BAAL, THE MOST POWERFUL GOD OF THE FLESH.

The name Baal means "lord" designating a legal state of ownership or possession. It is the most significant deity in the Old Testament with the exception of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
In the Scriptures, the word "Baal" is employed with reference to: -a husband as owner of his wife instead of a complement to him (Genesis 20); -as landowners (Joshua 24); -as the owners of the nations (Isaiah 16); -as owners of a covenant, literary confederates (Genesis 14); -owners or possessors of tangibles (Exodus 21,22; 2Kings1); -persons of things having something that is characteristic of their nature, manner, occupation, etc (Genesis 49); -a creditor of a debt, literary the owner of a debt (Deuteronomy 15); -given to anger, literary owner of anger (Proverbs 22:24); -as a judicial antagonist, literary owner of the judgment (Isaiah 50); -the possessor of the 2 Horns, literary the owner of the 2 Horns (Daniel 8); -as false gods (Judges 2); -as the Spirit of the Lord (Hosea 2).
In a land dependent upon rain-fed agriculture, given the paramount need for rain and its continuous impact upon the population, the storm-god was the most significant representation of the spirit acting as a deity in the world of the living and manifested like the rain through the daily and ritualistic lives of the individuals. An extension of the concept of the rain is that of fertility.
Baal was represented icono-graphically by a Bull. Myths recorded at length the struggle of Baal in maintaining his power against his nemesis, "death." Baal is represented as a spirit powerful enough to engage "death" in a mythological struggle colliding each other. Then Baal descending into "death" who swallows him and come back again to the living world in the same manner of the agricultural cycle.
The power inherent in a thunderstorm lends itself to the association with warring prowess. Baal is the warrior par excellence expressed by his defeat of the forces of chaos, represented by the mind (sea), and saving order and balance in the spiritual realms where the real judgments takes place.
In the world of the living, the king of a nation which revered him was suppose to imitate Baal in this aspect, to protect the mundane societies from the forces of chaos. As a result of this, he is represented as a warrior clutching lightning as a weapon.
A number of elements of the Baal cult are attested in the old Testament. Ecstatic Prophets are depicted in the confrontation of Elijah with 400 Prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1King18). The cutting mentioned in the ritual is related to the cult of the dead, as the death of Baal is equated with drought of power.
Baalistic cultic practices deeply affected the spiritual power of Israel. The number of liturgical themes, images, and phrases that were adapted to the theological principles diminished the Truth deeply inscribed in true worship of the God of Israel.

THE POWERFUL 300 WARRIORS CHOSEN BY GOD.

According to The Book of Judges (6-8), a pre-monarchical leader was celebrated for ridding Israel of Midianite invaders. His name was Jerubbaal (Gideon). He was also remembered for divinatory activity.
This leader lived in a very turbulent time of Israel's history. Because of their unfaithfulness to God, they were not enjoying the fruits of their labor. For a number of years neighboring nations, especially the Medianites, had invaded the Land at harvest time with hordes as numerous as the locust. The hand of Midian proved to be heavy upon the Israelites for 7 years, so much so that they had to make underground storage places for themselves in order to conceal their food supplies from the invaders.
This leader was threshing grain in a wine-press, when an angel appeared to him, saying:"God is with you, you valiant, mighty one."Then the angel told him that he would be the one to deliver Israel. The leader modestly spoke of his own insignificance. But he was assured that God would prove to be with him. The leader was put to a test by God, commanding him to tear down his father's altar to the god Baal, to cut down the sacred pole alongside it, to build an altar to God and then to offer his father's young bull of 7 years, upon it, using as firewood the sacred pole. The leader did so at midnight with the aid of 10 servants.
Then the Medianites, together with the Amalekites and the Easterners encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. God's Spirit enveloped the leader. Calling together the Abiezrites of the tribe of Manasseh from where he belonged, for battle, he sent messengers throughout Manasseh and to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, urging to join him.
32,000 Fighting men rallied around him in response to the leader's call. They encamped at The Well of Harod, South of the Midianite camp at the Hill of Moreh in the Low Plain. They were outnumbered about 4 to 1 by the invaders, with a force of about 135,000. But God indicated to the leader that there were too many men.
At God's direction, the leader told those who were afraid and trembling to retire. 22,000 departed, but still there were too many men. Next God instructed the leader to lead the remaining 10,000 men down to the water to be tested. Only 300 men scooped water to the mouth by hand and were separated to one side. The others, who bent down upon their knees to drink, were not to be used.
The powerful 300 warriors were chosen because of their method of drinking, manifesting alertness and a deep concerning for the fight for true worship in God's name. By means of this true warriors God promised to save Israel.
The leader organized the 300 into 3 bands in order to enable him to approach the camp of Midian from 3 sides, and gave each man a Horn, and a large Jar, inside of which was placed a Torch. His men did exactly what he commanded to do. The stillness of the night was shattered by the exact blowing of 300 horns, the smashing of 300 large water jars and the resounding of 300 war cries; at the same time the sky was lit up with 300 torches. Confusion seized the enemy camp. The invaders began shouting and fleeing, and god proceeded to set the sword of each one against the other in all the camp.
Grateful Israelites asked the leader to establish his family as a ruling dynasty. However, the leader appreciated that God was Israel's rightful King and therefore did not go along with their request.

APOSLE, WHAT IT MEANS?

It means an envoy, an ambassador, or messenger commissioned to carry out instructions of the commissioned agenda. An overseer of human affairs.
The Septuagint uses "apostello" some 700 times to translate the Hebrew word "salah" (stretch out, send). More than the act of sending, this hebrew word includes the idea of the authorization of a messenger. The noun "apostolos" is found only in 1King 14:6, where the commissioning and empowering of the Prophet are clearly in mind. Thus the Septuagint uses it to denote the authorization of an individual to fulfill a particular function, with emphasis on the one who sends, not on the one who is sent.
The noun "apostolos" appears 79 times in the New Testament (10 in the Gospels; 28 in Acts; 38 in The Epistles; and 3 in Revelation). The vast majority is these occurrences are found in Luke-Acts(34) and in the Pauline Epistles(34), and refer to those appointed by Christ for a special function in the Church. Their unique place is not only on having witnessed the Resurrection, but also on having been commissioned and empowered by the Resurrected Lord to Proclaim the Gospel to all nations.
In the New Testament the word is applied to Jesus as the Sent One of God(Heb.3:1), to those sent by God to preach to Israel(Luk.11:49), to those sent by Churches(2Col.8:23;Php2:25), and most often, to the individuals who had been appointed by Christ to preach The Gospel of the Kingdom. This latter category is understood differently by New Testament writers. Luke-Act uses the term to refer to the 12, while Paul uses it in relation to a broader group of individuals. Jesus had a large number of disciples during His ministry, but not all of them were apostles. The 12 were chosen out of a wider group both to be with Jesus as disciples and to be sent out to preach and teach as apostles. In this broder sense, an apostle was a witness to the Resurrection of Christ, sent by Him to make disciples of all nations.
Jesus' choice of 12 disciples to form an inner circle of followers served to symbolize The Truth that He had come to build a New House of Israel. The 12 formed the nucleus of this New People of God, corresponding to the 12 Tribes of Israel, and signifying God's saving activity at work in Jesus and his followers. Paul's claim to apostleship is likewise based on the Divine Call of Christ, manifested in its 3 accounts of the Damascus Road encounter, and presented as the direct action of the Risen Christ.
Christ the Apostle is mentioned only once in Heb.3:1, sent by the Father. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Gospel of John, where Christ's entire ministry is qualified by the term "apostello"(send). As the Father sent His Son into the World, Jesus, in turn, sends out his disciples to continue and extend his mission. Thus, all apostleship finds its meaning in Jesus the Apostle.

WHO WAS BALAAM?

Balaam (meaning: devouring or devourer) is a non-Israelite Prophet referred to in the Old Testament and New Testament as well as in an 8th-century BCE plaster inscription from Tell Deir'Alla in Jordan. Two major fragments groups of enigmatic and fragmentary plaster texts are dated ca. 700. The language has both Aramaic and Canaanite features. The first group of plaster fragments specifically mentions "Balaam son of Beor, a "seer of the gods" who had a night vision in which the Gods of the Mountain conveyed the future to him
The book of Numbers contains the most extensive material. Balaam is first introduced when the Israelites approach the Land of Canaan, after their defeat of Sihon and Og (21:21-35).
Balaam, is referred to as a son of Beor who lived in the Aramean town in the Upper Euphrates Valley and near the Sajur River (22:5; Deut.23:4). Abraham, Lot, and Jacob formerly lived in the vicinity of Haran, not far from Pethor (Gen.12:4,5; 24:10; 28:5; 31:18, 38).
Balak, king of Moab, having witnessed Israel's rout of the Amorites, sent messengers to Balaam requesting that he curse the Israelites. After the messengers arrived with "fees for divination", Balaam turned down the offer saying: "God has refused to let me go with you. When other princes in greater number and more honorable came, He received permission from God to go with them (22:7-21). On the way God's angel three times stood in the road, causing Balaam's ass first to turn into a field, then to squeeze Balaam's foot against a wall, and at last to lie down. Three times Balaam beat the animal, which then miraculously uttered a spoken protest (22:22-30). Finally, Balaam himself saw God's angel, who announced:"I have come out to offer resistance, because your way has been headlong against my will." Yet God once again allowed Balaam to continue in his chosen course.
Although Balak desired that Israel be cursed, Balaam stated that he must speak that which he was permitted to by God (22:36-39). After sacrifices were offered, Balaam sought God and received a divine message (23:1-6). Balaam blessed Israel in his first Oracle (23:7-12). Balak convinced Balaam to attempt again to curse Israel, but his 2nd Oracle was also a blessing (23:13-26). Two more blessing Oracles were pronounced by Balaam, the final one predicting that Israel would rule over the kingdoms, including Moab.
Balaam still entertained hope of having that rich reward for which he had come so far and for which he had work so hard. If he could not curse Israel, he reasoned, perhaps God Himself would curse his own people, if only they could be seduced to engage in sex worship of the Baal of Peor (a mountain). So , he went to Balak and show him how to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. By Balaam's word, the daughters of Moab and Midian served to induce the sons of Israel to commit unfaithfulness toward God over the affair of Peor, so that the scourge came upon the assembly of God. The result: 24,000 men of Israel died for their sin (25:1-9). Neither did Midian, nor Balaam, for his part, escape divine punishment. God commanded that all their men, women and boys be executed; only virgins were spared.
"And they killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword." (Num.25:16-18; 31:1-18). As for the Moabites, they were barred from the congregation of God to the 10th generation (Deut.23:3-6).

VENUS AND JESUS CHRIST

In the Book of Numbers (22-24) is the account of King Balak summoning Balaam, a prophet, to curse Israel. However, Balaam could only pronounce what God allowed him to say or what God forced him to say.
In Balaam's 4th Oracle (prophecy), he said, "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult (24-17).
This symbolic words clearly refers to the Messiah. Balaam had a vision of the coming of the Hebrew Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was visible from afar. He was radiant and beautiful, majestic and powerful.
In the Book of Revelation (22-16) is the account of Jesus who says, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
So the planet Venus is a metaphor for Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Balaam's prophecy was fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah.
In Paul's Letter to the Romans (1:20-21), he says that all of God's creation should remind us of the Creator. We have seen specifically that Venus remind us of Christ fulfilling the Prophecy. The earthly ministry of jesus Christ introduced the pre-dawn Light of the World (Luke 1:78-79; John 8:12; Matthew 4:13-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Jesus had to return to heaven commissioning his followers to bring Light to the World (Matthew 5:14-16; Ephesian 5:8). Only God and Christ are the Source of Light, like the stars are sources of physical light. God's people are to be like the stars that reflect the Light of God. The Scripture says in Philippians 2:15, "While we live 'in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,' we, as believers, are to 'shine as lights in the World.'"
In the Book of Matthew (24:14), Jesus said,"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the World as a witness to all nations, and then the End will come." Jesus Christ made it clear that the Light of God's Truth would be powerful preached preceding Christ's return. In 1John 2:8, he says, "the Darkness is passing away, and the True Light is already shining.
The latter half of 2 Peter 1:19 says, "You must pay close attention to what the Prophets wrote, for their words are like a Lamp shining in a dark place -until The Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts." The Morning Star and the Sunrise are used to picture the return of Christ.
God, speaking through Malachi (4:2), said, "But to you who fear My Name,  the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves."
For those who are spiritually asleep, awake and be prepared for the New Day of Christ's glorious reign on Earth. (Romans 13:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8).

THE PLANET VENUS AND ITS BEHAVIOR.

Going away from the Sun, the 4 solid and rocky planets that orbit around it are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. 

Venus is the same size as Earth and is our closest planetary neighbor. The mean surface temperature of the planet is 870F while the Earth is 72F. Venus is hotter than Mercury even though it is twice as far from the Sun as Mercury. 

Venus's atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide with thick yellow-white clouds of sulfuric acid; these clouds becomes highly reflective -reflecting about 70% of incoming sunlight back into space. They are largely responsible for the high heat on the surface of the planet because of their "greenhouse effect" on the incoming energy from the Sun. Venus is the third brightest luminary in our sky -only the Sun and the Moon are brighter. For long periods of time, Venus becomes bright enough to cast shadows on Earth. The atmospheric pressure on Venus's surface is 92 times that of the Earth. That is about the same pressure as being 1 km/1.6 mi under water, in which our bodies are instantly squashed and burned. 

Venus orbits the Sun in about 225 earth-days, while the Earth does it in about 365 days. Venus rotates in its axis slowly and in the opposite direction from all the other planets in our solar system except Uranus. The Sun rises in the West and sets in the East. It takes 243 earth-days to make one rotation, therefore "One Venus Day" is longer than "One Venus Year."

The periods of Venus as "Evening Star" and "Morning Star" each average about 263 days. In between, Venus disappears from our view on the Near side of the Sun for about 8 days, and from the the Far side of the Sun for about 50 days. The entire cycle is made in 584 days.

Venus is the third brightest luminary in our sky -only the Sun and the Moon are brighter. For long periods of time, Venus becomes bright enough to cast shadows on Earth. 

Venus has phases like the Moon: full, half, quarter, crescent, etc. The planet appears to us at its brightest when its phase is only a quarter or less. When Venus is its full phase, it is on the opposite side of the Sun, the farthest possible distance from Earth. As the orbits of Earth and Venus bring them closer together (on the same side of the Sun), Venus appears brighter even though we are seeing only a quarter of the planet.

A Venus passage occurs when we can see Venus passing directly in front of the Sun. It is similar to a Solar Eclipse, when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. This passage can only occur with the inner planets -Mercury and Venus- because they are the only 2 that can lie between the Earth and Sun during their orbits.

Venus passages usually come in pairs, with each passage spaced 8 years apart. We are in the midst of the first and second passages of this millennium. It is a rare once-in-a-lifetime event. The last Venus Passages (pair of) occurred in 1874 and 1882. The next pair will occur in 2117 and 2125.

The English word "Friday" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Frigedaeg," meaning "Venus Day." The name Venus comes from the Roman goddess of beauty and love.

ANIMISM

Animism is the doctrine that tends to view life as taking the form of discrete spirits that were the inhabitants of the spiritual world and were the vital force of the universe itself. All natural objects and the universe  are believed to have souls and they preexisted the physical realm and weren't generated from our existence and experience in the physical world.
According to animism there was once a "mythic reality," a spiritual age when heavens and earth had not yet separated. Each entity in this world took part in the mythic reality of his divine ancestor, their lives were fulfilled and their powers maximized.
This belief is shared by all ancient societies around the world, who did not worship their gods just in its simple manifestation of the physical realm, instead, they graded them according to its powerful dominance in the physical realm that preexisted before in their mythic reality. Rocks and trees, among physical things, were the most closely approach to represent models of spirits that previously dwelt in the world of shadows, because they did not change or decay easily in their physical image, instead, they were more inclined to preserve the integrity of their identity, either in the physical or the spiritual realms. Another examples are: mountains, turtles; preservatives like salt and spices; preserved foods; the sun, moon and stars, etc.
Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, was also a believer that anything we perceive in the physical world, in order for us to recognize it as anything at all, must correspond to some spiritual origin, or eternal, preexistent in our minds. In this sense any physical thing had a soul -a mental original that endowed it with its being and its identity.
Platonism and Jungian psychology are indebted to animism. Plato's concept is portrayed as a time when the soul lived among the Forms and learned to know of them by experiencing them directly. Plato's concept of Forms had its roots in old notions of the spiritual and animistic world of the ancestral gods.
The Forms were autonomous. In a sense they were living entities of their own conscious.
Jung's animistic concept of his philosophy is thought as the modern-day heir of animistic thinking, based in the mythological world view that still is present and alive in our unconscious world. We are still thinking, at least unconsciously, along animistic lines.