Tag: spiritual truth

The Thief Cometh (Part 2 of 2)

October 17, 2022

We left off discussing what the enemy is after in your life (faith), the importance of faith to you and God, the devil’s mission to steal and derail your faith, and the role hope plays in this walk of faith. We will carry on here and dive into four areas in this concluding piece – hopelessness, God’s mercy, the role God’s blood plays in His mercy, and our reaction when confronted with all three.

Hopelessness – God’s Pathway to Greatness?

From the surface, it appears that any hopeless situation one would encounter in life can offer no truly positive benefit or outcome. Is this a true statement? Let’s look into the lives of three Biblical examples (there are more) and see if it is.

The life of Jephthah is recorded in the Book of Judges (chapters 11 & 12). Jephthah entered his world with some major disadvantages. Jephthah was an illegitimate child, the son birthed between his father Gilead, and a harlot (Jdg 11:1). Because of this, he was rejected by his family and forced to flee home to the city of Tob. It looked like a hopeless situation for the young man. However, there came a time when the Ammonites decided to make war with Israel. (Note: Ammon, father of the Ammonites, was the offspring produced between the union of Lot and his youngest daughter (Benammi – “son of Lot” Gen 19:38), and like Jephthah, a complicated birth experience).

However, there was something burned in Jephthah’s spirit that distinguished him from his peers – according to the Bible, he was “a mighty man of valour” (Jud 11:1). That distinction got the attention of the elders of Gilead who asked Jephthah to become their leader in the defeat of the Ammonites. Jephthah accepted the offer, relocated back to his hometown of Gilead, and proceeded to singlehandedly (remember Samson?) defeat the children of Ammon (Jud 11:33).

What looked like a hopeless situation for Jephthah turned out to be his pathway to greatness. One interesting note is the translation of Tob (the city where Jephthah sought refuge from his shame and rejection) in Hebrew is the word “good” in English. Jephthah may have never understood how anything “good” could become of his life, but God has the ability to turn the tables of adversity around and shine His hope into the hopelessness of any situation.

Now, let’s turn our attention to another man in the Bible who also encountered a literal “hopeless” situation. His name is the Apostle Paul. Paul was on a voyage to Rome when a terrific storm named Euroclydon swept through the Mediterranean Sea and wrought havoc on those on the ship:

And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. Acts 27:20

Note the Bible records that “all hope” was “taken away“. That describes a hopeless situation friend. And God allowed it. And He allowed it to happen to one of His chosen vessels. Why? It forced Paul to dig out something he had never excavated in his spirit – overcoming faith that summoned angels into a hopeless situation (Act 27:23-24). The end result was a miraculous deliverance, miraculous healings (Act 28:8-9), and the continuation of God’s perfect will for Paul’s life.

Lastly. let’s travel back in time to a place called Calvary in 33 A.D and observe this scene. What do we see? We see three men hanging on crosses. The man in the middle Is Jesus Christ, falsely accused of the crime of blaspheming God (Jhn 10:33). Jesus is flanked by two other men, thieves justly accused of crimes they did commit. It looked like a hopeless situation for all involved for they knew death was just moments away. But here is where something buried very deep inside of them is revealed no other way nor can it appear in any other fashion. What is this thing? It is called faith. Faith is very powerful. So powerful in fact that it can transcend the iron-bared chambers of life’s darkest, hopeless, and most inescapable caverns.

One thief (we can surmise on Jesus’ right hand) refused to be conquered by his hopelessness. How? By his faith in Jesus’ kingship, authority, and the promise of eternal life to those who believe in him. This thief simply believed Jesus’ words of hope:

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Luke 23:42

Amazingly, it was this condemned criminal (of all people) who brought strength and encouragement to the Savior of the world when he needed it most. The one thief asked Jesus for forgiveness. He believed in Jesus’ kingship and his message of the hope of eternal life. This one thief understood the reason for his punishment but was bewildered why Jesus, a perfect man in his thinking, was being unjustly punished for things he did not commit (Luk 23:41). One thief made a difference and it’s been written that this man had the revelation of Jesus’ deity (God in flesh) and his resultant power over death that his own disciples had not yet embraced (Luk 24:11; Mar 16:14; Joh 20:25). And this one thief asked for and received forgiveness including eternal life (Paradise – Luk 23:43). One thief had faith in Jesus’ message while the other rejected him:

And one of the malefactors who were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. Luke 23:39

The passage of time and its ensuing impact on life (Ecc 3:1-8) can be the catalyst for interesting and dramatic changes, even in hopeless situations. As these three examples show, it is not over until God says, “it’s over”!

Do not ever think that if you or someone you know facing hopelessness it is a curse, punishment, or judgment from God. In some cases that may be true. Even then, we must understand that God is always looking for the best outcome in any given situation. God’s desire is for ALL (that means everyone) to be saved! (II Pet 3:9) It has been said that God will always choose His mercy over judgment if, in his foreknowledge, the outcome will lead someone closer to him.

The Power of The Blood

The definition of power can be viewed from different angles. The classic dictionary defines the word “power” as the “ability to act or produce an effect, capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect” (Source: Merriam-Webster). In the physical realm, power can also be defined as the measurement of the rate of change to a physical state. In its most simplistic terms, something powerful can change something in a very short amount of time. Let’s use explosives as an example. The hammer of a toy cap gun can strike a small circle of red phosphorous and potassium chlorate (i.e., Armstrong’s mixture) meshed between a layer of thin tissue. The friction generated by the hammer strike will set off a small explosion and resultant heat that burns the cap tissue. The change is measured in the degree of energy (i.e., heat) generated and the force exerted by the expansion of gas generated by the small explosion.

Now. Increase the amount and chemical formula of the explosive material used in a toy cap gun to a more powerful compound such as TNT. TNT is a common explosive used in mining, military weapons, and oil extraction (i,e., hydraulic “fracking” and other applications). TNT is also a standard of measurement used to gauge the energy output of another destructive force – nuclear weapons. The nuclear explosion in WWII in Hiroshima, Japan was equivalent to 15kt (15,000 tons) of TNT. That bomb’s energy output was responsible for the immediate death of 70,000 civilians; wooden structures within 1 1/4 miles from its epicenter were immediately destroyed and wind speeds were 10x that of a Category 12 typhoon.

In these examples, we’ve moved from the physical change generated by a toy cap gun to that of a “powerful” nuclear explosion. The rate of change to the physical surroundings between a toy can gun in comparison to that of an atomic bomb in Hiroshima is astronomical – power as the measurement of the rate of change (i.e., effect) to the physical world.

Let’s move this discussion of power and its effect in transforming physical phenomena into a spiritual context. Medical science can perform many amazing transformations such as heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas, and intestine transplants. But ONLY God can perform a mind transplant! Only God knows our hearts. And God has the capacity to, in many instances, “instantaneously change” a heart/mind from one that is destructive, depressed, evil, immoral, self-centered, guilt-ridden, jealous, bitter, perverted, or confused into a mind that is healed with thoughts infused with love, peace, joy, goodwill, compassion, kindness, gentleness and HOPE.

That is power in action. How does He do this? By washing you in the blood of Jesus through water baptism and by the infilling of his Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost! God’s spirit is powerful! And the blood of Jesus is the powerful agent that washes away all our sin and makes us, as the song of old says:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The morning after this section was written, I opened up a book I’d been reading (The Wisdom and The Power of The Cross) and this paragraph stared right at me:

“The ushering in of the nuclear age is a poor comparison to the historic moment of Christ’s resurrection when a powerful force of non-matter entered into the order of matter and energized molecules into life. Jesus’ resurrection is His title to headship.  He rose in might, power, and majesty”. As the author uses Jesus’ resurrection as an example, God’s power and His exercise over life simply cannot be produced or replicated by man-made devices or inventions. There is unmeasurable power in the blood and in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Heaven’s Mercy Seat – Mercy Perfected & Salvation Eternally Secured

For Jesus to come back from death a living, breathing human being one thing had to happen. It should be noted that Jesus was not some mystified, virtual-angelic manifestation of a human being after his resurrection. Jesus walked the earth in human form after his resurrection just like he did before his crucifixion (Luk 24:39-40, Joh 20:19-20, 27). Therefore, in the process of Jesus’ resurrection from death’s grip, somewhere during that process his body’s blood was regenerated. The purpose of bringing this up is when Jesus departed earth for the last time, he ascended to Heaven with blood flowing through his glorified body. So, when Jesus touched the mercy seat in Heaven, his blood in essence also touched that seat and forever sealed for us an “eternal” salvation (Heb 5:9).

Before the creation of the Heaven and the earth, God couldn’t manifest His mercy because the presence of a blood sacrifice is required to remit sins and is needed for the provision of mercy. Otherwise, God would have been obligated to offer that mercy to Lucifer and all of the rebellious angels. This was not possible. There was no provision for the forgiveness of sins in Heaven, never was nor never shall be. In God’s plan, the earth would be the location to heal the sin problem, the void sin created in Heaven (Lucifer’s rebellion), and the sins on earth (Adam’s original sin and its subsequent aftereffects). The Bride of Christ, Jesus’ church, when raptured will fill that void in Heaven. God has a plan, and His plan never fails.

The very word “mercy seat” has its origins in a word that refers to blood and its ability to forgive sins – propitiation. The Greek word propitiation used in Hebrews 9:5 is ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion) which is translated as “to atone for sin, mercy seat”. Propitiation is the price God determined that would cover the penalty for sin. Jesus, of course, was the propitiation for the sins of all mankind and Jesus paid the price for those sins when he laid down his life on the cross (Act 26:18; Rom 3:25; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14).

Blood & The Mercy Seat

Of all the attributes God embraces, mercy and love are perhaps two aspects of His being that are most glorious and magnificent. And love and mercy are twin sisters that appear numerous times together (10x) in the scriptures (Exo 20:6; Deu 5:10, 7:9; Neh 1:5; Dan 9:4; Mic 6:8; Eph 2:4; II jhn 1:3; Jud 1;2, 2:1).

As a sidebar, the number 10 is significant in the Bible (https://jesusalive.cc/number-ten-significance-in-bible/). Among other things, the number “10” is a number of completeness and appears in the Creation account, construction of the law and the tabernacle, God’s judgment (I Sam 25:38; Est 9:13), worship (Psa 92:3, 144:9), testing/trials (Dan 1:12, 14, 15; Rev 2:10), and the endtime (Dan 7:10, 20 & 24; Rev 5:11, 12:3, 13:1, 17:3, 7,, 12  & 16).

In addition to love, God’s mercy cannot be separated from one other thing – God’s blood. The O.T. provided a “temporary” way for God to show His mercy by forgiving the sins of His people for one more year. This was accomplished through the sacrifice of bulls, goats, and lambs as the shedding of blood were always God’s requirement for forgiving sins (Lev 16:34, 17:11).

According to God’s word we know that “things” existing on earth are simply examples, figures, and shadows of things already existing in Heaven. (Heb 9:9, 24). The animal (blood) sacrifice, the tabernacle, and the law on earth were already well established in Heaven. Only the completion of God’s will in time separated them from their eternal existence and ultimate prophetic fulfillment upon the earth.

A blood sacrifice was always a requirement to address the sin issue. And the presence of blood is also required for the exercise of God’s mercy. This is why the high priest would sprinkle the blood of a bullock and a goat on the mercy seat located in the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:14-15). Indeed, the very act of this “sprinkling” was a prophetic foretelling of the blood the coming eternal high priest, Jesus Christ (Heb 4:14, 5:9-10), would shed for the sins of all mankind (Heb 9:11-12, 9:22) and occupy the mercy seat in Heaven. Even the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy (Rev 19:10).

The Blood Always Demands This One Thing

There is something about the precious, pure, perfect, priceless, and powerful blood of Jesus that cannot be dismissed. And that is the blood of Jesus always demands a response. When confronted with the sinless blood of the Perfect Lamb of God, a response will be demanded of you. It requires a decision of which there are only two possibilities – repentance or rejection (rebellion). We will either repent upon knowing the Savior shed his blood for our sins. Or we will reject and rebel against the blood’s effectiveness because of unbelief or impenitence.

A response was demanded from the two thieves next to Jesus as he hung on a cross bleeding from his hands, feet, and back. And they did respond. One made the right choice and the other a very bad one (Luk 23:39).

It All Comes Down To One Question – Which Thief Am I?

As mentioned in part 1 of this series, the cross of Jesus Christ is the defining event in human history. No other event in all of time compares to what transpired on Calvary’s hill – the death of our Savior, God manifested in flesh. And when confronted with the sinless blood that flowed from that cross, as with the two thieves surrounding Jesus, we too are forced to answer one question – Which thief am I?

You may ask: What are we stealing? We are stealing from God’s sovereign right over the totality of our being. Which is the complete and total surrender of our human will to His will. It always comes down to just one word and a big word at that. What is the word? It is CONTROL. It’s always about control – who is really in control over our lives, us or the Lord? If it’s us, then we are convicted as a thief in God’s court of justice and righteousness.

Self-will is nothing more than self, seeking the gold of glory – in self. It is the root of all evil and was the original sin. The original sin did not take place on earth. The original sin took place in Heaven when Lucifer desired to “steal” God’s glory (Isa 14:12-14). The original sin was the attempted theft of God’s glory. God called it iniquity (Eze 28:15). It is the sin of “seeking self-glory” (i.e., pride) and not seeking the God of glory, for the glory of God, who is worthy of ALL THE GLORY. And that same sin bled into the human race when Adam rebelled against God’s word.

There is purpose in life’s tumultuous and tragic happenings and times of sheer hopelessness. Out-of-control life situations reveal one thing – who truly is in control? At times the Lord brings storms to show that our trust must be in him and not in ourselves or in those around us.

Like the two thieves next to Jesus, there will be two groups of people at the end of time standing before God’s right and left hands. Like the one thief who asked for forgiveness, one group, the true believers who relinquish all self-control, will be redeemed and rewarded with eternal life. And one like the other thief, a group of unrepentant, unforgiving, unbelieving souls rewarded with a just sentence – God’s judgment (eternal death).

Shall He Find Faith?

There is a parable of Jesus recorded in the Book of Luke that we call the Parable of the Unjust Judge. Here is a situation where Jesus describes a real-life struggle between a judge and a poor widow who is facing a hopeless situation. However, this interplay between a cold professional and a broken widow is not the only message being communicated by the Lord. There is also an underlying thread of truth that Jesus wants to convey here. And it is the central subject weaving thru these two installments – the vital importance of faith, especially not losing faith during times of hopelessness. Here is the key verse:

I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8

There are at least two hidden questions Jesus is asking us in this verse: what kind of faith is he speaking of here and why will this be? From the surface, we generally assume Jesus is referring to faith “in general”, that is, will there be any faith at all upon the earth when Jesus returns? However, this is actually not the full essence of what Jesus is asking. We know this by looking at the word “shall” in the verse.

The English word “shall” is a translation of the Greek word ἆρα (ara) and appears only 3x in the N.T. (Strongs G687), and in each case, the word precedes a condition where a negative response is expected (see Acts 8:30 & Gal 2:17). Jesus is talking about “God faith” here, the kind of faith needed during the endtime, a time of great tribulation and chaos. To clarify the point, here are two other versions of the scripture:

I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?” Message Bible

Yet, the Son of Man having come, will He find the aforementioned kind of faith on the earth? Wuest

Jesus is asking if great faith, God-faith, white knuckled-like faith as the widow in the parable be present on the earth because of the state of hopelessness occurring during the tribulation period and endtime. Jesus also alludes to this same state of affairs when he stated that the opening of iniquity’s floodgates right before he returns will cause the love of many to “wax cold” (Mat 24:12).

When the curtain of time is drawn shut will I be the redeemed thief, repentant, asking for forgiveness, with overcoming faith, forgiving those doing the punishing, and believing in the One whose message of hope, truth, and light still reverberates throughout the hopelessness surrounding earth?

There will always be two thieves next to Jesus, one believing, yielding, and forgiven, the other unbelieving, self-willed, and unforgiven.

When faced with the precious blood of Jesus I must ask myself this one question: Which thief am I?

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:6-7

Love – God’s Greatest Weakness?

August 28, 2021

For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. 2 Corinthians 13:4

Weakness – dfn. lack of physical strength; lack of power, influence, or strength of character; a weak point in a system or somebody’s character. (Source: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

Can God be weak? Is it possible for the great God of glory to exhibit any weaknesses? Or can God “choose” to be weak to achieve a much greater purpose and cause? One thing is certain and one thing we all agree upon is that love is weak. Love does not operate from a position of power or strength. Love assumes the position of weakness, giving instead of taking and being the recipient of pain versus the one causing the pain, And the list goes on. That stated, how do we respond when the Bible says that “God is love” (I Jn 4:8,16). If God is love and love is weak then what does this say about God’s person, nature, and Being?

As we probe this a little further we will find out that God does and always has a plan. And His plans are perfect. And His plans have always centered around one goal and purpose – to show all of creation how magnificent, how wonderful, and how glorious He really is (Ps 145:10-11, Is 6:3, Col 1:16, Rev 4:11). And we will discover that this whole subject of weakness has an astounding ending. Let’s dive into this a little.

 The Progressive Works of God

In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth in a miraculous display of creative power. We know that, but what we sometimes forget or do not think about is that these acts of creative power were not conclusive.  After each day of creation God said that “it was good” six times (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21 & 25). The number ‘six’ is the number of man, the number of incompletion. This tells us something. It tells us that God had something else planned that would supersede His “good”. What is that? The answer is God’s ‘best’. God said that His acts of creation were good. What God did not say was that He was “finished” with His work of creation. It would take 6,000 years before He would say that his work of creation on earth was “finished”.

God’s way of revealing His character and will through HIs sovereign acts and ways is progressive in nature (Is 28:10, 13). His plans unfold the way photographs were originally made. Photographs used to be formed after light-sensitive photographic paper was immersed a chemical bath called a “developing solution” after being exposed to a light source projected through a film negative. Images would slowly emerge over the paper’s surface while the solution swished over its surface until the entire scene photographed appeared. Such is the revelation of God, a step-by-step progression of events unfolding to culminate into the complete understanding and knowledge of all that God is.

Progressive Steps – A Man, A Family, A Nation & A World

God’s first step in revealing His character and nature started with a single man, Adam. Adam, the first created being made in God’s image was his first choice to begin exposing who He was through communication and fellowship. Adam failed in fulfilling all that God planned for him because of disobedience. So, as God always does, He moved on. God then chose a family to work with and continue to unfold his perfect plan and will. The man was Noah and he found grace in the sight of God (Gen 6:8). The Lord worked through Noah and his family to preserve a remnant of mankind from judgment (the flood) looming over earth’s inhabitants. After Noah and his offspring fulfilled their God-given role He moved on to something bigger – a nation.

The Lord chose the people of the nation of Israel (through the faith of Abraham) as the next step to reveal His will. The Lord started what would be a journey of almost 2,000 years to prepare a people who would glorify Him and be a witness of his power, mercy, goodness, and grace to a darkened world. Again, the plan fell short of its intended expectations. Israel would eventually become divisive, indifferent to the ways of God, and fall into relative oblivion amongst the nations of the earth.

After failing to achieve perfection yet again, God in his last and final attempt to fulfill His perfect plan decided to take matters into his own hands. This final plan would supersede all others in scope and power and go beyond the limitations of human futility, family frailty, and national hostility. God’s final and perfect plan would encompass the entire world and involve all of Heaven, including Himself!

But God faced a dilemma. Because of the nature of this final plan Heaven could not be its launching pad or its operations center. Why? Because this plan demanded a part of God that He had up to this point not revealed. This final plan demanded God’s total and complete commitment of His love and forgiveness only attainable through profound weakness. And He was up to the challenge.

Earth – The Manifestation of God’s Greatest Weakness, The Perfection of God’s Magnificent Power

Heaven is a place of eternity and timelessness where demonstrations and exhibitions of God’s glory, might, and power are on full display. Heaven is not a place for weakness. When God determined it was time to manifest and reveal the most glorious aspects of His character, nature, and being He would have to do it at some other place and in some other form. And He did. It is the place we know as planet Earth. God designed earth for two purposes; to heal the breach of sin in Heaven (Lucifer’s rebellion) and on earth (Adam’s fall/man’s sin) and to reveal to all of Creation the glory of His character and the manifestation of His greatness weakness – His love. To gather together IN ONE “all things in Christ” (Eph 1:10).

He began the process on earth as a child in the “likeness of sinful (weak) flesh”:

And the angel said unto her, 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 1:30-33

God himself stepped beyond the curtain of Heaven’s glory and power to become weak, weak like you and me. However, he did it unlike you and I. He became flesh and lived without committing sin. Jesus was truly the Lamb of God. Perfect. Sinless. Blameless. Guiltless.

First, we need to ask a question: Was Jesus really weak?

He became sin who knew no sin (Is 53:12; II Cor 5:21)
He laid down his life so others might take their life up (Luk 22:19-20; Rom 8:32; I Jn 3:16)
He chose death so others might have life (Joh 10:15-18)
He became poor so others might be rich (II Cor 8:9)
He relinquished his God-given power so others might be empowered by it (Mark 5:37-39; Joh 7:37-39; Acts 1:8, 2:38)
He was a lamb before a merciless company of fearless beasts (Is 53:7; Mark 15:32)
He was speechless and defenseless while being falsely accused (Mark 15:3-5)
He loved and forgave the who betrayed him (Mark 14:18-21;  Luk 22:47-48)
He loved and forgave all who hated him and were ashamed of him (Luk 23:34)

Can we conclude that Jesus indeed chose weakness over power? Is that not how true love is supposed to work?

God’s plans are foolproof. If he fails to accomplish something one way, He will always have something operating behind the scenes that will come through when needed.

Satan thinks he has it all figured out. He believes his dominion over the world is unchallengeable, his death threat forever intact and his plan of deception and destruction over mankind unequaled. Being the father of lies (Joh 8:44) he is the chief deceiver, deceived, and dead wrong.

There is one thing Satan never experienced in Heaven nor will he ever understand about God. And that is: God’s weakness and the profound love of God birthed in that weakness. Satan and his hordes of fallen angels are completely dumbfounded by continually being defeated by the power of God’s love. God’s love has the capacity (unlike any other agent known on earth) to attract the human soul beyond sin’s gravitational pull and cause it to fall in total surrender before its Creator. As one lady radio announcer phrased it: “God’s love is the most compelling force in the entire universe”. It most definitely is.

And here is how. God’s power is perfected in weakness:

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

The word “strength” in this verse is the Greek word “δύναμις” [dunamis] which is translated into English as “force” or specifically, “miraculous power”. The word “dynamite” is derived from this same Greek word. What does this all mean?

This tells us that God, in the most infinitely weak form possible, came to this earth in the “likeness” of sinful flesh to perfect His power. God became infinitely weak through his death on a cross so that He might become …………. infinitely powerful! So powerful in fact that Jesus is now worthy to receive all of the fullness of God’s glory, might, and honor – “even in him” (Eph 1:10). Now that is something to get excited about.

God’s perfect will was to manifest Himself in weakness as the Son (flesh) of God on earth to offer salvation to a fallen world through his sinless blood and give the hope of eternal rest (life) to those under the power of sin and death by the god of this world. It was through this sacrificial act that God revealed to the world the most magnificent and profound nature of His person being – His deep, profound love.

From “It Is Good” to “It Is Finished” – Jesus, Our Seventh Day Of Eternal Rest

As mentioned at the outset, God said after each act of creation the words “it is good” (6x). This tells us that God had one more act of creation to perform – an act to bring everything full circle and complete His final, perfect plan waiting to unfold from the beginning of time.

God in the Old Testament rested on the seventh day from His work of creation (Gen 2:1-3) and also reserved this day for mankind’s physical rest (Mar 2:27). In the New Testament, Jesus offers those who believe and trust in him a new life with a new beginning (2 Cor 5:17).

What was that final act or work of perfection God needed to perform?

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:34  

The death of Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb of God and Savior of the world was God’s final ‘work’ that fulfilled the Father’s will and ‘finished’ His creative plan on earth:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. John 19:30 

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (the Gospel) ushered in the promised spiritual “rest” through the infilling of the Holy Ghost, prophesied by Joel and fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Joel 2:28-29

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Isaiah 28:12

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:9-11

We are entering 7,000 years, or 7 days of creation, since Genesis 1:1. The second coming of Jesus Christ to earth can be seen as the seventh day from creation offering mankind the gift of eternal ‘spiritual’ rest (Mat 11:28-29; Heb 3:11; Rev 14:13).

In conclusion, God’s perfected power is expressed and manifested in the form of the God-man Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of that perfected power and rules “at God’s right hand” in the seat of Heaven having all authority and power over all of Creation (Rev 1:12-18). All because of weakness and all because of love. God’s love. For God is love.

Be Blessed & Be Free in Jesus’ Name. Amen

(Credit: Photo of baby & finger)

Stripped, Shamed & Shackled

July 4, 2021

And having spoiled (stripped) principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly (shamed), triumphing (shackled) over them in it. Colossians 2:15

He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets. The Message Bible

Today in America we celebrate July 4th – Independence Day. It is a day to reflect and consider our nation’s greatest attribute, our freedom and independence over tyranny. “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice FOR ALL”.

We know that these two seven-lettered words did not and do not come without a cost and a very high price. We stand as a nation of relative freedom and liberty because of the sacrifice of men and women who endured two world wars, an economic collapse, conflicts in the Middle East, political and ideological uprisings in far places of the world all for the purpose of keeping these underlying principles intact in our nation. 

It is said there is a heavenly component intertwined in each and every earthly event. What transpires in earthly, physical happenings are the direct result of powers and forces occupying the spiritual sphere. Jesus himself asserted: “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven“. (Mat 18:18) This constant interplay between the earth and heaven will one day end (Rev Ch. 21). But until then, we are in the middle of the greatest power struggle in God’s creative universe – the battle for the soul; your soul, your family’s souls and the souls of your friends and neighbors. And the one who survives this epic battle and power struggle is determined by who and what is ultimately permanently stripped, shamed and shackled. Let’s dive into this a little bit more. 

Enemy Warfare Tactics – Stripping, Shaming & Shackling

The two key components in warfare operate at two levels – the physical and the psychological (mental). Which is the most powerful? You are right, the mental aspect of conflict. If your enemy becomes mentally defeated, you have won the war. The enemy of our soul, satan, understands this concept very well The human mind is in the crosshairs of his spiritual sniper scope to launch his campaigns of frustration, hopelessness, fatigue, offenses, strife and confusion. 

The first level of attack is physical in nature and involves a process of uncovering to expose weaknesses, vulnerabilities or failures. An example of this is seen in the account of King David’s servants and the Ammonites:

Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. 2 Samuel 10:4  

The Ammonites stripped David’s servants of their beards and clothes. What effect did this have on their morale and mental state? You guessed it:

When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. 2 Samuel 10:5  

The men were shamed and subsequently decommissioned (shackled) for several months until their confidence and self-value was restored. 

The same strategy was used against Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden:

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked (stripped); and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3:7  

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself (shamed). Genesis 3:10  

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken (shackled). Genesis 3:23  

 Satan uses these same tactics against us:

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep. Psalm 64:5-6

Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Psalms 35:4

But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: Psalms 35:15

Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. Psalms 35:26

And Satan used the same strategy against Jesus. First he was stripped:

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. Matthew 27:28 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27:31 

Then Jesus was shamed:

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! John 19:5 

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2  

And lastly Jesus was shackled:

And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. John 19:17-18

Jesus – The Master of Turning Tables Around

Jesus was known to turn a few tables over (Joh 2:15), but he also turned some tables “around”. Around that is on the devil. What Satan did to Jesus, Jesus turned right around and used the same tactics against him. 

First Jesus ‘stripped” Satan of his power over death:

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Mat 28:2  
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Mat 28:5-6  

Jesus’ resurrection tilted and shifted the power and authority structures in heaven and in earth. Jesus stripped satan of his power over death and forever proved who now ruled kingdoms in heaven and on earth. Satan would now no longer be death’s gregarious, arrogant power broker. His strutting and bold, arrogant triumphant parading of the death threat over God’s creation ended when Jesus ‘stripped’ him of death’s power by conquering and defeating it in a darkened tomb three days after his crucifixion.

Jesus ascended up into the Heaven’s in a glorified body and seated on the righthand (symbolism of ultimate power) of God (Mk 16:19, Lk 22:69).

This stripping and resulting humiliation brought shame to satan and his hordes of cursed, ungodly spirits. And shame always fills voids left by pretense, baseless authority and vain boasting. What is their shame? Jesus, the light of truth, exposes Satan and his hordes of who they really are. They are fallen spirits  (Jude 1:6), with no hope and destined for eternal punishment (Rev 20:10). Jesus’ church, those born of water and the spirit have living inside of them the exact same Spirit that was in Jesus (Rom 8:11). “Born again” believers now have the power and authority to expose these spirits and take authority over them (Lk 9:1, Mk 16:17-18). 

It was customary for the Roman army to take the vanquished and defeated foes and march and parade them through the city streets to humiliate and shame them. It was described as “triumphing” over them. 

Jesus did the exact same thing Satan did to him when he defeated the spiritual kingdom of darkness and made his ascent to heaven: 

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:15

What was the prize? The prize was the stripping and shackling of a spiritual authority structure of gifts that shifted from the heavenly sphere to the earth. Jesus stripped, shamed and shackled these spirits, and in turn, took gifts originally intended to minister to him in Heaven (fallen angelic spirits now demoted to earth), to now minister through his church, the body of Christ, on earth.

This authority structure is what is now commonly called the five-fold ministry; a ministry that energizes church growth, defeats and deflects the works of the devil, empowers the gospel message to lead souls to repentance and experience the new birth, gives believers victory over sin and death, and lastly, for the perfection of God’s people:

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

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:10-12

Jesus – The Greatest Freedom Fighter Of All

To conclude, what the devil did to Jesus, he attempts to also do to us. The greatest advantage one can have over their enemy is to know their strategy, be privy to what their plans are and to know where they are and what they are plotting to do. 

The enemy relishes in their work of darkness when they can freely operate in deception. The agents of destruction and accusation revel when they can move freely about undetected, undercover and unchallenged. Satan is empowered and emboldened while operating unexposed, roaming freely and unchallenged. Here is proof:

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them? They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep. Psalms 64:4-6  

Having this cloak of deception and deceivableness uncovered and exposed by light and truth, the enemy’s only recourse is to depart and vacate. He cannot withstand light. What is the result of being stripped of his covering? Being shamed and shackled. 

Today is not only a celebration of freedom for one nation under God, but also a day to know and celebrate that there is a God who has ALL  power, power available for people of all nations to be free from all bondage. And Jesus Christ is the name of the One who has come, and through his sinless blood, strip, shame and shackle the power of sin and death!

Be Happy & Be Free – July 4th 2021

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19  

The Treasures of Darkness – The Savior

August 2, 2020

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. Matthew 27:45  

In the final installment in this ‘Treasures’ series, we will look at three specific treasures of darkness given to mankind by the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

These treasures first appear in Genesis chapter one and weave and spin their threads throughout the entire Word of God all the way to the Book of Revelation. And all three are essential for our understanding and good to get a hold of. Let’s take a look at this.

Treasures of the Savior – Light, Life & Love

The treasures we are speaking of are Light, Life and Love and all first appear in Genesis chapter one. The first act of creation is the appearance of the first treasure, Light:

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:3  

The phrase “Let there be” is the Hebrew word ‘hâyâh‘ which means “to exist, be or become, come to pass“. In other places during His work of Creation the Bible uses the phrase “And God created” which is the Hebrew word ‘bârâ‘ which means “to create, choose, or make appear”  (Strongs Concordance).

Note that God did not ‘create’ light, He let light exist. God did not create light because He IS Light (I Joh 1:5). God did more in Gen 1:3 than just release photons or electromagnetic radiation into the cosmos. Rather He released or purposed into existence the plan (Word/Logos – Joh 1:1) where He would ultimately express His true Being and Person. This is something we will look at shortly in detail and key to understand exactly what God is doing here.

The next several works of God are the creation of Life forms on the earth:

Genesis 1:11  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. (Day 3)

Genesis 1:20  And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. (Day 5)

Genesis 1:21  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Day 5)

Genesis 1:24  And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. (Day 6)

God saved His best work for last by handcrafting prized beings in His own image whom he could love and they would all together love each other:

Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Day 6) 

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  Genesis 2:22-24

Now let’s take a deeper look at this first treasure called light.

The Savior’s Treasure of True Light

Before launching into this it might be good to establish three preliminary understandings about God: 1) God is omnipresent (occupies all space), 2) God is omniscient (all knowing), and 3) God is omnipotent (all powerful). Therefore, God knew before speaking His first word of Creation that this Heaven and earth He was about to create would soon (against His will) become engrossed in darkness and sin. And He would judge it and replace it with a new Heaven and a new earth (II Pet 3:10, Rev 21:1). He knew that Adam and Eve would sin and the people occupying earth would as a whole turn their backs on HIm and resist HIs plan for their lives. Why being this up?

Whatever God creates is forever (Ecc 3:14). God never wastes what He creates. He will either use it for His glory or He will reject it in righteous judgment. The Lord grafted a plan within a plan in Genesis chapter one. On the surface, it appears this Creation which He knew in His foreknowledge would fail to live up to its expectations would ultimately be destroyed, hopelessly terminated and forgotten. However, within His creative work God provisioned an escape hatch, a way of redemption to save anyone who would faithfully stay true to Him and obey His Word regardless of the conditions of the world around them. And His sovereign provision of salvation (through the Gospel of Jesus Christ) brings us back to the first act of Creation – Light.

What light is being referred to in Genesis 1:3? The sun? The stars? The moon? No, they were all created in Genesis 1:14.

The light called out in Genesis 1:3, the first spoken word (Logos) of God from the void of darkness, ushered in God’s grand plan to separate light from darkness with the future work of separating righteousness from sin and eternal life from eternal death. God set the earthly stage perfectly in Genesis when He would one day physically visit Himself as the man Jesus Christ, the expression of God’s ‘true light’ and truth (Joh 14:6 & I Joh 2:8).

When God uttered the words “Let there be light” He at that moment ushered into existence the inception of the spiritual dimension and future physical manifestation of Jesus Christ.

How do we know this? The Apostle John begins his Gospel as an almost exact mirror of Genesis 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God.

In Genesis 1:3 God ushered into the physical dimension (not created) HIs divine will, a will destined to bring together “all things in Christ” and establish in the realms of time and space the revelation of His true Being and essence:

And the Word (Logos) 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.John 1:1,14

The following scripture shows that God literally spoke light, the true light, the forthcoming light of Jesus who one day in the future would spring from this primitive darkness and void of chaos:

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Even though the life of Jesus Christ would not be physically manifested until thousands of years later as an infant born in Bethlehem, God prophetically spoke the words in Genesis Chapter 1 with the same Spirit that would reside in Jesus thousands of years into the future. The scriptures emphatically state that all things (in Heaven and on earth) evolve around just one person. Everything is of him, through him and to him:

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col 1:16-17 (also Joh 1:3; Rom 11:36; I Cor 15:27-28; Eph 1:10).

The Savior’s Treasure of True Life

You cannot separate a person from their words. Your words individually define who you are. And you cannot separate one’s spirit from themselves. We all have one, unique, individual spirit that defines our life. It is our spirit that provides life.

God is also a Spirit (Joh 4:24). And Jesus had a spirit (Luk 23:46, Mar 15:37; Heb 9:14). The question arises: Where did Jesus get his Spirit? Was Jesus’ spirit different and separate from God’s eternal Spirit? We know Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost (Mat 1:20 & Luk 1:35).

The Bible describes God’s Spirit in several manifestations and/or terms; as a wind (Gen 1:2; Joh 3:8; Acts 2:2), life-giving breath (Eze 37:4-5; Joh 20:22), life-giving power (Joh 2:19; Mar 16:6; Rom 6:9, 8:11; Acts 4:10 & I Cor 15:52) as fire (Exo 3:2, 19:18; I Ki 18:38; Acts 2:3) and as a Spirit, Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost (Gen 1:2; Jdg 6:34; Job 26:13; Ps 51:11, 139:7  – Luk 11:13; Eph 1:13 – Luk 1:15, 67, 3:22 & Joh 14:26). In the later terms, the Greek word “pneuma’ is employed which is defined as breath, life or just Spirit. There is only one Spirit of God.

Going back to the question: where did Jesus get his spirit? His mother Mary being conceived of the Holy Spirit, Jesus must have the same Spirit as the Father. And Jesus many times spoke that he and his Father were one and if one looked upon him what they would see is the Father (Joh 10:30, 17:21-23 & 14:9). Jesus’ spirit and the Father’s spirit are one and the same.

What we are trying to get at here is that life (specifically human life) created in Genesis Chapter One is only a superficial life compared to the true life available in Jesus. As the first Adam was earthly, the last Adam (Jesus) is the Lord of glory (I Cor 15:45-47) who gives eternal life to those who believe on and surrender their life to him.

In essence, God’s Spirit is the life-giving force that keeps us alive in the natural on earth (our first birth) and supernaturally now and carried onward to Heaven (in the New Birth – Joh 3:5-8 & 4:13-14). It is this latter life that John writes about in his Gospel and in his book The First Letter of John (I John) which is the whole focus of the Gospel, being redeemed from the power of sin and receiving eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ definition of life was radical and would forever flip the tables of the world whose mantra of living is “Eat, drink and be merry”. Jesus’ definition of true life, true reward and true contentment is in the ‘giving‘ and not in the ‘getting‘ (Luk 17:33 & Acts 20:35), And this true life calls one out of the darkness and into His true light (II Cor 4:6 & I Pet 2:9).

The Apostle John ties Jesus’ true life and true light together in his Gospel and in The Book of I John. Concerning the treasures of light and life, he writes the following:

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us) I John 1:2

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12

The treasures of light and life in Jesus is the fulfilment of the light the Lord spoke in existence in the Book of Genesis. And it does not stop there. It continues on to the last book of the Bible:

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Revelation 21:23

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:5

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17

The Savior’s Treasure of True Love

John writes two times in the Book of I John that God is Love (I Jn 4:8, 16). God’s purpose and desire in creating man and woman was for His glory. The Lord wanted a creation who would worship and praise him for who he is. Since the moment Adam and Eve fell into sin he forever desired to mend that relationship and forge a loving bond with his people. He attempted to do that with His called out people, the nation of Israel. As we know that turned out not much better then the experience in the Garden of Eden. So, then the Lord came himself (Mat 21:33-46), made an earthly, personal house call to tell them once again his love for them (Mat 23:37).

All problematic situations, discord and disharmony in life can be attributed to one thing – a lack of true love. Jesus knows this and came to fix it. The Apostle John writes  more about love than any other writer in the 66 books of the Bible. And he was known as the disciple that Jesus loved (Joh 20:2) and John knew his material. He ties together these treasures of light and life with one more ingredient – God’s love:

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. I Joh 2:9-11

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 1 John 3:14

Of the three essentials needed for following Jesus (faith, hope & love) and any hope of obtaining eternal life, love is the greatest of them all (I Cor 13:13) because it never fails (I Cor 13:8). When life’s version of love fails you, there is a King in Heaven whose heart is more pure than earth’s finest gold.

A female Christian radio broadcaster commented that “God’s love is the most compelling force in the universe”. That is so true. God is love. And God wants is to be loved for who He is. Jesus said that he was “meek and lowly in heart”. The Lord will never force himself on anyone. He is looking for those who are looking for him. Life is the ultimate love test.

At the end of this life we will be judged on many levels. But, the one area the Lord will focus on in our lives is how we have loved. After giving his life on a cross and enduring humiliating shame, he will look at us and ask: “How much have you loved me, obeyed my commandments and loved your neighbor?”

In Conclusion

We have traveled along a road to understand three treasures of God – Light, Life and Love. These treasures cannot be purchased with money nor acquired with human intellect or through social connections. One is led into these only by the prompting of and obedience to God’s Spirit (Mat 11:27; Joh 6:44).

These treasures are eternal in nature and all work together to perfect you and to heal you. There is a saying that “God’s mercy keeps us until His grace teaches us”. It can also be said that His mercy “heals us”. It may be true that we have only scratched the surface of understanding the depths and riches of God’s mercy. Why? First, God’ mercy is not bound by time, it is forever (Eza 3:11; Ps 106:1, 107:1, 118:1). We do not have the capacity to comprehend the concept of ‘forever’.

And this is central to the next reason for us not totally understanding the depth of God’s mercy. No matter where you have been, no matter how you have lived and no matter what sin or sins you may have committed or have been committed against you, they are not able to exhaust, extinguish or surpass the mercy of God. You just have to believe, obey his Word, be led by His Spirit and become a member of His body – His church. We are just not sufficient within ourselves to do this on our own.

The eternal treasures of True Light (Truth), True Life (New Birth/Eternal life) and True Love (God’s enduring love & mercy) work together so that YOU may have a hope, an escape and a future destined for eternal significance through Jesus Christ. Jesus stepped into and then out of the darkness to bring you these things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

One Thing God Will Never Tell You

July 4, 2019

(Disclaimer: this post is the outflow to a reader’s comment on the previous post. The comment was genuine and demanded a genuine response which evolved into a post all of its own. Hope you enjoy it).

Matthew 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mark 13:32  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

These two perplexing scriptures reveal Jesus’ apparent lack of knowing “all things”. The logic being: If Jesus is God, how can he not know all things? Does not Jesus know all things? If he does not, he cannot be God. This is where it gets interesting.

Some background research is in order.

First, the disciples clearly believed Jesus knew all things:

John 16:30  Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

John 21:17  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

And Jesus clearly knew the Father:

Luke 10:22  All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

So, what is the problem here with these two verses?

Here is the answer. The two verses are divinely designed to fulfill God’s will. Here is why.

The two verses appear in Matthew chapter 24 and Mark chapter 13 where Jesus is speaking of his prophetic return. These two chapters are identical mirror images of each other in content.

They each cover the following topics in order:

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
Signs of the End of the Age
The Abomination of Desolation
The Coming of the Son of Man
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
No One Knows That Day and Hour

Jesus is speaking in these two chapters and clearly knows some things about the future and the endtime. All things! He clearly knows the state of the earth and the signs preceding his return.

But, what about the perplexing verses of Mat. 24:36 & Mar 13:32 that Jesus somehow does not “know” the exact day and hour of his own second coming? Why? Because it is the Father’s will to intentionally withhold this “classified” information and not reveal it.

And this is the key point: Remember, Jesus is bound to his disciples to reveal to them (and his church today) the revealed Word/Logos (John 1:1-2, 14):

Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. John 17:7-8

However, it is not God’s will to reveal the timing of His return because of what Jesus discusses at the end of both of these chapters. And that is differentiating between faithful and unfaithful servants.

God is intentionally withholding that information from all mankind because Jesus’ exact coming will be a total surprise. No living human being will ever know it. Why? To separate those who truly love him (wise and faithful servants) from those who are insincere and playing games.

Everybody will jump on the ‘Jesus’ Homecoming Celebration’ bandwagon if they knew the exact day and hour when he returns to earth. But, that is not going to be the case.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, Matthew 24:48-50

The revelation of the exact time of Jesus’ second coming is a secret never to be revealed by the eternal Spirit of Almighty God to mankind. It is Jesus’ choice rather than a lack of knowledge.

Jesus knew all things, but he intentionally choose not to reveal or “know” some things while on earth in obedience to the perfect will (Word/Logos) of God.

As a corollary to the previous litmus test of false doctrine, here is another:

Anyone who predicts the exact time and/or day of Jesus’ second coming is not exercising sound doctrine.

Happy 4th of July!

Oneness Or Trinity?

June 30, 2019

(Disclaimer: this post may generate controversy. This post will “turn some people off”. This post will cause some followers to unhinge and never follow this blog again.

However, there is nothing in this life more important to God than the saving of the soul. And this blog was birthed by the probing and pricking of God’s Holy Spirit for this blogger to come out of the proverbial “closet”, let his light shine and not be ashamed of his Savior. And this was all confirmed from a church pulpit on one particular Sunday morning over seven years ago).

So, before you turn off and travel on I ask you to hear out what is written here because this post raises one question that has eternal significance. That can be a pretty rash and arrogant statement to make, but when you consider we will all spend eternity in one place or the other we must make sure we get things right. Don’t you agree?

Depending on which “camp” or side of the Oneness or Trinity discussion you find yourself your answer to this one question will be starkly different. And this question IS perhaps one of the most important questions will ever answer about your Christian faith, the God you serve and about the identity of Jesus Christ.

Before we get into that question, let’s get back to the subject of Oneness and Trinity. Here are some facts differentiating the two:

  • Trinity is not mentioned nor the word used in the Bible.
  • The word “Trinity” entered the stage of church history at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD with the doctrine officially enacted at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.
  • Judiasm is a belief based on monotheism (Israel is a nation of people who believe God is One; not three, two or many, one and only one)
  • The Apostles believed in the Oneness of God.
  • The early Apostolic Church was comprised of Oneness believers.

The treasured “shema” spoken by the Jewish believer is immersed in oneness theology:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: Deuteronomy 6:4

So What Is The One Question?

The one question referred to earlier is this:

Who died on the cross? Who really bled, agonized, and was shamed on Calvary’s cross?

If you are a believer in the Trinity you will say it was God’s Son, the second person of the Trinity, whom the Father “sent” to die for the sins of all mankind. Jesus Christ was one of three persons,  a proxy if you will, sent to save souls from the curse of sin.

A Oneness believer will answer the question differently. A Oneness believer will not say Jesus Christ is one person of three, a proxy, or God’s perfect, yet detached sacrifice for sin. A Oneness believer will say Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the One Holy God enrobed in flesh, the physical manifestation of the true, living God.

Oneness believers see God himself in human flesh at Calvary. The eternal Spirit of the living God, the same spirit infused in the body of Jesus (Rom. 8:11), the same Spirit that created the heavens, earth, seas, sun, moon, stars, animals, birds, vegetation, flowers, the atomic structures of oxygen, carbon, florine, gold and silver hung on Calvary’s cross.

It was Him. The Creator Himself. He felt the agony, pain, shame, rejection and humiliation.

The Litmus Test for False Doctrine

Many people are leery of beliefs contrasting their own. We naturally question the unfamiliar or ideas that clash with what we’ve grown to learn from our ancestry or family traditions. False doctrine pervades the landscape and even Jesus and the apostles warned of its prevalence in the last days (Luke 21:8, Mat 7:15, Acts 20:29, II Cor 11:14, II Tim 4:3, II John 1:10)

However, there is a test to identify false doctrine. It is a simple test, but highly accurate. It is this:

Within your belief system or religious persuasion can Jesus Christ be exalted to a position he is not worthy to occupy?

If you answer “yes” to that question it is a sign you are believing in or dwelling in unsound doctrine. It is that simple.

History and most people will affirm that Jesus Christ was ….

A good man.
A humble man.
A popular teacher.
An influential leader.
A charismatic figure to the masses.
A prophet.
Even … A worker of miracles.

But, there was one position Jesus was not worthy to occupy according to the established religious teachers of his day and as a whole to the religions in our day:

The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. John 10:33

Jesus was not worthy to occupy the highest and most exalted position of all, God and Creator of the heaven and the earth. According to the established religious hierarchy of his day he wasn’t qualified to be elevated and called the Almighty, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace because only God can occupy these positions.

Well, was Jesus God? What qualifies him? The scriptures have this to say about Jesus Christ:

  • The Creator of All Things (John 1:1-3, 10, Col 1:16, Heb 1:2)
  • Existed in Eternity & before time (John 17:24, Col 1:17, I Peter 1:19-20)
  • Has all Power & Authority (Mat 28:18, Eph 1:10, 19-22, Heb 12:2, Acts 7:55-56)
  • Has the Power to Forgive Sins (Mat 9:6, Mark 2:7, Acts 26:18, Eph 1:7, Col 1:4)
  • Is the Image of the Invisible God (John 14:9, 17:21-22, Heb 1:3, Rev 1:12-18)
  • His Name Is Exalted Above All Others (Isa 9:6, Mat 1:21-23, Luk 1:35, Eph 5:20, Phl 2:9-10, Col 3:17, Rev 22:16)

What is your conclusion in light of these (and many other) scriptures? Is Jesus worthy to occupy the position of Almighty God?

The God I Want To Believe

Putting all controversy and debate aside let’s ask another honest question. The question is not what you believe, but which of the two would you want to believe?

Which God would you prefer to serve? One who sacrificed his only “son“, or one who sacrificed “Himself“? A God who instead of sending a proxy He came Himself as a person? Or instead of sending another He submitted himself?

Does this not make Calvary so much more poignant, and powerful? Oh, yes it does. The Creater allowed Himself to be placed into the hands of His Creation. There is no love greater than this that God Himself visited earth and laid down his own life.

Considering also this question : Would God ask of us a sacrifice that He himself would not first commit to himself? (John 6:51, 10:15-17, Rom 12:1)

God is love. God loves you. Oh, how He loves you!

Have you experienced the New Birth according to the scriptures?

John 3:1-15 & Acts 2:38

Be Blessed!

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. Acts 19:2  

Deeper Waters

July 29, 2017

water4

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Psalms 42:7

There comes a time in one’s life when the call is made to go below the surface to capture and embrace the deeper and more exquisite things of life. Things that are everlasting, things that withstand the abrasive effects of time, things with eternal importance.

What things are these? What are we talking about here?

We’re talking about purposeful life, meaningful life, life lived in light and love versus life lived in darkness, anger and contention. It is living life on the ‘high road’ and not on the ‘back road’.

This can only come by venturing into deeper waters. The deeper waters offered by God Himself.

What About The Deep?

Oceans are defined by their sheer power, invincibility and untamed nature. No man (I.e. mankind) can tame the oceans. The oceans are characterized by their depths. Mysterious life lurks within this uncharted domain. Things never to be observed by human eyes dwell here. The oceans are God’s domain.

It is noteworthy to mention the discovery of things beyond the ordinary, experiences of a deeper dimension, these places demand reference points positioned in the same.

Take for instance the oceans. An ocean seeks and establishes its identity from the depths of which it occupies. The Indian Ocean is called such because of the expanse and depths of its waters. To the Indian Ocean, deep calleth unto deep.

So, only God can be discerned by that which is created in His kind. The human soul, the eternal component of humanity, is the channel connecting the heavenly and the earthly.

As the great Psalmist of old proclaimed:

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1

David’s cry was for his soul to bless the Lord. He desired to venture out beyond shallow religion and into deeper waters of experience with the Lord. A place where the soul commingles with the Almighty. It is the Lord’s will that His creation know and discover all that He is.

The Deep Things of God

God understands that for something or someone to discover His nature and Person can only do so from the vantage point of the eternal. This can only happen in deeper waters found beyond the shoreline shallows.

The forty-seventh chapter of Old Testament book written by the prophet Ezekiel describes a scene where waters are seen flowing out of the temple. The waters progressively deepen from the ankles, to the knees, to the loins and finally:

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. Ezekiel 47:5

Waters that sweep away anything is its path. Deep waters.

God created man in His image so that the eternal element of man (the soul) can peer into the eternal and know its Maker. One can only discover the unknown by first experiencing likeness of that which is of the eternal. Where the deep things call unto the deep.

We are only as close to God as our soul allows. The deeper we allow our soul to enter into His presence, the closer we are at one with Him. There will always be a price to pay for intimacy with God. Ask the Biblical examples such as Abraham, Jacob, Esther, Caleb, Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Apostles, martyrs such as Stephen, and lastly of course, Jesus Christ.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
I Corinthians 2:9-13

For the Spirit is constantly exploring all things, even the deep things of God. For who is there of men who knows the things of the individual person except the spirit of that aforementioned individual person which is in him? In the same manner also the things of God no one has known except the Spirit of God. I Corinthians 2:10-11
(Wuest translation)

The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the connection between the eternal and the temporal.

There is both a physical and spiritual dimension of our existence. The physical dimension (the flesh) is the lowest common denominator of life and shared by all living creatures:

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. I Corinthians 15:39

The highest realm is that of the spiritual, the God-focused existence whose dimension is limitless and eternal:

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

Launch Into The Deep

Jesus challenged his disciples once about going beyond the ordinary and move into some deeper waters:

And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke 5:3-4

What did Peter find there? He found the miraculous, a place where God’s blessings flowed, where the conventional and ordinary bowed to the feet of the deep things offered by Jesus.

Who is up to the challenge to go beyond mere religion and into deeper dimensions of Godly knowledge and experience? Jesus is calling in this hour for us to go into deeper waters with him.