Month: February 2020

In the third month after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai. God had told Moses that after delivering the Israelite’s, He would bring him back to the place of his first encounter with Him at the burning bush, and that he would serve Him on Mount Sinai.

It is seen here that the arrival of the children of Israel to mount Sinai inaugurated the last stage of the process of forging a national identity and spiritual destiny.

For as much as God was forging a national identity of The descendants of Abraham, haven’t promised He would make him a great nation, God had also turned to the gentiles to take a Bride for his name as the spiritual seed of Abraham they rejected him when he became manifested in flesh.

( Exodus 12:3) And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

In (Exodus 19:5-6) God said to Moses, if the people would agree to the terms, they would become a special treasure to God above all people. Apostle Peter reiterated in (1 Peter 2:9) But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Again The ten commandments literally, The ten rules in Hebrews; were meant to be the basis of their life under God going forward

(Exodus 20: 2-17) God gave the 10 commandments to Moses. This is the Law in a codified form.

Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you

You shall not murder

You shall not commit adultery

You shall not steal

You shall not bear false witness against their neighbor

You shall not covet your neighbor house; you shall not covet your neighbor wife nor his male servant, nor his female servant nor his ox nor his donkey nor anything that is your neighbors.

These were all pre- figurative of the Lord Jesus Christ who was to be the last Adam to deal with the sin nature.

In (Romans 5:12-17) Apostle Paul indicated; Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Apostle John also mentioned sin is the transgression of the Law. (1 John 3:4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

In effect Adam and Eve broke most of the Ten commandments in the first sin against God’s command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil

God bless you for reading!

ECCLESIASTES 12:1-7

• Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
• While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
• In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
• And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
• Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
• Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
• Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

AMEN.

(II Corinthians 3:17): “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Let us consider the nature of our fall in Adam.
Our first parents did enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit; for they were created in the image and likeness of God, which was no other than his Spirit. By that he communicates himself to his creatures, and by that alone they can bear any likeness to him. It is, indeed, his life in them; and so properly divine, that, angels and regenerate men are called his children.
But when man would not be guided by the Holy Spirit, by choosing the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it left him Then he found himself forsaken of God, and left to the poverty, weakness, and misery of his own proper nature
Adam now find himself naked; nothing less than God was departed from him. Till then he had experienced nothing but the goodness and sweetness of God; a heavenly life spread itself through his whole frame, as if he were not made of dust; his mind was filled with angelic wisdom; a direction from above took him by the hand; he walked and thought uprightly, and seemed not to be a child or novice in divine things. But now he had other things to experience; something in his soul that he did not find, nor need to fear, while he was carried on straight forward by divine grace; something in his body that he could not see nor complain of; while that body was covered with glory. He feels there is a self-displeasure, turbulence, and confusion; such as is common to other spirits who have lost God: He sees here causes of present shame and a future dissolution; and a strong engagement to that crawling life which is common to animals that never enjoyed the divine nature.
The general character of man’s present state is death…. a death from God., whereby we no longer enjoy any intercourse with him, or happiness in him; we no longer shine with his glory, or act with his powers. It is true, while we have a being,(Acts 17:28) “in him we must live, and move, and have our being;” but this we do now, not in a filial way, but only in a servile one, It is one thing to receive from God an ability to walk and speak, eat and digest,…. to be supported by his hand as a part of this earthly creation, and upon the same terms with it, for farther trial or vengeance; and another, to receive from him a life which is his own likeness,….. to have within us something which is not of this creation, and which is nourished by his own immediate word and power.
Man has fallen under the tutorage of the evil one. The state he was at first placed in, was a state of the most simple subjection to God, and this entitled him to drink of his Spirit; but when he, not content to be actually in Paradise, under as full a light of God’s countenance as he was capable of; must know good and evil, and be satisfied upon rational grounds whether it was best for him to be as he was, or not; when directed as a child, he must weigh every thing himself; and seek better evidence than the voice of his Maker and the seal of the Spirit in his heart; then he not only obeyed, but became like to, that eldest son of pride, and was unhappily entitled to frequent visits, or rather a continued influence, from him. As life was keeping his command, and, accordingly, that Spirit, which alone could form it unto true life, dwelt in his body; so, being sentenced to death for his transgression, he was now delivered unto “him who has the power of death, that, is, the devil,” whose hostile and unkindly impressions promote death and sin at once. This being the state of man, if God should send him a Redeemer, what must that Redeemer do for him?
Our Redeemer must be one that “baptized with the Holy Ghost,”…. the Fountain and Restorer of that to mankind, whereby they are restored to their first estate, and the enjoyment of God?
Indeed “the Lord is that Spirit.”
Shalom!

 

 

 

 

A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall heed my ordinances and do them.(Ezekiel 36: 26-27)
For we have all become like one who is unclean and all our righteousness is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God’s favor, hurrying us toward destruction]. Our own righteousness is like a filthy rag.(Isaiah 64:6)
There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.( Proverb 14:12)
When we accept the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, repent and surrender our lives unto God, we need to totally surrender our biggest obstacle SELF unto God. In so doing we reflect God’s own righteousness.
But is it always the case? A lot tend to hold on to their dead works
Dead works are works of self-righteousness and they are appropriately called “dead” works because they lead to death.
Apostle Paul refers to “dead works”. In Hebrews 6:1 he writes about “repentance from dead works”, while in Hebrews 9:14 he declares that the blood of Christ avails to “purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God”.
Dead works is not the same as wicked works but to dead works. These “dead works” are the so-called “good works” (whether moral or ceremonial) which men do to make themselves acceptable to God. They are “dead” because they are not the product of regeneration or spiritual life, but the mere attempt on the part of unregenerate sinners to justify themselves before God. In other words, following the traditions of men.
Apostle Paul himself, once zealously religious, but wholly unsaved, had to repudiate his “dead works” and count them “loss” to find salvation in Christ, through whom alone he could produce good works which God could accept. (Philippians 3:4-9).
This is why he later declared by divine inspiration: “For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…” (Eph.2:8-10).
“Dead works” are not only unacceptable to God, but an evil substitute for the faith He desires, “for without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.11:6). But “he that believeth on the Son of God hath life” and this life is bound to bear fruit— the good works with which God is truly pleased.
The difference between the “good works” of the unregenerate man and the “good works” of a true believer, then, is that the former are “dead works” while the latter are the precious fruit of life possessed. Amen!
No man can please God while he denies the truth of His Word or rejects His Son, so graciously given to die on the cross as our Savior. To try to win His favor by “good works” while rejecting Christ is like sending a gift to a man whose beloved son you spurn and despise.
“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hands. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:35- 36).
God bless you for reading.

(2 CORINTHIANS 3:17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Jesus never changed.
(HEBREWS 13:8) Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever
Thus, He always had the fulness of the Holy Spirit in Him.
(JOHN 3:34) For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
(COLOSSIANS 2:9) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
(COLOSSIANS 1:19) For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
(JOHN 3:35) The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
The Father is the supernatural Spirit of God, because God is a Spirit (John 4 :24)
In order to be seen in heaven, God had to create a Spirit-body for Himself. God also has human attributes, because man was made in the image of God.
So, the supernatural God wanted to live in a human Body as man was his highest form of creation. But the only human being that God could live in and express himself through, was the humanity of the Man Jesus.
(I PETER 1:10) Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
Each prophet had a portion of God’s Spirit which enabled him to express some aspect of Christ’s ministry. Moses, David, and Joseph had lives which pre-viewed Jesus’ birth, his anointing as King and His death, etc.
So, in the Old Testament, God could live out part of his Life through each of the prophets.
Ezekiel saw a vision of God Who had created a Spirit Body for Himself so that He could be seen by the angels in Heaven. This body looked just like a man.
(EZEKIEL 1:26) And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
The Invisible Spirit of God the Father was trying to express his humanity by dwelling in this human-like Spirit Body called a Theophany (which we describe as the Son of God), that was visible to spiritual beings like angels in heaven.
The Son is the body that the invisible supernatural Father dwells in.
In the Old Testament God was mostly an Invisible Spirit called Jehovah. But hidden away in that Spirit were our human characteristics, especially the humanity of Jesus.
Then in the New Testament, the invisible God was veiled in the Man Jesus. God veiled inside a Man.
Now God allocates a certain measure of his Spirit to each born again Christian. That way God is building up a spiritual church over 2000 years of history whereby he dwells in everyone to make him or her a lively stone in is church. That way God has lived in Christians and displayed his power to overcome all the different problems and situations that the Devil has thrown against the Christians over the seven church ages.
This is God living out His characteristics in the lives of his people.

God bless!

Saint Peter in (Acts 2:38) indicated “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
We see here that St Peter was advocating that every believer to receive the Holy Spirit for salvation and personal sanctification.
However, the main reason the Holy Spirit is given; is to pass from death unto life. For as the bible says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)
The operation of the Holy Spirit is also to keep our bodies pure and undefiled. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). In so doing we reap the health benefits which flows from patience and the serene joy of devotion.
The Holy Spirit has enabled men to speak in tongues and to prophesy. But it is necessary as we walk in the light to be able to discern the fallacies of flesh and blood. It also enables us to reject unreligious beliefs of the world and to practice trust in God and above all to love all men every where.
The object which this light brings us most is immediately to know our selves and by the virtue of this as one born of God and has a lively hope and see far into the ways of spiritual care and farther yet the holy scriptures for the scriptures excepting some accidental and less necessary parts are only history of the new man which he himself is and a spiritual care is only a wise disposal of the events for the awakening of particular persons and ripening the world in general for the coming of Christ
( John 16:13) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
True notion of the Spirit is that; it is some portion of as well as preparation for a life in God which we are to enjoy hereafter. The gift of the Holy Spirit looks for the resurrection for a life of God completed in us.
Everything in Christianity is anticipation of something that is to be at the end of the world.
If the Apostles were to preach by their Master’s command, “that the kingdom of God is at hand” the meaning was that from henceforth all men should fix their eyes on that happy time, foretold by the Prophets, when the Messiah should come and that by renouncing their worldly conversation, and submitting to the gospel they should fit themselves for, and hasten, that blessing.
“Now are we the sons of God,” as St. John tells us; “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” ( 1John 3:2) and yet what he imparts to us at present will hardly justify that title, without taking in that fulness of his image which shall then be displayed in us, when we shall be “the children of God, by being the children of the resurrection.”
Shalom and God bless

• 

Water Baptism is one of the three ordinances which the Jesus Christ left with the church.

1. Water Baptism

2. Feet Washing

3. Lord’s Supper

All these must be observed and done very well.

(Acts 2:38-39) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Baptism is from the Greek word “baptizo” meaning to immerse in water. When you are immersed in water you are buried with him with your old nature and when you come out of the water you come out with newness of life.

( Romans 6:4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Baptism does not save one. However it is an act of faith by saying you have surrendered your life unto Lord Christ and would like to follow him the rest of your life. It is only by baptism that we take on the name of the Jesus Christ. A bride must take on the name of her husband.

( 1 Peter 3:21) The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

The name in which one is baptized is very important. The name must be the Lord Jesus Christ. Father , Son Holy Ghost are titles and not names. The disciples had the revelation of the name of God and used the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism.

( YHWH) JEHOVAH OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

It says in the book of Colossians that we must always do all things in the name of the lord (Colossians 3:17) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Some might even argue and say the Lord himself while here on earth gave the commandment to baptize in the name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost as in (Mathew 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.

It is the same Lord who said in( John 16:12-13) I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Apostle Paul who was not one of the initial twelve apostles the Lord Jesus Chose also baptized all his converts in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

ACTS 8:16, ACTS 18:8 , ACTS 19:3-6 , ACTS 10:48, Are other scriptures where the name of the Lord was applied in baptism by the early apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless for reading. Shalom!

(Ezekiel 8:10)

“So, I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.”

(Revelation 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.”

The Roman Empire Re-Considered.

No matter what form future empires may take, the bible gives us the critical insight that the flawed model of empire that has come down through history has only a finite period time left to stand

 (Daniel 2: 36-45) This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.   And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.   And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.  And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.   And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.   And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Human attempts at political and religious unity have not brought world peace. When Christ comes to earth for the second time He will therefore topple the empires and powers of this world and set up the eternal Kingdom of God on earth

( Revelation 14:8) ( Revelation 11:15) This global kingdom and its government will be nothing like that which has come before; it will be free of all violence, corruption and greed.

In contrast to the deeply flawed and distinctly human secular and religious rulers who have exercise power and dominion over the earth’s people and empires,

 ( Isaiah 9:6-7) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

 A taste of just how different the prophesied Kingdom of God and its king, will be.

The takeaway for us seems to be that while Rome established the standard for world ruling empires and emperors for the past two thousand years it is apparent it cannot form the basis of government that will ultimately prevail on earth. And given the former empire’s track record, that can only be viewed as a good thing.

 Mystery Babylon, is it a force to reckon with?

Shalom!