A dream is a series of thoughts, images or emotions occurring during sleep, and a method employed by humans to keep the mind from going insane. Dreams allow us to see things as they really are, not as they appear to be.
Visions are basically the same as dreams, except that dreams happen while a person is in a state of sleep and visions will happen while the person is fully awake.
God had a dream of what He wanted the heavens and the earth to look like. He then proceeded to create them according to that dream. They are over 125 references to dreams and dreamers in the Bible.
Dream in Hebrew means "to bind strongly or firmly." Dreams bound up in the heart and mind.
As we read the Scriptures we find that God was communicating something to the People in the environment of where the dreams were taking place.
In Genesis 20:3, the dreamer Abimelech received this message from God: "Indeed you are a dead man, the woman you have taken is another man's wife." God was letting Abimelech know that Sara was not available when Abraham lied to him about her being his sister. God sought to protect Abimelech. In Genesis 28:10-13, the dreamer Jacob received this message from God: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac." God was seeking to encourage Jacob about the future. In Genesis 31:24, the dreamer Laban received this message from God:"Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad."God was warning Laban that he was to treat Jacob with respect. In Genesis 37:5, Scripture does not specify that Joseph's dream were from God, but the evidence of what happened clearly vindicates God as the source of the dreams. In Genesis 41:1-13, God spoke to Pharaoh in dreams to tell of the 7 years of plenty and the 7 years of famine that were to come. In 1Kings 3:5, God was asking Solomon what it was that he wanted. God was testing Solomon's heart. In Matthew1:20, the dreamer Joseph received this message from God:"Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel."God was protecting Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Dreams will bypass our experiences. The Book of Job 33:14-18 tells us:"For God may speak in one way or in another. Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword."God speaks to keep a man from being destroyed by his own pride and sin.
The Greek philosopher Plato was the first person outside the Bible to indicate that valid ways of obtaining knowledge was through the 5 senses, through reasoning of the mind and from the spirit realm. However some 50 years later Aristotle came along correcting this notion, stating that the only way to acquire knowledge was through the 5 senses. He ruled out that we might obtain knowledge through spiritual or supernatural means. This teaching has been carried down through the centuries, especially into the Western Cultures.
Our destinies are tied up in our dreams. As we look at the Biblical figures who Dreamed, they were all destined for something. Their Dreams revealed their destinies and, as they kept true to God and their Dreams, their Dreams and destinies were fulfilled in their own symbolic lives.
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Monday, 28 December 2015
A MARRIAGE OF SPIRIT AND BODY HOW IT WORKS.
When man was created, he walked with God in the cool of the day and yet he felt lonely. He could not use his sight or his touch to communicate with Him. The man could only feel God's presence. So everything he wanted was a companion, a complement that make him whole with God in everything.
Marriage symbolizes the union of the female principle (mind) with the male principle (spirit) to bring the transcendent God into the body (the two principles made one), and making God immanent and present, and the two again become one. This is the marriage of spirit and body. This is the end of a separate self.
Then God wanted to please man and made the woman from one of his ribs that He took out of man, formed the woman and brought her to him. And the man said,"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called wo-man, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:23.
God chose the rib, because they were designed to protect man's life. It protects the heart and lungs and supports him, as women are meant to do. The ribs are strong yet delicate and fragile. It provides protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being and his lungs hold the sacred breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to man's heart and lungs. The woman was created to support man as the rib cage supports his body.
She was not made from the dust of the ground as God had done for him.
When God formed the male and female animals, He formed them separately, but for the female woman it was different, she was taken from man, and formed as a part of the initial man, symbolizing the complement between one to the other in ruling the universe that God created for them. Man represented the image of God, and the woman represented the emotions. Together they were the totality of God.
While the man was in a divinely induced sleep, the creation of the woman took place in that reality to strengthen and powerfully help the man to subdue the universe already created for them. She was a complement and as an integral part of man, and a powerful and influential companion for him. The man had to lose a rib, but he gained so much more.
God accomplished the act in such a way that it showed woman as a complement to complete man in the integral union of marriage. Woman was created to be beside man, not beneath or above him. For that reason man has to treat his woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her you hurt yourself and God because you are the image of Him. What you do to her you do to God. In crushing her you only damage your own heart, the heart of your father, and the heart of her father. And women has to support man, in humility, show him the power of emotion, in gentleness. and quietness, show your strength, in love show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.
In God's kingdom there will be neither male or female, nor man and woman, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
Marriage symbolizes the union of the female principle (mind) with the male principle (spirit) to bring the transcendent God into the body (the two principles made one), and making God immanent and present, and the two again become one. This is the marriage of spirit and body. This is the end of a separate self.
Then God wanted to please man and made the woman from one of his ribs that He took out of man, formed the woman and brought her to him. And the man said,"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called wo-man, for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:23.
God chose the rib, because they were designed to protect man's life. It protects the heart and lungs and supports him, as women are meant to do. The ribs are strong yet delicate and fragile. It provides protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being and his lungs hold the sacred breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to man's heart and lungs. The woman was created to support man as the rib cage supports his body.
She was not made from the dust of the ground as God had done for him.
When God formed the male and female animals, He formed them separately, but for the female woman it was different, she was taken from man, and formed as a part of the initial man, symbolizing the complement between one to the other in ruling the universe that God created for them. Man represented the image of God, and the woman represented the emotions. Together they were the totality of God.
While the man was in a divinely induced sleep, the creation of the woman took place in that reality to strengthen and powerfully help the man to subdue the universe already created for them. She was a complement and as an integral part of man, and a powerful and influential companion for him. The man had to lose a rib, but he gained so much more.
God accomplished the act in such a way that it showed woman as a complement to complete man in the integral union of marriage. Woman was created to be beside man, not beneath or above him. For that reason man has to treat his woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her you hurt yourself and God because you are the image of Him. What you do to her you do to God. In crushing her you only damage your own heart, the heart of your father, and the heart of her father. And women has to support man, in humility, show him the power of emotion, in gentleness. and quietness, show your strength, in love show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.
In God's kingdom there will be neither male or female, nor man and woman, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
PLANETS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE.
The recently defined discipline of Arch-aeo-astronomy has drawn attention in our time to how ancient people viewed the universe. Sky watching was so important to them that they left so many myths about the planets, the constellations, and the universe. For example, the ancient people of the New World built structures from Chile to Alaska as models of the universe in miniature. Their common beliefs was the three levels of the universe; the earth in the middle plus an upper and under world.
In the Scriptures in the Old Testament, the only planets expressly mentioned are Venus and Saturn.
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 earthly days. It is named after the Roman goddess of fleshly Love and Beauty. After the moon it is the brightest natural object we can see in the night sky. Its ability to reflect light is due to its close proximity to the sun and the highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid that shroud it. Many times it can easily be seen just before sunrise, hence its reference as the "morning star," The planet is considered a terrestrial planet and sometimes called Earth's sister planet, because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun and bulk composition. it is radically different from Earth in other respects. It has the densest atmosphere, consisting of more than 96%carbon dioxide. The atmospheric pressure is 92 times that of the Earth. The mean surface temperature is 462*C/863F. The planet is by far the hottest planet in the Solar System.
Saturn in the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius 9 times that of the Earth. Although only 1/8 the average density of Earth, with its large volume the planet is just over 95 times more massive. Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture. Saturn's interior is composed of a core of iron-nickel and rock. This core is surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen, and intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium, and finally outside a gaseous outer layer. As the planet goes around the Sun, it periodically turn its rings edge-on to the Earth once every 14 to 15 years. Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere. Electrical current within the metallic hydrogen layer give rise to Saturn's planetary magnetic field, that is weaker than Earth's, but has a torque 580 times that of the Earth due to Saturn's larger size. Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 1,800km/h (500m/s). The prominent ring system consists on 9 continuous main rings and 3 discontinuous arcs and that is composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. 62 moons are known to orbit Saturn. This does not include the hundreds of moonlets comprising the rings. Titan, the largest moon, and the 2nd largest in the Solar System, is larger than the planet Mercury, and the only moon in the Solar System to have a substantial atmosphere.
The names of Venus in the ancient times were: Venus, Aphrodite, Helil, Resheph, Ishtar, Inana.
The names of Saturn in the ancient times were: Saturn, Cronus, Kiyyun, Ashtaroth, Ea(Bel), Nanna.
In the Scriptures in the Old Testament, the only planets expressly mentioned are Venus and Saturn.
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 earthly days. It is named after the Roman goddess of fleshly Love and Beauty. After the moon it is the brightest natural object we can see in the night sky. Its ability to reflect light is due to its close proximity to the sun and the highly reflective clouds of sulfuric acid that shroud it. Many times it can easily be seen just before sunrise, hence its reference as the "morning star," The planet is considered a terrestrial planet and sometimes called Earth's sister planet, because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun and bulk composition. it is radically different from Earth in other respects. It has the densest atmosphere, consisting of more than 96%carbon dioxide. The atmospheric pressure is 92 times that of the Earth. The mean surface temperature is 462*C/863F. The planet is by far the hottest planet in the Solar System.
Saturn in the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius 9 times that of the Earth. Although only 1/8 the average density of Earth, with its large volume the planet is just over 95 times more massive. Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture. Saturn's interior is composed of a core of iron-nickel and rock. This core is surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen, and intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium, and finally outside a gaseous outer layer. As the planet goes around the Sun, it periodically turn its rings edge-on to the Earth once every 14 to 15 years. Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere. Electrical current within the metallic hydrogen layer give rise to Saturn's planetary magnetic field, that is weaker than Earth's, but has a torque 580 times that of the Earth due to Saturn's larger size. Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 1,800km/h (500m/s). The prominent ring system consists on 9 continuous main rings and 3 discontinuous arcs and that is composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. 62 moons are known to orbit Saturn. This does not include the hundreds of moonlets comprising the rings. Titan, the largest moon, and the 2nd largest in the Solar System, is larger than the planet Mercury, and the only moon in the Solar System to have a substantial atmosphere.
The names of Venus in the ancient times were: Venus, Aphrodite, Helil, Resheph, Ishtar, Inana.
The names of Saturn in the ancient times were: Saturn, Cronus, Kiyyun, Ashtaroth, Ea(Bel), Nanna.
Sunday, 27 December 2015
ATTITUDE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SKILLS.
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Philip.2:14-15).
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, thinh about these things. (Philip.4:8-9). Whatever you do, work heartily. (Coloss.3:23). Because a joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Prov.17:22). Have this in mind. (Philip.2:5).
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philip.2:3).
This was the guilt of (your sister) Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and the needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before God. So God removed them, when He saw it. (Ezek.16:49-50). The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, "My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way." They said," No; we will spend the night in the town square." But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them." (Gen.19:1-38).
Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, no drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1Cor.6:9-10).
The head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1Cor.11:1-34). Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I (God) do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet the woman will be saved through childbearing -if they continue in Faith and Love and Holiness, with self-control. (1Tim.2:11-15).
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexual immoral person sins against his own body. (1Cor.6:18). Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (Romans 12:2). For this reasons God gave (did not have a choice than) the people up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving themselves the due penalty for their own errors. And since the people did not see themselves fit to acknowledge God, God (had to) gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. Their minds act full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossipers, slanderers, haters of God, insolents, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient, ... . ((Romans1:26-2:1).
God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (John3:16). The Lord appointed 72 others and sent them ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. He said to them, ...Go your way; behold, I am sending you as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house. (Luke10:1-42). But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near. It will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke10:10-13).
Let Love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Roman12:9). Arm yourself with the same way of thinking. (1Peter 4:1). Be of the same mind, have the same love, be in full accord and of one mind. Let each of you not only to his own interest, but also the interests of others. Have this in mind among yourselves. (Phil.2:1-11).
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal.3:28).
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexual immoral person sins against his own body. (1Cor.6:18). Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (Romans 12:2). For this reasons God gave (did not have a choice than) the people up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving themselves the due penalty for their own errors. And since the people did not see themselves fit to acknowledge God, God (had to) gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. Their minds act full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossipers, slanderers, haters of God, insolents, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient, ... . ((Romans1:26-2:1).
God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (John3:16). The Lord appointed 72 others and sent them ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. He said to them, ...Go your way; behold, I am sending you as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house. (Luke10:1-42). But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near. It will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke10:10-13).
Let Love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Roman12:9). Arm yourself with the same way of thinking. (1Peter 4:1). Be of the same mind, have the same love, be in full accord and of one mind. Let each of you not only to his own interest, but also the interests of others. Have this in mind among yourselves. (Phil.2:1-11).
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal.3:28).
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES: WISDOM, JUSTICE, GOODNESS, AND LEADERSHIP.
WISDOM: "If any of you lacks Wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." "Because wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, impartial and sincere." "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from "her" is better than the gain from silver and "her" profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her." "Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days." "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time.""Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you." (Taken from the Scriptures).
JUSTICE : "How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!" "When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." "Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly." "Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression." "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." "Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another." "Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked." "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understand and knows his God, that He is the God who practices steadfast Love, Justice, and Righteousness in the earth." (Taken from the Scriptures).
GOODNESS : "If goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life, surely, I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever." "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." "As we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone." "Devote yourselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions and quarrels, for they are unprofitable and worthless." "Make Love be your aim that is issued from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge." (Taken from the Scriptures).
LEADERSHIP : "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit." "Let Love be genuine. Love one another with brotherly affection. Be fervent in spirit. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer." "An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must mange his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" "Be trustworthy and hate bribe and place those with this virtues over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." (Taken from the Scriptures).
JUSTICE : "How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!" "When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." "Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly." "Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression." "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." "Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another." "Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked." "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understand and knows his God, that He is the God who practices steadfast Love, Justice, and Righteousness in the earth." (Taken from the Scriptures).
GOODNESS : "If goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life, surely, I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever." "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." "As we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone." "Devote yourselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions and quarrels, for they are unprofitable and worthless." "Make Love be your aim that is issued from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge." (Taken from the Scriptures).
LEADERSHIP : "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit." "Let Love be genuine. Love one another with brotherly affection. Be fervent in spirit. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer." "An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must mange his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" "Be trustworthy and hate bribe and place those with this virtues over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." (Taken from the Scriptures).
SHILOH, THE CHIEF SHRINE.
Shiloh was the chief spiritual site of the Northern shrine in the North-Central territory of Ephraim, near Bethel, where much of the pre-monarchy events took place. It is mentioned as the site of the arch, the Tent of Meeting, and the Altar. It was the early site of the War camp as well.
In pronounced a blessing upon Judah, the dying patriarch Jacob said: "The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him the obedience of the people will belong."
After the reign of Saul, Shiloh was superseded in importance by the city of Jerusalem, where David brought the ark. By this means David sought to bind the sacral traditions of the North to the South.
Beginning with the rule of the Judean David, power to command (the commander's staff) and regal sovereignty (the scepter) were the possessions of the tribe of Judah. This was to continue until the coming of Shiloh, indicating that the royal line of Judah would terminate in the spiritual Shiloh as the permanent heir. Similarly, before the overthrow of the kingdom of Judah, God indicated to the last Judean king Zedekiah, that ruler-ship would be given to one having the legal right. This would be spiritual Shiloh, as the name "Shiloh" is understood to signify "He Whose It Is," or "He To Whom It Belongs."
For the prophet Jeremiah, the demise of the fleshy sanctuary of Shiloh served as a warning to Jerusalem of the fate that was about to befall.
Eli, priest of the spiritual sanctuary of Shiloh before the emergence of the monarchy, wearing the ephod, pronouncing oracles, burning incense and supervising sacrifices is shown in a powerful characterization at the end of his service as an aged, heavy and blind leader sitting passively on his throne to await the report of the fate of Israel, symbolizing the monarchy itself -doomed and toppled from its place- because of the lack of Faith in the only God of hosts -The God Of Spiritual Israel- .
I the centuries that followed, Jesus Christ is the only descendant of David to whom kinship was promised. Before the birth of Jesus the angel Gabriel said to Mary: "God will give him the throne of David his father and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom."
In pronounced a blessing upon Judah, the dying patriarch Jacob said: "The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him the obedience of the people will belong."
After the reign of Saul, Shiloh was superseded in importance by the city of Jerusalem, where David brought the ark. By this means David sought to bind the sacral traditions of the North to the South.
Beginning with the rule of the Judean David, power to command (the commander's staff) and regal sovereignty (the scepter) were the possessions of the tribe of Judah. This was to continue until the coming of Shiloh, indicating that the royal line of Judah would terminate in the spiritual Shiloh as the permanent heir. Similarly, before the overthrow of the kingdom of Judah, God indicated to the last Judean king Zedekiah, that ruler-ship would be given to one having the legal right. This would be spiritual Shiloh, as the name "Shiloh" is understood to signify "He Whose It Is," or "He To Whom It Belongs."
For the prophet Jeremiah, the demise of the fleshy sanctuary of Shiloh served as a warning to Jerusalem of the fate that was about to befall.
Eli, priest of the spiritual sanctuary of Shiloh before the emergence of the monarchy, wearing the ephod, pronouncing oracles, burning incense and supervising sacrifices is shown in a powerful characterization at the end of his service as an aged, heavy and blind leader sitting passively on his throne to await the report of the fate of Israel, symbolizing the monarchy itself -doomed and toppled from its place- because of the lack of Faith in the only God of hosts -The God Of Spiritual Israel- .
I the centuries that followed, Jesus Christ is the only descendant of David to whom kinship was promised. Before the birth of Jesus the angel Gabriel said to Mary: "God will give him the throne of David his father and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom."
SAMUEL'S FAMILY AND ANCESTORS.
The name Samuel means "name of God." The story says: "There was a certain man of Ramatha'im-zo'phim of the hill country (mountainous region) of Ephraim, whose name was Elka'nah the son of Jero'ham, son of Eli'hu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an E'phraimite. He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penin'nah. And Penin'nah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phin'ehas, were priests of the Lord."
Elka'nah was a resident of Ramah in Ephraim, hence he is called an Ephraimite, athough genealogically he was a descendant of the Levite Kohath (meaning "assembly"). Kohath was the second named of the three sons of Levi and father of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uziel. Kohath was the progenitor of the Kohathites, one of the three main divisions of the Levites. He was born in the land of Canaan, and is listed among the 66 souls who came to Jacob into Egypt. Kohath's descendants included Moses, Aaron, Miriam and rebellious Korah. Kohath lived 133 years.
The name Hannah means "favor, graciousness." In spite of Hannah's long barrenness, contrasted with Peninnah's bearing several children, Hannah was still Elka'nah's more beloved wife. Peninnah taunted Hannah because of her barrenness, notably when Elka'nah took his family for their yearly appearance at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
On one visit to Shiloh, Hannah vowed to God that, if she could bear a son, she would give him to God, for His service. Seeing her lips move as she prayed inaudibly, High priest Eli at first suspected that she was overindulged in wine and was drunk. But on learning of her sober Fervor and Sincerity, he expressed the wish that God would grant her petition. Indeed, she soon became pregnant. After giving birth to Samuel, she did not go to Shiloh again until Samuel was weaned. Then she presented him to God as she had promised, bringing an offering consisting of a 3-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a large jar of wine. The thoughts expressed in her song of thankfulness, when she and Elka'nah presented Samuel for temple services, are quite similar to the sentiments voiced by Mary shortly after learning she was to mother the Messiah.
Each year thereafter, when she came to Shiloh, Hannah brought along a new sleeveless coat for her son. Eli again blessed her, and God again opened her womb so that in time she gave birth to three sons and two daughters.
Elka'nah was a resident of Ramah in Ephraim, hence he is called an Ephraimite, athough genealogically he was a descendant of the Levite Kohath (meaning "assembly"). Kohath was the second named of the three sons of Levi and father of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uziel. Kohath was the progenitor of the Kohathites, one of the three main divisions of the Levites. He was born in the land of Canaan, and is listed among the 66 souls who came to Jacob into Egypt. Kohath's descendants included Moses, Aaron, Miriam and rebellious Korah. Kohath lived 133 years.
The name Hannah means "favor, graciousness." In spite of Hannah's long barrenness, contrasted with Peninnah's bearing several children, Hannah was still Elka'nah's more beloved wife. Peninnah taunted Hannah because of her barrenness, notably when Elka'nah took his family for their yearly appearance at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
On one visit to Shiloh, Hannah vowed to God that, if she could bear a son, she would give him to God, for His service. Seeing her lips move as she prayed inaudibly, High priest Eli at first suspected that she was overindulged in wine and was drunk. But on learning of her sober Fervor and Sincerity, he expressed the wish that God would grant her petition. Indeed, she soon became pregnant. After giving birth to Samuel, she did not go to Shiloh again until Samuel was weaned. Then she presented him to God as she had promised, bringing an offering consisting of a 3-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a large jar of wine. The thoughts expressed in her song of thankfulness, when she and Elka'nah presented Samuel for temple services, are quite similar to the sentiments voiced by Mary shortly after learning she was to mother the Messiah.
Each year thereafter, when she came to Shiloh, Hannah brought along a new sleeveless coat for her son. Eli again blessed her, and God again opened her womb so that in time she gave birth to three sons and two daughters.
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
LAZARUS, JESUS SPECIAL FRIEND.
Lazarus (God is help) is the subject of a miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death. This illustration helps to understand Jesus' divine authority over death. Lazarus is introduced as a follower of Jesus, who lives in the Town of Bethany near Jerusalem. Jesus had a deep love for this family. Lazarus is the brother of the sisters Mary and Martha. The sisters sent word to Jesus, who was at that time across the Jordan River, that their brother was sick. They entertained the hope that Jesus would cure him. Jesus, instead of going to Bethany immediately, or curing Lazarus by indirect means, He stayed where he was for two more days. Upon his arrival in the vicinity of Bethany, Lazarus had expired and had been dead for four days.
Jesus took the occasion to stress the resurrection. Upon arriving at the tomb, Christ ordered that the stone sealing its entrance be taken away. Then in prayer to his heavenly Father, Jesus showed that a purpose of the forthcoming miracle was "in order that they (the crowd present) might believe that you sent me forth." Jesus then called the dead Lazarus out of the tomb or cave, and he emerged.
The miracle moved many to put Faith in Jesus, but also caused the chief priests and Pharisees to plot his death, because many Jews were believing in Him.
In the Gospel of Luke, a symbolic figure appearing in the vivid account of the afterlife of the well-known parable "the rich man and Lazarus," is also named Lazarus. The parable tells about of the relationship, in life and in death, between an unnamed rich man dressed in purple and fine linen that lived in luxury every day and a poor beggar named Lazarus who was laid at his gate and was covered with sores that even the dogs came and licked them, longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire." But Abraham replied,"Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you can't, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." He answered, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have 5 brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." Abraham replied: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." "No, father Abraham,"he said,"but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." He said to him, "if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
Both accounts are interrelated because it shows Lazarus as a symbolic figure of the spiritual friendship that Jesus has with his followers. Being a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, Jesus showed his divine power over death. On the other hand, Jesus' enemies dressed in purple and fine linen symbolize the false chief priests and the Pharisees that even seeing Lazarus alive, they plotted against Jesus and Lazarus to kill them. The Scripture does not show evidence to the effect that the plot against Lazarus was carried on. Instead Lazarus' resurrection served well as part of Jesus' ministry, both to illustrate the power of the Son of God and to increase the Faith in Him.
Jesus took the occasion to stress the resurrection. Upon arriving at the tomb, Christ ordered that the stone sealing its entrance be taken away. Then in prayer to his heavenly Father, Jesus showed that a purpose of the forthcoming miracle was "in order that they (the crowd present) might believe that you sent me forth." Jesus then called the dead Lazarus out of the tomb or cave, and he emerged.
The miracle moved many to put Faith in Jesus, but also caused the chief priests and Pharisees to plot his death, because many Jews were believing in Him.
In the Gospel of Luke, a symbolic figure appearing in the vivid account of the afterlife of the well-known parable "the rich man and Lazarus," is also named Lazarus. The parable tells about of the relationship, in life and in death, between an unnamed rich man dressed in purple and fine linen that lived in luxury every day and a poor beggar named Lazarus who was laid at his gate and was covered with sores that even the dogs came and licked them, longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire." But Abraham replied,"Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you can't, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." He answered, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have 5 brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." Abraham replied: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." "No, father Abraham,"he said,"but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." He said to him, "if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
Both accounts are interrelated because it shows Lazarus as a symbolic figure of the spiritual friendship that Jesus has with his followers. Being a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, Jesus showed his divine power over death. On the other hand, Jesus' enemies dressed in purple and fine linen symbolize the false chief priests and the Pharisees that even seeing Lazarus alive, they plotted against Jesus and Lazarus to kill them. The Scripture does not show evidence to the effect that the plot against Lazarus was carried on. Instead Lazarus' resurrection served well as part of Jesus' ministry, both to illustrate the power of the Son of God and to increase the Faith in Him.
SAMUEL, A PROMINENT PROPHET AND JUDGE.
Samuel occupies a unique role in Israel's story. He is the representative and defender of an older tribal covenant order in Israel, yet he is God's prophetic agent for ushering in the new age of kingship. The leadership that Samuel gave to Israel in the critical period of transition from tribal existence under the period of the Judges to the establishment of Monarchy is accounted along the Books of Judges, Ruth, and First and Second Books which bear his name. He is the central character in all of the stories on Saul's elevation to the kinship.
The change in Israel's national life revolved mainly around 3 men: Samuel, the last of the great Judges; Saul, Israel's first king; and David, whose early adventures before coming to power are interwoven with the accounts of Samuel and Saul. In these stories Samuel was also the key figure in keeping Israel's identity and religious tradition alive during a period of defeat and occupation by the Philistines. In this time of confusion and dissolution it was necessary for Samuel to appear in multiple roles of authority (priest, prophet, judge, and military leader) that would normally not converge in a single individual.
The main theme of the Book, like that of other historical writings in the Old Testament, is that Faithfulness to God brings success, while Disobedience brings disaster.
Samuel's First Book also records mixed feelings about the establishment of the monarchy. The Lord Himself was regarded as the real King of Israel, but in response to the People's request the Lord chose a king for them. The elders of Israel came to Samuel and requested him to appoint for them a king to govern them, like the other nations. Samuel interpreted the petition as a personal rejection and was reluctant to comply. God told him that the People's request was a rejection of the divine kingship but that he had to comply with the request and provide for them a king after issuing a very severe warning on the dangers of kingship.
The very important fact is that both the king chosen by God together with the People of Israel had to live under the Sovereignty and Judgment of God. Only under God's Laws the Rights of all People, rich and poor alike, were to be maintained. Samuel made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal.
Samuel prophesied judgment against Saul in two stories describing Saul's rejection by God for failure to carry out God's word as made known by Samuel. Saul was condemned by Samuel for proceeding with sacrifices that Samuel was suppose to have made. The rejection takes the form of denying future dynasty to Samuel. Then Samuel again pronounced judgment on Saul for failing to carry out the full extermination of the Amalekites in a campaign declared by Samuel as God's holy war. This time Saul himself is rejected as God's king. Samuel, as God's prophet was able to withdraw divine authority from kings as well as bestow it.
Samuel grieved over the failure of Saul, and God called him from his grief to undertake the mission to anoint a new king. In Bethlehem Samuel wanted to anoint the first of Jesse's sons brought to him, but God told Samuel to look on the heart and not on the appearances. Al last Samuel anointed David, Jesse's eight son who was off tending sheep.
Samuel encountered Saul twice more. While Samuel was leading the group of prophets in his home at Ramah, Saul came searching for David and was seized up in the frenzy of their prophesying, stripped of his clothes, and lied naked before Samuel all day and night.
After Samuel died, Saul fearful over a coming battle with the Philistines, he went to a medium to call up the ghost of Samuel. Samuel reiterated God's rejection to Saul as king and predicted a Philistine victory in which Saul and his sons would die.
Samuel is traditionally credited with the writing-ship of the Bible Books of Judges, Ruth and part of the First Book of Samuel.
The change in Israel's national life revolved mainly around 3 men: Samuel, the last of the great Judges; Saul, Israel's first king; and David, whose early adventures before coming to power are interwoven with the accounts of Samuel and Saul. In these stories Samuel was also the key figure in keeping Israel's identity and religious tradition alive during a period of defeat and occupation by the Philistines. In this time of confusion and dissolution it was necessary for Samuel to appear in multiple roles of authority (priest, prophet, judge, and military leader) that would normally not converge in a single individual.
The main theme of the Book, like that of other historical writings in the Old Testament, is that Faithfulness to God brings success, while Disobedience brings disaster.
Samuel's First Book also records mixed feelings about the establishment of the monarchy. The Lord Himself was regarded as the real King of Israel, but in response to the People's request the Lord chose a king for them. The elders of Israel came to Samuel and requested him to appoint for them a king to govern them, like the other nations. Samuel interpreted the petition as a personal rejection and was reluctant to comply. God told him that the People's request was a rejection of the divine kingship but that he had to comply with the request and provide for them a king after issuing a very severe warning on the dangers of kingship.
The very important fact is that both the king chosen by God together with the People of Israel had to live under the Sovereignty and Judgment of God. Only under God's Laws the Rights of all People, rich and poor alike, were to be maintained. Samuel made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal.
Samuel prophesied judgment against Saul in two stories describing Saul's rejection by God for failure to carry out God's word as made known by Samuel. Saul was condemned by Samuel for proceeding with sacrifices that Samuel was suppose to have made. The rejection takes the form of denying future dynasty to Samuel. Then Samuel again pronounced judgment on Saul for failing to carry out the full extermination of the Amalekites in a campaign declared by Samuel as God's holy war. This time Saul himself is rejected as God's king. Samuel, as God's prophet was able to withdraw divine authority from kings as well as bestow it.
Samuel grieved over the failure of Saul, and God called him from his grief to undertake the mission to anoint a new king. In Bethlehem Samuel wanted to anoint the first of Jesse's sons brought to him, but God told Samuel to look on the heart and not on the appearances. Al last Samuel anointed David, Jesse's eight son who was off tending sheep.
Samuel encountered Saul twice more. While Samuel was leading the group of prophets in his home at Ramah, Saul came searching for David and was seized up in the frenzy of their prophesying, stripped of his clothes, and lied naked before Samuel all day and night.
After Samuel died, Saul fearful over a coming battle with the Philistines, he went to a medium to call up the ghost of Samuel. Samuel reiterated God's rejection to Saul as king and predicted a Philistine victory in which Saul and his sons would die.
Samuel is traditionally credited with the writing-ship of the Bible Books of Judges, Ruth and part of the First Book of Samuel.
Monday, 21 December 2015
WHO WAS ZECH-AR-IAH?
The name means "God remembers."The name is mentioned many times in the Scriptures. Evidently it is a plea for God to remember His covenant with Israel and extend Divine Aid.
Time 1, as the name of a King in the Northern Kingdom, the son of Jeroboam II. He reigned only 6 months before he was assassinated. With his death the dynasty of Jehu came to an end, a fulfillment of the prophecy that it would rule only for four generations. 2 Kings 14,15.
Time 2, as the father of Abijah, the mother of King He-zek-iah. 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 9.
Time 3, as the head of a family of Reubenites. 1 Chronicles 5.
Time 4, as a wise and prominent levitical gatekeeper during the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 9; 26.
Time 5, as a Benjamite of Gibeon. His brother Ner was the father of Kish, the father of King Saul. At 1 Chron. 8, he is called Zecher without the ending.
Time 6, as a levitical musician who played the harp as the ark was brought into Jerusalem during the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 15 and 16.
Time 7, one of the priestly trumpeters who led the procession as the ark was brought into Jerusalem.
Time 8, as a levite and son of Isshiah, a contemporary of David. 1 Chronicle 24.
Time 9, as a levitical gatekeeper at the time of David, son of Hosah the Merarite. 1 Chronicles 26.
Time 10, as the father of Iddo, one of David's officers who ruled over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead. 1 Chronicle 27.
Time 11, as an official of King Jehoshaphat assigned to teach the Book of the Law in the cities of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17.
Time 12, as a Levite and father of Jahaziel (2Chron.20), who prophesied that Jehoshaphat would be victorious over the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites.
Time 13, as son of Jehoshaphat slain by his brother Jehoram. 2 Chronicles 21.
Time 14, as a son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah publicly denounced Joash for his sin and was subsequently stoned to death by order of the king (2Chron,24). The murder was particularly heinous in light of the place that it occurred -the Temple Courtyard- and the kindness that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown to Joash. Because of this repulsive deed some of Joash's officials put the king to death. Jesus alluded to Zechariah's martyrdom when condemning the hypocritical religious leaders of his day. Matthew 23; Luke 11.
Time 15 as the Prophet to whom the Book of Zechariah is attributed (Zech.1). He was also a priest and a contemporary of the Prophet Haggai.
We can go on until we reach the name of the father of John the Baptist, a member of the priestly division of Abijah (Luke1). The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and informed him that his wife Elizabeth would bear an extraordinary child. Because of his unbelief, Zechariah was unable to speak until after the child was born. On the day the child was named, Zechariah's voice returned. He then uttered a beautiful prophecy concerning spiritual Israel's messianic hope.
The Book of Zechariah is largely in the form of visions, dealing with the restoration of the spiritual city of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the Temple, the purification of God's people and the messianic age to come.
Time 1, as the name of a King in the Northern Kingdom, the son of Jeroboam II. He reigned only 6 months before he was assassinated. With his death the dynasty of Jehu came to an end, a fulfillment of the prophecy that it would rule only for four generations. 2 Kings 14,15.
Time 2, as the father of Abijah, the mother of King He-zek-iah. 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 9.
Time 3, as the head of a family of Reubenites. 1 Chronicles 5.
Time 4, as a wise and prominent levitical gatekeeper during the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 9; 26.
Time 5, as a Benjamite of Gibeon. His brother Ner was the father of Kish, the father of King Saul. At 1 Chron. 8, he is called Zecher without the ending.
Time 6, as a levitical musician who played the harp as the ark was brought into Jerusalem during the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 15 and 16.
Time 7, one of the priestly trumpeters who led the procession as the ark was brought into Jerusalem.
Time 8, as a levite and son of Isshiah, a contemporary of David. 1 Chronicle 24.
Time 9, as a levitical gatekeeper at the time of David, son of Hosah the Merarite. 1 Chronicles 26.
Time 10, as the father of Iddo, one of David's officers who ruled over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead. 1 Chronicle 27.
Time 11, as an official of King Jehoshaphat assigned to teach the Book of the Law in the cities of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17.
Time 12, as a Levite and father of Jahaziel (2Chron.20), who prophesied that Jehoshaphat would be victorious over the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites.
Time 13, as son of Jehoshaphat slain by his brother Jehoram. 2 Chronicles 21.
Time 14, as a son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah publicly denounced Joash for his sin and was subsequently stoned to death by order of the king (2Chron,24). The murder was particularly heinous in light of the place that it occurred -the Temple Courtyard- and the kindness that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown to Joash. Because of this repulsive deed some of Joash's officials put the king to death. Jesus alluded to Zechariah's martyrdom when condemning the hypocritical religious leaders of his day. Matthew 23; Luke 11.
Time 15 as the Prophet to whom the Book of Zechariah is attributed (Zech.1). He was also a priest and a contemporary of the Prophet Haggai.
We can go on until we reach the name of the father of John the Baptist, a member of the priestly division of Abijah (Luke1). The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and informed him that his wife Elizabeth would bear an extraordinary child. Because of his unbelief, Zechariah was unable to speak until after the child was born. On the day the child was named, Zechariah's voice returned. He then uttered a beautiful prophecy concerning spiritual Israel's messianic hope.
The Book of Zechariah is largely in the form of visions, dealing with the restoration of the spiritual city of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the Temple, the purification of God's people and the messianic age to come.
Thursday, 17 December 2015
BAPTISM, WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD?
In Paul's Letter to the Romans, he wrote to explain to the believers there, his understanding of the Christian faith, and its practical implications for their lives as Christians.
All mankind needs to be put right with God, for all alike are under the power of sin. The only way is through faith in Jesus Christ. Then the believer is able to obtain peace with God and is set free by God's Spirit in the believer's life.
In illustration of this, Paul writes in chapter 6: "Surely you know, that so many of us, as we were baptized into Jesus Christ were also baptized into his death. By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life. ... Sin must no longer rule in your mortal bodies that you used to obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield any part of yourselves as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. ... Don't you know, that to whom you yield yourselves as servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But thanks be to God! For though at one time you were slaves to sin, but now you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered in you. Being then made free from sin, you became servants to righteousness unto holiness. ... For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit do you had then in those things whereof now you are ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
This is a perfect and proper explanation that Paul gives us for the word "Baptize," meaning "to deep," "to be immerse," "to plunge." When one is immerse in something, it is temporarily "buried" out of sight and then lifted out.
Paul identified the true seed of Abraham as Christ, along with those who belong to Christ as "heirs with reference to a promise."(Gal. 3:16, 29). Paul also speaks of Abraham's kindness and hospitality to strangers, and in his long list of God's witnesses in Hebrews 11, he does not overlook Abraham.
Paul points out that Abraham's two women, Sarah and Hagar, were actually a symbolic expression of God's two covenants.
As a patriarchal head, Abraham allowed no idolatry or ungodliness in his household, but constantly taught to all his sons and servants to "keep God's way to do righteousness and judgment." Gen. 18:19.
DOES JESUS PRACTICES TELEPATHY AND TELEKINESIS?
Telepathy is the ability to read another's thought; and telekinesis is the ability to move an object with one's mind.
Genesis 6:5 says, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intend of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." There is anything mysterious in this, it is simply knowing each other by heart and well enough, and knowing their surroundings and situations well enough, to be able to make and accurate guess about their motives. Job exemplifies this situation well enough when he tells one of his comforters, "Behold, I know your thoughts, and the plans by which you would wrong me."(Job 21:27). Job knows his friend well, and he has sat through enough lectures to be able to figure it out from where his comforter is coming from. That is not telepathy. That is just paying attention to the very small details and deep observation.
The Bible makes it clear that witchcraft and sorcery are to be avoided at all costs. God made humans to interact in very specific ways with the purpose of foster community and glorify Him. That is the case of Moses when he faced the Pharaoh's magicians turned their staffs into snakes. (Exodus 7:12). It is possible for people to make strange things happen. We must examine what exactly is going on.
The mind of a human being is not able to move or create objects unless it is connected with the spiritual realm. So, every mysterious occurrence must be powered either by God or by the enemy of God. If God is glorified through the event, if He caused the event to occur to validate His prophet or His purpose, then we are sure that the event occurred through His power. If, however, the event was frivolous and had nothing to do with God's glory, then it comes through another source, that is through the power of the enemy of God. It was performed merely for convenience or self-indulged purposes.
A sincere believer voluntarily tries to disconnect him or herself from the fleshy pleasures of the world and ascend to a spiritual plane where he or she can discern Truth and Clarity about the teaching and meaning of the Word, because this is the only source that can benefit the believer and other people in many ways by sharing it. Always remember that the Word came directly from the mouth of God.
God's commands are always for our good, and he commands us to follow the Truth.
Genesis 6:5 says, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intend of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." There is anything mysterious in this, it is simply knowing each other by heart and well enough, and knowing their surroundings and situations well enough, to be able to make and accurate guess about their motives. Job exemplifies this situation well enough when he tells one of his comforters, "Behold, I know your thoughts, and the plans by which you would wrong me."(Job 21:27). Job knows his friend well, and he has sat through enough lectures to be able to figure it out from where his comforter is coming from. That is not telepathy. That is just paying attention to the very small details and deep observation.
The Bible makes it clear that witchcraft and sorcery are to be avoided at all costs. God made humans to interact in very specific ways with the purpose of foster community and glorify Him. That is the case of Moses when he faced the Pharaoh's magicians turned their staffs into snakes. (Exodus 7:12). It is possible for people to make strange things happen. We must examine what exactly is going on.
The mind of a human being is not able to move or create objects unless it is connected with the spiritual realm. So, every mysterious occurrence must be powered either by God or by the enemy of God. If God is glorified through the event, if He caused the event to occur to validate His prophet or His purpose, then we are sure that the event occurred through His power. If, however, the event was frivolous and had nothing to do with God's glory, then it comes through another source, that is through the power of the enemy of God. It was performed merely for convenience or self-indulged purposes.
A sincere believer voluntarily tries to disconnect him or herself from the fleshy pleasures of the world and ascend to a spiritual plane where he or she can discern Truth and Clarity about the teaching and meaning of the Word, because this is the only source that can benefit the believer and other people in many ways by sharing it. Always remember that the Word came directly from the mouth of God.
God's commands are always for our good, and he commands us to follow the Truth.
Sunday, 13 December 2015
IVORY AS A MEASURE OF THE EXCESSES OF THE WORLD
The creamy-white tusks of the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus and other animals. Though hard, and having a density about 3 1/2 times as great as seasoned cedar wood, it is highly elastic and is easily carved or tooled. The tusk of the African elephant was harder and preferred by ancient craftsmen. Herds of Asian (sometimes termed "Syrian") elephants were found in North West Mesopotamia and Syria until they were hunted to extinction ca 700. The lower teeth of hippopotamus were a rare source of ivory noted for its high quality and brilliance.
The ivory was used in a variety of ways beginning in the Chalcolithic period (4500 and 3500 BC) and continuing throughout the biblical period. Ivory was used for figurines, furniture, paneling, inlays, cosmetic boxes, spoons, game boards and game pieces, writing tablets, combs, and pins.
The ivory craftsmen utilized a variety of tools to carve, incise, saw, drill, and polish the raw material. They were mobile, moving to and from various centers known for the ivory trade.
Large caches of ivory have been found in Palestine (Meggido, Samaria), Syria, North Western Mesopotamia (Ugarit, Arslan Tash, Tell Tainat, and Zincirli), and Assyria (Nimrod, Nineveh, and Khorsabad).
Ivory appears frequently in Assyrian booty and tribute lists throughout the 9th and 8th centuries. Menahem included ivory as tribute to Tiglath-pileser III while Sennacherib received ivory from Hezekiah in 701. Assyrian kings utilized ivory in their palaces, but more often as decorative inlays for furniture, a fact richly confirmed by the wealth of ivory carvings recovered from Nineveh, Nimrod and Khorsabad. Assyrian kings stockpiled ivory as a much priced measure of status of wealth.
Ahab's "ivory house"(1Kings 22:39) at Samaria symbolized the corrupt luxury of a pagan court condemned by Amos (Amos 3:15). Amos' condemnation of "those who recline on beds of ivory." Amos viewed them as a symptom of the callous disregard on the part of Israel's privileged class for the social abuse perpetrated upon the poor.
The city of Tyre, in her great sea commerce, inlaid the prows of her boats with ivory. Ivory is also listed among the costly things of ancient Tyre's traders, as well as in the stock of the 'traveling merchants of the earth" who weep over the fall of Babylon the Great. (Ezekiel 27:6, 15; Rev. 18: 11, 12).
The ivory was used in a variety of ways beginning in the Chalcolithic period (4500 and 3500 BC) and continuing throughout the biblical period. Ivory was used for figurines, furniture, paneling, inlays, cosmetic boxes, spoons, game boards and game pieces, writing tablets, combs, and pins.
The ivory craftsmen utilized a variety of tools to carve, incise, saw, drill, and polish the raw material. They were mobile, moving to and from various centers known for the ivory trade.
Large caches of ivory have been found in Palestine (Meggido, Samaria), Syria, North Western Mesopotamia (Ugarit, Arslan Tash, Tell Tainat, and Zincirli), and Assyria (Nimrod, Nineveh, and Khorsabad).
Ivory appears frequently in Assyrian booty and tribute lists throughout the 9th and 8th centuries. Menahem included ivory as tribute to Tiglath-pileser III while Sennacherib received ivory from Hezekiah in 701. Assyrian kings utilized ivory in their palaces, but more often as decorative inlays for furniture, a fact richly confirmed by the wealth of ivory carvings recovered from Nineveh, Nimrod and Khorsabad. Assyrian kings stockpiled ivory as a much priced measure of status of wealth.
Ahab's "ivory house"(1Kings 22:39) at Samaria symbolized the corrupt luxury of a pagan court condemned by Amos (Amos 3:15). Amos' condemnation of "those who recline on beds of ivory." Amos viewed them as a symptom of the callous disregard on the part of Israel's privileged class for the social abuse perpetrated upon the poor.
The city of Tyre, in her great sea commerce, inlaid the prows of her boats with ivory. Ivory is also listed among the costly things of ancient Tyre's traders, as well as in the stock of the 'traveling merchants of the earth" who weep over the fall of Babylon the Great. (Ezekiel 27:6, 15; Rev. 18: 11, 12).
Wednesday, 9 December 2015
THE BEHAVIOR OF AN INSINCERE HEART.
When someone takes advantage of a very sincere heart he/she will say: "Let's return to our Master! He has hurt us (because of our behavior), but He will be sure to heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage our wounds, won't he?"
"In two or maybe three days He will revive (our power) us, and we will be able to live in His presence.
Let us try to know our Master better. For He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth."
But the Master says, "My dear ones, what am I going to do with you? Your Love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day."
"For that reason I have sent my messengers with My Message of Judgment and Destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear. I want your Constant Love, not your superficial sacrifices. I would rather have My People Know Me than have them bringing offerings to Me." Hosea 6
God says to the people of Judah, "And for you people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you for what you are doing. Whenever I want to heal my People Israel and make them prosperous again, all I can see is their Wickedness and the Evil they do." Hosea 6,7.
"The People of Israel is like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. Their arrogance cries out against them."
"They are doomed! They have left Me and rebelled against me. They will be destroyed. I wanted to save them, but their worship of Me was false. They have not prayed to Me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for grain and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! Even though I was The One who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against Me. They keep on turning away from Me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Hosea 7.
"Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on My Land like eagles! My People have broken The Covenant I made with them and have rebelled against My Teaching. Even though they call me their God and claim that they are My People and that they Know Me, they have rejected what is good."
"My People chose kings, but they did it on their own. They appointed leaders, but without my approval. They took their value in silver and gold and made idols -for their own destruction. I hate the gold Bull worshipped by the People of the City of Samaria. I am furious with them. An israelite craftsman made the idol, and it is not a god at all! The gold Bull will be smashed to pieces!"
"Stubborn as wild donkeys, the People of Israel go their own way. But now I am going to gather them together and punish them."
"The more altars the People of Israel build for removing sin, the more places they have for sinning! They have built palaces, but they have forgotten their Own Maker. Hosea 8
"In two or maybe three days He will revive (our power) us, and we will be able to live in His presence.
Let us try to know our Master better. For He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth."
But the Master says, "My dear ones, what am I going to do with you? Your Love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day."
"For that reason I have sent my messengers with My Message of Judgment and Destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear. I want your Constant Love, not your superficial sacrifices. I would rather have My People Know Me than have them bringing offerings to Me." Hosea 6
God says to the people of Judah, "And for you people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you for what you are doing. Whenever I want to heal my People Israel and make them prosperous again, all I can see is their Wickedness and the Evil they do." Hosea 6,7.
"The People of Israel is like a half-baked loaf of bread. They rely on the nations around them and do not realize that this reliance on foreigners has robbed them of their strength. Their days are numbered, but they don't even know it. Their arrogance cries out against them."
"They are doomed! They have left Me and rebelled against me. They will be destroyed. I wanted to save them, but their worship of Me was false. They have not prayed to Me sincerely, but instead they throw themselves down and wail as the heathen do. When they pray for grain and wine, they gash themselves like pagans. What rebels they are! Even though I was The One who brought them up and made them strong, they plotted against Me. They keep on turning away from Me to a god that is powerless. They are as unreliable as a crooked bow. Hosea 7.
"Sound the alarm! Enemies are swooping down on My Land like eagles! My People have broken The Covenant I made with them and have rebelled against My Teaching. Even though they call me their God and claim that they are My People and that they Know Me, they have rejected what is good."
"My People chose kings, but they did it on their own. They appointed leaders, but without my approval. They took their value in silver and gold and made idols -for their own destruction. I hate the gold Bull worshipped by the People of the City of Samaria. I am furious with them. An israelite craftsman made the idol, and it is not a god at all! The gold Bull will be smashed to pieces!"
"Stubborn as wild donkeys, the People of Israel go their own way. But now I am going to gather them together and punish them."
"The more altars the People of Israel build for removing sin, the more places they have for sinning! They have built palaces, but they have forgotten their Own Maker. Hosea 8
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
MARDUK, A POWERFUL ENTITY IN CONTROL Of THE WORLD.
Marduk (Akkadian: Amar Utu; "Bull Calf of the Sun God Utu") was a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and the chief deity in the Babylonian Pantheon during the 1st millennium BC. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates Valley in the Time of Ham-Mur-Abi (1800 BC) and capital city of the Babylonian Empire (from about 1500BC), Marduk slowly started to rise to the position of the Head of the Babylonian Pantheon, a position he fully acquired by the 2nd half of the 2nd millennium BC. He became so powerful and at that point he wanted to be called "Bell" which means "Lord." He resided in the Temple complex Es-Ag-ila, associated with the Temple-Tower, Et-Emen-Anki, that stands behind the narrative of the Towel of Babel in The Book of Genesis, chapter11.
Marduk is a name that changes in every confrontation of powers. It has so many variations in many different arrangements that make it difficult to identify the nature of it.
Marduk's journey and the visits he paid to the lands he agreed to visit is reflected in the prophecy text called The Marduk Prophecy that describes the travels of the Marduk idol from Babylon to the land of Hatti, the seizure of the statue during the sack of the city by Mursilis I, 1531BC, Assyria, and took the idol to Assur; and the journey to Elam, where the statue was pilfered around 1160 BC. The gods have followed Marduk and abandoned Babylon to famine and pestilence. After addressing an assembly of the gods, Marduk prophesied his return one more time to Babylon and wreak a terrible revenge on the Elamites.
Marduk's symbols were a spade and the snake-dragon (Mushhushshu). The planet Jupiter was associated with him by the Hammurabi period (1800BC).
Marduk was identified in the early 2nd millennium with the god Asa-Lluhi, who was the son of Enki/Ea and who was important in the cult of the Southern City Eridu.
Marduk name was invoked and called upon to fight an army of Demons led by the goddess Tiamat. He decided to go into the battle only because the other gods agreed to elect him as their leader making an oath and placing in him the total dominion of the world powers. He, then, kills Tiamat and crowned himself as the supreme god. The epic of creation, En-Uma-El-Ish, celebrates Marduk's elevation to the preeminent status in the pantheon, the other gods agreed to confer ultimate royal authority on him in the realm where all of them lived,following his defeat of Tiamat, the goddess of Salt Water and Chaos.
Now as a supreme god, during the reign of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, an installed New Year Festival (Ak-Itu) was one of the most important religious celebration done in Babylon, in which En-Uma-El-Ish formed part of the libretto, and all the citizens were required, including its king, to kneel down before the statue of Marduk and a united vow was pronounced to reassure him the greatness of his position as a supreme god and ruler.
Marduk's association with the increasingly prominent city of Babylon goes back to Ham-mur-abi's dynasty in the Old babylonian period. After the time of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, Marduk remained the chief deity of the Babylonian State and patron of its kings, including those of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (626-539 BC). It is in this status that the people of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Israel, encountered Marduk.
During the Time of the Prophet Jeremiah lived during the latter part of the 7th century and the 1st. part of the 6th century BC, an oracle was pronounced, and God announced the capture and shamming of Babylon and Marduk. During Jeremiah's long teaching he warned God's people of the catastrophe that was to fall upon the nation of Israel because of their idolatry towards Marduk and sin. Jeremiah lived to see this prediction come true with The Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian king, Nebu-chad-nez-zar, the Destruction of the City and the Temple, and the Exile to Babylonia of Judah's king and many of the people. Jeremiah also foretold the Return of The People from The Exile and The Restoration of the Spiritual nation of Israel.
Marduk is a name that changes in every confrontation of powers. It has so many variations in many different arrangements that make it difficult to identify the nature of it.
Marduk's journey and the visits he paid to the lands he agreed to visit is reflected in the prophecy text called The Marduk Prophecy that describes the travels of the Marduk idol from Babylon to the land of Hatti, the seizure of the statue during the sack of the city by Mursilis I, 1531BC, Assyria, and took the idol to Assur; and the journey to Elam, where the statue was pilfered around 1160 BC. The gods have followed Marduk and abandoned Babylon to famine and pestilence. After addressing an assembly of the gods, Marduk prophesied his return one more time to Babylon and wreak a terrible revenge on the Elamites.
Marduk's symbols were a spade and the snake-dragon (Mushhushshu). The planet Jupiter was associated with him by the Hammurabi period (1800BC).
Marduk was identified in the early 2nd millennium with the god Asa-Lluhi, who was the son of Enki/Ea and who was important in the cult of the Southern City Eridu.
Marduk name was invoked and called upon to fight an army of Demons led by the goddess Tiamat. He decided to go into the battle only because the other gods agreed to elect him as their leader making an oath and placing in him the total dominion of the world powers. He, then, kills Tiamat and crowned himself as the supreme god. The epic of creation, En-Uma-El-Ish, celebrates Marduk's elevation to the preeminent status in the pantheon, the other gods agreed to confer ultimate royal authority on him in the realm where all of them lived,following his defeat of Tiamat, the goddess of Salt Water and Chaos.
Now as a supreme god, during the reign of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, an installed New Year Festival (Ak-Itu) was one of the most important religious celebration done in Babylon, in which En-Uma-El-Ish formed part of the libretto, and all the citizens were required, including its king, to kneel down before the statue of Marduk and a united vow was pronounced to reassure him the greatness of his position as a supreme god and ruler.
Marduk's association with the increasingly prominent city of Babylon goes back to Ham-mur-abi's dynasty in the Old babylonian period. After the time of Nebu-chad-nez-zar I, Marduk remained the chief deity of the Babylonian State and patron of its kings, including those of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (626-539 BC). It is in this status that the people of the Eastern Mediterranean, including Israel, encountered Marduk.
During the Time of the Prophet Jeremiah lived during the latter part of the 7th century and the 1st. part of the 6th century BC, an oracle was pronounced, and God announced the capture and shamming of Babylon and Marduk. During Jeremiah's long teaching he warned God's people of the catastrophe that was to fall upon the nation of Israel because of their idolatry towards Marduk and sin. Jeremiah lived to see this prediction come true with The Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian king, Nebu-chad-nez-zar, the Destruction of the City and the Temple, and the Exile to Babylonia of Judah's king and many of the people. Jeremiah also foretold the Return of The People from The Exile and The Restoration of the Spiritual nation of Israel.
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
NEBO, WHAT KIND OF ENTITY HE WAS ?
NEBO (Hebrew: Nebu, Akkadian: Nabu) is one of the two principal entities of the Babylonian pantheon. The name is found as early as the 2nd millennium BC, but Nebo worship as a powerful entity of Darkness governing the World powers began its ascendancy 925 BC and was at its peak in Babylon by the 7th century, roughly the time of Isaiah.
As son of Marduk, Nebo was considered to be the keeper of the Tablets of the Gods governing the power of the flesh, and thus a scribe. As such he had access to secrets that others were not able to interpreted, granting him wisdom, and so he could control religious rites of any sort. He wrote down the decisions of the Gods and kept accounts of human dealings, especially on his Tablet of Life and Tablet of Destiny.
The Exodus narrative in the Scriptures refers to the most important even in the history of spiritual Israel. The word itself means "Departure" symbolizing the departure of the spiritual people of Israel from Egypt (flesh bond), where they had been slaves. Above all, this narrative describes what God did, as he liberated them from the World powers which enslaved his people and formed them into a nation with hope for the future. The central human figure (with supernatural powers) in the narrative is Moses, the man whom God chose to lead his people from Egypt. The freeing of the Hebrews from slavery, their journey to Mount Sinai, God's covenant with his people at Sinai, which gave them moral, civil, and religious laws to live by to avoid punishment from the laws of the World, and the building and furnishing of a place in their hearts to worship God, and the laws regarding the priests and the worship to God, are pretty much very clear along the narrative.
In the Book of Isaiah, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem in the latter half of the 8th century BC, shows the time when Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the nation that God formed, was threatened by a powerful spiritual neighbor, Assyria. Isaiah shows in his narrative that the real threat to the spiritual life of Judah was not simply the spiritual might of Assyria coming from the realm of the World, but the nation's own sin and disobedience toward God and their luck of trust in Him and His Laws. Many went into exile in Babylon because their strength was weakened by their spiritual pollution and lack of trust to God, being vulnerable they were crushed by the Babylonians and left without hope. Isaiah proclaimed to the ones still loyal to the spiritual nation of Israel that God would set them free and take them home to the Spiritual Jerusalem to begin a New Life Order. He also stated that God is the Lord of history, and His Plan for His People includes all the nations of the World, who will be blessed through spiritual Israel. Isaiah addressed to people who needed reassurance that God was going to fulfill His Promises to His Nation. Concern is expressed for Righteousness and Justice, and also for Scripture observances, sacrifice, and prayer.
Isaiah addressed Nebo and the Gods of the World in chapter 41 saying, "Keep silence before Me, O, Islands (World Powers); and let the people renew their strength: Let them come near; then Let them speak: Let us come near together to Judgment." 41:1
"The Lord, the King of Israel, has this to say: 'You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have! Come here and predict what will happen, so that we will know it when it takes place. Explain to the Court the events of the past, and tell us what they mean.' " 41: 21-22
"Tell us what the future holds, then we will know that you are gods!" 41: 23
"You and all you do are nothing; those who worship you are disgusting! " 41: 24
"When I looked among the gods, none of them had a thing to say; not one could answer the questions I asked. All these gods are useless; they can do nothing at all, these idols are weak and powerless."41:29
"I have chosen a man who lives in the East; I will bring him to attack from the North. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay. Which of you predicted that this would happen, so that we could say that you were right? None of you said a word about it; no one heard you say a thing! 42: 25 - 26.
As son of Marduk, Nebo was considered to be the keeper of the Tablets of the Gods governing the power of the flesh, and thus a scribe. As such he had access to secrets that others were not able to interpreted, granting him wisdom, and so he could control religious rites of any sort. He wrote down the decisions of the Gods and kept accounts of human dealings, especially on his Tablet of Life and Tablet of Destiny.
The Exodus narrative in the Scriptures refers to the most important even in the history of spiritual Israel. The word itself means "Departure" symbolizing the departure of the spiritual people of Israel from Egypt (flesh bond), where they had been slaves. Above all, this narrative describes what God did, as he liberated them from the World powers which enslaved his people and formed them into a nation with hope for the future. The central human figure (with supernatural powers) in the narrative is Moses, the man whom God chose to lead his people from Egypt. The freeing of the Hebrews from slavery, their journey to Mount Sinai, God's covenant with his people at Sinai, which gave them moral, civil, and religious laws to live by to avoid punishment from the laws of the World, and the building and furnishing of a place in their hearts to worship God, and the laws regarding the priests and the worship to God, are pretty much very clear along the narrative.
In the Book of Isaiah, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem in the latter half of the 8th century BC, shows the time when Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the nation that God formed, was threatened by a powerful spiritual neighbor, Assyria. Isaiah shows in his narrative that the real threat to the spiritual life of Judah was not simply the spiritual might of Assyria coming from the realm of the World, but the nation's own sin and disobedience toward God and their luck of trust in Him and His Laws. Many went into exile in Babylon because their strength was weakened by their spiritual pollution and lack of trust to God, being vulnerable they were crushed by the Babylonians and left without hope. Isaiah proclaimed to the ones still loyal to the spiritual nation of Israel that God would set them free and take them home to the Spiritual Jerusalem to begin a New Life Order. He also stated that God is the Lord of history, and His Plan for His People includes all the nations of the World, who will be blessed through spiritual Israel. Isaiah addressed to people who needed reassurance that God was going to fulfill His Promises to His Nation. Concern is expressed for Righteousness and Justice, and also for Scripture observances, sacrifice, and prayer.
Isaiah addressed Nebo and the Gods of the World in chapter 41 saying, "Keep silence before Me, O, Islands (World Powers); and let the people renew their strength: Let them come near; then Let them speak: Let us come near together to Judgment." 41:1
"The Lord, the King of Israel, has this to say: 'You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have! Come here and predict what will happen, so that we will know it when it takes place. Explain to the Court the events of the past, and tell us what they mean.' " 41: 21-22
"Tell us what the future holds, then we will know that you are gods!" 41: 23
"You and all you do are nothing; those who worship you are disgusting! " 41: 24
"When I looked among the gods, none of them had a thing to say; not one could answer the questions I asked. All these gods are useless; they can do nothing at all, these idols are weak and powerless."41:29
"I have chosen a man who lives in the East; I will bring him to attack from the North. He tramples on rulers as if they were mud, like a potter trampling clay. Which of you predicted that this would happen, so that we could say that you were right? None of you said a word about it; no one heard you say a thing! 42: 25 - 26.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)