 
Contents

Overview

Covenants in Scripture

Is Grace Deceitful? Is Mercy Shame?

Is the garden of Eden allegorical?

Identifying Gog and Magog

Responsibility of rebuking before forgiving

Faith is fearless of Satan

Qualifications for God's army

Book of Ruth in Biblical Timeline

Did Jesus teach us to sell everything and lose our jobs?

Paul's lies and Apostles' responses

Holy Spirit is given only if you keep Christ's Word

Wrath of God

Will Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah before His coming?

Truth about Nephilim

What does Christ's coming on the clouds mean?

What if I sin again and again?

Scripture, writings and prophets

Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

Abominations of Patriarchs

Few Laws of Moses are not from God

Resolving Remarriage Paradox

Antediluvian lifespan are actually in months

Post-flood decline of long years

Reconstruction and realignment of biblical timeline

Garden of Eden and the Kingdom of Heaven

Joseph, a type of Jesus Christ

Do you have a hedge around you?

Satan's strategy against you

Elihu, a type of Jesus

Christ, the sin offering and Israel, the scapegoat

Why Jesus did not call Him good?

Should we pray for others?

In Father's words: Law is just a shadow

Jesus will not cleanse anyone with His blood

Paul acknowledges being a child of Zeus

Sins not leading to death

Why purify ourselves when only God can forgive?

Relatives, Friends, Servants and Strangers for Jesus

Luxurious Lot who lost everything

Why oaths or swearing to God is of evil?

What does it mean to be a born again Christian?

Abraham's trickery to Abimelech

What does Flesh and Blood of Jesus mean?

God against parents of unrestrained sinful children

Who is God's firstborn?

Is speaking in tongues true or not?

Sad Truth of Grace and Mercy

Scriptural benefits for Circumcision of gentile Christians

Unbelief on answering prayers brings punishment

Last Supper: Wine, Grape Juice or Bitter Herbs?

Even hypocrites can cast out demons!

Revisiting Antediluvian Years

Who are the sons of God and daughters of men?

Christmas, Christ mass and now, holidays without Christ

Identifying and interpreting dreams

Atheist's guide to God

Christ is not required to receive anything in this world

Whose responsibility is new heart and new spirit?

Limitations of demonic activities in this world

God is seeking people after His own heart

When is the resurrection of the dead?

Statement of Faith

About the Author

# Overview

Christian Growth is a collection of 61 articles of various topics that every true Christian must know and understand from the Bible in order to grow in righteousness and holiness to be sinless and undefiled before God when the Jesus Christ comes back. Each chapter is organized into an individual article. Read and be blessed.

# Covenants in Scripture

Understanding different covenants in Scripture are key to understand their promises and fulfilment. God never made a covenant with children of Israel to give them the promised land but with Abraham. If one jot or title will not pass away from the law until all are fulfilled, Israel must surely plucked off from the land and the land must surely have vomited them out according to the law, yet God didn't but gives them a new covenant. Jews reject the new covenant by Christ when the law promises no such return from a second exile which happened in 1948. Based on what covenant did Jews return to their homeland? This post will explore each of the covenants in the Scriptures.

Covenant with Noah

Gen 9:9-10 And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.

God made a covenant with Noah described in Genesis 9. It includes all flesh of the earth (Gen 9:9-10). The commandments or requirements given to Noah was not to murder and not to eat flesh with blood (Gen 9:2-6). These commandments were not generally viewed as part of the covenant but He will require at the hand of each person who transgress against Him. The sign of the covenant is the rainbow (Gen 9:13,17) and God promised that He will never again destroy the earth with a flood (Gen 9:11).

Covenant with Abraham

Gen 15:18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates–

The covenant with Abraham is very interesting. This covenant was specifically to the descendants of Abraham that He will give them the land of Canaan.

Gen 17:10-11 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

Every male child must be circumcised from Abraham's household. This is what Abraham need to keep for God to give his descendants the land of Canaan.

Gen 17:19 Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. ... (21) "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."

Gen 35:10-12 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land."

Exod 2:24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

God establishing His covenant with Isaac and Jacob is not a new covenant with them separately but rather, establishing the covenant which He made with Abraham. It was an assurance that the land which He promised Abraham is for them.

Covenant with Israel

Exod 19:5-6 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

Exod 34:10-11 And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

God made a covenant with Israel before giving them the land. It is important to note that the "promised land" was not the promise of the covenant to Israel but rather, God intended to make the children of Israel as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well since Israel broke that covenant by making their own god of golden calf when the covenant was being given at mount Sinai. Hence, God makes a second covenant, which is more of a renewal type but not with earlier promises of Israel being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Instead, God choose Levites for priesthood and the covenant with Israel was just to drive the Canaanites along with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience for living in the land of Israel. It is explained in detail in chapters 27-30 of Deuteronomy. The rules of the covenant are very exhaustive and Jews generally call them 613 Mitzvots. This is the covenant generally referred as the old covenant or the law which God gave Israel through Moses.

Deut 11:13-14 'And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. ... (22-23) "For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do–to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him– then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.

God's promise to Israel according to the covenant was to drive out the inhabitants of the land and the good life in the promised land.

Judg 2:1-3 Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.'

God kept His covenant promise by not driving the inhabitants of the land as He spoke.

Deut 28:63 "And it shall be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.

It is very important to note that the covenant with Israel is very conditional. This means, if Israel disobeys, they too will be plucked off from the land which God is giving them.

Covenant with Levi

Deut 10:8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day. Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God promised him.)

Exod 29:9 "And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.

The covenant with Levi was how God chose one tribe and gave Himself as an inheritance to them. The priesthood was for descendants of Aaron.

Neh 13:29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

Mal 2:1 "And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. .. (4-5) Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue," Says the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name. ... (8) But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi," Says the LORD of hosts.

While Aaron and his descendants are included in the covenant with Levi. The covenant of priesthood is only for Aaron and his descendants and not for the rest of Levi. However, the covenant with Levi is synonymous used for priesthood as we can read above.Hence, it is important to differentiate the two covenants based on context.

Covenant with Phinehas

Num 25:11-13 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'

Phinehas was already a priest. But God made a specific covenant to give him His covenant of peace and an everlasting priesthood.for being zealous to God. This means, priesthood will not be removed from Phinehas' descendants.

Covenant with David

2 Sam 7:12-16 When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."

The covenant with David which God promised is for his son Solomon but filled with Messianic prophecies. However, God's covenant with David comes with conditions.

2Chr 7:16-20 "For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. As for you,

  * if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and

  * if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom,

as I covenanted with David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.' But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then

1. I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and

2. this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and

3. will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

As we can see above, the covenant with David when God is speaking to Solomon describes the conditions. Hence, if Solomon and his descendants did not keep His covenant, God will uproot them from their land, and will cast the house of David out of His sight and will make it a proverb and a byword among all people.

Jer 22:5-10 "But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself," says the LORD, "that this house shall become a desolation. For thus says the LORD to the house of the king of Judah: "You are Gilead to Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet I surely will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited. I will prepare destroyers against you, Everyone with his weapons; They shall cut down your choice cedars And cast them into the fire. And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, 'Why has the LORD done so to this great city?' Then they will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.' " Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him; Weep bitterly for him who goes away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country. .. (30) Thus says the LORD: 'Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.'

We can clearly see God executing His judgements according to the covenant He made with David. God says that house of Judah will become a desolation and none of Jehoiachin's descendent shall sit on the throne of David.

Covenant dependencies

We have several covenants in Bible as we saw above. However, each covenant is a subset or a super set of another covenant. Hence, we need to understand these dependencies, their promises and the consequences of each getting broken.

As we can see clearly in the above dependencies, the throne of David ceases to exist and the priesthood of Levi will cease to exist if the covenant with Israel is broken. God's covenant with Abraham was fulfilled when He gave Canaan to the children of Israel. However, we see the covenant God made with Israel was broken by Israel (Jer 11:10) which means, God has no obligations to fulfil any promises of that covenant.

We also see all the curses outlined in the law had been fulfilled. While the law does promise a return after the exile and punish them seven times, it does not promise a return from a second exile which happened in 1948. Hence, the return of Jews to their homeland is not a fulfilment of the law or the covenant with Israel. We can be confident on this because, there is no temple in Israel, no priesthood, no Urim and the Thummim to inquire, no king from line of David, no sacrifices, no peace in the land of Israel etc. The return of Jews to their homeland in 1948 was a fulfilment of God's covenant with Abraham which was the assurance of giving the land of Canaan to His descendants i.e., children of Jacob. It is important to remember that the land of Israel was not a covenant promise of Israel but Abraham. It's God's mercy to the children of Israel, keeping His covenant promise to Abraham.

New Covenant

Matt 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Deut 28:63 "And it shall be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.

Many people mix covenant and the law. Since the one jot or one title will by no means pass away, how much of the jot and titles from Deut 28:63 will pass away according to the covenant? This means, if Israel breaks the covenant, God will surely fulfil His promise of plucking Israel from it's land fulfilling the law. The only way Israel can escape this curse of being plucked off from the land is by God giving a new covenant and superseding the old covenant which they broke. Hence, the old covenant must pass away for Israel to escape the curse according to the law for it's disobedience.

1Kgs 11:13 "However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

2Kgs 8:19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

This is important because, if Israel is being plucked off, covenant with David and the priesthood of Levi also ceases. However, God wants to keep His covenant promise to David in spite of disobedience from David's descendants. This is why, God is creating a "new covenant" and fulfilling every promise in His Son, Jesus Christ who is taking the place of Israel, from baptism of repentance even to death.

Jer 31:31-32 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah– not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. ... (35-37) Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever. Thus says the LORD: "If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD.

God reassures that He will not cast off Israel. But God uses a strange phase 'new covenant' but reassures His covenant with David as we read further in the book of Jeremiah.

Jer 33:20-26 "Thus says the LORD: 'If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.' " Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, 'The two families which the LORD has chosen, He has also cast them off'? Thus they have despised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them. Thus says the LORD: 'If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.' "

While God's covenant with David is conditional, He also reassures that His covenant with David cannot be broken until this heaven and earth pass away. The above reassurance is simply not possible with David's descendants breaking the covenant and Jehoiachin's curse.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Dan 2:44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Again, God's promise to David is being fulfilled in His Son, Jesus Christ according to the new covenant which God will make with Israel. For Christ is not only a descendant of David, He is also king of the Jews and His kingdom has no end.

Ps 110:4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

God's covenant of priesthood is also fulfilled in His Son, Jesus Christ for He is our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Since every covenant is being broken by faulty people, even though God is gracious and merciful, the only solution is to make one new covenant that supersedes and fulfils all promises of all the covenants, and the only person whom God can trust is Himself. Hence, the Word, who is God Himself became flesh, took the place of Israel, accepted the punishment for Israel's rebellion and even submitted Himself to death. But by His death, He defeated death itself and by spilling His blood, He made a new covenant that supersedes all laws and prior covenants for all are fulfilled in Him.

Hence, if we obey Him and keep His commandments to be sinless and holy (Matt 18:8-9), we too will abide in His house (John 8:34-35) and be counted worthy of attaining the next age as He promised (Luke 20:35).

# Is Grace Deceitful? Is Mercy Shame?

What is grace and mercy? Translations often can be misleading and sometimes misses out the rich meaning found in the original language. In this post, we will explore the two words – grace and mercy. This is very important because, the word 'grace' was not once used by Jesus Christ, but always taught to be merciful. Grace means favor, not undeserved favor. Mercy is disgrace and shame and showing mercy is to remove the reproach of others.

Grace means favor, not undeserved favor.

Gen 6:8-9 But Noah found grace [H2580 חֵן chen (chane)] in the eyes of the LORD. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Nah 3:4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured [H2580 חֵן chen (chane)] harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

Prov 31:30 Charm [H2580 חֵן chen (chane)] is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Prov 17:8 A bribe is a charm [H2580 חֵן chen (chane)] in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.

Noah was a righteous man and he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. It is the same word 'grace' used to describe how a harlot wins favor using her harlotry and whoredoms. It is also the same word 'grace' which proverbs says as deceitful and used to refer bribes. The point of this section is to simply show that 'grace' means 'favor' and refers to both positive and negative meaning. It certainly does not mean 'undeserved favor'.

Asking mercy is disgrace and shame

Ps 109:16 Because he did not remember to show mercy [H2617 חֵסֵד checed ], But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.

Exod 20:6 but showing mercy [H2617 חֵסֵד checed (cheh'-sed)] to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Prov 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach [H2617 חֵסֵד checed ] to any people.

Lev 20:17 'If there is a man who takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace [H2617 חֵסֵד checed ]; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he bears his guilt. (MASB)

We all know mercy in English is being kind and compassionate but in ancient Hebrew, it has a richer meaning. Mercy actually means reproach, shame or disgrace. To ask or beg for mercy is a disgrace, shame or reproach as in Luke 16:3 where the steward is ashamed to 'beg'. This is exactly what mercy means. But to show mercy is to remove the reproach or shame of the person asking for mercy and satisfying the person's need. In English, the word 'mercy' is from the perspective of the person showing mercy, thus it is not considered as a shame. But in ancient Hebrew, the word 'mercy' is from the perspective of the person receiving mercy, this it is considered as a shame and reproach.

Receiving grace and mercy from God

Ps 145:8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.

The Lord is gracious and great in mercy. But His favor in showing mercy to us is 'not to be taken for granted'.

Prov 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Prov 3:34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.

God will not remove the shame and disgrace, or in Daniel's words, the everlasting contempt because of wickedness and sins (Dan 12:2) if we don't confess and forsaking them. No one can receive favor from God if they are not humble before Him.

Matt 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Prov 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Compare the above verse to Proverbs 28:13. Without true repentance, which includes not just confessing our sins but also forsaking them, no one can receive mercy from God.

# Is the garden of Eden allegorical?

One of the biggest questions that haunt many Christians in this modern age is this: Is the garden of Eden allegorical or literal? In this post, we will explore what God and the Scriptures say about the garden of Eden.

The account of Genesis mentions the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden as a literal account. There is no indication of it being allegorical from the account mentioned in the book of Genesis. To fully understand the account in Genesis, if it was a literal or allegorical, we have to be extremely careful in taking everything we know about Genesis into consideration and how God uses the events mentioned in it to later prophets.

Genesis written around 1065-1050 BC

Based on detailed analysis, the book of Genesis itself reveals that it was written around 1065-1050 BC.

Gen 20:7 "Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."

1Sam 9:9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: "Come, let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)

1Chr 29:29 Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer

The book of Genesis never contains the word 'seer'. Instead it contains 'prophet'. Samuel and Gad were referred as seer but Nathan was referred as prophet. This is one of the several clues the book of Genesis reveals about it's origin and the age. For a more detailed analysis, please refer,  When was the Book of Genesis written?

Allegorical Clues in Genesis account

Gen 3:24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cherubim are mythical creatures. They can be traced to mythologies of the Babylonians, Assyrians, and other peoples of the ancient Near East. Hence, it is not unique to the Hebrews and it is of uncertain derivation. In all near eastern mythologies, cherubim guards the temple and palaces which is a striking similarity of how cherubim guards the garden of Eden. Hence, to fully understand, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the ancient Israelite people.

Ezek 28:14-15 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.

In the book of Ezekiel, we find God referring to the king of Tyre as an anointed cherub. While many Christians interpret this to be the spirit behind the king of Tyre or a reference to satan, Scripture does not say that. Scripture plainly refers to the king of Tyre as an anointed cherub in an allegorical sense. Here cherub is not a reference to one particular king but God is addressing all the kings of Tyre as cherub.

2Sam 22:11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.

Ps 99:1 THE LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved!

During the reign of king David, we can see how they used cherub. God rode upon a cherub and He dwells between them. This is generally considered as a description of how the children of Israel saw God "flying" as a pillar of cloud and the place in the ark of the covenant where God dwells between the cherubim. If cherubim were heavenly creatures, why do they need wings? Consider the below description of cherubim in the book of Revelation.

Rev 5:6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ... (8-10) Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

Based on the description in Ezekiel 10:20 we can know that the 4 living creatures in the book of Revelation as cherubim. Just as the Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes are an allegorical representation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the four living creatures are an allegorical representation of kings and priests as they sang a new song about redemption to God who made them as kings and priests by the blood of the Lamb. Hence, cherubim is not a literal creature but symbolic used in allegories.

God never refers to Eden and tree of life as literal

Ezek 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.

Ezek 31:2 "Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: 'Whom are you like in your greatness? ... (8-9) The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; The fir trees were not like its boughs, And the chestnut trees were not like its branches; No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty. I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches, So that all the trees of Eden envied it, That were in the garden of God.'

God compares to the king of Tyre as a cherub and the king of Egypt as a tree in the garden of Eden.

Rev 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '

Rev 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ... (14) Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

As John saw the visions and wrote in the book of Revelation, we again see that the tree of life is allegorical. Christ granting all those who overcome to eat from the tree of life is symbolic.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Our eternal life is Christ and is in Him, not on some literal magical fruit that makes us live forever which was forbidden from us. If eternal life is merely in some fruit, then Christ doesn't have to die for us to give us eternal life. Also, there is no fruit that gives us eternal life which even God cannot stop (Gen 3:22). Hence, it is important to understand what is symbolic and what is literal. Further, there is not one tree of life, but several yielding 12 fruits, each tree yielding one fruit for each month. Hence, eating the fruit from tree of life is symbolic of how Christ will grant eternal life to those who overcome the world.

Reconstructing the story of Eden

So far we had seen that the story of Eden is allegorical in nature, written around the time of king David, contains allegorical clues like cherubim and finally, God never mentions it as literal anywhere but always symbolises it to represent other things. If the story of Eden is allegorical, what does it actually represent?

Serpent

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

Rev 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. .... (20:2) He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

As we see above, the serpent in Genesis is the same dragon in Revelation, who is referred as Devil and Satan. Devil is a Greek word which actually a reference to satan in Hebrew which simply means accuser or anyone standing against God. It was generally used to refer evil spirits or demons (Matt 12:24-28) but also for men such as Peter when he stood against Christ's words (Mat 8:33).

Scripture does not mention any name for the serpent since satan and devil are simply titles. Also, 'lucifer' in Isaiah 14:12 from KJV based translations is actually a mistranslated word for shining one or morning star and not a proper name. If lucifer is indeed a proper name, then it must be transliterated as 'heylel' in LXX but we don't see such transliterations or any reference for using it as a proper name. Hence, serpent in Genesis represents a creation of God who opposes God and deceives the whole world.

Tree of life

Prov 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding ... (18) She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

Prov 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.

Wisdom and Understanding is a tree of life. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.

Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

As psalmist says, the tree of life represents the fear of the LORD and obeying His commandments. It is the result of being righteous and holy.

Matt 19:17 ... if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.

Matt 18:8-9 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

This is exactly what Jesus said. To enter life, we need to keep His commandments to be righteous and holy. Hence, tree of life is the fear of the Lord and obeying His commandments.

Nakedness

Deut 1:39-40 'Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.'

Mark 10:14-15 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

Animals are naked and they don't feel any shame. The same is true for babies and little children for they knew not what is good and evil and don't feel any shame if they were naked. Jesus said, if we don't receive the kingdom of God like a little child, we will never enter it. We see some similarity of how Adam and Eve being naked and innocent in the garden until they knew what is good and evil.

Rev 3:18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Rev 16:15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

As in Psalms 132:9, Job 29:14 and several other places, righteousness is referred as a garment to cover our shame. But in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were naked without any garment, yet there is no shame to cover.

Since they don't have any garment, they had no righteousness. This doesn't mean they are unrighteous but innocent. Just like an innocent child who doesn't have any righteousness, Adam and Eve were also innocent.

Matt 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves.

Christ wants us to be innocent as doves, just as Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden or like a little child. Hence, nakedness represents innocence, the lack of knowing what good and bad is.

Tree of knowledge of good and evil

Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"–

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

According to God in Genesis, knowing good and evil means, becoming like Him. In other words, only God can choose what is good and evil and it is His attribute. While humans were created in the "image" of God, we were not created "like" God.

Deut 30:19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Just as the choice given to children of Israel in the final speech of Moses, there were two trees in Eden. One tree gives eternal life but the other gives death.

Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"–

The question we may have is, how does anyone die if they ate from the forbidden tree and got the knowledge of good and evil? Now, consider the above verse spoken by God. Will they surely die as God cursed? or Can they override God's curse of death to eat from the tree of life and live forever? The truth is, God created man with the choice of living forever but disobeying God will make Him stop mankind from receiving eternal life. This does not mean God never wants to give eternal life to man but to give only those who choose 'good' and not 'evil', because man can now choose good and evil for himself.

Isn't it knowledge of "good" should be obedience to God? Some biblical scholars identify the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil as the "choice" of deciding what is good or evil for ourselves. This is in contrast with the tree of life where there is no choice but obedience to God and He decides what is good and evil.

Conclusion

The story or Genesis gives us the information about man being created in the image of God, yet like animals, naked, innocent and not knowing what is good and evil. Man disobeyed God to choose good and evil for himself, leading to suffering, pain and death. This is the gist of the creation and fall of man in the garden of Eden.

John 16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

But what actually happened 'literally' is something we may never know or we may not be able to bear them now.

# Identifying Gog and Magog

Gog and Magog is not only mentioned in the Bible several times, but occurs in Genesis as well as Revelation. These are the group of people who will come against Israel in the last days. Hence, identifying them is crucial.

Ezek 38:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.

Ezek 39:1 "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

The key identification comes from the book of Ezekiel where Gog was from north of Israel. There are several nations in the north and we need to have some approximate location to pinpoint the country of Gog and Magog today. Gog is the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Identifying any one of these places will give an approximate location of the country today in the north of Israel.

Rosh

Most scholars see Rosh as a mistranslation of נְשִׂ֕יא רֹ֖אשׁ, nesi ro'š ("chief prince"), – i.e, "nesi -ros" rather than a price of rosh. The only other reference for Rosh is one of the sons of Benjamin (Gen 46:21), which is clearly not a reference here since descendants of Benjamin are part of Israel. Hence, Rosh is merely a mistranslated of chief prince.

Meshech

Meshech (Mazaca) – Kayseri, modern Turkey

Flavius Josephus identifies Meshech with the Cappadocian "Mosocheni" (Mushki, also associated with Phrygians or Bryges) and their capital Mazaca which in Ezekiel's time is as an area in modern Turkey (Kayseri).

Tubal

Tubal in modern day Turkey

Modern scholarship has identified the biblical Tubal with Tabal, an Anatolian state and region mentioned in Assyrian sources. Flavius Josephus, identify Tubal in Ezekiel's time as an area that is now in Turkey.

Identifying Turkey's allies

Ezek 38:5-6 "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops–many people are with you.

Persia is modern day Iran. Ancient Ethiopia (or Cush) is modern day Sudan. Libya is the same region as modern day Libya.

Josephus placed Gomer and the "Gomerites" in Anatolian Galatia: "For Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call Galatians, but were then called Gomerites."

Most scholars identify Togarmah with the capital city called Tegarama (a city in Anatolia) by the Hittites and Til-Garimmu by the Assyrians. The exact location of the city in Anatolia is disputed but one thing is certain: The ancient city is in modern day Turkey.

This drills down to a few list of modern countries that will fight against Israel in the last days (which we are currently in).

  * Turkey

  * Iran

  * Sudan

  * Libya

Neither the 1947 war, nor the 1967 (6 day) war fits the description of the prophecy since, Turkey (Gog and Magog) wasn't involved. Hence the prophecy points to a future war against Israel where Turkey, along with Iran, Sudan and Libya will fight against Israel.

Peace Treaty Between the State of Israel and the Arab Republic of Egypt, Source: Wiki

The time is very near for this war and this is the reason: Did you notice the two neighbouring countries of Egypt (Libya and Sudan) are coming against Israel, yet Egypt did not? Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in 26 March 1979 where Israel agreed to give the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt which it conquered2. Addressing Israeli concerns on July 31, 2014, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pledged to continue the peace with Israel. Hence, Egypt not involved in the coming war from Turkey and it's allies against Israel was prophesied thousands of years ago.

Ezek 38:13 "Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, 'Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?' " '

Sheba and Dedan are a reference to modern day Saudi Arabia. It is interesting to see that Saudi Arabia were worried about this alliance and their great army that were gathered to invade Israel. Just like Egypt not involved in the war against Israel, Saudi Arabia too will not be invovled. We can see many growing signs of Israel getting friendly with Saudi Arabia to counter Iran1.

Satan's throne and his dwelling place is in Turkey

Pergamos, the throne of Satan is in Turkey

Rev 2:13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

Pergamos, the throne of Satan and his dwelling is located in Turkey.

Rev 20:7-8 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

When Satan was released from his prison, he goes out to deceive the nations, which is used synonymous or identical to Gog and Magog gathering nations to battle against God's people.

Conclusion

The Gog and Magog who will come against Israel as prophesied by Ezekiel is Turkey. Satan's throne and his dwelling place is in Turkey. Turkey, along with Iran, Libya and Sudan will come against Israel for a great battle in near future but God will bring judgement on the troops of Turkey and it's allies by flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Since Israel is dwelling safely in their land, let us therefore keep watch for the signs of this prophecy.

1 "What is behind the covert Israeli-Saudi relations?." Aljazeera.com, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/covert-israeli-saudi-arabia-relations-171120142229835.html. Accessed 16 Jan. 2018.

2 Wikipedia Contributors. "Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80%93Israel_Peace_Treaty. Accessed 16 Jan. 2018.

# Responsibility of rebuking before forgiving

This is a followup post for Forgive Sins Or Retain It? where Jesus taught to retain sins if the sinner who sinned against us refused to heed to our rebuke. This important teaching of Jesus was pointed out as a comment when the mentioned post was shared in the Facebook page.

Luke 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Matt 18:15-17 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

In both the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus Christ very clearly taught that we must rebuke or tell the person who sins against us regarding their fault. If they didn't hear us, we can take a couple of more witnesses and finally the church. If they still didn't hear them, let them be a stranger to us. The reason why we treat a well known person as a stranger is simply because we retain their sins and have not forgiven them.

John 20:23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Retaining sins are identical to the above verse in John except the details of rebuking and the sinner not listening is not mentioned. Since Jesus was speaking to His disciples who were well aware of His teachings, they know exactly when to forgive and when to retain. Hence, the details of when to retain and forgive was not mentioned.

Conclusion

When a person who repeatedly keeps sinning against us, comes and says 'I repent', we must forgive every time he asks forgiveness. If the person didn't come to us, we must go and let the person know the fault and rebuke him. If he repents, we must forgive him. If he didn't, we can call a couple of more people and the church as witnesses. If he still didn't hear we don't need to forgive him but treat him as a stranger.

# Faith is fearless of Satan

Many Christians believe that faith is believing in Jesus. But Jesus expects a faith that is fearless of Satan or the troubles we face without any doubt that it cannot harm us. The event where Peter walks on water connects all the important points to show that faith means, you don't have any fear of troubles because you don't doubt the Son of God who will keep us away from all troubles.

Walking on the water

Matt 14:26-33 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

Peter had some doubt if the man walking on the water was really Jesus. So, Peter asked the Man to command him to walk on water if He is really Jesus. So, Jesus commanded Peter to come into water. When Peter started walking on the water because of the storm, he was afraid and immediately he began to sink. Jesus wasn't far but right before him and still Peter sank. Jesus however, did not address Peter as being fearful but doubtful. In other words, Jesus expects all who have faith in Him to be without doubt and must not be fearful of troubles. If we are fearful of troubles, we are faithless.

We can ask God to do a miracle in our life, like walking on the water in the midst of a stormy situation. God hears our prayers and can even command us the miracle to happen in our life. The miracle can even begin to happen in our life, just like Peter started walking on the water. But if we see the situation and became frightened because of it, Jesus declares us to be 'doubtful' of Him and we can sink into trouble right before Jesus.

Killing Goliath

1Sam 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. ... (24) And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. ... (26) ... For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" ... (28-29) Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?"

Who among all of Israel was fearless of Goliath? Scriptures say, it's only David who was only a boy. David was even blamed for being pride and insolence for His faith in God by his own brother. If you have faith in God, you will be fearless of Satan or of troubles which can be as big as Goliath. But to overcome troubles, we must first be fearless and ready to fight against it because of our faith in God.

1Sam 17:46 "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

David didn't ask God permission if he had to fight Goliath. But rather, David had faith in God and went to battle to fight against Goliath having faith that the LORD had already delivered Goliath into his hands. Many Christians today pray to God for overcoming troubles that are as big as Goliath, yet too afraid to face it and want God to overcome for them while they remain in fear and safety. This is a false hope of doubting God and not trusting Him to overcome trouble. Just as Peter sank on fearing the storm, those who are fearful of Satan and troubles that are like Goliath, will not be able to overcome them.

Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

As David sang in Psalms, even when we walk through the valley of shadow of death, let us not fear of any evil for the LORD is with us.

Defeating the Midianites

Judg 7:12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

Our troubles can be as big as the Midianite army. Let's see how God chose the army who must fight against the Midianites.

Judg 7:3 ... 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' " And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

The preliminary entry requirement to get recruited into God's army who can defeat the Midianites is being 'fearless'. God doesn't want people who are fearful. Nor can they overcoming any trouble that are like locusts or Midianite.

Midst of Fiery Furnace

Dan 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

We may have trouble approaching us as fierce as the burning fiery furnace. If we read how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego responded to the king of Babylon (the superpower of ancient world), they neither feared the burning fiery furnace nor feared for their own life but had unshakeable confidence in the LORD. Even if they did really die, they want the king to know beforehand that they will never be unfaithful to the LORD God of Israel. Such fearlessness is the evidence of true faith and trust in God.

Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

God placed the burning fiery furnace as a path for giving promotion to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Many Christians do not want to boldly face trouble but want blessings. They don't realise that the very trouble which can be like a burning fiery furnace set before them could be the path for receiving blessings from God. When we are fearless against Satan to fully trust God and be faithful to Him at all costs, even death, only then God will walk among our midst in our trouble to deliver us and exalt us before our enemies.

Dividing the Red Sea

Exod 14:12-16 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. And the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

When Moses said that the LORD will fight for Israel and they just need to hold their peace to a people fearful of the Egyptian army and want to go back to Egypt, the LORD's reply to Moses was surprising. The LORD doesn't want Moses to cry to Him, but rather, expects the people to start walking against the red sea. If we have faith in God and start walking fearless against a sea of trouble, even the sea will divide before us.

Conclusion

David neither sought God's approval to fight against Goliath who was blaspheming Him nor got some training before He went to battle. He never had any backup plan either.

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Christians today claim to have faith in Jesus, yet too afraid to trample on serpents and scorpions. They want to pray, get some clear revelation from God before they can trample troubles like serpents and scorpions, doubting the authority given by Christ. Like Peter, if they trample in fear of being bitten while trampling, even if Jesus is with them, they will be bitten by troubles like serpents and scorpions. Some Christians are too clever to hide their fear by asking God to trample troubles like serpents and scorpions for them.

Isa 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults.

# Qualifications for God's army

God was choosing His army to go with Gideon who can defeat the Midianite army who were like locusts. In this post, we will explore who can be in His army.

Fearless of Satan

Judg 7:2-3 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' " And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

The preliminary qualification for entering God's army is to be fearless against the enemy who is Satan or the troubles we face. When God set this qualification, nearly 2/3 of the people who want to be in God's army went home. God wants His people to know that the victory is from Him and not through their might. Since God had to save and the victory is from Him, many Christians never want to fight at all. Rather, they want God to fight for them while they remain in fear. These people are not qualified to be in God's army and they cannot defeat Satan and his army.

1Sam 4:4-8 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. ... (10-11) So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Being fearless is not the only requirement. Hophni and Phinehas were fearless and what they did by bringing the ark of the covenant of God made even the enemy fear and tremble. Yet, they were killed because they didn't seek God or follow His commandments but treated Him like their trophy.

Seeking God

Judg 7:4-7 But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.

There are two groups of people who are fearless towards the enemy. The group containing many people who drink water like a dog lapping on the water. There is a small group of people who put their hands to the mouth and drink water.

Jer 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water. ... (17) Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the LORD your God When He led you in the way?

Dogs lap because they have incomplete cheeks and cannot suck like humans. When lapping, a dog's tongue pulls a liquid column from the bath, and takes a bite from it1. Thus most of the water falls back while lapping. This is contrary to drinking water by putting their hand to the mouth which does not spill water back. God calls Himself as the fountain of living waters, just as Jesus mentioned the Holy Spirit as the living waters (John 7:38-39). Anyone who drinks from Him must drink without spilling it. If we spill Him while we drink Him, just as a broken cistern would spill, we forsake Him. God even calls people who drink from Him using broken cisterns which does not hold Him as evil because they forsake Him.

John 4:14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." ... John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Ps 63:1 O GOD, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Jesus compares drinking from the fountain of living water to seeking and believing in Him. Just as prophet Jeremiah compared fetching water with a broken cistern to forsaking God, if we lap like a dog to drink the living water from Jesus spilling Him back, we don't seek Him or believe in Him.

The second requirement to be in God's army is to seek Him and believe in Him. Those who lap like a dog to forsake Him cannot be in His army

Conclusion

There are two most important requirements to be in God's army. The first requirement is to be fearless of the enemy. Only one-third of all the people who want to be in God's army were fearless of the enemy. The second requirement is to seek Him and believe in Him. When God spoke, He need His army to obey and trust in Him fully, just like the army He chose who went to fight a huge army of Midianites without even using a sword (Judg 7:16).

1 Pm, Reis. "From the Cover: Dogs lap using acceleration-driven open pumping." PubMed Central (PMC), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4703018/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2018.

# Book of Ruth in Biblical Timeline

The book of Ruth was written as a recollection of events about David's ancestry after he became king of Israel around 1065 BC. In this post, we will investigate and plot Ruth in the Biblical timeline.

Ancestry of Boaz

Exod 6:23 Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Luke 3:32-33 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

We are not interested in the actual genealogy of Boaz but genealogy that helps to identify the period of time. The sister of Boaz's grandfather married Aaron.

Based on the mentioned verses, the genealogy of Boaz can be represented as in the above picture.

Salmon marries Rahab, Boaz's mother

Num 1:2-3 "Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above–all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies. ... (7) "from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;

Num 14:30 'Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.

Nahshon was counted in the first census of Israel. Except Caleb and Joshua, none of those who were counted in first census entered the promised land. For Salmon to marry Rahab, he must have enter the promised land. This means, Salmon was less than 20 years old during the first census. Hence, Salmon was born in 1457 BC (+/- 10 years).

Josh 6:25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Matt 1:5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

The children of Israel conquered Jericho 40 years after coming out of Israel. Hence, Salmon must be between 40-60 years old when he married Rahab. Hence, it is logical to assume Boaz was born within the next few years which must be anytime after 1428 BC.

Time of the Judges

Ruth 1:1 NOW it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

Judg 2:8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. (16) Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

The book of Ruth itself gives a very clear indication that the story begins when the judges ruled the nation of Israel. The LORD gave judges after the death of Joshua. Joshua died in 1399 BC at 110 years. If Boaz was born around 1428 BC (conquering Jericho), he must be around 30 years of age when Joshua died. Adding 10 years for Elimelech's trip to Moab and Naomi's return and a few years for that generation to die, we get around 1385 BC which places Boaz to be around 40 to 50 years of age.

Conclusion

The events in the book of Ruth happened around 1385 BC, nearly two decades after the death of Joshua when Boaz was about 40 to 50 years old and five decades after Israel fought against Moab before entering the promised land.

# Did Jesus teach us to sell everything and lose our jobs?

Jesus taught several times to sell all that a person has and give it to the poor. What does it mean to sell all? Is Jesus asking us to become homeless and lose our jobs? Let's explore what Jesus actually taught.

Parables about selling

Matt 13:44-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Jesus taught in His parables regarding the kingdom of heaven which we must buy by selling all that we have. Parables can be interpreted in different ways. Hence, we must be extremely careful in interpreting it by comparing with what Christ taught in His other teachings. For example, what did the man sell? His wife and his children are also a man's possession as per the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt 18:25) and his children can be sold as per the law (Exod 21:7). Did the man sold his wife and children as well?

That's not the intent of the parable. The parable shows the true cost of inheriting the kingdom of heaven. It can cost our entire wealth (Matt 13:44-46), all our relationships (Matt 10:37), our body parts (Mark 9:43-48) and even our own life (Mark 8:35). If our parents or children come in between us and God and cause us to sin and disobey Him, we need to depart from them. If job comes in between us and God and cause us to sin and disobey Him, we need to resign. If TV or internet comes in between us and God and cause us to sin and disobey Him, we need to disconnect. If money or wealth comes in between us and God and cause us to sin and disobey Him, we must throw away. This is the true cost of inheriting His kingdom. This parable is not about becoming poor and homeless.

Luke 12:15-21 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Luke 12:33-34 "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In an another parable of Jesus, He taught not to lay up "treasures" in this world. This gives us a clear indication that Jesus wants us to sell all our "riches" or "treasures" or "the abundance of things a man possesses" and give it to the poor. He did not command us to become homeless or become poor. This is why, later in the same sermon, Jesus taught us to lay "treasures" in heaven by giving alms instead of laying up treasures on earth. Where our treasure is, our heart will also be.

What did Peter leave to follow Jesus?

Matt 19:27-29 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

John 20:6-10 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

How can Peter go to his own home when he claimed to have left all and Jesus clearly mentioning of leaving homes? Jesus is not teaching us to leave our parents or wife or children or anyone unless it is for His name sake. It is similar to how a Christian convert from a Muslim family had to forsake everything, including his parents, relatives, homes and land for the sake of Christ. Jesus is not asking His disciple to leave their homes and become homeless except it is for His name's sake.

What did Jesus ask the rich man to sell?

Mark 10:21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." .. (23) Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"

Is Jesus asking the rich man to become homeless and poor? Absolutely not! Jesus is asking the rich man to sell his riches and give it to the poor so that he will have treasure in heaven. Jesus is not against necessary things that are required for meeting our basic needs, like having a house or a vehicle., etc.

Luke 19:8-9 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;

Zacchaeus pledged to give half of his wealth to the poor and to restore 4 times of what he took by false accusation as per the law (Exod 22:1) and immediately Jesus said Salvation has come to this house. Jesus was not keen on Zacchaeus becoming homeless or poor, for Salvation to come to him but rather, to sell all his accumulated wealth and give it to the poor and to restore the stolen and keep his pledge (Ezek 33:15).

Is Jesus advocating to live in poverty?

Mark 12:41-44 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

It is important to note that many cults want their members to sell all they have and follow them. Hence, we must be extremely careful to not lock ourselves into any financial or life burden by following someone. Jesus taught us to sell all our "riches" to give it to the poor and follow Him. Even in the above passage, Jesus is not teaching anyone to become poor by selling even our basic needs and live in poverty so that they can give more than others. Jesus is actually teaching that many riches given to God is of no value if they give it from their "abundance" but even a tiny amount of money given by a poor person living in poverty is rich in God's eyes.

Luke 9:57-62 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Is Jesus saying he doesn't have a house by saying 'Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head'? Absolutely not. Following Jesus is same as going and preaching the kingdom of God.

Matt 13:57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

Jesus Himself mentions about his house where He was not honoured. When Jesus said He has nowhere to lay His head, He was referring to His lodging on His way to Jerusalem as He journeyed on the road.

Are we to be without any job?

Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Is Jesus advocating against doing any job because it is working for money? Absolutely not. The above is the summary of the parable of the dishonest servant taught by Jesus Christ.

Luke 16:1-8 He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.' So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

The above story is about a dishonest steward who acted shrewdly and taught us that the wicked are more shrewd than the righteous. Using that same story, Jesus is teaching us what we must do.

Luke 16:9 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you die [G1587 ἐκλείπω ekleipo], they may receive you into an everlasting home.

Mammon is wealth or riches which Jesus is calling as "unrighteous". Just as the dishonest steward who acted shrewdly, by using the master's wealth to make friends who can receive him into their home, we must also use our wealth to make ourselves friends with God by giving it to Him who can receive us into an everlasting home.

The word 'ekleipo' in Greek actually means to omit, (by implication) to cease or die. Did Jesus ever taught anywhere that you can fail and still enter His kingdom? Absolutely not. Read John 8:34-35 and Matt 18:8-9 to see how Christ is zero tolerant to sin. The verse itself speaks out that 'ekleipo' means to die when the next statement speaks about everlasting home which is only after resurrection.

Matt 25:40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Matt 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

We can give our wealth to God by giving it to the least of His brethren. Christ's brothers are not some poor fellow but a poor person who does the will of His Father in heaven. In other words, we can become friends with God if we give our wealth to the poor and needy who are His disciples who truly follow Him.

Luke 16:10-13 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.

Jesus taught that we must be faithful in all the riches we manage or handle that belongs to another man. For example, company expense claims, etc. If we are unfaithful in these small things how can God trust us with true riches? Being unfaithful in someone else's money is what Jesus refers as serving wealth. But being faithful and honest on other's money is serving God. How can we manage or handle other's wealth faithfully if we are not working or without job?

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Is Jesus saying not to work in a job when He said not to labor for the food with perishes? Absolutely not. Jesus is clearly explaining not to seek Him for materialistic satisfaction that perishes but for His Word that endures for everlasting life. This is why, when disciples asked Jesus what they must do to work the works of God, He asked them to believe in Him (John 6:28-29), i.e, believe everything He says.

Mark 6:3 "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.

Matt 13:55 "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

Was Jesus without a job before He came to His ministry because it is working for money or food? Absolutely not. Jesus was mentioned as a carpenter just like His earthly father Joseph was a carpenter before He began His ministry.

# Paul's lies and Apostles' responses

Apostate Paul not only rejects everything Christ taught, but also taught everything contrary to the apostles of Jesus Christ.

Mark 5:37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

Luke 9:28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

Peter, James and John are not only from the 12 disciples of Jesus but also from the closest inner circle of Jesus. These are the same disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. Here we will explore Paul's lies and the responses from these three apostles of Jesus Christ.

# Holy Spirit is given only if you keep Christ's Word

Many Christians wrongly believe that the Holy Spirit is given just by hearing of faith deceived by  Paul's lies.

Gal 3:2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

The above statement by Paul is a fallacy because the options given for the question does not contain the actual answer, but using one wrong answer to make the other wrong answer look like it is right. Holy Spirit will not be given either by doing the works of the law or by hearing of faith.

Acts 19:2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

Many Christians are also deceived that they receive the Holy Spirit when they believe which is not the case. Here in this post we will explore when the Holy Spirit is given. You will be surprised to learn that Holy Spirit is given only to those who keep Christ's commandments and His word.

Holy Spirit is not for whoever asks

Matt 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

When Jesus is speaking to those who were evil, He said, whoever ask the Heavenly Father will receive. But what do they actually receive? Will they receive good things as the gospel of Matthew says or the Holy Spirit as the gospel of Luke says?

John 14:15-17 If you love Me, keep My commandments and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Jesus made it clear that if we keep His commandments, He will pray to the Father who will send the Holy Spirit to us which the world cannot receive. Only if we keep His word, the Father and the Son will come to us and make it home.

1 John 2:3-6 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

To know Him and to abide in Him, we must keep His commandments, His word and walk just as He walked, in holiness and righteousness.

John 7:39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Comparing Matt 7:11 vs Luke 11:13, the verse in Matt 7:11 is correct because the Holy Spirit wasn't given when He spoke that, nor will the Holy Spirit given to any evil person to whom Jesus was addressing to.

In Early Church: Peter

Acts 10:1-2 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. ... (30-31) So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. .... (34-35) Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. .... (44-45) While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

If you look into Peter's account of how Cornelius and his household, a gentile who received the Holy Spirit, Peter was specifically sent by God to Cornelius to preach the good news because He feared God, gave alms and prayed to God always. Peter acknowledges Cornelius by saying everyone who fear God and works righteousness.is accepted by Him. Only then, the Holy Spirit was given. Because of Cornelius with all his household's fear of God, his alms, and his righteousness, the Holy Spirit was given to him and his household.

Acts 2:38-40 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples of Jesus Christ, Peter was preaching to those who saw what happened, on how to receive the gift of Holy Spirit. Peter wants them to repent from their wicked ways and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins – then they shall receive the gift of Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Many Christians are deceived that the Holy Spirit is given just by hearing of faith or by believing based on Paul's lies. Jesus made it clear that if we keep His commandments, He will pray to the Father who will send the Holy Spirit to us which the world cannot receive. Only if we keep His word, the Father and the Son will come to us and make it home. As we see in the early church, it was because of Cornelius with all his household's fear of God, his alms, and his righteousness, the Holy Spirit was given to him and his household. In contrast to Christ and Peter, Paul deceives many Christians today that they receive the Holy Spirit when they believe.

# Wrath of God

‎Saturday, ‎10 ‎February ‎2018, ‏‎8:51:32 AM | Felix Immanuel

Christians have often heard of God's love and always want God to love them. Many are happy to preach that God loves everyone misrepresenting what John wrote regarding God is love.

1 John 4:16-17 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

John actually wrote about God's love is for His children who keep His commandments (1 John 2:4-5) by loving one another (1 John 4:8). Because of God's love for all who keep His word, they have the boldness in the day of judgement.

John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

All who believe on what Jesus Christ taught and obey them have everlasting life but those who don't, the wrath of God abides on him. Many Christians rarely discuss about the wrath of God. In this post, we will explore some of the fierce anger and wrath of God on those who are disobedient and on the wicked.

Die in a very great plague

Num 11:33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.

During the exodus, the wrath of God caused a great plague among the children of Israel. Are we craving for things we used to enjoy before coming to Him and reject the good things He had done to us? As we see above, the Lord will surely give what we desired for, but will also strike us with a plague. The plague can be in any form like cancer or any other disease.

Self-cannibalise and become fuel for fire

Isa 9:19-20 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.

God is speaking against the prideful Samaria where everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer. The LORD is warning that His wrath is severe that the people will be made fuel for fire and they will be self-cannibalising themselves. How can the prideful hypocrites and evildoers escape the wrath of God? (Mal 3:6)

Children dashed, wives ravished, houses plundered

Isa 13:13-16 Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger. It shall be as the hunted gazelle, And as a sheep that no man takes up; Every man will turn to his own people, And everyone will flee to his own land. Everyone who is found will be thrust through, And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.

God is showing His wrath upon Babylon. He makes everyone who is captured to fall by sword. He makes their children to be dashed to pieces before their eyes. He makes their houses plundered and their wives ravished. Are you still deceived by false preachers who portray God as always loving and never show His wrath?

Leave in the midst of a furnace

Ezek 22:18-22 Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have poured out My fury on you.' "

Look at the event at 70 AD. The LORD gathered Israel for Passover and then made the Romans surround them. The siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD is well documented, resulting in devastation of nearly every Jew and complete destruction of the Temple because of God's wrath.

Deliver to brutal men who are skilful to destroy

Ezek 21:31-32 I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath, And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy. You shall be fuel for the fire; Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. You shall not be remembered, For I the LORD have spoken.' "

Just as God's wrath destroyed His own tabernacle on earth for Israel's sins, God's wrath will deliver us into the hands of brutal men who are "skilful to destroy". His wrath will even make us a fuel for fire. How much careful should we live to obey Him and avoid God's wrath upon us?

What must we do?

2Kgs 22:13 "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

Heb 10:28-29 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Obedience. It is disobedience that causes wrath of the LORD. Therefore, it is extremely important to obey God. If disobedience to Moses' law causes great wrath of the LORD, how much more will He be angry of we disobey Christ, who is God Himself in flesh?

2 Chr 32:25-26 But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Humbleness. The only way to delay the coming of God's wrath because of pride or disobedience to God is by being humble before Him.

Matt 3:7-8 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance

Bear fruits worthy of repentance. The only way to flee from the wrath of God is not to just repent but to actually bear fruits that are worthy of repentance. It is means, not to just say "I repent", but to actually live a holy and righteous life worthy of that repentance.

Conclusion

Rev 6:15a-16 Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Who is able to stand before the wrath of the Lamb? Wrath of God will kill you in a very great plague, will make you self-cannibalise, will make you a fuel for fire, will make your children dashed, wives ravished, houses plundered, will leave in the midst of a furnace, will deliver to brutal men who are skilful to destroy and many more. Are you still deceived that God has no wrath on the wicked and disobedient? It is our disobedience that will cause the wrath of God. Being humble before God delays the judgement for disobedience. If we don't bear fruits of repentance, we cannot flee from the wrath of God.

# Will Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah before His coming?

Jesus told the Jews that they shall not see Him until the time comes when they say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'. Was Jesus referring to a future event in the end-times where Jews will accept Him as their Messiah? No, the event got fulfilled in Christ's own time on this earth.

Luke 13:35 "See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Matt 23:39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

The above prophetic words were sometimes used to identify the return of Jesus Christ that is, only after Jews accept Jesus as their saviour.

Luke 19:37-38 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: " 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Matt 21:9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"

According to Luke, what Jesus spoke was not an end-times prophecy but actually got fulfilled in Christ's time on earth during His triumphant entry. However, Matthew's account seems to point to a future event since the prophetic statement by Jesus was actually after the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Now, we need to investigate which gospel account is having the correct chronological order with respect to this particular event. When Jesus laments over Jerusalem as we read in Matt 23:37-39, He was already inside Jerusalem, within the Temple. Hence, the event is out of order and does not fit the surrounding verses to be in context. Hence, the account of Luke is correct and the prophetic words of Jesus got fulfilled in His own lifetime.

Matt 21:43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

Luke 18:7-8 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

Will Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah before His coming? The answer is No. There will be a few God's elect who were  tested and tried. When Christ comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

# Truth about Nephilim

Pre-flood giants had always been an interesting topic to study in the book of Genesis.

Gen 6:4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

When sons of God came into daughters of men, giants (or Nephilim) were born. This creates more questions than answers.

  * Who are the sons of God?

  * Who are the daughters of men?

  * Who are the Nephilim?

Sons of God

Hos 11:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.

Hos 1:10 "Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living God.'

The children of Israel is generally referred as sons of God. However, there were no Israel during pre-flood days. Hence, we can safely ignore Israel being sons of God.

Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Luke 20:34-36 Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Jesus in His beatitudes referred that peace makers shall be called sons of God. He also referred to those who are worthy to attain next age are sons of God, being sons of resurrection. Both these verses are referring to good people who obey Jesus and attained eternal life.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 8:34-35 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

Sons of God being referred to those who attain eternal life during their resurrection is consistent with other teachings of Jesus. Hence, according to Jesus, sons of God is a reference to the future state of those who are worthy to attain eternal life and they will be equal to angels who do not marry or die.

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

Job 1:6 And it came to pass on a day, that behold, the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them. (LXX)

In the old testament, even Satan is mentioned as one of the a son of God who came to present themselves before God. Septuagint, a translation from Hebrew to Greek two centuries before Christ walked on this earth translates sons of God as angels. Hence, Jews in third century interpreted sons of God as 'angels'. This is somewhat consistent to what Jesus told about sons of God being equal to angels.

Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

This is also consistent with Jude who refers sons of God in Genesis as angels in his letter. Hence, sons of God are a reference to angels. Since  garden of Eden is allegorical, we must consider the possibility of hidden meaning in Genesis 6.

Daughters of men

Gen 6:1-2 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

The daughters of men is self explanatory. It refers to the pre-flood females. The word used for 'men' is same for 'mankind' or 'Adam'. For example, in Num 31:35, the same word is even used exclusively for women.

Ezek 16:7-8 "I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord GOD.

Ezek 23:2-4 "Son of man, there were two women, The daughters of one mother. They committed harlotry in Egypt, They committed harlotry in their youth; Their breasts were there embraced, Their virgin bosom was there pressed. Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

Females or daughters can also refer to people groups or tribes when the information is allegorical.

Jer 3:1 "They say, 'If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man's, May he return to her again?' Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me," says the LORD.

Daughters can also be used to refer nations or people groups or inhabitants of a city. Daughters of mankind could represent the different people groups. A woman growing, maturing and becoming very beautiful is compared to group of people multiplying in number. Committing harlotry or becoming another man's wife is repeatedly compared to idolatry by God through the prophets. Hence, when a group of people becoming a wife means entering into a covenant to worship. While there is no reference of God creating any covenant with any group of people before the flood, but God did say worshiping idols or demons is becoming another man's wife.

Hence, daughters of men could mean people groups, becoming beautiful means being multiplied and taken as wife refers to entering into a covenant to worship angels.

Nephilim

Num 13:32-33 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Nephilims, which is translated as "giants" in the above passages clearly mention that 'the descendants of Anak came from the giants'. The account in the book of Numbers where Anak being descendants of Nephilims contradict the account in Genesis where only Noah and his family survived the flood. Since the information that contradicts Genesis is mentioned in brackets, it seems to be a later scribe trying to add additional information since the verse could otherwise mean Nephilims still living during the exodus. The verse literally says the spies saw Nephilims. However, a later scribe is trying to add additional information that they were not Nephilims but their descendants, creating more contradiction to Genesis account. In my opinion, the verse was told by faithless spies who created rebellion against God (Num 14:3-4) and rejected Moses as their leader. Why would anyone trust their words? What we need to trust is words of Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy.

Deut 2:11 They were also regarded as giants [H7497 רָפָא rapha'], like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.

Deut 2:20 (That was also regarded as a land of giants [H7497 רָפָא rapha']; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

Deut 3:11 "For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants [H7497 רָפָא rapha']. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.

Deut 3:13 "The rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, with all Bashan, was called the land of the giants [H7497 רָפָא rapha'].

The speech of Moses (or Deuteronomy) contains the word "giant" but none was translated from Nephilim but Rapha.

Gen 14:5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim [H7497 רָפָא rapha'] in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Gen 15:18-21 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates– the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim [H7497 רָפָא rapha'], the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

Rapha or Rephaim is a reference to a Canaanite tribe of great stature living in the region during the Exodus. They are not Nephilim as the faithless spies exaggerated but just normal people.

Deuteronomy even gives the dimensions of the bed used by one of the remnant of Rephaim. which is 9 x 4 cubits. The length for a king size bed for normal humans is 203 cm (4.4 cubits since 1 cubit is 45.72 cms). If the average height of human male is 1.7 m and he requires 4.44 cubits, what is the height of the Rephaim, if he requires 9 cubits? 3.4 meters.

Hence, the height of the last remnant of Rephaim is around 3+ meters. It seems to be a case of a king affected by gigantism as in the case of Goliath1. Hence, Rephaim is not the same as Nephilim as Moses explains us rejecting the faithless spies' claims.

Gen 6:4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Matt 13:38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The verse itself gives some explanation about Nephilim that these were mighty men in pre-flood days who were famous and had a name for themselves. This is strikingly identical to what Satan tempted Jesus with and how Jesus refers to those who disobey God as children of the devil.

Matt 4:8-9 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

Just as Satan tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of this world and their glory in return to worship him, it seems men who worship those fallen angels were made mighty and given a name and glory in this fallen world.

Conclusion

It seems that the faithless spies were exaggerating the tribe of Rephaim as Nephilim where Moses comes to rescue in Deuteronomy to clarify they are Rephaim, a tribe from a descendant of Noah. The sons of God are undoubtedly fallen angels. While a literal interpretation provides a union of angels and women, with giant offspring, a more allegorical interpretation is identical to how God uses the terms to explain the spiritual adultery of Israel. Is it possible that fallen angels lead people groups into worshipping them in return of earthly power and demonic wisdom? You decide.

1 Forrai G.. "Hereditary Gigantism-the biblical giant Goliath and his brothers." PubMed Central (PMC), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4113151/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2018.

# What does Christ's coming on the clouds mean?

Every disciple of Christ look for the day when Christ returns in the clouds to judge the world. What does it mean by coming in the clouds mean?

To understand this, we need to go back to old testament.

Exodus

Num 16:42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared

Num 11:25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.

During the Exodus, the glory of the LORD always appeared in the cloud.

Ps 68:4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.

This is why when David mentions as God riding on the clouds.

Solomon's Temple

1Kgs 8:10-12 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.

When Solomon built the Temple, we can see that the LORD dwell in the dark cloud that filled the Temple.

Prophets

Isa 4:5 then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering.

When Isaiah mentions about the future Jerusalem, He mentions the could as the covering of glory of God by day. Hence, cloud is the glory and the presence of God.

Transfiguration

Mark 9:7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"

During the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, we can see a cloud overshadowing Him and the Father speaking out of the cloud. Hence, when cloud is a reference to the presence and the glory of God.

Second Coming of Jesus

Mark 13:26 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Mark 14:62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

When Jesus mentions about His second coming, He mentions that He will be sitting at the right hand of God and coming with the clouds.

Matt 24:27 "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus also mentions that it will not be a localised event but a global event.

Rev 14:14-15 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

The harvest during Christ's second coming is detailed in the book of Revelation. Again, we see Christ sitting on the cloud, but this time, cloud is used symbolic.

Conclusion

What does Christ's coming on the clouds mean? It can be either symbolic or literal but always represents the presence and the glory of God. Christ coming in the clouds may not necessarily look like the recent Falcon 9 first stage landing which touched down slowly after it's mission.

Matt 25:31-32 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

Christ's coming will be a more terrifying and dreadful event that affects globally. When Christ comes in the glory of God in the form of a cloud, sitting at the right hand of God all powerful, all the nations will be gathered before Him and the heaven and earth will flee away.

# What if I sin again and again?

When we see teachings of Jesus, He had zero tolerance to sin. Jesus will cast out anyone who sins.

John 8:34-35 Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

Matt 18:8-9 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

Matt 19:12 ... there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.

If our hands, eyes, and feet are craving to sin and we are unable to stop sinning, Jesus even gave an excellent suggestion on how to be sinless which is by cutting them off.

Rev 3:4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Jesus had zero tolerance to sin and only the sinless will inherit eternal life but He never taught anywhere that His sacrifice at the cross gives a free entry. Even after His resurrection, He will blot the names of the believers from His own church if they defile their garments and become unworthy.

What if I sin?

Since Jesus expects us to be sinless to enter into eternal life, the big question we have is, what if I sin.

Matt 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Matt 11:20-24 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

Luke 13:2-5 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

The first and the foremost teaching of Jesus is for us to repent for our sins. Jesus Himself mentions that He came to call the sinners to repentance. Hence, if we happen to sin, we must immediately repent.

Luke 18:10-14 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Repentance is not just asking in mere words but asking with a humble heart as the tax collector in the above illustration provided by Jesus Christ in His teachings.

Luke 16:29-31 "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "

Repentance is also in action. Take a look at the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man did not feed the poor Lazarus at his gates and pleads with Abraham to send anyone from dead so that his five brothers will repent. Here, repentance is clearly turning away from their sinful way and obeying the commandments.

John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

Hence, if we sin, we must ask repentance from God with a humble heart and turn away from it. Jesus Himself warns to a man He healed of a worse consequence if He sin again.

What if I sin 'again'?

Many Christians are stuck in a repeated sin and repent cycle without even realising that they are slaves to it. As we saw earlier, Jesus very clearly explains His zero tolerance to sin and does not want anyone to sin again.

Unfortunately, people do sin again. Take Peter for example:

  * Peter sinned by becoming a 'offense' to Jesus (Matt 16:23).

  * Peter sinned by denying Jesus with an oath and even cursed Him (Matt 26:69-75)

Now, compare with what Jesus about the sins of Peter mentioned in the gospels.

  * It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come (Luke 17:1)

  * Whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt 10:33).

In spite of Peter's offense and his denial, Jesus did not reject Peter but even prayed for him that his faith must not fail. Does this mean, we can sin and repent, again and again, as much as we want? You will be surprised to learn there is a limit to it and it differs to each one.

Luke 13:6-9 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'

Look at the above parable of expiring grace. The Father planted a fig tree in His vineyard which is contrary to the law (Deut 22:9). The fruits must not be eaten for 3 years (Lev 19:23), yet the Father made them circumcised and expecting the fruits on the very first year. The fig tree is the gentiles who are uncircumcised and those who defile the vineyard. After 3 years and no fruits, the Father wants to cut it down. Then Christ pleads with the Father and got an extra year as grace. The same is true for all who sin again and again, bearing no fruits worthy of repentance.

John 8:34-35 Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

As we saw earlier, anyone sinning again and again is a clear indication that they are slaves to it. No slave will abide in His house forever.

Conclusion

If we sin 'again', we must ask repentance and not sin again. We must keep in mind that opportunity to repent for our sins is not always guaranteed as we see in the case of Ananias and Sapphira who died at the spot for sinning. We must also keep in mind that God has absolutely no obligation to forgive sins simply because we asked for it. We must plead by being humble and His forgiveness is only because of His mercy towards us. With this in mind, we must think twice before we sin again.

# Scripture, writings and prophets

Jesus did not accept "writings" from Jewish Tanakh as part of Scripture. This is clearly evident in the below verses.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luke 24:44-45 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Hence, the following books which are part of writings from Jewish Tanakh are not considered as Scripture by Jesus with a few exceptions of Psalms, Daniel and Job.

  * Psalms

  * Book of Proverbs

  * Book of Job

  * Song of Songs

  * Book of Ruth

  * Lamentations

  * Ecclesiastes

  * Book of Esther

  * Book of Daniel

  * Book of Ezra-Book of Nehemiah

  * Chronicles

There could be several reasons why Jesus did not accept writings as part of Scripture.

Proverbs, for instance, are principles in life. They are not promises or divine commands and provides no guarantees. For instance, Proverbs 11:8 says, The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead. It is indeed true for most cases but not guaranteed as we see in the book of Revelation 2:10,"Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. ..".

Song of Songs, is like trying so hard to fit God's love towards His people with a romantic love poem from a king who led Israel into idols. For instance, Song 6:8 says, There are sixty queens And eighty concubines, And virgins without number. According to 1 Kings 11:3, Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. These are strictly against what God commanded to the kings of Israel as in Deuteronomy 17:17 "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away".

Book of Ruth is a small historic link to understand the genealogy of David. The book of Ruth is not an advice to marry any pagans as the law strictly warns in Deuteronomy 7:3. The law also blocks a Moabite from entering the assembly of God as in Deuteronomy 23:3. There is no God's decision mentioned anywhere in the book.

Lamentations is plea before God to redeem Israel from their captivity which was a punishment for their idolatry and sin. The book is not from God, nor does it have any divine revelations but rather, it serves as a warning that God is faithful to execute His judgements exactly He spoke.

Ecclesiastes, like Song of Solomon, seems to be his experience as a result of His disobedience where he finally learns everything except obedience to God is vanity as in Ecclesiastes 12:13. However, Scripture mentions Solomon was a murderer until the end as in 1 Kings 11:40, wanting to kill Jeroboam. This shows that Ecclesiastes may not be from Solomon but used his name to create a wisdom literature.

Book of Esther does not contain any reference to God. Marrying pagans, feasting unclean animals, and lack of God in this book makes it an obvious reason for Jesus to not consider it as Scripture.

Book of Ezra-Book of Nehemiah is a historic account of the post-exile situation. For instance, the book suggests to put away pagan wives as in Ezra 10:19 and there is no indication of God's asking them to do so or His role on anything.

Chronicles mostly repeats the same story in the Scripture until the exile. It is written as a historical account repeating most of the details. during the post-exile.

However, Psalms, book of Daniel and Job can be excluded from the writings of Scripture.

  * Psalms

  * Book of Job

  * Daniel

Daniel

Matt 24:15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),

Jesus called Daniel as a prophet. Hence, the book of Daniel is among the prophets and not writings.

Psalms

Luke 24:44-45 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Even though Psalms is part of writings, it is mentioned by name as part of Scripture by Jesus.

Book of Job

Jas 5:10-11 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord–that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

The best reference comes from James, the half-brother of Jesus who considers Job as a prophet.

Ezek 14:14 "Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord GOD.

Job is also mentioned by God to Ezekiel authenticating the book of Job.

Conclusion

There is no concrete reason for why Jewish scribes considered Job and Daniel to be part of writings. However, based on Jesus and His disciples, we can confidently say that Daniel and Job are considered prophets and therefore must be among the "prophets" and not writings in Tanakh. As for the rest of the writings, they are of great value to read but not part of Scripture according to Jesus.

# Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

Today's culture is so messed up that even Christians reject what Christ taught regarding marriage. In this post, we will explore what Christ taught on marriage, divorce and remarriage for several problematic situations.

Marriage

Matt 19:4-6 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Christ's teachings is plain and simple on marriage: When man and a woman marry, they are joined as one flesh by God and no man can separate. In other words, divorce or separation is not allowed (excluding exceptions).

Divorce

Matt 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Matt 19:9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

The only exception given for divorce is sexual immorality. However, this exception is found only in the gospel of Matthew.

Mark 10:11-12 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Luke 16:18 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

If you look into the other two gospels, even the exception for divorce is completely missing. There are also some differences expressing the same point in different angle. In short, anyone who divorces (with the only exception of sexual immorality) and marries another commits adultery and also makes the ex-wife or ex-husband commit adultery.

Jer 3:8 "Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.

We can be sure that Matthew is correct on Jesus teachings regarding the exception of sexual immorality because God divorced Israel for her (spiritual) sexual immorality by going after other gods.

Remarriage

As we can see above from Christ's teachings, remarriage is allowed for a spouse and not considered adultery only when the other spouse is divorced for committing sexual immorality.

Luke 20:33-35 "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

When Sadducees asked Jesus about the law of remarriage when a husband dies, Jesus explained clearly that marriages in this world ends in this world and will not be carried into resurrection. Hence, when a spouse dies, the living spouse can remarry.

Comparison with the Law

Deut 24:1-4 "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

As per the law, it is extremely important to note that two divorced couple can remarry again to restore their marriage as long as the ex-wife haven't remarried someone else (which agrees with not only the law but also the core point of Jesus that – what God has joined together, let not man separate). If the ex-wife and the ex-husband remarries someone else, as per Jesus, they both are committing adultery. If the ex-wife restore her broken marriage by going back to her former husband, according to the law, it is an abomination to God. But Jesus taught any remarriage after the divorce of the first marriage (except for sexual immorality) is adultery. How can you stop an adulterous relationship which is a sin? It is by not doing it and running away from it. Hence, adulteries in disguise of marriages must be stopped immediately. Separation in adulterous marriages is not considered divorce because the marriage itself is not even considered as marriage to begin with but rather it is adultery as per the teachings of Jesus (this differs substantially when compared to the law).

Verses to Consider

We can learn from how God dealt with adulterous Israel and other events in the Bible:

Jer 3:1 "They say, 'If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man's, May he return to her again?' Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me," says the LORD. (NKJV)

Jer 3:1 God says, "If a husband divorces his wife, And she goes from him, And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted? But you are a harlot with many lovers; Yet you turn to Me," declares the LORD. (NASB)

Jer 3:1 If a man put away his wife, and she depart from him, and become another man's, shall she return to him any more at all? shall not that woman be utterly defiled? ye thou hast gone a-whoring with many shepherds, and hast returned to me, saith the Lord. (LXX)

Israel was divorced by God and had become another man's by worshiping other gods. This is exactly how God compared Israel's adultery. However, comparing different translations and LXX, God is not asking Israel to turn to Him but rather God is questioning Israel how great the land will be polluted if it returned to God. This is consistent with the law which God is referring to.

Hos 1:2 When the LORD began to speak by Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea: "Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great harlotry By departing from the LORD."

God is asking Hosea to marry a wife of harlotry to show how God had to live with adulterous Israel.

Mark 6:17-18 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

If a marriage is adulterous, the only solution is to break it as John the baptist said, for which he even lost his own head.

Deut 23:2 "One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

We must also be aware that God does not even want anyone of illegitimate birth to enter His assembly, even up ten generations none of his descendants can enter.

Problems & Solutions

Let us see some of the practical situations faced by many Christians today and their solutions based on the points we discussed above:

Rule #1: If A being divorced by B but not for sexual immorality:

  * If both A and B did not remarry, then either A or B can pursue to restore the broken marriage.

  * If A is willing to fix the broken marriage but B is unwilling, both A and B cannot marry anyone else since it would become adultery.

  * If either A or B remarried, they commit adultery through their remarriage. Hence, A and B must stop their adultery and not continue in their adulterous remarriage.

    * If A is a female, then she cannot go back to her former husband B because it is an abomination to God (Deut 24:1-4).

    * If A is a male and if her former wife B haven't remarried another, then A can take her back as his wife again (Deut 24:1-4).

Rule #2: If A being divorced for sexual immorality by B:

  * A could ask forgiveness to B and/or B could forgive A of the grave sin. As in Rule #1, If both A and B did not remarry, then either A or B can pursue to restore the broken marriage.

  * A and B can remarry someone which will not be considered adultery because the divorce which is due of sexual immorality is valid according to Jesus.

Rule #3: If A being divorced by B but not for sexual immorality who then remarries C:

  * A marrying C is committing adultery according to Jesus. If a marriage is adulterous then the only solution is to stop that adultery from happening. Wonder why John the baptist lost his head (Luke 3:19)?

    * If A is a male and B didn't remarry anyone, both can try to and restore their marriage. According to Jesus, A's marriage with C is not even considered marriage but adultery.

    * If A is a female, then she cannot go back to B because it is an abomination to God (Deut 24:1-4).

    * If C had not married earlier or a widower, but committed adultery by marrying A, then C must not stop committing adultery with A. and marry someone else which will not be considered adultery before God. Since A married to C is considered adultery by Jesus, C separating from A is not considered divorce but stopping the sin of adultery. Further, Jesus also allowed divorce for sexual immorality too. Hence, A separating from C is the right thing to do.

    * If C was previously married with D and got divorced

      * If C was not divorced for sexual immorality, then C must stop the adultery with A to go back and live with D as husband and wife as per Rule #1.

      * If C was divorced for sexual immorality by D, then C must stop the adultery to marry someone else which is not considered adultery.

Rule #4: Illegitimate Children

  * If the remarriage between A and B constitutes adultery according to Jesus (which must be stopped) and if it is possible to restore a previous marriage as per earlier rules, what happens to children of adultery?

    * If A and B had young children, then they must stop the act of adultery by exhibiting abstinence for the sake of their young children to bring them in God's ways.

    * If A and B had older children, then they must stop the act of adultery

      * They can either exhibit abstinence to live in the same home so that they don't continue in the act of adultery before God (or)

      * They can restore their previous marriage provided they don't break the rules set by God and the teachings of Jesus.

  * Illegitimate children cannot enter the assembly of God in the old covenant. But, no such rule exists in the new covenant. The invitation for the kingdom of God is for all – everyone from the highways, both bad and good (Matt 22:1-14). Jesus also wants little children to come to Him and even said that kingdom of Heaven is for such (Matt 19:14). This teaching is immediately after Jesus taught about divorce (Matt 19:9). Hence, normal children have no additional advantage over illegitimate children and the invitation to follow and obey Him is for all.

  * Jesus taught about being born of God (born a second time) to enter into His kingdom (John 3:3). Only the sinless are God's sons but those who sin are slaves (John 8:34-35). Hence, the worldly status of illegitimate child is irrelevant when they have been born again and have God as their Father.

The rules seems to be complex based on today's messed up situations in some families. We must always make sure that anything we do must not go against the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures (with Christ's teachings superseding Scripture). The core point in what Jesus taught is this: "what God has joined together, let not man separate" and any matrimonial relationship outside of that first marriage which God joined is considered adultery. Even though the solutions for some problematic situations were mentioned based on Christ's teachings, everyone's situation is very different. If you face some difficult situations in life, pray to God who can work a better solution in this adulterous and sinful generation. Therefore, it is very important to choose your spouse wisely. Please read the  followup post for resolution on the marriage paradox which was not discussed here.

# Abominations of Patriarchs

The law of Moses does not apply to Gentiles. However, some Christians and Jews insist that the law is for all people. In this post, we shall apply the law of Moses to the Israel's Patriarchs.

Abraham's Marriage to Sarah is Wickedness and Abomination

Gen 20:12 "But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

Lev 18:9 'The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. ... (11) The nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, begotten by your father–she is your sister–you shall not uncover her nakedness. ... (29) For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

Lev 20:17 'If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness. He shall bear his guilt.

Abraham is married to his sister, the daughter of his father. According to the law, it is an abomination and a wicked thing. It is important to note that God is casting out the Canaanites for the same abomination which Abraham committed.

Jacob's Marriage to Leah and Rachael is Abomination

Gen 29:16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.... (23) Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.... (28) So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also.

Lev 18:18 'Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive..... (29) 'For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

Jacob's marriage with Leah and Rachael is abomination before God. Just as in Abraham's case, it is important to note that God is casting out the Canaanites for the same abomination which Jacob committed.

Judah's Abominable Relationship with Tamar

Gen 38:6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ... Chr 2:4 And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

Lev 18:15 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law–she is your son's wife–you shall not uncover her nakedness.

Judah's relationship with Tamar was an abomination and Judah must be cast out of Israel according to the law.

Illegitimate Jews

Deut 23:2 "One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

The descendants of Judah through Tamar are illegitimate who cannot even enter the assembly of God, even up to 10 generations. This includes most of the Jews who entered the promised land who shouldn't be part of the assembly of God if the law was applied to them. Most of the Jews today, including King David belongs to the descendants of illegitimate birth. Wonder why David sang in Psalms 51:5 that he was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin her mother conceived him? David is referring to Tamar.

Conclusion

If the law of Moses was applied to the patriarchs and/or Israel's forefathers, the first to get cast out are Abraham, Jacob, Judah and most of the descendants of Judah. This post is not to degrade the the patriarchs of Israel by exposing their abominations but rather, to show how awkward it is to force the law of Moses or the old covenant upon the gentiles who were never given the law – just as the patriarchs who were never given the law. To know what gentiles are required to follow, please read  this post.

# Few Laws of Moses are not from God

Many Christians and Jews think that the entire law was given by God through Moses. However, the details in the law and Jesus Christ reveals otherwise. In this post we will explore some of the commandments that came only from Moses or other judges, and not from God.

God's and Moses's Commandments

2Kgs 21:8 "I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers–only if they are careful to do

– according to all that I have commanded them, and

– according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.

The Scripture is very clear that law as we call it today, i.e, the Torah (or the first 5 books of the Bible) was not fully from God but parts came from Moses alone.

Commandments of Moses that are not from God

Appointment of Judges

Exod 18:13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. ... (15-16) And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws." ... (24-26) So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

Deut 1:16-18 "Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.' And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

The appointment of judges to Israel was from Moses, not God. Wonder what happened after the appointment of judges by Moses which God did not command? The golden calf incident in Exodus chapter 32 in the absence of Moses. Irrespective of it, we can see in the speech of Moses (Deuteronomy), that Moses is commanding the judges what they must do. You can clearly see that some of the judgments were not from God, but Moses. The divorce law is one such commandment.

Divorce law

Mark 10:3-12 And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. "But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

In the above example, Jesus clearly states that it was "Moses" who gave divorce because of hardness of people's hearts but from the beginning as God intended, it was not so. Hence, the divorce law was not from God but actually from Moses who gave a commandment in the law to separate what God joined together.

Conclusion

Deut 1:17 'You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'

As we can see above, whatever these appointed judges spoke, they were considered as judgement of God. However, in reality, they were not really from God, nor did God asked Moses to appoint such judges. Neither the law was given to Moses and Israel at this point in time during their Exodus journey.

Exod 32:10 "Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."

After all, the golden calf incident happened under the leadership of these appointed judges, and God wants to wipe them all out, including all Israel except Moses. While most of the laws are from God through His servant Moses, not all of the laws which are attributed to Moses are truly from God. Therefore, we must always look for what Jesus said regarding the same law and follow His commandments, for He was before Abraham. Please read  this post for what gentiles must follow.

# Resolving Remarriage Paradox

We discussed about  Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the previous post which was written with the condition of not breaking the teachings of Jesus, law and Scripture. However, there is a paradoxical situation not discussed in detail in the previous post. Here, we will resolve that paradox.

Paradox: Adultery or Another man's wife?

Matt 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Deut 24:3-4 "if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

  * If a woman was divorced not for sexual immorality, who then remarries another, realizes that the remarriage is adultery, she cannot come back to her former husband because it is an abomination to God (Deut 24:1-4). She cannot marry any one else because that would still be adultery as per teachings of God (Matt 5:32). In this situation, the divorced woman is stuck and cannot marry anyone else.

  * If a man was divorced not for sexual immorality, who then remarries another, realizes that the remarriage is adultery, he cannot come back to her former wife if she had become another man's wife since that would be an abomination to God (Deut 24:1-4). He cannot marry any one else because that would still be adultery as per teachings of God (Matt 5:32). In this situation, the divorced man is stuck and cannot marry anyone else.

The problem with the above logic can be easily explained as follows:

  * The law considers remarriage after divorce as a new "marriage" and the divorced woman who remarried becomes another man's wife. (Deut 24:1-4)

  * Jesus considers remarriage after divorce (except for sexual immorality) as "adultery" and not as a new marriage (Matt 5:32)

It's a catch-22 situation where the solution cannot be arrived without rejecting one.

  * If we reject the law, we can consider remarriage as adultery and the divorced woman can go back to her former husband.

  * If we reject the teachings of Jesus, remarriage is a "new" marriage and the woman had become another man's wife and cannot go back to her former husband.

When God the Father considers something as an abomination to Him in the law, we cannot use Christ's teachings to "indirectly" infer a point which Christ never said "directly" to make an abomination acceptable.

Taking Examples from God

Matt 19:4-5 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?

As Jesus taught, marriage is always between one male and one female which God joined as one flesh. Anything outside of this is adultery, sexual immorality and sin.

Jer 3:1 God says, "If a husband divorces his wife, And she goes from him, And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted? But you are a harlot with many lovers; Yet you turn to Me," declares the LORD.

Jer 3:8 "Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.

God is comparing Israel as a divorce wife belonging to another man. To resolve the paradox and arrive at a solution, we must look for God did regarding His adulterous divorced wife, Israel. Can God take Israel back?

Ezek 16:38 "And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.

Ezek 16:62 -63"And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done," says the Lord GOD.' "

God cannot take Israel back without judging her as a women who break wedlock and the the requirement of atonement. For God to take Israel back, cost His own life. The Father sent His own Son to take the place of Israel. Just as an adulterous wife must be stoned at the door of her father's house according to the law (Deut 22:21), Jesus was crucified outside of the gates of Jerusalem (Heb 13:12) fulfilling the judgment on the adulterous divorced wife, Israel. Jesus is that atonement which the law cannot provide for any adulterous wife (Matt 26:28). This is why Jesus said, no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Now, God can take Israel back through Jesus Christ, not using the old covenant, but through the new covenant.

Hos 2:2 "Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. ... (7) She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now.'.... (13-14) I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, And went after her lovers; But Me she forgot," says the LORD. Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. .... (16) "And it shall be, in that day," Says the LORD, "That you will call Me 'My Husband,' And no longer call Me 'My Master,' .... (19-20) "I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.

The prophesy of Hosea is identical to Ezekiel. Yet, in the end, God is marrying Israel again through a new covenant even though He divorced her and she became another man's.

The same atonement of Jesus Christ through which God atoned Israel's adultery to take her back is now available for all who committed adultery, who want to repent and turn back to God. While the previous post discusses about the teachings of Jesus and the law, it does not discuss forgiveness, atonement and what God did in such situations. Hence, the right solution is to stop committing adultery by breaking the adulterous marriage, ask forgiveness to God through Jesus Christ for adultery. Then, the couple who initially divorced not for sexual immorality can live again as one flesh.

Conclusion

Let's rephrase the initial statements: If a man or a woman was divorced but not for sexual immorality, who then remarries another, realizes that the remarriage is adultery based on Christ's Teachings, both must stop committing adultery by breaking the adulterous marriage, ask forgiveness to God through Jesus Christ. If they marry someone else, that marriage too is also considered adultery by Jesus. Hence, both must pursue to restore their broken initial first marriage and live as one flesh. What God joined, let no man separate. It is also worth reading  this post where divorce law is discussed. You can also read what gentiles are required to follow in  this post. Hence, in the new covenant, there is only one marriage possible between one male and one female for their entire life. The only exception to this rule is death of the other spouse. Therefore, you must choose your spouse wisely, who fears God and obeys Him, be faithful to you and will come with you until death separates.

# Antediluvian lifespan are actually in months

In the book of Genesis from Bible, we see that the Antediluvian patriarchs lived extremely long, nearly a thousand years. However, the book of Genesis was written  during the time of Samuel, several millenniums after the flood, copied from earlier manuscripts. Hence, the texts regarding the number of years mentioned in Genesis must also be viewed in light of the fact that it was written by scribes who were themselves separated by several thousand years from the actual event. We do not know from where they copied them or who passed on but here, we will focus only on the number of years in the genealogy of Adam found in Genesis and understand it using the oldest book in the Bible, i.e, book of Job.

Years: Elihu and Eliphaz

The oldest book in the entire Bible is Job. Here we will see how Job and his friends used the terms 'year' and 'months'.

Job 32:4 Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. ... (6) So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: "I am young in years, and you are very old; Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you.

Job 32:7 I said, 'Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.'

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. .... (26) Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.

While the story of Job did not happen in Israel, Elihu is a common Israelite name which mean "God of him". There were also several Israelites with this same name as we see in (1 Sam 1:1, 1Chr 12:20; 1Chr 26:7; 1Chr 27:18). When Elihu in the story of Job refers to age or anything to refer the length of his age, he always uses "years" to refer it.

Job 15:20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.

Eliphaz is an Edomite name as we see in (Gen 36:4) which is also the name of Esau's son. When Eliphaz refers to the length of man's life, he too mentions it in "years".

Months: Job

Job 3:6 As for that night, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoice among the days of the year, May it not come into the number of the months.

Job 7:3 So I have been allotted months of futility, And wearisome nights have been appointed to me.

Job 14:5 Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.

Job 21:21 For what does he care about his household after him, When the number of his months is cut in half?

Job 39:2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young?

When Job refers to age or length or life, he always mentions it in months. He never mentions it in years. This does not mean Job never mentions years. He does refer to years as "days of the year" or comparing days and years of man with God's as in Job 10:5. However, when referring to age or the period of man's life, he repeatedly uses "months".

Adam to Noah: Months to Years

With Job being the oldest book in the Bible, the manuscript from which the scribes copied the long years of Genesis could be the same of Job's. The book of Job gives a telltale story of how Job used months to refer age and Israelite friends used years. This shows that either Abraham who came from the same region as Job or an earlier manuscript could have passed down the age of Antediluvian patriarchs in months while the Israelite scribes during the period of Samuel misinterpreted it as years.

Reinterpreting the age of Antediluvian patriarchs gives the following results: This is basically dividing the value by 12.

The above table uses the  corrected Septuagint years. If the numbers mentioned in genesis is actually months, then it reveals that most Antediluvian marriages were child marriages which were very common in ancient cultures. It also reveals that the total years of pre-flood world was just 184 years.

Still don't believe me? Ask Moses himself ...

Ps 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Psalm 90 is called the prayer of Moses. He very clearly mentions that the average lifespan of a man is 70 and by reason of strength is 80. While Moses was said to have died at 120, was it really 120 or just a numerical misunderstanding of different languages?

Continue to read in Part 2,  Post-flood decline of long years.

# Post-flood decline of long years

In the  previous post, we saw the huge number of years in people's lifespan were actually months based on the evidence from the book of Job regarding how ancients calculated their lifespans. In this post, we will explore deeper on the genealogies mentioned from the sons of Noah up to Moses and what really caused the decline of these long lifespans.

Terah's lifespan: 145 not 205

Before going deeper into the genealogies, I want to show how unreliable these values are. Take the lifespan of Terah.

Gen 11:26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. ... (32) So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Gen 12:4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Gen 21:5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

If Abraham was born when Terah was 70 years old, then Terah would have been just 170 years old when Abraham was 100 years old during the birth of Isaac. However, Terah died at Haran 25 years before Isaac was born when Abraham was 75 years old (i.e, 170-25 = 145). Hence, Terah died at the age of 145 not 205 as the texts say. If Terah lived 145, where did the scribes copied (or) calculated the value of 205 from? How did the value 205 got into the texts? Comparing it with Samaritan Pentateuch, Terah's days were correctly mentioned there as 145 years.

This shows a fundamental and systematic error in interpreting the numerals present in manuscripts. Take for example, the values for Terah and Abraham.

As you can see the values got somehow jumbled and wrongly interpreted in different manuscripts. However, there are a few noticeable and unavoidable points of interest.

  * In Masoretic / LXX, wrongly adding the true lifespan of Terah (145) and the age when his son was born (70) gives 205. The value 205 does not occur anywhere else and there is no other possible mistakes through which 205 can occur. This undoubtedly shows that the scribe did manually calculate the value of Terah's lifespan as 145 years, but then he mistaken it to be remaining years and added it to 70 (when his son was born) to arrive the wrong value of 205 years. In other words, the genealogy was later added by a later scribe or a redactor.

  * The difference between the time when Terah's and Abraham's sons were born (i.e, 100 – 70 = 30) is the same difference between their lifespans (175 – 145 = 30). The different is even same with the wrong value of Terah's lifespan (205 – 175 = 30). This shows that the mistake was made in a numerical system which is a factor of 30. Interestingly, Sumerian and Babylonian numerals are all sexagesimal numerals (base 60).

  * If the true remaining years of Terah (75) are accidentally added as Abraham's remaining years after Isaac was born, it gives Abraham's lifespan of 175 years. Did the scribes accidentally did this mistake?

Apart from textual inconsistencies (as above), there are several inconsistencies in the manuscripts themselves. The values in Masoretic & Vulgate, Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch are all different.

The red color-ed values in the above table (adapted from Wikipedia) are the core cause of difference. In general, the lifespans can be divided into three sections:

1. The first section is Shem's lifespan, which is around 600 years. This is typically 6 times more than the normal human lifespan of around 100 years.

2. The second section is from Arphaxad to Eber (from whom the word 'Hebrews' came from). It is important to note that the earth was divided into multiple languages during the days of is son, Peleg. In this section, the lifespan was reduced by two-third of Shem's lifespan (previous section). i.e, 400 years. This is typically 4 times more than the normal human lifespan of around 100 years.

3. The third section is from Peleg to Terah (after the earth was divided into multiple languages) where the lifespan was reduced to a third of Shem's lifespan (or half of previous section). i.e, 200 years. This is typically twice the normal human lifespan of around 100 years.

The decline in lifespan is not a gradual one but a stepped one. This shows a change in the way people calculated time, and represented in the new language for a certain period of time until the new change came into existence (esp., on the lineage of Abraham). The numerical change due to language changes are clearly visible. Let us look into some of the calendar systems of ancient civilizations to see if we can find some pattern that corresponds to the long lifespans.

Pentecontad Calendar

During the time of Shem up to Babel (until Eber), the most likely calendar system used was Pentecontad calendar. The year is broken down into 7 periods of 50 days (a total of 350 days), with an annual supplement of fifteen or sixteen days. The calendar's use dates back to at least the 3rd millennium BCE in western Mesopotamia and surrounding areas. Each 50-day period was made up of 7 weeks of 7 days and 7 Sabbaths, with an extra 50th day. Did you notice some similarity in the law? Did you also notice God expecting them to follow sabbaths even before the law of covenant was given to Israel? In Pentecontad calendar, if Shem's age was in months as with Antediluvians, then his true age is as follows. His son was born when he was 100 Pentecontad months old (or) 14 years old (100 / 7 = 14). Then he lived for another 500 Pentecontad months (or) 71 years (500 / 7 = 71). Hence, his total lifespan was 600 Pentecontad months (or) 86 years. Using the same idea, we can populate the table from Shem to Eber (using Septuagint data as source).

Hence, from Shem to Babel, they used the Pentecontad calendar. But after the earth was divided into multiple languages in the days of Peleg, the calendar and/or number system got changed. To what calendar did it change?

Seasonal Calendar

After the tower of Babel, from Peleg to Nahor, they calculated their age based on the 4 seasons. This is similar to how ancient Egyptians divided their year by 3 seasons based on rising of river Nile except in Mesopotamia, there are 4 seasons. For example. Peleg gave birth to Reu after 130 seasons (or 130/4 = 33 years). He then continued to live for 209 seasons (209/4 = 52 years). Hence, his total lifespan was 339 seasons (or 339/4 = 85 years). Using the same idea, we can populate the table from Peleg to Nahor (using Septuagint data as source).

Hence, from Peleg to Nahor, they used the seasonal calendar.

Bi-Annual post-Exodus Calendar

Terah and Abraham came from Ur in Babylon to Canaan. Abraham also went to Egypt and then back to Canaan. Isaac and Jacob also lived in Canaan. Looking into their lifespans, it seems that they calculated their age bi-annually (equinox and solstice?)

Exod 12:2 "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Exod 23:16 "and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

Lev 23:34 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. ... (39) 'Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest.

How did the "year-end" (after God had given the beginning of months) became 7th month? The calendar system changed from ancient Egyptian after Israel came out of Egypt. This is explained in the post,  How did year end become seventh month? We don't know much about the pre-exodus calendar system but without intercalary months, it can also quickly get off course. Hence, the pre-exodus Israelite people seems to have followed a bi-annual calendar system.

Abraham was born when Terah was (70 years old in pre-exodus calendar system) or 35 years old. Using the same idea, we can populate the table from Terah to Exodus (using Septuagint data and Genesis as source). The calculated years were take from timeline data.

Moses was 80 "pre-exodus calendar" years old when Israelites came out of Egypt. When the new calendar system was given by God, the Israelites started using 360 day per year calendar. This means, Moses was actually 40 years when he stood before Pharaoh. With duration of exodus another 40 years, he died at 80 years old.

Ps 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years ...

In the psalms called prayer of Moses, was he prophesying the age of his own death?

Conclusion

After reconstructing the table based on the above analysis using the different calendar systems, we get the following lifespans.

Hence, the long years of lifespans were actually a misinterpretation of the calendar systems followed by the patriarchs.

Continue to read in Part 3,  Reconstruction and realignment of biblical timeline.

# Reconstruction and realignment of biblical timeline

Based on the analysis of  Antediluvian timelines and  pre-Exodus calendar systems, below is the tabulation summary of true lifespan from Adam to Moses.

Normalization the long lifespans in one problem which we addressed earlier, but realigning them to historical details is a another problem.

Exodus to Promised Land~ 1268 BC

And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which [is] the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD (1Kgs 6:1).

The fourth year of Solomon's reign is 1028 BC. This happens to be 480th year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt. Ramesses_II had his 13th son as the next pharaoh since his older brothers had all died, also showing a possible connection to Passover. He ruled Egypt from 1279–1213 BC. Reviewing 1st Kings 6:1, if 480 years is (bi-annual) i.e., dividing exactly by half, i.e, 240 years, it gives, 1268 BC, fitting the time frame of the reign of Ramesses II.

Gen 15:13-16 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."

Exod 12:40 And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, was four hundred and thirty years. (LXXE)

What are those 4 generations? (Abraham -> Isaac -> Jacob -> Levi -> Kohath -> Amram -> Moses). It's from Levi to Moses, the children of Israel which gives only 141 years, not 400 years. The 400 years mentioned in Gen 15 by God is an approximation and the exact value is 430 as mentioned in Exod 12:40. However, from Isaac to Exodus, it is 215 years, exactly half of the four hundred and thirty years (~215 biannual years) timeline from Isaac (when the prophecy was given) till Exodus. Hence, the Exodus, without a doubt happened at 1268 BC which also indicates that Isaac was born at 1483 BC (215 years before).

Another evidence for Exodus in 1268 BC is due to Merneptah Stele in 1208 BC by Merneptah, the son of Ramesses II, the earliest reference to the name Israel.

Joseph's 7 years of Famine ~ 1388 BC

Based on a straight forward calculation, the famine of Joseph began in 1388 BC.

Gen 47:11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

The above verse mentions the land of Rameses. However the first pharaoh to have a name of Ramesses i.e, (Ramesses_I) was nearly a century later (1295–1294 BC). Hence, when the later scribes wrote about Joseph's incident in Genesis, they were referring to the land that later belonged to Rameses.

Gen 47:13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.

Egyptian history does not record any severe famines around ~1380 BC. One of the possible reason could be that Egypt as a nation was not affected since Joseph saved it. But an interesting fact around early 13th century BC was the religious reform in Egypt by Pharaoh, Akhenaten (1353–1336 BC) who abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism to have monotheism of one god worship. His religion seems to be worship of "light" (as rays from the sun but prohibited idolatry or representing god in any image). This is astonishingly similar to the God of the Bible but in a very primitive knowledge as known to the patriarchs (as an invisible one true God).

Gen 41:38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"

This is by no means equating the God of the Bible to some Egyptian "god" but it seems "Joseph" may have given a "Bible Study" to Pharaoh regarding the "one true God, El-Shaddai" after interpreting his dreams.

Gen 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

It is also interesting to see the meaning of Zaphnath-Paaneah, After the decipherment of hieroglyphics, it has been interpreted as "the god speaks [and] he lives". Asenath and Poti-Pherah could have been following idols (since their names have other gods) before the Pharaoh established the monotheism. Even Pharaoh renamed himself from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten reflecting the new god of monotheism.

Gen 45:8 "So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

This shows a period of time in the history of Egypt where someone able to even influenced Pharaoh to follow one true God, even to the point of establishing monotheism as a state religion. I believe this influence of monotheism to Pharaoh was none other than Joseph, Jacob and his sons who initially came to Egypt.

Hence, the famine might have been in 1388 BC, when Akhenaten was witnessing the years of plenty and famine, and eventually reformed the nation of Egypt when he became Pharaoh.

Abraham arrival to Canaan ~ 1495 BC

Gen 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Chaldaea was a Semitic-speaking nation that existed between the late 10th or early 9th and mid-6th centuries BC, after which it and its people were absorbed and assimilated into Babylonia. However, Abraham was much earlier than this period. Hence, the reference for Ur of the Chaldeans may simply an indication of Ur being under the rule of Chaleans at the time when the above verse or  Genesis was written.

Gen 14:1-7 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

There are lots of names which we hope to match historically except the fact nothing matches with "known" history. The name Chedorlaomer is associated with familiar Elamite components, such as kudur, meaning "servant", and Lagamar, who was a high goddess in the Elamite pantheon. The linguistic origins of the name Chedorlaomer may be traced to Persian or Assyrian names. Apart from linguistic connection, there is no trace of the kings who fought in valley of Siddim mentioned in "recorded" history. King of Shinar (Amraphel), and king of Elam (Chedorlaomer) is a strange combination who were passing through the Assyrian empire. Looking back into history for when Elamites, Shinar and Assyria were allies, gives some clue about the time period. Kassite kings established trade and diplomacy with Assyria. Puzur-Ashur III of Assyria (1503 BC to 1479 BC) and Burna-Buriash I signed a treaty agreeing the border between the two states in the mid-16th century BC, Egypt, Elam, and the Hittites, and the Kassite royal house intermarried with their royal families. Hence, this period around 1495 BC (as per the above timeline) is the most probable time for Abraham's arrival to Canaan.

Tower of Babel ~ 1687 BC

Gen 11:4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

Who are these people trying to make a name for who? Themselves? It is like you declaring to be the king for yourself with no one listening.

In Nebuchadnezzar's own words as recorded in the inscription on Borsippa, "The tower, the eternal house, which I founded and built. I have completed its magnificence with silver, gold, other metals, stone, enameled bricks, fir and pine. The first which is the house of the earth's base, the most ancient monument of Babylon; I built and finished it. I have highly exalted its head with bricks covered with copper. We say for the other, that is, this edifice, the house of the seven lights of the earth the most ancient monument of Borsippa. A former king built it, (they reckon 42 ages) but he did not complete its head. Since a remote time, people had abandoned it, without order expressing their words. Since that time the earthquake and the thunder had dispersed the sun-dried clay. The bricks of the casing had been split, and the earth of the interior had been scattered in heaps"

This undoubtedly proves the existence of Tower of Babel. The reference to a ziqqurrat at Babylon (Etemenanki) in the Creation Epic (Enûma Eliš during Middle Assyrian period, from 1392 to 934 BC) is more solid evidence for it to be standing during 2nd millennium BC. Hence, the date for the tower of Babel to be around 1687 BC is more probable.

Noah's flood and beyond ~ 2900 BC

A global flood story is not unique to Mesopotamia. Flood stories are common across a wide range of cultures, extending back into Bronze Age and Neolithic prehistory.

Image from  answersingenesis.org

Undoubtedly, all flood stories have some similarity to Bible and must have a common origin of an actual event. Hence, we must trace the earliest documented flood story in history, rather than folklore.

  * Eridu Genesis (Sumerian creation myth) ~ 1600 BC

  * Epic of Atrahasis, written during the reign of king Ammi-saduqa of Babylonia ~ 1647 – 1626 BC

  * Epic of Gilgameš, tablet XI, composed in c.1100 BC

  * Fragment 4 of Berossus' Babylonian History, 278 BC

The comparison is available  here. Nearly all research scholars agree regarding a local flood in southern Babylonia around 28th century BC. At the end of the Uruk period there was an archaeologically attested river flood in Shuruppak. Polychrome pottery from a destruction level below the flood deposit has been dated to the Jemdet Nasr period (3100–2900 BC).

Based on our corrected genealogy (as above), the flood date seems to be 1773 BC (184 AM). However, the flood that happened 5 generations before the tower of Babel was in 2900 BC. This flood is not global in nature and there is no evidence for a global flood during this time. Also, the lifespans of 5 genealogies from tower of Babel to flood is stretched out.

Gen 10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

Elam, Asshur (Assyria), Lud (Lydia i.e, Turkey), Aram and (Arphaxad) Urfa-Kasid (Edessa) are all city states, countries or regions. It is possible that these men may have built the cities but just as Matthew did in the genealogy of Jesus, several generations may have been simply skipped.

Adam and Eve ~ Unknown

The mentioned lifespan and years in the genealogies of Adam and Eve were in months as we saw in the  previous post. Scholars have noted similarities between these descents, with most of the names in each being either identical or variants of those in the other, though their order differs, with the names of Enoch and Mahalalel/Mehujael switching places in the two pedigrees. It is "as if they were different versions of the same underlying tradition." This has led to speculation that copies of the same original genealogical descent had drifted away from each other, only to be brought back together and put to different purposes when the Book of Genesis was compiled from these divergent Jahwist and Priestly sources.

These differences does not change any theology but it seems that the early scribes had added several information unknown to them from other ancient sources and /or a later redactor messed up things. For instance, when God revealed Himself to Israel, their view of the creation of the world on what they heard and knew based on earlier stories changes to the one God being the creator.

1 Chr 4:22 ... (These records are from ancient times.)

Part of the reason could be the genealogies mentioned in the Bible are from ancient records that are copied. The scribes not only copied, they are modified based on their theological understanding. For example, the scribes modified the entire book of Genesis (Y source) replacing God with Yahweh after the knowledge of God's name as YHWH.

Conclusion

We can only go back in time up to the time of Abraham and may be a bit further back till tower of Babel for genealogies. Beyond that, it is impossible to verify with known historical records since the scribes copied and edited much ancient records. What was originally there is something we may never know. Hence, when ancient copied and edited, the original source text is lost forever.

# Garden of Eden and the Kingdom of Heaven

The story of garden of Eden had fascinated people for thousands of years. In this post, we will explore the meaning of Genesis chapters 2 and 3 using Scripture, Christ's words and what He revealed to us.

Tree of Life

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Rev 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Ezek 47:12 "Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."

Jesus Christ explains to us in the book of Revelation that the leaves of the tree of life are for healing of nations.

Ezek 31:7-9 'Thus it [Assyria] was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches, Because its roots reached to abundant waters. The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; The fir trees were not like its boughs, And the chestnut trees were not like its branches; No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty. I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches, So that all the trees of Eden envied it, That were in the garden of God.' ... (16) 'I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth. ... (18) 'To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,' says the Lord GOD."

Rev 2:7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '

Interestingly, the trees in the garden of Eden were compared by God to kingdoms and nations of this world as we can see above when He is speaking to Ezekiel. Yet all the trees will be brought down to the depths of the earth except the tree of life which remains in the midst of the paradise of God. If trees are kingdoms and nations of this world, what kingdom bears the fruits that keeps us alive forever and it's leaves heal? It's the kingdom of Heaven.

Mark 9:45-48 "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched– where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire– where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ... (14:6) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus mentioned the kingdom of Heaven synonymous to life. Also, there is no other life apart from Christ, for He is life. Hence, the tree of life in the garden of Eden represents Christ and His eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

Serpent

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

Rev 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. ... (9) So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The serpent in the garden of Eden is identified as Devil and Satan in the book of Revelation.

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Matt 18:3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ... (19:14) But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Only those who are like children, without the knowledge of good and evil, but obey exactly what the God commanded can enter into His kingdom. So, why did God forbid the knowledge of good and evil from mankind?

Matt 7:18-19 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The problem with the tree of knowledge of good and evil is that, it's fruit will either be good or evil. As long as Adam and Eve have no knowledge of good and evil, their fruits can never be anything evil. This is why kingdom of God is for those who are like little children.

Isa 7:15 "Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.

Unlike all men who fell into sin because of knowledge of evil in them, Jesus Christ not only resisted the temptation of satan but also chose good and refused evil. He also lived a sinless and blameless life in this world.

Deception

Gen 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Which tree are they taking about? Look closely to understand how satan deceives.

  * Satan: Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?

    * This is a normal question.

  * Eve: We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.

    * Which tree was Eve referring to? Both tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil were in the midst of the garden.

    * Did God say of fruits from any trees that they will die if they touch them? No.

  * Satan: You will not surely die.

    * Satan was correct in saying that they will not surely die based on what Eve replied, more specifically by touching it.

    * Notice that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was never mentioned till now. Giving benefit of doubt, Eve may be talking about the forbidden tree while serpent may be talking about the tree of life, since both are in the midst of the garden. After all, no one is going to die by eating from tree of life.

    * Another important fact is, God warned Adam that "on the day" they eat of it, they will die (Gen 2:17), but they didn't die on that day. Here too satan seems to say the truth. While this can be explained through later prophets, that we are still on the 6th day (when Adam and Eve eventually died) and yet to enter into God's rest (which is on the 7th day), this information was unknown to our first parents.

  * Satan: For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

    * Is satan lying here? No. The eyes of Adam and Eve were opened (Gen 3:7), and even God Himself acknowledged by saying, man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. (Gen 3:22).

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

How can satan be a liar and a father of lies, when he hasn't spoken a lie in the garden of Eden? This is the fascinating truth about deception. Deception is not about speaking "lies". It's all about speaking the truth in such a way you would otherwise believe a lie.

Take the following example:

  * Satan: Has Jesus indeed said, 'You must keep His commandments to inherit eternal life'? (Matt 19:17) or be holy and righteous to inherit life (Matt 18:18-19)?

  * Today's Christians: Yes. Only those who keep His commandments, who are sinless before God can inherit eternal life.

  * Satan: No, you can never keep His commandments perfectly and never attain God's standard of holiness. That's why, Christ kept all the commandments for you and died for you in your place. You can now enter life through His grace and not because of anything you do. All you have to do is just believe in Jesus Christ.

The above is a classic example of how the entire Christianity today is assuming to be following Jesus but really rejecting His commandments and everything He taught. This is because, Christians no longer obey Jesus but satan, just as Eve no longer obey God but serpent. Hence, it is very important to understand that we must follow "exactly" what Jesus taught us. Only those who build their life on what Jesus taught are called wise. The rest are fools before God (Luke 6:46-49). Reiterating the earlier point, deception is not about speaking "lies" – It's all about speaking the truth in such a way you would otherwise believe a lie.

Satan's Curse

Gen 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.

Gen 3:19 ... For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."

The snakes of the forest are neither intelligent, nor do they eat dust. As we saw earlier, the snake in the garden of Eden is a reference to satan. The dust mentioned here is a reference to Adam or mankind. This is why satan always want to trouble humans.

1Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Matt 12:43-45 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

Jesus and His disciples clearly explained to us what satan does. Satan wants to devour us. It is also worth noting that satan, demons and unclean spirits are all same which was explained earlier in  this post.

Luke 11:20 "But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Matt 5:20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The only protection we can get from satan is by entering the kingdom of God. Entering His kingdom is very costly. It costs our entire wealth (Matt 13:44-46), all our relationships (Matt 10:37), our body parts (Mark 9:43-48) and even our own life (Mark 8:35). Most of the parables of Jesus are all related to His kingdom and wants us to enter it.

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

Rev 12:5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The seed of the woman is Jesus Christ, who is God Himself in Flesh. But who is the seed of the serpent? Jesus Christ very clearly explains to us:

John 8:42-44 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

All who love Jesus Christ and obey His word have God as their Father. All who does not love Jesus Christ or obey Him but desire to do what satan wants are the seed of the serpent. In Jesus's day, the scribes and Pharisees were the seed of the serpent. Today, everyone who does not love Jesus Christ or who don't listen to Him are the seed of the devil. This includes majority of Christianity who are Paulians, who claim to love Jesus but does not obey any of His word.

Meaning of the Story

In the beginning, Adam and Eve had access to the kingdom of Heaven but satan deceived Adam and Eve. They fell into temptation and disobeyed God of His commandment and lost access to the kingdom of Heaven forever. Kingdom of Heaven is for those who are like little children, who do not know what good and evil is, and obey God exactly what he commands. Because satan deceived Eve, he is cursed to devour mankind until the appointed time (Matt 8:29) when the devil will be cast into lake of fire (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10). The story is about the fall of man losing access to the kingdom of Heaven. What Adam and Eve lost, Jesus came to receive it (Luke 19:12) so that we can inherit what we lost in Eden through Jesus by obeying Him and overcoming this world.

Rev 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

# Joseph, a type of Jesus Christ

Joseph had two dreams. While the first dream was obvious and was fulfilled, we cannot see the second dream ever being fulfilled. What do Joseph's dreams mean?

Joseph's sheaf dream

Gen 37:6-8 So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Gen 43:28 ... And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

Joseph's dream of all his brothers' sheaves bowing down was fulfilled when all his brothers bowed down to him.

Joseph's celestial dream

Gen 37:9-10 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me. So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"

Joseph also dreamed about celestial objects (sun, moon and stars) bowing down to him. The interesting fact about this dream is that, Joseph's father never bowed down to Joseph. Joseph's mother was already dead during the birth of Benjamin (Gen 35:19). So, what does this dream of Joseph mean? But there is nothing in the entire scripture that even remotely suggests of anything that symbolizes father or mother bowing down to Joseph or his tribe.

Gen 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Gen 49:8 ... Your father's children shall bow down before you (Judah).

Joseph is a type of "Jesus". Just like the brothers of Joseph sought evil the Jews murdered Jesus. Similar to how God meant the slavery of Joseph for good, He meant the death of Jesus Christ for good, to save many people alive.

Ps 89:36-7 His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; It shall be established forever like the moon ...

Jesus being called the son of David (Matt 21:9), the sun represents the throne of David, moon represents the longevity of His kingdom and the 11 tribes represents the remaining tribes of Israel. When Jesus rose from the dead, He not only inherited the throne of David which is like the sun before God, but also established it forever as the moon. Hence, Joseph's second dream is about Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom.

Joseph, a type of Jesus Christ

# Do you have a hedge around you?

It is extremely important that we have a hedge around us, just like Job had prior to God allowing satan for testing him. In this post, we will explore who will have this hedge, how to maintain this hedge and how this hedge gets broken down.

Who will have a hedge around them?

Job 1:8-10 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

In the book of Job, we can read four requirements mentioned by God that allowed Him to have a hedge all around Job.

  * Blameless

  * Upright

  * Fears God

  * Shuns evil

Who will lose the hedge around them?

Ps 80:12 Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? ... (18) ... we will not turn back from You ...

As Psalmist writes, God will take away the hedges around a person when s/he turns back from God.

Isa 5:3-5 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

When God had done everything He can to bless a person and expects good grapes, if it bears wild or bad grapes, He will take his or her hedge away to destroy him. This is exactly what Jesus Christ also said.

Matt 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The fruits or good grapes which God is referring to is what He expects that are pleasing to Him. This is by obeying His commandments which is by being righteous and holy.

Num 22:12 And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." .... (23:23) "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob And of Israel, 'Oh, what God has done!'

Num 31:16 "Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Even if God had blessed a person, even if God had put a hedge around where there is no sorcery or divination against a person, yet, if s/he sins against God, immediately the hedge is removed. It is very important to understand that God cannot and will not dwell on anyone who is unclean, with thoughts and deeds not pleasing to Him. God also will not and cannot protect by putting a hedge around a person who has unclean thoughts and deeds that provoke Him to anger. Hence, the only way to maintain the hedge around us is by obeying Him, by being holy and righteous in our thoughts and deeds, bearing good fruits that are pleasing to God.

Conclusion

Only those who are blameless, holy and righteous before God, who fear God, who does good and departs from evil will have a hedge around them. God can neither dwell nor protect anyone who is unclean, with thoughts and deeds not pleasing to Him and provokes Him to anger. The only way to maintain the hedge around us is by obeying Him, by being holy and righteous in our thoughts and deeds, bearing good fruits that are pleasing to God. Do you have a hedge around you?

# Satan's strategy against you

We often overlook the strategies used by satan to tempt us and ask permission from God to test us. As in Job 2:3, Satan wants to incite God against us, to destroy us without cause. It is true that God allowed satan to test Job but He allowed it for a reason and let's explore this in context of what Christ taught.

Job 1:3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. .... (9) So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?

Matt 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Job was in prosperity, with all wealth and blessings from God. Did you notice that satan wants to test if Job will still fear God if he had to lose that prosperity? Did you also notice that Jesus taught us not to have treasures in this world?

Job 2:4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. .... (29:18) "Then I said, 'I shall die in my nest, And multiply my days as the sand.

Matt 16:23-26 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

When Job was explaining his past prosperity, he said to himself that he wants to die in the same prosperity he has after along life. Did you notice that satan wants to test if Job is fearing God even if he had to die in pain, exactly opposite of what Job desired?

Satan does not want to test us in ways which we have not spoken or things we don't desire. Look at how satan tempted Christ (Matt 4:1-11).

  * Jesus was hungry, so satan wants convert stones to bread.

  * Jesus always wants to do His Father's will, so satan wants to tempt His Father by doing his will (Matt 26:42)

  * Jesus being the King (Luke 23:3) came to receive a kingdom (Luke 22:29) and authority over all, so the devil is tempting Him to worshiping him in exchange for kingdoms of this world and their glory.

Matt 16:21-22 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

Luke 22:31-34 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death. Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

Peter wants to save the life of Jesus. So, satan wants to test if Peter will do anything, even deny Jesus to save his own life. It is extremely important to understand this strategy of satan to test us. Hence, satan will not test us in ways which we have not spoken or things which we don't desire.

# Elihu, a type of Jesus

One of the interesting characters in the book of Job is Elihu. Elihu introduces himself to be Job's spokesman before God and also spoke on God's behalf – revealing himself to be the mediator between God and Job, a type of Jesus. Elihu itself means, "He is my God". In this post, we will explore the messianic prophecies of Elihu and God.

Job 31:35 Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book!

In chapter 31, Job ends his speech asking God Almighty to answer him. So, God sends Elihu to answer him.

Elihu, the mediator

Job 33:6 Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay. ... (36:2) Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God's behalf.

God sends Elihu as His spokesman because he was neither one of Job's friends nor did God condemn Elihu for any of his answers as we read in Job 42:7. Yet, Job did not recognize Elihu's response as God responding through him. Both Elihu and God answer Job in the same way.

Job 32:2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God.

Luke 10:29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" .... (16:15) And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Elihu points out that Job justifying himself rather than God makes Him unjust because, He makes a righteous man like Job suffer. Hence, Elihu clarifies to Job that He is wrong t accuse that God will pervert justice (Job 34:12).

(Elihu) Job 33:13 Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

(God) Job 40:2,8 "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.".... Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?

Job was not like the scribes and Pharisees in the days of Jesus who want to justify themselves before God. However, Job's justification of himself being righteous (which is indeed true as God Himself said in Eze 14:14 and Job 42:7) undermines God's judgments and His actions as unjust. Hence, Elihu is addressing this issue first and then God is also addressing the same issue. Then Elihu is prophesying about the Messiah.

(Job) Job 9:32-33 "For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.

(Elihu) Job 33:23-30 "If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness, Then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom'; His flesh shall be young like a child's, He shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness. Then he looks at men and says, 'I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.' He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light. "Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man, To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

Elihu is addressing Job's requirement of a mediator by prophesying about the Messiah who will be a mediator between men and God.

  * Christ is our mediator (Heb 9:15)

  * Christ has revealed God's righteousness (Isa 51:5;Isa 45:19)

  * Christ is our ransom (Mark 10:45)

  * Christ will restore His righteousness by justifying us (Isa 53:11)

  * Christ will free souls of men from the Pit (Isa 42:7)

  * Christ is the light of life (John 8:12)

(Elihu to Job) Job 35:13-16 Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it. Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge."

(Job to God) Job 42:3 You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

As we saw earlier, Job did not even know God is speaking through Elihu when he wanted God to answer Him. God did answer through Elihu to stop justifying himself, not accuse God of being injustice, not multiply his words without knowledge and wait for Him. However, Job can only understand this when God directly spoke to Him and confessed to Him.

Prophecy from God

Job 40:8-14 Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together, bind their faces in hidden darkness. Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you.

Isa 63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me.

As in Isaiah 53, it pleased God to condemn Jesus to death so that through His death, He justified many. Jesus is the arm of God (Isa 53:1) who brought salvation to Him. Job having ignored the Messianic prophecy of Elihu, God is again revealing His Messiah who will bring salvation.

# Christ, the sin offering and Israel, the scapegoat

On the day of atonement, lots were cast for two goats. One was for the LORD, which will be sacrificed as a sin offering. The other is a scapegoat which will bear the sins and left in wilderness. The sin offering is our Lord Jesus Christ. But who is the scapegoat?

The Scapegoat, by William Holman Hunt, 1854

Scripture Reference

The below tabulation summarizes the Scripture reference for the scapegoat and the sin offering for the LORD.

Who is the sin offering?

While the sin offering is for the sins of the people, it is not an atonement for the people but rather an atonement for the tabernacle of meeting. Jesus is that tabernacle who made His dwelling among men according to the new covenant. But Jesus had to make an atonement for Himself because of the sins of the children of Israel. Think in another way: Jesus cured people by touching them.

Lev 15:19 'If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.

Matt 19:17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. ...

According to the law, Jesus will become ritually unclean if He touches anyone who is unclean (whether he is a leper) or if anyone touches Him who was unclean (a woman with bleeding). Jesus even touched dead people to bring them alive. We know that Jesus never became "unclean" because all who touched Him (or) all whom He touched became clean and they were cleansed of their sickness and uncleanness.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her (Mary), "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "

Just as the tabernacle of meeting which remained among the children of Israel in the midst of their uncleanness, or Jesus to remain among His people in the midst of their uncleanness, He must atone for Himself. This is why, He forbid Mary not to touch Him after He rose from the dead.

Hence, Jesus is the atonement for Himself as a sin offering for the sins of the people, just as the sin offering of the goat for the tabernacle of the meeting for the sins of the people.

Who is the scapegoat?

Before we identify who the scapegoat is, we need to list the characteristics of the scapegoat.

  * The scapegoat will bear all the sins of the children of Israel

  * The scapegoat will be left into the wilderness

  * The atonement will be made by sending the scapegoat into the wilderness.

Jesus Himself reveals who the scapegoat is, and let's identify.

Luke 11:50-51 "that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

Matt 27:24-25 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." And all the people answered and said, "His (Jesus) blood be on us and on our children."

Jesus Himself revealed that He did not die for the murder of the blood of all the prophets – which will be required on the children of Israel of that generation. Further, the people themselves confessed that the murder of Jesus and His blood will be upon them and their children, just like the scapegoat.

Ezek 22:15 "I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you.

Luke 21:24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

It was Israel that was exiled from their homeland and scattered to all nations in 70 AD becoming the scapegoat, after they crucified Jesus Christ who was their sin offering. Hence, the scapegoat is Israel.

Aftermath and Conclusion

Jesus Christ atoned for Himself as a sin offering for the transgressions of His people. Israel being the scapegoat bore its own sins and got scattered to all nations in 70 AD. Now, Jesus is not just the sin offering but also the High Priest who can cleanse us of all our sins. While sending the kingdom of Israel as a scapegoat, Jesus was preaching about the arrival of a new kingdom, the kingdom of Heaven.

Matt 5:20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 9:47 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire–

Only those who are sinless and pure, who does the will of the Father in heaven can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

# Why Jesus did not call Him good?

Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, who is the perfect sacrifice of God. Yet, He did not want to call Himself as "good", declaring only God is "good".

Matt 19:17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. ...

Why did Jesus stopped the rich man from calling Him good and declaring only God as good?

Jesus cured people by touching unclean people. Touching and curing unclean people makes Jesus unclean "according to the law". We know that Jesus never really became "unclean" because all who touched Him (or) all whom He touched became clean and they were cleansed of their sickness and uncleanness. However, according to the law, Jesus did became ritually unclean.

Jesus touched a dead girl

Num 19:11 'He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.

Luke 8:54-55 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise." Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.

Jesus touched the dead body of the twelve year old girl to rise her from the dead. While her spirit returned to her, according to the law, Jesus became unclean by touching her who was dead.

Woman with flow of blood touched the garment of Jesus

Lev 15:25 'If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. .... Num 19:22 'Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.'

Luke 8:43-44 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

The woman with flow of blood touched the border of His garment and making it unclean and thus, making Jesus ritually unclean according to the law.

Jesus touched a leper

Lev 13:45-46 "Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. .... Num 19:22 'Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.'

Matt 8:2-3 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus touched the leper to cleanse him. According to the law, whoever touches a leper will become unclean.

Atonement for Himself

As we saw in the earlier  post, Jesus is the sin offering for Himself who is the tabernacle of God who made His dwelling among men, to cleanse Himself because of the uncleanness of the people.

Lev 16:15-16 "Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place,

  * because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and

  * because of their transgressions, for all their sins;

and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her (Mary), "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "

Just as the tabernacle of meeting which remained among the children of Israel in the midst of their uncleanness, or Jesus to remain among His people in the midst of their uncleanness, He must atone for Himself. This is why, He forbid Mary not to touch Him after He rose from the dead.

Hence, Jesus forbid the rich man to call Him as good because, He is yet to atone for Himself because of the sins of the people and their uncleanness.

# Should we pray for others?

You may have heard many Christians uttering statements like "I am praying for you". Christ is our Mediator. He neither gave His role of intercession to anyone nor did He asked us to intercede for others. Jesus Christ preached to sinners, hypocrites and even rebuked cities like Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for them not repenting of their sins but never prayed for them to believe in Him or repent. But His prayers for others, specifically for sinners and unbelievers is extremely limited to just one particular situation. Even His model prayer has nothing for others.

The reason for this is because, sinners repenting of their sins and unbelievers believing in Christ's words is neither God's responsibility nor He will force sinners to repent of their sins. It is the responsibility of each sinner to enter through the narrow gate and walk through the difficult path if s/he wants to inherit eternal life. In this post, let's explore Christ's prayers for how and what we need to pray for others.

Forgiveness for Persecutors

Matt 5:44 ... pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you

What should we pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us? Let's see what Jesus prayed for: Did Jesus ever pray for scribes and hypocrites that these must repent of their sins? No, on the contrary He preached to them and even rebuked them for their thoughts and deeds.

Luke 23:33-34 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Jesus never prayed to God to make those who persecute Him to repent of their sins but rather, He prayed for their forgiveness from God for their actions.

Mark 11:25-26 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Not only Jesus prayed for His persecutors for their forgiveness from God, He also taught the same to us to forgive others even before praying to God.

Faith for Believers

Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

Jesus prayed for Peter when satan had asked to sift him as a wheat, that his faith must not fail.

John 17:6,9,15 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ... I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ... I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

When Jesus prayed to the Father on the eve of His crucifixion, He did not pray for the world but for His disciples who kept His word that God should keep them from the evil one.

1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

Jas 5:15-16 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

This is the same message of John in his first letter that we must pray for brothers and sisters in Christ who commit sin that does not lead to death (which is again faith-related). This is also the same message of James to confess our transgressions to each other and pray for the sick within the church. But for those who commit sin that lead to death, we must not pray for them. Sins leading to death are nothing but sins in the law that has a death penalty. e.g., adultery (Lev 20:10), murder (Num 35:16), etc. Some sins in the law does not have a death. e.g, manslaughter – death due to accidents (Num 35:22-25), swearing thoughtlessly (Lev 5:4-6), etc.

We must be extremely careful in not taking the role of Christ who is our Mediator as if He is deaf to hear the prayers of His own believers or too much prayer is required for Him to listen – after all, His hears are not heavy to hear as in Isa 59:1. Christ who is our Mediator, doesn't require another mediator. Jesus wants everyone to pray for themselves having a personal relationship directly with the Father as He taught us in the model prayer.

Conclusion

Jer 7:16 "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you. ... (11:14) So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble. ... (14:11) Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for this people, for their good.

In the book of Jeremiah, when prophet Jeremiah was praying to God for a sinful people, He even stops him from praying for them.

1 John 2:1-3 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

Luke 18:7-8 .. shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. ...

We have Jesus Christ who is a better mediator than Jeremiah who can intercede for us to the Father if we keep His commandments. We shouldn't take the role of Jesus Christ to intercede or mediate for others. Jesus neither prayed for unbelievers and sinners to believe in Him nor did He prayed for their repentance. The only prayer He uttered for unbelievers is for those who persecuted Him asking God for their forgiveness, for He knew God will avenge them speedily.

# In Father's words: Law is just a shadow

The law is just a shadow is not a new concept for most Christians as the anonymous author of Hebrews writes it.

Heb 8:5 (priests) who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things ... (10:1) For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things ...

Rev 8:3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

The priests also serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things. We also see in Revelation where the incense offering by the priests in the law is a copy or shadow of the prayers of the saints in Heaven before God.

Matt 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Jesus also gave some indirect references of earthly things being copies.

Fountain of Living Waters (God)

(In Father's words)

Lev 11:36 'Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. ... (15:13) 'And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in running water; then he shall be clean.

Jer 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water.

The law states that anything unclean falling into a cistern or a spring which has plenty of water is clean. The law also states that to be cleansed they need running water (or living water that flows).

(Mikveh, Source: Wiki)

To overcome this, the Israelites built broken cisterns that make the water flow to cleanse themselves for ritual purity but they had forsaken the LORD, who is the fountain of living waters. They forgot that the ritual cleansing by running water is a shadow of heavenly things where God is the source of living waters which can cleanse them.

John 7:38-39 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Mark 1:8 "I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Just as the unclean person will be ritually cleansed according to the law, Jesus will baptise us with the true living water which is the Holy Spirit, where the Father is the foundation of true living waters.

Circumcision (Removal of fat from heart)

Gen 17:10-11 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

God gave circumcision to Abraham as the sign of His covenant with him. But it's true meaning was not only revealed in the law but also in the prophets by God Himself.

(In Father's words)

Lev 26:41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt

Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury come forth like fire, And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings."

Circumcision is the shadow of it's true meaning, that is to remove the fat of the heart by true repentance and humbling before God.

Matt 13:15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. .... Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'

Ps 119:70 Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law.

This is why, Jesus later quoted Isaiah 6:10 where the hearts of the people have grown dull that they cannot understand with their hearts. Psalmist also mentions this same message.

Matt 15:18-20 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Removal of fat from the heart is the true circumcision as Jesus taught in the above passage.

Tassels (Commandments of God)

(Tzitzit – Jewish Tassel)

(In Father's words)

Num 15:38-40 Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.

The Father in His own words, made it extremely clear that the tassels on the corners of their garments were a symbol, a shadow of it's true meaning, that is remembering and doing the commandments of the LORD.

Matt 23:5 "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

This is why, Jesus criticised the scribes and Pharisees who enlarge the borders of their garments to be seen by others ignoring it's true meaning.

Unclean foods (Devouring and dishonest gain)

(In Father's words)

Lev 11:4 'Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; .... (20-23 ) All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you. .... (46-47) 'This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.' "

Ezek 22:25-27 "The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.

God gave kosher foods to distinguish between what is clean and unclean. These kosher foods were a shadow of its true meaning, that is, not to take dishonest gain from others making others poor.

Matt 23:24-26 "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

This is exactly what Jesus said about kosher foods giving gnat and camel as examples: Both gnat and camel are unclean and are not kosher. The Pharisees were so strict in filtering out the tiny gnat from their drinks yet their heart is full of extortion and self-indulgences which is like swallowing a camel.

Conclusion

(In Father's words)

Hag 2:11-14 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, "If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?" Then the priests answered and said, "No." And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean." Then Haggai answered and said, " 'So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,' says the LORD, 'and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

The law is a shadow but it must lead people to its true meaning of being clean, being holy and righteous.

Matt 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Matt 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

The law is perfectly valid for all Jews who must obey them, doing the shadow of things until the heavens and the earth are no more. But Christ's words are for all nations who came as a light to the gentiles, which contains the true meaning of the ritual laws and His words will never pass away.

# Jesus will not cleanse anyone with His blood

For many Christians, the blood of the Lamb or the blood of Jesus Christ refers to a magic blood bank sucking from Christ's body in Heaven and gets poured out at their request to make them clean. They completely ignore the true meaning of it, which is completely our responsibility. Asking God to cleanse us with the blood of His Son Jesus is not only deceptive but hypocritical. In this post, we will explore what the blood of Jesus truly means, and what does it mean by being cleansed by His blood.

Drinking the blood of Jesus

Jesus is not teaching His disciples to cannibalise Him.

Jesus is teaching us that eating His flesh and drinking His blood is compared to His words abiding in us, believing in Him and bearing much fruit. We touched upon this subject on an earlier  post related to communion but here we will focus on what it means by being cleansed by His blood.

Cleansed by the blood of Jesus

The blood of Jesus is compared to His words which we feed upon and it abides in us. It is compared to believing in what he says and obeying

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Heb 9:14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Is John speaking about God pouring our His Son's blood to clean us from all our sins? No. Is John in anyway suggesting that God will clean us from our sins? No. Christ's blood is available to all who are part of His covenant. Is it we need to get cleansed in His blood by abiding in His word and obeying Him.

Ps 119:9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

As Psalmist sings, you can only be cleansed from your sins if you listen to what the Father spoke through Jesus and abide in His words.

Rev 7:14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

As we see in revelation, it is our responsibility to wash our robes to make them white by obeying the words of Jesus.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. (NKJV)

Rev 22:14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (NIV)

Interestingly enough, Alexandrian Manuscripts (NIV) translates Revelation 22:14 as "to wash the robes" in the blood of Jesus but Textus Receptus (NKJV) translates the same passage as "doing His commandments", implying both are synonymous to each other. Hence, do not ask God to cleanse us with the blood of His Son Jesus which is deceptive and hypocritical because Jesus already give His own blood two millennium ago and it is not God's responsibility to clean you. While the blood of Jesus can cleanse us, He is not going to spoon feed us with His blood to force us to abide in Him but rather, it is our responsibility to obey His words and keep His commandments to get cleansed.

# Paul acknowledges being a child of Zeus

Paul taught nothing from what Jesus Christ taught. We cannot find a single parable or teaching or doctrine of Jesus in any of Paul's letters. Everything Paul wrote  contradicts Christ. We also discussed how Paul manipulates and  misquotes Scripture to reject the teachings of Jesus Christ. If Paul is not preaching the teachings of Jesus Christ, which God is Paul referring to? You will be surprised to learn how Paul repeatedly refers and quotes in praise of Zeus, and even acknowledges that he is a child of Zeus.

Zeus Hypsistos unearthed during the excavations at Dion, minus its head.

Paul: I heard the voice of son of Zeus

Acts 26:14 "And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

Better to yield him prayer and sacrifice than kick against the pricks, since Dionysus Is God, and thou but mortal." Dionysus, Bacchae (from Euripides)

The first quote is a well known reference where Paul is attributing Dionysus's words from Bacchae to his own Jesus who he claims to appear to him (similar to Mohammed's encounter in a cave). But, what is little known about the context is, Dionysus's father is Zeus and he is saying that it is better to sacrifice with woman's blood rather that kick against the pricks.

Do you really think Jesus while speaking to Paul in Hebrew is quoting an Olympian god Dionysus from 'The Bacchae' written by Euripides?

Paul: Cretans are liars for denying immortality of Zeus

Titus 1:12-13 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. ...

They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one

The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!

But thou art not dead: thou livest and abidest forever,

For in thee we live and move and have our being. Epimenides, Cretica

O Zeus, some say that thou wert born on the hills of Ida;

Others, O Zeus, say in Arcadia;

Did these or those, O Father lie? — "Cretans are ever liars."

Yea, a tomb, O Lord, for thee the Cretans builded;

But thou didst not die, for thou art for ever. Callimachus, Hymn I to Zeus

Epimenides was a 6th-century BC philosopher and religious prophet who, against the general sentiment of Crete, proposed that Zeus was immortal, as in the following poem: Denying the immortality of Zeus, then, was the lie of the Cretans. The phrase "Cretans, always liars" was quoted by the poet Callimachus in his Hymn to Zeus, with the same theological intent as Epimenides. In summary, Cretans are liars because they denied the immortality of Zeus.

Is Paul agreeing with Greek poets that Zeus is immortal by standing with them and accusing all Cretans?

Paul: I am a child of Zeus

Acts 17:22-29 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.

Let us begin with Zeus, whom we mortals never leave unspoken.

For every street, every market-place is full of Zeus.

Even the sea and the harbour are full of this deity.

Everywhere everyone is indebted to Zeus.

For we are indeed his offspring ... Phenomena 1–5

When Paul was preaching to the men of Athens, which of their poet was Paul referring who said that all are offspring of god? And, which "god" was that? It's Aratus, a Greek poet and the god he is referring to is Zeus. Paul, by quoting he too was an offspring of the same "god" referred by their poet, he undoubtedly acknowledges that he is a child of Zeus, worshiping Zeus not in idols.

Why do many Christians use Christ's name to follow Paul and worship Zeus?

# Sins not leading to death

Many Christians believe that all sins lead to death. However, they are unaware of the sins that does not lead to death.

1John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

John in his first letter writes about praying for Christians who commit sins that does not lead to death but asks the church to ignore praying for Christians who commit sins that lead to death. In this post, we will explore on what sins that does not lead to death.

Unintentional sins

Lev 4:13,20 'Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, ... the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

Lev 4:22,26 'When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally ... the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Lev 4:27 'If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally ... the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

Lev 5:15-18 "If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally ... the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him.

Anyone who commits a sin unintentionally, he had to sacrifice according to the law and will be forgiven after the priest made an atonement.

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

John 15:22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Jesus Himself asks for forgiveness for the Roman soldiers who do not know that they were crucifying the Son of God, yet the unbelieving Jews to whom Jesus came had no excuse for their sins.

Silent and unaware sins

(Lev 5:1-6)

  * 'If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter–if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.

  * Or if a person touches any unclean thing, ... he is unaware of it, he also shall be unclean and guilty. Or if he touches human uncleanness ... and he is unaware of it–when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty. Or if a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly ... and he is unaware of it–when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty in any of these matters.

And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing; ..... (10/13) So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.

Just as unintentional sins, sins people are unaware are also forgiven. If someone is silent when he hears the utterance of an oath and he is a witness, he bears the guilt. After he had confessed and the priest had atoned for his sins, he will be forgiven.

Matt 5:33-34 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: ... (37) "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Jesus clarifies not to take oath or swear. This avoids anyone being a witness and stay silent.

Sin of stealing and false swearing

Lev 6:2-7 "If a person sins and commits a trespass against the LORD by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely–in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins: then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore

  * what he has stolen, or

  * the thing which he has extorted, or

  * what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or

  * the lost thing which he found, or

  * all that about which he has sworn falsely.

He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering. And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses."

If a person stole something or wrong fully took for himself, his sin is cleared only if he restores it back by adding a fifth to it, then an atonement will be made by the priest and he will be forgiven.

Luke 19:7-9 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;

Zacchaeus is a good example for us to follow on how to restore things that are stolen or wrongfully taken. Only after he said on what he will do, Jesus said, "today salvation has come to this house".

Fornication with betrothed slave

Lev 19:20-22 'Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be scourging; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering. The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

The law of fornication with betrothed slave actually clarifies the law in Deut 22:23-26 where fornication with a betrothed woman must be killed, except in this case, the punishment is not death since the woman is not free. This is a law for ancient Israel where Hebrew slavery was similar to seven year bond servant and female slaves were betrothed to her master.

Matt 5:28-30 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Jesus clarified that even lusting a woman in heart is adultery in heart and will be cast into hell. Hence, any form of fornication will lead to death.

Conclusion

Not all sins lead to death. Unintentional sins when confessed, being silent for witnesses and sins being unaware when confessed, false swearing when confessed and restoring stolen money along with the fifth of the value will not lead to death. While Christ forgives any true repentant sinner, if they continue to commit any sin that lead to death, God have mercy on that soul.

# Why purify ourselves when only God can forgive?

In an earlier  post, we saw that Jesus Christ will not cleanse with His blood, but rather, it is we who need to be cleansed with His blood by obeying His commandments. So, where does forgiveness fit in? How can we be cleansed by the blood of Jesus by obeying Him when only God can forgive? To understand this, we need understand how Jesus used those terms.

Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Forgiveness

Luke 18:9-14 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

In a parable spoken by Jesus, there were two men who came to the temple for asking forgiveness. Look closely on what the Pharisee was saying in his prayer. Even though he was not like the extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or as this tax collector, his heart was unclean being filled with pride. Hence, none of his sins were forgiven because, his heart is unclean.

Now if you look at the tax-collector, he not only acknowledged his sins but also ashamed of himself of his sins – which means, its a decision of true repentance of not doing it again. His heart was not filled with pride or lust of greed or anything but rather humbleness making himself clean on the inside. Hence, all of his sins are forgiven him.

Therefore, even if we repent, we cannot be forgiven unless we have cleansed our heart on the inside.

Cleansing

Matt 23:25-26 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is and everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Jesus asked the scribes and Pharisees to cleanse the inside of their hearts. The same message is echoed by John where we need to purify ourselves just as He is pure. Cleansing is not like coming before God with a humble heart for repentance and then doing all unrighteousness back in home. We already saw that we need to cleanse ourselves by obeying His commandments in the  previous post.

Rev 3:4-5 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Matt 15:18-19 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Being in cleansed or undefiled state is so important that failure to maintain our purity can even cost our eternal life.

Conclusion

It is important that our heart must be clean before God for Him to forgive us.

John 8:34-35 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

It is also important to be always clean and maintain our garments to be undefiled not only to inherit eternal life but also for us to dwell in His house.

# Relatives, Friends, Servants and Strangers for Jesus

Jesus not only mentions different people differently but also treats differently. Apart from Jesus referring people as snake, wolf, fox, dog, goat and finally sheep as symbols which we saw in an  earlier post, He also mentioned people as His relatives, friends and even strangers.

Relatives for Jesus

Luke 8:21 But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Mark 3:35 "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

Doing the will of God is synonymous to hearing the word of God and doing it. All those who hear the word of God and do it are His mother and His brothers (or Christ's relatives).

Matt 25:40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Christ gave so much importance to His brethren (those who hear the word of God and do it) that helping the least of them is doing it to Christ Himself.

Lev 25:25 'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.

1John 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

It is very important to note that only a relative can redeem his relative. A friend cannot redeem his friend. Hence, being a relative of Jesus is very important for us to be redeemed by Christ. If we are not a relative of Christ, He cannot redeem us. Being a brother or sister of the Son of God (Jesus) means, we must be born of God or born again (John 3:3). To be born of God, we must be sinless and holy, having the seed of God who will be unable to sin (1 John 3:9). In short, a brother or sister of Christ will do what God wants, doing His will.

To illustrate the difference between doing what God wants and doing what He commanded, we will look into the wisdom given by God.

1Kgs 3:25-27 And the king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other." Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him." So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."

If you carefully look into the above passage, the woman whose child was living doesn't want the king's command to be executed but did exactly what a true mother would do, but the other woman wants the king's command to be executed, not what a true mother would do.

Obedience is more than sacrifices. But, I desire mercy not sacrifice.

It is like you living in a persecuted country and a missionary is running for your life and trying to hide in your house. When you are questioned, if you kept the missionary safe by "lying" to authorities, you are a relative of Jesus by doing what He wants (what a true brother would do), but if you spoke the "truth" to show where the missionary is hiding, you did exactly what God commanded that is to speak the truth yet you didn't do what He wants.

Friends for Jesus

John 15:14-15 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

A friend is merely a promoted status from being a servant who had obeyed Jesus on everything. Jesus calls His servants who had done whatever He commanded as His friends. Friends of Jesus are different from being a brother or a sister of Jesus. While a brother or sister of Christ does the will of God (or does the word of God), a friend is a servant who did everything Jesus commanded to do.

Luke 11:5-8 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him' and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

As we saw earlier, a friend cannot redeem his friend. Further, there is no mandatory requirement for a friend to provide timely assistance either (Jesus used the parable to show how we can persistently ask).

Matt 22:12-13 "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

We also see the King referred to the person who came without the wedding garment from the highways and streets as His friend, yet punished him.

Matt 26:48-50 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him." Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?" Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.

Ps 41:9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

Jesus even referred Judas the betrayer as His friend, fulfilling the prophesy in psalms.

Matt 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Matt 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

Jesus referred to His disciples (including Judas) as His friends during His earthly ministry. But after His resurrection, He called them as His brethren. There is no guarantee of eternal life for friends of Jesus. To inherit His kingdom, we must be born of God, to be a brother or sister of the Son of God who can redeem us.

A friend is a loose term where mutual trust is required. Jesus trusted Judas as His own friend (Ps 41:9), yet Judas didn't. In the same way, Jesus can call you as His friend, yet you can even betray or deny Him after obeying Him for a while. Unlike a relative who can redeem, there are no obligations on both parties for being friends. Based on how Jesus used the term "friend", its a seasonal appreciation of His servants who did what He commanded, rather than a life long commitment like a brother or a sister. Hence, we must not be merely a friend of Jesus, but a brother or sister to Jesus.

Servants for Jesus

John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. ... (18:36) Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Servants are those who serve the Lord by doing what their Master commanded them. They neither knew what Jesus is doing nor He will redeem them. These are the people who decided to serve Him by obeying Him.

Luke 19:17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' ... (22) "And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.

Servants had to obey what their Master commanded them to do. Servants who do not obey are called wicked servants but those who obey are called good servants.

John 15:14-15 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

It is these good servants who remain faithful in obeying God will be called as His friends. It is these friends, Jesus will reveal what He is doing. As we saw earlier, we must become a relative of Jesus and not just stay as a friend.

Strangers for Jesus

Matt 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Luke 13:25-27 "When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'

Jesus even taught us to consider some unrepentant people as strangers (Matt 18:15-17). Many may be surprised to know that there are strangers for Jesus too. Several Christians may know Jesus, serve Him and even consider Him to be their friend and brother but Jesus may never knew them. All who practice lawlessness and does iniquity are strangers to Christ.

Conclusion

Are you born of God to be a brother or sister of the Son of God? Or, are you a friend of Jesus, the same relationship with which Jesus called Judas? Or, have you just decided to serve Jesus to be His servant? Or, are you a stranger to Jesus by working iniquity? Only a relative can redeem a relative. Neither a friend can redeem his friend, nor can a master can redeem his servant. Who are you to Christ?

# Luxurious Lot who lost everything

The story of Lot is often overlooked since he is a secondary character in the story of Abraham. Lot is described as righteous in the Bible (2 Pet 2:7) and God wants to save him from the midst of Sodom for the sake of Abraham (Gen 19:29). In this post we will explore Lot's downfall so that we can avoid Lot's mistakes.

Lot Fleeing from Sodom, 1810 (oil on panel) by West, Benjamin

Great possessions of Lot

Gen 13:6-7 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. ...

We read from the book of Genesis, that the possessions were so great for Lot and Abraham that they were unable to dwell together and there was strife between herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock.

Gradual relocation into midst of abomination

Gen 13:12-13 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

Gen 14:12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

Lot saw that the plain of Jordan was like the garden of Eden and chose it (Gen 13:8-11). There is nothing wrong in choosing the choice side of the land, but sin can sometimes pull us in into its midst. Lot didn't dwell in Sodom but in the cities of the plain but gradually he went into Sodom itself.

God's first and second warning to Sodom

Gen 13:13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly. ... (14:11-12) And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

God did not destroy Sodom instantly even though they were wicked. He first gives a warning through king Chedorlaomer by allowing him to subdue Sodom for 12 years (similar to how Israelites served in the book of Judges). In the thirteenth year, God gave a second warning by making them captives to Chedorlaomer. God was using Chedorlaomer against Sodom similar to how God used Nebuchadnezzar against Israelite people. Living among sinners means, we will not only have a part in their sins but also have a part in their judgement when it comes upon them.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

This is why in the book of Revelation, God wants us to come out of mystery Babylon. When Abraham heard Lot's captivity, he came and rescued him (Gen 14:14-16). Lot didn't even realise that Sodom serving Chedorlaomer and he becoming a captive is a divine judgment upon Sodom for it's wickedness. In spite of God's warning, He restored all the wealth of Lot, yet he continued to live in the midst of the wicked and sinners in Sodom.

Offering own daughters for Sodom's sexual pleasures

Gen 19:4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. ... (8) "See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof."

If a righteous person lives among sinners and the wicked, he will be forced to satisfy the sins of the people around him with everything precious he has. Here, Lot is perfectly okay to feed the sinful desires of Sodom with his own daughters.

Gen 19:36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.

Just as Lot gave his own daughters sexual immorality, God delivered Lot and his daughters into sexual immorality to have Incestuous children. If you try to satisfy the wicked and sinners with any sinful things, then God will deliver you and your descendants into the same sin.

Lingering Lot fled empty handed

Gen 19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. ... (29) And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

Even though we know the judgement on the wicked and sinners, sometime we may be reluctant to flee from them. But God being merciful to us, takes us by His hand and moves us to a different place. This can happen in many ways (e.g, job transfer). Here, while Lot lingered the two angels took hold of his hands, his wife's hand and the hands of his two daughters and brought them out of the city.

Hence, it is very important to listen to God's warnings and judgements on sinners and wicked from the land we dwell. If Lot was able to discern the first two warnings of Sodom, he could have left Sodom with everything he had but he had to flee running for his life empty handed on the day of judgement.

Lot got separated from Abraham because his possessions was so great, but now he was left with nothing because of whom he dwelt with. As long as Lot dwelt with Abraham, he was blessed with abundance. But the moment he dwelt in Sodom with sinners, he was stripped to nothing. It is also worth noting that Lot was saved for the sake of Abraham

Conclusion

It is very important for us to reevaluate with whom do we dwell among. If we are surrounded by sinners and the wicked, we must flee from that place. If we don't, God warns about us having part in their sins and also in their judgments. If we linger like Lot, we will be left with nothing and had to flee for our lives on the day God judges the sinners on the land.

# Why oaths or swearing to God is of evil?

Jesus Christ in His famous sermon on the mount taught us not to swear or take oaths, even added anything more than "Yes" or "No" is of evil. In this post, we will explore why Jesus taught us not to swear and how it is of evil.

Vowing and swearing an oath in the law

Num 30:2 "If a man

  * makes a vow to the LORD, or

  * swears an oath

to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

According to the law if a man makes a vow or swears an oath to God, he must not delay to pay it because God will surely require it and it will become sin. In the above law, "some agreement" is the condition which the person vows or swears as an oath by having God as a witness.

Num 30:13 "Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her soul, ....

Vow or oaths are generally asking God to do something in exchange for "afflicting the soul".

Jephthah's Vow

Judg 11:30-31 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "

  * If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,

  * then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering." ....

In the above example, Jephthah is making a vow to the LORD. The agreement is to deliver the people of Ammon into Jephthah's hands in exchange for a burnt offering for anything that comes out of his house.

Abraham's Oath

Gen 21:23-24 "Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt." And Abraham said, "I will swear." .... (27-32) So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?" And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well." Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. ..

In an another example, we see how Abraham swore an oath to Abimelech, providing a "witness"and making a covenant. But you can see Abraham's trickery. Abimalech asks Abraham to swear to him by God for one thing but Abraham swears and makes a covenant for another thing. That's for a different discussion, but here, we can see how Abraham is swearing an oath. When swearing an oath, it requires a condition as we saw earlier and a witness must be provided. In the above example, Abraham was providing seven ewe lambs as his witness for swearing his oath that he had dug this well.

However, when Jephthah made a vow, it was a promise that he will do in return of some success from God. Comparing Jephthah's vow with Abraham's swearing an oath, it is affirming that his statement is true by providing a witness.

What does it mean by making a vow or swear an oath?

Heb 6:13-18 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

As the author of Hebrews writes, people swear by someone or something greater than themselves and taking an oath to affirm their statement in order to end all disputes. In other words, if someone swears by something or someone, if he didn't perform the oath he swore, he can be punished by the person he swore by or pay back on what he swore upon. Hence, if someone swore by God, it means, God can punish the person if what was spoken was wrong or failed to perform it. If someone swore by gold or a gift, it means, if what was spoken was wrong or failed to perform what s/he swore, s/he will pay back the gold or the gift by which he swore.

Matt 23:16-22 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore,

  * he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

  * He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

  * And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for being blind that swearing by the gold and gifts are valid and must perform it but by temple or altar is nothing. In other words, scribes and Pharisees were greedy towards gold and gifts.

Do not swear or take oaths

Matt 5:33-37 Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all:

  * neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;

  * nor by the earth, for it is His footstool;

  * nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

  * Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

When Jesus summarising the law He states it as not to swear falsely but perform the oaths. Then, He very clearly taught us not to swear at all or take any oaths to the Lord. The reason for this is very clear, esp., when speaking about swearing by our head since we cannot change one hair black or white. Jesus added, anything beyond "Yes" and "No" is of evil. In other words, swearing on anything that we cannot do or have control over it, itself is swearing falsely and is from evil.

Conclusion

Making a vow or swearing an oath on someone greater or something which we cannot change or control is by itself swearing falsely. Hence, Jesus taught us not to swear at all. He also added anything beyond "Yes" or "No" is from evil.

# What does it mean to be a born again Christian?

Born again Christian is a term so commonly used by many Christians to denote their faith that they trust in Jesus Christ. However, being born again means more than just trusting in Jesus Christ but to be sinless and righteousness.

Who is a born again Christian?

John 8:31-35 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." .... Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

Jesus said to those who believed in Him that whoever sins in a slave of sin and they will not abide in His house forever. Only those who are sinless, being free from sins by abiding in His word are His sons, born of God.

1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. ... (3:9-10) Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

1 Pet 1:22-23 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever

John and Peter also taught us the same message. Those who are born of God practices righteousness, purify their souls on obeying the truth and they cannot sin. Hence, a born again Christian is not just a person who trusts in Christ like even demons do as James warned but those who obey Him by practicing righteousness and they cannot sin.

If you think that no human can be sinless, then either you reject Christ (who is fully God and fully man) becoming a normal man and living a sinless life or you are still in bondage of sin having no idea what it means to be freed from sins.

Conclusion

Being born again Christian means, not merely trusting in His name, but obeying Him in everything He said. I am saddened by websites like Got Questions who never mention the truth that only those who practice righteousness and those who are free from sins are born of God. You can look into their answer to see the hypocrisy in it who neither mention practicing righteousness nor being sinless. Follow Jesus and His disciples on what He taught, not some answers from any website including this.

# Abraham's trickery to Abimelech

In the book of Genesis, we read about about Abraham making a covenant with Abimelech in Beersheba. The more you look into the covenant, we can see how Abraham tricks Abimelech because, his focus was on the promise of God.

Etching from about 1650 depicting Abraham and Abimelech

Gen 21:23-24 "Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt. " And Abraham said, "I will swear." ....

Abimalech asks Abraham to swear to him by God that,

  * Abraham will not deal falsely with Abimalech, his offspring and his prosperity

  * Just as Abimalech allowed Abraham to dwell, he must deal with Abimalech and his land (referring that Abimalech's offspring must be allowed to stay in the land if Abraham rises to power).

Abraham even says that he will swear, now lets see what he actually swore.

Gen 21:27-32 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?" And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well." Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba.

Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave it to Abimalech which he had no clue why it was given to him. Finally, Abraham explains that they were a witness for the oath he swore. What did Abraham actually swore? Abraham was providing seven ewe lambs as his witness for swearing his oath that he had dug this well.

When Abimalech wants Abraham to swear on something that conflicts with God's promise, Abraham tricks him into swearing something else.

If Abraham was focused on God's promise of a piece of real-estate, how much are we supposed to focus on God's promise of eternal life (1 John 2:25)? As Jesus said, we must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt 10:16).

# What does Flesh and Blood of Jesus mean?

Many Christians wrongly think that they will receive the Holy Spirit by merely believing in Jesus which even demons do (as in the language of James). We already discussed what does 'eating His flesh' and 'drinking His blood' represent in an  earlier post. In this post, we will explore a bit deeper on what His 'Flesh' and 'Blood' represent and what it teaches us on receiving the Holy Spirit.

John 6:54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:35 ... I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Eating His flesh represents coming to Jesus and drinking His blood represents believing in Him. But, what does it actually mean?

Coming to Jesus

Coming to Jesus does not mean calling Him "Lord, Lord".

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

If anyone desires to come after Jesus, it means, they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Him.

Believing in Jesus

Believing in Jesus is not about how demons believe as James mentioned.

John 5:38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

Jesus Himself mentioned what it means to believe in Him. It means to have His Word abiding in them. In others words, it is not about merely believing who He is, but believing His words and obeying them.

Hence, John 6:54 can be paraphrased as follows: Whoever denies themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Jesus, and have His Word abiding them has eternal life and He will rise them up at the last day.

Flesh of Jesus

Eating the flesh of Jesus means, coming to Jesus. But what does the flesh of Jesus represents?

Matt 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Flesh of Jesus is the Word of God Himself. This is why, we must feed on His Word so that we can abide in Him and live.

Blood of Jesus

Drinking the blood of Jesus means believing in Him with His Word abiding in us.

John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 6:55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

The blood of Jesus is synonymous to living waters which Jesus gives us to drink. It refers to the Holy Spirit. However, no one can drink without coming to Jesus first. As Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to Him and drink. As we saw earlier, coming to Jesus means, denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following Him. Only then, we can drink of this living water which is the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

The Flesh of Jesus is the Word of God as the Word became Flesh. This is why, we must feed on His Word so that we can abide in Him and He in us, and we can live. The blood of Jesus which is the true drink is synonymous to living waters which He will give us to drink, that is the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to Him and drink of this living water. If we desire to come after Him, we need to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. Only then we can drink of this living water which is receiving the Holy Spirit.

# God against parents of unrestrained sinful children

We live in a corrupted world where children are left on their own without disciplining them from a very young age. But God expects us to correct them from committing iniquity not just when they are kids but also after they had grown up. We looked earlier regarding  parent's responsibility. Here were will explore how God is against Eli who did not restrain of his son's sins.

Eli's Sons

1 Sam 2:12,17,22 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. ... Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. .... Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas were not only committing sin in sacrificial offering but also sleeping with the women who come to the tabernacle of meeting.

1 Sam 2:23-25 So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD's people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.

Eli did warn his sons about their sins but his sons did not listen to the Lord because their sins made God wanting to kill them.

1 Sam 3:12-13 "In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.

Eli's sons died for their sins but why was God against Eli? God expects Eli to restrain his sons from committing sins but he did not. Hophni and Phinehas were not little kids but priests (1 Sam 1:3) who must be atleast twenty five years old (Num 8:24–26) and sleeping with women who come to the tabernacle of meeting.

God expects parents of fully grown adult children who commit sin to restrain them so that God may not be against the parents and their descendants.

# Who is God's firstborn?

You will be surprised to learn from the Scriptures that there are several firstborns for God namely, Israel, Ephraim, David and finally Jesus Christ. In this post, we will explore how the birthright passes on from Israel to Jesus as God's firstborn.

Israel

Exod 4:22 "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.

God calls Israel as His firstborn. As we saw earlier, firstborn is someone who opens the womb.

Deut 4:20 "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.

Just as a baby comes out of the womb, Israel was brought out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt to be His inheritance. God had never taken any other group of people out of their bondage prior to Israel.Hence, Israel is His firstborn, who was the first to be take out of bondage and slavery.

Ephraim

Jer 31:9 They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.

If Israel is God's firstborn, how can Ephraim also be God's firstborn?

Gen 25:23 And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."

Gen 17:1-6 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

Gen 48:17-19,22 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." ... Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."

While God promised Abraham many nations, Jacob was still referred as a single nation by God when he was in the womb. However, when Israel, who was God's firstborn, blesses Ephraim, he passes on Abraham's blessing that many nations will come from him. Moreover, Joseph received the birthright because, he received a double portion and Jacob passes on his birthright to Joseph's younger son, Ephraim. This is why the northern kingdom is often referred as Ephraim in the prophets (Isa 7:9; Isa 11:13). Jeroboam, who took ten tribes from Solomon's son and became king of Israel was from the tribe of Ephraim (1Kgs 11:26).

Israel is God's firstborn. Israel passes on his birthright to Ephraim. Thus, Ephraim is God's firstborn.

David

Ps 89:26-27 He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.

Ps 78:67-68,70 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. ... He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;

Even though Ephraim is God's firstborn, He rejected the tents of Joseph and chose David from the tribe of Judah. Israel being God's firstborn passes on his birthright to Ephraim. But God rejected Ephraim to chose David from the tribe of Judah and made him His firstborn.

Jesus Christ

Rev 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Jesus is also called the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth. This is identical to the prophesy we saw earlier for David in Ps 89:26-27.

Ps 89:3-4 "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.' " Selah

Luke 1:31-33 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

The birthright from David was passed on to Jesus Christ, who came in the line of David to reign over the house of Jacob forever.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It is also important to note that none of the other 'firstborns' mentioned in Scripture were not truly 'begotten' of God except Jesus Christ who is the only begotten Son of God. Hence, the other firstborns of God mentioned in Scripture are a shadow of the true Son of God, who not only inherited their birthrights but also fulfilled all the promises bestowed on them.

Addressing Paul's lie

Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Firstly, man was already created the image of the invisible God (Gen 1:27). Christ, however, introduces Himself as not being an image of God but rather, the Word of God (John 1:1), who is God Himself, being one with the Father (John 10:30). He declares Himself to be the first and the last, the Almighty (Rev 1:8). Secondly, Christ is neither the firstborn over all creation for Him to be part of any creation nor all creations are brothers and sisters of Christ for Him to be a firstborn over them all. Christ is the firstborn over all who are born again (or) born of God.

Rev 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Luke 20:35-36 "But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Christ is the firstborn of the dead, which means, firstborn over all who are counted worthy of the resurrection from the dead.

Conclusion

Israel being God's firstborn passes on his birthright to Ephraim. But God rejected Ephraim to chose David from the tribe of Judah and made him His firstborn. The birthright from David was passed on to Jesus Christ, who came in the line of David to reign over the house of Jacob forever. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, who is the true firstborn over all who are born of God.

# Is speaking in tongues true or not?

Speaking in tongues is not unique to Christianity but a common practice by pagans, shamans and occult. After removing  Paul's letters (or lies), we can see clearly see that, neither Jesus (excluding the later addition of Mark's long ending), nor His disciples in their letters (James, John, Peter and Jude) or in the book of Revelation (that is after the resurrection of Jesus) we find any reference to speaking in tongues except in the book of Acts.

Controversy on when the Holy Spirit was given

Excluding Paul, there were only two instances in Acts where tongues where mentioned and both refer to Peter.

Acts 2:1-4,8-11 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. .... And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs–we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.

John 20:19,22 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." ... And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Not only the events given on the day of Pentecost controversial and contrary within the Bible, but creating doctrines using it which did not originate from Christ is building our house on sand. If tongues were so important, then Jesus and His true disciples in their letters would have mentioned it. But, none mentioned it. Does this mean tongues are real? Let's look at some examples in Scriptures

Tongues to Cause Confusion

Gen 11:7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

The people who rebelled against God were not given the Holy Spirit to cause them speak unknown tongues but rather, God scattered them by giving them different tongues. Yes, God can give new tongues to cause confusion contrary to what Paul lied, that God is not the author of confusion while speaking about tongues in 1 Cor 14:33.

Donkey can Speak Tongues

Num 22:28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

When Balaam was going against God's decision, He open the mouth of a donkey to speak a new tongue to preach the prophet.

Conclusion

Speaking in tongues was given by God to confuse people at the tower of Babel. Even a donkey can speak new tongues to preach a prophet. Is speaking in tongues true or not? On the day of Pentecost, just like the donkey, God used His disciples to preach to the people in their own tongues. It is not a gift of the Holy Spirit, nor a language of the angels as Paul lied. God can open the mouth of any creature at any situation to deliver His message for His glory.

# Sad Truth of Grace and Mercy

Christians often believe that they always have grace and mercy from God but reality is far from it. This is because of corrupt church leaders and preachers not leading the flock of Christ into scriptural truth. To fully understand why grace and mercy are not always guaranteed, we need to first understand what they are.

Grace and mercy is not always guaranteed

The simple explanation is, a criminal awaiting to be executed for his death penalty is seeking clemency from the president of a nation (as in many countries). We can always speculate what the decision of the president might be based on the past decisions and how merciful he is on clemency. However, there is no law which binds the president that he must grant clemency if requested. It is purely his personal decision. This is the same with the Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father is much more merciful and gracious than any of the world leaders but being gracious and merciful is His decision. He declares His own character to Moses in this way:

Exod 33:19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

No man can dictate God to be merciful or expect Him to be gracious when they want. This is one of the important reasons why the word 'grace' never even came from Christ's mouth. It is a wrong attitude to take for granted the grace of God and His mercy. The right attitude is to repent of our sins and not to sin again but keep His words written in our heart and obey His commandments, being fearful of Him who can destroy our souls in hell. If anyone sin, they do have a throne of grace and an Advocate who is Christ with the Father. But will they always get grace? The sad truth is no.

1 John 2:1-3 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

If you look into the above passages, Christ is the Advocate for those who keep His commandments. This means, Christ will advocate and plead our case with the Father only if we truly have a heart to be sinless and accidentally fell into sin or temptation.

Christ is not an Advocate for the following:

  * Those who think they can live sinful and God's grace will somehow cover and forgive them. These are the people Jude warned about in his letter.

  * Those who think that God's standard of holiness is too high and we can never attain it. So, Christ attained that holiness and became our righteousness and we don't have to be sinless, holy or righteous to attain salvation.

  * Those who think that we can never live sinless but keep falling in sin again and again, who reject the example of Jesus Christ who being God became a Man and showed how to live sinless by being a normal man.

Heb 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We have a High Priest who knows our weakness and being tempted like us, yet lived a holy and sinless life. In other words, the above passages merely point out that we have an Advocate who can 'plead' our case to the Father so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. But still there is no guarantee that Christ will always plead or the Father will always be merciful and gracious. This is why, we must always be fearful of God and obey His commandments.

Luke 13:6-9 He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'

Jesus spoke the parable of the fruitless fig regarding the grace of the Heavenly Father and how Christ pleads with the Father for the sake of a fruitless fig to extends it's grace from being cut off.

Grace and Mercy of God is not His obligation

There are several passages in the old testament and also in the book of Revelation to the churches were God's grace is not always guaranteed.

2Sam 7:15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

Jer 13:10a,14 'This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts .... "nd I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together," says the LORD. "I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them."

Hos 2:4 "I will not have mercy on her children, For they are the children of harlotry.

God took away His mercies from Saul for disobeying Him. God had no mercy for people who refuse to hear His words but follow the dictates of their hearts. God will not have mercy on those who reject Him. How much more we need to be careful to receive the mercies of God?

Jer 15:1 Then the LORD said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.

Isa 27:11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, And He who formed them will show them no favor.

There is no grace from God for people who reject His commandments or having no understanding of Him. How much more we need to be careful to receive the grace of God?

Acts 5:1-5 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

Did Ananias and Sapphira receive grace from God as we read the story in Acts 5:1-11? Did they have time to repent of their sins and get back to God? Nope.

There is no grace for the churches in revelation too. Christ is denying access to tree of life for believers who don't overcome. Rev 2:7. Christ is allowing believers who don't overcome to get hurt from second death. Rev 2:11. Christ will fight against believers who eat things sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. Rev 2:16. Christ will push believers who commit adultery with a self-claimed prophetess inside the church into great tribulation and kill her children Rev 2:22-23. Christ will blot the names of believers from the book of life if they defile their garments. Rev 3:4-5. Christ will not keep the believers from the hour of trial if they had not kept His command to persevere. Rev 3:10. Christ will vomit believers out of His mouth if their works are lukewarm (Rev 3:15-16). As we can see, grace and mercies of God is not always guaranteed.

God sees our heart and He decides to give grace or be merciful. God has no obligation to give you grace and be merciful. This is the sad truth of God's grace and mercies. Unfortunately, Christians are being repeatedly deceived that we are even living under the covenant of grace or dispensation of grace when Christ never even mentioned the word grace.

Heb 10:26-29 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Christ dying for us on the cross to defeat death and show us the path to eternal life, shows the great mercy and grace of God. Are you not satisfied with this level of grace and mercy by God, who gave His only begotten Son to be killed on the cross? Are you expecting more grace and mercy until you personally butcher Him by sinning again?

Heb 10:30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people."

This is why, God will not show mercy and grace on those who sin willfully and demanding more and more grace, but as the next verse says, He will take vengeance and repay them.

# Scriptural benefits for Circumcision of gentile Christians

According to the law, God instituted circumcision to Abraham as a sign. It is repeated in the law as well. Today, everyone who is Jewish will be circumcised. Circumcision also have medical benefits. Since the law was never given to gentiles, there is no requirement for any gentile Christian to get circumcised. In this post, we will explore what the Scriptures has to say about the benefits for a gentile getting circumcised.

Part of Abraham's household

Gen 17:10-12,14 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a [servant] who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. ... And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant. ... (26-27) That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael; and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

The first benefit of getting circumcised for God is that, you become part of the household of Abraham. While a gentile cannot become a descendant of Abraham, they do become part of Abraham's household.

Can keep the Passover

Exod 12:43-49 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."

All gentiles who are not Israelites can keep the Passover of the LORD if they are circumcised. Hence, circumcision provides a privilege of keeping the Passover to the LORD while uncircumcised Christian gentiles cannot.

As a native of Israel

Exod 12:43-49 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."

Apart from the privilege of keeping the Passover to the LORD, gentile Christians who are circumcised and accept YHWH as their God shall be as a native of the land of Israel. Gentiles are not going to have any part in the real-estate of Israel but rather, they shall be as an Israelite, as a native of Israel.

Can enter the Temple

Ezek 44:7 when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void–this in addition to all your abominations. ... (9) Thus says the Lord GOD, "No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. (NASB)

Only the gentiles who are circumcised in heart and also circumcised in flesh can enter His Temple (or His sanctuary). Uncircumcised gentile Christians cannot enter His Temple (or Ezekiel's Temple).

Isa 56:3a,6-7 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the LORD Speak, saying, "The LORD has utterly separated me from His people"; ... the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants– Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant– Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.

Mark 11:17 Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "

Further, when Jesus quoted prophet Isaiah saying, the Temple shall be called a house of prayer of all nations, it is not merely for all nations who come and pray, but particularly referring to the gentiles who are circumcised because they bind themselves to the LORD, to minister Him and follow the law. It is only because of circumcised gentiles, the Temple in Jerusalem was called a house of prayer for all nations.

Food for thought

Rev 21:24-27 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Ezek 44:7 "When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it–My house–and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations.

Isa 52:1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.

If God declares that uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh can defile His house and nothing that defiles can enter New Jerusalem, can the uncircumcised gentile Christians enter New Jerusalem?

Luke 22:15-20 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Exod 12:43-49 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."

If the Lord's supper is actually referred as the Passover of the LORD, and only circumcised males can take part in the Passover of the LORD, how can the church call only a small part of the supper as Lord's supper and then celebrate it with uncircumcised gentile Christians?

Conclusion

Acts 7:51 "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

While circumcision of heart and ears are required for all Christians, circumcision of flesh is not mandatory for gentile Christians. Having said that, circumcised gentile Christians are not without benefits in the Scriptures. All Christian gentiles who are circumcised for God of Israel become part of Abraham's household, can keep the Passover of the LORD, be as a native of Israel and finally can enter Ezekiel's third temple.

# Unbelief on answering prayers brings punishment

Most Christians pray to God with many requests like having a huge grocery list. Praying without doubting is important for receiving from God. That's fine while praying. As time goes by, many even forget their prayer requests but we worship a God who listens to all our prayers and remembers them. When God is answering your prayer request, and if you don't believe in it, God will punish you. Hence, be careful what you ask for, and make sure you hold on to it and never doubt until you get it. In this post, we will explore some of the punishments for people's unbelief while God is answering their prayers.

Zacharias punishment of Muteness

John means Yahweh-favored and Jesus means Yahweh saves. Comparing the birth prophecies of both John and Jesus teaches us some important lessons about prayer, faith, grace and punishment.

Mary found favor with God and He is giving a divine task to her. However, in case of Zacharias, God is responding to his prayer. While both Mary and Zacharias doubt the prophecy due to their inability, only Zacharias was punished with muteness. While there are many lessons we can learn by comparing the two prophecies, one of the important lesson we must learn is that, God punishes us for our unbelief if we fail to believe when He actually answers our prayers.

Officer's punishment of death

2Kgs 6:33 And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, "Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?" .... 2 Kgs 7:1-2 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.' So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it." ... (17) Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.

In the above story, the officer on whose hand the king leaned witnessed all calamity happening in Samaria and also God answering the plea and rescuing the horrible situation. Yet, the officer did not believe when God was actually answering. The punishment for his unbelief is that he will witness God providing food for His people, yet he cannot eat of it.

Moses denied entry to promised land

Num 20:6-12 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals." So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

Long story short, there was no water for the congregation. Moses and Aaron went to the LORD and the LORD answered their prayers by asking Moses to speak to the rock. But Moses did not believe that speaking to the rock will bring water. So he struck the rock twice with his rod. As you can see, not believing in God when He is answering our prayers comes with a great punishment. Even Moses is no exception.

Conclusion

If someone who needs some help calls us. We sort out a few other things and begin to help him. Then, if the person who called for help says, I don't think you are helping me, will we have any interest in helping him? If we who are created in the image of God feel this way, how much more will the Heavenly Father feel when we don't believe while He is answering our prayers.

# Last Supper: Wine, Grape Juice or Bitter Herbs?

The events in last supper of Jesus Christ causes a lot of confusion when compared with Passover of the LORD. This is because both are essentially same yet looks totally different. Why the lamb is not included in the last supper? Where is bitter herbs in the last supper? Where is wine in the Passover? This post attempts to compare and resolve the differences as written in the Scriptures and gospels.

Ingredients in Passover of the LORD

Exod 12:6-8 'Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.

The three ingredients to have a Passover meal is as follows:

  * Lamb

  * Unleavened Bread

  * Bitter

Ingredients in Last Supper of Jesus Christ

The last supper is essentially same as the Passover of the LORD

Luke 22:7-8 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat." ... (15-20) Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

On the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed, Jesus was not instituting a new unfamiliar ritual for all His followers to follow, but rather, He was explaining an already existing ritual to show how the feast of Unleavened Bread and the feast of Passover was all along pointing to Him. This is exactly why He wants us to remember Him while doing the Passover.

  * Jesus is the Passover Lamb who must suffer to redeem us

  * His body is that unleavened bread who will be broken

  * The fruit of the vine is His blood that will be poured out

Hence the last supper as many Christians part-take without the Passover lamb is incomplete primarily due to following Paul rather than Jesus.

1 Cor 11:20-21 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk... (23-26) For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

While Jesus called the supper as Passover, Paul calls it Lord's supper. While Jesus wants us to do it as part of the Passover to remember Him in context with the Passover, Paul wants to do it as often as we want.

Wine or fruit of the vine?

Matt 26:29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

Mark 14:25 "Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Luke 22:18 "for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

While the gospel authors were well aware of the word 'wine', all chose to use the word 'fruit of the vine'. However, getting drunk (referring to fermented wine) is mentioned only in Paul's letters.

Exod 12:18-20 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened [H2556 חָמֵץ chamets], that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread

The question we need to ask ourselves: Is wine leavened? In Hebrew, chamets literally means fermented. Hence, the fruit of the vine used by Jesus in Passover was not fermented or leavened.

Bitter herbs or fruit of the vine?

Comparing the Passover and the Last Supper, we can match the lamb and the unleavened bread. But we cannot match bitter herbs or fruit of the vine or wine. We saw in the earlier section, that the fruit of the vine is not the fermented vine. Mismatch between Passover of the LORD and the last supper by Jesus raises lots of questions since they both refer to the same event. What does fruit of the vine doing in the last supper? Why no mention of bitter herbs? The original translation does not include "herbs" but marar which means bitter. In modern Palestine the Jews use chiefly lettuce and endive for the "bitter herbs" of their Passover.

Is there a fruit of the vine that is bitter? There are several known vines that produces bitter fruits. Bitter melons or bitter gourd (Momordica_charantia) is one example were it is a vine that produces bitter fruits. Citrullus_colocynthis of the Arabs, which grows from Jordan to southern Egypt which resembles a common watermelon vine, bears small, hard fruits with a bitter pulp. We do not know exactly which fruit of the vine did Jesus used for bitterness during the Passover.

Conclusion

The last supper of Jesus Christ is same as the Passover of the LORD. Jesus is the Passover Lamb who must suffer to redeem us. His body is that unleavened bread who will be broken for us. The fruit of the vine is His blood that will be poured out for us. We also found that the vine does not necessarily mean grape vine or wine but rather vine that produces bitter fruits. Some examples include bitter melons or bitter gourds which are also bitter fruits of the vine.

# Even hypocrites can cast out demons!

There is a wrong perspective that if someone casts out demons, then they must be holy and God is with him/her and we must listen to them for they may speak on God's behalf.

Matt 23:27-28 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matt 12:26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

But reality is, anyone who call upon the name of the LORD can cast out demons, even the Pharisees whom Jesus referred to as hypocrites as Jesus Himself mentioned.

Matt 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

There are some important points about casting out demons:

  * Jesus made it very clear that Satan cannot cast out Satan but by the finger of God

  * Jesus acknowledged Pharisees casting out Satan.

  * Jesus also made it very clear that even those who practice lawlessness can cast out demons.

Jesus is making a point that God can use anyone, even a hypocrite like Pharisees who call upon the name of the LORD to cast out Satan. Jesus also explained that certain unclean spirits can only be cast out by fasting and praying (Matt 17:21). The only exception to this is Satan, who cannot cast himself out.

Luke 9:1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ...(17) Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

There is a specific event where Jesus sent the seventy to whom demons were subject to. In an another place, Jesus gave the twelve authority over all demons.

Mark 9:39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.

In an another instance, Jesus Himself explained, those who work a miracle in His name can soon after speak evil of Him. In the explanation provided by Jesus, there is a disconnect between Jesus and the miracle performed by the other person.

We can see how God is glorifying the name of His Son. At the same time, Jesus never knew those who practice lawlessness and iniquity, who still can use His name to do miracles and cast out demons. Hence, Jesus is making extremely clear that casting out demons or doing miracles or prophesying is not a sign of God's approval of that person.

# Revisiting Antediluvian Years

While investigating the Antediluvian years, I noticed something interesting which could help reconstruct the antediluvian years from 3 ancient source differing with each other. We already saw in earlier posts,  Antediluvian lifespan are actually in months and  Septuagint's Antediluvian Years are Correct which goes in detail investigating the reason for the differences. In this post, we will look into how numbers could easily go into wrong places by scribes which gives different results.

This post is more like a supplement to the existing two posts to make the timeline more accurate with additional details. The  timeline reflects those changes and they are not new except how long Lamech lived. The reconstructed timeline is based on Septuagint but two values were taken from Masoretic. If we replace 777 years to 782 years (possibly a typo by a Masoretic scribe), we get some really interesting results.

Noah was born on the year 1656 AM. This is really interesting because, Masoretic provides this year as the year of the flood. Also, we can clearly see that Lamech and Methuselah dying in the flood since they died exactly on the year of flood, that is 2256 AM.

# Who are the sons of God and daughters of men?

The term sons of God and daughters of men who bore Nephilim which is often translated as giants had fascinated people for thousands of years. The topic was also discussed on another post, Who are the sons of God? Even during the time of Jesus, many often understood this to be a union between angels and humans as we read in the book of Jude.

Does the book of Genesis gives us some clues to identify them?

Text itself says as men

Gen 6:1-6 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore [children] to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

When God said that His Spirit will not strive with man forever, none of the prior wrongdoings mentioned were men's fault except if sons of God refers to men. Also, the offspring of the strange union were also mentioned as men. If sons of God were just men, why were they not referred as men?

Sons and daughters

Gen 2:23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.

Adam referred initially to Eve as woman because she was from man.

Gen 4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."

When Eve bore Cain, she said that she received him from the LORD. You can clearly see how the mindset of thinking that males were created by God and females were taken from men.

Gen 3:16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth sons (H1121); Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."

Gen 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."

If you see the above verses, will women have pain only for delivering sons and not for daughters? No. Also, if women work on the field, does that mean it will not bring them thorns and thistles? Or, will she not turn to dust since it was only a curse for Adam? This is not just in Genesis, but flows throughout he Bible if you remove the gender neutral language used in the Bible .e.g. children for sons.

Isa 3:12 As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths."

The mindset of the ancient Israelites based on the Bible is that, God rules over all men as we see in the law, and men rule over women as per the curse of God in Eden. Women who are under men inherits all the curses of men but men do not inherit any curse of women.

Ps 82:6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons (H1121) of the Most High.

This is the basis for the term that sons of God refers to men who are from God and daughters of men refers to women who were taken out of men.

What about Nephilim?

Gen 6:4 There were Nephilim on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore [children] to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

No one knows what Nephilim actually mean. It is translated as giants. In the above verse, children was a translator added term.

Num 13:33 "There we saw the Nephilim (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Deut 2:10-11 (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. They were also regarded as Raphah, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.

Deut 2:20-21 (That was also regarded as a land of

Raphah; Raphah formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the LORD destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place,

As you can clearly see, the authors/scribes (or Moses) who wrote Numbers and Deuteronomy held the view that Nephilim survived the flood and able or have Anak as descendants. The other only possible view is that, Nephilim simply means people of tall stature who frighten other people, but not necessarily giants.

Conclusion

In ancient Israel, sons of God refers to men who are from God and daughters of men refers to women who were taken out of men. Hence, there were neither strange unions between angels and women nor their offspring were strange giant hybrids during the antediluvian era.

# Christmas, Christ mass and now, holidays without Christ

The celebration of Christmas had always been in controversy. From the date it was celebrated, Christmas tree and Santa-Claus, many of today's Christmas celebrations have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. In this post, we will explore the reasons why Christmas today is no longer the true Christmas intended.

Identify unbiblical elements of Christmas from the above picture

Unbiblical Customs

This post is not about discussing if Santa Claus is St. Nicholas of Myra or Tammuz (or) if Christmas tree is the tree of Thor. We will also not discuss about the recent additions of Christmas Elf introduced in literature by Louisa May Alcott in 1856. However, this post is to show how, by introducing unbiblical customs in Christmas had completely removed Christ from it.

Jer 10:2a Thus says the LORD: "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles

Lev 18:3 'According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.

God had mentioned in the law and prophets very clearly not to learn the way of the Gentiles or do according to the doings of them. Today, we are seeing the full effect of introducing unbiblical customs (whether it is pagan or not is a different discussion) where corporations are happy to celebrate Christmas by removing Christ. Recently, they even started changing Christmas celebrations to 'End-of-year celebrations' and Merry Christmas to 'Happy holidays'.

Santatracker

Take santatracker as an example from Google and look at the way they celebrate Christmas. There is zero reference for Jesus or Christ using their own search engine. Christmas has become a western religious holiday without Jesus Christ.

How to celebrate Christmas?

The thumb rule to celebrate Christmas or the birth of Jesus is to always use the Bible as a guide.

Rejoice

Isa 9:2-7 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The above prophesy is clearly a messianic prophesy and it is God who multiplied the nations and increased its joy and we rejoice as the joy of harvest and rejoice when men divide the spoil because Jesus Christ was born.

Not like worshiping the golden calf called YHWH

Exod 32:1-5 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD (YHWH)."

If you look into the golden calf incident, the people wanted to make gods (plural) for themselves. So, Aaron made a god (singular) and called it YHWH. The people neither questioned why Aaron made just one idol nor why that idol is called YHWH. They least bother about God or following Him. What they truly desire is having celebrations. This exactly happening today with some minor changes. Many people including Christians are least bothered about Jesus and His commandments but more into mere celebrations which He never asked anyone to do. As you can clearly see, the Jesus is either suppressed or completely replaced by Santa Claus in most secular circles. Many western families who celebrate Christmas are totally unaware of the actual story of Jesus.

Not to forget God and His good news

Ps 50:22 "Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver

Forgetting God and rejecting His commandments has it's consequences. While celebrating Christmas, most importantly, we must not forget Jesus Christ and the true reason for His coming into this world which is to suffer and die for us, so that we can be saved and have eternal life if we depart from darkness.

John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

Today, Christmas is celebrated by not only removing Jesus Christ but the purpose of His coming into this world, which is the good news of salvation is removed.

Conclusion

Many are happy with Santa-Claus, Christmas trees and elves in most secular circles but become unhappy when Jesus Christ or His message of salvation is mentioned. Christians must never compromise Christmas by introducing traditions and customs not found in scripture. These not only gives opportunity to remove Christ from Christmas but also eliminates His message of salvation.

# Identifying and interpreting dreams

We all dream but a few remember what we dreamt when we wake up. Some don't bother us while others can show a connection to events in our lives. But the real question everyone wants to know is to identify if a dream is from God. In this post we will discuss what Scripture says about dreams, how to interpret them and different types of dreams.

Scripture on dreams

 Jacob's Ladder

Not all dreams are accurate

There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"

Gen 37:7-10

If you read the dreams of Joseph, we can clearly see there were two dream. The first was the sheaves of his brothers bowed down to his sheaf which clearly shows how his brothers will bow down to Joseph and it did come to pass when Joseph became the governor of Egypt. But the second dream says about his own father, Jacob and his mother, (probably the other three since Rachel was dead) bowing down to Joseph which never came to pass anytime. Hence, the first dream of Joseph was indeed from God and it did come to pass but his second dream may not be from God and it did not come to pass. Refer an another  post, Joseph, a type of Jesus where the unfulfilled dream was discussed.

God can give false dreams

If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'–which you have not known–'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deut 13:1-3

When God spoke the law to Moses, He clearly warns that He will test His people by rising dreamer of dreams among them. Hence, it is extremely important that even if a dream is from God, we need to be extremely careful not to disobey Him in any way because of such a dream.

God can give dreams and its interpretation to unbelievers

And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, "I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed. Then his companion answered and said, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp. And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.

Judg 7:13-15

In the story of Judges, God is giving a dream to a Midianite and his companion to interpret the dream.

Established dreams

And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Gen 41:32

Sometimes, if God had established a matter, He may give two dreams signifying the same matter. Hence, it is so important if there are two dreams seem to say the same thing.

Why do we get dreams?

Much activity

For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool's voice is known by his many words. ... For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Eccl 5:3,7

If you are working more on something, then you can get a dream related to it. It is neither from God nor have any meaning to it.

Desires of heart

The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, And look–he eats; But he awakes, and his soul is still empty; Or as when a thirsty man dreams, And look–he drinks; But he awakes, and indeed he is faint, And his soul still craves: So the multitude of all the nations shall be, Who fight against Mount Zion.

Isa 29:7-8

If you are desperately longing for something, then you can get a dream of your desire being fulfilled. This too, is neither from God nor have any meaning to it.

God speaking

Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.

Num 12:6

Finally, dreams can be from God where He speaks.

And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

1 Sam 28:6

We can see God not answering to Saul by dreams when he inquired of the LORD.

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you? ... Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" ... Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream.

1 Kgs 3:5,9,15a

It was a dream where God asked Solomon and gave him wisdom along with other things which he didn't ask for. We know for sure, that dream of Solomon came to pass. Even Jesus mentioned His wisdom as we read in the gospels. e.g, Matt 12:42.

How to identify if a dream is from God?

For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

Job 33:14-18

Elihu's reply to Job is extremely important because, when Job wants God to respond to him as in Job 31:35, Elihu starts to respond. God never blamed

Elihu for his reply and several other reasons. This is discussed in another post, Elihu, a type of Jesus. Elihu not only says how God can seal instructions through dreams but also gives us reasons why He does so. He gives four reasons for God to seal the instructions through dreams.

  * To turn man from his deeds

  * To conceal pride from man

  * To keep his soul from the Pit and

  * and to save his life from perishing by sword.

Warning – to turn man from his deeds

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife. ... And God said to him in a dream, "Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."

Gen 20:3, 6-7

God warned Abimelech in a dream to turn him from his deeds because he had taken Abraham's wife. Hence, if a dream seems to warn us from doing something, it is from God.

Humiliation – to keep us from pride

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.

Dan 4:24-27

God warned Nebuchadnezzar in a dream to become righteous and show mercy to the poor. But in twelve months, as the Scriptures say, the dream was fulfilled by humiliating him as an animal as per the dream because of his pride. Hence, if a dream humiliates us of something we are proud of, then it is from God.

Salvation – to keep our soul from Pit

How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.

Jer 23:26-37

God warns false prophets who speak lies by their dreams because they cause His people to forget His name.

And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. .... And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls

Joel 2:28,32

God is giving dreams to His people, so that they can remember His name and call on His name to be saved. Hence, if a dream leads us to remember His name and leading us towards salvation, then it is from God.

Give Life – to save our lives

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: ... Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine."

Gen 41:25, 34-36

God gave dreams to Pharaoh to save lives in the land of Egypt by preparing him during the seven years of famine. Hence, God can give dreams for us to prepare us from what He is going to do.

Dreams vs Visions vs Nightmares

But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:

Dan 2:28

I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

Dan 4:5

There is a misunderstanding that a vision is something that happens when you are awake, not sleeping and merged with the existing environment and dream is something when you are sleeping. This is simply untrue. According to scriptures, as explained by Daniel himself, both visions and dreams happen when we are asleep and both are infact dreams.

  * Dreams are very common and often we remember them in vague details immediately when we awake.

So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

Acts 12:9

Peter was unable to differentiate reality from vision. This is exactly what happens when you are lucid dreaming.

  * Visions is vivid dreaming with full consciousness and awake, often referred in modern terminology as lucid dreaming. It is hard to differentiate dreams from lucid dreams except the person who experienced it. It is also important to note that not all visions are from God.

When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' Then You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions, So that my soul chooses strangling And death rather than my body.

Job 7:13-15

Apart from dreams and visions, there are also nightmares, and nightmares involving strangulation as Job mentioned. The dream which Nebuchadnezzar had and then forgot, which troubled him is a nightmare. In modern terminology, nightmares involving strangulation is referred as sleep paralysis. It is a state where we are fully awaken, able to sense the environment around us yet unable to move while the characters in the dream may try to harm you. The strangulation happens because when we try breath more air due to panic, the lungs are still controlled by the sleep phase and will not breath faster, and all our body is paralysed as per the normal function of sleep. Sleep paralysis is not from demons. There is no reference in the entire Scripture of demons giving any nightmares. As we read from the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, they don't even know what a person is dreaming.

It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Ps 127:2

However, Scriptures do say that God gives His beloved sleep.

Conclusion

Not all dreams are from God and not all dreams have meanings attached to it. We dreams through much activity and because of our desires of our heart as well. Only some dreams are from God and they have meaning to it. Not all dreams are accurate as well. God can give false dreams to test us but accurate dreams and its interpretation even to unbelievers.

# Atheist's guide to God

Atheism is the absence of belief in the existence of God (or gods). Many atheists claim that there is no evidence of God but they are wrong.

Atheist campaign, London , 2009

The advertisement by atheists shows their real motive – that is to enjoy life in sin. In this post we will see how anyone can find God for themselves and get His response directly.

Understand your motives

The most important point in finding God is to know your motives. Are you truly willing to seek God with a genuine doubt of His existence (or) have you made up your mind not to believe in Him?

The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

John 20:25-27

As we can see with the case of Thomas, every atheist must understand that God is not against genuine doubters. In fact, He is actually willing to clear doubts as long as they are genuine.

THE fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. ... There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous.

Ps 14:1,5

Scriptures accuses atheists of being corrupt and doing abominable works and they deny the existence of God, so that they don't have to be in fear of being accountable of their corrupt or abominable works to Him. It is extremely important that an atheist must not have this kind of motive for being an atheist, that is, desperately denying God to continue in sin and iniquity.

Testing God

When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work.

Ps 95:9

He also drove out the nations before them, Allotted them an inheritance by survey, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents. Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies,

Ps 78:55-56

There is a wrong perspective among Christians that no one can test God. While Christians who had seen His work in their lives cannot test Him, that is not the case with many unbelievers who want to know if God of the Bible truly exists. God Himself gave signs to Moses to prove His existence.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Show a miracle for yourselves,' then you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.' So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Exod 7:8-10

As we can see in the story of Exodus, God is more than willing to prove His existence to any atheists and unbelievers out there.

Then he said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.

Judg 6:17

Gideon story is full of testing God. Gideon first tested if the person talking to him was an Angel of the LORD.

So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said– "look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said." And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

Judg 6:36-40

Then, Gideon tested God with two other tests. God was never angry with

Gideon for all his tests.

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."

Luke 10:25-28

Jesus was never angry when a lawyer tested Him. Hence, it is important to understand that God allows those who have genuine doubts to test Him. This includes atheists too. However, if a Christian who had seen the works of God in their life and then testing Him to satisfy his/her personal desires will be punished.

Getting God's Response

Once the motives are right with genuine doubts, the next step is to get a response directly from God. Getting a response from any nation's leader is extremely difficult. E.g, let's see if we can get a response from the prime minister of Australia.

While all items of correspondence are read and carefully considered, not all items will receive a response.

pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm

There are specific protocols for contacting the prime minister outlined in the website. No one can make the prime minister of Australia to send a response for our letter. If this is the case for leaders of each country, which are insignificant on the grand scale of the universe, how much more should we carefully consider and follow the protocol to get a response from the Creator of the universe? While every section below deals with getting a response from God, but not all applies to atheists.

You cannot get a response if you are evil

When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies– I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

Isa 1:12-17

The first rule for an atheist (or anyone) to get a proper response from God is to stop doing iniquity, cleanse themselves by being holy, start doing good and seek justice. etc. In other words, if anyone's prayer needs to be considered by God, they must be willing to depart from evil and learn to do good.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

Ps 66:18

God will not hear anyone who regard iniquity in heart.

You cannot get a response if your request is public

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Matt 6:5-7

Jesus taught a lot about prayer. He doesn't want your prayers to God as a show to others. In other words, He is not going to respond to any open letters, public requests or repeating the same points.

You cannot get a response if you don't believe who He is

God doesn't want to treat Him like a tree and speak.

A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? ... Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them;

Mal 1:6, 3:16a

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Heb 11:6

Atheists must understand that if they want to ever get a response from God, they must first believe that it is God they are talking to. If someone talks to me but don't believe that it is me, do I bother responding to them? The same is with God.

You cannot get a response if you are currently being punished by God

For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Jer 29:10-14

Many live a life of iniquity but when they are punished with trouble or sickness etc., they come before God to remove their trouble. As we can see God's response to the exiled Israel, they must seek the good of their masters until their time of punishment of seventy years is over. Only after that, God will hear their prayers and listen to them.

You cannot get a response if

You cannot get a response if you disobey Him

And the LORD said to me, 'Tell them, "Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies. So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the LORD, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

Deut 1:42-45

God will not listen to your prayers or give a response if you disobey Him.

And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. .... "Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.

1 Sam 28:6,18

We can clearly see how God does not respond to Saul because he did not obey the voice of the LORD.

Conclusion

God's response and the evidence of His existence to individuals are very personal and not for others. In my case, I want a secret known only to me which is not known to anyone to come from the mouth of prophets who claim to speak on God's behalf. God went even further giving very specifics only known to me. As you can see, the evidence is only for me and myself and is not for others and cannot be presented as evidence of His existence to anyone. God speaks directly to people where the response is only for them. He is happy to clear doubts of all people including atheists, so that they can truly follow Him and receive eternal life.

# Christ is not required to receive anything in this world

Many Christians often misunderstand why they require Christ. While Christ can give us all we require, He is not required to actually receive anything in this world. This post is to clarify why Christ is required in our lives.

Can receive food without Christ

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.

John 6:27

Jesus wants us to labor for food which He gives that endures for everlasting life. He said this because, if we labor for food that perishes, we will get the food that perishes which will not last forever.

Can receive cure without Christ

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Matt 9:12

When Jesus explained that He came to call sinners to repentance so that they can receive eternal life, He compared it with how sick people require physicians. In saying this, Jesus clearly makes a point that sick can get cure without His intervention.

Can lay up treasures without Christ

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matt 6:19-21

Jesus did not want us to lay up treasures in earth where moth, rust destroys it and thieves can break in and steal. He wants us to lay up treasures in heaven. Jesus is not giving us those treasures either in earth or heaven but rather it is we who must decide where we lay up our treasures. Hence, anyone can lay up treasures in earth without Christ.

Can have authority without Christ

And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'

Luke 22:25

The authority of the kings who exercise lordship over gentiles were not from Jesus Christ.

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

Matt 4:8-9

Jesus was tempted by the devil over the kingdoms of the world. Hence, anyone can have authority without Christ.

Can be wiser without Christ

And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Luke 16:8

Jesus Himself declared that the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. This shrewdness or wisdom did not come from Jesus. Hence, anyone can be wiser without Christ.

Why do we need Christ then?

As you can see, all the previous sections were direct quotes of Jesus. If we can receive everything in this world without the need to follow Jesus, why is He even required? Jesus Himself explains why He came.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish

John 10:27-28a

Jesus Christ, not once promised anything from this world. He promised us with Eternal Life. This does not mean Jesus cannot give anything from this world.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Matt 6:30-33

While Jesus can give everything that we need, it is not for us to seek after them. All our needs will be taken care of when we seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Deut 32:15

When I tried to preach the gospel to a colleague of mine, this was his answer: I have everything I need and my life is perfect. Why do I need Jesus Christ? This is one of the reasons why many western nations today are morally bankrupt.

Conclusion

Without Christ, we can receive food, have cure for diseases, lay up treasures, have authority and even be wiser than those who truly follow Christ. So, why do we need Christ? Christ did not promise any of the things of this world. The only thing that He promised to His disciples is Eternal life. I end this post with the words of Agur the son of Jakeh so that we can look into our prayers and analyse what we ask God for.

Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches– Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.

Prov 30:7-9

# Whose responsibility is new heart and new spirit?

God through the prophet Ezekiel mentioned about new heart and a new spirit. However, the responsibility of either giving a new heart and spirit by God or we having a new heart and spirit is not only vague but intertwined. In this post, we will explore whose responsibility is the new heart and new spirit.

Duel Responsibility

"Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.

Ezek 11:19-21

If God is giving one heart and putting a new spirit for the remnant, how can He expect some of them to follow the desire of detestable things and abominations?

Our Responsibility

"Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"

Ezek 18:31-32

We also read in the same book of Ezekiel, that getting a new heart and a new spirit is our responsibility.

God's Responsibility

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Ezek 36:25-27

Yet again, we read in the same book of Ezekiel, that getting a new heart and a new spirit is God's responsibility.

Who's Responsibility?

As we can in the book of Ezekiel, the responsibility of new heart and new spirit is intertwined with both God and us.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Luke 8:11-15

Based on what Jesus taught in His parable, it is our responsibility to have a good heart to believe His Words, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:38-39

If we believe in Him by keeping His Words and bearing fruit with patience, then God will give us His Holy Spirit.

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'

Matt 13:15

This is why, it is our responsibility to have a good heart so that He can give us His Spirit

# Limitations of demonic activities in this world

The idea portrayed by secular world regarding satan or demons are often incorrect. This causes some to doubt and even mock Christianity. In this post we will explore what satan can and cannot do based on Scriptures.

Satan vs Demon vs Unclean spirit

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons." So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan? ... "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"– because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Mark 3:22-23, 28-30

Based on how Jesus and the first century Jews used the terms, Satan is synonymous to Demon, which is synonymous to unclean spirit. The topic was discussed in detail at this  post, Satan, demons and unclean spirits. Hence, Satan, demon and unclean spirit – all refer the same.

Demons cannot haunt non-living

There is no such thing as being "haunted". Scripture no where mentions of any spirits dwelling on non-living things. Scripture does speak about land being defiled (Lev 18:25) and cursed (Jer 44:22) and the events happening on a particular piece of land could be related to an earlier murder or spilling of innocent blood. Understandably, this is often related by some in secular circles to be haunted by the spirits of the victims. However, Scripture does not support any form of haunting. Let's listen to Jesus and the events of casting demons out.

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

Matt 12:43-45

Are there no vacant houses or remote places in this world? Absolutely yes. But, Christ made it clear that a spirit needs a house to rest, and this house is not a non-living material but a human or animal host body.

So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

Matt 8:31-32

This is why, the demons begged Jesus to go into the herd of swine.

Demons cannot do anything unnatural

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"

Mark 9:25

There are several references by Jesus casting out demons and unclean spirits to cure sickness. We also know that it was Satan who brought calamity and sickness to Job. However, there is no reference in Scriptures for Satan or demon or unclean spirits doing anything unnatural in this world. By saying "unnatural", I mean stuff like telekinesis or skeletons animating with help of unclean spirits etc., as portrayed by most secular world.

"Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

Luke 24:39

We cannot handle and see a spirit. This also means, a spirit cannot handle us in the same way how we handle things. e.g., a spirit cannot move physical things of this world.

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John 6:63

Jesus said, His words are "spirit" and they are "life". If we fully understand this statement, then can clearly understand why unclean spirits cannot do anything unnatural in this world.

Identifying demonic activities

Wonder why there are so many prizes for evidence of the paranormal, yet none was claimed to date? Refer the  wiki, List of prizes for evidence of the paranormal. The problem is lack of understanding of demonic activities.

And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. ... And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"

Mark 5:2-4, 7-8

Many often associate demonic activities with the above event.

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick

Matt 8:16

Demon possession can be identified with people are driven to kill or harm themselves as the herd of swines, depression as we see distressing spirit troubling Saul (1 Sam 16:14), liars because of lying spirits leading towards destruction (1 Kgs 22:23). Several sicknesses can also be associated with demons and many don't even know it.

Demons require God's approval

Irrespective of what demons can do in this world, it is very crucial to understand they cannot do anything without first getting approval from the LORD God

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matt 10:29-31

Every human, even the wicked, is more valuable to God than sparrows and He doesn't want any to perish. Demons cannot even make a hair fall without God approving it.

So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."

Mark 5:12

Demons need to get permission from God, even for possessing animals. In short, demons cannot simply do harm or possess anyone unless God allows it. This brings us to the last question, why would God allow demons to possess?

Why God allow demons to possess?

While we cannot get a direct answer, we can infer some crucial points from what Jesus said.

And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

Matt 8:29

And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

Luke 8:31

Based on the conversation between Jesus and the demons, we can understand that demons were fearful of being sent to abyss but allowed to be in this world only for a period of time.

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Matt 12:43-45a

We can also understand that demons require a living host body to be in this world. A living host was also referred by Jesus as it's home when it posses. Thousands of demons can make a single human body as it's home. e.g, the name of demons referred as Legion.

Hence, demons are allowed to roam on this world only for a period of time and they require a living host to possess during that time. The only protection from them is to allow God's Spirit to dwell on us.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Rev 3:20

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

John 14:23

God never forces Himself in but always willing to come into us and dwell within us. The only way to allow Him to make us as His home is by keeping His word. If God doesn't have us as His home, it is vacant for demons to have it as their home.

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

1 Sam 16:14

Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Ps 51:11

This is why, we see in case of Saul, when the Spirit of God left him, a distressing spirit from the LORD entered him. This is also why David pleaded with God to not take His Holy Spirit from him for his murder and adultery because he had seen what will happen if God left him as He did to Saul.

Hence, God gives permission for demons to enter a person because the person doesn't give permission for God to enter.

Conclusion

Satan is synonymous to demons, which is also synonymous to unclean spirits. Demons cannot haunt non-living things like houses etc., but require a living host like humans or animals. Demons also cannot do unnatural things like telekinesis or animating materials in this world. Spirits don't have flesh and bones. If a spirit has mass and if it can interact with anything on this world, I am sure that we can bottle up and eliminate unclean spirits completely from this world. Hence, it is very important to understand and identifying demonic activities. Demons cannot enter a person unless permitted by God and He gives permission for demons to enter a person because that person doesn't give permission for God to enter by not keeping His Word.

# God is seeking people after His own heart

Throughout the Bible, we can see the nature of God seeking people after His own heart. But what does the term after God's own heart really mean? It is an another way of saying that God is seeking people who know Him. It is the difference between reading an autobiography to know about a person and being the person's child who knows that person.

Priest who shall do according to God's heart

Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.

1 Sam 2:35

God chose a priest among the descendants of Levi who shall do according to what was in the heart and mind of God.

King after God's own heart

But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

1 Sam 13:14

God chose David to be King of Israel for he was a man after God's own heart.

What is 'after God's own heart'?

Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'–let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."

Gen 24:12-14

We briefly saw that 'after God's own heart' is 'knowing God'. In this section, we will explore deeper using Rebecca as an example. Rebecca simply didn't become Isaac's wife but she had to pass a test. The test is to do something additional that was never commanded. The servant just asked water for him but Rebecca knowing the true need of that servant, gave water both to the servant and the camels. This is how our Heavenly Father also seeks in us. He revealed Himself through His Son and gave us His commandments to follow. God expects us not only to keep His commandments revealed through His Son but do what He desires in His heart. This will make the difference between the bride of Isaac and the rest of the women in Haran, Jesse's sons and David or Eli and Samuel – to become kings and priests of God who will do what He wants in His heart.

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hos 6:6

So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

1 Sam 15:22

Obedience is better than sacrifice but God desires mercy and not sacrifice. God wants us to obey His voice and but He desires us to be merciful and do what is in His heart.

God sees the heart

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 6:5

God saw the intent of the thoughts of the heart of man to find it was evil continually before he decided to destroy all (except Noah and his family) with flood.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Sam 16:7

When God chose David, He explains to Samuel how He looks at people, that is, at their heart.

But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Matt 5:28; Matt 15:18-19

Jesus revealed to us about the Father and what He wants. If we follow Jesus and His commandments, we follow the desires of the Father because, the new covenant is all about us cleansing the inside of our heart.

Conclusion

It is one thing to obey God but quite another to do what He desires. The scribes and Pharisees were more focused in obedience to the law even rejecting what God truly desires. We can clearly see this in the good Samaritan story. The priest and levite were following the law by making sure they are not defiled by helping the half-dead wounded man. Is it God's desire for the priests to follow the law strictly at the cost of the life of a wounded man? Is it God's desire that the midwives must speak the truth to Pharaoh at the cost of innocent lives? Absolutely not! Obedience is important but not at the cost of rejecting what God desires. God is seeking people after His own heart. This is the new covenant what Jesus taught.

# When is the resurrection of the dead?

Resurrection of the dead is generally considered to at the end of the world during Christ's second coming. When Jesus spoke about the resurrection of the dead, He reveals something totally different. In this post we will explore when this resurrection of the dead happens.

Resurrection is not a future event

Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."

Mark 12:24-27

When Jesus spoke about the patriarchs that they are not dead, for God is not the God of the dead but of the living, in context with the resurrection of the dead, He is revealing that the patriarchs were resurrected already.

Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Matt 16:28 – 17:3

When Peter, James and John saw Jesus coming in His kingdom (commonly referred to as transfiguration), we can see Moses and Elijah were already resurrected and speaking with Him. Hence, resurrection is not a future event, but rather, it happens as soon as we die.

For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son

John 5:21-22

It is important to note that, even before Jesus died on the cross, the Father can raise whom He wants from the dead and give life. In other words, resurrection of the dead, can be done by both the Father and the Son. We just saw how the patriarchs, Moses and Elijah (to name a few) were resurrected by the Father.

Resurrection is a continuous event

Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11:24-26

Just like most of us, Martha had the understanding that the resurrection is at the last day. Jesus however, corrects her saying, it is a continuous event. If we believe in Jesus and had done good, we will be resurrected instantly and will never die. Hence, resurrection of the dead is a continuous event which happens immediately after everyone dies. It is not a future event.

Immediate Judgment for those who are dead

Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

John 5:25-29

When Jesus was referring to judgment for the resurrection of the dead, He is clearly referring to a present time by saying 'now is' as if it is very close and not a far distant future. Here Jesus seems to be mentioning the authority He had received to resurrect and judge.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Matt 27:50-53

Gospels also record an immediate resurrection of the dead as mentioned by Jesus when He died on the cross.

Final judgment for those who were living

Matt 16:27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Matt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Matt 24:30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mark 13:26-27 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Jesus also mentions a final judgment but when He comes in the clouds, there was no resurrection mentioned but judgment only to those who live on this world at that time.

Conclusion

It is a general Christian understanding that Jesus Christ will come again at the last day to judge the world. But they often miss out what Jesus spoke about an immediate resurrection and judgment for those die before His second coming. We must also keep in mind that the Father has been resurrecting saints all throughout the history of this world. With what Jesus revealed about the resurrection of the dead as a foundation, we need to look at Scriptures and the book of Revelation.

#  Statement of Faith

Being a Protestant Christian, it is easy for me to simply say, I believe the Bible. But, there are lots of different interpretations of the Bible and several deceptions without sound doctrine which created thousands of denominations. Hence, I had put forward a Circle of Discernment to discern every interpretation from the Bible to avoid deceptions.

Source: File: Circle-of-Discernment.png - trumpet-call.org

Circle of Discernment is another way of saying, all interpretations must match God's spoken words, Christ's teachings, Scripture (Law, Psalms and Prophets) and the teachings of apostles and disciples in the authoritative order. If you cannot find the conclusion of your interpretation taught by Christ, or found in Scripture, or spoken by God in the authoritative order, then your interpretation is wrong. Similarly, if you interpret Scripture that does not agree with Christ, then your interpretation is wrong.

Christ did not gave anyone authority to change His canon of Scripture (Luke 24:44-45). He included only 28 books from the Christian Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Psalms. Just like there are weightier matters of the law (Matt 23:23), Gospels and Revelation are the weightier books in the New Testament. We need to listen and obey Christ's teachings for which Father will require of all who reject His Words spoken through His Son (Deut 18:19). It is blasphemy to exalt and glorify a man's letter and make it equal with Christ's words.

# About the Author

Felix Immanuel is a born-again Christian, trying to live a Christ-like life. He is a software professional who write blogs in Trumpet-Call.org focused on the spiritual growth of Christians. God had blessed him with his wife and three children. He currently lives in Canberra, Australia.
