DOCTRINES
The truth is divided into four departments: Doctrines, Instructions, Judgment, and Divine Promises. The articles here talk about Doctrines
If the truth were to be a furnished house, the doctrines would be the walls and the roof. They are the cardinal parts of the truth; the essentials to understanding the purpose of God, and man's place in it.
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
Jesus Christ is the beloved son of God. He was created by God generously wanting to give life to someone else, and that person is who we know as Jesus Christ. “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5:26). And it was through him that all other things were created. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3 - see also Colosians 1:15-17, Ephesians 3:9 and Revelation 3:14).
Jesus Christ was a chief angel of God. He would come down to this world from time to time to talk to certain people, like a messenger. Examples of when he’d done things on earth are in Genesis 18:1-33 and Daniel 3:24-28.
What made Jesus Christ so important was the ransom sacrifice he made for our sins. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). He gave his life for all of mankind. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10 - see also Isaiah 53:3-12, Hebrews 2:9, 14-15, 9:1-28 and John 15:13).
The Bible makes us know that he was rewarded immensely as a result of his work. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11). God rewarded him with many rights.
Jesus Christ has also been crowned by God as Head and King of his glorious government. “The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.” (Psalms 21:1-3 - see also Psalms 110:2, Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:1 and Revelation 19:11-21).
Now that Jesus Christ is a very big person in this world, it is important that we understand that he is the mediator between God and men. (1 Timothy 2:5-6.) “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). Therefore, we must live through him, and believe in his word. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
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In Luke 17:12-19, ten lepers saw Jesus Christ and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Traditions were that when you had leprosy, you had to go visit the priest, and various procedures would take place (Leviticus 14:2-32). People with leprosy were unclean and unholy, and had to be separated from the rest of the society (Leviticus 13:45-46).
When Jesus Christ had told them to go to the priest, the ten lepers obeyed. However, as they went, they realized that they were healed. Nine of the men decided to continue anyway, but one of them didn’t. He thanked God and glorified him, before going back to Jesus Christ to thank and praise him as well. This man was a Samaritan. He was the one man that actually showed gratitude for the healing, meaning he didn’t believe in the sickness, but earnestly wanted it gone.
The leprosy of these ten men represents the leprosy of this world. We are leprous because we are unholy and unclean to God. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6 - see also Isaiah 1:4, 6). When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed us with death (Genesis 3:16-19, Job 14:4), and the sins that we started committing are the wounds and sores that leprosy is composed of (Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 1:28-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 4:17-32). The Israelites were infested with such things because they were a very disobedient people, and they had killed the people who would’ve helped cleanse them of such things (Jeremiah 8:22, 30:12, etc). And in these last days, there are people who will not want to listen to the truth, and their wounds will remain with them (Revelation 9:20-21, 16:10-11).
Speaking of the truth, the truth has been described as something that is capable of cleansing our sins, when understood and practiced (Ephesians 5:26). The leprosy of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 was healed because he obeyed Elijah’s instructions. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the infirmities in our lives can be changed, and we become new people, walking in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20.
The one guy who came back to Jesus to thank him for it are the people who actually use the truth to full potential, by using it to change their lives and cleanse themselves of their iniquities, and through that celebrating the grace that they had to come and know the truth (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Israelites at the time had thanked God with the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 12:13), which is still kept in some places in the Israeli nation. And true righteous ones of God also keep the festival, not physically, but by living God’s life out and celebrating God’s feats in their hearts.
The other nine lepers represent the ones that felt entitled to healing, and, to an extent, even believed in the healing. The 1 leper who came back didn’t like the leprosy, but the other nine didn’t mind. And such people will never be rescued by the truth in our period, because their iniquities make them joyful..
It’s very important that we understand the significance of the story of the Ten lepers in Luke 17:12-19). God has said that he will heal the wounds of this world, so that righteousness will prevail (Deuteronomy 32:30, Jeremiah 30:17). “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3).
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WHAT IS MAN?
Man is the creation of God. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27). Our main goal is to fear God, and keep his commands, because it is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21).
God created man perfect (Genesis 1:31, Ecclesiastes 7:29), but we fell, and came short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10-12, 23) because we sinned against God. In Genesis 2:15-17, God told Adam and Eve that they could eat anything but the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a self-explanatory and straightforward order. However, Satan through his own instruction at them, and even though the consequences for disobeying God were clear, they still went ahead and did it (Genesis 3:1-6), and then they were sentenced to death (Genesis 3:16-19, Romans 6:23).
Something important that must be understood is that we are vanity to God. “If thou sinnes5, what doest thou against him? Or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what recevieth he of thine hand?” (Job 35:6-7). God doesn’t need us to survive. God proved that to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:34-35) to Herod (Acts 12:21-23) and many other people. Therefore, we shouldn’t be putting our trust in people who are nothing before God, but God and his son Jesus Christ (Psalms 146:3-4). To God, our lives are like a breath, because he lives from everlasting to everlasting (Job 5:6-7, 14:1-2, Psalms 8:3-4, 144:3-4, 90:2, 93:2, Jeremiah 17:5-6, 7-8, 5-6, etc).
Because we need God in order to survive, we need to put our trust in his hands (Psalms 36:7-9, 39:3-8). God promised eternal life to people who obey him, and keep his commandments. If we want such rewards, we must humble ourselves before God. God exalts people who humble themselves before him, and humiliates people who exalt themselves above who they really are (Ezekiel 21:26, Isaiah 24:1-7, Luke 14:11, Isaiah 57:15, Psalms 25:9, etc).
It is important we understand what man is. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
THE LAMB OF GOD
The Lamb of God is no other person than Jesus Christ. John the apostle, when he saw Jesus, said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). He came down to this world to give his life as a ranson. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life, a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28).
The reason why a lamb is used to represent Jesus is because lambs (and also goats) were used to atone for the people of Israel. In Leviticus 16:6-11,16-17,21-22, 33-34, 23:26-32 and Numbers 29:7-11, it describes the idea. There would be a scapegoat, and the High Priest would confess the sins of all the nation of Israel, including him, on the head of that goat. Then, a man would be chosen to lead the goat out to the wilderness, where the goat would never be seen again.
The sin that Jesus Christ came to die for is the sin that Adam and Eve had committed in Genesis 3:1-6. The punishments that God said would come upon them if they disobeyed in Genesis 2:16-17 ended up happening in Genesis 3:16-19. And, they being the two first humans on the earth, gave birth to everybody else, causing the death sentence to continue on (Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12-19, 6:23, James 1:15, etc). And for the sin that we committed to be replaced, a perfect life was required. “And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go fore life, eye for eye tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot of foot.” (Deuteronomy 19:21 - see also Exodus 21:22-25). Jesus Christ hadn’t sinned, so he was qualified to pay the ransom sacrifice. “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22).
Then, another factor is blood. Traditions were that atonement had to be done with blood. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22 - see also Leviticus 17:11). Therefore, Jesus Christ was being the propitiation of our sins. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to the propitiation of our sins.” (1 John 4:10 - see also 1 John 1:7, 2:2 and Romans 3:25).
And for such reasons, the ransom sacrifice ended up happening in Matthew 26-27 (also in Mark 14:43-15:47 / Luke 22:47-23:56 / John 18-19). There was a lot of pain that Jesus Christ had to go through, because the Pharisees and their gang of supporters were mocking Jesus Christ, by putting a crown of thorns on his head, and sarcastically calling him a king. It was a lot to go through. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Saviour Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:10 - read it from verse 3 to 12 for more details).
And when Jesus Christ resurrected, and spent some time with his disciples, he went back up to heaven, and God accepted the ransom sacrifice. It was a sacrifice that was made once and for all (Hebrews 10:1-14). And God rewarded him for it. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).
It is only through Jesus Christ that we can worship God. “I am the way, the truth, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6.) He is the only mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5-6.) Therefore, any man that believes truthfully in Jesus Christ, and does the things that Jesus Christ instructs them to do, they will be saved (John 6:47, 3:36).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
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WHO ARE THE SAINTS?
A saint is an ordained or anointed priest of God. Priest, in this case, means ministry, because they are leaders in the Kingdom of God. However, some people confuse this, thinking that humans can ordain saints, or that it isn’t only the saints that will be going to heaven. Are these things scripturally based? Let’s find out now!`
The Bible has made it clear that saints are ordained ones of God, because they are known before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29). They are not taught the things of God by man, but it is sent by God himself (1 John 2:27, 1 Corinthians 2:1, 4, 13, etc. For example, St.Paul was called by God himself, when the light was shown, and the Holy Spirit was sent to him. (Acts 9:1-19). Same goes with Jeremiah, who was already chosen before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5).
In this earth, the job of the saints is to dispense the message (Matthew 24:31, 14), referred to as the gospel of peace (Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7, Ephesians 6:15, etc). God said that there would be people that would feed the righteous ones of God with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15). “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29).
Because the saints teach the truth, they have to be persecuted. They teach righteousness, and the world isn’t in support of that (we can understand this through the story of Job, in Job 1-2, and also reading Psalms 59:1-4 and Isaiah 53:1-12). As a result, they have to be persecuted. However, the saints are surprised, and neither are they fearful. Rather, they rejoice, because it is a good indicator that they are doing the right thing (Matthew 5:10-12, Acts 5:41-42, etc). And Christians should be no different.
As a result of their persecution, God promised them that they would be rewarded in heaven, since they would become spirits (John 14:1-3, Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, etc). However, some people take this to mean that they will be going to heaven as well. We can understand the separation through the Levites, because the Levites had separate lands, and didn’t share very much with the other 11 tribes of Israel (Numbers 8:14, 3:12). As a result, they were distinct from the other tribes, because they helped the High Priest, and generally took part in the Levitical laws. Similarly, the saints have a separate reward for the works that they did.
It is important that we understand the saints, and what their inheritance is. They, and Jesus Christ, lead us, and when we are righteous before God, we are one with them, because we have unity of purpose (John 17:20-26).
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HOW THE SPIRITS WORK AMONG MEN
Though the world is advancing out of the concept of spirituality, and the idea of having invisible heads above us, such an idea hasn't completely weeded itself out of society. However, if we believe that spirits exist in this world, how do we know where they operate? How do we know where and when God is operating, and where and when Satan is operating, among human civilization? Well, this article well explain how.
First of all, the way to know when both Satan and God are working in the same space, which usually happens, in fulfilling of the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30), is by the divisions that they make. Jesus Christ and others in the Bible had spoken of such divisions. “Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matthew 24:41). “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.” (Luke 11:23). Jesus Christ wouldn’t be talking about people gathering and scattering if they weren’t people controlled by Satan the Devil to be scattered.
We can understand this division by the story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13:27-33, and then chapter 14. If God were to be the only one dealing with the Israelites, the spies would’ve all agreed that the land was good to occupy. This kind of enthusiasm, excitement and interest in God’s work is also understood with the story of Lydia in Acts 16:14-16 and the story of David in 1 Samuel 17:1-58.
However, because Satan was operating ten of them, they decided to give another report, a report of weakness, and of fear, considering the giants of Anak that were living and guarding Canaan at the time. This idea of negativity, and not giving support when needed, is a good way to know when Satan the Devil has come in. Because of what they did, it caused the Israelites to rebel, and for God to sentence everybody who had left Egypt over twenty to death.
We have to understand the fact that Satan the Devil and his will is sold to people like candy. In Genesis 3:1-6, he came to Eve and sold his will of rebellion, unlimited freedom and humanism to her, and she accepted it. God also sells his stuff to people like this, but there’s a difference. Satan’s wills are very cheap, because they aren’t very effective, and whatever few effects they have are temporary. God’s will is expensive to buy, because, unlike the ways of Satan the Devil, it is pricy, and narrow, seen by the saying of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 - the narrow road to salvation, and with the parables of the hidden treasure and the pricy pearls (Matthew 13:44-46). It is like this because iniquity is prohibited, including people who we might have had as friends who do so (1 Corinthians 5:11, 2:6:14-18, Galatians 5:19-21 - the sins that have to be removed).
God has promised us that the divisions of humans from the influence of Satan the Devil is going to end. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:15).
This principle was also used by Jesus Christ to divide the Jews, by collecting some of the Pharisees's believers with his teachings, and eventually taking over the entire congregation of people that the Pharisee were presiding over, and God said that he is going to do the same in the last days. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” (Isaiah 10:20).
We have to know where Satan the Devil might be coming to make a strike at us. We should be aware of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). He can use anything from friends, wives to wives to children to destroy our faith, but with the wisdom of God, which is something we should ask for if we don't have (James 1:5), we can be as wise as serpents, and as harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16), and cancel out anybody who is trying to steal our faith away from us (1 Corinthians 5:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, etc), and only let our hearts be controlled by God. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).
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THE CONCEPT OF BAPTISM
Many people have recognized the Bible as a reliable and remarkable gift from God. Abraham Lincoln even said, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.” The Bible itself has expressed the fact that, because God created us (Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 43:21, etc), we need his wisdom in order to excel spiritually (Proverbs 19:2, Psalms 49:20), like how you need physical understanding of science, math, etc, to get a job, and build a life for yourself.
The Bible was inspired of God, and as a result, it is perfect for solving many of the problems that we might be having in this world (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21). It is the truth, taught and personified by Jesus Christ (John 1:17, 14:6, etc). This is why Moses advised the Israelites at the time that they should keep the commandments of God (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). It is superior to worldly wisdom (James 3:13-17), and for such reasons, we should invest in that (Proverbs 23:2)
God has promised that the wisdom of this world is going to be proven worthless, and that wisdom isn’t wisdom without him. “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:19-20 - see also 1 Corinthians 3:18-20, Jeremiah 8:8-9, 6:15, 19, Isaiah 8:9-10 and Isaiah 29:14).
There are many people in the Bible who had the wisdom of God. For example, King Solomon, when requesting for wisdom in 1 Kings 3:5-15, had gotten so much that he could judge any situation, righteously and in truth, like he’d done in the next 15 verses of 1 Kings 3, from verses 16-30).
When we have a good understanding of the Bible, our enemies can’t catch us, because we understand them, and their ways of living. David the Psalmist understood his enemies, and how they worked, which is why he said, “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.” (Psalms 119:98-100). Jesus Christ understood humanity as well, which is why he didn’t need anybody to explain the way humanity worked to him (John 2:24-25). It is at that point that we can use the resources in this world to enhance the relationship that we have with God (Luke 16:9).
Also, the traps and snares that Jesus Christ has set up to trap and clutch Satan’s institutions can’t be avoided except if we have a good understanding of the Bible (Luke 21:34-36). Then, we become like the grass of the earth, clean and fertilized, that won’t be affected by what is happening (Revelation 9:4).
It is important that the Bible becomes like the back of our hand, otherwise it will be difficult to use it to live our lives. The ability to understand the Bible is worth boasting about (Jeremiah 9:23-24), because few people have such opportunities. And if we have it, we must stick with it, otherwise it’s like a dog returning to his own vomit (2 Peter 2:20-22). It gives us great reward in the end (Psalms 19:11). “For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12).
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THE EXCELLENCY OF BIBLE KNOWLEDGE
Baptism as a practice originated in John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. He was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, the person who prepared the way (Luke 1:13-17). He was called John the Baptist because he baptised many people (Matthew 3:1). And from then on, it became a very popular practice, mandated by all Christians.
Now, even though the physical practice of submerging somebody in water (immersion), and then being brought back out, is seen as cleansing all the sins you have, the question comes: Why was Christ baptised? This means that it isn’t the physical baptism that actually cures the sins, otherwise Christ wouldn’t have been baptised. “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22). Therefore, when he was baptised (Matthew 3:16-17), it was an outward show, to foreshadow the spiritual meaning (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11).
There are also some practices that people have set up based on baptism that are not scripturally based. For example, some people have changed the physical submerging to sprinkling of water, rather to speed up the process or so that you can do it in other places other than rivers. It is not scripturally based, because it is a complete submergence that can even be symbolic for the spiritual baptism (Colossians 2:12), having to do with completely changing your ways to Christ.
There is also infant baptism which is very popular. Infant baptism isn’t scripturally based as well because baptism is for people who have already come to hear about the truth, and believed in it. Infants can’t believe, obviously, and therefore baptising them doesn’t make sense at all. Everybody that was baptised in the Bible were adults (Acts 10:47, 16:15, 32-34). When the apostles would want families to be baptised, it was referring to the adults, not the children. And some people back it up with Matthew 19:13-15, or Matthew 18:1-4), where Jesus Christ was telling the disciples not to reject children. This was the spiritual sense, because it is such ones that will inherit the kingdom of God (check this video out to understand why: https://youtu.be/eXYLuvfDcXw).
The spiritual baptism has to do with our true and total repentance to God and his laws, becoming new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15, Romans 6:4, etc). The truth of God washes us clean (Isaiah 1:16, Ephesians 5:26, etc). And people who reject this spiritual baptism will not be saved (Mark 16:16, Revelation 9:20-21 and Revelation 16:10-11). We have to first of all acknowledge the fact that we are sinners (Psalms 51:5, Romans 3:10-23, et), before we can repent of them. And it is a complete change of our ways that is true repentance. The Israelites continually repented, but going back to iniquity afterwards. They weren’t spiritually baptised. They’d even hide it with excuses “but we are as the dust!’ (Psalms 103:14-16). Rather, we should acknowledge who we are in God’s eyes (lepers, even - check this video to understand why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meRfmK2xd0E&t=581s), and learn the truth so that we can be perfect before his eyes (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
It's also worth mentioning what it means to baptise others. Jesus Christ, before becoming the invisible spirit, had told his disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19). Now, the apostles didn't continuously baptize everybody they taught. Meaning, it is giving the chance for others to repent by teaching them the truth. They have taught the truth to thousands (Acts 2:41, 4;4, etc).
It is very important that we understand the concept behind baptism, and what the physical submergence of water means. St.Peter had advised us on the spiritual baptism, saying, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21).
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THE ACT OF GOD
There are three acts we need to know about - an act of God, an act of Satan, and an act of ourselves. God doesn't cause various misfortunes that may come upon our lives. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” (James 1:13).
Satan the Devil is the cause of the confusion and calamities that come upon us in the last days. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8. He doesn’t warn us before doing things; therefore, we can’t predict when he comes. But that doesn’t mean we can’t avoid him. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” - (James 4:7).
An act of ourselves is based on free-will. God gave us free will, to see who his real children were. Forced service, or robots, isn’t what he wanted. He wanted true, voluntary service. And God allows certain things to happen for him to confirm that (James 1:2-4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Zechariah 13:8-9, etc).
But, what is an act of God? An act of God always comes with warnings. “Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.” - (Proverbs 17:26). But, that always comes with something else - we can’t reverse his wrath. (Proverbs 1:24-30) And God warned his children that he’d be angry in these last days (Zephaniah 1:14-18, Isaiah 26:20-21, etc). “For the LORD shall rise as in Mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” - (Isaiah 28:21).
For example, God used Noah to warn people of what was going to happen (2 Peter 2:5). But nobody took the warning, and when the flood came, and the door was shut, it was too late. Nobody could convince God to open the door. God’s wrath can’t be reversed.
There’s also the story of Lot, and how people didn’t listen to Lot’s warnings, until God came and rained fire from heaven (Genesis 19: 1-30). Moses had warned Pharaoh, but he didn’t accept, causing the ten plagues to happen (Exodus 7-11). And many other examples. But, like Isaiah 28:21, in these last days, God has given warnings to us, through the Bible and the saints, the pressmen of God. ( Matthew 24:31- 14, Isaiah 52:17, Joel 2:28-29, etc). If we listen to the warnings, we’ll be saved by God. But if we refuse to listen, make light of it (Matthew 22:4-7), we will be overtaken by events, and God won’t do anything about that. We have to be careful, be watchful (Luke 21:34-36), and know the difference between an act of God, Satan the Devil, and even ourselves, because many people pray to God for deliverance, when they cooked the situation for themselves, and they are reaping what they sow (Galatians 6:7-8, Job 4:8, Proverbs 22:8, Lamentations 3:39,40, Jeremiah 30:15, etc).
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THE LORD'S PRAYER
When a disciple had asked Jesus Christ, “Teach Us to Pray”, Jesus Christ had answered him by stating, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4).
Now, we’ll explain each part:
“Our Father, who art in heaven”. This isn’t different from when you come to a king when making a request, and saying, “Majesty”, or, “Your Highness” (Esther 7:1-2). God is also our Father, the creator of all living creatures (Genesis 1, Acts 17:24-28, Revelation 4:11), and he does live in heaven, both in the abode kind of sense (Psalms 11:4, 115:16), and in the authoritative sense (Isaiah 57:15, Psalms 87:1, etc).
The next part is, “Hallowed be thy name”. This is the most important part of the prayer, because it is, in fact, a summarization of the rest. His name being hallowed is the hope of all Christians, because his name being hallowed, or glorified, means the victory of his righteous ones, and the destruction of the wicked. (1 Samuel 2:30, Psalms 2:4, 37:13, Proverbs 1:24-30, etc). A small version of this had taken place in the time of the Israelites (Exodus 9:16). “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.” (Psalms 111:9).
The next part is, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” The reason why praying for the Kingdom of God and his will being done here as it has been done in heaven is important is because it’s what Christians hope for - a place with no hypocrisy, wickedness and ignorance - is going to be achieved with that kingdom. The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 was told to help understand this. The request of the saints who had worked for God in Revelation 6:9-10 was for that. The desire of all nations is that (Haggai 2:6-7).
After that, there is, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The Bible tells us that this doesn’t necessarily refer to our physical food, because God can take care of that (Matthew 6:25-33, Psalms 84:11). It is the spiritual bread, or the word of God personified by Jesus Christ himself (John 6:51), which people can’t live spiritually without (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:2-3, Job 23:12, Matthew 16:6-12). This is why we were advised to assemble for spiritual services to have such a prayer answered in our lives (Hebrews 10:24-25). The importance of the spiritual daily bread also explains why King Solomon prayed for it in 1 Kings 3:3-15). All other problems will be solved with that.
The next part of the prayer is, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” It’s very important we understand the fact that God cannot forgive somebody who isn’t grateful shown by his inability to forgive others (Matthew 18:21-35). When we forgive people who transgress against us when they ask for forgiveness, we are showing gratitude and love, and that’s why God said he’ll forgive us of our big debt, our frailties from sin (Psalms 130:3-4, 103:8-14).
And finally, there is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” There was a mistranslation in the text, because God does not lead us into temptation (James 1:13). However, when our lusts bring us into temptations (James 1:14), or when temptations are shoved at us by Satan the Devil (Matthew 18:7, Luke 17, and we suffer/fall, God won’t leave us there (2 Peter 2:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 24:16). After all, David fell into temptation with Uriah’s wife in 2 Samuel 11, and though he suffered from 2 Samuel 13-19, he was restored, and was therefore delivered from evil. Jesus was delivered from the temptations by God giving him the strength to overcome them so that the mission could be finished successfully (Matthew 4:1-11).
This prayer of Jesus Christ is a good summarization of everything a righteous man would want, and what God would want from such ones. That’s why it’s all sufficient. The idea of it being all-sufficient can be understood with the story of the Israelites, once again. People could’ve been yearning for a dozen different things. However, people praying for God remembering his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis 15:13-14 was the answer to everything they’d wanted, and what God would want for the Israelites.
This is the importance and all-sufficiency of the Lord’s Prayer.
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FACTS ABOUT HEAVEN
Heaven can be defined in two ways: a place of abode, and authority. The Bible has described God’s estate as heaven. “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” (Psalms 115:16). “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.” {Psalms 11:4 - see also 2 Chronicles 20:6). This abode isn’t a billion miles away, but it is within the same space that we live in (Jeremiah 23:24 - see also 1 Kings 8:27). It’s just that, as a result of the power of the spirits, they aren’t physical, and don’t abide by physical rules (Luke 24:39, 1 Corinthians 15:44).
But, whether God lives here or 1,000,000 miles from here doesn’t mean much, because the second definition of heaven will still prevail: authority, and high. Heaven, meaning high and authority, rule over the earth, people that are low.
The Bible has expressed the authority that God has over this world. For example, in Isaiah 14:27, it states, “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (see also Isaiah 55:8-11 and Proverbs 21:1). He controls both the wicked and the righteous, and uses them for the plans that he has (Proverbs 21:1). Nothing can escape him (Psalms 2:4, Proverbs 1:24-30).
As a result of this fact, nobody can be considered, “in heaven”, unless God approves, meaning that nobody can rule this world or exercise power except God approves of it. For example, in Exodus 9:16, concerning Pharoah, he’d stated, “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16 - see also Romans 9:17). God raised him up so that, when the plagues would come and bring him down (Exodus 7-11), people would know who really rules this world.
Another example is King Nebuchadnezzar, who was raised up by God, being his servant, to do his work by bringing the Israelites into exile as punishment for their sins (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:5-11, Jeremiah 43:10, etc). God punished him as well for thinking that he was the one who acquired all that power (Daniel 4:30-37), because it is God who controls the heavens. “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”. (Psalms 75:7 - see also 1 Samuel 2:8). Anybody who attempts to bring himself higher than God permits is going to be abased (Ezekiel 21:26, Luke 14:11, Matthew 23:12, Job 20:5-7, etc).
And, because of God’s control of the heavens, he has prophesied that he is going to be shaking the heavens in these last days (Isaiah 13:13, Jeremiah 10:10, Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:25-26, etc), because the people that have been ruling this world have been taking all the power and glory ty to themselves. “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:6-7). God is making sure that the leaders of this world won’t have value for spiritual statutes, and that will make them useless, both for God and the people that they are ruling (Isaiah 34:12).
Another thing that should be considered is when the Bible talks about things coming from heaven. New Jerusalem, or God’s Kingdom, is one of such things (Revelation 3:12, 4:1-11, 21:1-27). This doesn’t mean that it is going to be some physical thing that we will see (Luke 17:20-21), but we are seeing the hearts of people starting to change, in favour of what God is doing. God has sent out the truth, and will judge the world based on it (John 12:48, Psalms 96:1-13). People who accept it will be in God’s Kingdom Fold, and people who reject it will be in Satan’s Fold, which will be destroyed (Revelation 19:11-21, Genesis 3:15, etc).
It’s very important that we understand what heaven means, so that we don’t think that we are going to be going there except we are anointed to do so (Matthew 5:5, Psalms 37:9, 11). Rather. We should understand it as authority, which we must also exercise with the people that are around us, depending on what situation it is (1 Corinthians 11:3). God said that he will be dwelling with people who obey him. This dwelling is spiritual, not physical, and you can check out the article, “Dwelling in God’s Estate”, to understand that idea better: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15).
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SATAN 101: AN INTRO TO LUCIFER
Satan the Devil was a very valued angel of God, and a morning star (Job 38:7). He was somebody of joy, and spiced things up (Ezekiel 27:3-26). However, he became proud and puffed-up, and eventually rebelled against God (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Satan the Devil has an assortment of names. For example, he is the, “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), Belial (2 Corinthians 6:15 - Beliah means, “good for nothing” {see Deuteronomy 13:13 and 1 Kings 21:10, 13}) the prince of this world and of the devils (John 12:31, 14:30, Mark 3:22-23), Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2) and some others.
Somebody who was like Satan the Devil was Esau. Esau was supposed to be a normal person, but Satan interferred with him. The relationship that he had with Jacob is the same kind of relationship that Satan the Devil had with Jesus Christ. Esau was a foolish man, because, “for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” (Hebrews 12:16-17) Esau lost the blessings that he could have as the firstborn, and when it was time to have the blessing, it was given to the younger, Jacob. And though Esau wanted to kill Jacob, it failed.
Now, Satan the Devil isn’t older than Jesus, but there were eternal blessings that he could’ve inherited from God, but he went his own way, contrary to God’s laws and principles, and lost all those blessings. And neither is it that Satan failed to kill Jesus. He did kill Jesus on this earth, with the help of the Pharisees and their gang, but his main goal was to distort and jeopardize the plans, but it failed, because Jesus Christ defeated the devil, and death (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14-15, etc). “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:18).
The reason why we call Satan the Devil a very wicked man is because a wicked person is somebody who opposes God’s will, rather ignorantly or deliberately, but people who do it deliberately are more wicked. Satan the Devil directly opposes God’s will, which is why temptations exist in this world (Matthew 18:7, Luke 17:1, James 1:13, 4:7, etc). He opposed God’s plan by interfering with God’s creation (Genesis 3:1-6) by tampering with Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 26-27), and other times.
Here are some examples of tools he uses to rule this world:
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Ignorance and deceit. “But if our gospel be hidden, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). He used the Pharisees, and they were blind (John 9:39-41, Luke 19:41-44, etc). "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). However, everybody will come and know his stupidity and foolishness in the end (Isaiah 14:16-17).
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Influence. The spirits, including Satan the Devil, influence us into doing things. “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1). He influenced the Pharisees, making them blind (John 9:39-31, John 8:44, etc). Satan the Devil also influenced Judas Iscariot, to betray and sell Jesus out to everybody (John 6:70). Even David, at a time, was influenced by Satan the Devil to count people in Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1).
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Craftiness. Satan the Devil is a very crafty person. Some of Jesus Christ’s parables help us to understand his craftiness. For example, in Matthew 21:33-46, the workers in the vineyard were crafty, because they wanted to take over the vineyard, and plotted against him, doing various clever things in order to steal the vineyard. Satan the Devil did that to Jesus Christ, but he gained victory over Satan, and he is going to be crushed by God.
Speaking of being crushed, the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty is going to be the ultimate defeat of Satan the Devil and all of his standing institutions. Jesus Christ has been crowned as King over God’s government (Psalms 21:1-3, 110:2, Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:1, Daniel 7:13-14, etc), and he is going to gain victory of Satan, his own mate (Revelation 12:1-12, 19:11-21). Nothing of Satan the Devil will stand any longer (Ezekiel 38:19-20). Nothing Satan the Devil does will stop that. “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” (Proverbs 11:21).
We have to learn from the idiocracy of Satan the Devil, and resist his temptations. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12). “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).
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THE LESSONS FROM JOB
The story of Job is a very famous story, and it’s mostly used by people to encourage others when their finances are down to stay strong because God can provide even more in the end. However, was the story saved just to give us hope on finances? Keep reading and find out!
One lesson we can learn from this story is the interaction and superiority of the spirits. The spirits in Job 1 were having some kind of assembly, clearly proving that, just as how a father will call his children together to discuss things, God might bring the spirits together to discuss something, or to get something done, or something else like that. It also explains how the spirits are superior to us, because we see how easy it was for them to just remove Job’s riches to make an experiment. They were even referred to as "morning stars" because of their power.
Another lesson we learn is that God has the complete right to take away. Some people think that God has no right to take what he has gifted, because, frankly, they don’t think it’s a gift. It’s an entitlement of the righteous (to them at least). However, righteous ones in the Bible had never thought so. Abraham, when having his son taken away, hadn’t rebelled, because of one thing: he knew the promise God made, and if God still wanted that to stand, he would simply provide another one. Job had known such things, too: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21). “For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.” (Job 5:18 - see also Psalms 75:7, 1 Samuel 2:7, Isaiah 45:7 and Deuteronomy 32:39).
Another thing we learn from that story is that our ends are always better than our beginnings. After all, Job himself had stated, “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” (Job 8:7). Job, according to Job 42:10-17, was gifted twice as much as he owned before and 140 extra years to enjoy it by God, the same person who allowed it to be taken away. Jesus Christ said that we get the same thing, but it’s not physical (Mark 10:28-30, Matthew 19:29). And this is used to understand Haggai 2:9, talking about the whole world: “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9).
One more thing we can learn from this story is the future of righteousness. Righteousness, or God's will, has been persecuted, ever since Satan sold evil to Adam and Eve and took over humanity (Genesis 3:1-6). Ever since then, anytime people want to bring the world back to righteousness, persecution has always followed (Psalms 59:1-4, Jeremiah 8:22). God’s people have always been held fast like the Israelites, under tight rule and bondage, physically and spiritually (Jeremiah 50:33-34). However, God said that he would appoint a day, which is now, when righteousness will be restored to its former position; ruling the world, without persecution. “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” (Isaiah 52:1-2 - see also Isaiah 60:1-3, 13, 13:12, Psalms 102:13-18 and Jeremiah 30:10). People who are righteous will shine, be honoured, respected and listened to (Matthew 13:43, Daniel 12:3, etc).
It is very important that we understand the story of Job, and the lessons we can learn from it. God was proud with Job and his behavior, and that's why God brought him to an even better condition. When God is proud of us for our humility, faith and patience, he can do good things for us. “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” (Proverbs 22:4). “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalms 149:4). “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.” (Isaiah 52:13).
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UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WARS AND BATTLES
A big part of the Bible has been about wars and battles, some minor but some brutal. Men like Joshua and David are well known in the Bible for the battles that they’d fought in God’s favour. However, we have to understand the purpose of God's battles, so that we can be aware that God, though being a peaceful and humble person (Job 33:27-28, John 3:16, etc), he is a man of war (Exodus 15:3).
Most battles that occur only happen for two purposes: battles can occur when a nation does something offensive to another nation, and that nation wants to react, or when one nation wants more land, and wants to conquer their surrounding lands to beef up the powers of the kingdom, both physically and economically.
There are many examples in the Bible of wars and battles that God has fought. For example, in Genesis 14:19-20, Abraham recruited 318 men and went to battle the King of Sodom and Gomorrah. With an army as small as his, he actually managed to defeated them. But, it wasn’t from their power. God had been in charge of the battle (Genesis 14:20).
Another example is with Joshua, because in Joshua 5:13-15, God sent an angel dressed in armour and with a sword to help Joshua know that this was God’s battle, and not Joshua’s. In Joshua 10, God made sure that the sun didn’t set until his battle was done, as he was the one fighting for the Israelites (Joshua 10:14).
There’s also David, another famous man of war. He defeated the remaining nations that Joshua hadn’t done yet, finishing it off with the conquering of the Jebusites in Jerusalem, and setting up the capital of his kingdom there. However, he always gave recognition to God, like in 2 Samuel 5:20: The LORD has broken through mine enemies, like a breakthrough of water.” (NKJV).
In these last days, God is fighting the biggest battle that he will ever fight, the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:14). This battle is against spirituality in these last days, and he is using the beast as his army (Joel 2:1-11, Revelation 17:16-17, 9:7, 9, etc). His battle axe is Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 51:20-23), and the saints are the pressmen that are telling people that a spiritual war is going on, and we have to take sides (Joshua 24:15). Every wall that is standing in these last days is going to fall (Ezekiel 38:19-20). Those walls are the ideas that have been controlling the world, and the principalities that have been ruling the world. Everything is going to be brought under the feet of Jesus Christ, the King and Commander of this war (Revelation 19:11-21, Isaiah 63:1-6, 9-14), so that it can be handed back to God, so that he will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).
However, God isn’t the only one battling against iniquity. We as righteous ones, at our own level, have to fight our own wars and battles. We have to conquer our hearts, and anything that might bring us out of the faith (Hebrews 12:1, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Ephesians 4:17-32, Romans 1:28-32, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, etc). Anybody who doesn’t believe in the faith isn't on our side, but is our enemy (Luke 14:26, 1 Corinthians 5:11). We should never be overcome with iniquity (Romans 12:21), but we should be as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1). We should be as harmless as doves, but as wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16).
It’s very important that we understand battles and wars in the spiritual sense. God may seem very kind, but we have to also understand his side of war, which is both ruthless and unchanged. “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalms 24:8).
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INTRODUCTION
The story of Joseph is one of the most popular stories in Genesis and in the whole Bible, but it isn’t just for entertainment. There are many things that we can learn from Joseph, his brothers, and the way God influenced the way the story turned out.
ENVY
From the very beginning of his story, in Genesis 37:4, Joseph was envied by his brothers. Their envy sprouted from the fact that Jacob loved him more than them, and it grew to such an extent that they (except for Reuben) wanted to kill Joseph, and if it wasn’t for Reuben, they would have killed him as soon as he arrived to check on them.
As we can see, envy is not a respectable emotion. It is the rottenness of bones (Proverbs 14:30), and it can lead to evil (James 3:16). In fact, envy itself is evil (Romans 1:28-32). Therefore, instead of being envious, we should rejoice when people rejoice (Romans 12:15, 1 Corinthians 12:26), because that will allow us to love our neighbours as ourselves (Galatians 5:14).
INTEGRITY
Next, Joseph displayed his integrity in Genesis 39, when he refused to commit fornication with Potiphar’s wife. He knew such an act would be against his principles and he stuck with them, and as Christians, we must all follow his example. If we develop integrity, it will guide us (Proverbs 11:3), and it is a requirement to enter God’s Kingdom (Psalms 15:1-2). Why is it so important? It is because the God we serve has integrity, according to Psalms 119:137. His integrity is what keeps us alive, according to Malachi 3:6
PROVIDENCE
Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in Genesis 45, and in verses 5-8, he told them not to worry about their guilt. After all, God had used their evil act to launch Joseph to the second highest position in Egypt, a position where he would end up saving his family from famine.
Joseph’s words to his brothers show us not only that God can use strange methods to achieve his purpose, but it also reveals that God is always there for his children. He caused the historical deluge to cease in Genesis 8:1 so that Noah and his family could reach dry land, and he brought his children back to their own land from exile in Ezra 1.
FORGIVENESS
Finally, at the end of Joseph’s story, in Genesis 50:15-21, Joseph’s brothers thought that Joseph would take advantage of their father’s death to get his revenge on them, so they pleaded with him to forgive them. However, Joseph told them that he didn’t harbor any grudges towards them: A, because vengeance belongs to God, not man (Romans 12:19); and B, because God had used their evil for good, so Joseph had no right to judge them for that.
Therefore, Joseph forgave his brothers for what they’d done, and we have to do the same when people ask for our own forgiveness (Luke 17:3-4). We are required to forgive others when they repent because God won’t forgive us otherwise (Matthew 6:14-15). This principle is described in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-34. In this parable, a lord forgave a servant of millions of dollars, but that same servant couldn’t forgive one of his own servants of only a few dollars, and when the lord found out about it, he sent the original servant to jail so that he could pay all the millions that he owed. In Matthew 18:35, Jesus summed up the parable by telling us that God will act like the lord in the parable if we refuse to forgive others.
PROPHECY
Now, the main theme of the story of Joseph is prophecy. Joseph made six prophecies in his story: he had two prophetic dreams in Genesis 37:5-9; he interpreted the dreams of two men while he was in prison in Genesis 40:12-19, and he predicted the famine that Egypt would suffer in Genesis 41:25-32. All those six prophecies came true, because they came from God, and messages from God always come true (Isaiah 55:10-11).
However, what’s even more striking about Joseph’s adventure is that it prophesied itself the life of Jesus. In John 7:2-5, Jesus wasn’t believed in by his brothers. In Matthew 4:1-11, he was tempted by Satan and he showed his integrity.
Plus, he forgave the sins of a woman in Simon’s house in Luke 7:48, he forgave a man with palsy of his sins in Matthew 9:2; he asked God to forgive even the people who wanted to kill him in Luke 23:34, and through his sacrifice, all Christians all over the world can be forgiven of their sins (Ephesians 1:3, 7) as long as they believe in Jesus and follow his commandments, as well as the commandments of God.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, Joseph’s story is like a documentary: it has a theme, a plot, and plenty of things to teach us. Unlike most documentaries, however, it has a deep spiritual meaning, so we must understand what the story is trying to tell us and use its lessons to improve our faith.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7PsjH_GR2U
JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS
IN PURSUIT OF TRUE WEALTH
The idea of true wealth started with Jesus Christ before being explained further by the apostles. For example, in Luke 16:11, Jesus had stated, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (see also Romans 11:33 and Ephesians 3:8).
We should understand, though, that God can give us physical riches. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22). “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.” (Proverbs 22:4). Physical riches are good because we live in a physical world. Plus, riches don't just buy you visible wealth; they give you power, influence and a sense of valuableness.
There are examples in the Bible of people who were rich. Abraham was very rich in cattle, silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). God gave Job the riches mentioned in Job 1:2, and the doubled version in Job 42:11-13. King Solomon was a very rich king as well (2 Chronicles 9:13-29).
However, these physical riches have been labelled vanity in the Bible, as they can be gotten in illegal ways (such as stealing), and physical riches, as much as you have, can’t ransom. “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.” (Psalms 49:6-9). Neither do riches make people better than others. “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.” (Proverbs 22:2 - see also Psalms 37:35-36).
However, the true riches that Jesus Christ and others talked about is the Kingdom of God and it's principles, listed in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The wisdom of God fits into this too, and it’s required to exercise those things (Joshua 1:8). Part of attaining these was done with the ransom sacrifice (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Those attributes are true riches because they don’t fit into the limitations of physical riches. These riches can’t be stolen by anybody when we secure them for ourselves (Matthew 13:44-46 - you can check out our article, “The Hidden Treasure”, as securing such riches was explained), and they don’t corrupt (Matthew 6:19-21). These can be achieved by the help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). Using money and other mortal resources is also an effective strategy, in the sense of spreading the gospel and other things with such resources (Luke 16:9 - see also Luke 18:18-26, as another strategy for attracting the true riches to us).
There are examples in the Bible who had sought true riches. In 1 Kings 3:3-15, King Solomon didn’t ask for the vain riches - money, lucre, etc - but the wisdom of God; true riches. People came to Jesus Christ and followed him because they wanted the true riches, ones that would let them inherit the Kingdom of God in the end (Matthew 11:25-26). Abraham wanted the true riches, which were God's promises to him in Genesis 12:1-3, explaining his obedience and patience (Hebrews 11:8-16).
The Pharisees, however, wanted physical riches and honour, which would be granted by their perception of a messiah (somebody with the riches and power to save them from the Romans). Jesus Christ brought true riches, though, as he came to save the world with such (Luke 19:10).
It is clear now what true riches are, and how we are in pursuit of them. When we pursue true riches, and we obtain it (1 Peter 3:11), then we are in the category of people talked about in Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
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THE SIGNS OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM
The disciples listened to Jesus talk about a kingdom a lot, but they wanted to know when it would come. “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).
It’s worth mentioning that there are many signs proving the coming and establishment of Christ’s kingdom; this article will review several.
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Globalization is a sign that Christ’s Kingdom has come. Jesus said that all nations would be gathered before him (Matthew 25:31-32). This has been done with social media (the whole world uses it), and other things. God wants the world to work as one, to share standards, to believe in the same things. And the world is gradually moving to be completely secular, all over the world. With that kind of system controlling the world, when God makes something occur that dismantles that system, the whole world will be affected and judged (2 Corinthians 5:10).
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The abomination of desolation is another sign of the time. Jesus Christ warned us of it in Matthew 24:!5-16). The abomination of desolation is the political system in this world which is God’s “whip” for spirituality, as it doesn’t represent what God wanted. The abomination of desolation does not regard God (that’s why it’s an “abomination”) and it takes apostate Christianity out under God’s control (Revelation 17:16-17). But, we must remember, the abomination of desolation itself will be taken out by Jesus Christ, too, because it’s wicked and doesn’t regard God (Revelation 19:11-21).
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Another sign of the time is that the heavens have been shaken. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29). The monarchical leadership that used to dominate the earth has now been replaced (through war) with a more liberal kind of hierarchy. And the Egyptians faced the same fate. The Pharaoh, the astrologers, prognosticators and magicians were the heavens in that time, but God shook them with the ten plagues, and the Israelites were set free (Exodus 7-12). They even went with much spoil. This was all in fulfilment of a promise from God to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14.
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Another sign of Christ’s Kingdom is that people and governments have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). The constitutions of various nations sprinkle Bible laws and traditions, like a prohibition of murder and theft (and these are from Exodus 20:13-17). However, they don’t honour or worship God. They take people to themselves, and not to God.
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The general society is included, too. Many people go to church, but they don’t seek after God’s will or honour Him. They deem it more important to pay more attention to worldly things than God’s plans. And the Israelites were like this, as they would perform the burnt offerings, celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and annually do the Day of Atonement, but mercy, faith and loyalty to God was not present in the land (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 23:23).
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Another sign of Christ’s Kingdom is that people love their own pleasures more than God (2 Timothy 3:4). 300 years ago, everything was about God. If a woman wanted to buy an expensive dress, it was for church. People were excited to go to church and attend Bible meetings. A big chunk of the money made was spent on that, and there was deep glory in it. But now, football and other sports seized such honours. This is a fulfillment of Philippians 2:21. “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.” And this is a sign of Christ’s Kingdom, because the abomination of desolation drives people to care more about worldly things than spiritual things.
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The fact that a great, spiritual famine is raging in our time is a sign of the time, too. And this is explained in Amos 8:11. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” The interest that people used to have in God has decreased dramatically (Matthew 24:12 - iniquity has decreased people’s love for God) to the point where people feel celebrate being secular (Revelation 11:10). This is a sign of Christ’s Kingdom because Jesus is controlling the abomination of desolation to do that to people, to eliminate Satanic Christianity.
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One more sign of the time is the abundance of false prophets. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (1 John 2:18). Jesus has come to take down Apostate Christianity (Revelation 19:11-21, 18:1-24), and Satan is using wealthy false prophets, who change their doctrines into smooth sayings to suit the ears of society (Isaiah 30:10, Jeremiah 23:17, 2 Timothy 4:3-4), to make Christianity still look appealing. False pastors also take advantage of this time of ignorance (people don’t know what’s going on, spiritually) to make as much money as possible, with clever snares (Jeremiah 5:26).
The signs of Christ’s Kingdom aren’t just things we know, though. We have to utilize such knowledge by rejecting the concepts from the abomination of desolation (enumerated in 2 Timothy 3:1-5), soberly and prayerfully, so that we can escape these things, and be judged by Jesus Christ as righteousness and worthy of eternal life (Romans 14:10-12). “”And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:34-36).
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SEEKING FOR THE TRUE JEW
Most of the Bible’s history is covered by Jews, and the covenant that they had with God at the time. To be a Jew meant you were a child of God, and to be a Gentile means you weren’t. At least, that’s what most people thought.
However, the New Testament brought a new idea, which wasn’t actually new, because it was the backbone of all the covenants and treaties that God had made with Israel at the time. But, we have to ask ourselves: “What does it really mean to be Jew?” Not all Jews were saved, after all, so then what makes a Jew a Jew?
Well, this idea of classification had commenced in our time. In the Old Testament, for example, Abraham had been praying to God for a son, and when he had Ishmael from Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, Abraham thought that this was going to be the special son that he was promised. However, God said that that’s not the son, because it didn’t come from Abraham’s lineage (Genesis 17:20-21). And St. Paul later came to explain in Romans 9:6-8 that the true Jew would come from Abraham, not from the bowels of a slave, having to do with a true Jew coming from a certain formula, not just from anywhere.
The proportion of true Jews from the spirit and Jews from the flesh is also very small, because true Jews are a minority compared to ones in the flesh. Out of the millions of people who had left Egypt at the time (Numbers 1:45-45, which wasn’t including women, children or seniors, it was only Moses, Joshua and Caleb that God really recognized as true Jews (Numbers 12:3, 14:24, 32:10-12). Abiram, Dathan, Korah and the 250 princes wanted to pretend that they were in that category, but they weren’t, because they were people of rebellion, like Satan the Devil (Isaiah 14:12-15, Numbers 16:1-50, for their story).
In the New Testament as well, people who were true Jews were expressed. When the apostles were preaching, there were people that who were pricked in their hearts (Acts 2:37, 41, 4:4, etc). Those people were called by God. That’s why, in that Acts 2:37, when God touched their hearts, they received the message with open arms.
In these last days as well, true Jews are going to be sought out by God. They are the ones that will recognize the significant and yet unique message of God, and follow its directions (Matthew 24:15-16, Hosea 11:10). The people that fit the new covenant explained in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:8-12 will not be forced to worship God, but will hear the gospel message, know it’s the truth, and humble themselves to follow it to the end. Such people can come from any country, race, gender, in the world, because God calls who he wants, whether poor or rich (Matthew 11:25-26).
It’s also important to understand that the signature of the covenant made with the Israelites, which is circumcision, can only be done in full by him that is a true Jew, because the physical circumcision doesn’t really mean anything (Galatians 6:12-16, 1 Corinthians 7:19)It is the circumcision of the heart, that is important (Jeremiah 4:4, Deuteronomy 10:16), because that is what gets rid of the evil, and inclines our hearts with God’s.
When we understand this, when we see what St.Paul said in Romans 2:28-29, it makes more sense: “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise of not of men, but of God.”
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THE POWER OF PRAYER
Prayer is a solemn petition or request that we make to God. God is somebody who can answer our prayers, which is why it’s good to be, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6).
There are many examples in the Bible of people who prayed to God, and their prayers were answered, and sometimes, some big things had to happen in order for those things to come to pass. For example, in 1 Samuel 1:9-20, Hannah, who had been yearning for a son for a long time, continuously prayed to God for one, one day, when she was praying, Eli the priest saw her, and noticed that, though Hanna’s mouth was moving, there was no sound coming out. He thought she was drunk, but in reality, she was praying to God. And she’d made a vow that, if God answered her prayer, the son would be devoted to the priesthood.
God indeed answered the prayer, and Hannah named her son as a result, and it’s also worth noting that many people make vows, but don’t keep them. They expect to answer a prayer, but the answer to that prayer isn’t even in line with his will at all. When we pray to God, we can only expect an answer we’ll benefit from if we pray according to the laws and principles that he also already set up.
Another example is King Hezekiah, in Isaiah 36-38. He’d prayed for two different things in these three chapters. In Isaiah 36-37, King Sennacherib in his letter had been threatening to take over Israel, like the other lands beside them. King Hezekiah trusted God, and prayed that what King Sennacherib was saying (that God couldn’t save them, but he could) wouldn’t happen, because it was going against God’s will for Israel. And when God heard the prayer of Hezekiah, very soon after, he sent an angel to take the lives of 185,ooo soldiers! Even if that wasn’t all of his soldiers, it sent him the message, as the camp was filled with dead bodies. But it didn’t stop there. When he returned to his own land, and was worshipping, his sons killed him. God can do many things to answer the prayers of his righteous.
But these are only shadows of the prayer that Jesus Christ had taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-10. “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (see also Luke 11:2-4). Jesus Christ taught us this prayer 2000 years ago, and even though in human perspectives, that’s a very long time, to God, it isn’t much. But he still answered the prayer because of the saints and the worshippers of God who prayed that prayer. In Revelation 6:9-10, it talked about the saints praying this prayer: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that well on the earth?” (Revelation 6:9-10). God then decided that he should establish his Kingdom, which was why he did in World War 1, and brought freedom for all as a result.
The amount of things that had to happen for that prayer to be answered is extraordinary. Historians would know that. Millions of people died, the idea of autocracy collapsed, and people’s minds started changing. It’s like the Industrial Revolution, but it’s a revolution of people’s mindsets and general reasoning. People think about others more, and no more about themselves. And there are many other signs, all apart from answering the prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come”.
And the rest of the prayer is being fulfilled as well. “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Heaven has already been cleansed of all iniquity, and it’s only the Earth that Jesus Christ is now working on. It will be very obvious when the work is complete - people will be selfless, instead of selfish, and there will be peace in the world. The desire of all nations will come (Haggai 2:6-7). That kind of peace isn’t peace we can work out for ourselves, but rather the one that Jesus Christ can only give (John 14:27).
It is quite clear now that prayer is a solemn petition or request that we make to God, and sometimes, if it’s in God’s interest, big things can happen in order for our prayers to be answered. It is important to understand, our prayers shouldn’t be these long rants to God about the physical stuff that we need. Our yearnings are already enough to send God that message. Therefore, it is not making long pretences that will answer our prayers (Mark 12:40) or praying in downtown, where there are so many people, that will answer our prayer (Matthew 6:5). In fact, when we do that, the answer to the prayer will be given by the people around you, whether it’s money, praise, or even discouragement. Rather, we should pray silently, and in our own quiet space, because God answers such people. "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John 3:22 - see also 1 John 5:14-15 and Matthew 21:22).
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GOD WILL ARISE, AND HAVE MERCY ON ZION
This was a statement made by Nahum the prophet: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7). There were other statements made by people about that same topic too. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10). “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” (Psalms 125:1-2). Because God, the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1, Deuteronomy 10:16-17, 1 Corinthians 8:5-6) lives from everlasting to everlasting (Psalms 90:2, 93:2) and can do anything (Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17, 27, John 10:29) but, at the same, time, is longsuffering, gentle, and humble (Psalms 86:15, Romans 15:5, 1 Corinthians 10:11, Isaiah 63:7-9, Psalms 103:8-14, etc) we should trust in him, and walk in his ways (Isaiah 26:4, Psalms 36:7-9, etc).
There are many examples of when God protected people in days of trouble. For example, in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, Jehoshaphat had to battle against Moab and Ammon. It was a great multitude. When he prayed to God, he sent Jahaziel to tell Jehoshaphat that this wasn’t his battle to fight, but God’s battle. And he was right. Jehoshaphat and his army didn’t need to do anything. God sent Mount Seir to battle Ammon and Moab, and when they finished that, they simply destroyed themselves. All Jehoshaphat and his army needed to do was to invade the land and collect all the spoil, which took three days because there was so much of it. This just proves the power of God, and that he can save his children, and provide a stronghold in the day of trouble.
Another example of God providing help on the day of trouble is in Daniel 3, when the three Hebrew men had gone against Nebuchadnezzar’s rule that they had to bow down the statue he’d built. They were thrown into a furnace of fire as a result. However, none of them died; in fact, none of them even smelled burnt at all, and neither did their clothes. God had sent an angel to protect them from being harmed, which was why Nebuchadnezzar was surprised to see 4 men, when he’d only recalled throwing in three. God can do these things to us if we trust in him and keep his commandments.
As a result of man’s fall (Genesis 3:16-19, Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12-19, 6:23, etc), humanity as a whole has had days of trouble. We are as flowers, fragile flowers, before God (Job 5:6-7, 14:1-2). And in these last days, things are only getting more dangerous, as the wrath of God is hitting some people with a very heavy hammer, and he’s pronouncing judgment on people who certainly weren’t expecting it (Matthew 24:44-51, Isaiah 28:21, etc). However, God’s children are going to be kept under his canopy; the barn, while the other things are burnt. (Matthew 13:24-30). “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:32 - see also Romans 10:13 and Isaiah 26:20-21).
We should never be looking up to witches and wizards, necromancers, or other people like that for help. Rather, we should look to God (Isaiah 8:19-20, 2:19-20, Deuteronomy 18:10-12. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psalms 146:3-4). “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” (Psalms 62:10 - see also Psalms 20:7, Luke 16:9, 1 Timothy 6:7-10 and Ecclesiastes 7:12). We should always remember King Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1:1-17, and how he’d tried to pray to the god of Ekron for deliverance, and how he ended up dying, and Pharaoh in Exodus 7-11, and how Moses proved them useless when God gave him power to release the ten plagues.
It is our prayer, therefore, that God protects us from all the challenges that we may face in our lives, both physical and spiritual. Not one hair of our head will fall down without God noticing it (1 Samuel 14:45, Matthew 10:30), meaning that God always has his eyes on his children. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12).
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THE KINGSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST
For a long time, the world has been, “under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). He is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:3-4), because his principles had presided over the Earth and ruled his kingdoms.
However, God said that he would create a Kingdom, set a King in office, and have him rule it to success. This has been discussed in the Bible. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9). “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” (Isaiah 32:1). He’s even been compared with David (Jeremiah 23:5-6).
Who is this king? Jesus Christ.
Let’s learn more about his kingship by answering a few basic questions.
Where was he inaugurated? Jesus Christ was inaugurated in heaven, in the “presence of God” (Hebrews 9:23-24). After Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, he was put somewhere until God was ready to set him as King (Psalms 110:1). When it was time, he was called out and crowned. It was not visible to humans, as St.Paul told us that we will know Jesus Christ as human no more (2 Corinthians 5:16).
When did it happen? The signs of the times in Matthew 24:3, 6-8 help us understand this. It was before World Wars 1 and 2 happened, as Jesus Christ was crowned King, and he with the holy angels had the battle with Satan and his angels, and as Revelation 12:7-12 tells us, Jesus Christ prevailed.
Why is he the King? Jesus Christ is the King of God’s Government because he was the firstborn son, and the big responsibilities go to those. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:18-20). This was also a part of the reward for paying the ransom sacrifice, and proving his love for God’s will. “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Psalms 45:7).
What and where is his Kingdom? The Kingdom that he is ruling covers the whole world, sometimes called “the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30). This Kingdom, though, derives its power from heaven, which is why it’s sometimes called, “‘the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:11, 11:11, 13:31-32, etc), and this is also why Jesus Christ told Pontius Pilate during his passion that his kingdom was, “not of this world” (John 18:36-37).
His Kingdom has founding principles, principles that he is moving the whole world to embrace. Those principles are in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Those principles are starting to feature in the world’s events, and this will only grow, in fulfillment of Isaiah 2:2, Daniel 2:44 and Matthew 13:31-32.
So what is he doing as King? Jesus Christ is moving those principles mentioned above forward, so that the world can be reworked to represent what God wanted from the beginning. He is designing a world with no divisions or persecution (Isaiah 10:20), especially to the righteous. That’s why this time has been called “the time of refreshing” (Acts 3:19-21). He is gathering the nations (everybody) to be judged, both righteous and wicked (Matthew 25:31-32, Genesis 49:10), so that they can be rewarded for their works (Matthew 16:27). He is also supervising the preaching of the gospel message to rescue some people from God’s wrath, and to add to the “Other Sheep” (John 10:16, Hosea 11:10, Matthew 24:14), and making sure that the chosen ones who preach go to heaven, to be his wives (Revelation 14:4).
However, no king rules alone. Jesus Christ is ruling with ministers, the saints, who will be assisting Jesus Christ in judging the world. “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30 - see also Revelation 1:6, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 and Psalms 149:5-9). They have also been described as Jesus Christ’s bodymembers, because they constitute Jesus Christ’s cabinet members (Zechariah 8:23). These ministers are not all equal; God Himself decides who sits on Jesus’s left and right hand (Matthew 20:20-28). We shouldn’t also forget, though, that Jesus Christ also has angels ordered by God to be at his disposal (Luke 9:26 - the holy angels are with him).
When Jesus Christ is finished ruling, the entire project will be handed back to God, so that he will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). There will be a big celebration, just like in David’s time with his people after defeating the Jebusites, establishing the capital in their land and returning the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:5, 13-16). And the way to be a part of this is to acknowledge Jesus Christ as King and follow his instructions, to be true servants who will inherit the rewards of his Kingdom. “I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.” (Ecclesiastes 8:2-3).
WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is simply the force of God. It is holy because it is used for holy purposes. “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” (Psalms 143:10). Don’t be deceived by the Holy Ghost - it is the Holy Spirit.
WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES
It was through the Holy Spirit that God created this world. "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) see also (Psalms 33:6-9 and Job 26:12-13).
It is also through the Holy Spirit that people lead righteously. For example, in Exodus 3:1-14, God appointed Moses to lead the Israelites from the land of Egypt to the land of Canaan. It was said in Isaiah 63:11-14 that it was through the Holy Spirit that he did this. And in Numbers 27:16-20, when it was time to replace the leader, God appointed Joshua to finish the job, and he led with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives a diversity of gifts (Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, 28:31). For instance, Aaron had been given gifts to be a priest of the land (Exodus 28:1-3). Bezaleel was also given the Holy Spirit, to prophesy (Exodus 31:1-3) It also bears fruits, attributes of God (Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-7). We’ll be able to be meek, gentle, kind, have faith, compassion and love for God, and the others (Isaiah 11:2, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Corinthians 2:9-14, etc).
Also, the Holy Spirit has the ability to inspire people, like the people who wrote the Bible, and the Bible itself. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). That’s why we should pray to be inspired by God (Job 32:9, 8).
There are different levels of the Holy Spirit. The general kind is the one most people get, but there is a higher level of the Holy Spirit, the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That was the kind that people such as Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:16-17, John 3:34) and the prophets/saints (Joel 2:28-29) had. They need it to go through all persecutions, distractions or hindrances and dispense the message relentlessly. (Matthew 24:31, 14, Isaiah 52:7, etc). What they say becomes fuelled by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Samuel 23:2, Micah 3:8).
It's worth noting that to sin against the Holy Spirit means to sin deliberately (Matthew 12:31-32). When you have the Holy Spirit, and you sin against what it tells you, you don't have any more chances (Hebrews 10:26-29, 6:4-6, 2 Peter 2:20-22, etc). It is therefore important that we let it guide us, and pray for it not to leave us (Psalms 51:10-11) because it can (1 Samuel 16:14). If we do the simple things that it tells us to, it leads us through the path of salvation, and to the Promised Land (earth, not heaven).
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THE NARROW ROAD TO SALVATION
Jesus Christ, when talking about the scarcity of righteous ones, had stated, “Enter ye in at the strait grate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 - see also Luke 13:23-24). But, why is this? If the Bible has also said that God wants everybody to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4), then why is there a narrow road to salvation?
There are many examples of times when very few people were found righteous in God’s eyes. In Genesis 6:9 and 7:1, Noah was considered the only righteous one on the earth. Same goes the Israelites, because though over 600,000 people who were able-bodied men (Numbers 1:45-46), and including women and children, over 2 million people, only 2 of them were spared (Numbers 32:10-12, 14:24). God also spared the children who were born along the way, who wouldn’t understand the science behind the riots and murmurings, and therefore they would’ve ignorantly partaken in all the disagreement (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).
Now, there are many factors that make the road of salvation narrow. For example, there are few people that know the truth of God. Many people believe that they are going to heaven, despite such quotations as these (John 3:13, Matthew 5:5, Psalms 37:9-11, Ephesians 1:10, etc), or that Jesus Christ and God Almighty are the same person, thinking that quotations like these (John 10:30, Matthew 28:19-20), support it, but that means unity of purpose, and they don’t see quotations like these (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38, 14:28, John 3:16, 36, Matthew 26:39, 42, etc). Some people believe that the church was set up for business making, but the idea was for them to serve, like how Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples in John 13:5-10). And the truth about God’s word is only going to become more scarce (Amos 8:11-12).
Then, there are attributes that are in this world that make the road to salvation very narrow. For example, lust makes the road to salvation narrow because lust makes it hard to do God’s will. Lust is an uncontrollable urge to do something wrong. God warned us to not love the world because we can’t love the world and still worship God (1 John 2:15-17, Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13, etc). If we are like Martha, who cared more about things that didn’t matter than things that did (Luke 10:38-42), then it will be hard to receive God’s word, because the things of the world are our priorities (James 1:21 - see also Matthew 6:25-34).
There is also emulation. Emulation is mimicking somebody, or imitating somebody. This isn’t good because it has to do with wanting to copy the works of the Gentiles, people who don’t know God. The Israelites had done this when asking for a king, after seeing that the Gentile nations had kings (1 Samuel 8:1-8). St.Paul described this as one of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). We should not follow after evil (Exodus 23:2, Ephesians 5:11, 3 John 1:11, etc), but rather, we should learn righteousness and pursue it.
Then, there is persecution. If we want to be true Christians, then we have to be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). When we are persecuted, it is a good indicator that we are doing the right thing, because the world is bathing in sin (2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 1 John 5:19, etc). For such reasons, Jesus Christ told us that we should celebrate when we are persecuted (Matthew 5:10-12).
There are many others, like entitlement, but the point has been made. The road to salvation has been made narrow by various circumstances in this sinful world. God is rescuing his children from this world through the process of these last days (Zechariah 13:8-9). The key thing that will drive us through the narrow way is our hearts. If we don’t really love God - if we’ve come to Christianity for any other reason apart from our individual relationship that we have with God - we are going to fall out of it somewhere in between. That’s why Moses said: “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, Matthew 22:37).
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THE NEW CREATION
The New Creation was talked about in many places in the Bible. “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17). “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13). “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1). However, this process isn’t going to be some kind of transformation that everybody is going to see. It’s a gradual process that’s going to bring this world back to the condition that it was before.
It becomes easier to understand the New Creation once we understand the Old Creation, in Genesis 1. That event had only been recorded for us to understand that idea, so when it is replicated in a spiritual form, we can understand it (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11).
The Old Creation was not six days only. Days could be a thousand, or even a million years (Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8). But because God lives from everlasting to everlasting (Psalms 90:2, 93:2, etc), he wouldn’t see that as a very long time. There were periods of time, divided by the various things that he was doing. And what God created was perfect in his sight (Genesis 1:31 and Ecclesiastes 7:29). However, the only thing that was lost from it was the ability to live eternally, because Satan sowed a seed while Adam wasn’t thinking (Genesis 3:1-6), and the rest of humanity has had to suffer this as well (Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12-19, 6:23, etc). And even though Jesus Christ’s ransom sacrifice created the opportunity for righteous ones to inherit eternal life, they can’t inherit such a reward in a world of evil. That is why God is reconfiguring the world so that righteousness can rain. Then, when we look forward, it is the Garden of Eden (peace), and behind us a desolate wilderness (evil) (Joel 2:3).
The New Creation is taking place within the period of transition that we call, “The Last Day”. This idea started as a seed, but it’s going to grow into a tree, where the birds of the air, the righteous ones, will come and lodge in the branches thereof, talking about the peaceful lives we are going to be living (Matthew 13:31-32). It was established in the top of the mountains (Isaiah 2:2), and it will consume all other kingdoms (Daniel 2:44), to the extent that any entity that doesn’t comply with its principles is going to be swept along with it (Matthew 13:24-30, 39-43), because God’s hand cannot be turned back, and his ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-11, Isaiah 14:27, etc).
A big part of this is the signs of the times, the various things that not only prove that we are indeed in the last days, but also help us to understand the path that the New Creation as a project will take. For example, the idea of technology. Technology is fulfilling a prophecy of Daniel in Daniel 12:4. It is gathering the world together, because everybody is on the Internet now (Matthew 25:31-32). People who call themselves Christians but actually love technology will leave God, so that God doesn’t have hypocrites in his service (Zechariah 13:8-9).
God is setting up a new covenant with this new creation. This isn’t a covenant that requires people to be teaching others about the Bible, or forcing others to comply. People's mindsets will be attached to the Bible’s principles (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:8-12). It is about people’s hearts, instead of traditions and cultures, because it is what God has been asking for this whole time. The idea of obedience (1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6). People will love one another, instead of loving themselves, and people, through a ton of humiliation, will come and learn the true basics of humility, because God is abasing people who think they are proud, and exalted others who humble themselves before God (Ezekiel 21:26, Luke 14:11, Matthew 23:12, etc).
It is very important that we understand the New Creation, because it is a creation that will never end. It is superior to the Old Creation, because this idea has been talked about by prophets of God for thousands of years. Therefore, it is important that we repent and be a part of this beautiful project. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21). This is what the New Creation is all about.
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BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED
A big pillar of Christianity is the doctrine that grace is the beginning and end of our worship with God. God calls us, and he forgives all our sins, and when we do anything bad, we are entitled to forgiveness. And, to support this, people use Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” However, did St.Paul really mean that Christians don’t have to do anything when worshipping God?
Grace can be divided into two levels: Opportunity and Ability. Opportunity is the kind of grace that allows us to know about our iniquities. It isn’t what brings us from iniquity to righteousness, but it allows us to be aware that we were formerly in iniquity before knowing God. The apostles had continuously thanked God for ability to understand our iniquities, and be called to live better lives (Colossians 1:12-14, 1 Peter 2:9-10, Philippians 2:1-10, etc). Not everybody gets such opportunities (Matthew 13:10-16, Matthew 22:14), and for such reasons, it is grace.
Zedekiah King of Judah was given such grace, because in Jeremiah 38:14-28, he was told by Jeremiah the Prophet what would happen to him if he escaped, and if he surrendered. Not many kings had such grace. But, he’d wasted it, because he still decided to flee, and Nebuchadnezzar caught up with him, killed all his family before his eyes, and then plucked his eyes and took him to Babylon (Jeremiah 39:1-7).
In these last days as well, there are people in this world who will hear the gospel message, and it will make sense to them, and they will grasp it, like the people in Acts 2:37, and they will treasure it, like in Matthew 13:44. Such people were also described in Hosea 11:10: "They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west." It is only the grace of God that makes it possible, because most people will hear it, and not value it all that much.
But, there is also the grace that allows us to take that message and use it to cleanse the bad spots in us, the sins (Galatians 5:19-21, Isaiah 1:16-20, Ephesians 5:26, etc). The grace is God giving us the Holy Spirit to do so (Romans 8:9, 14), but we still have to put in the work and effort to make such things happen.
St.Paul can also be used as an example, because it was by God’s grace that he could have the abilities to be the successful apostle that he was. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10). St.Paul also thanked God for the grace that he had given to the people of Thessalonica, which is why they didn’t oppress Paul, but they took care of him (2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2:13).
What’s even worse about this doctrine is that it makes people want to feel entitled towards God. Once they get told that God is somebody who will always forgive the sins of people, quoting Psalms 130:3-4 and Isaiah 63:7, they start to feel entitled to sin continuously, and be forgiven. Will we say that, because Judas was called by Jesus Christ, he will be saved, though he betrayed him and ended up hanging himself? (Matthew 27:1-5). Would we say then that the Pharisees would be saved, because they knew the Bible, though they killed Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ even asked for forgiveness on their behalf (Luke 23:34), but God still went with his judgment in AD.70 and AD.135.
For such reasons, we can’t interpret St.Paul’s statements in Ephesians 2:8-9 as to mean that grace covers everything. St.Peter and St.Paul said that if we have the grace of God to come and know the truth, but we continue in our evil ways, God is going to come after us (Hebrews 10:26-29, 2 Peter 2:20-22). We have to repent and change our ways (Romans 6:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Ephesians 4:17-32). Anybody who can’t change their ways doesn't have the grace of God, but anybody who can does, and will be blessed for doing so (Ezekiel 3:19, 2 Kings 17:13).
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IN SEARCH OF THE MAN OF GOD
The Bible has talked a lot about false prophets, especially in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. However, how do we know when a pastor wants to deceive us and when a pastor wants to help us? How do we really know a true prophet when we see it? Well, there are several ways of telling, which will be discussed in this article.
One thing that a true prophet has is humility and love. Prophets and pastors are ordained by God to tend their flocks. A false pastor, however, exploits them, and doesn't give them stuff that will help them (Ezekiel 34:1-11, Matthew 24:45-51). The Pharisees were such, because they never put emphasis on doctrines that people could use to improve their lives and their relationships with God. All their talk was on Jewish traditions (Matthew 23:23). And the pastors that preach now would prefer to talk about tithes, and prosperity doctrines, than how the Kingdom of God has been set up, redeeming mankind, and how we can support it to reap benefits (Matthew 10:42).
Jesus, Christ, on the other hand, was a good shepherd because he took care of his flock, namely the disciples and the people they would preach to, even dying for them as well (John 10:1-18, 15:13, Romans 5:7-8). Moses was also like this, because he was meek (Numbers 12:3), and continuously advised the Israelites to not disobey God (Deuteronomy has countless of such).
A true man of God is also loyal to God. To be loyal means to stand for someone or something, and a true man of God stands for God. They don’t switch sides, even if it means death, or been persecuted (Revelation 12:11). Jeremiah was loyal by telling the Israelites in Jeremiah 42:1-22 that they should not go to Egypt. A false pastor would probably support them, in fear of what the people would do.
The prophets of Baal were not loyal, because they considered themselves righteous prophets, but it was all to gain from Jezebel, and be under secured protection, and to have a big person on their side (1 Kings 18:17-46 - Elijah had killed all those prophets). If we also read Lamentations 4:13-16, the prophets and priests of God were also described as those, not counting Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the other righteous ones.
True prophets of God also show good example. In Jeremiah 29:23, Jeremiah was talking about pastors who would commit adultery, fornication, take bribes, etc, and in the time we are living in, people do such things. A prophet of God must be decent, of good character, like Jesus, who showed a great example (John 13:15, 1 Peter 2:21).
A true man of God must also be courageous. St.Paul had advised Timothy and other people who would be men of God to be courageous, and true soldiers of the faith (2 Timothy 2:3-5). They are not like Jonah, who run away from the job (Jonah 1-2), but people like St.Paul, were are not ashamed nor afraid to tell people who they are, and what others should be like. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16).
They are also judges, bearing witness and testifying against people. They are not like false prophets, who tell you, “there’s peace”, and, “God loves you,” and, “by grace are ye saved”, etc, as excuses for you to just sit there, and not do anything. A prophet will commend righteousness, and condemn iniquity, the way Nathan had used a parable to tell David, a king of Israel, that he had done the wrong thing. A false pastor would’ve said the opposite, to get favour from David. In Jeremiah 23:16-20, that place talks about false pastors who would do not judge nor testify, because they want to have big followings, and the support of many people. A true prophet of God will not listen to the requests of people (Isaiah 30:9-11, those being such requests), but will listen to the requests of God.
There are many more things that can be said about a man of God, but it is clear already who is a man of God. In Isaiah 33:15, 16, the qualities were summarized: “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” When we see a man of God, we must respect him and take his words (Hebrews 13:7, 17), but when we see a false one, we leave him (Deuteronomy 13:1-18).
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WHO IS GOD?
God is a mystery to many people. “Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.” (Job 36:26 - see also Psalms 92:5-6). He doesn’t have a birthdate, nor an end date. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalms 90:2 - see also Psalms 93:2). There are many gods in this world, many of them headed by demons, but God is still God over all of them (1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Deuteronomy 10:16-17, Psalms 82:6). “For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” (Psalms 95:3). And, in this world, he’s been given many titles, such as the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1), Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13), Jealous (Exodus 34:14) and many others.
The person of God is one major part of this that many people don’t understand. God is a spirit (John 4:24). He has a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44). Visions of God to prophets of old have told us that, in a sense, God looks like us. (2 Chronicles 18:18, Ezekiel 1:26-28). After all, “He that planteth the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? (Psalms 94:4 - see also Proverbs 20:12). We should also consider the first line of Genesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” It’s clear he looks like us. However, as a spirit, he doesn’t have flesh, blood, or bones (Luke 24:39). He doesn’t sleep (Psalms 121:4), nor eat or drink.
God also lives somewhere, but we should never visualize it using physical principles (size, shape, color, etc). The spirits live in the same space that we do, but at a different level. They are superior to us. And God is a very lofty person - not high in the sky, but is very powerful - and exalts righteous ones who keep his commandments (Isaiah 57:15, Luke 14:11, Ezekiel 21:26, Psalms 25:9).
God has 4 infinite attributes - WIsdom, Power, Justice, and Love. They are infinite because he can use each attribute to an unlimited level. He’s used all of these attributes in history, namely the Bible, and also in this world, in the last days.
We can start with wisdom. The wisdom that God used to create this world is extraordinary. “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom has thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” (Psalms 104:24 - see also Jeremiah 10:12). And the humans that are in it are also amazing, too. “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalms 139:13-16). And in these last days, the kind of wisdom that he’s executing is even more. He’s crafting a system, a kingdom, that will last eternally (Daniel 2:44, Psalms 145:10-13, Daniel 7:13-14, etc).
By power, God destroyed the Egyptians, ravaging them, especially with that last plague, of the first born (Exodus 12:12). By power he saved Jehoshaphat by making the Moabites and the Ammonites destroy themselves. (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). And, in these last days, he’s fighting a big battle, the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty. It’s a big battle because, with the help of Jesus Christ, who he’s appointed to do the job (Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:1, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 19:11-21, etc) he’s going to be battling the Devil, and be destroying all of his institutions. He is going to come out victorious. In fact, he’s executing so much power that if anyone tries to go against it, by persecuting the people who will teach the message, God is going to turn what that person did to something beneficial to what he’s doing, because everybody will head in the direction that he wants them to (Isaiah 2:2).
His love is also very big. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:9-11 - see also John 3:16). God doesn’t need us to survive, or even thrive (Job 35:6-7), but he still loves us, which is why he’s putting in a lot of effort to rescue us from the clutches of Satan the Devil. The parable of the Lost Sheep teaches us this (Matthew 18:10-14) because there was a shepherd that had 100 sheep, but one sheep got lost (that sheep being our world vs the spiritual realm). The shepherd already had 99 sheep, which is so much more than 1, but he still went into the mountain to get the sheep. And there was a big rejoicement when he’d found it. Same with God rescuing us from Satan’s clutches.
Then, finally, there is God’s justice. God performed his justice when he sentenced Adam and Eve to death (Genesis 3:16-19). He sticks with his principles, and will do justice no matter the amount of tears or sorrow that there is (Malachi 3:6). This doesn’t mean that God isn’t merciful (Psalms 36:7-9, 86:15, 103:8-14, 130:3-4, Isaiah 63:7-9, Romans 15;5, 2 Peter 3:9, etc), but rather we should pay attention to the instructions that God gives us, and complete it just the way he asks. And the justice that he is performing in the last days is also very important. God said that the words that his prophets and saints have spoken will judge people in the last days (John 12:48, Psalms 96:13, etc). “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hat one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48). As a result, to avoid God bringing his justice on us, we have to do what he asks.
In order to attract God to our side, we have to understand who he is, how he works, and take various steps to bring him to our side. He can protect us (Joel 2:32, Psalms 84:11, Nahum 1:7, Matthew 10:30, etc), and at the same time, he can be coming for our heads (Proverbs 1:24-30). If we think we can deceive God, exploit him, or try to inherit his blessings in some sort of way other than the one he has suggested, we’re wasting our time, and even deceiving ourselves. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7).
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"LET MY PEOPLE GO"
God has always had a plan for humanity. A plan of peace, restoration and true service towards him. Ever since the sin of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-6, humanity has been turning to themselves from the control of Satan the Devil in order to “pursue their dreams” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). This has gone on for thousands of years. However, God is currently restoring the world back to its former condition so they may serve him in peace and happiness (Isaiah 43:21). And, even though the wicked will always hold the people fast, God rescues his people nonetheless (Jeremiah 50:33-34).
However, what do the lines above have to do with the title?
During the preparations and waiting period of God’s plan, the wicked do their wickedness (Daniel 12:10) and rule over the righteous. When God is ready to execute his plan, he sends people to preach (Jeremiah 3:15). And their statements can be summarized in one phrase: “Let my people go”.
And, in the Bible, there are prototypes of this concept.
The story of Egypt is one of them because that’s where the statement, “Let my people go”, comes from. In Exodus 5:1, Moses told Pharaoh this, and he gave the reason why: “that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” God had made a promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that he would make a nation out of him. However, God told him it would be a natural phenomenon for his children to fall under the Egyptians’ clutches, and serve them for 400 years (Genesis 15:13-14). However, when the time was ready, he would rescue them, hence Moses’s statement, “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 8, 20-21, 9:1, 13, 10:3-4).
One technique he’d used to free the Israelites was the flipping concept. Before God’s intervention, the survival of the Egyptian kingdom depended on the workforce. In Exodus 1, we see the kind of oppression the Israelites suffered. However, God flipped the situation with the plagues. Now, the survival of the Egyptians depended on the freedom of the Israelites from their power, hence Pharoah sending them away (Exodus 12:31-33).
The second prototype is the time of Jesus. God has had it in mind to free humanity of death (Job 33:21-24, Hosea 13:14), and Jesus eventually came down. When he was here, he summarized his entire mission with what Isaiah the Prophet stated in Isaiah 61:1-3, which led to a new religion and the salvation of many Gentiles: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19 - see also John 12:47 and Matthew 18:11). No matter what people did - shutting down the preaching of the gospel, murder (John 11:45-53, Acts 5:17-42), Christianity spread all over the world, in fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 13:31-32).
In the last days, the time we are living in, the remnant of the saints are preaching the gospel of the Kingdom (Isaiah 66:19-21, Matthew 24:14). People prayed for deliverance through the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-10). Currently, the monarchs have been defeated, therefore giving humanity freedom of expression, action, etc (Revelation 12:7-12, 13:1, etc). Then, democracy came out of that (Revelation 13:1-4). Now, children of God have liberty to exercise themselves in righteousness, a true blessing from God.
However, the deliverance isn’t finished. There are still strands of autocracy, and the righteous are still being persecuted. God is changing that now (Psalms 147:3), as Jesus is testing the nations, weakening their abilities (Daniel 2:43), so that the wicked have no power to become leaders and lead in their evil, being a reproach to everyone (Proverbs 14:34). Jesus is doing so by denouncing leadership to make it worthless (Isaiah 3:6-7, 34:12). It will no more be an honour to rule the world. God did that to the Israelites, so that being a king of Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s time was nothing compared to being a king in David’s time.
It’s important we have faith in God’s deliverance, and patiently wait it out (Romans 8:24-25). “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4). God’s deliverance for his children is a gradual process, so we have to patiently wait for its completion (Luke 21:19). We should never adapt to the deliverance of false prophets in this world (1 John 4:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 5:21), because their so-called, “gospel of deliverance”, only brings us closer to bondage (2 Peter 2:19, Matthew 23:15).
God has gifted us freedom, so we have to use it wisely. People are using their freedom to do all kinds of unrighteous things, the way Abiram, Dathan, Korah, On and the 250 princes used their freedom to show their true colors and oppose God’s plan (Numbers 14, 16). Rather, we should use our freedom to serve God more faithfully than before. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1).
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WHAT IS SALVATION?
Salvation is the total deliverance from the consequences of sin, including death. The Scriptures have revealed to us that sin causes many things: lack of peace, tranquility, pain (Psalms 38:3). But most importantly, it produces death. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15).
Humanity plunged into sin in Genesis 3:1-6, when Satan directed us out of God’s principles. Ever since, there’s been a sense of sin in us. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 51:5). It’s built into our moral instincts (Romans 7:7-25). It was because of our sin that God made us die off (Genesis 3:16-19), as people who live in sin can’t be walking in God’s presence forever (Genesis 6:3, Romans 3:23).
But God promised salvation to humanity, and for a couple of reasons. Number one: He felt sorry for our sinful condition (Job 33:21-24). Sin is a heavy burden to humanity. “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” (Psalms 38:4). We have no power to save ourselves of death (Psalms 49:6-7). So because of that, God has provided a ransom (Job 33:24).
But God also wants to save us from sin because of Himself. He is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, Deuteronomy 32:4, etc), and he doesn’t like unholiness in His presence. Humanity was seen as unholy before God because of their sin (Isaiah 1:4,6 - a relevant description of humanity’s sin). This is why, when God was angry with Job’s friends, because of their sin, he asked for sacrifices to be made (Job 42:7-10). Those sacrifices pacified His anger and disgust for the Israelites when they sinned against Him. Therefore, he gave a ransom for humanity to save them from sin (1 John 4:10, Romans 3:25) and feel good with looking at us. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” (Hosea 13:14).
And all Christians know that Jesus Christ was the ransom. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). He was the ransom because he was without sin (1 Peter 2:22), and his perfect life would equal the perfect life that was lost (Deuteronomy 19:21, Exodus 21:22-25). His blood was like a sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22), which would atone for the sins of humanity and take them away (John 1:29). This is similar to the day of Atonement, which was done once a year to atone for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 23:26-32). This was done so that God wouldn’t remember the iniquities of the Israelites, and Jesus Christ’s ransom was the same for all of humanity.
All this information about salvation was prototyped by the story of Egypt and Israel. Salvation, to reiterate, is the total deliverance from the consequences of sin, including death. During the time of the Egyptians and the Israelites, salvation could be defined as, “the total deliverance from Egyptian bondage.”
God saved them for some reasons. One, to fulfill His promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14. He remembered Abraham’s obedience and couldn’t let it go without reward (Deuteronomy 7:7-9). Two, because he pitied their condition (Exodus 2:23-25), and doesn’t believe that people can oppress one another like that (Exodus 3:9-10). And just like humanity as a whole, the Israelites had no way of saving themselves. They were powerless against the Egyptians. But God brought them on “His wings”, and brought them unto Himself (Exodus 19:4-6, 6:6, Deuteronomy 15:15).
In order to worship God, we have to believe that we needed the ransom. It isn’t just for the Jews, or for Christians; it was for all of humanity. And to show our belief, we have to do a few things:
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We have to learn about the ransom, and Jesus Christ, the person who paid it (1 Timothy 2:3-4). We have to understand God’s salvation and want to be a part of it.
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We have to believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 36, 6:47, Acts 16:30-31, etc.). We do this by living by his words, and feeling proud of believing in him (Romans 1:16, Mark 8:38). Those are the works that James says we have to do for our faith to be of any worth (James 2:14-16).
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We have to live in righteousness and be sober, avoiding iniquity wherever possible (Proverbs 4:14-15). “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:11-14).
But the ransom sacrifice wasn’t salvation in itself. It was a door to it. Once again, salvation is the total deliverance from the consequences of sin, including death. And while the ransom sacrifice did defeat death (Hebrews 2:14-15), it didn’t just take sin away from our lives. That’s the job of God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom of God was set up to rework the world into righteousness (Acts 3:19-21). The Kingdom of God is an idea, not a place (Luke 17:20-21) that represents what God wanted the world to look like from the beginning. It is made of principles such as love, faith, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23). The whole world will move in that direction (Isaiah 2:2) as former systems of corruption, poverty, and injustice, in God’s sight, which have dominated the world under the rule of Satan the Devil (1 John 5:19) is being removed, as Jesus Christ is defeating the powers of this world, which Satan ruled the world through (Revelation 19:11-21). And in the end, all of this work will result in peace and happiness (Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 21:1-5). This may seem complicated, but if we watch what’s going on, and match it with the Bible, with prayers, such things will be revealed to us.
But how do we qualify to live to obtain that salvation? We have to prove to God that we have faith in His plans. All our spiritual works are like a resume which God looks at and approves of. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5). And our faith has to remain to the end to be valid (Matthew 24:12-13, Hebrews 10:35-36, 38-39, 3:14, 1 Peter 1:9-10, etc). If we return to sin, the ransom sacrifice doesn’t save us. “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” (Hebrews 10:26).
"LIE WITH ME"
This statement is drawn from Genesis 39:7. “And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.”
The whole story is in Genesis 39:1-20. Joseph was exalted to the position of manager over all Potiphar’s belongings. Potiphar’s wife admired Joseph, and wanted to sleep with him, though already married. Joseph refused, though, because adultery was against God’s law (Exodus 20:13). She tried to force him, but Joseph didn't yield, and she lied against Joseph to her husband so he was thrown into prison.
Potiphar’s wife is like Satan, who seduces people into having a taste of his wickedness. Remember, just as how Potiphar’s wife was covetous - she wasn’t content witb Potiphar - Satan isn’t satisfied with his own people, who he’s blinded (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). He is covetous and desires God’s people to forsake their integrity and join him in sin. This was illustrated in Revelation 17 by a woman who sits upon many waters (political, social and economic systems), and is a harlot because she (Satan’s Organization - Satan, demons, wickedness) lures people into her fold, only to end in misery, and not righteosuness (Proverbs 7:4-27 - an illustration of this concept).
Satan did this to humanity in Genesis 3:1-6. God created humanity for Himself (Isaiah 43:21), and not for Satan, but Satan wanted to have humanity for himself, and he lured Adam and Eve into eating the apple, and therefore into sin (Genesis 3:1-6). And ever since then, the world has been under his clutches (1 John 5:19, NKJV). One major group of people he uses for this job are false prophets. They twist their doctrines to lure/seduce people to give them money (Ezekiel 13:10, 2 Timothy 3:13, Mark 13:22). They make doctrines that will suit the itching ears of ignorant Christians (2 Timothy 4:3-4, Isaiah 30:10), to lure them into following them (Isaiah 9:16). They are like Satan himself (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
However, we shouldn’t fall in Satan’s hands. We do so by not loving the world, because Satan uses that to lure us into his fold. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17).
We shouldn’t be lured in by seducing doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1), or have a lust to fit in with the world. After all, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19). Neither should we defile ourselves with the world and its temporal standards. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17 - see also Isaiah 52:11). And to do this, we have to be proud of worshipping God and keeping His commandments. Feeling ashamed of it is dangerous, as Satan can pounce on that and satisfy us with worldly things. We should be like St.Paul, who said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16).
When we retain our integrity, though, persecution is inevitable. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12). Because we live in a world that Satan rules in (2 Corinthians 4:4 - the god of this world - John 12:31, 14:30 - prince of this world) there will be consequences for those who don't love it. But we must understand those consequences and endure them, knowing that it won’t last forever. “But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 3:14, 4:13).
If we know Joseph’s story, we will realize that everything that was just discussed fulfilled on Joseph’s life. Potiphar’s wife attempted to lure him into sin (and by the way, Satan was ontop of all this), and Joseph refused, and persecution quickly followed. But he wasn’t the only one in this case.
Satan wanted to lure Job into declaring unbelief in God. He did so by destroying all his riches. However, because Job had an idea of why he was suffering, he vowed to retain his integrity (Job 27:2, 4-6), and he did. As a result, his riches were restored.
Jesus faced similar conseqences. He proved to the Pharisees and Satan that he wasn’t interested in what they had to offer (Matthew 4:1-11). He didn’t gang up with the Pharisees because they were of the devil (John 8:44). He suffered major persecution, namely his crucifixion in Matthew 26-27. But in the end, he was resurrected (Revelation 1:18), and his prayer in John 17:4-5 for glorification was answered, as his prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 23:33-38, 24:2, Luke 19:41-44, 21:20-21, etc) were fulfilled, and he was exalted (Philippians 2:5-11).
Satan wanted to lure David into sinning against God and turning from His commandments. He made sure Bathsheba was naked in an area where David would see it. David lusted for her, and he sinned against God by committing adultery and killing Uriah (2 Samuel 11). However, he repented of his iniquities and rebuilt his integrity in God, and eventually his kingship was restored.
It’s clear now that when we don’t give in to what Satan wants, there will be persecution, but in the end, we win. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
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THE GLORIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
The Glorification of the Church is a very important subject, because it is the current-future destiny of all righteous ones. God has promised all his true children that they will be glorified. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalms 149:4 - see also Ezekiel 21:26 and Psalms 147:3). However, how is this process going to take place? What things will have to give for this to be successful? Such things will be discussed in this article.
Some terminology should be covered, though. To glorify means to make admirable, or beautiful. The church is the people, those being the ones who love God. That’s the way we understand Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” When we see church in the Bible (e.g in Acts 2:47, 5:11, 8:1), it is understood in that light.
The reason why the glorification of the church is an event that is happens is because righteous ones, since the sin of Adam and Eve, have always been like the heath in the desert, waiting for rain to fall. They have to suffer persecution: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12 - see also Psalms 59:3, Acts 14:22 and Revelation 2:8-10). It was the reason why Job had to suffer (James 5:10-11), and the people that St.Paul talked about in Hebrews 11:36-38.
The glorification of the church, whether in the Old Testament or in the last days, cannot take place without some adjustments being made, mainly being one party going down and other being exalted. And that was what people in the Bible prayed for. “O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.” (Psalms 25:2-3). In fact, King Solomon said, “I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.” (Ecclesiastes 10:7 -see also Proverbs 19:10). This is all the glorification of the church.
There are examples in the Bible of the glorification of the church. There was Job, previously cited, considering his sufferings, and how he got double of everything he had, fairer children, and 140 extra years to enjoy his life (Job 42:10-17). The Israelites, after all their years of yearning (Exodus 2:23-25), were glorified starting with the choosing of Moses (Exodus 3), and ending with the exiting of Egypt and the Egyptians being swallowed up in the Red Sea, the Israelites having all the spoil (Exodus 7-15). They were low, being under the Egyptians, and then their destruction glorified the Israelites.
That story of the rescue of the Israelites is a foreshadowing of the ultimate glorification of the church, starting with Jesus Christ, and ending with the children of God. Jesus Christ was glorified when he went to heaven, with all his glory (Matthew 17:1-9 - foreshadowing the glory - Philippians 2:5-11). and his prophecies didn’t fall to the ground, but were fulfilled by the destruction of Israel (Matthew 23:33-38, Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 21:33-46). The saints were glorified with the setting up of God’s Kingdom, and the leaders of this world brought down, and their prophecies fulfilled (Luke 18:1-8, Revelation 6:9-11).
In these last days, the glorification of the church is taking place, answering the prayer of Jesus Christ’s taught to mankind in Matthew 6:9-10. People had been praying that prayer for close to 2000 years, and it was only a century ago that the prayer was answered, where World Wars 1 and 2 announced the beginning of the process where righteous ones will no more be like the heath of the desert, hoping for rain, but they will be like the trees in the garden (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Righteousness ones will be like shining stars (Daniel 12:3, Matthew 13:43). “The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the ox together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.” (Isaiah 60:13). People will come and realize that the lifestyle of righteous ones had been better all this while, and the righteous will be glorified a a result, the way the 5 foolish virgins in Matthew 25:8-9.
The glory that righteous ones will get to have is incredible. It can’t be compared to our sufferings. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18 - see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). This is why we must persevere and trust in God, because there is light at the end of the tunnel. (Hebrews 10:35-36, 38-39). “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” (Job 8:7).
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THE POWER OF MIRACLES
Miracles have been a big part of both the Old and New Testament. Miracles were used as advertisements, to bring the faith of people up. In John 6:2, for example, it states, “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” (see also John 2:11, 23, 3:2). God knows that supernatural events can bring the hearts of people to him, so he does them from time to time. As Jesus Christ had stated in John 4:48, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”
There are many examples of miracles in the Bible. Jesus Christ had done many, like in John 11:32-44, when he resurrected Lazarus, or in Luke 17:12-19, when he’d healed the ten lepers. There were also many done in the Old Testament. For example, Elijah, in 1 Kings 17:1-6, was fed by ravens as a result of the drought, or famine. From verses 7-16, Elijah, from God’s power, made sure that the woman of Zarephath’s little food lasted a long time. Also, in verses 17-24, the son of the woman fell sick, and Elijah healed him. And, in verse 24, the woman acknowledged that Elijah was truly a man of God. Same goes with Moses, who was shown a miracle of a burning tree in Exodus 3:1-6 for him to know that it was somebody special. Here are some more examples (Acts 13:1-12, Joshua 5:13-15 - God made an angel stand in the battle field for Joshua to know that this is God’s battle - Joshua 10 - The sun didn’t set until Joshua, or God’s battle, was finished.
Now, even though miracles are like advertisements, just as how not everybody responds positively to advertisements, not everybody believes in miracle. For example, after the Pharisees had found out that Jesus Christ had raised Lazarus in John 11:32-44, they plotted to kill him from verses 45-53. The people in John 6:26 hadn’t believed in Jesus Christ, but just because they’d eaten the loaves. And Jesus Christ had talked about this idea of unbelief in John 12:37-43, quoting Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 53:1. Also, in the Old Testament, there were many people that hadn’t believe in what Moses was doing, and the miracles that God was performing (Numbers 14:22-24).
Now, in these last days, many people are praying for physical miracles, some even praying to be miracle workers. But, not only did St.Paul say that not everybody can be a miracle worker (1 Corinthians 12:28-31, Romans 12:4-8, but miracles aren’t just natural phenomenons, like a hurricane, or you survive a car crash. The Bible has described the beast in these last days as a miracle worker (Revelation 16:14, 13:13-15). Just as how people were praising God as a miracle worker (Exodus 15:11, 1-21), the beast will have such honour (Revelation 13:2-4. Mark 13:22). This is the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, where God used to be (Matthew 24:15-16).
There are also some spiritual miracles that God is doing in these last days. For example, God is making sure that spirituality, sometimes called the whore (Revelation 17:16-17), is suppressed by the beast, and overcome. Then, people will celebrate, and be happy (this isn’t physical, but there will certainly be no prophecies of destruction from any false prophet - Revelation 11:10). Some of these miracles were talked about in Matthew 24:1-51. Christianity used to rule and preside over the affairs in this world. Popes used to crown kings, emperors, etc. Popes could judge kings, and anybody else. Now, they can even be closed by the government!
Miracles are great things, supernatural things that make the faith of people grow strong. However, we have to understand the power that miracles can have, and understand their purpose. They aren’t for their own sakes, but simply advertisements. As a result, they are to be believed in and remembered, like the Israelites use the Feast of Tabernacles to remember and commemorate the feats of God in the wilderness, and spiritually, in the last days (Exodus 12:13, Zechariah 14:16-19). “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.” (1 Chronicles 16:12-13).
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JEHOVAH: A STRONGHOLD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE
This was a statement made by Nahum the prophet: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7). There were other statements made by people about that same topic too. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10). “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” (Psalms 125:1-2). Because God, the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1, Deuteronomy 10:16-17, 1 Corinthians 8:5-6) lives from everlasting to everlasting (Psalms 90:2, 93:2) and can do anything (Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:17, 27, John 10:29) but, at the same, time, is longsuffering, gentle, and humble (Psalms 86:15, Romans 15:5, 1 Corinthians 10:11, Isaiah 63:7-9, Psalms 103:8-14, etc) we should trust in him, and walk in his ways (Isaiah 26:4, Psalms 36:7-9, etc).
There are many examples of when God protected people in days of trouble. For example, in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, Jehoshaphat had to battle against Moab and Ammon. It was a great multitude. When he prayed to God, he sent Jahaziel to tell Jehoshaphat that this wasn’t his battle to fight, but God’s battle. And he was right. Jehoshaphat and his army didn’t need to do anything. God sent Mount Seir to battle Ammon and Moab, and when they finished that, they simply destroyed themselves. All Jehoshaphat and his army needed to do was to invade the land and collect all the spoil, which took three days because there was so much of it. This just proves the power of God, and that he can save his children, and provide a stronghold in the day of trouble.
Another example of God providing help on the day of trouble is in Daniel 3, when the three Hebrew men had gone against Nebuchadnezzar’s rule that they had to bow down the statue he’d built. They were thrown into a furnace of fire as a result. However, none of them died; in fact, none of them even smelled burnt at all, and neither did their clothes. God had sent an angel to protect them from being harmed, which was why Nebuchadnezzar was surprised to see 4 men, when he’d only recalled throwing in three. God can do these things to us if we trust in him and keep his commandments.
As a result of man’s fall (Genesis 3:16-19, Romans 3:10-11, 23, 5:12-19, 6:23, etc), humanity as a whole has had days of trouble. We are as flowers, fragile flowers, before God (Job 5:6-7, 14:1-2). And in these last days, things are only getting more dangerous, as the wrath of God is hitting some people with a very heavy hammer, and he’s pronouncing judgment on people who certainly weren’t expecting it (Matthew 24:44-51, Isaiah 28:21, etc). However, God’s children are going to be kept under his canopy; the barn, while the other things are burnt. (Matthew 13:24-30). “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:32 - see also Romans 10:13 and Isaiah 26:20-21).
We should never be looking up to witches and wizards, necromancers, or other people like that for help. Rather, we should look to God (Isaiah 8:19-20, 2:19-20, Deuteronomy 18:10-12. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psalms 146:3-4). “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” (Psalms 62:10 - see also Psalms 20:7, Luke 16:9, 1 Timothy 6:7-10 and Ecclesiastes 7:12). We should always remember King Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1:1-17, and how he’d tried to pray to the god of Ekron for deliverance, and how he ended up dying, and Pharaoh in Exodus 7-11, and how Moses proved them useless when God gave him power to release the ten plagues.
It is our prayer, therefore, that God protects us from all the challenges that we may face in our lives, both physical and spiritual. Not one hair of our head will fall down without God noticing it (1 Samuel 14:45, Matthew 10:30), meaning that God always has his eyes on his children. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12).
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MAKE US GODS, WHICH SHALL GO BEFORE US
This statement is drawn from Exodus 32:1. “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”
The ultimate questions that need answers are: who gets sovereignty, who should solve humanity’s problems, and who should take the credit? Is it God, who created the universe - “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” (Isaiah 45:12) - or is it humanity that sought out its own inventions and attempted to solve their issues? “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
Let’s start off with the story.
As said above, the Israelites had waited a considerable length of time for Moses to return from what he was doing in a mountain with God, and they got very impatient. As a result, they requested that Aaron make a god that would go before them. Aaron obeyed the people, and after creating them out of people’s pieces of jewelry, even said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”
God had seen everything that happened (Hebrews 4:13, Psalms 11:4), and informed Moses that the Israelites had “corrupted themselves”. And Moses certainly didn’t disagree; he called them “a stiffnecked people” (Exodus 32:9, Deuteronomy 9:6, 10:16). And after Moses had conversed with God, he came down and heard them singing and dancing, as if they were celebrating. When he realized it was for their god, he destroyed it, ground it into powder, strawed it on the water and even made the Israelites drink of it.
But what was wrong with what they did?
They were disobedient and stubborn. God had told them that they couldn’t create any gods that would replace Him (Exodus 20:3-6). However, they violated that law.
They dishonoured themselves by reducing their glory to simple handmade idols. “Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.” (Psalms 106:20). “Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.” (Jeremiah 2:11). The Egyptian gods were proved worthless by God testing them with various plagues, which ended up ravaging the land and proving His power as the true God (Exodus 9:14, 16). However, the Israelites reduced themselves to the level of those Egyptians by worshipping idols just like them.
They showed a lack of belief and trust in God. When such a situation comes up, the first thing that should be done is to pray to God, the person Who delivered them in the first place and entered into a covenant with them (Exodus 19:4-5). However, instead of doing that, they rejected God (1 Samuel 8:8), and seized the opportunity to walk in their own ways. They took laws into their own hands, and without consulting God, set up false religion and even enjoyed it (Exodus 32:6, 18).
This story is also similar to others in the Old Testament. For example, King Saul took Samuel’s delay (as a problem) into his own hands and solved it by disobeying God’s commandment that it is a priest that makes the offering before war. King Jeroboam had an issue where people were going to Jerusalem to serve God, which wasn’t in his land to rule. Instead of consulting God, he created false religion for his people, casting God out of the equation. And in 1 Samuel 8:1-8, the Israelites were having serious trouble with their leaders, but instead of coming to God, they counselled themselves and requested that a king be given to them, to compete with other Gentile nations (1 Samuel 8:19-20).
In our time, the last days, this story applies. As the world was being formed from a developed system of monarchies and autocratic rulers to dictatorships to democracies, a constitution was built to suit the needs and desires of the people. Instead of coming to Jesus, the author of the immense defeat of power (the whole point was to answer the Lord’s Prayer and clear Satan the Devil’s powers on this world - Matthew 6:9-10, Revelation 12:7-12, Jeremiah 51:20-23)), humanity as a whole took laws into their own hands and set up a new way of living, supervised by an elected government. This entire system has been called “the beast”, which people are worshipping (Revelation 13:1-4).
Just as God tested the power of the Egyptian gods and proved them worthless, God is letting people use the constitution to attempt to solve humanity’s problems - corruption, poverty, war, etc - but it will ultimately fail. The powerful angels in heaven, with the power to make plagues and other devastating things for the world (Revelation 11:6), will ultimately prove the gods humanity set up for themselves worthless, so that they may be removed. “Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.” (Jeremiah 10:11). “ For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:14).
However, how do we act otherwise?
It is beneficial that we trust in God’s plan and let him lead us. When we have problems, we shouldn’t try to solve them ourselves, to prove to God that we know more than He does. Rather, we should trust that, as our Father, he knows best. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7). We should acknowledge that our ways (absent of God’s influence) will always be corrupt and influenced by Satan’s forces. “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23 - see also Proverbs 20:24). “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5).
It is only when we as God’s creation are humble and obedient towards Him that he can lead us to success. “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66:1-2).
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THE STORY OF RUTH
The journey of Ruth helps us to understand the dedication and determination that Christians have to have to the work (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11). Ruth, in Ruth 1-4, was the wife of one of the two sons of Naomi. However, tragedy came soon enough. Naomi lost her husband, and both sons 10 years later. That left Naomi, Ruth and her sister, Orpah, destitute, with little money, family or comfort.
Naomi decided to go to her home land, Judah, because she’d heard that God had given them food (Ruth 1:6). Her daughters followed her as well. During the journey, Noami told them that they shouldn’t follow her. After some weeping, Orpah left them and returned to her gods and families, but Ruth stayed with her, and even said, “for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: The LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17).
They eventually completed the journey, and God was with them the whole time. Ruth later worked a while with Boaz, a relative of Naomi and therefore Ruth, and after some time, they eventually got married. But that isn’t the most special thing about Ruth. Not only did she marry a rich person in the end, but she became the great-grandmother of David, one of the most successful kings in the Bible. She is also read by hundreds of millions of Bible readers, and her story shadows a more important mission.
Naomi in the story represents God’s organization. The main character of Naomi was the fact that she was destitute, losing everything but her own life and the wives of her two dead sons. She is God’s organization, but she is also destitute, the nation not desired (Zephaniah 2:3). “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married child, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:1). In Revelation 12:1-12, it talks about a woman who was in labor pains, trying to give birth to a man child. That is God’s Kingdom. The organization of God gives birth to something, like a woman gives birth to a child. However, it wasn’t easy, because there were many people against it. Satan the Devil has a lot of supporters, people who enjoy his principles. That’s why, in verse 4 of Revelation 12, Satan the Devil was defeated, but he wasn’t cast away alone. He took others with him, people who believed in him, the third part of heaven that was cast to the earth - not the physical earth, but rather to a low status.
Ruth represents the anointed Christians, who will follow Jesus Christ wherever he goes (Zechariah 8:23, Revelation 12;11, 14:1-5, etc). They yearn for God’s plan to reign (Luke 18:1-8, Revelation 6:10, etc). They are dedicated to doing the work that Jesus Christ gives them, and St.Paul himself said that there is nothing that can separate them from God and his will, because they get rid of anything that would do so (Romans 8:35-39). Some of them have died, others persecuted, but all of them have used parts of their lives or all of them in some cases, to pursue and forward the Kingdom Purpose. And they are going to be rewarded with everlasting life in heaven, and many of them are remembered, like Paul, in the Bible, and are very famous in this world. It’s like Ruth, who was just a normal woman, but is now read by millions in the Bible.
The other woman, Ruth’s sister, Orpah, represents the people who are 50/50 with God and the world. They think both sides are important. However, when you give them the opportunity to leave, you see their lack of faith. For example, in Judges 7:1-7, Gideon asked his soldiers, who had been 32,000 at the time, whether they wanted to leave. 22,000 left. He’d said there had been two much, which caused those people to leave, but they didn’t believe in the war. Another 9,700 left after he’d tested them by lapping water (read the story for more details). Only 300 men remained. However, God can win wars with only three hundred, because it is God who owns the battle (Psalms 20:7).
If we want to inherit God’s blessings, we have to follow God. If there is anything in our lives that is precious to us, but will be a drag, a derailment, or a deterrent to our worship, we have to cut it out (Matthew 5:29-30, 24:19-21, etc). When we decide to worship God, it must be kept to the end, instead of turning back (Hebrews 10:38-39). “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62).
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IS JESUS CHRIST GOD ALMIGHTY?
This article is going to examine the established doctrine that God and Jesus are the same and see how scriptural it is.
Biblical Logic
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If Jesus and God were the same, the resurrection wouldn’t have been possible because a dead entity can’t resurrect itself. God doesn’t die (Psalms 90:2), so He resurrected Jesus. Jesus Christ on Earth was quite sure of this, which was why he claimed he had the power to “take his life again” (that is, retrieve it, and as a human being, he didn’t have such powers without God).
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If they were the same, Jesus Christ can’t be considered the “Lamb of God”, because a lamb never walks to the slaughter; it is lead there by whoever is performing the sacrifice. Jesus Christ was referred to as a “lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7), because he was led by God (in a spiritual sense), to the Earth to be killed (Isaiah 53:10) to take the world’s sins away (John 1:29).
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If they were the same, Jesus Christ’s example would’ve been pointless. We are told to follow Christ’s example (1 Peter 2:21) because he was submissive, humble, and obedient. If he was God, then that wouldn’t be possible because God does not submit to anyone (Isaiah 40:18, 42:8, 45:5, 23, 46:5).
Their Differences
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God is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. “For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.” (Deuteronomy 10:17 - see also Psalms 95:3). He is ultimately glorified, no matter what happens, and He decides who gets to be glorified as well (Exodus 9:16). His name is JEHOVAH (Exodus 6:3), and His ways are holy (Deuteronomy 32:4, Leviticus 11:44-45, 1 Peter 1:6).
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Jesus, on the other hand, is the Son of God (John 5:26-27), the one who created everything else besides himself and God Almighty (Colossians 1:15-17, Ephesians 3:9, Revelation 3:14, John 1:1-3). He is King in our time, ruling God’s Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, Psalms 45:7). “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33).
Jesus Christ’s Statements
Ultimately, this all boils down to what Jesus Christ has said. Had he claimed to be equal with God?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” (John 5:19).
“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38).
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” (Luke 18:18-19).
Misinterpreted Quotations
John 10:30 - “I and my Father are one.”
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This does not mean that Jesus Christ and God are the same person. Rather, this mean they have the same purpose. They both love righteousness (Psalms 45:7, Hebrews 1:9). And that is why they have such a smooth relationship (Amos 3:3).
Matthew 28:19 - “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
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This verse is talking about preaching. All our preaching is about God, because without God, who owns humanity’s success, our preaching is in vain. If we do not preach through Jesus Christ, our preaching will not be relevant (Matthew 11:27, John 5:23). And if we do not preach with the Holy Spirit, but rather with the evil spirit, then it will be false and prevent people from worshipping God (Isaiah 9:16, Ezekiel 34:1-1,1, etc).
1 John 5:7 - “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
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This is an interpolation in the Bible. This is not supposed to be there, but it was implanted by biased Bible organizers.
John 1:1-3 - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
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The Word is Jesus Christ, and when it says he is “God”, this means is a “god”, because we worship him (Philippians 2:5-11), and because of his role of ruling in the midst of his enemies (Psalms 110:2), he is conquering nations, making them submit to him (Isaiah 9:6-7, Psalms 72:1-19). And Jesus Christ hasn’t lived from everlasting to everlasting. He was God’s only creation (as in, that was the only thing that He created by Himself”, hence the title, “Only Begotten Son” (John 3:16, etc).
But where does this doctrine come from?
Over 1700 years ago, there were many philosophers who took pagan traditions, most likely coming from the Romans, and wrapped it with the Bible so it would make sense to people like Constantine, who had mighty power. In 325 AD, Constantine “the Great”, had a council for Arius and Athanasius to defend their theories (Arius had a doctrine similar to the one of Jesus Christ), and Arius was defeated. That’s people believe in Jesus and God being equal.
The Advice
When we want to believe something, we have to make sure that it fits in the Bible, otherwise we will be led astray. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1). And if we happen to be developing such things, we have to make sure they ORIGINATE from the Bible, instead of them being wrapped with misinterpretations of the Bible’s message. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19).
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THE CIRCUMCISION RITE
Circumcision was a rite that God created as a signature to his covenant. When children are 8 days old, they would be circumcised. When we are buying a house, there is a document that we have, proving that we bought the house. Same goes with buying land. And with circumcision, God used that as proof that you are really in support of his covenant, and that you are a part of it. The covenant was the one that he started with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the idea of circumcision was the signature of it. That was why Abraham, and all the people that were with him, were circumcised (Genesis 17:23-27). Isaac was circumcised (Genesis 21:4), and Jesus Christ, thousands of years later, was also circumcised (Luke 2:21).
And because it was the signature of his covenant, anybody who wouldn’t circumcise themselves wouldn’t be saved by God (Genesis 17:14, Genesis 34:15-17, etc). If you weren’t circumcised, you would have nothing to do with God or the Jews, because that was what bonded them together, in a sense. However, when God instituted this idea of physically shaving off the foreskin, he had something in mind. A spiritual one, which was demonstrated by the physical one. And that spiritual one is the circumcision of the heart.
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (Jeremiah 4:4). “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff necked.” (Deuteronomy 10:16 - see also Deuteronomy 30:6 and Colossians 2:11). Many people wanted to continuously teach the circumcision of the physical foreskin, even though they knew that, once Jesus Christ came, and taught the apostles, the circumcision of the heart is more important. They didn’t want to be ashamed, so they would teach lies. “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:12-13, 15-16 - see also 1 Corinthians 7:19 and Acts 15:1-6, 22-29).
This also helps us to understand the fact that it is not only Jews that will be saved, because, at the time, it was only Jews who would circumcise themselves. Rather, it is the true Jew, a true worshipper of God, that is truly circumcised. “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Romans 2:28-29). “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3).
Being circumcised in the heart is the change of our heart condition, making it new in Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And this is the signature of the New Covenant, which God has set up, which is no more about physical things, since people have ruined it, but about spiritual things, because those physical things were only there to help us understand the more spiritual things (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11). “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that 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 bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34 / Hebrews 8:8-11 - see also Jeremiah 24:7).
It is very important that we understand what it means to be spiritually circumcised, and how that is superior to the physical circumcision. The physical circumcision was only for the men (Genesis 17:10), and the men of the Jews, but the spiritual circumcision is for everybody in the world, men and women. God doesn’t specifically reward the Jews, but he rewards people who do his will. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:34-35 - see also Romans 4:9-12, Acts 15:9 and Isaiah 45:22).
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WHAT IS INIQUITY?
One thing we must understand is that iniquity isn’t just robbery, or theft, or murder. God owns this world (Exodus 19:4-5, Isaiah 43:21, 45:12, 18, etc), and he therefore has the ultimate right to decide what is right, and what is wrong. People who comply with such principles are considered righteous, while people who don’t, whether ignorantly or deliberately, are wicked, and are workers of iniquity. That’s why we call Satan an evil doer (Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:15, 17, 9).
Iniquity, or sin, started on this earth with Adam (it began in heaven, but Adam and Eve committed it in this world), when he violated God’s principles, but disobeying what he considered right (Genesis 3:1-6, 16-19). And that’s why every Christian confesses to be a sinner. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 51:5 - see also Job 5:6-7, 14:1-12 and Romans 3:9-20, 23).
Another example was the story of Israel. “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” (Isaiah 1:4, 6 - see also Amos 3:2, Jeremiah 2:2-3, 3:8-9 and Lamentations 4:6). They had been flocking with people who didn’t do God’s will, and had continuously gone against God’s orders (e.g Numbers 21:4-9), asking for a king (1 Samuel 8:5), and running after worldly things (Lamentations 1:8).
Now, let’s go into some examples of iniquity:
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Murder. Murder is when we kill somebody intentionally. It is going against God’s will to kill anybody (Exodus 20:13), because God gave life to everybody, and it’s priceless. However, if a righteous one is murdered, such people will be brought back to life. However, if we prevent a person from coming to God, we are spiritually killing the person, making them wander into the land of the dead, the ignorant ones (Proverbs 21:16). We are killing them in God’s eyes, and we are therefore true murderers (Romans 14:15 and Isaiah 9:16).
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Fornication and Adultery (Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Now, even though one is before marriage (fornication), and the other is after marriage (adultery), they are pretty much the same in the spiritual sense. This has to do with already accepting God as the one you want to worship, but loving this world. People who love the world are not of the father (1 John 2:15-17, James 4:4, John 15:19, etc). 23,000 people in the nation of Israel were killed as a result of this (Numbers 25:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:8). And the churches are a great example of this. They have ruined themselves by looking for money, the tastes of the world, instead of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23). They have completely gone against instructions (Matthew 24:44-51, Ezekiel 34:1-11, Revelation 16:13-15, etc). Therefore, God is going after them (Revelation 18:2-4).
In these last days, God is coming after all workers of iniquity through his son Jesus Christ (Psalms 21:3, Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:1, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 12:1-12, 19:11-21, etc). The works of iniquity workers are going to be bound in bundles to be burnt (Matthew 13:24-30, 39-43, Revelation 14:8-11, 17-20, 18:2-4, etc). They have been cooking their own punishment, and their cup is full, which is why God is deciding to come after them (Galatians 6:7, Job 34:22, etc). That is why these last days have been described as a very gloomy day (Joel 2:2, Zephaniah 1:14-18, etc).
God is going to remove all kinds of iniquity, so that this world can be filled with righteousness; simply put, people doing his will. Considering this, Isaiah the prophet had said, “And the inhabitant shall not way, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” Isaiah 33:24). However, in order to achieve this, we must move away from all kinds of iniquity, and do good. (Isaiah 1:16-20).
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THE ARMOUR OF GOD
The Armour of God is like the physical armour, but spiritual. In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul enumerated the distinct parts of the armour, and interpreted them to the spiritual level. We need to wear this armour, the armour of light (Romans 13:12) like David, in 1 Samuel 17. He defeated Goliath, a man over 10 feet tall, without any physical armour. It was his ability to wear the spiritual armour that made his weapon, the rocks in his slingshot, very powerful.
It is this armour that allows us to fight spiritual battles that rage all over the world. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). These battles are against Satan the Devil, and his institutions (Matthew 24:15-16, Revelation 12:7-12, etc).
THE PARTS
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The girdle was a belt that would go around your body, and secure all other parts of the armour. This represents the knowledge of the truth. When we study it (2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:25) it allows us to construct a steady foundation on which we’ll serve God (Luke 6:46-49, Matthew 7:24-27).
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The breastplate prevents people from damaging your heart. Spiritually, a worshipping of God needs a good heart condition in order to serve him. (Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, Exodus 20:3, 5-6). This leads to doing righteous things (Isaiah 59:17). Without this, we wouldn’t accept God’s righteousness (Romans 10:1-3).
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Soldiers need their feet to be shod, or covered, with shoes. We need to cover our path with peace and truth. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105). We should also dispense the message, not being ashamed (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26) but glad. (Romans 1:16).
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We also need our shield, a piece of metal that cam deflect weapons. Our shield of faith is very important. It is impossible to worship God without it. (Hebrews 11:6). That is also what allows us to charge through temptations, and resist the devil (James 4:7).
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We need our helmet as well. We have to believe and have hope in what God is doing. Not physical hope, but spiritual hope (Romans 8:24-25). People such as Jesus Christ and the apostles believed in God’s plan (Matthew 26:39,42, 2 Corinthians 11:24-33) and we must copy such people.
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Then, we need our sword! The truth. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). It has converted thousands (Acts 2:41, 4:4).
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The back of our bodies, however, is not covered. We must not be afraid, neither turn back (Luke 9:62, Hebrews 10:35-36, 38-39). Rather, we must, “press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14. Then, we’ll be worthy of inheriting eternal life.
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THE CITIES OF REFUGE
In Numbers 35:6-34, Deuteronomy 4:41-43, 19:1-21, and Joshua 20:1-9, those accounts tell the story of the Cities of Refuge. There were six of them: Kedesh, Shechem and Hebron west of the Jordan River, and Golan, Ramoth-Gilead and Bezer, east of the Jordan River. God chose those six cities because they were spread out, and allowed manslayers, people who commit manslaughter, to enter in at any time.
Then, there would be an avenger of blood. When you kill unintentionally, you don’t alert anybody. You run to one of the cities. The avenger of blood would be a relative of the person you unintentionally killed. If he catches you before you get there, you’d be killed. But if you got there before him, you’d explain to the elders why you’re there, and if the case is valid, you’d be given a home, food and other necessities to survive. Most important, though, the avenger of blood would no longer have the consent to come after you, because the avenger of blood can’t go there. You’d remain there until the death of the High Priest; after that, you could leave freely. If you left before, however, the protection goes away with it.
All these parts are symbolic. For example, the Cities of Refuge in these last days are the teachings of the saints (Matthew 24:31, 14), because once we accept them, we are gathered together by God in his fold (Zephaniah 2:3). We are fleeing into that fold (Matthew 24:15-16) by studying the Bible (James 1:25, 2 Timothy 2:15), and living by its principles, to be accepted into God’s protection - Joel 2:32, Proverbs 18:10, Isaiah 26:20-21, etc.
In these last days, everyone is a manslayer. Everyone is a sinner, but most people have unintentionally sinned, because we inherited it from Adam (Titus 3:3, Psalms 51:5, Ezekiel 18:20, Romans 6:23, etc). However, if we don't’ take advantage of this, or we flee from the opportunity, there is no room for forgiveness - Hebrews 10:26-29
The avenger of blood in these last days is Jesus Christ. He is coming after anybody who doesn’t listen to what the anointed Christians have to say. He is God’s Vindicator, Referee, etc (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Revelation 12:1-12, 19:11-21). The Holy Sanhedrin are the saints (Revelation 4:4, 1:6, Luke 22:28-30, Psalms 149:5-9).
The High Priest is also Jesus Christ (Hebrews 3:1, 9:11). The death of the High Priest is the end of his work, the death of spirituality (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Then, he will hand everything back to God, so that he may be all in all.
It is very important that we understand how we need to be taking refuge in God’s Purpose. This age is indeed a very dangerous time (2 Timothy 3:1-5, Matthew 24:3-51) but if we know what to do, we will be safe.
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THE HIDDEN TREASURE
In Matthew 13:44, Jesus Christ used a treasure hidden in a field to signify the importance of the power of the gospel message. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is the like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
The most important part of this is the treasure itself. The treasure is the word of God, a precious thing to humans (1 Samuel 3:1 - people liked having something to do with it). The word of God / the gospel message will be understood by few people, who will come trembling from the west (spiritually - Hosea 11:10). The Bible has also described the word of God as a precious thing. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16- see also Job 28:12-20, Proverbs 8:10-11 and Colossians 2:2-3). That was why we are advised should study it (2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:25).
The parable also talks about hiding the treasure. The Bible has talked about this physically; for example, Hezekieh did not hide his treasures in 2 Kings 20:12-21, but rather showcased them to Babylon, which become a target and motivation for invade their kingdom. And spiritually, the same concept applies. We don’t let anything from Egypt steal the treasure, the word of God and its power, away from us. We get rid of friends that would do so (1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18), and the iniquities that trouble our hearts (James 4:1, Matthew 15:18-20, Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 1:28-32), and any conversation that would convince us otherwise (Colossians 2:8, Titus 3:9).
The parable also talks about a man selling all he has to buy that field. Selling all we have had been talked about literally, especially by Jesus Christ. For example, in Mark 10:17-25, Jesus Christ told a rich man to sell all he had and come follow him. He didn’ though, because he had great possessions. It’s physically hard to sell everything you have just to buy something. The Chrisrtians converted by Peter’s speech did do that though, because of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:45). Spiritually, those great possessions are the things that we had in Egypt (a term used to describe people who don’t know God and don’t worship him, based on the Israelites were seen to the Egyptians they’d left behind - Exodus 19:4-6) before; all our investments in loving the world, and competing against others for it (1 John 2:15-17). Those things have to be forgotten, and we have to make every sacrifice to secure the treasure (Matthew 19:29, Luke 14:26).
Once we do all of that, we can buy the field. The field is very pricy, but the man managed to purchase it, because he sold everything he had. Similarly, the word of God is very pricy to keep, but when we secure everything, so that we are pure, and it is only God that has access to ourselves, our families, our relationships, etc, we have secured it with us, and have bought it. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word fo truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possessions, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 - see also Joshua 1:8).
There are some examples of people in the Bible who had dome as the man in the parable had done. Abigail had done it, because she protected David from killing Nabal and possibly offending God, risking her life, the way the man in the parable had risked all his possessions to buy that field (1 Samuel 25:25-31). St.Paul had done all that he could to win Christ (Phlippians 3:7-9). Jonathan had done all he could to protect David, ignoring his future position of king and staying where God himself was, which was with David (1 Samuel 18:2-4, 23:16-17). There’s also Moses (Hebrews 11:24-26), Obadiah (1 Kings 18:2-4, and Lot (Genesis 19:1-30).
It’s very important that we understand what the parable of Jesus Christ in Matthew 13:44 means. It may be a short parable, but the meaning is big in our time. In Proverbs 2:1, 4-6, King Solomon, telling us the value of God’s word and what happens when we seek it, had stated, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of GOd. For the LORD giveth wisdom: Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
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THE ALL-POWERFUL GOD
The Bible has introduced God as the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1), and the King of kings (Psalms 95:3, 97:9, 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Deuteronomy 10:17, etc). He doesn’t have a birthdate, neither an end date (Psalms 90:2, 93:2, etc). He has the ability to do anything in this world (John 10:29, Jeremiah 32:17, 27, etc). There is nothing too difficult for him. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
There are many examples in the Bible where God demonstrated his extreme power and might. For example, he destroyed the evil ones in the world with the power of a flood (Genesis 6-8). He battered the Egyptians, owning the biggest empire of the time (Exodus 7-11), and he also rescued the Israelites from their clutches again when they persisted in bringing them back (Exodus 14). Also, God’s power changed the hearts of people so that the righteous ones wouldn’t be harmed, like Esau (Genesis 33:1-4, when God touched the heart of Esau so that his original plan to kill him - Genesis 27:41 - wouldn’t be fulfilled), or like Esther, when there was a very important visit on behalf of the Jews that had to be made, despite customs and traditions that went against such meetings without real permission (Esther 4:15-17, 5:1-14).
God has also demonstrated a lot of power to answer the prayers of the righteous. King Hezekiah, in Isaiah 36-37, prayed for God to bring him and his kingdom out of the threats and clutches of King Sennacherib. God killed 185,000 of his soldiers and the king himself by two of his sons very soon after. In 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, when King Jehoshaphat, a righteous king before God, had prayed for them to be saved from the Ammonites and the Moabites. God sent the people of Mount Seir to battle them, and they gradually destroyed themselves. In fact, after the Moabites and Ammonites had killed the people of Seir, they helped to kill themselves (2 Chronicles 20:23). These are some examples to prove that God is an all-powerful God.
However, an even bigger example is when God answered the prayer of Jesus Christ in John 17:4-5, when he prayed to go back to heaven, and the glory he formerly had. God answered this prayer by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. He performed the first resurrection ever, and the life that Adam lost was restored. And, as a result of God’s power, Jesus Christ could say, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:18).
God also executes power through his truth, because his truth is very powerful (Hebrews 4:12). It rescued Saul, who we now know as St.Paul (Galatians 1:11-16 and 1 Timothy 1:12-17). He can bring people who nobody would expect to the fold, regardless of their iniquities, by changing their hearts.
In these last days, God is fighting a battle with an extreme amount of power (Revelation 12:1-12, 19:11-21). He has put his son in office, and he is the one fighting for God (Isaiah 32:1, 9:6-7, etc). He has a crown of pure gold on his head (Psalms 21:3), and he is ruling with a rod of iron (Psalms 2:6, 9, etc). There is no part of this world that will remain with the principles of Satan the Devil (Ezekiel 38:19-20), that is going to be excluded from God’s judgment (Isaiah 2:2). God has established his Kingdom, and it has been established on all parts of this earth (Daniel 2:44).
God is going to use his power to create a society so that the righteous ones of God can live eternally in peace and happiness. It is unimaginable. (1 Corinthians 2:9). God even knows the prayers of the righteous before they physically pray them (Isaiah 65:24). He is going to defeat the idea of death (Hosea 13:14), and grant Life, eternal life, to all. Therefore, we have to trust in God. “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:4).
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WHAT IS GOD'S KINGDOM?
God’s Kingdom is an idea that God has created to bring man back to Himself. “This people have I formed for myself: they shall shew forth my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21). It is a universal empire, covering heaven and earth (Daniel 2:44), owned by God and headed by his beloved son Jesus Christ, whom he as put in office to defeat Satan the Devil and establish his Kingdom for an eternity (Psalms 110:2, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 19:11-21, 12:7-12, Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:1, etc). And, after the saints have taught the message, they will be rewarded with the opportunity to live eternally and the assignment of assisting Jesus Christ in judging the earth (Revelation 1:6, Luke 12:32, 22:28-30, etc).
Even though the Kingdom of God is in heaven and earth, the heavenly portion of it is a lot more important. The parable of the lost sheep tells us that (Matthew 18:10-14), with ninety-nine sheep to one. Jesus Christ called God’s Kingdom the kingdom of heaven, but that doesn’t mean that we are going there to inherit it there. It just means that it’s where power comes from.
It is very easy to understand the Kingdom of God once we understand the kingdom of the Devil, and how spirits work generally. The Bible tells us that the Devil owned seven empires (Revelation 17:10-11). Satan the Devil would sell an idea to people he’d chosen to do his work. Many times it would be the kings, as the spirits can control the hearts of kings (Proverbs 21:1). Satan the Devil influences the hearts of people and uses them to advance his will. And the Kingdom of God works the same way. God has planted his ideas in the hearts of some people, and they live their lives out accordingly. Some of them teach the message (the saints - Matthew 24:31, 14, Joel 2:28-29).
In Revelation 12:1-12, there is an illustration of the Kingdom of God. The woman is God’s organization, or Zion. They gave birth to God’s Kingdom. However, it came with many birth pangs, another way of saying labour pains. A woman has lots of trouble and pain when giving birth, and the same goes with God’s Kingdom. The first and second world wars were very painful and troubling, but that gave birth to God’s Kingdom. Many people died, more injured, and the idea of autocracy collapsed. And freedom was given to all of mankind. However, Satan the Devil wasn’t done just yet. He is trying to go against what Jesus Christ and God have set up, but God has sentenced him, and he’s going to be defeated for all time (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). His kingdom will take over. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2).
This idea is going to take a process. “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” (Matthew 13:31-32). And it’s not something that we can point to, “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or lo there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21).
The Kingdom of God is going to bring peace to this world. “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:7, 9). However, it will be only the meek, the people who believe and use their lives to support that idea, that will be able to inherit the rewards that it will bring. “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (Psalms 37:9-11). “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5).
As a result of all this, it is important that we make this our biggest interest and priority, and do whatever possible to help advance the process. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33).
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WHAT IS THE BIBLE?
The Bible is the world’s most inspirational book. Billions of people believe in its message, and it greatly influenced Western civilization. However, what was God’s purpose for it? How do we properly interpret it?
The most important fact about the Bible is that it was inspired by God (2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). God didn’t physically tell the Bible’s writers what to say, but they did feel the urge to write something, and what they wrote was what God approved of.
The Bible is made up of many different parts. There are psalms, epistles, prayers, and more. However, the most important part of the Bible is the prophecies, because they prove the holiness and accuracy of the Bible.
For example, in Psalms 41:9, David wrote about Judas’ betrayal, thousands of years before it happened, and in Daniel 7-12, Daniel predicted the conditions of the last days, the time that we are living in. The only way these two men could have made such predictions is if God, who knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10), had told them what would happen in the future. In addition, God allowed Moses to do the opposite: he wrote Genesis even though its events took place before he was born.
What’s more important, though, is understanding what the Bible does for us, and the Scriptures itself describes how they help us. For example, Psalms 19:7 says that God’s Word is perfect, and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that the Bible corrects our mistakes. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the truth can judge people, and that’s why the people who speak it are considered “witnesses” (Revelation 11:3).
However, before we can use the Bible to guide our lives, we need the spirit of God to understand it (Job 32:8; 1 Corinthians 2:11), or else we will end up like the natural man described in 1 Corinthians 2:14, the kind of man who can’t comprehend its message and believes it to be nonsense. Plus, we need to study the Bible and meditate on it (2 Timothy 2:15; Joshua 1:8), or else we won’t be able to understand its main idea.
And after we come to an understanding of the Bible and its message, the whole point of the Bible’s preservation in our time is for us to live our lives according to it (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11). Few people do living according to it, as seen in Matthew 7:13-14, but when we do so, we will not live in ignorance, as we can use the Scriptures to decode all the events taking place around us, and be ahead of the game, like Jesus Christ, who knew the end of the Pharisees way before they did (Matthew 23:33-38, Luke 19:41-44).
And the Scriptures itself has listed out the benefits of understanding the Bible, simply labelled as “wisdom”, or “knowledge” or “understanding. “For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” Ecclesiastes 7:29). “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1). “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”
Because of these benefits, it is important that we seek it diligently. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7). “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and
liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.” (Proverbs 2:1-7).
And it’s most important that we pray to God to assist in that process, because if not, we can be led by Satan the Devil and collect false doctrines, which won’t make us any wiser (Ezekiel 13:10-16 — “untempered mortar” are false doctrines, because false doctrines are like a wall that has no paint, but the thing behind it). “ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5).
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DO YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is one of the most debated topics in Christianity, and this shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s like spiritual money; you can’t worship God without it (Romans 8:9, 14, John 3:5-6). And the question of whether you have the Holy Spirit or not is an unavoidable question that must be answered; the answer tells you where you’re heading, be it the path to righteousness or a dead-end.
To answer that question, it is indispensable that a general way to understand the Holy Spirit is outlined. To begin, the Holy Spirit is not a tangible thing. It’s a spiritual thing that God gives to certain people (John 14:16, Acts 5:32). It should be emphasized that God gives it; we shouldn’t think like Simon in Acts 8:8-24, and desire to purchase it with money. It’s called the “Holy” Spirit because it drives people to do holy things - holy things, being, things that we do with righteous intent that further God’s purpose.
But what does the Holy Spirit do to us when we have it? This is the most important question to answer, and will therefore get the most attention in this article.
When we get the Holy Spirit, it starts to change our way of thinking. Our minds begin to reason spiritually, not naturally or carnally (Romans 8:4-8) and we start to understand spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). We begin to take interest in God’s things, and thirst/seek for Him (Psalms 42:1-2) and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). God and His Word excites us, like it did to David in Psalms 122:1, which reads, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our circle of friends and companions start to change, towards having righteous people as our company, and staying clear of evil doers (Psalms 26:4-5). We develop a love for righteousness, and hatred for evil and hypocrisy (like Jesus did - Psalms 45:7, Hebrews 1:9). We also begin to practice righteous virtues (Galatians 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit opens our heart to the gospel message, so it can take full control of our lives (see Acts 2:37 and Acts 16:14-15).
To broaden our understanding of the Holy Spirit, let’s examine the lives of some people who had it. Jesus, for example, had the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34, Matthew 3:16-17). And what he did on Earth proved this. He put God and His purpose first (Matthew 4:1-11) and made sure that God’s will was the centerpiece of his life (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38). The people closest to him were those who loved God and believed the gospel (Matthew 12:46-50). He could openly expose the iniquities of those with more physical authority (Matthew 15:7-9, 23:13-39), and bear the consequences of that (Hebrews 12:2-3), because he had the Holy Spirit.
Another example is Joshua and Caleb. They had the Holy Spirit (Numbers 14:24, 32:10-12). It was because they had it that, against all odds, they were excited to go occupy the land God promised them (Numbers 13:27-33). And when the Israelites wanted to rebel against Moses and Aaron, and return to Egypt, Joshua and Caleb tried to discourage them. Someone without the Holy Spirit wouldn’t put their lives at stake to support God’s purpose, but someone with the Holy Spirit would do so.
It’s also important that we look at people who didn’t have the Holy Spirit. For example, in Acts 13:6-12, Sergius Paul wanted to hear God’s Word, so he called for Paul and Barnabas. But Elymas, a sorcerer, didn’t want the Word of God to be spoken and the deputy to have faith in the God they were preaching, so he tried to stop them. That’s the work of the evil spirit. Then, St. Paul told him, ‘O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.” (Acts 13:10-11). What followed was the blinding of his sight.
But who gets the Holy Spirit?
There are certain people whose hearts are “spiritually fertile”, meaning that they have the capacity to worship God well. For example, someone like David was fit to be a child of God, because he was a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), and had the capabilities to trust in God and work within what He wanted him to do. God knew David had these inherent skills already, so He sent the Holy Spirit to him to develop them (1 Samuel 16:13). But King Saul, on the other hand, wasn’t really fit to be spiritual, because you can see that when he entered an office where love for God was needed, he failed (see 1 Samuel 13, 15 and 22). He was a natural man, because he cared more about himself and natural things, than spiritual law and order (1 Corinthians 2:14).
People like David get the Holy Spirit, because they have “potential”. This isn’t different from how Google saw potential in the online video platform, Youtube, and bought it for US$1.65 billion.
However, it should be noted that the Holy Spirit does not come to people equally. There is a certain class of Christians, called apostles (such as those in Luke 6:12-13) who get a higher “dose” of the Holy Spirit. With that, God can directly communicate with them and send them messages; this is why they are not taught the gospel by man, but by God Himself (1 John 2:27). God reveals things to them (Ephesians 3:3-5). For reasons such as this, they shouldn’t be confused with the general class of Christians who will inherit the earth (Psalms 37:11, Matthew 5:5). The apostles will go to heaven to be with Jesus Christ (John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, etc.).
However, even in the general class of Christians, they don’t all get the Holy Spirit at the same level either. In Matthew 13:23, it talks about the righteous, and how there will be some hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. One thing that really affects how much someone will do in God’s service, and how much faith they have, is the Holy Spirit.
Based on what has been said, if you have the Holy Spirit, that is very good. It’s an indispensable blessing that will aid you greatly in worshipping God. Therefore, you should treat it as something very precious, and not grieve it with iniquity. St. Paul said in Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t remain with us when we engage in iniquity. It left King Saul for such reasons in 1 Samuel 16:14. We should pray that the Holy Spirit remains with us, as David did in Psalms 51:11, and try to avoid iniquity as much as possible (Job 11:14, Proverbs 4:14-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, etc.). That way, we can remain holy before God.
And if we don’t have the Holy Spirit yet, we should ask God for it, because there’s hardly a better prayer to God than that. Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
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THE HARP OF GOD
The harp is a musical instrument, and when played well by a good musician, it can produce melodious tunes. According to Genesis 4:21, the first person to play the harp was Jubal. In the Scriptures, it was noted to have ten strings, through harps now have 47 or so. And in Psalms 144:9, the writer said he would use that instrument to praise God. “I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.”
The melodiousness of the harp was proven by its ability to pacify Saul when David played it. This was written in 1 Samuel 16:23, which reads, “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
Spiritually, the Word of God is a harp, because when preached by anointed ones with the Holy Spirit, its power can convert souls to God (Psalms 19:7, Hebrews 4:12; see Acts 2 for an example of when this happened). The anointed ones who preach that gospel are the saints, who are given the truth from heaven (1 John 2:27), and they play that harp (that is, preach that gospel) to the whole world (Revelation 14:1-5). David spoke about how God’s Word was like a harp in Psalms 49:4, where he said, “I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.” The Word of God is like a song we sing to praise God and comfort souls, according to Psalms 119:54, which reads, “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” (see also Isaiah 35:10).
I noted earlier that the harp in the Scriptures had ten strings (see Psalms 33:2, 92:3). The Word of God can also be divided into 10 strings, or “cardinal doctrines”, which summarize God’s plan for mankind, and the whole Bible as well. The ten strings are:
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CREATION
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GOD’S JUSTICE MANIFESTED
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THE ABRAHAMIC PROMISE
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THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST
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THE RANSOM SACRIFICE
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RESURRECTION
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MYSTERY REVEALED
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THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
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THE GLORIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
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THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS
Now, it’s very important you understand that these ten strings are not fully chronological. While there is an order (for example, God talked to Abraham before Jesus Christ came down to this world), but because all of these link together, and are of equal importance, some steps might also talk about events in our time, even though their beginners are thousands of years old.
We’ll give a quick summary of the ten strings, and you might be able to notice that there’s a fall and rise, as in, humanity’s fall, and then steps that God took and is taking to recover us back.
The first string is Creation. In Genesis 1-2, God created the universe and humans who would inhabit it and worship Him (Isaiah 43:21). Genesis 2:7 summarizes the process by which God created man: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
The second string is God’s Justice Manifested. In Genesis 3:1-6, Adam and Eve sinned against God by disregarding God’s original rule after Satan came along and introduced something peculiar to them. And God pronounced the death sentence, which was justice manifested on them (Genesis 3:16-19).
The third string is the Abrahamic Promise. In Genesis 3:15, we see that two figures had seeds. These seeds that were spoken of represent Jesus Christ and Satan the Devil. Jesus Christ is a seed (Galatians 3:16) and that was brought into the world through the lineage of Abraham. That was the purpose of God coming to Abraham, and telling him, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” This promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ, the Son of God himself (Matthew 3:16-17) was born into this world. He came through that same line of Abraham, and Jesus Christ was a blessing to the world. Angels said in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.“ They were speaking about Jesus Christ.
The fourth string is the Birth of Jesus Christ, which was spoken about above. The Bible makes us know that God had a big plan for Jesus Christ; the role he was going to play in the restoration of humanity was fundamental. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7). Therefore, his birth into the world was significant.
The fifth string is The Ransom Sacrifice. Jesus Christ came down to this world to be a ransom for the sin of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-6. All humans have been tainted with that sin (read Psalms 51:5) but because Jesus Christ was a perfect life, without sin (1 Peter 2:22) he could atone for the perfect life lost in the Garden of Eden. And in Matthew 20:28, Jesus Christ claimed to play that role by saying, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Also, in Isaiah 53:10, Isaiah the Prophet prophesied that Jesus Christ would play that role, and he made a connection between this and his future role (which is string #8). He said, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”
The sixth string is Resurrection. Now, we’re not talking about resurrecting and dying again (like Lazarus in John 11). Jesus Christ was the first person to rise to eternal life, according to St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:20, where he said, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” The apostles were resurrected by Jesus and taken to heaven (John 14:1-3), and their brothers in this world (as in, those who have been anointed by God as well) will join them (Revelation 6:11). And the general resurrection, the resurrection for righteous Christians on earth, will take place when Jesus Christ has subdued all his enemies, in fulfillment of Psalms 110:2 and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. And this resurrection for Christians was spoken about in John 5:28-29. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (also see Job 14:13-15 and Job 19:25-26).
The seventh string is Mystery Revealed. Jesus Christ and the apostle revealed mysteries to mankind that were given by God Himself through the Holy Spirit. These mysteries are about God’s plan to restore mankind to Himself, and He’s revealed the steps He will use through Jesus Christ and the apostles. Many of these mysteries were given to mankind when the apostles began to preach, and these were “gifts”, according to Ephesians 4:8. “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” St. Paul also spoke about this mystery in Ephesians 1:9-10, where he said, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” And for those who God has chosen to be His children (Matthew 11:25-26, etc.), the mysteries of God’s Kingdom will be revealed to them (Mark 4:11).
The eighth string is The Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In response to the disciples’ question, Jesus Christ gave us signs that would help us know when he would arrive, and help us identify the events that signal his arrival. Matthew 24:3-8 gives us the details: “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
The ninth string is the Glorification of the Church. This is the process when the righteous will be exalted, and those who have rejected God Almighty and persecuted righteous ones will be abased. This is taking place in our time (and we have an article about this, which you can find in the Doctrines Page). The Bible has spoken a lot about this event, especially in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 52:1-2, the Glorification of the Chuch was summarized by these statements: “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” (see also Isaiah 60:1-3, 13).
And the tenth string is the Restoration of All Things. God is restoring humanity back to its former state of glory by ending war, poverty, strife, envy, hatred, etc., among men. And the building blocks of that are found in the way people’s hearts are gradually changing to desire freedom and unity, rather than power and wealth (though that still dominates the world, of course). St. Peter was inspired by God to summarize this last string of the Harp of God in Acts 3:19-21, where he said, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
These ten fundamental truths are like sweet music when we are true children of God. The children of the promise (Romans 9:8) are attracted by the gospel message; when they hear it, it’s like music that reaches into their soul. Those in Acts 2:37 fall into this category, because when they heard the gospel message, it pricked their hearts as sweet music does. This feeling only comes to those who are called by God; those who aren’t will simply see ut as foolishness. St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (also see 1 Corinthians 2:14). God anoints people to preach this gospel to the world (1 John 2:27), and they go about preaching it, without alteration nor deceit (2 Corinthians 4:1-2). it gathers God’s people, which prophecy said Jesus would do (Genesis 49:10).
The reason why the gospel is preached is so that we can be reconciled to God. St. Paul begged his readers that they come to Christ, knowing fully well that dancing to the harps of God will reap the rewards of the Kingdom that the harps of God play upon (Revelation 21:1-7). He said in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
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BIBLICAL BALM FOR SPIRITUAL AILMENTS
Due to our environment, humans are susceptible to sickness. Sicknesses make it harder for us to live life and enjoy it. There are a variety of sicknesses that humans can suffer (e.g. hay fever, influenza, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) with different effects, and for different lengths of time. Sicknesses get worse as time goes on, but with proper treatment, we can recover from them.
Spiritual ailments are similar to physical ailments; they are things that prevent us from worshipping God properly. They disrupt our relationship with God because they act as a smooth pathway for iniquity, which God is not compatible with (Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Peter 1:16), to enter our lives. And we find lists of these ailments in different parts of the Scriptures. St. Paul enumerated some of them in Galatians 5:19-21, which reads, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (see also Romans 1:28-32, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-10, 2 Tmothy 3:1-5). When spiritual ailments such as these control our lives, they’ll eventually prevent us from living forever.
Spiritual ailments affect individuals and institutions (nations, organizations, or other big bodies). Esau, an individual in the Scriptures, had a spiritual ailment: foolishness. He didn’t understand nor regard spiritual things, so he was completely natural (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). That’s why he decided to sell his birthright (which had spiritual significance) for a morsel of meat (which did not), in Genesis 25:29-34 (Hebrews 12:16-17 explains this).
Israel was a nation that was affected by spiritual ailments. In Isaiah 1:4-6, they were described as sick and ill because of their iniquity. In that text, God said through Isaiah the Prophet, “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Those ailments were the bribes, immorality, covetousness, etc., that destroyed the righteousness of the state, and prevented them from serving God properly. The state’s sickness was built up by the individuals in the nation whose spiritual ailments drove them to sin. Eventually, it represented the entire nation. And the prophets who were sent as a balm for them (by teaching them how to come back to God and do the right thing) were ignored, and sometimes killed (Matthew 23:33-38). That’s why God said in Jeremiah 8:22, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” Was God speaking of physical ailments? No. He was speaking of spiritual ailments, which His Word, preached by prophets in their time, could heal them from.
The Bible has described The Word of God as something which will help us recover from spiritual ailments. King Solomon said in Proverbs 4:20-22, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” We can use the Word of God to cleanse ourselves of spiritual ailments, by understanding the wrongness of our current ways and fixing it with the texts and stories/examples we find in the Bible (Ephesians 5:26, Isaiah 1:16-20).
Because of the potency of God’s Word, God sends it to people who need it to overcome their spiritual ailments (Psalms 107:17-20), with appointed teachers and pastors, who teach us about that balm and how to apply it. In that sense, they are like physicians. “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:15).
Below are the steps we need to take to successfully apply the word of God like a balm for our spiritual ailments:
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We need to study it diligently. In Joshua 1:8, God told Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” By studying the Word of God, we’ll understand the way a righteous man should behave, and how we may differ from that. We’ll be able to identify our spiritual ailments, which is fundamental towards recovering from them (after all, you can’t recover from something you don’t know about). For instance, we can look at the Pharisees, who were ignorant/blind (which is a spiritual ailment) and also didn’t know and acknowledge that they were (John 9:39-41). As a result, they remained with that spiritual ailment, despite having Jesus Christ and his teachings (the physician and the balm) to help them.
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Then, we need to pray about it. Spiritual ailments are difficult to recover from because they have a way of controlling everything we do in our lives, pretty quickly (our friendships, marriage, spirituality, etc.). We should take such matters to God, because God can fix what is wrong with our hearts, being a spirit being (John 4:24). And the statements of David in Psalms 66:16-19 show that God can indeed answer prayers for us, so long as we are sincere. “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.” (Psalms 66:16-19).
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Repentance is also important. Spiritual ailments are caused by sin, and for God to help us get out of our sin, we have to ask God to show us mercy and forgive us. With repentance, we are asking God to give us a chance to recover from our spiritual ailments. As said above, God isn’t compatible with iniquity, but when we repent, He can give us a chance, and help us recover, according to Psalms 130:3-4. “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” St. John encouraged us to repent in 1 John 1:9 by saying, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
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And, of course, the Holy Spirit is essential towards recovering from spiritual ailments, because of the motivation and strength it gives us. St. Paul explained how it does that in Romans 8:26, where he said, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” The most important thing to do when we have the Holy Spirit is to take advantage of it and use the motivation it gives us to recover fully from any spiritual ailments we might have. By letting it guide us, we’ll eventually be at liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).
It is clear now what spiritual ailments are, and how the balm God has provided for us (the Word of God) can be properly applied to help us recover from spiritual ailments. We should know that being clean from spiritual ailments gives us a lot of liberty in our relationship with God, and they prevent Satan from pulling us away from God (fulfilling James 4:7, about resisting the Devil). It’s like falling ill, going to the hospital for a while, and finally returning to normal life. It feels like you’ve been granted freedom.
So let’s use the balm God has provided us to cleanse ourselves of our iniquities, so that He may bless us and be our Guide and Friend for the rest of our lives.
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