I Corinthians 10:14, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry"
Idolatry: The worship of a physical object as a god: immoderate (exceeding just, usual, or suitable bounds) attachment or devotion to something. - Merriam Webster
Idolatry: The worship of idols; extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone:
Origin - Middle English: from Old French idolatrie, based on Greek eidōlolatreia, from eidōlon (see idol) + -latreia 'worship' – Oxford Dictionary
Eidōlolatria - 1) the worship of false gods, idolatry
a) of the formal sacrificial feats held in honour of false gods
b) of avarice, as a worship of Mammon
2) in the plural, the vices springing from idolatry and peculiar to it
Strong’s G1495
Eidōlolatria or ( -eia)(corresponds with Strong’s G1495). Whence Eng., “idolatry” (from eidolon, and Latreia, “service”), is found in I Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20, Col 3:5; and in the plural, in I Peter 4:3. Heathen sacrifices were sacrificed to demons, I Cor 10:19; there was a dire reality in the cup and table of demons and in the involved communion with demons. In Rom 1”22-25, “idolatry” the sin of the mind against God (Eph 2:3) and immorality, sins of the flesh, are associate, and are traced to lack of the acknowledgement of God and of gratitude to Him. An “idolater” is a slave to the depraved ideas his idols represent, Gal 4:8-9; and thereby, to divers lusts, Titus 3:3. – Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vine, Unger, White).
Why all this? I want to point out a few things. Idolatry is not just simply worshipping someone or something other than God, i.e., avarice (greed, materialism, etc.) is considered idolatry (can’t have two masters…). Now, I’m going to take you back to pagan “holy days”, and since Christmas is just around the corner, readdress this “holy day”; yet this would also apply to Easter and Halloween (All Saint’s Day) just as well.
What is interesting is we find that idolatry isn’t, again, just worship, it’s also “the vices springing from idolatry and peculiar to it,” and “An idolater is a slave to the depraved ideas his idol represents.” What does this mean? Christmas, when you celebrate it, is doing that exact thing, you are using pagan “holy days”, pagan ritualistic items, vices that spring from the idolatrous “holy days” and are peculiar to those “holy days”. People have become “salves” to these “holy days” and the icons which represent them. The Christmas tree – pagan, Holly – pagan, Yule – pagan, Mistletoe – pagan, all pagan in origin, not one iota of Christmas has anything to do with Jesus, EXCEPT, the RCC brought in this pagan “holy day”, called it a “mass” (Christ’s Mass, which is actually the celebration of death, not life) and now we see what it has become. The running theme with Christians who celebrate Christmas (or Halloween and Easter) is, “we don’t worship those things which the pagans do, we make it what we want it to be.” Sorry folks, it is what it is. I’m revisiting this because I am now seeing Apostolics posting about the “holidays” and using pictures of Santa or some other pagan item as their profile picture.
Tell me you don’t worship the tree, Santa Clause, you don’t use mistletoe, Yule or holly as the pagans did, yet does it matter? No, because you are using the items which the pagans used in their idolatrous “holy days”, things peculiar to paganism, and not of God. Is this pleasing to God? There is more than enough Scripture to show we should not indulge in these pagan “holy days”; these are traditions of men and not of God (Colossians 2:8). We are not to be judged by our celebrations of “holy days”, meaning we do not observe them and it doesn’t matter what men say (Colossians 2:16). We are not to be idolatrous in any way (I Cor 10:14, Gal 5:20).
I pray this again helps people realize why Christians have no place celebrating pagan “holy days” made “Christian” by the RCC and now snaked its way into the church. This is not pleasing to God. Don’t believe me, look up the origins of Christmas, Easter, Halloween. Read you bible.
All we do we are to do in the name of Jesus. Jesus, the apostles, the church did not celebrate these holidays. The only holiday we find mention of and Paul does tell us to keep is the Passover, and not the Passover of Judaism, the Passover which Jesus and the apostles celebrated (the last supper and the washing of feet), Messianic Judaism! Biblically you cannot find any Christian celebrating these holidays. Historically these are pagan holy days and idolatrous.
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Be encouraged,
Minister of the New Covenant
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Christmas - Part I
Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
The "holidays" are just around the corner and as I feel strongly about not celebrating manmade "holy days", I thought I would post a couple of thoughts about this and other "holy days".
First I would like to look at when was Christ Born. Luke gives a time line which if you follow you can see Jesus was born in the late summer, but there is an even easier way to surmise His birth. Most historians agree Jesus was born sometime, in accordance with our modern day calendar, in September, approximately six months after Passover. To further this proof, it was a tradition among the Jews to send their sheep out to the fields about the Passover, and bring them home at the first rain. As Passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which coincides with our modern day calendar months of October and November, we realize the sheep were kept out during the whole of the summer, and a part of Autumn (Fall). Since the shepherds had not yet brought their flocks in, we can only draw the one conclusion, Jesus was born in mid to late summer, no later than September.
Christmas falls under idolatry. The customs came from worship of idols. They were mixed into the birth of the story of Jesus. Jesus is then mixed with idolatries. We already have commandment that there is to be no other God. And we also have commandment not to be yoked with idols (II Corinthians 6:16, I John 5:21). We believe in the birth of Jesus our God. His birth records no celebrations of idols. The following will prove this.
Historical facts along with Biblical facts all point to “Christmas” being in existence for a long time, pre-dating Christ (no it wasn’t called Christmas – yet). From the prophetic writings of Jeremiah; Jeremiah 10:3-4, “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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” Notice the word “customs”, synonymous with traditions, of people (men), to which I point again back to what Paul says in Colossians 2:8. So we see there was a pagan tradition already in existence for hundreds of years prior to the birth of Jesus Messiah where they decorated trees just as people do today for “Christmas.”
The date of 25 December is a man-made date (in as much as it being Jesus Messiah’s birth date). Here is a short list of other celebrations on and around 25 December, either before Jesus Messiah, or before some people even knew of Him. In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Jesus. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast. In Roman, they called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year (Dec 21st). As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year. Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.
The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids (witchcraft) used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.
In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.
Christmas (Christ’s Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.” At least he had some truth!
So This then is a man-made tradition which Paul clearly warns us against again in Colossians 2:8. Now, the actual Christmas which is celebrated in England and the US (and now mostly the world over) has only been around since the 1800s. In England, and hence the US, and other countries following suit, borrowed the tradition from Germany (which we read about earlier being the first to celebrate Christ’s Mass. Queen Victoria’s family, of England, was the first to bring a Christmas tree into her palace; prior to this, no one West of Germany had a tree or celebrated Christmas as it is now. Queen Victoria, when she became Queen, popularized Christmas in England, possibly because she was married a German Prince, who probably brought the German tradition with him and talked his wife into celebrating it. Gifts were not really exchanged at first, only for the children, and then as time went on, people were buying gifts for each other and now it’s the huge money making holiday. What is Christmas really about now, in this present age? Now it’s all about the money. As well, as endearing as he may seem, who is this Santa Clause, Father Christmas, Chris Cringle, etc., but a legend, a myth. Do we partake in mythology and legends? No, we do not. Perpetuating a being that has supposedly been in existence for who knows how long, who doesn’t die (is immortal), and whom children idolize and worship, is this not wrong? We only worship God, is this mythical figure worthy of praise and worship?
I find the main theme of Christmas today though, is how much can I, the consumer, spend, what am "I" going to get and how much can I, the retailer, make (avarice!). People go into thousands of dollars in debt for this holiday, and companies make billions of dollars off people. The root of all evil is the love of money, is it not? I Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
One can rationalize all they want about anything. I could rationalize Christmas and make it for me a time to especially thank God for coming in the flesh…but wait, is that not what we are to do daily (Psalm 72:15)? Christmas isn’t anything more than another day. It’s not holy, it’s not sacred, Jesus nor the apostles ordained or celebrated it. It’s manmade, it’s the tradition of men, and not of God. We find nothing in the Scriptures to support the celebrating of any holidays such as Christmas, not one apostle speaks of this, nor does any Scripture. I pray, again, this has helped you understand why we should not celebrate pagan holidays such as Christmas.
Be encouraged!
Minister of the New Covenant
The "holidays" are just around the corner and as I feel strongly about not celebrating manmade "holy days", I thought I would post a couple of thoughts about this and other "holy days".
First I would like to look at when was Christ Born. Luke gives a time line which if you follow you can see Jesus was born in the late summer, but there is an even easier way to surmise His birth. Most historians agree Jesus was born sometime, in accordance with our modern day calendar, in September, approximately six months after Passover. To further this proof, it was a tradition among the Jews to send their sheep out to the fields about the Passover, and bring them home at the first rain. As Passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which coincides with our modern day calendar months of October and November, we realize the sheep were kept out during the whole of the summer, and a part of Autumn (Fall). Since the shepherds had not yet brought their flocks in, we can only draw the one conclusion, Jesus was born in mid to late summer, no later than September.
Christmas falls under idolatry. The customs came from worship of idols. They were mixed into the birth of the story of Jesus. Jesus is then mixed with idolatries. We already have commandment that there is to be no other God. And we also have commandment not to be yoked with idols (II Corinthians 6:16, I John 5:21). We believe in the birth of Jesus our God. His birth records no celebrations of idols. The following will prove this.
Historical facts along with Biblical facts all point to “Christmas” being in existence for a long time, pre-dating Christ (no it wasn’t called Christmas – yet). From the prophetic writings of Jeremiah; Jeremiah 10:3-4, “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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” Notice the word “customs”, synonymous with traditions, of people (men), to which I point again back to what Paul says in Colossians 2:8. So we see there was a pagan tradition already in existence for hundreds of years prior to the birth of Jesus Messiah where they decorated trees just as people do today for “Christmas.”
The date of 25 December is a man-made date (in as much as it being Jesus Messiah’s birth date). Here is a short list of other celebrations on and around 25 December, either before Jesus Messiah, or before some people even knew of Him. In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Jesus. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast. In Roman, they called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year (Dec 21st). As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year. Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.
The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids (witchcraft) used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.
In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.
Christmas (Christ’s Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.” At least he had some truth!
So This then is a man-made tradition which Paul clearly warns us against again in Colossians 2:8. Now, the actual Christmas which is celebrated in England and the US (and now mostly the world over) has only been around since the 1800s. In England, and hence the US, and other countries following suit, borrowed the tradition from Germany (which we read about earlier being the first to celebrate Christ’s Mass. Queen Victoria’s family, of England, was the first to bring a Christmas tree into her palace; prior to this, no one West of Germany had a tree or celebrated Christmas as it is now. Queen Victoria, when she became Queen, popularized Christmas in England, possibly because she was married a German Prince, who probably brought the German tradition with him and talked his wife into celebrating it. Gifts were not really exchanged at first, only for the children, and then as time went on, people were buying gifts for each other and now it’s the huge money making holiday. What is Christmas really about now, in this present age? Now it’s all about the money. As well, as endearing as he may seem, who is this Santa Clause, Father Christmas, Chris Cringle, etc., but a legend, a myth. Do we partake in mythology and legends? No, we do not. Perpetuating a being that has supposedly been in existence for who knows how long, who doesn’t die (is immortal), and whom children idolize and worship, is this not wrong? We only worship God, is this mythical figure worthy of praise and worship?
I find the main theme of Christmas today though, is how much can I, the consumer, spend, what am "I" going to get and how much can I, the retailer, make (avarice!). People go into thousands of dollars in debt for this holiday, and companies make billions of dollars off people. The root of all evil is the love of money, is it not? I Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
One can rationalize all they want about anything. I could rationalize Christmas and make it for me a time to especially thank God for coming in the flesh…but wait, is that not what we are to do daily (Psalm 72:15)? Christmas isn’t anything more than another day. It’s not holy, it’s not sacred, Jesus nor the apostles ordained or celebrated it. It’s manmade, it’s the tradition of men, and not of God. We find nothing in the Scriptures to support the celebrating of any holidays such as Christmas, not one apostle speaks of this, nor does any Scripture. I pray, again, this has helped you understand why we should not celebrate pagan holidays such as Christmas.
Be encouraged!
Minister of the New Covenant
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
A Short on Halloween
Soon it will be Halloween. Is Halloween just some fun "holiday"? First, let us define holiday. Holiday derives from two words, holy and day (Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy + dæg day): a day set aside for special religious observance. Therefore, the word holiday, the meaning of which has changed over time, was originally set aside in observance of holy days. What then is Halloween? Is Halloween a Holy Day? In no way, shape or form is Halloween a holy day.
Halloween can be traced back to Rome (Pre-RCC), in the religious practices of the Romans. It also has to do with the Druids, and other pagan religions. The Romans worshiped various gods (polytheistic) and on October 31, a special feast was held in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruit trees. Halloween though is more closely related to the Druidic holy day of Samhain. The Druids are an ancient order of Celtic priests in Britain (who are polytheistic), who celebrate the end of Summer (the lighter days) turning into Autumn (the darker days). During this time they believe the divide between the living and the dead is very thin, and people can actually make contact with the dead. This also was a celebration honoring Samhain. Samhain is the Celtic god of the dead. Samhain (the celebration not the “god”) was also called the Féile Moingfhinne (meaning "festival of Mongfhionn"). According to Cormac's Glossary, Mongfhionn was a goddess the pagan Irish worshipped on Samhain. Moingfhinne is said to have killed with poison in an attempt to have the kingdom for her sons. She drank the poison herself, died and became their goddess of sorcery. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) took these holy days and integrated them into their church, and instituted a "religious" holy day, All Saints Day, when people would go out and try to appease the dead.
Do I really have to remind anyone witchcraft, which includes a plethora of practices from the Ouija Board, astrology, tarot card reading, so called psychics to Voodoo and Wicca…is something which Paul clearly states those who practice this cannot enter into the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). You may think it just a “fun” holiday, and as with Christmas and Easter, you can try and justify it all you want, but it is not a holy day instituted by Jesus Messiah and was never practiced by Jesus or the apostles, and I can tell you for a fact they did not nor would they have done so (the Roman practice of celebrating Pomona was already in existence). Do you then really need to ask why I don’t celebrate Halloween, or why anyone shouldn’t? Is it really just harmless fun of dressing up and scaring people, trick or treating, etc.? The truth is it’s a holy day for pagan, polytheistic religions who, to this day still actually celebrate Samhain as a holy day. No rationalization in the world makes it right. If you celebrate it, you are perpetuating a day that is not of the Lord, but of the pagan god of the undead, a pagan goddess of sorcery, and other ancient roman gods and goddesses, and a false practice instituted by the RCC, All Saints Day.
Everywhere you look you can find differing versions of where Halloween came from, but its roots all remain the same, beginning deep in pagan polytheistic religions celebrating and worshipping their pagan gods. What does the LORD say about this? God makes known, very clearly, how He feels about this, in the First Commandment: Exodus 20:1-6, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 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. 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; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." While we are not under the law, it is written upon our hearts and we know we are not to worship or idolize anyone or anything but Jesus Messiah. Jesus gave us a few commandments, and the greatest of these is to the fact there is only one God, and we are to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). For those of you who celebrate Halloween please consider the facts and if you have children contemplate what you are teaching them.
Jesus bless you!!!
New Covenant Minister
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
The End is Coming – Part II
Many a false doctrine is floating about in the churches on the second coming of Jesus Messiah. Some believe it has already happened…? Some believe Jesus will come before the Great Tribulation, Dispensationalists and Rapture theory – pre-trib believers. There are those who believe Jesus will come during the tribulation, mid-trib rapture, and then there are those who know what the Scriptures show clearly; Jesus will not come until after the tribulation of those days. Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 clearly define when Jesus will be coming, with the very words of Jesus Messiah Himself. Yet not only Jesus, whom we should completely trust in, states His coming is after the tribulation. Peter and Paul also taught this, I will show this later.
I have nothing to prove here. What I am doing is showing truth, not proving it; it’s already been proven because Jesus spoke the words Himself. The “why” for this blog is because I, as many others, want everyone to know truth and the very fact this is a salvational issue which many will say it is not. They will say things such as, “It doesn’t matter, it’s not a salvational issue and as long as we know Jesus is coming does it really matter?” Yes it does, and I will show why it matters as well.
First let’s take a look at what Jesus says about His second coming.
1. Matthew 24:29-20, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
In Chapter 24 of the gospel of Matthew we see Jesus talking about the end times. He shows us the signs we should be looking for; “…the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken…” Those who are keeping watch will know the signs of the coming of Jesus Messiah. It will not be so much a surprise for those of us who know the signs and keep watch. Who then will it be a surprise for? Those who don’t know the signs, or aren’t keeping watch, these will not be ready at the Second Coming of Jesus Messiah; I will cover this a little more later.
2. Mark 13:24-26, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”
Here we have Mark’s version of the exact same teachings of Jesus Messiah, “…the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in haven shall be shaken.” Sound familiar? Almost word for word from the gospel of Matthew. Again, signs we should and will know which usher in the second coming of Jesus Messiah.
3. Luke 21:25-27, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke of course has a little different wording. We know Luke wasn’t actually there and his gospel is a collection from eye witnesses of Jesus' ministry. Yet in his gospel, the wording has the same meaning as Matthew and Mark, leaving no room for any other interpretation, God's is not contradictory or confusing.
After reading these 3 chapters in 3 separate gospels, one can only come to one conclusion; the time setting in which Jesus is speaking is after the great tribulation. “Immediately after the tribulation…”, “…after that tribulation…”, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon and in the stars; … and then shall they see the Son of man coming…” Matthew, Mark, Luke.
Now let’s take a look at what Paul says;
II Thessalonians 2:8-10
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 EVEN HIM, WHOSE COMING IS AFTER THE WORKING OF SATAN WITH ALL POWER AND SIGNS AND LYING WONDERS,
10 AND WITH ALL DECEIVABLENESS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN THEM THAT PERISH; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
If we take a look at the book of Revelation we see the Antichrist will be able to do great signs and wonders, even call down fire from the very heavens. Paul states here Jesus will come after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. Revelation 13:12-14, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Paul caught a glimpse of the end days and shared it with us, stating Jesus will not come until after the Antichrist. This would obviously point to the fact we, or the elect, will still be here when the Antichrist is here.
What did Peter say about this?
Acts 2:17-20
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND NOTABLE DAY OF THE LORD COME:
Again, the signs, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:” These are the signs which Jesus taught would come before He came. These signs are after the tribulation. Interestingly Luke records all that which will happen before the signs which herald Jesus’ coming:
Luke 21:7-23
7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Many will tell you God would never let us go through such a horrible tribulation, or we are not appointed to God’s wrath. This is not God’s wrath, the tribulation is Satan’s last stand, his wrath, because he knows soon his end shall come. How be it we have suffered tribulation since day one, yet people do not recognize this? All but one apostle was killed, Peter crucified upside-down. Steven was stoned to death for preaching the gospel of Jesus Messiah. Christians were hunted and killed by the Jews, Paul being one of the chief Pharisees who actually did this before his conversion. How blind are people to the facts? Luke plainly show Jesus saying we will go through this tribulation, time of war, famines, pestilences. We will be taken and persecuted and put into prisons because of our faith in Jesus Messiah. Our own families will betray us and have us put to death. This is us people, the elect, the Acts 2:38 blood bought saints will be here; there is no doubt, through the great tribulation.
I am not going to reinvent the wheel here and I don’t feel the need to rewrite what has already been written. I have linked Bro David’s site previously, contained therein is much more information on the “rapture”, so again I implore you to go and look at Bro David Harp’s writings; http://thetruenameofjesus.com/. As well I am sure many of you have questions the likes of, “what about this verse and that verse”, here is a question and answer page written by Pastor K. Kirkland of Valdez Apostolic Church; http://www.endtime-truth.com/articles9.html#24. Very enlightening and answers most if not all of your questions about the “rapture – pre-trib” proof verses.
Lastly, I stated earlier I would show this to be a salvational issue, and it is. The Antichrist, in as much as those who are waiting for Jesus to come before the Great Tribulation, and all those who don’t believe in truth, will see the Antichrist come with great signs and wonders, again even calling down fire from heaven itself, calling himself the “Christ”. II Thessalonians 2:8-10, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” If you don’t understand the words of Jesus, Peter, Paul and John…will the Antichrist fool you?
Be encouraged.
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Minister of the New Convenant
I have nothing to prove here. What I am doing is showing truth, not proving it; it’s already been proven because Jesus spoke the words Himself. The “why” for this blog is because I, as many others, want everyone to know truth and the very fact this is a salvational issue which many will say it is not. They will say things such as, “It doesn’t matter, it’s not a salvational issue and as long as we know Jesus is coming does it really matter?” Yes it does, and I will show why it matters as well.
First let’s take a look at what Jesus says about His second coming.
1. Matthew 24:29-20, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
In Chapter 24 of the gospel of Matthew we see Jesus talking about the end times. He shows us the signs we should be looking for; “…the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken…” Those who are keeping watch will know the signs of the coming of Jesus Messiah. It will not be so much a surprise for those of us who know the signs and keep watch. Who then will it be a surprise for? Those who don’t know the signs, or aren’t keeping watch, these will not be ready at the Second Coming of Jesus Messiah; I will cover this a little more later.
2. Mark 13:24-26, “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”
Here we have Mark’s version of the exact same teachings of Jesus Messiah, “…the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in haven shall be shaken.” Sound familiar? Almost word for word from the gospel of Matthew. Again, signs we should and will know which usher in the second coming of Jesus Messiah.
3. Luke 21:25-27, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke of course has a little different wording. We know Luke wasn’t actually there and his gospel is a collection from eye witnesses of Jesus' ministry. Yet in his gospel, the wording has the same meaning as Matthew and Mark, leaving no room for any other interpretation, God's is not contradictory or confusing.
After reading these 3 chapters in 3 separate gospels, one can only come to one conclusion; the time setting in which Jesus is speaking is after the great tribulation. “Immediately after the tribulation…”, “…after that tribulation…”, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon and in the stars; … and then shall they see the Son of man coming…” Matthew, Mark, Luke.
Now let’s take a look at what Paul says;
II Thessalonians 2:8-10
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 EVEN HIM, WHOSE COMING IS AFTER THE WORKING OF SATAN WITH ALL POWER AND SIGNS AND LYING WONDERS,
10 AND WITH ALL DECEIVABLENESS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN THEM THAT PERISH; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
If we take a look at the book of Revelation we see the Antichrist will be able to do great signs and wonders, even call down fire from the very heavens. Paul states here Jesus will come after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. Revelation 13:12-14, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Paul caught a glimpse of the end days and shared it with us, stating Jesus will not come until after the Antichrist. This would obviously point to the fact we, or the elect, will still be here when the Antichrist is here.
What did Peter say about this?
Acts 2:17-20
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND NOTABLE DAY OF THE LORD COME:
Again, the signs, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:” These are the signs which Jesus taught would come before He came. These signs are after the tribulation. Interestingly Luke records all that which will happen before the signs which herald Jesus’ coming:
Luke 21:7-23
7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Many will tell you God would never let us go through such a horrible tribulation, or we are not appointed to God’s wrath. This is not God’s wrath, the tribulation is Satan’s last stand, his wrath, because he knows soon his end shall come. How be it we have suffered tribulation since day one, yet people do not recognize this? All but one apostle was killed, Peter crucified upside-down. Steven was stoned to death for preaching the gospel of Jesus Messiah. Christians were hunted and killed by the Jews, Paul being one of the chief Pharisees who actually did this before his conversion. How blind are people to the facts? Luke plainly show Jesus saying we will go through this tribulation, time of war, famines, pestilences. We will be taken and persecuted and put into prisons because of our faith in Jesus Messiah. Our own families will betray us and have us put to death. This is us people, the elect, the Acts 2:38 blood bought saints will be here; there is no doubt, through the great tribulation.
I am not going to reinvent the wheel here and I don’t feel the need to rewrite what has already been written. I have linked Bro David’s site previously, contained therein is much more information on the “rapture”, so again I implore you to go and look at Bro David Harp’s writings; http://thetruenameofjesus.com/. As well I am sure many of you have questions the likes of, “what about this verse and that verse”, here is a question and answer page written by Pastor K. Kirkland of Valdez Apostolic Church; http://www.endtime-truth.com/articles9.html#24. Very enlightening and answers most if not all of your questions about the “rapture – pre-trib” proof verses.
Lastly, I stated earlier I would show this to be a salvational issue, and it is. The Antichrist, in as much as those who are waiting for Jesus to come before the Great Tribulation, and all those who don’t believe in truth, will see the Antichrist come with great signs and wonders, again even calling down fire from heaven itself, calling himself the “Christ”. II Thessalonians 2:8-10, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” If you don’t understand the words of Jesus, Peter, Paul and John…will the Antichrist fool you?
Be encouraged.
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Minister of the New Convenant
Monday, 20 September 2010
The End is Coming - Part I
Lately I am seeing a lot of very odd doctrine floating around. In a recent discussion someone told me he is an Apostolic, who believes in the Dispensation theory, but knows the “rapture” is not until after the tribulation, and the we, the blood bought, Acts 2:38 “saints” will be returning with Jesus at His second coming. Wow, how confusing is that?
John Nelson Darby and his “Brethren Movement” and Clarence Larkin, two Trinitarians who after 1800 years of no such “Dispensationalist Theory” ever existed, were given a new revelation by God about how He deals with His people and how the end times will be. I don’t think so. Many have twisted this false doctrine, or stripped it down to just a pre-trib “rapture”, and now for the first time I see someone who says post-trib with those who are blood bought, Acts 2:38 “saints” (I have heard of this for pre-trib, never post-trib). Those who state Jesus comes with us, the elect, the saints, those who were blood bought, with Him, do not understand the meaning of “saints” when taken in context with the rest of Scripture, the following demonstrates this:
1. The word used in Zechariah and Jude (the Hebrew and the Greek have almost the exact same meanings) are ascribed "holy ones or angles" as well as saints. In Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vine, Unger and White), "hagios" as used in Jude 14 is ascribed the meaning of "holy ones". Strong’s (40) –"hagios"; sacred (phys. Pure, mor. blameless or religious, cer. Consecrated): - holy, saints, Holy One, misc., holy one, holy thing. Mark 8:38 uses "hagios" to refer to angels. For the Hebrew word, "qadowsh", Gesenius’ Lexicon states; (2) as a plural, holy ones, i.e. – (a) angles, especially in the later writers, Dan, Job, Zec, Ps, and perhaps Deu 33:3. Strong’s (6918) – "qadowsh"; sacred (cerem. or mor.); (as a noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a "sanctuary". I do not disagree the word saints is used, I disagree on the meaning of saints, to whom the word saints is ascribed, as per the above.
2. Statement: “All the saints will come with Jesus. These saints are the blood bought saints of Jesus Christ!” First, I have explained the meaning of “saints”, so yes; all the angels (saints) come with Jesus (see above). As well, look at the wording, how would it be if we were already with Jesus, that we would come with Him to collect ourselves?
3. Statement: “Zechariah or Jude doesn’t use the word dead, I conclude we have not died and are in heaven and we are the saints spoken of whom return with Jesus.” In I Thessalonians Paul does speak of the dead, which are asleep. Angels (saints) are not dead, nor are they asleep, and again, are ascribed the title “saints”.
4. Fact: Jesus never says he will return with blood bought, Acts 2:38 “saints”. Fact: Jesus does say He will return with His holy angels (“saints”). Mark 8:38, uses "hagios" for holy angels; Mark 8:38, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, WHEN HE COMETH IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER WITH THE HOLY ANGELS." Jesus himself confirming when He returns, he returns with His holy angels, and again the word "hagios" is used for holy angels, the same word used for "saints".
5. Statement: “We will be ‘caught up’ which is synonymous with ‘rapture’!” I can’t and won’t argue this. Paul says we will be caught up; it’s Scriptural fact; yet take a look at the whole, and not just the part.
I Thessalonians 4:15-17
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD SHALL NOT PREVENT THEM WHICH ARE ASLEEP.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST:
17 THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I have shown when taken in context with other Scripture which uses the exact same word, "saints" doesn’t always mean Acts 2:38 blood bought "saints". I have shown where Jesus states He comes with His holy angels upon His return, and I have shown the dead in Christ, who being in the earth, will be taken first to meet Jesus and then the living who remain will be taken up, all with Scripture and not of my own interpretation. Do you want to follow some doctrine that was made up 1800 years after Jesus by Trinitarians, or do you want to follow the word of God and the doctrine of the apostles? For me and my house, we will follow the word of God and the doctrine first taught by Jesus Messiah and the apostles. *NEXT* The second coming is not pre-tribulation as proofed by Scripture (The End is Coming – Part II).
Be encouraged,
Minster of the New Covenant
John Nelson Darby and his “Brethren Movement” and Clarence Larkin, two Trinitarians who after 1800 years of no such “Dispensationalist Theory” ever existed, were given a new revelation by God about how He deals with His people and how the end times will be. I don’t think so. Many have twisted this false doctrine, or stripped it down to just a pre-trib “rapture”, and now for the first time I see someone who says post-trib with those who are blood bought, Acts 2:38 “saints” (I have heard of this for pre-trib, never post-trib). Those who state Jesus comes with us, the elect, the saints, those who were blood bought, with Him, do not understand the meaning of “saints” when taken in context with the rest of Scripture, the following demonstrates this:
1. The word used in Zechariah and Jude (the Hebrew and the Greek have almost the exact same meanings) are ascribed "holy ones or angles" as well as saints. In Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vine, Unger and White), "hagios" as used in Jude 14 is ascribed the meaning of "holy ones". Strong’s (40) –"hagios"; sacred (phys. Pure, mor. blameless or religious, cer. Consecrated): - holy, saints, Holy One, misc., holy one, holy thing. Mark 8:38 uses "hagios" to refer to angels. For the Hebrew word, "qadowsh", Gesenius’ Lexicon states; (2) as a plural, holy ones, i.e. – (a) angles, especially in the later writers, Dan, Job, Zec, Ps, and perhaps Deu 33:3. Strong’s (6918) – "qadowsh"; sacred (cerem. or mor.); (as a noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a "sanctuary". I do not disagree the word saints is used, I disagree on the meaning of saints, to whom the word saints is ascribed, as per the above.
2. Statement: “All the saints will come with Jesus. These saints are the blood bought saints of Jesus Christ!” First, I have explained the meaning of “saints”, so yes; all the angels (saints) come with Jesus (see above). As well, look at the wording, how would it be if we were already with Jesus, that we would come with Him to collect ourselves?
3. Statement: “Zechariah or Jude doesn’t use the word dead, I conclude we have not died and are in heaven and we are the saints spoken of whom return with Jesus.” In I Thessalonians Paul does speak of the dead, which are asleep. Angels (saints) are not dead, nor are they asleep, and again, are ascribed the title “saints”.
4. Fact: Jesus never says he will return with blood bought, Acts 2:38 “saints”. Fact: Jesus does say He will return with His holy angels (“saints”). Mark 8:38, uses "hagios" for holy angels; Mark 8:38, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, WHEN HE COMETH IN THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER WITH THE HOLY ANGELS." Jesus himself confirming when He returns, he returns with His holy angels, and again the word "hagios" is used for holy angels, the same word used for "saints".
5. Statement: “We will be ‘caught up’ which is synonymous with ‘rapture’!” I can’t and won’t argue this. Paul says we will be caught up; it’s Scriptural fact; yet take a look at the whole, and not just the part.
I Thessalonians 4:15-17
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD SHALL NOT PREVENT THEM WHICH ARE ASLEEP.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST:
17 THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
I have shown when taken in context with other Scripture which uses the exact same word, "saints" doesn’t always mean Acts 2:38 blood bought "saints". I have shown where Jesus states He comes with His holy angels upon His return, and I have shown the dead in Christ, who being in the earth, will be taken first to meet Jesus and then the living who remain will be taken up, all with Scripture and not of my own interpretation. Do you want to follow some doctrine that was made up 1800 years after Jesus by Trinitarians, or do you want to follow the word of God and the doctrine of the apostles? For me and my house, we will follow the word of God and the doctrine first taught by Jesus Messiah and the apostles. *NEXT* The second coming is not pre-tribulation as proofed by Scripture (The End is Coming – Part II).
Be encouraged,
Minster of the New Covenant
Friday, 10 September 2010
Not Really a Blog - Per Se
I have started about a dozen or so new blogs lately, but I don't think I need to reinvent the wheel. The things laid upon my heart recently have been taught and preached for decades by my pastor, and his blog (linked below) is a great place to learn about truth. The same goes for the other blog I linked, this brother is showing, again, truth and does so with no thought for what men will say. We know many will argue the truth, for they have not the truth, but words and teachings of men. Many doctrines have infiltrated Apostolic and “Oneness” churches over the centuries, and most likely even your church, yes yours, have been deceived in to believing that which is not in Scripture. Within these cyber pages you can and will find the truth! This won't stop me from writing, no, but for all those who have ever stopped by here or follow me, publicly or privately, I implore you to visit the blogs of these great men of God. Things you will find; the "Rapture" theory debunked (along with Dispensationalism), the truth about God's name and the Tetragrammaton (Yahweh/Jehovah), the truth about hallelujah/alleluia praise and much, much more.
II Timothy 4:2-4, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Let us not have itching ears, let us not turn from truth for fables, and let us keep our ears tuned into truth!
Here are the two links:
The Jewish Jesus Blog
The True Name of Jesus
Again, these men have insight to things you probably never even thought about. They stand for truth, and will not back down, nor try to please men, for they are true servants of Jesus Messiah. I pray you read these blogs and find truth. Everyday pray for truth, with all your heart, soul and mind; for if you ask, you shall receive.
Be encouraged,
Minister of the New Covenant
II Timothy 4:2-4, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Let us not have itching ears, let us not turn from truth for fables, and let us keep our ears tuned into truth!
Here are the two links:
The Jewish Jesus Blog
The True Name of Jesus
Again, these men have insight to things you probably never even thought about. They stand for truth, and will not back down, nor try to please men, for they are true servants of Jesus Messiah. I pray you read these blogs and find truth. Everyday pray for truth, with all your heart, soul and mind; for if you ask, you shall receive.
Be encouraged,
Minister of the New Covenant
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Mary’s Story, Chapter I, “Thou Shalt Conceive in Thy Womb”
Hi, my name is Mary. Yes, you know me well, or at least you should; you see, I am the mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Messiah. I’m not sure if many of you know, so I will give a quick explanation of what Lord means when it’s connected to Jesus Messiah. You see, “lord” has many meanings, in Greek it is the word “kurios” which means “having power” or “authority”. It can mean; Lord, master, Master, owner, or even Sir. Of course we all know Jesus had power and authority, and is the Master and Lord of all, yet when it is applied to Jesus Messiah, it is thus; Messiah-King; Lord is the designation of Jesus as the Messiah-King predicted in the Psalms, by the Prophets and by Moses. So now we know Jesus Messiah is the King of kings (as reported in Scripture – Revelation 17:14), let me now move on. I had no idea what was to become of my life, yet all the while God had a plan set in motion from the beginning (John 1:1) to use me in His plan of salvation for everyone. While many will scoff and say things against me, my testimony in the Scriptures is truth; let me talk to you a little about it.
I was a devout Jew, I was brought up in a well-to-do family in the line of David. My father was Eli-Joachim, a very rich man and my brother was Joseph of Arimathea, who held the chief seat on the Sanhedrin of the six official seats of the house of Judah. Joseph, my espoused, well, he came from a cursed line, and was not the choice I would have made for myself; suffice it to say he did some work for my father and I was offered as “payment” for this work. So, here I was espoused to someone lower in social status than I and not feeling too blessed when the angel Gabriel appeared to me and spoke these words, “Hail, thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” – Luke 1:28. Now, being that I had lost my social status, I wondered at these words Gabriel spoke to me, because I was no longer favoured by anyone, being that I was to marry Joseph. But, Gabriel spoke again, and said, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 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: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” – Luke 1:30-32. I wondered at this, I had not been with any man and I spoke my thoughts. Gabriel said to me, “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. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:35-37. I told Gabriel I am the Lord’s servant, let it be as you have said, and then Gabriel was gone. Of course I was overjoyed, not only was I to carry the Messiah, my cousin, who was supposedly barren, was also with child! What a mighty and awesome God I serve!
I packed up my stuff, being espoused and pregnant isn’t the best thing to be, and headed out to my cousin Elisabeth’s house as soon as I could. As soon as I got there I told Elisabeth all that had happened, and when she heard this, the child in her womb jumped for joy, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:42-45. God had revealed to her the truth as well, how exciting was this!? I couldn’t contain myself and I said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.” – Luke 1:46-55. After this I stayed with her for a while, about three months, and then I returned home.
This is just but the beginning of my story, this is how my great God and Saviour found favour with me and I was to be the mother of His only begotten. God manifesting Himself in the flesh to redeem His people. I had a lot to learn still, about Jesus, His ministry on earth, and the worst part, my son, the Son of God, would be betrayed and killed. He would willingly sacrifice Himself for everyone. What lay in store for the next 33 years, I did not know, but I was more than willing to find out…
I was a devout Jew, I was brought up in a well-to-do family in the line of David. My father was Eli-Joachim, a very rich man and my brother was Joseph of Arimathea, who held the chief seat on the Sanhedrin of the six official seats of the house of Judah. Joseph, my espoused, well, he came from a cursed line, and was not the choice I would have made for myself; suffice it to say he did some work for my father and I was offered as “payment” for this work. So, here I was espoused to someone lower in social status than I and not feeling too blessed when the angel Gabriel appeared to me and spoke these words, “Hail, thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” – Luke 1:28. Now, being that I had lost my social status, I wondered at these words Gabriel spoke to me, because I was no longer favoured by anyone, being that I was to marry Joseph. But, Gabriel spoke again, and said, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 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: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” – Luke 1:30-32. I wondered at this, I had not been with any man and I spoke my thoughts. Gabriel said to me, “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. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:35-37. I told Gabriel I am the Lord’s servant, let it be as you have said, and then Gabriel was gone. Of course I was overjoyed, not only was I to carry the Messiah, my cousin, who was supposedly barren, was also with child! What a mighty and awesome God I serve!
I packed up my stuff, being espoused and pregnant isn’t the best thing to be, and headed out to my cousin Elisabeth’s house as soon as I could. As soon as I got there I told Elisabeth all that had happened, and when she heard this, the child in her womb jumped for joy, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” – Luke 1:42-45. God had revealed to her the truth as well, how exciting was this!? I couldn’t contain myself and I said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.” – Luke 1:46-55. After this I stayed with her for a while, about three months, and then I returned home.
This is just but the beginning of my story, this is how my great God and Saviour found favour with me and I was to be the mother of His only begotten. God manifesting Himself in the flesh to redeem His people. I had a lot to learn still, about Jesus, His ministry on earth, and the worst part, my son, the Son of God, would be betrayed and killed. He would willingly sacrifice Himself for everyone. What lay in store for the next 33 years, I did not know, but I was more than willing to find out…
Thursday, 12 August 2010
The Law - Part II
It’s been a while since I have written, busy and nothing really caught my eye or inspired me as of late, until again, the subject of the law came up. So, I would like to revisit what I have written earlier and add to it. Recently I am seeing a resurgence of people who want to say we must follow the law and Jesus only did away with the sacrificial part of the law; this my friends, brothers and sisters, is not a truth. What is the truth? Jesus fulfilled the law, no, he did not destroy it and it is written upon our hearts, but there is nothing in the New Covenant which makes us follow one iota of the law, either in part or in its entirety.
Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Hebrews 10:15-17, “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Let me explain the difference between fulfill and destroy. When you fulfill a contract, you have met the requirements and now the contract is done, over. If you buy a car, when you pay it off the contract is over yet the contract itself still exists, now days somewhere in cyberspace. This contract is not destroyed, it is kept on record, yet it is over, it is fulfilled. Alright, let’s take a look at dictionary definitions;
Merriam-Webster defines:
Main Entry: ful•fill
Variant(s): or ful•fil \fu̇(l)-ˈfil also fə(l)-\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): ful•filled; ful•fill•ing
Etymology: Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan, from full + fyllan to fill
Date: before 12th century
1 archaic : to make full : fill
2 a : to put into effect : execute b : to meet the requirements of (a business order) c : to bring to an end d : to measure up to : satisfy
3 a : to convert into reality b : to develop the full potentialities of
Main Entry: de•stroy
Pronunciation: \di-ˈstrȯi, dē-\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French destroy-, destrui-, stem of destrure, from Vulgar Latin *destrugere, alteration of Latin destruere, from de- + struere to build — more at structure
Date: 13th century
transitive verb 1 : to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of; also : to ruin as if by tearing to shreds
2 a : to put out of existence : killb : neutralize c : annihilate, vanquish
Now, Read 2a, b, c and d of the definition of fulfill and 2a of destroy: Jesus was the only man who could measure up to and meet the requirements (fulfill - 2b, d) set forth by God to bring to an end (fulfill - 2c) the Old Covenant (The Torah – The Law) and put into effect (fulfill - 2a) the New Covenant whereby we no longer have need to follow any part of the law. Jesus did not put out of existence (destroy -2a) the law, He didn’t take a flame to the Torah and burn it nor did He rip the pages out of Scripture; they remain as record, yet Jesus fulfilled the law, bringing it to an end (fulfill – 2c). It’s really that simple. The Old Covenant is over and done, it has been done away with and the New Covenant has been put into effect, no law.
Malachi 2:14, “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.” Again I will use the marriage covenant as an example. There is a significant difference between a marriage being destroyed, and a marriage being fulfilled. In the marriage ceremony one of the vows is “’til death do us part.” This vow then being taken means this marriage, or covenant, cannot be broken unless/until one of the partners passes away. This is then the fulfillment of the covenant. Was the marriage destroyed? No, it is forever known you and your spouse were married and now, being that one has passed away, this covenant is fulfilled, yet still remembered. The living spouse is no longer held to this covenant though, even though it existed at one time, it is fulfilled and the living partner may go on living their life and even remarry if they so desire.
Colossians 2:15-17
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
So, let’s look at the law, one of the “ten commandments” even; following the Sabbath and it being a holy day. Under the law the seventh day was a day of rest, from Friday sundown to Saturday sun down, you did almost nothing. You had to prepare everything the day before the Sabbath, again, you could literally do almost nothing on the Sabbath, including leaving your house (until the Jews reinterpreted the law and said you could leave…anyway). If you did anything on the Sabbath you were to be killed (FYI – some laws, if broken, it states in the law you are to be killed, as with the Sabbath). So we see here a man who, on the Sabbath, decided to go gather sticks, let’s see what happened to him;
Numbers 15:32-36
32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
They literally killed a man just for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, he broke the law. Sunday, believe it or not, is not the Sabbath, nor was it ordained by the RCC or any other “church” to be a day or worship, but rather in accordance with things happening on the 8th day (Sunday), Apostolics chose this day to worship. Do we have to worship on Sunday? No, nowhere in Scripture does it say what day we must worship, and as a matter of fact we should praise and worship Him every day! So, knowing this, if we are to keep any part of the law, then we are to keep all of the law, and if we are to keep all of the law then we are not in agreement with Scripture, with Jesus or the apostles.
Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
“If a Gentile is converted to accept the Law and begins to observe moons, Sabbath days, eating of meats, circumcision, and other practices, this is going back into the bondage of the curse of death. For all who accept the law must be willing to accept the punishments for violations of the law. In some cases as in the Sabbath keeping, a violation is death. Yet most law-keepers do not practice the death penalties. Therefore they do not keep the law.” – Dr. (Bishop) G. Reckart.
If we go back to law keeping, in any form, we have made the death of Christ in vain: Galatians 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
There are 613 precepts to the law, if Christ only did away with the sacrificial part of the law, we are all well out of order, yet we know we are not. The law was a shadow, a schoolmaster and now it is done and over. We live by grace through faith in our great God and Saviour Jesus Messiah, not by the law. We are the Israel of God now, His Church, His chosen people.
May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our great God and Saviour Jesus Messiah.
Minister of the New Covenant
Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Hebrews 10:15-17, “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Let me explain the difference between fulfill and destroy. When you fulfill a contract, you have met the requirements and now the contract is done, over. If you buy a car, when you pay it off the contract is over yet the contract itself still exists, now days somewhere in cyberspace. This contract is not destroyed, it is kept on record, yet it is over, it is fulfilled. Alright, let’s take a look at dictionary definitions;
Merriam-Webster defines:
Main Entry: ful•fill
Variant(s): or ful•fil \fu̇(l)-ˈfil also fə(l)-\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): ful•filled; ful•fill•ing
Etymology: Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan, from full + fyllan to fill
Date: before 12th century
1 archaic : to make full : fill
2 a : to put into effect : execute b : to meet the requirements of (a business order) c : to bring to an end d : to measure up to : satisfy
3 a : to convert into reality b : to develop the full potentialities of
Main Entry: de•stroy
Pronunciation: \di-ˈstrȯi, dē-\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French destroy-, destrui-, stem of destrure, from Vulgar Latin *destrugere, alteration of Latin destruere, from de- + struere to build — more at structure
Date: 13th century
transitive verb 1 : to ruin the structure, organic existence, or condition of
2 a : to put out of existence : kill
Now, Read 2a, b, c and d of the definition of fulfill and 2a of destroy: Jesus was the only man who could measure up to and meet the requirements (fulfill - 2b, d) set forth by God to bring to an end (fulfill - 2c) the Old Covenant (The Torah – The Law) and put into effect (fulfill - 2a) the New Covenant whereby we no longer have need to follow any part of the law. Jesus did not put out of existence (destroy -2a) the law, He didn’t take a flame to the Torah and burn it nor did He rip the pages out of Scripture; they remain as record, yet Jesus fulfilled the law, bringing it to an end (fulfill – 2c). It’s really that simple. The Old Covenant is over and done, it has been done away with and the New Covenant has been put into effect, no law.
Malachi 2:14, “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.” Again I will use the marriage covenant as an example. There is a significant difference between a marriage being destroyed, and a marriage being fulfilled. In the marriage ceremony one of the vows is “’til death do us part.” This vow then being taken means this marriage, or covenant, cannot be broken unless/until one of the partners passes away. This is then the fulfillment of the covenant. Was the marriage destroyed? No, it is forever known you and your spouse were married and now, being that one has passed away, this covenant is fulfilled, yet still remembered. The living spouse is no longer held to this covenant though, even though it existed at one time, it is fulfilled and the living partner may go on living their life and even remarry if they so desire.
Colossians 2:15-17
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
So, let’s look at the law, one of the “ten commandments” even; following the Sabbath and it being a holy day. Under the law the seventh day was a day of rest, from Friday sundown to Saturday sun down, you did almost nothing. You had to prepare everything the day before the Sabbath, again, you could literally do almost nothing on the Sabbath, including leaving your house (until the Jews reinterpreted the law and said you could leave…anyway). If you did anything on the Sabbath you were to be killed (FYI – some laws, if broken, it states in the law you are to be killed, as with the Sabbath). So we see here a man who, on the Sabbath, decided to go gather sticks, let’s see what happened to him;
Numbers 15:32-36
32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
They literally killed a man just for picking up sticks on the Sabbath, he broke the law. Sunday, believe it or not, is not the Sabbath, nor was it ordained by the RCC or any other “church” to be a day or worship, but rather in accordance with things happening on the 8th day (Sunday), Apostolics chose this day to worship. Do we have to worship on Sunday? No, nowhere in Scripture does it say what day we must worship, and as a matter of fact we should praise and worship Him every day! So, knowing this, if we are to keep any part of the law, then we are to keep all of the law, and if we are to keep all of the law then we are not in agreement with Scripture, with Jesus or the apostles.
Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
“If a Gentile is converted to accept the Law and begins to observe moons, Sabbath days, eating of meats, circumcision, and other practices, this is going back into the bondage of the curse of death. For all who accept the law must be willing to accept the punishments for violations of the law. In some cases as in the Sabbath keeping, a violation is death. Yet most law-keepers do not practice the death penalties. Therefore they do not keep the law.” – Dr. (Bishop) G. Reckart.
If we go back to law keeping, in any form, we have made the death of Christ in vain: Galatians 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
There are 613 precepts to the law, if Christ only did away with the sacrificial part of the law, we are all well out of order, yet we know we are not. The law was a shadow, a schoolmaster and now it is done and over. We live by grace through faith in our great God and Saviour Jesus Messiah, not by the law. We are the Israel of God now, His Church, His chosen people.
May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our great God and Saviour Jesus Messiah.
Minister of the New Covenant
Friday, 16 July 2010
World Map
If you visit here you will see a general location of where you are on the map, and I will know too, just thought this was interesting.
Minister of the New Covenant
Minister of the New Covenant
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Jesus Never Said, "I Am God, Worship Me"
Let he that hath eyes to see, open them to the truth of the only great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh!
Recently I saw a video put out by one Sheikh Ahmad Deedat. Now, this video started out with him proving what we already know, the "trinity" is a false doctrine of men, good on him I was thinking and at first I thought he was a man from the Middle East that was maybe an Apostolic Evangelist, I have never heard of this man, then…he went on and told straight out lies. For those who sit and listen to him, how many of them actually sit and read the Scriptures for themselves, probably 99% of them do not, for they are Muslim. Those who do, do not have understanding of Scripture, even though they can quote it, just as this sheikh has no understanding but can quote from Scripture.
This sheikh stated Jesus never said He was God. If the sheikh knew and understood Scripture he would know of his lie and blasphemy. Trying to prove Jesus was only a man/prophet, he quoted Jesus saying everything He (Jesus) did was of the Father and not that of Himself, etc., etc. Well, partial understanding at least, right? No. Again, he was trying to prove Jesus was nothing but a man, only a prophet. He rebuked the virgin birth, how can God be in two places at once? On and on...I stopped watching at this point. This was getting more and more ridiculous, and what really got me was that everyone there would believe this man because he is learned. He’s an intellectual, having degrees, titles, papers, etc., a Muslim preaching to Muslims. This means absolutely nothing if you have not the understanding and the revelation of Jesus Messieh. This sheikh can quote biblical Scripture all he would like, yet he (as any other religion does that knows not the truth) twists it, perverts it, and makes personal interpretations of Scripture, without any understanding or knowledge of Scripture.
So scripture is where I will take you...
Did Jesus say He was God? He most certainly did! John 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" Philip didn't get it either, the Father (God) was in their midst, among them and teaching them, yet Philip had to be told. Jesus says, I and the Father are one (John 10:3), this is not two, not three, one! Jesus says if you have seen me you have seen the Father and now you know him (John 14:7), Jesus clearly stating He is God manifest in the flesh. And of course we all know Jesus says he is the I AM, The Almighty; Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus speaking to the Apostle John saying He (Jesus) is The Almighty.
I posted a reply to this effect, to which a Muslim man responded, "I don't want words of paul, peter, mark, luke (I only quoted Paul once in my original reply, all the rest were Jesus' very own words, notice that). I want words of Jesus straight forward that says I am God, worship me." Again, not knowing Scripture, this man didn't understand people knew who Jesus was; he didn't have to tell them, they already knew it! Here is the second and last reply (I will only reply twice to those who argue without knowledge, if I reply at all, for I have given them truth, it is now up to them to receive it or not)...
First I took him to the Book of Revelation, Jesus says He is the Almighty, and the 24 elders who sat around Him fell upon their faces and worshipped Him, and called Him God Almighty.
Rev 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus Messieh is God. Revelation 11:16-17, "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." Jesus said He is the Almighty; the 24 elders fell upon their faces and worshiped God, giving Him thanks saying, "O LORD God Almighty." Saying as well, "and art to come;" I then stated, "who is to come, and every eye shall see Him coming in the clouds, just as he left? Jesus Messieh."
I then went on to explain:
Understand He was 100% man and 100% God, and could and did switch instantly when He was talking. When you understand this: John 14:10, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." The commands and miracles Jesus said and worked, He did because God was in Him; God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus forgave the thief on the cross, only God can forgive sins. Jesus, God manifest in the flesh...
I then went on to answer his question, "Jesus Never Said, I Am God, Worship Me":
Jesus didn't have to say bow down and worship me, it was understood who He was, and many did exactly that, they bowed down and worshipped Him (Matthew 2:11, Matthew 8:2, Matthew 15:25, Luke 24:52, John 9:38, etc.). Even devils did so (Mark 5:6)! If we hold true that we are to only worship the one true God, then worshipping Jesus (if he were not God) would be idolatry, but Jesus did not rebuke anyone who worshiped Him. Thomas answered Jesus saying, "My God and my Saviour." Jesus did not rebuke Thomas. The lack of understanding, and having not the revelation of who God is, leads to words of men who will not put together Scripture, but pull verses here and there to prove their own ideologies and false doctrines, this is called Isolationism, one verse does not a bible make.
I then told him one more time:
There is but one God, who from the beginning of time knew He would have to manifest Himself to save His people (see John 1:1-14). He will come again and receive His bride unto Himself, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh.
He never replied again.
All praise, honour and glory to our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh for truth shutting the mouths of those who would lie and blaspheme Him. The truth shall ALWAYS prove Him, shall always win out!
ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN YOU ALL.
May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Great god and Saviour Jesus Messiah! May you all be blessed in His glorious, precious name!
Minister of the New Covenant
Recently I saw a video put out by one Sheikh Ahmad Deedat. Now, this video started out with him proving what we already know, the "trinity" is a false doctrine of men, good on him I was thinking and at first I thought he was a man from the Middle East that was maybe an Apostolic Evangelist, I have never heard of this man, then…he went on and told straight out lies. For those who sit and listen to him, how many of them actually sit and read the Scriptures for themselves, probably 99% of them do not, for they are Muslim. Those who do, do not have understanding of Scripture, even though they can quote it, just as this sheikh has no understanding but can quote from Scripture.
This sheikh stated Jesus never said He was God. If the sheikh knew and understood Scripture he would know of his lie and blasphemy. Trying to prove Jesus was only a man/prophet, he quoted Jesus saying everything He (Jesus) did was of the Father and not that of Himself, etc., etc. Well, partial understanding at least, right? No. Again, he was trying to prove Jesus was nothing but a man, only a prophet. He rebuked the virgin birth, how can God be in two places at once? On and on...I stopped watching at this point. This was getting more and more ridiculous, and what really got me was that everyone there would believe this man because he is learned. He’s an intellectual, having degrees, titles, papers, etc., a Muslim preaching to Muslims. This means absolutely nothing if you have not the understanding and the revelation of Jesus Messieh. This sheikh can quote biblical Scripture all he would like, yet he (as any other religion does that knows not the truth) twists it, perverts it, and makes personal interpretations of Scripture, without any understanding or knowledge of Scripture.
So scripture is where I will take you...
Did Jesus say He was God? He most certainly did! John 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" Philip didn't get it either, the Father (God) was in their midst, among them and teaching them, yet Philip had to be told. Jesus says, I and the Father are one (John 10:3), this is not two, not three, one! Jesus says if you have seen me you have seen the Father and now you know him (John 14:7), Jesus clearly stating He is God manifest in the flesh. And of course we all know Jesus says he is the I AM, The Almighty; Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus speaking to the Apostle John saying He (Jesus) is The Almighty.
I posted a reply to this effect, to which a Muslim man responded, "I don't want words of paul, peter, mark, luke (I only quoted Paul once in my original reply, all the rest were Jesus' very own words, notice that). I want words of Jesus straight forward that says I am God, worship me." Again, not knowing Scripture, this man didn't understand people knew who Jesus was; he didn't have to tell them, they already knew it! Here is the second and last reply (I will only reply twice to those who argue without knowledge, if I reply at all, for I have given them truth, it is now up to them to receive it or not)...
First I took him to the Book of Revelation, Jesus says He is the Almighty, and the 24 elders who sat around Him fell upon their faces and worshipped Him, and called Him God Almighty.
Rev 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Jesus Messieh is God. Revelation 11:16-17, "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." Jesus said He is the Almighty; the 24 elders fell upon their faces and worshiped God, giving Him thanks saying, "O LORD God Almighty." Saying as well, "and art to come;" I then stated, "who is to come, and every eye shall see Him coming in the clouds, just as he left? Jesus Messieh."
I then went on to explain:
Understand He was 100% man and 100% God, and could and did switch instantly when He was talking. When you understand this: John 14:10, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." The commands and miracles Jesus said and worked, He did because God was in Him; God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus forgave the thief on the cross, only God can forgive sins. Jesus, God manifest in the flesh...
I then went on to answer his question, "Jesus Never Said, I Am God, Worship Me":
Jesus didn't have to say bow down and worship me, it was understood who He was, and many did exactly that, they bowed down and worshipped Him (Matthew 2:11, Matthew 8:2, Matthew 15:25, Luke 24:52, John 9:38, etc.). Even devils did so (Mark 5:6)! If we hold true that we are to only worship the one true God, then worshipping Jesus (if he were not God) would be idolatry, but Jesus did not rebuke anyone who worshiped Him. Thomas answered Jesus saying, "My God and my Saviour." Jesus did not rebuke Thomas. The lack of understanding, and having not the revelation of who God is, leads to words of men who will not put together Scripture, but pull verses here and there to prove their own ideologies and false doctrines, this is called Isolationism, one verse does not a bible make.
I then told him one more time:
There is but one God, who from the beginning of time knew He would have to manifest Himself to save His people (see John 1:1-14). He will come again and receive His bride unto Himself, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh.
He never replied again.
All praise, honour and glory to our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh for truth shutting the mouths of those who would lie and blaspheme Him. The truth shall ALWAYS prove Him, shall always win out!
ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN YOU ALL.
May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Great god and Saviour Jesus Messiah! May you all be blessed in His glorious, precious name!
Minister of the New Covenant
Thursday, 8 July 2010
The Simple Truth of the Matter Is…
Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
Does it really take a piece of paper to show someone something? Just because you have a piece of paper, does it mean you know all? The answer is no, to both. Many things are revealed to us by the LORD Jesus Himself; it is a revelation from Jesus when you understand and accept there is only one God, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh. So why, when something else is revealed unto us, and it is preached and taught, do people scoff? Are people so entrenched in their belief system they can’t come out of the box and look around? Aren’t we taught to read Scripture for ourselves, and not to believe every wind of doctrine that comes in?
Ok, so what is the simple truth of the matter? Apostolic Messianic Judaism is the answer. We are Apostolic in faith and doctrine, and believe Jesus is and always has been our great God and Saviour (Messieh). The very same God of the Old Testament, manifest Himself in the flesh and became our Messiah. It’s simple really when you think about it, let’s break it down.
1. Jesus is God. He has always been God; He is the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. Jesus is the one and only living true God.
2. Jesus named His people Israel (Gen 32:28).
3. Jesus came in the flesh (Matt 1:23, I Timothy 3:16), was born the King of the Jews (Matt 2:2), and came unto His own (Israel), but they received Him not (John 1:11).
Can you see where this is leading? If you can’t I don’t think I can make it any clearer. Jesus manifest Himself in the flesh as a Jew. He followed the law, and then fulfilled the law; does this then make Judaism go away? No, the Judaism of Jesus is the only true faith. The Old Testament Judaism is now no longer required because Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, and now the new Judaism of Jesus takes its place. The New Covenant church is not a gentile church; we have become the New Israel. We are grafted into the good olive tree, and become part of the new Israel (see Romans 11). Why do people not want you to know this, to understand and believe this? It’s right there in Scripture, although, as I did for so many years, people miss it and keep on going.
Jesus did not make His Church a gentile church. Was it then some doctrine the apostles taught; certainly not. As a matter of fact they did exactly what Jesus told them to do! Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” The apostles stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Also, as we can plainly see from my quote of Scripture at the beginning of this blog, Paul clearly tells us who and what a Jew is; Romans 2:28-29, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
This is a very short blog, yet in its simplicity, it tells who we are and what we are. If you would like in-depth studies on Messianic Judaism; I suggest you look at the following: Messianic Aliyeh To The Judaism Of Jesus Messiah , Defining Judaism
Specifically The Messianic Judaism of Jesus Messieh and Antisemitism Against Messianic Judaism And Messianic Jews.
Minister of the New Covenant
Friday, 28 May 2010
It Is Finished
John 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
I have never questioned law keeping (Old Covenant/Torah). I was not aware this was an even an issue, Scripture clearly states Jesus fulfilled the law. Yet, many people to this day, who are of the Apostolic faith, still hold to the law (or rather think they do), either in part or whole. It saddens me to see this. I know of at least two separate individuals who made definitive statements we are to either keep the whole law, or only the sacrificial part of the law was fulfilled. I don’t associate anymore with the one who said we must keep to the whole law (this person has some other very off the wall doctrine as well, I can’t understand why this person bothers to say they are Apostolic, as their doctrine is not that of Christ and the Apostles). The other I hold dear to my heart, and we have had a conversation about it, but I cannot seem to change this person’s mind, even with Scripture which clears shows, no law. This is dangerous ground, for Scripture plainly states if we keep the law, then we make the death of Christ to no effect: Galatians 2:21, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
What is the law? It was the Old Covenant God made with Israel, and He gave them laws to follow. The book of the law (the Torah – the first 5 books of the Old Testament) contains 613 precepts, all of which, if you observe the law, have to be kept. If not, then you should be put to death. So I took it upon myself to educate myself further. I took a college class on the subject; I have read and reread Scripture. I pulled out my Strong’s and my Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. I have spent some considerable amount of time now on this subject and have come to the same conclusion, the only conclusion available, as the Apostles did: Acts 15:24, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:” We are not to keep the law, either in part or in whole.
Let me make this clear as well, no “gentile” was made to follow the law; the law was for the Israelites. Romans 2:14, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:” This is one case where I will say, look at the “who”, because this is important, gentiles were not included in the Old Covenant. Yes, you could convert to Judaism, but the Old Covenant along with the law, as they are hand in hand (see Exodus 34) was made between God and Israel. This is important to understand because we, as gentiles, cannot be law keepers unless we convert to Judaism, and as such, would no longer be Christians.
Now, the law was discussed by the Apostles in Acts 15:1-11. They held a meeting, and in this meeting in Jerusalem, the Apostles came to the conclusion the gentiles were not to be held to the law. It was determined that salvation can only be through faith in Jesus Christ, and the grace of God would be without practice of the law. They then sent out a letter which clearly states no one should keep the law or be circumcised. Acts 15:24, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”
It is clear; we are not to keep the law, not one iota of it. The only reason it was ever under debate was because the Jews thought it to be so, the Pharisees and the scribes of the day. Acts 15:5, “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” But those who knew better, stood against them, and Peter said no, this is not the case (Acts 15:7-11). The Pharisee said the Law of Moses, notice this Pharisee did not say, “This part or that part of the law must be kept,” but “…to keep the law of Moses.” This is the entire law, all 613 precepts, to include the death penalty for anyone who did not follow the law!
Paul observed Peter doing something which was wrong, and not only did he tell him as much, he did it publically so all would know the law is not to be followed, any of it.
Galatians 2:11-16
11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Acts 13:38-39
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
We cannot be justified by the law, in any way. We are not made righteous by the law, yet we have been brought into a relationship with the Lord through our faith in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is inaccessible by submission to any law, or by man’s own merit or any other form than faith in Jesus. II Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as the fulfillment of the whole of His requirements (the Old Covenant/the law).
Romans 4:8-40
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Abraham was not circumcised when he received the Abrahamic Covenant, it was later used as a seal or sign of the covenant. Because of Abraham’s faith he received the covenant; so all of us, who by faith believe on the LORD Jesus, shall also be heirs in the promise (covenant).
Marriage is a good example of a covenant and what happens when it (the covenant) is fulfilled. When two people enter into a marriage, they enter into a covenant (Mal 2:14). The fulfillment of this covenant is when one of the partners passes away. When this happens, the covenant has been fulfilled (“’til death do us part”), the marriage is over, it no longer exists, it is finished, sound familiar? John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” When Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, it was finished, done, over.
Hebrews 8:10, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:” He has written it upon our hearts, no longer are there stone tablets with commands on them which we must follow, for God has put them in our minds and in our hearts.
For one last emphasis on not following the law, let’s look at the Sabbath, which we do not follow. Exodus 34:21, “Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.” This is the commandment written upon the tablet which was placed into the Ark of the Covenant, a little different than what you see in the “10 Commandments”, yet this is the one, again, that was written on the tablet. Question: How many of us do not do anything, including cooking, leaving home, cleaning, any “work” at all, from Friday night ‘til Saturday night (no Sunday sun up to sundown is not the Sabbath). This was the observance of the Sabbath, 24 hours of doing nothing, you were to rest. All food had to be prepared the day before. You couldn’t even collect sticks, or you were put to death:
Numbers 15:32-36
32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Our rest (Sabbath) is now found in Jesus. Hebrews 4:10, “For he that is entered into his rest {Sabbath}, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” Let no man judge you on observance of any holy day, including observing the Sabbath. Colossians 2:16, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” Once again it is clear, the law, including the 10 Commandments, was fulfilled by Jesus at Calvary.
If we say we must abide by any of the law, including what most call the “10 Commandments”, for they are part of the law, then again, we make Christ’s death in vain.
May God bless you!
Be encouraged –
Minister of the New Covenant
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
One God, One Salvation
Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”
There is but one God
Jesus declares this: Mark 12:29-31, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Ephesians: Ephesians 4:5-6, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Mark 12:32 tells us: “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:”
Deuteronomy 6:4 states: "The Lord our God is ONE Lord."
Scripture repeatedly states there is one God, and this God is our Saviour, our Father, and our Comforter. God states in Isaiah (as he spoke through the Prophet Isaiah): Isaiah 44:8, “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” The one thing God does not know, another God. How that is then anyone knowing there is only one God, would then believe in other “gods”? There were no gods formed before Him or after Him (Isaiah 43:10). This is stressed over and over again, to the point you can’t miss the fact that God is trying to get across the point, one God, and one God only, I am He, and I am Jesus Messieh (Rev 1:8). All the prophets, the Apostles, every saint in the Holy Bible, only believed in one God.
There is only one throne in heaven, and only One sits upon that throne (Revelation 4:2), our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh (Titus 2:13).
God is our Saviour
Isaiah 43:11, “I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour.” God died for us: I John 3:16, “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.” How did God accomplish this? God manifest Himself in the flesh: I Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” The Prophet Isaiah foretold of the coming of God in the flesh when he wrote these words: Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” As well, Isaiah states in Isaiah 25:9, “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
In the Gospel of John, John makes it crystal clear who Jesus is, from the beginning:
John 1:1-14
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
In this we can see the Word (Logos, NOT the Son of God), has always existed. This word, the plan of salvation for all mankind, Jesus Messieh dying on the cross taking on all man’s sins and defeating death, is uttered by a living voice (God’s voice), it embodies a conception or idea, it’s a part of God. Just as if I were to say something, those words are mine, my thoughts are mine, not separate from me, but a part of me, expressed by me, and me only. We know God created the world by speaking it into existence, it didn’t just appear. Now, this Word, God’s thought, His plan, is put into action and God takes on a human body, manifest in the flesh, and he lived among us.
There is but One Path to Salvation
Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Indeed we are saved by grace, yet so many fail to read the very next line of text, “through faith”. So many times I have written you must act upon your faith! But I get ahead of myself, let’s go through some of Jesus’ ministry and see what He had to say about salvation.
Jesus talks with Nicodemus:
John 3:1-7
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Jesus states in no uncertain terms, you cannot see the kingdom of God if you are not born again of water and Spirit; unless a person is born again of water and Spirit, a person cannot enter into the kingdom of God, “Ye must be born again.”
Jesus again talks about baptism as a must: Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Jesus tells the Disciples what to do:
Luke 24:46-48
46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48And ye are witnesses of these things.
Jesus tells them he has to suffer, die and rise again, and that REPENTANCE (A change of mind, as it appears to one who repents of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done. {To repent [repentance - metanoia, 'change of mind'] involves a turning with remorse from sin to God; the repentant sinner is now ready for remission of sins.}) and REMISSION (aphesis – forgiveness or pardon, of sins, remission of the penalty {letting them go as if they had never been committed}) OF SINS be preached in HIS NAME among ALL NATIONS.
Repentance (Repent) - How can you come to God if you don’t repent? You must turn from sin, God tells us to be Holy because He is holy (Leviticus 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:16). We are saved from our sin, not in our sin. This is the first step toward salvation. We turn from sin and turn to God, knowing we are sinners and sorry for our sins, looking to God now to forgive us.
Remission of sin(s) - This is the next step one must take. How does one receive remission of sins? It’s certainly not by the mouth, for by the mouth we confess our sins, this is where we say we are sinners and now we need to receive remission of these said sins. This is water baptism in Jesus name. To ensure you are now one of God’s elect, one of God’s chosen, if you haven’t already (and if you have already received the Holy Ghost, you better run down to the nearest true Acts 2:38 Apostolic church and get baptized in Jesus’ name!). Now your you have no sin(s), washed by the blood of the Lamb as white as snow, though your sins were red like crimson they are gone, you are clean, white as snow and wool (Isaiah 1:18).
The Gift of the Holy Ghost – You will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the infilling of the Holy Spirit occurs, again, if you haven’t already.
Where does all this come together? “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” – Acts 2:38. Many people think they have the right or the responsibility to reinterpret this verse. They claim it’s legalism or law-keeping, forcing people to do something, stating no faith or grace can be received by this because it doesn’t match up with their belief system, their theology.
I mentioned we are saved by grace, through faith, and that is a fact. We have to step out in faith, act upon our faith. Once the revelation of Jesus is received, act on your faith. The grace is not imputed to anyone who just confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, anyone can say Jesus is God, and many do (even the devils believe and tremble! – James 2:19), yet they have not repented, they have not had their sins washed away and they have not the Holy Ghost! When someone has repented, been baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Spirit by faith they are saved by grace through faith. The person relies on Jesus only for salvation, by faith and by grace.
Act of Faith Grace Recevied
--------------- ---------------------
Repentance Forgiveness of sins
Baptism in Jesus’ Name All sins washed away
Receive the Holy Ghost Life eternal with God
Ephesians 4:4-6
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
There is but one God, our great God and Saviour Jesus Messieh, and but one baptism, in His glorious name!
May God bless you!
Be encouraged -
Minister of the New Covenant
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