].

In the closing scenes of earth’s history when the judgments due are upon the land, there will be no shelter for anyone who does not have the blood of Christ applied to their hearts. No amount of steel- laden doomsday bunkers, no matter how sturdily built will be able to withstand the plagues that will be poured out on those who are not covered. At this time Christ must be fully formed within, the hope of glory, and nothing but the blood of Christ will shield us in those days. Let’s read:

Joel 3:15   The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 

  3:16   The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD [will be] the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 

[3] God’s method of deliverance.

Exodus 14:1   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

 14:2   Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 

  14:3   For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They [are] entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 

From this we can conclude that God knew two things: (1) that the Hebrews would be blocked in by water in front, and mountains on either side. And (2) that pharaoh and his army would be in hot pursuit at the rear, so that it would seem as though there was no way of escape for the children of Israel. This scenario is often repeated in our own personal experiences when there seems as if there is no way out, and the devil tempts us to believe that God has deliberately set us up for defeat.

But conclusions such as these are reached because we have not studied His ways, for it is often the case that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and many of us do not exercise a deep abiding faith in Him until it seems as if we are hedged in by foes, and daunting circumstances on every side.

These occasions are often a call to prayer, which so many of us have neglected in times of ease and security. As a general rule of thumb we like to be independent, and this mode of thought is often transferred over to our religious experiences, where we only seek God earnestly when we are in strait places. These instances almost always draw out from us one of two responses, which show what is the nature of our relationship with God.

We either murmur or complain because He has permitted us to be hedged in with difficulties, or we view the entire episode as an opportunity to exercise trust in God, knowing that deliverance is certainly on the way. These different perspectives come as a result of understanding, or not knowing of God’s ways, means, and methods. Let’s read:

Exodus 14:10   And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 

  14:11   And they said unto Moses, Because [there were] no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 

  14:12   [Is] not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For [it had been] better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

This first response bears out what was just previously stated, and is usually the mindset of the overwhelming majority of people who claim to believe in God. But there is another response that is much to be desired, the one manifested by Moses to whom the Lord revealed that pharaoh and his hosts were but dead meat. One situation, facing two different mindsets, with two entirely different responses, the only difference being that one knows and understands the ways of God while other doesn’t. Let’s read:

  Exodus 14:13   And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 

  14:14   The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

14:19   And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 

  14:20   And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness [to them], but it gave light by night [to these]: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

Similarly, when the forces of evil are set in motion during the last days of earth’s history, the people of God will be hedged in by difficulties and dangers which would seem to many as if we are cornered. The spiritual king of Egypt with his forces and agencies will be on the heels of the righteous, and for all intents and purposes, it may seem to a casual onlooker, that there is no way of escape. And then there will be two responses coming from the multitude of those whose names are now written on the church records. Some will begin to murmur and complain, while others like Moses will see in the whole episode, a harbinger of coming deliverance, just as it was in the days of old. Let’s read:

Daniel 12:1   And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

[4] The transition of diet.

After the children of Israel had left Egypt it took some time before God began to rain manna from heaven, and after this had taken place for a while, the people began to complain about the change of diet. But there is one character in the Bible that we will closely investigate, for it seems as if he took a

 different route, and because of this there are some very disturbing medical and logical questions that arise on account of the latter part of his life. His name is Caleb, and in the Biblical account it is stated that he followed the Lord “Wholly”, suggesting that he went along with God’s plan for a transition in diet. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 1:34   And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and sware, saying, 

  1:36  …..  “Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. 

Numbers 14:24   But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 

Joshua 14:6   Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. 

  14:7   Forty years old [was] I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as [it was] in mine heart. 

    14:9   And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. 

  14:10   And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while [the children of] Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I [am] this day fourscore and five years old. 

  14:11   As yet I [am as] strong this day as [I was] in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength [was] then, even so [is] my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 

14:12   Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims [were] there, and [that] the cities [were] great [and] fenced: if so be the LORD [will be] with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. 

  14:13   And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 

  14:14   Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

There is a very, very serious problem occurring in verses 10 and 11 which needs to be addressed once and for all from a perspective of faith, and also from a scientific, logical, and reasonable stand point. That word “Wholly” keeps surfacing over and over again in the narrative of Caleb, and in the context of him following The Lord. From this repetition of the word it is reasonable to conclude that on the issue of the transition of diet, Caleb also “Wholly” followed the Lord. Let’s read again:

Joshua 14:10   And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while [the children of] Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I [am] this day fourscore and five years old. 

  14:11   As yet I [am as] strong this day as [I was] in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength [was] then, even so [is] my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

The same basic statement is made concerning Moses, who at the age of 120 years, climbed a mountain several miles high without any aid, when God told him he would die. Let’s observe closely what is written, because we are going to pose some very disturbing questions to the scientific, and medical communities. Let’s read:

Deuteronomy 34:7   And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 

Question: Is it possible for a man not to undergo any declining physical changes for 45 years?

Question: Does the transitional diet have anything to do with it?

Question: Was the providence of God in making this dietary change arbitrary? Or was there a specific purpose in removing from them their former diet?

Question: Does the transitional diet have any merit, or was it something that was imposed at random upon the Hebrews?

Question: In our day, if a Christian were to adopt the transitional diet, will he or she likewise enjoy great length of days and superior quality of life?

Question: is it possible to forestall the aging process by having implicit faith in God, and by cooperating with Him on the issue of diet and foods?

If there is no merit to the diet God had preferred for the Hebrews, then it logically follows that there isn’t any good to be derived from it, and if this is true, then we are willing to sponsor everyone sitting here this evening with a Big Mac and fries, right after Bible study. It either has merit or it doesn’t, it’s just that simple. But whatever may be our answers to these questions, one thing is certain, that we will need to complete the necessary changes before the “Interim” period draws to a close, because the transitional diet is all that will be provided by God during those days of hardship and turmoil. Let’s read:

Isaiah33:16   He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure. 

It is therefore the will of God that as we research these things, that we reason from cause to effect, and where a living faith needs to be exercised in God, and the words He has given us to live by, let us not delay in seeking His face for grace to enable us to gain the victory, so that when the “Interim” period comes along, we will be already rooted and grounded in Christ, with our expectations being in line with that which He has promised. God bless!

The Natural And The Unnatural Man. Sabbath Afternoon 11/15/2014

Every pure word, thought, and action which does not occur in us naturally must of necessity be given in commandment form. When God created Adam and Eve, His law was placed within their hearts, and so there was no need to write it on tables of stone or in books, for they had it written internally. However, with the passage of time they fell into sin, and because their posterity immediately and steadily declined in moral and spiritual knowledge, it then became necessary to write in commandment form, all of the principles of God’s law, which are not naturally occurring in the human consciousness.

The law of God is spiritual but we are carnal, being sold under sin, and therefore it takes effort and practice under the auspices of the Holy Ghost in order for all aspects of righteousness to become natural, or second nature to us. Even though the image of God has not been obliterated in us who are born in sin, and even though a faint, indistinct

knowledge of godly principles still exist in most of us, yet it is not natural for any human being to do what is right without the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. So as it stands, doing wrong is natural for most of us, and doing right is abnormal in the human experience. This is according to the solemn testimony of the scriptures. Let’s read:

1st Corinthians 2:14   But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

Romans 7:14   For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 

  7:15   For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 

For instance, if we were to ask a simple question of men, is it natural for us to commit adultery, in our thoughts, in sight, and indeed, most honest-hearted men will say yes, but some, in order to save face may say no. To most of those who dare to answer in the affirmative, the word of God speaks two words: “Stop lying”, for according to the scriptural definition of adultery, and also according to the testimony of some of the most righteous men who have ever lived, it is natural for the minds of most men to wander onto forbidden themes and most are prone to commit adultery in thoughts or in actions. Let’s read:

Matthew 5:27   Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 

  5:28   But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

Proverbs 27:20   Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Job 31:1   I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

The reason why Job had to make a covenant with his eyes is because for most men, keeping ourselves from adultery does not come naturally, and therefore Job found it necessary to take a solemn oath, that by the grace of God, his eyes and mind will not wander onto forbidden themes. What is worthy of note is the testimony of scripture in regards to Job’s spirituality. Let’s read:

Job 1:1   There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 

This is one of the reasons why God had to give the injunction against adultery in commandment form, because it is not natural to us to keep ourselves pure. Again, the question is asked, is it natural for us to covet, or not to covet? The answer of course is yes, it is natural for us to covet, but again there may be those who would dare to disagree. To such the Bible again speaks those two little words: “Stop lying”, for covetousness lies at the very foundation of our sinful nature, and thus it requires a well directed effort to root it out of our lives. And because it is not natural for us to refrain from covetousness, God gave us the injunction against it in commandment form. Let’s read:

Exodus 20:17   Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's. 

Matthew 6:1   And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 

  6:2   That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 

  6:3   And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 

Micah 2:1   Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. 

  2:2   And they covet fields, and take [them] by violence; and houses, and take [them] away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 

Similarly with the issue of love, which stands at the

foundation of God’s character and government. It is not natural for us to love, because the Bible states that we are naturally self-centered, and naturally put ourselves first and then others next. When we speak about love, we are not speaking merely about learned common courtesy that is manifested in the world, we are speaking about that agape love which only comes from God, and which enables us to love not only our friends, but also our enemies, and even those who deliberately plan to do us wrong, and take pleasure in our misfortunes and perplexities. This type of love does not occur in us naturally, and therefore God has to again give it to us in commandment form. Let’s read:

John 13:34   A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 

  13:35   By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

Matthew 5:44   But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

  5:45   That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 

  5:46   For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 

  5:47   And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so? 

  5:48   Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

And we are never to be deceived into thinking that this carnal, natural state of things ceases to exist from the point of baptism onward, for the apostle Paul, when writing in the context of his own fierce struggles against sin and self, describes those carnal desires, and deeply rooted tendencies to evil, which carry on a military campaign against anything that is good and upright. Here it is again, that natural tendency to do evil, occurring now, not merely in unbelievers, but rather in those who have been baptized and have sincerely given their lives to Christ. Let’s read:

Romans 7:19   For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 

  7:20   Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

  7:21   I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 

  7:22   For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 

  7:23   But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

1st Corinthians 3:3   For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

  3:4   For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 

  Matthew 20:20   Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [him], and desiring a certain thing of him. 

  20:21   And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 

  20:24   And when the ten heard [it], they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 

  20:25   But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 

  20:26   But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 

  20:27   And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 

  20:28   Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

Hence the reason why Christ told Peter that when conversion would have taken place in him, he will strengthen the brethren. The reason for this statement is because many Christians are baptized into Christ, but are not yet converted, and so we must be very careful not to discourage them with yokes of spiritual development that they are not yet ready to bear. It is worthy of note that Peter, James, John, and Judas were all ordained preachers, whom Christ sent to preach the word of life, and yet, not one of them were converted as they went on their first missionary journeys. Let’s read:

Matthew 10:2   Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James [the son] of Zebedee, and John his brother; 

  10:3   Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James [the son] of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 

  10:4   Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.  

  10:5   These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 

  10:6   But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

  10:7   And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

  10:8   Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Luke 22:31   And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: 

  22:32   But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 

Some of us may be now wondering whether or not we are converted, or just baptized, and others of us may be saying to ourselves that this definitely does not refer to me, but I know of someone like that. Really? When a person plans to travel oversees to a country like India, they usually go to the bank so that they can “Convert” their U.S currency into Rupees, which is the currency used in that country, and as the transaction proceeds, the teller will request that the U.S dollars first be given up, before the Indian rupees are handed over, a process that takes some time.

 The same is true when a person is thoroughly converted, there is a giving up of the old in order to procure the new, but the process takes time, and therefore we must be very careful not to judge or discourage each other as the ongoing procedure is taking place, since most of us are baptized, but are still undergoing the process of complete conversion. This solemn truth is correctly deduced when we observe what a thoroughly converted Christian does on a consistent basis.

A converted Christian who is gainfully employed, pays his or her bills on time and does not attempt to evade debts he or she has incurred, including rent, mortgages, taxes, tithes and offerings. This is according to the word. Let’s read:

Romans13:7   Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 

  13:8   Owe no man any thing, but to love one

another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled

the law.

Converted Christians do not cheat on their spouses, nor do they carry on inappropriate conversations with the opposite sex outside of the marriage, especially after hours. And because they are thoroughly converted, they are not afraid to let  their spouses suddenly read their emails and text messages, for they have absolutely nothing to hide, and transparency characterizes all that they do, this is according to the word. Let’s read:

Ephesians 5:1   Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 

  5:2   And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 

  5:3   But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.

 Proverbs  5:18   Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 

  5:19   [Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; …. “and be thou ravished always with her love. 

  5:20   And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 

  5:21   For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 

And children and young adults are not exempt from the standards of true conversion, for the principle applies to everyone who desires a complete transformation by Christ. A thoroughly converted teenager or young adult does not watch any questionable or sexually explicit television shows when their parents are not around, and they do not  switch to 3ABN, when they hear the sound of keys and footsteps at the front door. This according to the scriptures. Let’s read:

Philippians 4:8   Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

A converted Christian does not hold grudges against anyone for injustices done at the work place, where just dues were not remitted in a timely manner, nor do they become angry and upset when a younger subordinate is promoted to a higher position of honor or authority over themselves, even though the promoted one lacks the experience, skill, and know-how to advise them on how to do the job. This again is according to the scriptures. Let’s read:

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

 Philippians   2:3   [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

  2:4   Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

  2:5   Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

  2:6   Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

  2:7   But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

  2:8   And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Again, a converted person does not seek a certain position on the church board by snitching on others in the same position, nor by criticizing the work that others are doing, with the intent of being promoted to a position of honor and authority, but instead they rejoice greatly when others are chosen instead of themselves, and offer their support in tangible ways, even though they know that they can do a much better job. This again is according to the scriptures. Let’s read:

Luke 22:24   And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 

  22:25   And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 

  22:26   But ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 

A thoroughly converted person does not withhold their financial support from the church when they do not agree with some of the church’s actions or policies, or the direction in which it is going, neither are they offended when their ideas and suggestions are not adopted and implemented, but instead signally rejected. A thoroughly converted Christian will still continue to return a faithful tithe and offering to the church as God’s appointed agency, even though the funds may be misspent, wasted, or even stolen, for their commitment is to God and not to man.  This again is according to the scriptures. Let’s read:

Matthew 17:24   And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute [money] came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 

  17:25   He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 

  17:26   Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 

  17:27   Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. 

Matthew 21:12   And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 

  21:13   And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Question: Why would Christ pay tribute money to a den of thieves? And why should we?

Answer: Only if we are converted. And so, we believe that if we now asked for a show of hands of those who think they are converted, it’s possible that not one hand will be raised, yet we are all baptized into Christ with the hope of eternal life springing up in our hearts.

Even yours truly, if you were to ask me if I am converted I’ll say no, and yet like Peter and the other disciples, and all of us sitting here today and listening online, God has commanded everyone of us to preach the gospel. And because of this we will make one request on behalf of all of us, that we do not discourage one another in the process of conversion, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way.

We said this by The Spirit of The Lord in order to say this, that there are younger members of the Lord’s family, who like ourselves are baptized, but not yet converted, and in the spirit of love and kindness, God commands us to love, and to be patient with those who are still undergoing the process of being converted. And He has also instructed us to be kindly affectioned one to another, not focusing our energies and attentions on the short-comings, failings or inconsistencies of each other, but rather looking for the good in others, knowing that God will one day bring us to perfection and spiritual maturity in Christ Jesus.

A baptized person does not soar at once to spiritual heights, for the work of sanctification is the work of a lifetime, and often when we slip and fall in the process, it’s just the means whereby we become stronger in our determination to keep climbing Jacob’s ladder. A jet liner does not reach cruising speed or altitude without going through different stages or processes in order to get to the point where flying becomes effortless.

 It first has to gas up, where the right type of fuel will give it the needed energy to fly. Then it has to taxi down the runway, where the most amount of effort and energy are needed to get it off the ground, and then gradually as it gains altitude, it becomes easier and easier for it to fly, until it finally reaches cruising altitude where flying eventually becomes effortless. But one thing is very important throughout the entire process, and necessary at every stage, the jetliner must be in constant contact with the control tower, which in the case of a Christian is Jesus Christ, and when we consistently keep our focus on Him He will enable us to soar.

There are some who may be flying at cruising altitude already, and because flying has now become effortless, they may be tempted to look down with disgust upon those who may be just fueling up, or those who might be taxiing down the runway. Whatever the stage of our spiritual growth and development, one thing is certain, that God is able to make us fly, for He has promised that we will one day mount up with wings like an eagle, if we continue to abide in Him.

 We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that we help each other to soar to cruising altitude, for God will strengthen and uphold every baptized, and believing child of His. Let’s read:

Isaiah 40:29   He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. 

  40:31   But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. 

May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!