If you would like to meet and worship with a warm, friendly, and loving group of people we invite you to attend our church.
If you would like to meet and worship with a warm, friendly, and loving group of people we invite you to attend our church.
December Services 2023
2nd --- Service at 11:00am
9th --- Service at 11:00am
16th --- Service at 11:00am
30th --- Service at 11:00am
INSPIRATIONAL
2 Timothy 3:1-17
(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
(2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
(3) Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
(4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
(5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
(6) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
(7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(8) Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
(9) But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
(10) But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
(11) Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
(12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
(13) But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
(14) But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
(15) And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
(17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
If you were in a movie theater and a man burst through the doors and began shouting “Fire! Fire!” what would you do?
It is easy to find the history of mans holidays and to see they all have pagan origins.
In the distant past on a endless velvet canvas of blackness a Great Being began to create a masterpiece.
The world today is caught up in a sea of mystery religion with no thought of common sense when it comes to the Bible and the truths that it reveals.
The following gives a little insight into the origin of the Bible and also a doctrine that people have been afraid to question for fear of losing their eternal life.
When you feel helpless and you don’t know what to do, or you are just having a bad day remember you are part of a great work and you have a wonderful future ahead of you.
How can a whole nation lose their identity?
After four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, enslaved after the death of Joseph, the Eternal heard the cry of the Israelite's and set into motion events that would free His chosen people from bondage.
If you were in a movie theater and a man burst through the doors and began shouting “Fire! Fire!” what would you do?
In a split second or two you would evaluate the situation.
1. Is this person believable?
2. Do you see fire?
3. Do you see or smell smoke?
4. How are the other people reacting to the situation? Which is probably the worst thing you could do.
You would not question the belief that person exists. You would only question weather to believe what he is saying.
The same it is with Jesus Christ. Millions believe in Christ, that he was or is real, but do not believe Christ, and act on what he said.
If you truly believed that individual in the theater shouting, “Fire! Fire!” you would as quickly as possible exit that building. You would act upon what he said.
Main text verse.
Mark 16:15-16
(15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
(16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Point One- The majority are not always right.
All who profess Christianity in the world today are truly a minority compared to all the Muslims, Confucianists, Animists, Taoists, Shintoist and all the many religions of the world.
So the saying, “The majority is always right.” is false.
Just because Catholicism and Protestantism are the largest Christian professing religions do not make them right.
Was the majority right in Palestine in 31 AD when they cried, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”? Or was that small handful of believers that hid for fear of their lives right?
Luke 12:32
(32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Matthew 7:13-14
(13) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
(14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Point Two- The salvation process.
If there is no God it makes no difference what we do, “eat drink and be marry for tomorrow we die”, but there is a God and we are here for a reason.
1. All have sinned.
Romans 3:10
(10) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23
(23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23
(23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All of the Protestant Churches teach these scriptures, but where we part ways is on the definition of sin and the way to be reconciled back to God.
2. The definition of sin.
1 John 3:4
(4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
3. To be reconciled.
Our sin separates us from God and only through Christ can we be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18
(18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2 Corinthians 5:19
(19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Hebrews 2:16-17
(16) For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
(17) Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
***To be reconciled back to God is what we call salvation. No one can earn salvation, it is a free gift.
Ephesians 2:8-9
(8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
(9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
***Works do not save us but we are expected to do good works.
Ephesians 2:10
(10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
***The gift is free but we must do something to obtain it and keep it.
4. Repentance.
John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus Christ came preaching a doctrine of repentance.
Matthew 3:1-2
(1) In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
(2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus himself preached this same doctrine.
Matthew 4:17
(17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The Apostles taught this same doctrine.
Acts 3:19
(19) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
***To repent is to recognize that we have sinned (1 John 3:4), to be deeply remorseful for our sin, and to turn from and forsake our sin.
5. Believe on Jesus Christ.
John 3:16-18
(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.
(17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Point Three- Belief is action.
***True belief is acting on what you believe. True belief is having faith in. The words belief and faith are synonymous.
James 2:14-26
(14) What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
(15) If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
(16) And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
(17) Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
(18) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
(19) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
(20) But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
(21) Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
(22) Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
(23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
(24) Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
(25) Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
(26) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
1 John 2:1-6
(1) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
(2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
(3) And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
(4) He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
(5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
(6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1 John 3:16-24
(16) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
(17) But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
(18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
(19) And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
(20) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
(21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
(22) And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
(23) And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
(24) And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1 John 5:1-5
(1) Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
(2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
(3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
(5) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Point Four- No matter what main stream Christianity teaches, Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament who wrote the Ten Commandments with his own finger.
Exodus 20:1-17
(1) And God spake all these words, saying,
(2) I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
(3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
(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:
(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;
(6) And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
(7) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
(Lev. 23 The Lords Sabbaths.)
(9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
(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:
(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.
(12) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
(13) Thou shalt not kill.
(14) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Matthew 5:27-28
(27) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
(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.
(15) Thou shalt not steal.
(16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
(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.
Romans 2:13
(13) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
James 1:22-25
(22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
(23) For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
(24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
(25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Point Five- Blessings for belief and obedience. (Deu. 28:1-14)
Mark 10:17-30
(17) And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
(18) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
(19) Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
(20) And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
(21) Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
(22) And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
(23) And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
(24) And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
(25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(26) And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
(27) And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
(28) Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
(29) And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
(30) But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Revelation 22:12-14
(12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
(13) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
(14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Point Six- Punishment for disbelief and disobedience. (Deu. 28:15-68)
Ephesians 5:5-6
(5) For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
(6) Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Revelation 21:7-8
(7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
(8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Conclusion- Do you believe on Christ?
It is not enough to only believe in Christ, for the demons believe and tremble (Jas. 2:19). We must believe on Christ and obey and do what he said.
God bless,
Aar
We just returned from the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day celebration in Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
Eight days of wholesome fun, rest and relaxation but most of all spiritual rejuvenation with inspired sermons every day.
We in God’s Church keep the seven annual holy days taught in the Bible and not the holidays of man.
It is easy to find the history of mans holidays and to see they all have pagan origins.
They were inserted into Christianity, and over the centuries just accepted as being Christian.
The Bible tells us,
Jeremiah 10:2 KJV
(2) Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Concerning God’s holy days the Bible says,
Leviticus 23:1-4 KJV
(1) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
(2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
(3) Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
(4) These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
The LORD continues to elaborate on His seven annual festivals.
1. The Passover.
2. The Days of Unleavened Bread.
3. Pentecost.
4. Trumpets.
5. Atonement.
6. The Feast of Tabernacles.
7. The Last Great Day.
All of these annual Sabbaths point to the very plan of God for mankind and should not be ignored or replaced because just like the Ten Commandments they are commanded and not suggested.
Exodus 31:13 KJV
(13) Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Some would argue, who do not know the modern identity of the tribes of Israel, that this was just for Israelonly, but the Bible says this,
Galatians 3:29 KJV
(29) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day or Last Great Day have tremendous meaning.
Leviticus 23:33-36 KJV
(33) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
(34) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
(35) On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
(36) Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
A tabernacle is a temporary dwelling place. We living in this physical body are temporary.
James 4:14 KJV
(14) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
But we have the promise of a permanent dwelling, an eternal spirit body.
2 Corinthians 5:1-2 KJV
(1) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
(2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
1 John 3:2 KJV
(2) 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.
This will take place at the last Trump and the return of Jesus Christ.
After the Tribulation, Heavenly Signs, and the day of the Lord the last trump will sound and Christ will return to this earth, and he will have to fight sinning rebellious mankind and conquer them.
Zechariah 14:1-11 KJV
(1) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
(2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
(3) Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
(4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
(5) And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
(6) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
(7) But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
(8) And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
(9) And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
And we who have lived an overcoming life and have endured to the end will reign with Christ.
Revelation 20:6 KJV
(6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
This will begin the millennial reign of Christ and a great fall harvest when a great number of mankind will have a opportunity for salvation in a world that is ruled by Jesus Christ.
Zechariah 14:16-19 KJV
(16) And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
(17) And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalemto worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
(18) And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
(19) This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Isaiah gives us a description of what that Kingdom will be like.
Isaiah 35:1-10 KJV
(1) The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
(2) It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanonshall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmeland Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
(3) Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
(4) Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
(5) Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
(6) Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
(7) And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons (jackals), where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
(8) And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
(9) No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
(10) And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
But what about the rest of the dead?
We have accounted for those in Christ, and those who are left alive after the second coming of Christ. What about all of those millions who lived and died never being called and most of them never even hearing the name of Jesus Christ.
The Eighth Day or Last Great Day represents the 2nd resurrection when countless billions from the time of Adam who have never had an opportunity for salvation will be given that chance in Gods perfect Kingdom.
Revelation 20:5a KJV
(5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
They will be resurrected back as flesh and blood and taught the way of God and given a opportunity to choose salvation. (Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones)
Isaiah 65:17-25 KJV
(17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
(18) But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalema rejoicing, and her people a joy.
(19) And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
(20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
(21) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
(22) They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
(23) They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
(24) And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
(25) The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
And after this last opportunity for all of mankind to receive salvation, all flesh and blood human beings will be judged.
Revelation 20:11-13 KJV
(11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
All of those who accept Gods way will be given eternal life and become part of Gods family.
Those who were called and given their chance in this life, and those who where given their chance in the second resurrection who reject Gods way will suffer the fate of the second death.
Revelation 20:14-15 KJV
(14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
They will be cast into the true lake of fire and burned up.
2 Peter 3:10-12 KJV
(10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
(12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Malachi 4:1-3 KJV
(1) For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
(2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
(3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Fire purifies, and that lake of fire will purify this earth for this next great event.
Revelation 21:1-11 KJV
(1) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
(2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(3) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
(4) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
(5) And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
(6) And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
(7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
(8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
(9) And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
(10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
(11) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation 21:22-27 KJV
(22) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
(23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
(24) And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
(25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
(26) And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
(27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 22:1-17 KJV
(1) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
(2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
(4) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
(5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
(6) And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
(7) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
(8) And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
(9) Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
(10) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
(11) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
(12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
(13) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
(14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
(15) For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
(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.
(17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
The Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day are impugned and ridiculed by some of those who teach a false Christianity, but those who know the real Jesus Christ know the true importance of this wonderful fall festival.
God bless,
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We just returned from the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day celebration in Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
Eight days of wholesome fun, rest and relaxation but most of all spiritual rejuvenation with inspired sermons every day.
We in God’s Church keep the seven annual holy days taught in the Bible and not the holidays of man.
It is easy to find the history of mans holidays and to see they all have pagan origins.
They were inserted into Christianity, and over the centuries just accepted as being Christian.
The Bible tells us,
Jeremiah 10:2 KJV
(2) Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Concerning God’s holy days the Bible says,
Leviticus 23:1-4 KJV
(1) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
(2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
(3) Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
(4) These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
The LORD continues to elaborate on His seven annual festivals.
1. The Passover.
2. The Days of Unleavened Bread.
3. Pentecost.
4. Trumpets.
5. Atonement.
6. The Feast of Tabernacles.
7. The Last Great Day.
All of these annual Sabbaths point to the very plan of God for mankind and should not be ignored or replaced because just like the Ten Commandments they are commanded and not suggested.
Exodus 31:13 KJV
(13) Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Some would argue, who do not know the modern identity of the tribes of Israel, that this was just for Israelonly, but the Bible says this,
Galatians 3:29 KJV
(29) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day or Last Great Day have tremendous meaning.
Leviticus 23:33-36 KJV
(33) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
(34) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
(35) On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
(36) Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
A tabernacle is a temporary dwelling place. We living in this physical body are temporary.
James 4:14 KJV
(14) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
But we have the promise of a permanent dwelling, an eternal spirit body.
2 Corinthians 5:1-2 KJV
(1) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
(2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
1 John 3:2 KJV
(2) 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.
This will take place at the last Trump and the return of Jesus Christ.
After the Tribulation, Heavenly Signs, and the day of the Lord the last trump will sound and Christ will return to this earth, and he will have to fight sinning rebellious mankind and conquer them.
Zechariah 14:1-11 KJV
(1) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
(2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
(3) Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
(4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
(5) And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
(6) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
(7) But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
(8) And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
(9) And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
And we who have lived an overcoming life and have endured to the end will reign with Christ.
Revelation 20:6 KJV
(6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
This will begin the millennial reign of Christ and a great fall harvest when a great number of mankind will have a opportunity for salvation in a world that is ruled by Jesus Christ.
Zechariah 14:16-19 KJV
(16) And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
(17) And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalemto worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
(18) And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
(19) This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Isaiah gives us a description of what that Kingdom will be like.
Isaiah 35:1-10 KJV
(1) The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
(2) It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanonshall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmeland Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
(3) Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
(4) Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
(5) Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
(6) Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
(7) And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons (jackals), where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
(8) And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
(9) No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
(10) And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
But what about the rest of the dead?
We have accounted for those in Christ, and those who are left alive after the second coming of Christ. What about all of those millions who lived and died never being called and most of them never even hearing the name of Jesus Christ.
The Eighth Day or Last Great Day represents the 2nd resurrection when countless billions from the time of Adam who have never had an opportunity for salvation will be given that chance in Gods perfect Kingdom.
Revelation 20:5a KJV
(5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
They will be resurrected back as flesh and blood and taught the way of God and given a opportunity to choose salvation. (Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones)
Isaiah 65:17-25 KJV
(17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
(18) But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalema rejoicing, and her people a joy.
(19) And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
(20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
(21) And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
(22) They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
(23) They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
(24) And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
(25) The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
And after this last opportunity for all of mankind to receive salvation, all flesh and blood human beings will be judged.
Revelation 20:11-13 KJV
(11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
All of those who accept Gods way will be given eternal life and become part of Gods family.
Those who were called and given their chance in this life, and those who where given their chance in the second resurrection who reject Gods way will suffer the fate of the second death.
Revelation 20:14-15 KJV
(14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
They will be cast into the true lake of fire and burned up.
2 Peter 3:10-12 KJV
(10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
(12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Malachi 4:1-3 KJV
(1) For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
(2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
(3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Fire purifies, and that lake of fire will purify this earth for this next great event.
Revelation 21:1-11 KJV
(1) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
(2) And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(3) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
(4) And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
(5) And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
(6) And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
(7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
(8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
(9) And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
(10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
(11) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation 21:22-27 KJV
(22) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
(23) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
(24) And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
(25) And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
(26) And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
(27) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Revelation 22:1-17 KJV
(1) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
(2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
(4) And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
(5) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
(6) And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
(7) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
(8) And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
(9) Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
(10) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
(11) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
(12) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
(13) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
(14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
(15) For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
(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.
(17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
The Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day are impugned and ridiculed by some of those who teach a false Christianity, but those who know the real Jesus Christ know the true importance of this wonderful fall festival.
God bless,
Aaron
In the distant past on a endless velvet canvas of blackness a Great Being began to create a masterpiece.
This being known to the Saints of old as JEHOVAH the God in covenant relation with the children of Israel, the one who became the one we know as Jesus Christ began something so awesome that the human carnal mind of man cannot comprehend.
It was so owmeness that it would take a great miracle in itself for the human mind to even come close to understand.
Let us look at this day of Pentecost and examine the miracle and the different stages of life.
Opening Verse
John 1:1-5 KJV
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) The same was in the beginning with God.
(3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
(5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
In Him was life!
Point 1- The first stage in this great plan was the creation of physical life.
Genesis 1:1-31 KJV
(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(2) And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
(3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
(4) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
(5) And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
(6) And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
(7) And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
(8) And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
(9) And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
(10) And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
(11) And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
(12) And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
(13) And the evening and the morning were the third day.
(14) And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
(15) And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
(16) And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
(17) And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
(18) And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
(19) And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
(20) And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
(21) And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
(22) And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
(23) And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
(24) And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
(25) And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
(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.
(29) And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
(30) And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
(31) And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God created life. Life is a miracle.
The second chapter goes into more detail about the creation of man.
Genesis 2:7 KJV
(7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. nephesh From H5314; a breathing creature
Genesis 2:18-24 KJV
(18) And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
(19) And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
(20) And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
(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;
(22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
(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.
(24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Not only did God create life but in his genius he created life able to reproduce life itself.
Genesis 4:1-2 KJV
(1) And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
(2) And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
This wonderful plan of God did not stop there.
God wanted mankind to attain much more than what we could achieve in the physical.
Point 2- To the "Mother church", the Roman Catholic church and her protesting daughters, God is a mystery.
Revelation 17:1-5 KJV
(1) And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
(2) With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
(3) So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
(4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
(5) And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Not only to the worlds churches but also to most of the people in the world God is a mystery and they are blind to what He is doing here on the earth today.
Jesus Christ admittedly kept that truth from the people.
Matthew 13:10-17 KJV
(10) And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
(11) He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
(12) For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
(13) Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
(14) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
(15) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
(16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
(17) For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Why did Jesus keep the truth from them?
What is the wages of sin?
Romans 6:23
(23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revelation 20:15
(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Malachi 4:1-3
(1) For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
(2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
(3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
This truth is anathema to modern day Christianity who teach Christ came to convert everyone he could now.
So the question is why would Christ keep this knowledge from the majority?
Jesus kept the truth from the multitude then for the same reason He is keeping that truth from them today.
So that He can have mercy on them.
John 3:16
(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.
2 Peter 3:9
(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.
Romans 11:30-33
(30) For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
(31) Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
(32) For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
(33) O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
In His love for us God set forth a wonderful plan of salvation in which all of mankind will have a fair opportunity for salvation.
Point 3- Spiritual Conception.
The Disciples of Christ like all unconverted carnal human beings just did not get what Jesus was saying at times.
Even after Jesus told them at the last supper He would be betrayed and suffer a cruel death notice what they were concerned about,
Luke 22:24 KJV
(24) And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
But something happened to all the believers in 31 AD on the day of Pentecost.
What does Pentecost mean?
1. Pentecost is a Greek word that simply means fiftieth.
2. The Hebrew for this feast is Feast of Sabbaths and Feast of Firstfruits because they were to count seven Sabbaths from the weekly Sabbath during the Passover and days of Unleavened Bread a total of fifty days to arrive at Pentecost which always falls on Sunday to celebrate and give thanks to God for the first fruits of the harvest for that year.
A strange ritual.
Leviticus 23:10-12 KJV
(10) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
(11) And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
(12) And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
This happened fifty days before the Feast of Pentecost.
Just what was this strange ritual all about?
Jesus Christ died on the stake on Wednesday.
He was in the grave for three days and nights and rose from the dead late Saturday afternoon.
Now notice what happened Sunday morning the day that the Priest would take the first of the first fruit of the grain and wave it before the Lord to be accepted.
John 20:1-19 KJV
(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.
(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.
(3) Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
(4) So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
(5) And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
(6) Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
(7) And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
(8) Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
(9) For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
(10) Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
(11) But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
(12) And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
(13) And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
(14) And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
(15) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
(16) Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
(17) Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
(18) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
(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) And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
(21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
(22) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Jesus Christ was the wave sheaf offering of the first of the first fruits, not of the barley harvest but of the harvest of man kind.
1 Corinthians 15:22-23 KJV
(22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
(23) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Revelation 1:5
(5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Now what happened after the wave sheaf and the acceptance of Christ as a worthy offering.
Luke gives us the account.
Acts 1:1-11 KJV
(1) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
(2) Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
(3) To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
(4) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
(5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
(6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
(7) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
(8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
(9) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
(10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
(11) Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
This is also the birth day of the New Testament Church and the Disciples of Christ were to receive power for a particular purpose?
The Great Commission.
Matthew 28:18-20
(18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
(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:
(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 24:14
(14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
We are the first fruits of Salvation to proclaim the Good News of the coming world ruling government of God on this earth.
That is our calling and we are ambassadors of that government!
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
(18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
(19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
(20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Extra ordinary power is needed to accomplish this commission.
Paul wrote…
Romans 12:1-2
(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.
(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.
2 Timothy 1:7
(7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Jesus Christ promised he would not leave us comfortless.
John 14:15-18
(15) If ye love me, keep my commandments.
(16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
(17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
(18) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Peter and all the Disciples were changed on the day of Pentecost 31 AD.
Acts 2:1-11 KJV
(1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
(2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
(3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
(4) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(5) And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
(6) Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
(7) And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
(8) And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
(9) Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
(10) Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
(11) Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Acts 2:41-47 KJV
(41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
(42) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
(43) And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
(44) And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
(45) And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
(46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
(47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
On this day spiritual begetal and the birth of the Church happened at the same time.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 KJV
(26) A new heart also 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 I will give you an heart of flesh.
(27) And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Point 4 - We have gone from physical birth to spiritual conception. The next step in Gods plan is spiritual birth.
This takes place at the second coming of Christ.
Pentecost also represents those who will be born into the Kingdom of God first.
Jesus Christ was the first of the first fruits, the wave offering to God during the Passover.
Colossians 1:17-18
(17) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
(18) And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
We are the first fruit, the wave offering fifty days later on the day of Pentecost.
Revelation 20:6 KJV
(6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Conclusion.
The Saints of old had no concept of the God family. They only knew JEHOVAH. But Jesus came to reveal the Father and to show that God is a family,
And to give us the wonderful knowledge that this temporary physical life would have the potential to become eternal spiritual life and be a part of the very family of God.
Galatians 3:26-29 KJV
(26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
(27) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
(29) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God wants us to know the true meaning of life, and he has reveled that truth to the true Church of God through his annual Holy Days.
This is the Feast of Pentecost the birthday and the begetal of Gods true church so let us rejoice in the miracle of life and continue the wonderful work of God.
God bless,
Aaron
The world today is caught up in a sea of mystery religion with no thought of common sense when it comes to the Bible and the truths that it reveals.
Protestantism teaches that everyone has an immortal soul and that when you die it will spend eternity ether in Heaven or in an eternal Hell fire burning for ever and ever in agony.
Catholicism teaches that there are different stages of the soul in the afterlife and that with indulgences and prayers for the dead they may one day reach the Beatific Vision, or there version of Heaven.
Radical Islam teaches that giving your life as a martyr in order to kill as many infidels (i.e. non Islamic people) will grant you many sensual pleasures in the afterlife.
ARNOBIUS, a Christian writer of the latter part of the third century wrote "In exactly the same way (as the creation and the gods) is the condition of souls discussed. For this one thinks they are both immortal, and survive the end of our earthly life; that one believes that they do not survive, but perish with the bodies themselves; the opinion of another, however, is that they suffer nothing immediately, but that, after the [form of] man has been laid aside, they are allowed to live a little longer, and then come under the power of death." (Adversus Gentes-Clark's Ante-Ni af cene Christian Library , vol. xix, p. 125.)
The Egyptians constructed elaborate small passages up through the tombs they would be buried in believing their souls needed the passage to one day return to their bodies.
So speculation about the soul is certainly not new.
But what does your Bible really say about the soul?
The first instance in the KJV Bible using the word soul is in Genesis 2:7,
Genesis 2:7 KJV
(7) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The word soul in the Hebrew is Nephesh, and although in Genesis 2:7 it is translated as soul, the first instance in the KJV Nephesh is used is in Genesis 1:20.
Genesis 1:20 KJV
(20) And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
Now you may ask, “where is the word soul in that verse?”, well the word soul is not, but the Hebrew word Nephesh is.
Lets look at the verse again.
Genesis 1:20 KJV
(20) And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life [nephesh], and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
So there it is, the Hebrew word Nephesh translated not only as soul but also as life.
The word Nephesh occurs 754 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.
In the A.V. and R.V. it is translated " soul " 472 times, while in the other 282 places it is represented by forty-four different words or phrases.
Lets look at some other ways nephesh is translated.
As "creature".
Genesis 1:21 KJV
(21) And God created great whales, and every living creature(nephesh) that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Leviticus 11:46 KJV
(46) This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature(nephesh) that moveth in the waters, and of every creature(nephesh) that creepeth upon the earth:
As "thing".
Leviticus 11:10 KJV
(10) And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing(nephesh) which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
Ezekiel 47:9 KJV
(9) And it shall come to pass, that every thing(nephesh) that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
As "beast"
Leviticus 24:18 KJV
(18) And he that killeth a beast(nephesh) shall make it good; beast(nephesh) for beast(nephesh).
As "breath"
Job 41:21 KJV
(21) His breath(nephesh) kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
As "fish"
Isaiah 19:10 KJV
(10) And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices(wages) and ponds for fish(nephesh).
As "any"
Deuteronomy 24:7 KJV
(7) If a man be found stealing any(nephesh) of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.
As "pleasure"
Deuteronomy 23:24 KJV
(24) When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure(nephesh); but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
As "lust"
Psalms 78:18 KJV
(18) And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust(nephesh).
As "appetite"
Proverbs 23:2 KJV
(2) And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite(nephesh).
As "greedy"
Isaiah 56:11 KJV
(11) Yea, they are greedy(nephesh) dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
Notice Strongs definition of this word,
H5315
נפשׁ
nephesh
neh'-fesh
From H5314; properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental): - any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead (-ly), desire, X [dis-] contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortality, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.
So this shows that the translators of the KJV of the Bible translated the Hebrew word nephesh in many different ways.
The English word "soul" is from the Latin solus = alone or sole. (i.e. “There was a sole survivor.)
Every biological function we need to survive is contained within our bodies.
Thus we are sole organisms.
All we need outside of this body is nutrition and air.
These are merely simple technical terms.
We in reality are the greatest creation of God and all other creation serves to sustain our current physical state.
Psychologically we need much more than food and air.
We as human beings also need love and companionship and a reason for being.
Contrary to popular belief that the soul is immortal the Bible states very plainly that the soul can die.
Ezekiel 18:4 KJV
(4) Behold, all souls(nephesh) are mine; as the soul(nephesh) of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Ezekiel 18:20 KJV
(20) The soul(nephesh) that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
Now lets look at the word translated soul in the New Testament.
The Greek word psuche exactly corresponds to the Hebrew word Nepesh.
Psuche is the only word translated "soul" in the N.T. It occurs 105 times, and is rendered "soul" 58 times, "life" 40 times, "mind" 3 times, and "heart", "heartily", "us", and "you" once each.
Here are some of the instances psuche is translated as “soul”.
Matthew 16:26 KJV
(26) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Acts 2:41 KJV
(41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 3:23 KJV
(23) And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Romans 13:1 KJV
(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.
James 5:20 KJV
(20) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 KJV
(8) So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
Psuche Translated as “life”.
Matthew 2:20 KJV
(20) Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life(psuche).
Matthew 6:25 KJV
(25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life(psuche), what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life(psuche) more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Matthew 10:39 KJV
(39) He that findeth his life(psuche) shall lose it: and he that loseth his life(psuche) for my sake shall find it.
Acts 20:24 KJV
(24) But none of these things move me, neither count I my life(psuche) dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Revelation 8:9 KJV
(9) And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life (psuche), died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Psuche translated as “mind”.
Acts 14:2 KJV
(2) But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds(psuche) evil affected against the brethren.
Hebrews 12:3 KJV
(3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds(psuche).
Psuche translated as “us”
John 10:24 KJV
(24) Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us(psuche) to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Psuche translated as “mind”.
Philippians 1:27 KJV
(27) Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit(pneuma), with one mind(psuche) striving together for the faith of the gospel;
So we can see that the word psuche is also translated in many different ways.
The Bible even refers to sea creatures as souls(psuche).
Revelation 8:9 KJV
(9) And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life(psuche), died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
I suppose that most of the philosophical discussions and debates come from a desire to distinguish us as human beings from other life forms on earth.
If they would go to the source of all knowledge, God’s Word, they would see just how special we are.
Genesis 1:26 KJV
(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Psalms 8:3-9 KJV
(3) When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
(4) What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
(5) For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
(6) Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
(7) All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
(8) The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
(9) O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Jeremiah 31:3 KJV
(3) The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
John 3:16 KJV
(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.
Romans 5:7-8 KJV
(7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
(8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 2:4-5 KJV
(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
(5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
1 John 3:1-2 KJV
(1) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
(2) 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.
We are very special to God.
But as in most instances people rely on sources for information apart from the Word of God.
The Bible is the ultimate authority that we base our belief upon, but we must have a basic understanding of the Bible and the translations from the original writings.
2 Timothy 2:15-16 KJV
(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
(16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
In all that we have studied thus far I think it is very safe to say we do not have a soul, we are souls. We are all individual living beings.
But of course we are different from fish, plants and animals.
There is another word in the Bible used to describe something in man and also used to describe beings in the heavenly realm.
This word is defined very close to the word soul and many times the two are confused.
Lets look briefly at the word “spirit”.
Ruach is the Hebrew word in the Old Testament translated spirit.
Pneuma is the Greek word in the New Testament corresponding with the Hebrew ruach in the Old Testament.
Strongs G4151
pneuma
pnyoo'-mah
From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.
Job 32:8 KJV
(8) But there is a spirit(ruach) in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Solomon wrote,
Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 KJV
(19) For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
(20) All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
(21) Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 KJV
(7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Isaiah 42:5 KJV
(5) Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
One way to describe the human spirit is that it is a complete record of who we are, and when we die that record goes to god for safe keeping so that when we are resurrected from the dead our knowledge and memories will be in tact.
But our spirit is not immortal.
1 Timothy 6:13-16 KJV
(13) I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
(14) That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
(15) Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
(16) Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Something very special happens to us at conversion.
God gives us a portion of his Holy Spirit and we are in the fetal stage of development toward being born as a spirit being.
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1 Peter 1:3-4 KJV
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(4) To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Only at the resurrection will the new creature in Christ be born into the family of God and have everlasting life.
1 John 3:1-2 KJV
(1) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
(2) 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.
James 2:26 KJV
(26) For as the body without the spirit(pneuma) is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
So we are mortal human beings with the most precious opportunity through Jesus Christ to become children of God and live forever.
John 3:16 KJV
(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.
God bless,
Aaron
For centuries people have been debating traditional doctrines and even the legitimacy of the Bible itself.
The following gives a little insight into the origin of the Bible and also a doctrine that people have been afraid to question for fear of losing their eternal life.
So join me in a study of the Bible and the Trinity.
Introduction
For centuries the most important doctrine to nominal [3.a:existing or being something in name or form only.] Christianity has been the doctrine of the Trinity.
Both Catholics and Protestants alike teach that you must believed in the Trinity in order to be saved.
But how does the doctrine of the Trinity actually line up with the Bible?
Topic 1. What is the Bible?
2 Timothy 3:16 KJV
(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 1:20-21 KJV
(20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
(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.
The Bible in short is the Word Of God written by man as they were inspired by his Holy Spirit.
Our modern protestant Bible is made up of 66 books with over 40 authors containing the Old and New Testament beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation.
These are translations from the original manuscripts written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, during a time frame of about 1500 B.C. to about 100 A.D.
The writing material used was mainly leather and papyrus.
Because of the passage of time all of the original manuscripts have perished.
Today as a literary foundation for the Bible we have the most ancient copies from the original manuscripts written from the 2nd century to the 4th century.
We also have the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 which predate the ancient copies by about 1,000 years.
With these we have a very good foundation for accuracy.
From all the above we get our modern translations of the Bible.
The silent centuries are a period of time between the Old and New Testaments from about 400 B.C. and 4 B.C.
Called the silent centuries because no divinely inspired prophets are known to have spoken during this time.
Fifteen book were written during this time known as the Apocrypha (hidden or secret).
Although these books are agreed to have literary merit and historical value, and eleven of the books appear in the modern Catholic Bible, they are omitted by modern Protestant Bibles for the following reasons.
1. They were never quoted by Jesus, and it is doubtful if they were ever alluded to by the apostles.
2. Most of the early religious authorities regarded them as uninspired.
3. They did not appear in the Ancient Hebrew canon. [an authoritative list of books accepted as Holy Scripture.]
4. The inferior quality of most of the writings as compared with the canonical books.
We must never forget that we as human beings are fallible, we are subject to make mistakes.
But with careful study, common sense and Gods spirit we can correctly interpret the Bible and understand what God is telling us through his Word.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Topic 2. The Trinity.
Paul speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus said,
Acts 20:28-30 KJV
(28) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
(29) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
(30) Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
He also wrote to Timothy.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 KJV
(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;
(2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
(3) Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV
(3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
(4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
By the 3rd century anti Semitism was rampant in the Roman Empire and those who held the doctrines of the original early church were branded as Jewish converts and as a result the true church was for the most part driven underground.
The church that emerges on the forefront of history scarcely resembles the church that Christ and the Apostles established.
The church that we know of now as the Roman Catholic Church was in its early stages with beliefs and rituals bating back to ancient Babylon.
Revelation 17:3-5 KJV
(3) So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
(4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
(5) And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
In 321 the Roman Emperor Constantine issues an edict forbidding work on “the venerable day of the sun” (Sunday)
In 324 Constantine formally establishes this new “Christian” religion as the official religion of the Empire.
In 325 the Council of Nicea roles that the Passover on the 14th day of the Hebrew month Nisan can no longer be kept -on pain of death-, and that the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox be observed. Later to be called Easter.
Not one of the "ante-Nicene fathers," such as Arnobius, Polycarp, Justyn Martyr or Eusebius used the term "Trinity."
Even though the early Church did not teach The Trinity it became the number one doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that the word "trinity" is nowhere in the Bible, and says that the Greek word from which the Latin "trinitas" is derived "...is first found in Theophilus of Antioch about A.D. 180.(not the person known of Luke 1:3, but a much later individual by the same name)
He speaks of ‘the Trinity of God, His word and His wisdom.’ Ad. Autol. II, 15, P.G., VI, 1078). Ibid. Vol. XV. P. 47).
The Catholic Encyclopedia (Vol. XV, p. 47), reads, "THE DOGMA OF THE TRINITY. --- The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion---the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another."
"This, the Church teaches, is the revelation regarding God’s nature which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came upon earth to deliver to the world: and which she proposes to man as the foundation of her whole dogmatic system."
"In Scripture there is as yet no single term by which the Three Divine Persons are denoted together"
Anyone rejecting this doctrine even today is labeled a heretic or sinner by Catholics and Protestants alike.
The Athanasian Creed.
"Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are unto Three Uncreated, and One Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty. So the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God..." (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 33).
1. Jesus Christ did not say that God was incomprehensible. (impossible to comprehend)
Matthew 11:27 KJV
(27) All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
The Apostle Paul said,
Philippians 3:10 KJV
(10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Hebrews 10:30 KJV
(30) For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
And John wrote,
1 John 2:3 KJV
(3) And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
2. Jesus Christ was an individual speaking to God an individual making not an incomprehensible blob but a family, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son.
John 1:1-2 KJV
(1) In the beginning was the Word [logos], and the Word was with God [theos], and the Word was God.
(2) The same was in the beginning with God.
John 6:38-39 KJV
(38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
(39) And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 14:12 KJV
(12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Jesus prayed to the father.
John 11:41-42 KJV
(41) Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
(42) And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Matthew 26:39 KJV
(39) And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
3. The Holy Spirit is not a third person but the power of God.
The Hebrew word for "spirit" is "ruach".
It is erroneously mistranslated "Holy Ghost" 89 times.
Never does it connote a "third member" of the deity. Primarily, it is used in the sense of "an invisible force," or "power from on high."
Bullinger says, ""Ruach, in whatever sense it is used, always represents that which is invisible, except by its manifestations. These are seen both externally to man, as well as internally within man. As coming from God, it is the invisible origin of life. All apart from this is death.
It is used of God, of the Holy Spirit, of Invisible Divine Power, of the invisible part of man (psychologically), as breath, spirit, mind, courage, anger, blast, the whole person, invisible spirit-beings, angels, cherubim, and even as invisible manifestations of our atmosphere, such as air, wind or winds, whirlwind, windy, tempest, and "sides, " meaning the "four quarters" from whence the winds blow.
The word itself, as can be seen from the wide range of usages, never connotes a "third person" of a "Trinity."
Notice the account of the announcement to Mary by the angel.
Luke 1:30-35 KJV
(30) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
(31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
(32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
(33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
(34) Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
(35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The Holy Spirit is described as “the power of the Highest.”
Jesus is called the Son of God, not the Son of The Holy Spirit.
What about 1 John 5:7?
1 John 5:7 KJV
(7) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Does this indeed prove the doctrine of The Trinity?
This verse appears in NONE of the early manuscripts, but was deliberately inserted.
Bullingers note on this verse reads,
The texts read, “the Spirit, and the water”, omitting all the words from “in heaven” to “in earth” inclusively. The words are not found in any Gr. MS. before the sixteenth century. They were first seen in the margin of some Latin copies. Thence they have crept into the text.
Notice the New American Standard translation.
1 John 5:5-8 NASB
(5) Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
(6) This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
(7) For there are three that testify:
(8) the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
Nowhere is the Holy Spirit referred to as "the blood." The true original verses in I John 5:5-8 do not indicate a trinity, but rather the rite of water baptism, Christ’s shed blood, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
Let us look at the use of the word “He”.
John 16:7-15 KJV
(7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
(8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
(9) Of sin, because they believe not on me;
(10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
(11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
(12) I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
(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.
(14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
(15) All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Many believe that Christ’s use of the word “he” to describe the Holy Spirit is another proof that there is a Trinity.
The Greek word translated "he" in this passage is from "ekeinos." Of this word, the exhaustive concordance says, "that one (or [neut.] thing); often intensified by the art. Prefixed:--he, it, the other (same), selfsame, that (same, very), x their x them, they, this, those."
So the word “he” in this passage could very well be translated “it”, and sense God the Father in Greek is masculine then that power that proceeds out from him, in this case the Holy Spirit, would be referred to as masculine also.
Notice Paul’s wording to the Romans.
Romans 8:15-17 KJV
(15) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
(16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
(17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Why is the Trinity so important to the worlds religions today?
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV
(3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
(4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Satan at this point in time is the god of this world, and he was once part of a trinity.
Michel, Gabriel and Lucifer, the three main angels listed in the Bible.
Lucifer rebelled along with one third of the angels and he became Satan.
Perhaps deceiving humanity into worshiping a trinity feeds into his sick twisted egocentric pride.
In conclusion
Doctrine should never be based on the obscure but on the obvious.
The Doctrine of The Trinity in light of Gods word is unfounded.
The God Head is a family that consist of God The Father and Jesus Christ The Son.
The Holy Spirit is the power that emanates from God The Father.
When we are converted we are new creatures in Christ conceived by Gods Holy Spirit and children of who?
Children of God, not children of The Holy Spirit!
God bless,
Aaron
We are living in uncertain times as our country suffers from economic woes and we live week to week wondering how to make ends meet. Fuel prices high, food prices high and everything in between. Everyone hopes that the economy will pick up and things will become more like it used to be. But we have been in an economic downturn for a number of years now and it seems that we just get accustomed to each new low. For instance, the talk now is that gas is coming down to about $3.10 a gallon and that seems to many a great thing but less than four years ago it was about half that.
Countries in Europe are imploding before our eyes and more talk of a strong leader to take the helm of a United States of Europe. Bloodshed in the Middle East. It goes on and on!
So what are we to do?
Jesus told us there would be troubling times ahead, but he also told us,
John 14:1-3
(1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
(2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:27
(27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
When you feel helpless and you don’t know what to do, or you are just having a bad day remember you are part of a great work and you have a wonderful future ahead of you.
Matthew 28:19-20
(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:
(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.
God bless,
Aaron
The Children of Israel no doubt knew at one time who the true God was by the teaching of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
But after moving to Egypt, because Joseph became ruler just under Pharaoh, and there was sustenance there, they at one point forgot who the Eternal God was.
And after being enslaved by a new generation of leaders, “who new not Joseph”, because of their suffering they began to cry out to a God they had forgotten.
And just like a compassionate father would do the Eternal devised a plan in which to free his children from bondage.
The Children of Israel in bondage in Egypt was a type of sin, because sin is bondage.
Galatians 4:3 KJV
(3) Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
But there is a way to freedom.
John 8:34-36 KJV
(34) Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
(35) And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
(36) If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
After 430 years in Egypt the children of Israel, including Moses, had to be introduced to the Eternal because after generations they had forgotten who He was.
Exodus 3:1-14
(1) Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
(2) And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
(3) And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
(4) And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
(5) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
(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.
(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;
(8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
(10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
(11) And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
(12) 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.
(13) And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
(14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
God delivered them out of bondage and gave them His Commandments and set up the Priesthood and Rituals as a constant reminder to the children of Israel of who He was.
Were is Israel today, and do they still know the Great Eternal God of the Bible?
Point 1- The promise to Abraham.
Genesis 12:1-4
(1) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
(2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
(3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
(4) So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Abraham was special to God because he had the audacity to believe Him.
Hebrews 11:8-10
(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.
(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:
(10) For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Abraham was willing to give up what was most important to him, his only son!
Genesis 22:1-3 KJV
(1) And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
(2) And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
(3) And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
And when his obedience and faith was proven by his willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac the Eternal reaffirmed His promise.
Genesis 22:7-18
(7) And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
(8) And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
(9) And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
(10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
(11) And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
(12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
(13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
(14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
(15) And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
(16) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
(17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
(18) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
This blessing went from Abraham to Isaac and eventually to Jacob whose name was changed to Israel, He went from supplanter to prevailer.
And the twelve sons of Israel made up the twelve tribes of Israel thus you have the nation of Israel.
If you are a Jew you are an Israelite but you can be an Israelite and not be a Jew because Jacob had twelve sons.
Point 2- The Name Israel.
Now notice what happened to the name of Israel.
Genesis 48:3-19
(3) And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
(4) And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
(5) And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
(6) And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
(7) And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
(8) And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
(9) And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
(10) Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
(11) And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
(12) And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
(13) And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
(14) And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
(15) And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
(16) The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
(17) And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
(18) And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
(19) And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
So the name Israel was placed on Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
Manasseh would become a great single nation,
And Ephraim would become a great commonwealth of nations and they were to possess the gates of their enemies. (Gen 22:17)
Genesis 22:17 KJV
(17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
So how can a whole nation lose their identity?
Point 3- National Deception.
After the death of King Solomon the Kingdom was divided with Judah and Benjamin to the south under Rehoboam, Solomon’s son,
And the ten tribed northern kingdom under Jeroboam, whom Solomon made ruler over building and engineering projects around Jerusalem.
1 Kings 11:28 KJV
(28) And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
Jeroboam began to deceive the people in order to remain in power.
1 Kings 12:26-33
(26) And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
(27) If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
(28) Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
(29) And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
(30) And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
(31) And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
(32) And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
(33) So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
Moses told the people,
Deuteronomy 4:5-9
(5) Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.
(6) Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
(7) For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
(8) And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
(9) Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;
Jeroboam deceived the northern ten tribes including Ephraim and Manasseh by changing the Holy Days and breaking Gods Commandments.
Because of their sin they were taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. and carried away never to return to Palestine.
A whole nation lost its identity because of sin, the breaking of Gods Law.
What is sin anyway?
1 John 3:4
(4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
Point 4- Do we know who we are?
America is the greatest single nation on the face of this earth and Great Britain was the greatest commonwealth of nations on the face of this earth and we once owned the sea gates of our enemies, but we are still lost because of our nations sins.
Most people in our nation recognize themselves as Christian.
But do they really know who Christ is?
Genesis 1:1
(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Who is this God we read about in the Old Testament?
Lets go back even further than this scripture.
John 1:1-12
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
***We see here the God family, God the Father and God the Son.
(2) The same was in the beginning with God.
(3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
(4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
(5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
(6) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
(7) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
(8) He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
(9) That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
(10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
(11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
(12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Hebrews 1:1-2
(1) God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
(2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
The one we know of as Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament who did the creating and dealt directly with mankind.
He was the one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush and gave him one of His Devine Titles that we read about earlier, “I AM THAT I AM”.
Jesus Christ used that very title and it infuriated the religious leaders of that day because they new it was a title of the Eternal God.
John 8:56-59
(56) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
(57) Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
(58) Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
(59) Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The world says the Commandments are done away because they do not know the real Jesus Christ, but Jesus said,
John 14:15
(15) If ye love me, keep my commandments.
The Apostle John also tells us,
1 John 2:3-4
(3) And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
(4) He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
The truth is that Jesus Christ is the God of the Old and New Testament who dealt directly with mankind and gave us His Commandments and His Sabbaths.
And the Bible Says He does not change.
Hebrews 13:8
(8) Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
And the God of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, said,
Deuteronomy 18:9-13
(9) When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
(10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
(11) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
(12) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
(13) Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
Jeremiah 10:1-4
(1) Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
(2) Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
(3) For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
(4) They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
Revelation 18:2-4
(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.
(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.
(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.
Just like our stubborn ancestors, as a nation we hold to the pagan Babylonian religions of Easter and Christmas and Sunday worship,.
And reject the true Holy Days ordained by the Creator God of the Old and New Testament, Jesus Christ!
So I ask again, Do you know who you are?, and do you know who God is as revealed by His Word the Bible?
Or do you take a mans word for it and remain lost in a mystery religion like Jeroboam introduced to the lost ten tribes of Israel?
Isaiah 55:6-7
(6) Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
(7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Point 5- Once we meet the true God we must constantly be reminded lest we forget and lose our identity again.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
(6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
(7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
(8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
(9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Exodus 31:13
(13) Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Revelation 21:7-8
(7) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
(8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Even though our nations are still lost and sin sick in the very worst way, there remains a little flock that has found their identity and they are doing their best to obey the God of Abraham and awaiting the return of the true king of Israel and soon to be King of the entire world, Jesus Christ!
God bless,
Aaron