1    Overview    

 

2    Truth    

 

3    Who & what is God & What is he doing?   

 

4    Wonderful World Tomorrow   

 

5    Faith    

 

6    Humility   

 

7    Angels   

 

8    Prophecy     

               

9    Characters in Old Testament   

 

10    Grace    

 

11    Our New Testament Behavior    

 

Unless noted all reference scriptures will be from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.  The New International Version is a modern, completely original TRANSLATION of the Bible (It is not a paraphrase) developed by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

 

 

 

OVERVIEW     What is the Bible?  --- What did it really accomplish?

It reveals God’s overall purpose and plan for mankind - and then stops short of revealing the future but only says:

 There will be a “new heavens and a new earth”. God expects us to trust him.

ISA 65:17 See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

REV 2:11 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

 

It answers the question: Why were you born?

 

The bible was written in a format that both revealed but at the same time hid the true meaning from being understood.

God doesn’t need mankind’s help to make his plan happen. He told them, but he doesn’t need them to understand.  If mankind knew too much, if they understood everything, it would warp their actions and affect their true performance. God’s plan was to reveal everyone’s true “heart” feelings; knowing too much would distort this.

An insight into this concept can be found in Jesus response to the question: When will Christ return to set up his kingdom. Mat24:36 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. This shows that if even Jesus and the angels knew about that day and hour it would negatively affect their performance. They will do a better job if they don’t know the time.

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TRUTH    This writing is going to reveal the truth; but some would counter; what is truth?

Most people are confused about truth and say that they don’t know what it is, but it really is easy to see what truth is.

• The truth is, what really did happen. It is not something that we make up or embellish or we think happened or we want to believe happened. It is just the “unvarnished” truth with no deviation from what really did happen. It is just that simple.

Some people believe that truth is whatever they themselves are thinking; to them that becomes truth; In their own mind how could they be wrong?

• The truth is, what really is happening, nothing added or subtracted. It is not what you think is happening but simply, what really is happening.

There is another area of truth that can be mentioned as relates to God and the Bible.

• The truth is, what really is going to happen. The Bible is full of God’s prophesies. To believe in God is to believe that he will, without fail, do exactly what he says he will do; therefore his prophesies are a form of future truth.

This is a contemporary news article that shows how much trouble some people have dealing with the truth: NEW YORK —Rupert Murdoch said that telling the truth under oath while being deposed for a lawsuit against Fox News was “by far the worst experience of my life.” The media mogul disclosed that, when he was asked to raise his right hand and tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, “I thought I was going to be sick.” Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson had warned me that telling the truth would be bad,” he said. “But I was unprepared for how harrowing it turned out to be.” “The way it works is, people ask you questions, and you have to tell them what actually happened and not something you made up,” he explained. “It was beyond beastly.” Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Murdoch said, “I know there are some people who tell the truth day in and day out, and I don’t know how they manage it. I’ve told the truth once, and I don’t intend to do it again.”

While we are mentioning truth, the Bible shares some insight:

JN 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

JN 15: 26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

JN 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

JN 8:44 (speaking of the Devil) He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

JN 1:14, 17 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

JN 3:21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

JN 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

JN 14:6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

JN 14:17 It calls the Holy Spirit the spirit of truth.

 

WHO & WHAT IS GOD AND WHAT IS HE DOING?

 God is revealed as the Most High God.  GEN 14:19   He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.

He is called the Lord of Hosts. The heavenly hosts are God’s holy angels who dwell in God’s presence. The heavenly hosts were created by God and are controlled by God.

Learned scholars who study language, translate the term: In Hebrew, it is Yahweh Sabaoth, meaning “Lord of the heavenly armies” or “God of the heavenly hosts.” 

Notice in this scripture that the words hosts and angels are juxtaposed in the same sentence. PS 103:19-21 “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.”

These are the terms that God chose to reveal himself by. No glimpse about him, into the past is given. If god has any equals or superiors, no mention of them is made. He wants us to trust him.

At some point God created the angels; even though they are spirit beings, they did not always exist. God created them.

 Why did he create them; what is their purpose?  HEB 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? The Greek word for “ministering” refers to being in service to others. Who were they supposed to serve? Angels were created to serve human beings.

Many people believe in personal “guardian angels”; it could be that every believer has an angel assigned to him for protection, but there is nothing specifically stated in the Bible about personal guardian angels.

We do not worship angels. REV 22: 8-9  I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!

Again, at some point, God revealed his plan to the angles that he was going to share himself; he was going to expand all that he was, by creating human beings that could later become spirit beings that he could share life with.

A slight digression here: God doesn’t want to force us to do things. He wants us to freely choose to love and obey him. He doesn’t want us to be automatons (a person who seems to act in a mechanical or unemotional way). He gives us “free will”.  Free will is the ability to freely decide what you do.

Contrary to this are the Demons of the spirit world (fallen angles); they disobey God’s commands and force themselves and their thinking on others. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t “possess” people, but it may seem like it, because the people are not resisting the demonic thoughts.

This concept of “free will” is extremely important to explaining God’s actions and the plan of God.

Disclaimer:  The above digression about God allowing us free will is not taken directly from the Bible; God doesn’t comment on this idea. Knowing God’s love, how could it be any other way?

We will resume our review of God’s choice to create human beings. When the angels, who as spirit beings  are greater than humans, realized that they would be serving beings that would eventually be superior to them, this didn’t go over well with some of the angels; they became offended at the idea. They rebelled and fought and resisted God. REV 12:7-9 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael (higher ranked angel) and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. The fallen angels are called demons. The Bible doesn’t mention how many angels fell but REV 1:20 equates stars and angels alike and REV 12:4 when speaking of a symbolic red dragon, states:  Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. This obscure statement might be our only insight to the question.

As support material: The author knew a minister who had a direct conversation with a demon. In the conversation the demon shared that they (the demons) didn’t trust God any more. Their feeling was expressed as “How do we know that you are right? We have never tried anything else.”

Angels are spirit beings created with eternal life; the demons are imprisoned in a spiritual “dungeon”.  2 PET 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment. Like god they change not and do not really have a “repentance mechanism” in their thinking.

Jesus made an overture to the demons in prison: 1 PET 3:18-20 He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.  After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago. The demons didn’t respond; none repented. If it were to be true that God lost a third of the angels, it would be horrible to think of that happening again with the human beings that had free will also. There was need for damage control.

Reflect on: In the novel “Les Miserables”, after breaking parole, Jean Valjean is relentlessly hunted for decades by the ruthless gendarme, Inspector Javert. Later during the French revolution, Jean Valjean reacts toward Javert with complete grace by sparing Javert’s life when he was supposed to have killed him. As it turns out, Javert couldn’t deal with the concept of grace; he couldn’t humble himself and except the wonderful gift that he has just received; in fact he is so offended that he kills himself. Likewise the demons are so steeped in evil thinking that they can’t fathom God’s way of love.

We have been rehearsing these facts about the angels and demons because it enables us to see the love of god’s damage control. God created human beings as physical. They can die; they do not have eternal life. Their true destiny is to be resurrected to eternal spiritual life; but if during their physical life, using their free will, they choose something other than God’ s loving way, they will just die; they won’t live eternally in their own miserable existence separated from God. This shows us god’s incredible love.

With this preamble understood we can go on to reveal God’s incredible plan for mankind.

The Bible opens in GEN 1: 1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. This verse starts with an already preexisting earth, therefore this was a recreation.

God is so great that he creates by just speaking; he spoke and the Bible says “It was so.” That should humble us greatly.

There was an existence before this restoration time and the Bible doesn’t reveal anything about it. The earth was there because we see the evidence of the dinosaurs. Scientists, radio carbon date samples that go back eons in time and that could be true. There was a war in heaven (REV 12: 7-9 was quoted earlier) This war seems to have ravished our solar system; every planet shows violent destruction. This destruction on earth is what probably created our mountains, caused by the broken crust and destroyed the dinosaurs.

Now we are going to look at God’s plan for mankind and as we will see there are some surprises. God’s recreation took place just six thousand years ago; mankind has only existed six thousand years.

Sadly but true, scientists and researchers knowingly, purposely and stubbornly ignore anything to do with God and the revelations of his Bible. As an example: The history of Egypt has been greatly distorted because the dynasties are considered in sequence or series (one after the other) rather than simultaneously which distorts Egypt’s history. There are Christians who know this is true but they are ignored by the worldly authorities.

This is going to come as a surprise but God’s plan for mankind has been right out there in front for everyone to see.

God, thru Moses, gave Israel commands about the Holy Days that he wanted them to observe. There were seven days set apart:

PASSOVER EX 12: 1-14 The fundamental and most significant part of the Passover celebration was the placing of lamb’s blood on the door frames of the Israelite’s dwellings. The death angel saw this blood and passed over their homes, sparing their lives. This of course, represented and revealed Jesus grace. He was called the Lamb of God JN 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! When Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, before his death, he entered thru the same gate that was used to bring in Jerusalem’s Passover Lambs.

The demonic failure, stemmed from their lack of faith, because “We have never tried anything else.” Human kind was going to live thru a different experience. God was going to put them into a world devoid of the Holy Spirit. Mankind was going to experience everything, even technology, at the end time, only they were going to live it all backwards. (There is either God’s way or backwards; so if they wanted to experience something else, it was going to have to be, backwards.) This experience would ultimately produce a stronger human race that would know why God’s way is the only way.

There was just one problem with this: Mankind was doomed to death because all of them would sin and be condemned. God had a solution: Before he created humans, a discussion was conducted in heaven; how could the humans be redeemed? Jesus volunteered to become a human, live a perfect life and sacrifice that perfect life to redeem them. (Grace will be covered later.) So God starts his plan for human kind with the salvation that they all would need. This shows the love of God.

DAYS of UNLEAVENED BREAD EX 12: 15-20 For seven days the Israelites were to eat no bread that contained yeast and they were to remove all yeast from their homes. The yeast was symbolic and represented sin. I COR 5:6-8 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?  Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

This festival was to be kept for seven days. (While it is not corroborated by the Bible, the number 7 appears to be notable to God. There are those who believe that it represents completeness to him.) If we make allowance for this, then they were to live sinless lives (seven days of no leavening). God’s plan was to judge their lives and examine their hearts; he would be looking for those who wanted to choose his sinless life.

 FESTIVAL of WEEKS - PENTECOST LEV 23: 15-16 Pentecost literally means: count fifty.

God told the Hebrews to let their land rest every seventh year LEV 25: 1-4. Then he told them about the Jubilee year – occurring after every seventh Sabbath year, thus, every 50 years – was also a part of God’s plan LEV 25: 8-13 Count off seven Sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years.  Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.  The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.  For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property.

The Jubilee restored everything back to the way that it originally was. “It was an economic, cultural, environmental and communal reset, when the land and people rest, and all those who are in slavery are set free to return to their communities.”

In actual fulfillment, on the year that Jesus died he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. The way that it all worked out was: Acts 1: 4-5 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Notice that the Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost and that is where it fits into his plan.

Originally all in God’s Kingdom had the Holy Spirit. Human beings are born without the Holy Spirit and it is God’s plan to restore (jubilee) the Holy Spirit to them.

The Holy Spirit is God’s mind and allows us to see him and know him and to want to obey him. EZEK 36: 24-28 28 For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 

God gives his Holy Spirit to those who obey him ACTS 5:32. The Holy Spirit will guide us to all truth JN 16: 13. The Holy Spirit will teach us all things JN 14:26.

FESTIVAL of TRUMPETS LEV 23: 23-25 A trumpet could be used as a call to war or alarm; it also could be used to commence something.

 Here the trumpet was used to announce or reveal something. It announced that all human beings are being judged to separate the good from the bad.

MAT 25:31-34, 41 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

ROM 2:6-9 God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil.

God’s Kingdom cannot contain evil; therefore this Holy Day shows us that God will judge and sort out the evil.

DAY of ATONEMENT LEV 23: 27-28 - This day is usually pronounced, atone- ment but it can also be, at- one- ment. This part of God’s plan shows the delightful truth that atonement has been made between God and humans and they will be at one with God.

Looking back over what we have seen so far of God’s plan we see: Mankind will have eternal life thru Christ’s blood, mankind will be trying to live sinless lives, mankind will have the Holy Spirit and the evil will have been separated out of them; therefore there will be “at one ment” between God and mankind.

LEV 23: 26-29 Because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. 

HEB 2: 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

FEAST of TABERNACLES LEV 23: 33-43    The Feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days; each day represented one thousand years; thus God revealed the length of his plan for mankind. The plan that he has revealed to us is seven thousand years long, starting with his recreation.

Another part of the Feast of Tabernacles celebration, required the people to live in temporary dwellings that they assembled for themselves, from leaves. This shows that the humans of God’s plan will live in human (temporary) bodies. Humans will inherit spirit bodies in God’s kingdom, but that will be later. II COR 2:5  For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ROM 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of  his Spirit who lives in you.

LAST GREAT DAY LEV 23: 36, LK 1: 31-33  The Last Great Day was called that because it represents something that will be splendid and wonderful. It was celebrated by itself on the eight day; it was one day and thus represented a thousand years and is sometimes called the Millennium, by the secular world. It doesn’t represent anything that happens after the seven thousand years, for that is the complete length of God’s plan; rather it represents and sets apart the very special and unique, seventh day, the last day of the plan.

At that time Jesus’ kingdom will come. Isa 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. This is the first, Kingdom of God, mentioned in the Bible; we will see the other, later. This one does have a different title: ecclesia, set apart ones, the Church; these are the Sons of God.

Christ will be king over the world for one thousand years; he will be a benevolent dictator, ruling with perfection. Satan and the Demons will be restrained, away from humans; there will be no lies. He will rule with his highly chosen subjects.

All during the previous six thousand years humanity was being judged and God was setting apart those that loved him and his way of love, the “crem de la crem”. These are those that during times that pointed away from God (living without the Holy Spirit and being tempted and pushed at by evil) found and chose God despite the backwards forces. These are those with the best hearts.

This Church, that will be God’s government, with Jesus as king, will be resurrected to eternal life at the beginning of the Last Great Day; they will then manifest themselves, in human form, to the rest of humanity. 

This Kingdom of God will bring to the world, perfect government. There is nothing greater that can be given to anyone, than perfect government. Let yourself think about that for a moment. It is how peace and joy, continuity and eternal life come into being. This government is God’s love manifested to us; it is his gift.

Then for one thousand years, all the remaining humans who lived and died will be resurrected to human life and live on the earth under this perfect government of Jesus.

EZEK 37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, Son of man, can these bones live? I said, Sovereign Lord, you alone know. Then he said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off. Therefore prophesy and say to them: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. The word of the Lord came to me:  Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.  Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand. When your people ask you, Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?  say to them, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.  Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on and say to them, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.  I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.  They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.  I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.  My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.

These are those who previously lived but died. It will contain humans such as infants who died young, youth who died before their true character could have been judged, those who were insane and couldn’t be judged and it will also contain the broad masses that didn’t properly love and choose God. They will all be resurrected into human bodies to live a second chance.

Disclaimer: This idea that there is a second chance is not mentioned directly by name in the Bible but is plainly evident when God’s Plan is understood. The idea that this is not the only day of salvation is going to be hard for some to swallow but consider where that idea leaves us. We see an uncaring God that just arbitrarily lets innocent people die with no chance for glorious eternal life. Where is there love in the idea that this is the only day of salvation? Instead in the plan of God we see the Last Great Day.

If this is the only day of salvation, it is easy to resent God for killing the entire world at the flood but if we allow the Last Great Day to be another day of salvation then it looks like this. GEN 6:5-8 Those people living on the earth at that time were so totally wicked that God could only find Righteous Noah to save. The people were miserable. God allowed all of them to die. Now consider this: The very next thought for all those miserable people will be the Millennium.  Jesus perfect government will rule them, they will have perfect new bodies, the evil will be gone and there will be no lies, they will all have the Holy Spirit so they will know the truth and they can revel in this for one thousand years. Could it get any better than that? This is God’s splendid loving kindness for all of us. There are two days of salvation in God’s plan.

Disclaimer: Will God include all life that was conceived but never born, in this resurrection? The Bible is silent on this matter but logic speaks to the idea that this was aborted life.

This time will be so glorious that it will greatly reduce the loses from “free will.”  1 TIM 2: 3-4, II PET 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Those who live during that time will have the Holy Spirit in their minds which will bring the fruit of the Holy Spirit into their lives. GAL 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. They will experience perfect government and all evil influence will be gone. Why wouldn’t they rejoice and choose god.

Jesus is the one judging between the sheep and goats. JN 5: 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.

Alas, there will still be some “free will” loses. REV 2-: 7-10 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Note: The human beings that defy God’s way will just die at this time; God is incredibly merciful; they will not be tortured for eternity.

When the thousand years are over, all remaining human beings will then be given eternal life. It is the completion of the plan of God: Life, Death, Life!

This is the second Kingdom of God, spoken of in the Bible. Ultimately the Kingdom of God is the first (government, Church) and the second, both combined, but this differentiation, between the two, has not been understood.

 

WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW

There is much written in the Bible about the Millennium; it is being included here as encouragement. Believing and trusting in scriptures like these build our HOPE. As we look forward, in faith, to these times, hope will lighten our spirits during troubled times. Feel the positiveness here; feel God’s love; this is your heritage.

ISA 2: 4 They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

ISA 11: 6-9 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

ISA 19: 23-25 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.

EZEL 47: 12 But Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.

ISA 35:1- 10 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

ISA 60:19-22 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.

EZEK 47: 8-11 He said to me, This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 

Joel 2: 21-29 Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild

animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Ezek 39: 9-10 Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel.

ISA 2:2-4 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.

ISA 4:2-6 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.

ISA 9: 6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

ISA 11: 1-5 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

ISA 11: 15-16 The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.

Isa 25: 6-9 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.

ISA 32: 1-4 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

ISA 32: 15-18 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.

 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

ISA 33: 20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.

JER 23: 5-6 The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.

Ezek 11: 17-20 Therefore say: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again. They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

HOS 2: 18 In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.

JOEL 2: 18-19 Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people. The Lord replied to them: I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.

Joel 3: 18 In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.

Amos 9: 11-15  I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, declares the Lord, who will do these things. The days are coming, declares the Lord, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God.

MICAH 2: 12-13 I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.

MICAH 4: 1-5 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

ZEPH 3: 9-13 Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.  But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.

ZECH 8: 3-4 This is what the Lord says: I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain. This is what the Lord Almighty says: Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age.

ZECH 14: 8-9 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

 

FAITH

Faith is not one of the seven parts of God’s plan because it overarches and permeates the whole plan.

Throughout the whole Bible there is a thread relating to the events that took place: Those who lived by faith were juxtaposed (compared side by side) with those who did not live by faith. Thus, virtually everyone became either a good or bad example. In order to reach one’s fullest potential, eternal life, it was necessary to live by faith. This is a fundamental theme laid out in the Bible.

The word faith is like the word love, there can be several different meanings but all using the same “umbrella” word to describe them. The following are different forms of faith but all still called faith, never-the-less.

Faith: the belief that God is and that he will do just what he said he would do.

Trust: Having faith that God is doing things the best way.

Hope: The Bible prophesizes many events ahead of time. To live in faith then implies that we believe these things even though we can’t see them yet; this seeing and believing the future can produce wonderful joy in our lives right now. Nothing actually happens  --- we just believe that it will and it lifts our spirit. This is hardly ever mentioned by Christian leaders as useful in our Christian walk but it is fundamental to our happiness. Speaking of the men of old Heb 11: 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. They waited for it in hope.

Patience: When we believe and trust (faith) that God is in our lives we can be patient and wait for things to happen in his timing.

Following are some thoughts on faith

Faith absolutely defeats evil.

Christianity is called the “Faith”.

Biblical definition of faith, HEB 11: 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

GAL 5: 22-23 Faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

GAL 3: 11, ROM 1:17 The Righteous will live by faith.

ROM 3: 28, Gal 2: 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

ROM 4: 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

II COR 5: 7 for we live by faith, not by sight

Heb 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

GAL 3: 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.

Hebrews 11 is a listing of the faith of the old men of the Bible.

 

 

HUMILITY

Humility is God’s most important characteristic. He is the most humble being in the universe. Jesus is God’s humility toward mankind.

The Bible reveals to us that humility is an intrinsic part of our Christian walk. JAMES 4:6 God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.LK 14: 11, MAT 23: 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. JOHN 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Humility is not a natural trait for humans; we naturally chose to elevate ourselves. It is important to realize that even as Christians we do not naturally develop humility because humility is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit. GAL 5: 22-23 KJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance: against such there is no law.

Humility is something that we have to take personal responsibility for; it takes action on our part. WE HAVE TO HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE GOD. I PET 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Humility is our relationship toward God. Meekness is our relationship toward people. Meekness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 1 PET 5: 5 All of you, clothe yourselves with humility (meekness) toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

 

 

 

ANGELS

The Bible reveals that there is a parallel universe of spirit beings. They are more powerful than we are and can inhabit our universe but we cannot inhabit their universe, at this time. If you have reservations about the existence of the spirit world, remember that Jesus is, by far, the best source for information about these spirit beings. Please read the four Gospels and remember that this is direct revelation.  It can be emphatically stated that spirit beings do exist.

The Bible is mute on whether there are beings living on other planets or in other universes. The Bible’s focus is on the Plan of God.

There appear to be higher ranking angels; they are called archangels.  Those that we know about are: Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer; if there are more archangels than these three, the Bible doesn’t reveal them to us. Lucifer rebelled and became the Devil.

The Bible reveals the appearance of the Angels: EZEK 1: 4- 12 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings.  Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 

It is interesting that when Moses was given instruction on how to build the Tabernacle, that the appearance of the Cherubim was revealed to humans, because the Cherubim were installed over the Mercy Seat. At one time humans knew exactly what angels looked like but it was lost in antiquity.

When angels manifest themselves to humans their appearance is so radiant that it seems to transcend description; they are just radiant.

When Jesus sets up his government, all the angels and the crem-del-a-crem of the humans will be his government; they are the sons of God. I JN 3: 1-2, ROM 8: 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

PROPHECY

Many people when they first stick their nose into the Bible chose to emphasize the prophecies. Then they ponder in their mind for the exact meaning, or times and try to interpret what they just read. This isn’t the best way to see prophecy. It is virtually impossible to accurately interpret prophecy; the attempt to will frustrate you.

There actually two purposes for prophecy.

 Prophecy is the greatest proof we have that god really exists. Thousands of times God has spoken prophecy and all of it has come exactly true. He actually forecast the rise and fall of all the world’s greatest empires: Babylonian, Meads, Persian, Greek and Roman. There has never been any other god or being or person that has predicted anything correctly but for a few times. When God prognosticates, he is powerful enough to make things happen just as he said.

Also prophecy can impart a great comfort to those who have been given a fore knowledge of the future. They won’t be confused by what is happening. Because of prophecy, Christians will stand much firmer than the pagan world as the end approaches.

 

CHARACTERS in the OLD TESTAMENT

NIMROD was the great grandson of Noah; he lived a short time after the flood. GEN 10: 8-12 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar.  From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah. The words “mighty hunter” should be interpreted as “adversary”.

Nimrod became God’s most virulent and outspoken adversary. The fact that God brought the flood on humanity was the craw that got stuck in his throat. He decided to build a tower so tall that flood waters could not reach the top. He is mentioned because the nations cooperation on building this tower caused God to confound their speech so that they could no longer understand each other, and scattered them around the world. That is why the nations were scattered and became so scrambled. The paragraph below explains this eloquently.

Josephus (Roman, Jewish historian) wrote: Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his (Nimrod’s) means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to reach. And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers. Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion...

God brought the FLOOD, GEN 7:1-4, 13 upon the earth and he chose to save humanity thru Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. His sons were: Shem, Ham and Japeth; it is thru these three sons that we have three races today. It is believed that the White race came thru Shem, the Black race came thru Ham and the Oriental race came thru Japeth.

The topography of the earth has many deeply chiseled features and astounding natural wonders of balance. These details did not evolve over eons of time but are the result of the receding waters of the flood. If we stand back and look at river valleys we see that they are in a basin that many times is several miles wide. We are told that these valleys were created by slow erosion; when the answer is, again, receding flood waters that were deeper than the mountain tops. While we cannot prove this from the Bible; we find the plausible answer in the Bible; the scientific realm willfully and purposely ignores the Bible and then stumbles around looking for an explanation that is right in front of them.

ABRAHAM is a fundamental figure in the Bible; it was through him that God developed his chosen people to fulfill his plan.

GEN 11: 27 Abraham is revealed to us as a descendent of Shem. NEH 9: 7 You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. GEN 12: 1 God led Abram away from the established cities (the worldly way) to the land of Canaan. God had been watching Abraham and because of his sterling faith and character, God had chosen him. GEN 12: 2-3 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.  God was going to establish Abraham as the father of his chosen peoples, his government; in the first two thousand years of mankind’s existence, Abraham was the most outstanding individual that God could find.

GEN 17: 1-8 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am God Almighty, walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers. Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.  I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. Abraham was ninety-nine and had no direct descendent. GEN 17: 19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. God miraculously gave Abraham a son in his old age. His son Isaac was a miracle. Isaac married his first cousin once removed; Rebecca was pregnant with twins. Gen 25: 23-26 The Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. GEN 25: 29-33 Esau eventually sold his birth right, as first born, to Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons with four wives. The patriarchs were “chosen” specifically by God.

GEN 22: 1-2 Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham! Here I am, he replied. Then God said, Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. Abraham passed this test with flying colors. This test vindicated God’s choice of Abraham to all of those who lived after his time. This has just been an introduction to Abraham; his life is extensively covered by the Bible.

God promised Abraham a huge family; is it fair to ask: where are they today? This is a little understood subject but it shouldn’t be. For example, Abraham’s first son was Ishmael so his descendants would be included in Abraham’s off spring. With just minutes of research on the internet, it can be established that the world knows that the Arab nations are the descendants of Ishmael, but why the silence about Jacob’s descendants?

They can be found but there is an extenuating circumstance confounding the way. Because of their persistent sins against God he let the tribes of Israel (Jacob) be exiled into Assyria and Babylon. At that time he told them that he would make them forget who they were. Deut 32: 26 I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men. This is why there is not complete consensus on this subject.               

Interestingly, God didn’t make the world forget about one of the tribes. God chose the tribe of Judah (Jews) to preserve his laws, ways and Bible. Anthropologists that look into the times of the Bible find many of the answers as to where Israel is but because there are no direct quotations they shrivel back from definite conclusions.  With research, the plentiful facts that these researchers have uncovered can be seen. True, they are disconnected facts but as a whole they clearly point to the right conclusion.

Eventually, over thousands of years, Jacob’s descendants migrated north from Assyria and Babylon. Some went northwest and thru Turkey and Asia Minor on a vector toward Belgium. The others traveled north, up and over the Black sea, on a vector toward Belgium. The vector idea should be loosely applied to steer the idea that Israel eventually passed into Western Europe. They passed thru Russia, Turkey and Eastern Europe but the vast majority passed on.

As they traveled the world observed and didn’t know who they were; they were the Huns, the Vandals and the Barbarians. They were so numerous that the Romans were smart enough to leave them alone. They weren’t really barbarians; they just had never been a part of the world’s kingdoms and were different.

Without being able to be completely specific it can generally be said that Jacob’s descendants settled in: the British Isles, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark (which would just mean: mark of Dan, who was one of the tribes), Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Israel. The United States was originally a melting pot of these exact countries and is included; Canada would be included for the same reason. To a lesser extent Australia, South Africa and New Zealand can be included.

This revelation should not be taken as primary knowledge but rather as healthy speculation about a burning question that the world offers absolutely no alternative to.

 

GRACE

When we read the Bible there is something that we need to take heed of. Most of the readership should already be aware of this but read on because there is a “mission statement” shared later that many Christians stumble over.

The Israelites were given the Ten Commandments and many other ordinances. They had to rely on these physical requirements if they wanted to be justified to eternal life. This constitutes about 2/3rds of the Bible. It is possible to get bogged down in that part of the Bible.

Jesus is mentioned many times in the Old Testament. Just a few examples: The Passover Lamb of Exodus with the blood on the door frames and the scarlet thread out of Rahab’s window that assured her family’s salvation JOSH 2: 18 RSV. This shows that from the beginning there was going to be another plan, another way that revolved around Christ. JN 1: 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

There are many Christian churches and their parishioners who are still trying to keep the Ten Commandments. These persons identify within themselves as Christians but are holding onto a lie. The Ten Commandments are no longer the yardstick that God uses to justify us. A quick reading of “the Beatitudes” (Mat 5) reveals a better standard for our behavior; this is a higher loftier way. ROM 6: 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

There is a scripture in all four of the Gospels that is a caution to us. I PET 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.  Jesus interprets himself as this cornerstone; and that proper focus on him is a paradigm shift that must be properly negotiated.

There is a new way whereby our justification and righteousness is credited to us, through our faith and reliance on Jesus. This was first accorded to Abraham GEN 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. This new criterion is foundational to our new walk. ROM 4:4-6 KJV Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. This new type of justification thru Jesus is called”Grace”.

And now for that mission statement:

THERE IS NOTHING THAT I CAN DO TODAY THAT WILL MAKE GOD LOVE ME ANYMORE THAN HE ALREADY DOES.

The thought that we need to be careful of, is this: Do we do certain things because we think that they are required or that it will make God happy with us? Do you go to church or mass because it will please God? Do you read the Bible in order to receive a better reward? Do you tithe (he just wants us to be generous) because that affects God’s favor on us? Do you not drink alcohol, play cards, go to dances, etc, etc, etc.

If your thinking is still defined by the previous paragraph; you are sinning. Without realizing it, you are trying to do what Jesus has already accomplished. You are disrespecting Jesus by rejecting the fullness of his grace. In grace Jesus does everything, we just believe and accept the gift.

Your mind may be reeling, that is because a thought is missing. The way that we align with the Mission Statement is thru the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in our mind shows us what to do; it is how we please God. It brings us to freedom instead of obligation.

There are so many religions in this world. They are defined by the things that have to be done to please God. We should have no religion at all. Jesus and the Holy Spirit have emancipated us from all religion. True Christianity is not a religion.

 

OUR NEW TESTAMENT BEHAVIOR

I JN 4: 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment (torment). The one who fears is not made perfect in love. At times we feel anxious and fearful. What is mentioned here is perfect love; that can’t have anything to do with us; we aren’t perfect. What is being referred to is God’s love. When the torment comes on our minds, stop and put in God’s perfect love and be comforted by it.

LK 12:15 Then he said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. The final fruit of the Holy Spirit is temperance GAL 5: 22-23 KJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. There is virtually nothing that can torment the mind as devastatingly as materialism. Let the Holy Spirit have its way in you and you will find peace.

 

There is a reversal in Christianity that many miss: MK 10: 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Some, ignoring this scripture, push to be first.

Christianity is not a “feel good” theology, a “prosperity gospel” or a “name it and claim it” experience. If any of these practices are true, then Jesus and Paul surely missed the boat.

Proponents of these deviations will be shocked when they hear Jesus say: MAT 7: 23 Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you, away from me, you evildoers.

 

 

The Gospels mention several times, MAT 18: 3 And he said: Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. This requires humility on our part, that was covered earlier. Also we will never grasp this paradigm correctly until we fully exalt God; both are needed. Humble ourselves and exalt God.

The Bible establishes the playing field by boldly stating: JN 15: 5 apart from me you can do nothing. If we can’t do anything then we are going to have to ASK God for help and provision. Mat 7: 7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. There is a subtle maneuver here that helps to get this going; don’t try to figure out “asking” by using LOGIC; JUST ASK. Don’t wait until you feel needy; JUST ASK. It really smoothes things along for the “childlike” paradigm. There is something magic in not using logic to understand asking better.

As far as exalting God, let us remember that he created us just by speaking. There is no real comparison; he is vastly superior to us and always will be. There is a natural tendency in humans to deny this huge chasm; work on seeing this model: small us, huge him.

God delights in us just as parents delight in their children, reveling in everything that they can do for their kidos.

We make God rich. Let’s touch on that again, we make God rich.

When the pattern: small us, asking and needing our Heavenly Father, finally starts to work, It allows God to finally reach his highest calling, his destiny; there isn’t any more fulfilling experience for God than to take care of us, his children. It completely fulfills him. Getting this right is more rewarding for him than us.

 

A reminder of how the Christian walk is supposed to work. MAT 20: 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.

 

 

Most of us Christians spend our lives building a “mote” around our lives to protect ourselves. There is a problem here because Christians are supposed to let God protect us, after all he can and will do miracles for us if necessary.

In MAT 5: 38-42 Jesus reveals a reversal to the idea of tenaciously trying to protect ourselves. You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.  If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

The only way to accomplish this is as a little child. We have to put that part of our lives in our big Father’s hands.

Ultimately we need to come to the realization that our life will go better when we obtain our security thru God rather than at our own hand.

By the way this mindset doesn’t sit well with the idea of suing everyone. Let God take care of it.

 

 

Something very similar to the above is: let vengeance belong to God. Revenge is not a healthy Christian mind set and we probably wouldn’t handle it well.

 

MAT 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Cooperation, capitulation and harmony should be elementary thought patterns for those that are pious.

 

 

Christianity is a rejoicing experience.

In the secular world, one has to do everything by and for themselves; they are on their own. They have to worry about whether they are good enough to earn salvation, are they going to have enough money for retirement, how do they keep up with the Joneses, do they have enough insurance to fully protect themselves, how are they going to pay for their kids education, does the car they drive project the correct image, etc, etc, etc?

We can contrast that with the faith filled life where everything that needs to be taken care of for salvation already has been taken care of, where we have a powerful loving father that provides for us so we will be able to retire, where he protects us so we don’t need three locks on the door and every sound in the night scares us, where we don’t have to keep up with the Joneses or try to be something, where our father is our insurance; you get the idea. Now for another mind shift.

 

 

True Christian rejoicing transcends the above paragraph and isn’t connected with our physical well being or whether we have our ducks in a row. What if one of the ducks got out of line, would that disturb our happiness? Again, true Christian rejoicing has nothing to do with our physical well being. Rather, our Christian joy is a spiritual thing; it isn’t connected to our well being IT IS CONNECTED TO GOD’S WELL BEING and works by simply having God in our mind through the Holy Spirit. IT IS REJOICING ON GOD’S LEVEL, USING HIS THOUGHT.

Paul, having experienced lashings and stoning s plus much more, expresses his despair in the following scripture. II COR 1: 8-10 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. And yet he was able to express himself in the next scripture. PHIL 4: 11-12  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. The only way that he could react like this, is that he was experiencing God’s well being and contentment.

 

 

Some final simple ideas:

A Christian is free from the obligation to go to church.

A Christian is free from the idea that they have to keep a certain day holy.

A Christian is free from the idea that they have to have a minister.

That said----It would not be wrong to be a part of a church which meets with a minister on a certain day as long as it is understood that there is no obligation to do so.

 

A Christian is free from the idea that they have to tithe or give their offerings to a church. God wants us to be generous. Jesus emphasized giving to the poor. There is just no end as to where you could share your largess. There are many charities but don’t be limited by that. You could save up some of your giving and when you hear of someone’s personal need you could help them with some cash. Maybe they lost their job or their apartment burned or they are laid up in the hospital; the opportunities are endless.

 

It is possible to have a personal relationship with God that transcends a relationship with a minister. There is no need for an intermediary. It is possible to talk directly to God and have him talk to you; you will have to quiet your life and mind; he may already be trying to talk to you.

 

There may be some things written here that you disagree with. O.K. hold onto your beliefs; don’t waste your time trying to disprove what has been written; that would be a waste of time; you already believe what you believe. Try a different idea; try proving what has been written; that is positive; who knows what you might discover?

If there is an idea that you don’t agree with and over a period of time you just can’t get it out of your mind and it constantly keeps coming back, stop and ask God to show you what he has in mind.