Rons Resting Place

YOM TERUAH YOM HAKIPPURIM...OLD AND NEW CREATION

2012-01-15T09:07:00.000-05:00

I have come to see a connection between the appointed times of YHWH, commonly called the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Old and New creations. I will be using the Hebrew names for the remainder of this article.

Yom Teruah takes place on the 1st day of the 7th month in the Creator's calendar. Although not found in scripture, it is also known today as Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year). This 1st day of the 7th month is considered the beginning of another year, similar to New Year's Day. It is also the beginning of the agricultural season, with the early rain taking place during the fall harvest season, and the latter rain taking place during the spring season.

Being referred to as Rosh HaShanah, it also speaks of the creation, when it all started. Traditionally it is said that Adam was created on Yom Teruah, yet I wish to propose that Yom Teruah hearkens back a few days before that, to the very first verse of scripture.

Some may wonder how the Creator's calendar can have a new year coming in the 7th month, and not the 1st, like most calendars. This is because the 7th month in the fall is the beginning of the agricultural year, while the 1st month in the spring is the beginning of the festival year...Pesach, etc. Similarly, we have such things as the new year, fiscal year, school year, etc; the beginning point of certain things.

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest to you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
(Lev 23:24 WEB (R))

There are two things to note here. Firstly, this day is marked by trumpet blasting, which is taken from the Hebrew word Teruah. Secondly, the blasting is to be a memorial of something. But of what? The text does not say, but we can find out by looking elsewhere. Remember that tradition tells us this day is connected to creation. Are there any trumpet blasts associated with creation? Yes there is, although it is not readily discernable in most translations.

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it? Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
(Job 38:4-7 WEB (R))

Here we see Eloah speaking to Job about what took place when he created all things, when the foundations of the earth were laid. Notice that it is in reference to the cornerstone being laid that the morning stars sing and the sons of God shout. The cornerstone is the first stone to be laid so this is at the very beginning of creation, not the end. When it says that the sons of God 'shouted' the word in Hebrew is 'ruah.' This is the verbal form of Teruah, which mean they literally 'trumpeted' for joy. I believe this trumpeting, at the laying of the foundations of the earth. the cornerstone being placed, to be the event memorialized by Yom Teruah. It is that event they are remembering.

Going by the Creator's calendar then, since Yom Teruah takes place on the 1st day of the month, that would also mean that the day the sons of God trumpeted was also on the 1st day of creation. For a while this posed a problem for me because the 1st day doesn't take place until verse 3, with light being revealed, yet the heavens and earth already existed back in verses 1 and 2. To me, Yom Teruah should have taken place during the time of verse 1, because the foundation of everything was laid at that time, but I could not reconcile how that could be the 1st day in light of the 1st day not occurring until verse 3. Then, it finally dawned on me that I was mixing 2 different types of days together.

In Genesis 1:3-5, it is not referring to the 1st day of the MONTH, but the first day of the WEEK. I failed to remember the difference between the two. The 1st day of the month took place back in verse 1 and 2. It was a dark period of time. This means then, that the 1st day of the week in verses 3-5 took place on the 2nd day of the month. Continuing this pattern, when we get to the 7th day, which Elohim proclaimed to be a shabbat, it was on the 8th day of the month. I know this goes against tradition, but all shabbats fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of a scriptural month, on every 7th day of the week.

Just as that first day of the month (Gen 1:1-2) was darkness, so too, each New Moon day is the time period when the moon is in conjunction, where no light is seen reflecting on the moon. I believe this is why Yom Teruah takes place on the New Moon, the only moed (appointed time) to do so. It is a remembering of the very starting point of creation, back in Gen 1:1. When that cornerstone (the first stone) was laid, and the sons of God trumpeted for joy, that was just the beginning. There were still 6 days of building needed to bring the physical creation to completion.

Now I want to make the connection with Yom Teruah (1st day of the month, new moon day) and Yom Kippur, which takes place on the 10th day of the 7th month. Here is what they were to do on that day:

"However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
(Lev 23:27 WEB (R))

It is a day in which they were to 'afflict' themselves. Because of scriptures such as

...I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom.
(Psa 35:13 WEB (R))

it is said to be a day of fasting, abstaining from food. But why? I believe this is a moed concerning the sin of Adam and Eve.

Yom Kippur takes place on the 10th of the month, 9 days after Yom Teruah. So, starting with Gen 1:1 as Yom Teruah, the 1st day of the month, we have 6 days of finishing the creation, which brings us to day 7 of the month. This is followed by day 7 of the week, in which Elohim rested. This would be the 8th day of the month. Day 9 of the month starts with Adam naming the animals and culminates in his being introduced to his woman, Eve. If this holds true, then the next event taking place (the sin of Adam and Eve) does so on the 10th day of the month.

The sin of disobedience involved eating, so it now makes sense to me that we abstain from eating in remembering that day. While Adam and Eve indulged their desires on that day, we deny ours, a reversal of what they did.

Here is another important connection to note: Although the day is referred to as Yom Kippur (literally=Day of Covering) , it is nowhere called that in scripture. Everywhere it is referred to there, it is called Yom HaKippurim. (Day of The Coverings) Looking at Genesis 3, the coverings (plural) appears to be those (in type and shadow) made by YHWH for Adam and Eve.

Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
(Gen 3:21 WEB (R))

Another possible connection I see is that during this day there were two goats, one of which was sacrificed for a sin offering, and the other was sent out of the land into the wilderness.

The first animal sacrifice took place on that day, by YHWH himself, to provide coverings of clothes for Adam and Eve's nakedness. Likewise, one of the goats was to die to cover the sins of the nation of Israel.

According to the Mishnah, Yoma, vi, 8, the live goat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent EAST of Jerusalem into the wilderness. Likewise, Adam and Eve, bearing their sin, were sent EAST of Eden into the wilderness.

There is evidence that shows Jerusalem and Eden to be the same place. If this is true, then the connection is solid.

There is one final connection I would like to make, and that is with regard to Yom Teruah as it relates to the birth of Yeshua. We are not told of exactly when Yeshua was born, but we can deduce that it was during the fall. He is said to be the cornerstone:

being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;
(Eph 2:20 WEB (R))

It is interesting then, to note that on the very night he is born, we find spirit sons of Elohim shouting for joy (trumpeting perhaps?)

Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men."
(Luk 2:13-14 WEB (R))

Here we have the birth of what would be the new creation, the foundation being laid, and once again, we see this exclamation of joy over the event, just like the one back in Genesis.

Old Creation (Gen 1:1)
Sons of God shout for joy (Job 38:7)
New Creation (Luk 2:7)
Heavenly army praising (Luk 2:13)

These are my ruminations concerning all of this so far. I have much more study to do, which may result in further changes or refinements, but so far this gives me much more understanding as to the meanings behind Yom Teruah and Yom HaKippurim that I had not realized before.

THE ENEMIES IN YOUR LAND

2011-06-26T16:11:00.003-04:00

The book of Judges contains an allegory that directly affects every one of us today. In looking at chapter 1, we see the following theme among the tribes of Israel as they each went into their inheritance:

(Judg 1:21, 27-35 [TS98])
However, the children of Binyamin did not drive out the Yeḇusites who inhabited Yerushalayim, so the Yeḇusites have dwelt with the children of Binyamin in Yerushalayim to this day. And Menashsheh did not dispossess Bĕyth She’an and its villages, nor Ta῾anaḵ and its villages, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, nor the inhabitants of Yiḇle῾am and its villages, nor the inhabitants of Meḡiddo and its villages, for the Kena῾anites desired to dwell in that land. And it came to be, when Yisra’ĕl was strong, that they put the Kena῾anites into compulsory labour, but did not completely drive them out. Neither did Ephrayim drive out the Kena῾anites who dwelt in Gezer, so the Kena῾anites dwelt in their midst, in Gezer. Neither did Zeḇulun drive out the inhabitants of Qitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Kena῾anites dwelt in their midst, and became compulsory labour. Neither did Ashĕr drive out the inhabitants of Akko nor the inhabitants of Tsiḏon, nor of Aḥlaḇ, nor of Aḵziḇ, nor of Ḥelbah, nor of Aphiq, nor of Reḥoḇ. So the Ashĕrites dwelt in the midst of the Kena῾anites, the inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bĕyth Shemesh nor the inhabitants of Bĕyth Anath, but they dwelt among the Kena῾anites, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Bĕyth Shemesh and of Bĕyth Anath became compulsory labour for them. And the Amorites pressed the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley, and the Amorites desired to dwell in Mount Ḥeres, in Ayalon, and in Sha῾alḇim. But when the hand of the house of Yosĕph became stronger, they became compulsory labour.

More to come...

BROOD OF VIPERS

2011-06-23T21:00:00.002-04:00

Many have struggled with a very troubling thing Jesus once said:

(Matt 12:31, 32 [TS98])
“Because of this I say to you, all sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven men. “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Aḏam, it shall be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Set-apart Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

I want to submit to you that there is an historical context to these words, and Jesus provides us with a phrase that helps us understand that context. Matthew alone of all the writers mentions this phrase, which is found a little further on in Jesus conversation, where he calls the religious leaders "brood of serpents." Here is the complete thought:

(Matt 12:34 [TS98])
“Brood of adders! How are you able to speak what is good – being wicked? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

How does this phrase help give us historical context? We find it by comparing the other uses of this phrase, of which there are only 2; and they are all recorded by Matthew. Here they are:

(Matt 3:7 [TS98])
And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, “Brood of adders! Who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

(Matt 23:33 [TS98])
“Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

We see here that this phrase is connected to a coming wrath, also known as a judgment of Gehenna. It is in Jesus' words in Matthew 23 that we find out just what he is referring to. I would encourage you to read the entire chapter to get his flow of thought. These words, found just after the phrase we are considering, tell us what we need to know:

(Matt 23:34 [TS98])
“Because of this, see, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scholars of Scripture. Some of them you shall kill and impale, and some of them you shall flog in your congregations and persecute from city to city,

(Matt 23:35-38 [TS98])
so that on you should come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Hebel to the blood of Zekaryah, son of Berekyah, whom you murdered between the Dwelling Place and the altar. “Truly, I say to you, all this shall come upon this generation. “Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her! How often I wished to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not! “See! Your house is left to you laid waste..."

This conversation is picked up in Matthew 24, where he describes the fall of Jerusalem. The temple being destroyed is what he means when he speaks of their house being laid waste. This occurred in the year 70.

Jerusalem's fall is the judgment of Gehenna, the wrath to come, of which Paul and others warned about.

This helps us understand then, that the blasphemy of the spirit would not be forgiven, neither in the time when Jesus was there, nor in that to come. Jerusalem's destruction was a fulfillment that showed they must bear the penalty for that sin.

This had precedent in the book of Leviticus where blasphemy of YHWH offered no forgiveness. Instead, the offender had to die, bearing the penalty for that sin themselves. I believe the same thing happened to that generation during which Jesus lived, that rejected him knowingly. In particular, it was the religious leaders, although the entire nation suffered as a result.

Hopefully this will clear up and give more light to an often misunderstood and misapplied part of Jesus' sayings.

Ron

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

2011-05-21T14:19:00.003-04:00

This phrase is assumed to mean that family blood relatives are stronger than those who are outsiders.

The original meaning of this phrase has been mostly lost because of this meaning being given. This is a product of a western mindset, from a western culture. The meaning behind this phrase actually goes back even further in eastern culture.

This has nothing to do with blood relatives at all, but rather, those involved in a blood covenant. The bonds of those who are covenanted together by blood are considered to be stronger (thicker) than the bonds of those who share a mother's water from the womb. That is what this phrase meant originally, which is totally the opposite of what it came to mean in western cultures.

The Arabs have a similar saying, 'blood is thicker than milk', which means that the bond of those who are covenanted together by blood is considered to be stronger than the bonds of those who share their mother's milk.

In both cases we see that such covenanted peoples have a bond that is stronger than even physical family relationships.

It is the Roman people who are credited with the modern day thinking that the immediate physical family (father, mother, children) forms the basic unit of their society. Such was not the view of the Eastern peoples, which included the Hebrew peoples.

This is not to discredit or disparage the physical family, but to demonstrate God's view of relationships in terms of priority and importance.

The most important blood covenant formed humanly speaking is that between a man and a woman in marriage. That covenant is ratified by the breaking of the hymen and blood appearing. Such a bond is to be considered stronger than any physical family who are related to the man and woman.

The most important blood covenant formed spiritually speaking is that between Jesus and his people, which he shed on the tree. This bond is not only of us individually and corporately to Jesus, but is also of us to each other. What this means is that our being bonded by blood to each other as brothers and sisters, is a bond stronger than our bond to physical family, unless of course they are believers as well, bonded under the same covenant.

Think of how different things would be if we could only grasp that simple, yet powerful truth, not just as a pithy saying, but as the reality that it is. Truly, blood is thicker than water.

Ron

READING SCRIPTURE, SPIRIT AND FLESH

2011-04-30T08:19:00.003-04:00

When you read scripture, or hear it spoken, there are 2 primary ways that you will find yourself responding to it. The most common way is the fleshly one.

Here is how you can recognize the fleshly response. It will take an encouragement, an exhortation, an admonishment, etc, and ask things like, 'How can I do that?' 'What steps do I need to take to make that a reality?' The flesh will always seek to figure out how to mimic behavior to make itself look good. It always seeks to know 'how'. Such thinking is working from the outside in. In other words, using the example of the pattern given to Moses back in Exodus, it is focused on putting the outer court together first, working toward the most set apart place.

Such thinking assumes that it is the outer court that is the most important thing, and must look good, since this is what is plainly seen by others.

There is another response, one that your spirit has, which will be characterized by an agreement with the encouragement, exhortation, admonishment, etc. Our spirit never seeks to know how to do what it hears, because it already knows. Being awakened, it rejoices in the truth that it hears.

It is in that place that we are completely obedient to the voice of the spirit of our Father. That most set apart place is the source out of which flows that which affects our outer court. And there is nothing wrong with our most set apart place. It is there that God and man are inseparably joined as one spirit.

How does this affect what we do outwardly? Read carefully what Paul says:

Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
(Rom 6:13 WEB (R))

Here we have 2 ways to present ourselves, the first is based on a false perception, while the second is based upon reality. We are alive from the dead, and our members [pictured by the outer court] are instruments of righteousness.

Many believers do not believe this truth, and listen to the dead flesh in themselves or in others, and thus find themselves constantly running to the next seminar, or book, or cd, trying to find out 'how' to fix what they see as lacking in themselves.

Instead, know that you have been fixed, and, believing that, your members will follow suit. They only follow what you believe at any given time.

This is the basis upon which the writers wrote their encouragements, for you will note that the admonition or encouragement or whatever is simply stated as is. You do not find them going on to provide step by step instructions, or ways in which to make those things happen. They assume already that you know, and such serve as a reminder to us of who we are and what is true about us in Christ.

So remember, the next time you hear something and hear yourself or someone else saying something like, 'Ok, but now how do I do that?', recognize where the source of that thought is from, well-intentioned as it may be.

Ron

ADDING THIS AND THAT

2011-04-27T22:37:00.005-04:00

I would like to unpack what Father is has been showing me in 2 Peter 1, but before I do, I want to put the verses in question here to consider for a bit before I do. They will be from 2 different translations, the second of which I will be basing this discussion on, since I believe it to be more accurately portraying Peter's mind on this matter:

seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue; by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness; and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love. For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.
(2Pe 1:3-10 WEB (R))

And then the translation I will be considering...

So has all of His divine power, that tends to life and devoutness, been presented to us through the recognition of Him Who calls us to His own glory and virtue;" through which have been presented to us the precious and greatest promises, that through these you may become participants of the divine nature, fleeing from the corruption which is in the world by lust." Now for this same thing also, employing all diligence, in your faith supply virture, yet in virtue knowledge, yet in knowledge self-control, yet in self-control endurance, yet in endurance devoutness, yet in devoutness brotherly fondness, yet in brotherly fondness love." For your possessing these and increasing is constituting you not idle nor yet unfruitful in the recognition of our Lord, Jesus Christ." For he in whom these are not present is blind, closing his eyes, getting oblivious of the cleansing from the penalties of his sins of old." Wherefore, rather, brethren, endeavor through ideal acts to confirm your calling and choice; for, doing these things you should under no circumstances be tripping at any time. "
(2Pe 1:3-10 CLV)

Notice some of the subtle differences in the choice of words, and see what Father may show you regarding how, in particular, verses 5-7 are very easily read from a fleshly mindset which leads to unneeded introspection, comparison, and a desire to attain to something we think we are lacking in because we don't measure up.

Before we get to verses 5-7, I want us to see the foundation upon which those verses rest, found in verse 3.

all of His divine power...to life and devoutness...presented to us...

What do you think about this statement? Everything needed for the qualities in verses 5-7 has been presented to us. Peter sums up those qualities by using the words 'life' and 'devoutness.' The temptation at this point will either be to deny this because of looking at yourself and seeing how you fall short in one or more of the qualities, or to start thinking of all the different formulas you can conjure up to make this presented power 'work' these qualities out in your life.

Peter is neither giving us reason for introspection, nor is he giving us a formula to appropriate. The key, as I see it, that puts this whole thing in the proper perspective is...

the recognition of Him...

Do you recognize Him? A proper view is what Peter has in mind. What is it that we recognize of Him? It is the recognition of the reality that we have already been presented everything needed for life and devoutness! We do not have to search for it. It is ours here and now! But if that is true, then why do so many of us struggle with seeing this life and devoutness in our own life? Does our not seeing those things mean that they are not in us? That we do not have the power?

I will attempt to demonstrate from Peter's train of thought that his power and life and devoutness is always there within us. What we perceive and thus exhibit outwardly will depend on whether we recognize that truth or not. In other words, your actions are a byproduct of what you are convinced of, or, as Peter put it, who you recognize and what about him you recognize as true.

This concept of recognition is further enhanced by it's antithesis, found in verse 9:

For he in whom these are not present is blind, closing his eyes, getting oblivious of the cleansing from the penalties of his sins of old."

This is not speaking about our literal eyes, but the eyes of our understanding. To close your eyes is to be blind on purpose. What is there is still there, but with the eyes closed you can no longer see it. You no longer recognize it. You get to be oblivious, meaning you walk around unaware of what is going on around you. I am speaking not of what you perceive going on, but the reality of it.

Remember what that reality is? It is the reality that we already have everything we need for live and devoutness. Another reality relating to this that needs to be recognized is that part of what we have been given is a clean conscience. Peter implies this when he says that we have been cleansed from the penalties of our past sins. He also says earlier that this resulted in us fleeing from the corruption in the world.

Now imagine if you and I truly believed these realities, utterly convinced of them. We then will naturally walk out of that reality. Our body will obey what we are currently convinced of. So we (and others with spiritual vision) will be able to rightly see faith, virture, knowledge, self-control, endurance, devoutness, brotherly fondness, and love. The only reason Peter gives for these things not being present is not because they are not there at all (remember what we have been given) but because we have for that time closed our eyes and blinded ourselves from seeing what is reality, thus becoming oblivious to that reality.

If someone gave me a car and I close my eyes to that for whatever reason and keep walking everywhere I go, that car is not present to me, but that does not mean I do not have a car. The reality is that I do possess that car. It just means I do not believe it and so I live as though it were not present.

I know that seems like a silly illustration, for who would deny what has plainly been given them. I agree, so why can't we take our Father at his word as to what he has given us? It is high time for us to awaken out of our slumber. Open those closed eyes. We can believe what he says, for he is trustworthy.

Ron

FREE TO BE A SERVANT

2011-04-26T23:34:00.002-04:00

I had an awesome visit this morning with my brother Tony, who was visiting some relatives in the area. There was so much encouragement that the Lord spoke through that dear brother to me. I trust he would be ok with me sharing just one thing that really stood out to me, and that has to do with our idea of freedom.

We are to stand fast in the freedom with which Christ has made us free, says Paul. Yet, what exactly does that freedom entail? Of course, as with everything else, there is a twisted view of such a concept, one that says we are now free to sin, as if Christ came to pay the penalty so we can live without consequences, once we have punched our ticket to heaven with the old sinners prayer.

What Tony shared with me was a connection he was taught from the Lord when he was seeking to understand this freedom more. It was in relation to wanting to know the crux or core of the book of Philippians. He found it in Paul's words, right in the introduction, where he wrote of himself as a 'bondservant.'

This was connected to Deuteronomy 15, where we read:

If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, and serves you six years; then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty: you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress; as Yahweh your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you: therefore I command you this thing today. It shall be, if he tells you, I will not go out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you; then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.
(Deu 15:12-17 WEB (R))

He said that it is here that he saw the true definition of freedom. Here we have a servant serving his master for 6 years and, according to the law, he was to be set free in the seventh year, and given a portion of whatever God had blessed the master with. As such, he was free to go, and never look back.

However, there was a provision for one to become a bondservant, if, after having been set free, he decides he wants to remain a servant because of his love for his master, he could do so willingly by having an awl pierce his ear through.

This is the image that Paul has in mind when he refers to himself as a bondservant to Jesus Christ. He is a free man, as are we all, yet in that freedom, having seen how wonderful our master is, we willingly choose to be his bondservants forever.

This does not disregard our being sons, or the bride, or any other description of us in relation to him. It is simply another of the many ways of expressing that relationship. It is ALL of those things and more.

Truly then, we are indeed free, free to be a servant. Such is not of forced bondage, but is of a willing love.

Ron

DUTY...NOT!

2011-04-16T10:48:00.006-04:00

For those who do not already know, I have been working on a translation of the scriptures, taking the words back to their original meaning, and showing all the connections that the original words shared.

This morning, while working through Deuteronomy, I came across a word, which is translated as 'perform the duty', in verse 5. This sounds so cold, does it not?

I had been struggling with this word from it's first use back in Gen 38:8 where it is rendered in most translations something along the lines of 'perform your duty'. I decided, for the time being, to translate it as 'wed', but put a question mark there because I knew there was a more concrete meaning to this word.

Well, this morning I found it. Through researching again, I found out that it is related to the word for 'cattle' in Genesis 1:24. I had translated that as 'large mute four footed animal', so when I saw they were related, I realized I had a problem. I found another word that I saw connected to these 2, and it is this word that provided what I needed. it is the word translated as 'high place', such as you find throughout the books of Samuel and Kings.

So here they are:

yabam = brother in law, perform duty

behemah = cattle

bamah = high place

the shared 2 letter root word is the b and the m. Bet and Mem. It means to be high, or better yet, exalted. And that is the beautiful relationship I see which unpacks the meaning of yabam.

A behemah is an exalted animal, one that is high or tall. They represented the wealth of the one owning them, so they are an exalted creature, one very valuable and precious.

A bamah is a high place, where worship was performed by means of sacrifices. Although it is mostly used to speak of negative places that Yehuwah did not approve of, it is still an exalted place, treated as valuable by those who go there.

So now we come to yabam. Far from the horrible translation to 'perform a duty', it speaks of that which exalts the woman who has just lost her husband so that she may bear children. Yes, this act of kindness is with reference to a woman who did not have children at the time of her husband's death. For a woman back then, a primary purpose in her life was to bear children, and so to lose her husband before that happened was a very serious thing in her eyes.

Think of it. Would you as a woman want your brother in law to look at this as something he is duty bound to do, or as something that he wants to do to exalt you? I think the answer, in the original language, is clear. :)

Ron

SEED AND EGG, WORD AND FAITH, A RECIPE FOR LIFE

2011-04-09T16:52:00.002-04:00

We have, in the act of procreation, a picture and teaching of the birth from above, commonly known as the new birth, being born again. I will first describe the physical, then move on to the spiritual. Watch as the connections abound. I will only be scratching the surface, but I hope it stirs you to meditate more on this and see what Father teaches you in addition to these things.

The male, (the father) carries the sperm. The female, (the mother) carries the egg. All of her eggs are present from birth, and, once a month, evidence of those eggs is experienced in the menstrual cycle, when one or 2 eggs matures and releases, ready to be joined to the lucky sperm who happens to find her first.

Through intercourse, the seed is deposited and meets and merges with the egg. They are designed for each other, one part from the male, the seeking part, and the other part from the female, the receiving part that responds. It is then and only then that the desired life is manifested as a newly conceived child of the parents.

Just before we move on to the spiritual, keep in mind the following:

The sperm is from the male.

The egg is from the female.

The part from the male does the seeking.

The part from the female does the receiving and responding.

God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth;" and it was so.
(Gen 1:11 WEB (R))

Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your seed." He built an altar there to Yahweh, who appeared to him.
(Gen 12:7 WEB (R))

In scripture, the Hebrew word for seed is 'zera.' It happens to be a masculine word. It is used for any type of seed, whether of plants, or of the human male.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
(Luk 8:11 WEB (R))

That seed is also something possessed by our Father in heaven. His seed though, is his word, his 'dabar', which means something combined or arranged in order. This is precisely what makes a word a word, letters arranged in a certain way to form words.

That word though, seeks an egg, something with which to merge with and bear the fruit of life. that egg, is faith. The Hebrew word for faith is 'emunah', which happens to be a feminine word. That is what we possess, although not of ourselves. It is given to us by our creator:

...God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.
(Rom 12:3 WEB (R))

The seed, by itself, cannot function as intended, if it is alone. Neither can faith. They need each other, as Paul demonstrated in the example he wrote about concerning our forefathers in the wilderness:

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn't profit them, because it wasn't mixed with faith by those who heard.
(Heb 4:2 WEB (R))

You see, when the message of the good news is proclaimed, that is the sowing of seed God uses in the hearts of individuals in whom he has given a measure of faith. It is his responsibility to see to it that the seed finds the faith inside and unites with it. This is what the writers refer to as the opening of the eyes, or being awakened to the things of God. It is truly another consciousness, a God consciousness, and it is his pleasure and doing. We merely respond to what He does in us, for this birth is, as John wrote:

But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
(Joh 1:12-13 WEB (R))

We receive him in the same way that the egg receives the sperm, or in the same way we received the death of the first Adam. It has nothing to do with our desire or will, nor of any other persons desire or will for us. It is only 'of God', meaning, as the Contemporary English Version renders it: 'God himself was the one who made them [and us] his children.'

It never ceases to amaze me how so many things right in front of us teach us so much about the realities of the spirit. I am so glad that it is of him, as his doing. Aren't you?

Ron

THE EFFECT OF ADAM'S SIN, AND WHEN AND HOW IT WAS REMEDIED

2011-04-09T02:48:00.004-04:00

I want to share some parallels from the first Adam and the last Adam that I think will give us insight into just what it is that happened to Adam when he sinned, what that penalty was the Jesus came to take for us.

First we will start in the garden in Eden, where Adam is spoken of as simply eating of the fruit given to him by his woman, Eve. Paul adds the detail that, unlike Eve, Adam was not deceived when he ate. This tells me then, that he knew full well what he was doing when he decided to eat.

People have speculated as to why he did this, yet that is for another discussion. I want to just focus on the fact that, for whatever reason, he chose to follow whatever fleshly desire he had at that given moment, just as Eve did when she ate, doing so because of how good it looked and was for eating, not to mention that it would make her wise like God. Both allowed their own desires to rule them.

The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
(Gen 3:7 WEB (R))

As a result of this, we see the penalty occur, the death their Creator warned them about. They suddenly had an awareness they did not have before. They saw nakedness. This does not mean they did not see themselves without clothing before, because nothing outwardly had changed. It was their perception about their own state that changed, and that perception also affected their view of their relationship to God as well, for when God came looking for them, they hid:

They heard the voice of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
(Gen 3:8 WEB (R))

They now saw themselves as needing to be separate from God, because it was too shameful to be in his presence. God therefore, in putting them out of Eden, allowed them, and all that would come from him, for a time, to experience this perception of separateness. This separation occurred because of sin, but it was a perception of such, not a reality, for God could never be separted from his creation and it still exist.

This is not a simple subject, and I know this will probably not be understood without further explanation, but perhaps in another article I will go into the truth that God is both everywhere at all times and yet comes and goes, and how both of those statements are in fact true. It has to do with perception and manifestation.

Fast forward to the first century, where we find the last Adam in another garden, faced with the temptation to once again appeal to fleshly desire, in this case, to avoid drinking the cup he is destined to drink.

This time however, he submits his will to his Father's will, denying what he wanted and trusting in his Father.

saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."
(Luk 22:42 WEB (R))

A little later, while on the tree, notice carefully the sequence of events. First, we find a supernatural darkness covering the land from the brightest part of the day until the time Jesus would experience what Adam and Eve did when they sinned.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
(Mat 27:45 WEB (R))

That darkness, I believe, was a sign of God's judgment for the world being poured out on his son, the judgment he said he would draw to himself when he was lifted up:

Now is the judging of this world. Now shall the Chief of this world be cast out. And I, if I should be exalted out of the earth, shall be drawing all to Myself."
(Joh 12:31-32 CLV)

The word 'men' or 'people', that you will probably find in your Bible is not in the text. It was added because it is commonly believed that he is referring to drawing persons to himself. However, a good rule to remember when looking at any writings is to look back to find the closest object, for it is most often that object that is being referenced. In this case, that object is the judging of the world, meaning every individual. He drew all of that judgment on himself, bearing it in his body.

At the ninth hour, the time between the evenings when the Pesach lambs were slain, Jesus, for the first time in his earthly life, experienced the death brought into the world by Adam and Eve. For it was at this time that he said something he never uttered before:

About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?" That is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
(Mat 27:46 WEB (R))

He experienced the mind of Adam as one separated from God. The obvious thing we see relating to this is the fact that he believes he has been forsaken by God. This was no mere quoting of a Psalm, even though it is a fulfillment of a psalm written by David. He truly felt this, and his cry was real to him. Another thing to take note of is that, for the first time ever (at least recorded), he addressed his Father in prayer, not as Father, but as God. This too, indicates a mind of separation.

Just as with the first Adam though, God was with his Son all the way down until his physical death. Having experienced the wages of sin, which is the death of a mind separated from God, there was one prophecy yet to be fulfilled:

After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I am thirsty." Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and held it at his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished." He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.
(Joh 19:28-30 WEB (R))

Upon drinking the vinegar, he would yell out those 3 all important words, IT IS FINISHED! What was finished? Remember what he came to do? He came to take the sin of the world away by bearing its judgment. At that moment during the 9th hour he experienced that judgment, which, again, is why he cried out as one forsaken by God.

That was the judgment meted out by God to Jesus, and Jesus knew that, having experienced it, all things were now finished. There was nothing further in the way for judgment or wrath for Jesus to experience. As brief a time as it was, it was the most horrible outpouring ever experienced. Imagine, the judgment of millions of persons meted out on one person.

We see that he defeated that Adamic mindset because the very next time he speaks to his Father, he returns to speaking of to him as 'Father.'

Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" Having said this, he breathed his last.
(Luk 23:46 WEB (R))

When he experienced that effect of sin in his mind, sin, for the first time ever, affected the wrong man! Jesus was an innocent man. Sin did not have a right to affect him, but it was allowed to happen so that it could be judged:

For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;
(Rom 8:3 WEB (R))

Because sin wrongfully worked in Jesus, it was condemned. The verdict was 'guilty!' So, when Jesus breathed his last, he knew all that he came to do was accomplished. Sin was rendered powerless.

So, from all that I have seen and shared here, I see no reason to believe that there was anything else Jesus had to do with regard to paying the penalty for us, or Adam. Upon his physical death, everything from then on issued out of his being a life giving spirit.

Ron

IN CHRIST, HOW AND WHO?

2011-04-07T20:49:00.000-04:00

Of the many assumed beliefs, one of most prominent ones found amongst most of Christianity is the idea that we must do something in order for God to place us in Christ. Or, to put it another way, everyone is outside of Christ until they meet a certain requirement (usually to believe), and then God puts a person into Christ.

I am aware that there may be other views than this one, but I am merely sharing the prominant one that you will most likely be taught.

For most of my life as a believer, I have always assumed that I was in Christ because of my coming to that point in time when I believed in Him. Although I have always been a questioner of things, that was one thing I had never questioned...until recently.

I was challenged in a tape series I had been listening by the statement that nowhere in scripture does it speak about us being in Christ because of anything we do. So naturally, I had 2 choices. I could do the easy thing, which most people do, and just ignore the comment as not true, and forget about it. Or I could take that comment seriously and seek for myself to see whether this fundamental (or so I thought) truth was in fact true.

As usual, that is precisely what I did, and, so far, I have not found one verse which backs up this idea of how one comes to be in Christ. In fact, I have since found that my being in Christ is the same reason you are in Christ, and that everyone is in Christ, even unbelievers. It is because ALL of humanity was, and always has been, in reality, in Christ, although not in the way we might think.

You see, before Christ was the Christ, or the anointed one, he was the word, the dabar of God. That dabar is the means by which all things came into existence as we know it today. Furthermore, it is by means of that dabar that all things continue to exist. In other words, in a very real way, in the spirit realm, his word has always contained, and will always contain, that which exists.

That dabar became flesh and was anointed as the one most call 'Christ' today. In that human body, and as a person, he accomplished all that his Father had prepared a body for him to accomplish. Yet, the dabar was still sustaining the universe, even while the dabar was being expressed through the humanity of Jesus.

When we read of the many 'in him' statements, particularly in Paul's writings, it is simply speaking of how God accomplished the various things he set out to accomplish. It was all done 'in him.'

Having said that, the idea that everyone was born in Adam, and thus, not in Christ, until one believes, and then gets placed out of Adam and into Christ, is not the way scripture speaks of being in Adam and in Christ.

Think of what it means to be born in Adam. To help us, we will use a seed to illustrate. What is the purpose of a seed? It has only one, which is to be planted, die, so that the life inside can be made manifest, grow, and bear fruit to further propogate itself. Until that happens, the seed is dormant, neither technically alive nor dead.

That seed has an outer shell, the part we see. This is meant to contain the life, the dna of the plant, inside it. That outer part represents Adam, the soulish man. Within that seed is contained every other seed that will ever exist out of it, BOTH the outer shell and life within. So we can say that every other seed that will eventually come, is in that original seed.

That life within, that inner part, represents Jesus, our life, and our spirit, that which is of our Father, breathed into us, that is, the outer shell, our body. Just as that life inside, combined with the shell outside, makes a seed, so to does the spirit in man, combined with the physical body, make a soul.

Contained also in that dna of the life inside the seed is the dna of the life of every other seed that will eventually come out of the original.

Taken together then, we can say that both the outer part of the seed and the inner part of the seed originally existed in both the outer part of the original seed AND, at the same time, in the inner part of the original seed.

Likewise, all that would come out of Adam and all that would come out of Christ existed originally in Adam, the man, from the beginning AND, at the same time, in Christ, the life by which anything that lives does so.

The shell part of the seed exists in order to die, thus releasing out of death the life within it. Until that occurs it is dormant, or, to put it another way, it appears to be dead.

All of that which is of Adam the man, must die. This is what Paul said, simply as a reality, when he wrote:

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
(1Co 15:22 WEB (R))

This statement only makes sense when it is read as a scale, whereby both sides hold equal amounts of the exact same thing. In this case, the thing being held is simply referred to as 'all.'

Also notice that the statements 'in Adam' and 'in Christ' speaks of the means by which all die, and also are made alive. This statement is true for every single human being. Every one of us who have ever lived have been born in Adam, not because of a decision we made, or because we believed it to be true, but simply because we existed originally in him when God formed him. Like him, that part of us that is in Adam must die. In fact, Paul speaks of that death in this way, that 'all ARE dying.' This is not something we have to make happen. This is also not speaking of something that no longer happens. It is something that is brought to pass for each of us by our existence in this physical realm. As the seed teaches us, it is the outer part of the seed that dies. This is a necessary part of the purposes of God. And, as stated before, that death is necessary because it is from that death that the life inside breaks forth.

This is what Paul meant when he spoke of those same ones, the ones dying in Adam, as being made alive. Out of our death in Adam comes life in Christ. In Adam and in Christ-the means by which these things takes place. When you read of anything occuring in Christ, just remember that it is the same as anything that took place or is taking place in Adam. Being in Christ in no more a choice for us than being in Adam. Both are true by God's design, and both are the means by which, when taken together, his purposes to have a garden full of beautiful fruit bearing trees are realized.

Ron

INQUIRE INQUIRE

2011-04-03T06:57:00.001-04:00

If you were to get 2 people to count, one from the beginning of Genesis, each word going forward; and the other from the end of Deuteronomy, each word going backwards, they would finally meet in Leviticus 10:16:

Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying,
(Lev 10:16 WEB (R))

The first person would end at the word here translated 'diligently', while the second person would end at the word translated 'inquired.' What is not generally understood here is that in actuality, these 2 words in Hebrew are the same.

Here is the verse in Hebrew:

(Lev 10:16 HOT) ואת שׂעיר החטאת דרשׁ דרשׁ משׁה והנה שׂרף ויקצף על־אלעזר ועל־איתמר בני אהרן הנותרם לאמר׃

Literally, Moses inquired inquired. When they wanted to intensify a concept, one way they would do it was to double up the verb, as is the case here. So Moses did not simply inquire, but he really, really, really inquired. This is why the English translates it as DILIGENTLY inquired, to indicate that intensity.

Lest we think to ourselves, 'Who cares?', I would submit to you that every single letter in scripture is important, and placed where it is for a purpose, to teach us important truths. The fact that here we have this word at the centerpiece of Torah, is our Father's way of telling us, 'There is something extremely important here that we need to know, and live out.' It is that lesson I wish to share now.

This centerpiece is found between two very similar events, each with different results. They both involve 2 of Aaron's sons, all 4 of whom disobeyed direct instructions given from God through Moses. The first concerns what the sons did, while the 2nd concerns what the sons did not do. Here is the first event, with Nadab and Abihu:

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them. And fire came forth from before Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, 'I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.' " Aaron held his peace.
(Lev 10:1-3 WEB (R))

Nadab and Abihu offered fire to God that he had not commanded them to do. This cost them their lives.

Now compare this with the second event, with Eleazar and Ithamar:

The waved breast and the heaved thigh you shall eat in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you: for they are given as your portion, and your sons' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the children of Israel. The heaved thigh and the waved breast they shall bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before Yahweh: and it shall be yours, and your sons' with you, as a portion forever; as Yahweh has commanded." Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, "Why haven't you eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he has given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Yahweh? Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary: you certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded." Aaron spoke to Moses, "Behold, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh; and such things as these have happened to me: and if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing in the sight of Yahweh?" When Moses heard that, it was pleasing in his sight.
(Lev 10:14-20 WEB (R))

This time, we see his remaining two sons NOT doing something commanded by God through Moses-eating the portion given for them so as to bear the iniquity of the congregation. However, in this case, we do not see Yahweh stepping in. Instead, we see Moses questioning their (in his eyes) disregard for what he had commanded them.

However, unlike most leaders, he does not simply demand an answer from them, but there was something else in his character that showed itself here, and it is those 2 important words right in the middle of Torah; inquire, inquire. In his anger, and inquiry, he was open to seeing beyond what appeared to be obvious, which was their apparent disobedience of God's instruction to them through him.

Yes, on the surface it appears as though you have all 4 of Aarons sons doing the same thing, in not following Yahweh's directions. Perhaps the fact that Moses did not see Yahweh kill the other 2 sons gave him reason to be open to seeking a deeper understanding of the situation, if their was one, but whatever the case, the fact is that, in doing so, he was able to hear Aaron's response, not simply with his physical ears, but with his understanding, and thus, in similar form to Aaron's holding his peace, Moses did as well, for, having heard what Aaron had to say, he was pleased and realized his judgment was hasty.

The practical outworking of that in our lives can be seen as we never get to the place where we think we are beyond having a change in viewpoint. Even in plain and simple things which appear to be black and white to us, we must never assume that because of how much we have already come to know, or what position humanly we are in, that there can be no other possible way of thinking of a matter.

And also we learn to never be satisfied with the depths at which we have sought to know our Father and his ways. The ancient teachers have said that this teaches us to continue seeking and inquiring a deeper and broader understanding of his Word.

Ron

EVERY WORD OF GOD MEANS EVERY WORD OF GOD

2011-03-27T02:08:00.006-04:00

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' "
(Mat 4:4 WEB (R))

When Jesus said these words, I imagine that most of us would not really believe what he said. We, if we are honest, would rephrase him a little bit, so as to say something more like, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every [good] word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' "

Yes, we love it when we experience what God has spoken that is good, but did you know that when Jesus uttered these words, he also had in mind our living by the experiencing of the evil that God has spoken? I know that I sound like I am calling God evil. I most emphatically am not. I am speaking just as his people, the ones who wrote scripture, would have thought thousands of years ago.

Yet in our more sanitized culture, we have redefined such terms as 'good' and 'evil' so that God is only connected with our definition of 'good', and has nothing to do with anything 'evil.' Reading scripture in its original tongue has opened my eyes to see that he is very much involved in what is experienced as evil, (yet not being evil himself) and for good reason, one that involves our very life.

I am going to give some examples to show what I mean, starting with the very source of the quote that Jesus gave. And here it is, with the surrounding context:

He humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn't know, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh does man live. Your clothing didn't grow old on you, neither did your foot swell, these forty years. You shall consider in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so Yahweh your God chastens you.
(Deu 8:3-5 WEB (R))

Notice here that God humbled his people in 2 ways:

1. On one occasion, he did not provide them food when they needed it, but let them go hungry for a time. Now, ask yourself, what would someone think of a parent who had the means to feed their child, yet allowed that child to go hungry? I am not talking about not allowing a child to eat junk before dinner, but a legitimate amount of time where they would truly be hungry and in need of food? I am quessing they might possibly, among other things, think of it as evil. They most likely would not think of it as good. Yet here is God, allowing this evil, (keeping in mind his definition of evil, which is something not working as intended. In other words, we are intended to eat when hungry) all for the purpose of them experiencing that they live by EVERY word that comes out of his mouth. I might also add that he also let them go thirsty, which is a much more pressing need than food, for the same reason.

2. He gave them manna to eat, which on the surface appears to be perfect. They only had to go out every morning and gather it, no sweat. It tasted like honey, and we like sweet things. However, unlike dogs and cats, and most other animals, man has a hard time eating the same thing day after day, even if it is completely nutritious and good tasting. And so this 'good' came to be yet another 'evil' experienced by them, to the point where they called that provision 'contemptible bread.' This too, was so that they would experience that man lives by EVERY word that comes out of his mouth.

How so? Well, in both instances we find that they only received what they needed when God actually spoke them into existence. Before then, when he was silent, they were on their way to starvation and dying of thirst. Both of these provisions were either experienced as evil at that moment (in the case of their hungering and thirsting), or over time (in the case of the continual manna day after day).

I know we have a hard time wrapping our minds around the idea of God doing anything evil in our lives, but always remember what evil actually is, and realize that, in the hands of a loving God, that evil will only be worked for our good. And I am going to submit to you that evil MUST be experienced in order to be worked toward the good purposes of our Creator. Every word means every word, good and evil.

Here is one of the clearest examples that can be seen to demonstrate this truth:

It shall happen, when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to heart among all the nations, where Yahweh your God has driven you,
(Deu 30:1 WEB (R))

According to Deuteronomy 28, who spoke the blessing, that which is experienced as good? God did. Now, who spoke the curse, that which is experienced as evil? God did. BOTH are words that come from his mouth. Regarding these, it is true that he gave them the choice to either do his torah and experience the good blessing that relates to life, or to break his torah and experience the evil curses that relates to death. However, God also intended that man live by his EVERY word, and so for that reason he said that WHEN the blessing AND the curse came upon them... it meant that they would have to experience BOTH for a reason.

That reason was so that they would 'call them to heart'. Another way to put it is found back in chapter 8:

You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.
(Deu 8:2 WEB (R))

He did it so that they would 'remember ALL the way which Yahweh' led them. This implies that they would forget as well, which we see happening more often than not. If they had only obeyed torah, they would never have experienced the curse, and thus never would have had the need to remember, or call to heart what he did. His intention was that they do that, which is why he worked his purpose in such a way that they would experience the curse, that they would break his torah, and be in need of redemption from it. All of this is spoken of in a way that every parent can relate to, as discipline:

So you know with your heart that just as a man disciplines his son, Yahweh your Elohim is disciplining you.
(Deu 8:5 CLV)

You see, not only was his intention that they break his torah and thus experience literally EVERY (I hope you are convinced right now of what 'every' means here) word he speaks, but that, as a result, they would call these things to their heart, remembering again, by which the following would occur:

and that you will return again to Yahweh your Elohim and hearken to His voice according to all that I am instructing you today, you and your sons, with all your heart and with all your soul. Then Yahweh your Elohim will turn back your captivity and show compassion to you; He will return and convene you from all the peoples where Yahweh your Elohim will have scattered you. If it comes to be that you should be expelled to the end of the heavens, from there Yahweh your Elohim shall convene you, and from there He shall take you. Then Yahweh your Elohim will bring you to the land that your fathers tenanted; you will tenant it, and He will bring you good and let you increase more than your fathers. Yahweh your Elohim will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed so as to love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may stay alive.
(Deu 30:2-6 CLV)

That was his goal for them, restoration and being even more blessed than before. And further, to love Yahweh totally.

These things happened for our instruction as well, as a foretaste of how God conforms us to the image of his son. The first century Hebrew believers experienced much evil amidst all the good that came with being a believer, a son of the living God. BOTH of these were the experience of EVERY word coming from his mouth. They were a means of discipline designed by a loving Father for the betterment of his children. Let Paul describe how:

And you have been oblivious of the entreaty which is arguing with you as with sons: My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord, Nor yet faint when being exposed by Him." For whom the Lord is loving He is disciplining, Yet He is scourging every son to whom He is assenting." For discipline are you enduring. As to sons is God bringing it to you, for what son is there whom the father is not disciplining? Now if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, consequently you are bastards and not sons." Thereafter, indeed, we had the fathers of our flesh as discipliners, and we respected them. Yet shall we not much rather be subjected to the Father of spirits and be living." For these, indeed, disciplined for a few days as it seemed best to them, yet that One for our expedience, for us to be partaking of His holiness." Now all discipline, indeed, for the present is not seeming to be a thing of joy, but of sorrow [an experience of evil, that which is not what we were created for], yet subsequently it is rendering the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those exercised through it."
(Heb 12:5-11 CLV)

Yes brothers and sister, we all must, and will live, by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Evil, as a part of that, thankfully is in the hands of the one who has a greater good in mind, so we can be confident even in the midst of any sorrow we experience as evil, for these are meant to cause us to remember, and we will remember, just how he has led us in our own wilderness experience in this dimension of his Life in us.

Ron

WILL VS. INTENTION

2011-03-23T23:07:00.008-04:00

You will be protesting to me, then, "Why, then, is He still blaming? for who has withstood His intention?
(Rom 9:19 CLV)

There is a world of difference between God's intention [gr. boulema], and his will [gr. thelo]. You see, most of mankind throughout history have resisted God's will, but absolutely no one has ever resisted his intention.

Think not? Look again please, at the example Shaul gives concerning Pharaoh. What was God's will with regard to him? Here are his own words:

You yourself shall speak all that I am instructing you while Aaron, your brother, shall speak to Pharaoh that he dismiss the sons of Israel from his land. And I Myself shall harden the heart of Pharaoh and increase My signs and My miracles in the land of Egypt.
(Exo 7:2-3 CLV)

His expressed will was to have Pharaoh dismiss the sons of Israel. However, he also intended to release all 10 plagues upon Egypt, spoken of as his increasing his signs and miracles. To make sure that happened, he said he would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let them go.

This hardening would cause Pharaoh to change his mind about releasing Israel. He would be resisting God's expressed will that he let his people go. This resistance, as we will see, was God's doing, so as to accomplish his intention.

At first we see him hardening his own heart, or remaining hard of heart. Yet, as the plagues wore on, we then see Yehuwah directly hardening his heart. Pharaoh made legitimate choices each and every time, but those choices were made by the true God, who was, behind the scenes, making sure that his will expressed through Moses was resisted, even stepping in directly when needed.

HIS INTENTION, HOWEVER, COULD NOT, AND WOULD NOT, FAIL. All of the plagues were to be poured out. Not even 9 would have been enough in God's eyes. He had a reason for each one. There is nothing to indicate that Pharaoh resisted, or even attempted to resist God's overall intention. This is because everything he intends comes to pass. (remember, we are talking about boulema [intention], not thelo [will], even though unfortunately these words get mixed up in many translations, instead of keeping them distinct throughout)

In this, as I mentioned, there is much resisting going on, and what is that? It is his will [thelo] being resisted. For each time he tells Pharaoh to let his people go, he ends up resisting that.

This is but one of many, many examples of the difference between his will, which can and often does get resisted, and his intention, which never does. And, as this example also shows, we can take it a step further and say that, in the accomplishing of his purpose, he often intends for his will to be resisted. This should bring comfort, my dear brothers and sisters, for no matter what takes place in our physical life here in this realm, good OR evil, we can know that it is all according to his grand purpose. My decisions may frustrate his desire for me, but they will NEVER frustrate his will. And we all can rest in that.

Ron

BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR THE GLORY OF THE LORD

2011-03-19T01:22:00.000-04:00

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
(2Co 3:18 WEB (R))

There are some translations which render this verse as us reflecting the glory of the Lord as a mirror. While grammatically possible, I believe that such a rendering misses the point of his argument entirely. To merely reflect the Lord's glory would mean that the glory is outside of us. Yet in the type and shadow of the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord was INSIDE, radiating from within, not outside shining onto the tabernacle.

Since our bodies are the tabernacle, or temple, of the Spirit, logically then, that glory must also be INSIDE us, radiating from within, and with this Paul agrees as he goes on to say:

seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
(2Co 4:6 WEB (R))

So then, Paul is making the marvelous statement that as we look at ourselves, doing so with no more veil over our minds and hearts, we are seeing something in the mirror, shining back at us. We see, not only ourselves, but the glory of the Lord shining from within us!

Why is this so important to grasp? Think of it this way. If the glory of the Lord were somewhere outside of us, it will be seen as something we want. We must want it because it is separate from us. We look ourselves and either see ourselves as anything but glorious, or we start comparing and trying to make ourselves match that glory we see outside of us. All of this is a thinking and an endeavor of the flesh, and of the mind of separation.

But seeing the reality, which is that when we look at ourselves, there is glory there, with no separation (I do not mean looking at the flesh, but to see by faith our hearts and spirits). It is no longer seen as a want, or desire, for who wants or desires what he already has or is?

We may try to deny that reality, but over time, as we continue to look, and observe, with those eyes of faith, we will become convinced. And it is that conviction that automatically affects us outwardly, and is a thinking and an endeavor of the spirit, of the mind of union. When one becomes convinced of something, then we do what comes naturally. It springs from an inner knowing, not an outward desire.

My brothers and sisters, if you don't see the glory of the Lord in yourself, you are looking on the surface, at the earthen vessel. Look a little deeper, and you will see that treasure. Believe what is true about you, no matter what the outward does to try to convince you otherwise. While in this life there will always be a level of disparity between the inward reality and outward perception. However, that can never change what our Lord did when he died for us, in making the old pass away, and the new to come. And you and I are new every day.

Ron

WHY GOD DESTROYED SODOM AND GOMORRAH

2011-03-18T20:32:00.002-04:00

If you could ask someone why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, probably the most common answer you would get would be:

1. sexual perversion

It seems to make sense, because of the incident that is recorded for us in Genesis 19, where the men of the city wanted to have relations with the 2 angelic men who were with Lot. And yet, God tells us by means of the prophet Ezekiel why he destroyed them, and, believe it or not, the reason he himself gives is one I have never heard anyone mention.

Before I share that scripture, I want to demonstrate one way that He teaches us things, things such as this reason for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, which is by theme connections. By this I mean where you read of a theme somewhere, then see that same theme repeated elsewhere, and connect them.

Such a connection can be found in Genesis 18 and 19, and this connection gives us the reason that God himself gives Ezekiel for destroying those cities.

First, in Genesis 18 God appears before Abraham as 3 men. How does Abraham respond?

Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said." Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly make ready three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes." Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it. He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.
(Gen 18:4-8 WEB (R))

Simply put, he shows hospitality. Perhaps this might seem like a minor detail, but it is actually a demonstration designed through history to teach us at least 2 things:

1. That Lot, despite his lack of judgment at times, was still a righteous man, following after his relative Abraham. Hospitality is given as a demonstration of that.

2. That Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed for the lack of this, as we will soon see.

Now, keeping this event in Genesis 18 in mind, turn now to Genesis 19, where 2 of the men went on to Sodom where Lot was. And, this time, how does Lot respond?

and he said, "See now, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, stay all night, wash your feet, and you will rise up early, and go on your way." They said, "No, but we will stay in the street all night." He urged them greatly, and they came in with him, and entered into his house. He made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
(Gen 19:2-3 WEB (R))

Once again, we see hospitality being shown. Think this is mere coincidence? Consider the following thought. Could not God have simply arranged for these 2 men to suddenly appear in Lots home that night, miraculously, and then arranged for them to leave right away? That would have avoided all the need to blind the perverted ones who came to his home later that night.

Yes, but instead, he has these men walk into Sodom out in the open at the gate where the elders (Lot being among them), would be. I believe this was arranged by God to have Lot demonstrate that he was righteous, because he practiced hospitality, just like his righteous relative, Abraham, had demonstrated earlier that day. He cared for those in need. Looking again, we also see that not one other person there offered the same, which showed the spirit of that city.

Lastly, we will see God's own words given through the prophet which describes this very thing:

Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. They were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
(Eze 16:49-50 WEB (R))

Looking at this we see that Sodom and Gomorrah is spoken of as having fullness of bread and prosperous ease. Yes, they were well-off. This condition produced pride and haughtiness in them. This manifested itself in the typical selfishness we see even today with many who are well-off, and here you will notice it is described as not strengthening the hand of the poor and needy. Hospitality is linked to this, because that is a form of strengthening the poor and needy. Many of those to whom hospitality was shown were in that condition, and depended on the shared life of others. So, according to the context, this is the abomination that they were committing; the reason God took them away as he did. And the connected themes of Genesis 18 and 19 clue us in on this truth.

No matter where we are, may we consider it, not an inconvenience, but a privilege, to show hospitality, to care for those poor and in need. It was serious enough to warrent the destruction of whole cities, because the Lord has a fierce, passionate love for such ones.

Ron

HOPE FOR ALL SOILS

2011-03-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
(Mat 13:3-9 WEB (R))

For lunch, whenever I am able to, I love to walk along different trails in the area where I work. I get to enjoy communion with our Father and much meditation and reading during those walks. Just yesterday, I received a thought concerning this parable that was confirmed to me as I walked the trail that day.

On the surface, it appears as though these soils, which he later interprets to mean hearts, are either people who NEVER benefit from the seed, which is the word of God, making up most of humanity, or they are people who do benefit from the seed, making up the few. Seen in this way, it would appear as though most are in a hopeless situation if their hearts are of the first 3 types of soil. I believe, however, that in spite of the grim outcome he speaks concerning those first 3 soils having seed cast on them, there is yet hope, a hope that is found right in the parable, but made hidden as a sod teaching. "Sod" is a Hebrew word meaning "secret." Here is the secret I believe is hidden there.

Did you every notice that this farmer is spoken of as going out to sow on just one occasion? All of the various soils the seed ends up on are from that single sowing. When I was walking on the trail, I could see the same basic idea right before my eyes. As I would look around at any given point on my hike, I could see these various conditions. The trail part was indeed roadlike, very hard and compact. There were parts that had rocks on them. Off a bit was softer soil, and then further out were areas so overfilled with weeds and brush, you could not even see the ground. So I could take a bunch of seed and toss it out and literally get it on all these types of soil right from one spot most of the time.

I purposefully spoke of the 'conditions' of the soil, because, (and here is the hidden truth staring us right in the face) all of the soils were basically the same. It was the conditions which made the soils either able to benefit from the seed or not! Think on that for a bit.

The roadside has hard, compacted soil. Put seed on that, and it never penetrates so as to sprout. However, what if you tilled that area? That soil would then be in a condition suitable for growth.

The rocky ground has little soil, but what if you were to take the rocks away and again, till the soil underneath it? That soil would then be in a condition suitable for growth.

The thorns in the soil will choke out any sprouted seed, but, (and by now you should know where I am heading) if you clean up the thorns, and till the ground, once again, the soil would be in a condition suitable for growth.

Speaking of soil with thorns, this reminded me of what I was shown before, that which is written in the book of Hebrews, something which again, seems very grim, but is actually full of hope; and that is the following parable of what happens to soil producing thorns and thistles:

but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
(Heb 6:8 WEB (R))

Sounds very harsh, doesn't it? So where is the hope? It is found in the reason for the burning. This is a common agricultural practice, one that is also practiced on the trails I hike. Along the way, I will find signs which give the dates for controlled burns in a given area. These are deliberate burnings of a section of forest for the purpose of clearing away what had become an area overgrown with underbrush. It is indeed a harsh, but overall, a beneficial burning, for as the land recovers, it is given new life, since all the choking of the underbrush is gone. This practice was also done in areas overgrown with thorns and such, in order to PREPARE IT FOR SEEDING.

Most hearts are indeed of the first 3 types, yet my hope lies in the master Farmer, who, in his time, will prepare each and every vestige of soil for the receiving and growing of seed, to the point where the word of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Ron

CHEMOSH BRING ETERNAL DESTRUCTION UPON ISRAEL

2011-03-07T23:37:00.003-05:00

I was studying the Moabite stone, and on line seven I noticed this interesting statement, "and Israel perished with "olam" destruction." I have bolded that statement.

1. אנכ. משע. בנ. כמש.. . מלכ. מאב. הד
2. יבני אבי. מלכ. על. מאב. שלשנ. שת. ואנכ. מלכ
3. תי. אחר. אבי ואעש. הבמת. זאת. לכמש. בקרחה ב[נס. י]
4. שע. כי. השעני. מכל. המלכנ. וכי. הראני. בכל. שנאי עמר
5. י. מלכ. ישראל. ויענו. את. מאב. ימנ. רבן. כי. יאנפ. כמש. באר
6. צה ויחלפה. בנה. ויאמר. גמ. הא. אענו. את. מאב בימי. אמר. כ[...]
7. וארא. בה. ובבתה וישראל. אבד. אבד. עלמ. וירש. עמרי. את א[ר]
8. צ. מהדבא וישב. בה. ימה. וחצי. ימי. בנה. ארבענ. שת. ויש
9. בה. כמש. בימי ואבנ. את. בעלמענ. ואעש. בה. האשוח. ואבנ
10. את. קריתנ ואש. גד. ישב. בארצ. עטרת. מעלמ. ויבנ. לה. מלכ. י
11. שראל. את. עטרת ואלתחמ. בקר. ואחזה ואהרג. את. כל. העמ. [מ]
12. הקר. רית. לכמש. ולמאב ואשב. משמ. את. אראל. דודה. ואס
13. חבה. לפני. כמש. בקרית ואשב. בה. את. אש. שרנ. ואת. אש
14. מחרת ויאמר. לי. כמש. לכ. אחז. את. נבה. על. ישראל וא
15. הלכ. הללה. ואלתחמ. בה. מבקע. השחרת. עד. הצהרמ ואח
16. זה. ואהרג. כלה. שבעת. אלפנ. גברנ. ו[גר]נ וגברת. וגר
17. ת. ורחמת כי. לעשתר. כמש. החרמתה ואקח. משמ. א[ת. כ]
18. לי. יהוה. ואסחב. המ. לפני. כמש ומלכ. ישראל. בנה. את
19. יהצ. וישב. בה. בהלתחמה. בי ויגרשה. כמש. מפני ו
20. אקח. ממאב. מאתנ. אש. כל. רשה ואשאה. ביהצ. ואחזה.
21. לספת. על. דיבנ אנכ. בנתי. קרחה. חמת. היערנ. וחמת
22. העפל ואנכ. בנתי. שעריה. ואנכ. בנתי. מגדלתה וא
23. נכ. בנתי. בת. מלכ. ואנכ. עשתי. כלאי. האש[וח למי]נ. בקרב
24. הקר ובר. אנ. בקרב. הקר. בקרחה. ואמר. לכל. העמ. עשו. ל
25. כמ. אש. בר. בביתה ואנכ. כרתי. המכרתת. לקרחה. באסר
26. [י]. ישראל אנכ. בנתי. ערער. ואנכ. עשתי. המסלת. בארננ.
27. אנכ. בנתי. בת. במת. כי. הרס. הא אנכ. בנתי. בצר. כי. עינ
28. ----- ש. דיבנ. חמשנ. כי. כל. דיבנ. משמעת ואנכ. מלכ
29. ת[י] ----- מאת. בקרנ. אשר. יספתי. על. הארצ ואנכ. בנת
30. [י. את. מה]דבא. ובת. דבלתנ ובת. בעלמענ. ואשא. שמ. את. [...]
31. --------- צאנ. הארצ וחורננ. ישב. בה. ב
32. --------- אמר. לי. כמש. רד. הלתחמ. בחורננ וארד
33. ---------[ויש]בה. כמש. בימי. ועל[...]. משמ. עש
34. -------------- שת. שדק וא

We know that Israel still existed after this time. This is just more proof to me that the word usually rendered as "everlasting" or "eternal," here taken from the Hebrew "olam," when rendered as an adjective, is not speaking about length of time, but about that which is from God. Quality, not quantity. In this case, Mesha was saying that divine punishment, punishment from his god Chemosh, came upon Israel, not that they were destroyed forever.

Olam life, olam punishment, the olam God, olam covenant, etc, in my findings, all have to do with that which issues from God, not how long they would last. Remembering that the word itself speaks of that which is hidden and hazy, what is on the horizon and beyond, that describes these things perfectly to me.

Ron

ps. Hey Tony, did you get my message to you about meeting together next month? Shoot me an email at ronandofl@yahoo.com if you would so we can make whatever arrangements we need to. Would love to meet and get to know you better my brother. :)

THE TABERNACLE, EDEN, AND YOU

2011-02-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

The tabernacle is a picture teaching of the garden in Eden, and of the human body. I want you to keep this in mind as I share some connections that help us understand what happened when Adam and Eve sinned, and what Jesus did by means of his death.

The tabernacle consisted of 3 basic sections, the outer court, the holy place, and the most holy place. Both the holy place and the most holy place had curtains which prevented anyone from seeing what was inside. We will shortly see what those curtains represent. Inside the holy place we find the table with the bread on it, the menorah lamp, and the altar of incense. Inside the most holy place we find the ark of the covenant, in which was the ten commandments.

The outer court represents Eden and the physical body.
The holy place represents the garden within Eden and the thoughts and emotions of man, pictured in his heart.
The most holy place represents the midst of the garden where the tree of life and of the knowledge of good and evil were and the spirit of man, where God and man are one.

In Genesis 2:25 we find this statement:

They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
(Gen 2:25)

Compare that with what happened after they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil:

The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
(Gen 3:7)

We do not see of any outward change in them, for the change was inward, in their perception, as it says 'they knew [experienced] that they were naked.' Their eyes being opened is an expression meaning that they now were aware of something they formerly were not. Their awareness was of physical nakedness. That new awareness produced the first symptom of evil on the earth, shame.

Picturing the tabernacle in this instance, we see that man was able to look unhindered and without shame at the holy place, relating to his creator spirit to spirit, as he was created to do. Now however, there was something preventing man from seeing the holy place, and that means of spirit to spirit communion was cut off in their perception. This occurred by means of a veil, a covering which served to separate what was there from being seen. I believe this veil, this covering, is what is pictured by the curtains in front of the holy place and most holy place.

When they ate of that tree, God told them that in that very day they would certainly die:

but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."
(Gen 2:17)

Yet we know that they lived several hundred years afterward, so this death is speaking of something different that physical death; at least on one level. I am aware of the teaching that a day with the Lord is as 1000 years, and Adam died at 930, meaning he died within that type of 'day.' I have no problem seeing that as another midrash, but I also see this death as occurring literally at the time when they ate of that tree, and that the death showed itself in how they now saw themselves, and related to their maker. Isaiah helps us make the connection between the death spoken of in Genesis, and a veil, by means of Hebraic parallelism.

And He shall swallow up on this mountain the surface of the covering which covers all people, and the veil which is spread over all nations. He shall swallow up death forever, and the Master יהוה shall wipe away tears from all faces, and take away the reproach of His people from all the earth. For יהוה has spoken.
(Isa 25:7-8 The Scriptures 1998+)

The phrase 'swallow up' poetically links what is talked about in verse 7 with what is in verse 8. Here are the 3 related words:

1) Covering
2) Veil
3) Death

This is God's way of teaching us by means of parallelism that death is the same as the covering and the veil. It affects all peoples of all nations. Why is death related to a veil covering? Because when Adam and Eve ate of that tree, when attempting to look into the holy place, they could only see that veil, that curtain. No longer was the holy place open and accessible to man's perception. I say perception between the holy place did not go away. This was not a literal separation, but one of perception, and the curtain was what caused that perception. So in looking at that veil, that curtain, what were they really looking at?

Paul gives us another piece of the puzzle by explaining what that curtain also represented:

Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
(Heb 10:19-20 WEB (R))

Yes, that veil, that curtain, is the flesh, specifically, the likeness of sinful flesh:

For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;
(Rom 8:3 WEB (R))

This veil was torn from top to bottom when Jesus hung on the tree:

Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
(Mat 27:51 WEB (R))

Something that needs mentioning here is the fact that it was the veil of the holy place that was torn in two, not the veil to the most holy place. Only the veil to the holy place could be beheld from where Jesus died. This is why Paul says we can now enter, not the most holy place, but the holy place, in the passage in Hebrews.

We can therefore see that what Adam and Eve were looking at when they were now seeing the veil covering called death was the flesh, sinful flesh to be exact.

When we look at the instructions given to Moses concerning the building of the tabernacle, we can also see how that curtain represents the flesh of man.

You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent.
(Exo 26:9 WEB (R))

Notice that it is the 6th curtain which served as the cover over the forefront of the tent. The number 6 is the number of man, he being a creation on that day.

Thus we see that mankind since Adam has had this death passed on to them, a sight limited by sinful flesh. They now only relate to their creator on a physical level. So, not seeing the light that is within them [pictured by the menorah lamp]:

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
(Joh 1:4 WEB (R))

nor the fact that they are living by every expression of God [pictured by the table of bread]:

For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.
(Joh 6:33 WEB (R))

but instead seeing only darkness, and having an inner hunger, they would seek for light and to be filled through the flesh, attempting to enter the holy place while the veil was still there, resulting in death.

When Messiah came and died, he condemned sin in the flesh, (Rom 8:3) which was pictured by the veil tearing in two, thus enabling the way for man to now, in Messiah, see and have access into that holy place. As believers, that veil upon our holy place is removed in Messiah:

But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away. But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
(2Co 3:14-18 WEB (R))

We are now enabled to see that reality and live in it. The glory of the Lord is seen by us when we look at ourselves as in a mirror. A mirror reflects what we are looking at, so we can see that the glory of the Lord is seen in us. This is pictured in that Menorah found within the holy place.

It had a central lamp, representing Jesus himself, and also had 3 lamps on each side facing toward that central lamp, making a total of 6 other lamps, the number 6 representing mankind. With the central lamp, we have a grand total of 7 lamps, representing completion. The Menorah was in the shape of a tree with branches. This reminds us of Jesus illustration that he is the vine, and we are the branches. It also reminds us of the olive tree in Romans 11 that is Messiah himself, with natural branches of natural Israel, and people of the nations who are grafted in by belief.

There are two scriptures which share a thematic connection, which teaches us of the menorah being a physical shadow type of the lamp of God:

and the lamp of God [the menorah] hadn't yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down to sleep, in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was;
(1Sa 3:3 WEB (R))

This points to the reality, the spirit of man, which every man has, being his lamp:

The spirit of man is Yahweh's lamp, searching all his innermost parts.
(Pro 20:27 WEB (R))

There are many, many more things that could be said about all this, but this should give us all much to meditate on. May he be blessed forever for his may beautiful ways of teaching us his precious truths through the many, many connections found in scripture.

Ron

THE LAW OF FIRSTBORN, HOW IT RELATES TO THE SPIRIT AND THE FLESH

2010-12-31T21:50:00.004-05:00

Paul once said:

Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can't inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
(1Co 15:50)

I believe Paul understood this from his study of Torah, and the revelation given to him from it. But where in Torah do we read of this?

We receive a clue, a hint, from Ieue's words to Abraham when he told him he was going to have a son by Sarah. He already had a son by Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, and he thought the covenant blessings would pass through him. Ieue had other plans however:

Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!" God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year." When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
(Gen 17:18-22)

Even though Ishmael was the literal, fleshly firstborn of Abraham, Father chose Isaac, who was the Firstborn according to the spirit, being, as it was, a miraculous birth. Yet this is not the first time we see this principle occuring.

The principle I am referring to is the right of the firstborn, with regard to the blessing and the inheritance. It is recorded in Deuteronomy:

but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
(Deu 21:17)

One firstborn would receive the blessing of the Father, by the laying of his right hand on the head of the firstborn child.

While this principle has never changed, as we go through the scripture, we find a pattern that seems to go against this very principle, because, as we are going to see, the literal, fleshly firstborn son ends up NOT getting the blessing or inheritance. I believe the reason for this has to do with what Paul would later say; that that which is represented by flesh does not inherit the promises, but only the spirit.

So let us examine some examples, starting all the way back with the first example, Cain and Abel.

The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help." Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
(Gen 4:1-2)

Cain was born first, followed by Abel. So, accordingly, Cain should have received the blessing, yet what do we find? Yahweh was pleased with the offering Abel brought, but not with the one Cain brought. Because of this, Cain kills his brother Abel, and God curses Cain, the first person thus cursed, and drives him out to be a wanderer and vagabond.

Back in Genesis 3, God makes this promise:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
(Gen 3:15)

While this is primarily speaking of spiritual seed, there is a physical component to it as well. Cain is the first of the seed of the serpent, in that he exhibited the characteristics of the serpent. Abel is the first of the seed of the woman, yet he is now dead, so to continue the lineage of the woman's seed, Seth is born. This distinction of Cain as the serpent's seed, and Seth as the woman's seed, is the reason for the 2 geneologies, Cain's, found in chapter 4, and Adam through Seth, found in chapter 5.

So here we see the literal fleshly firstborn son, Cain, not partaking in having the blessing and inheritance passed on to him, but rather, to Seth.

Next we come to Noah and his sons. They are listed for the first time in chapter 5. Notice the order of the names:

Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
(Gen 5:32)

Being removed from the ways of our anscestors, this listing may not mean much, but back in those days, for thousands of years, when a listing was given, it was done according to the order of importance or of birth.

So here it would appear as though Shem was the firstborn, followed by Ham, then Japheth. But that is not the case. Japheth was the firstborn, followed by Shem, then Ham. One way we can know this is that Shem was 100 years old 2 years after the flood, meaning he was born 97 years before the flood, with the flood occuring during his 98th year. When you compare this with the scripture which says that the flood happened in the 600th year of Noah's life, and that he had Shem, Ham, and Japheth AFTER he was 500 years old, we then know that Shem was born when Noah was around 503 years old. Since Genesis 9:24 says that Ham was the youngest of his sons, we then know that Japheth was born 1-3 years before Shem.

He is usually mentioned first when the 3 sons are listed, therefore, not because he was the fleshly firstborn son, but because he was one Father chose as his firstborn to carry the line of the seed of the woman.

Next we come to Abraham, one of the son's of Terah. Haran was the firstborn son, yet it was through Abraham that the blessing and promise would pass.

We have already discussed Abraham's 2 children, Ishmael and Isaac, so we move on to Isaac's 2 sons, Esau the literal, fleshly firsborn, and Jacob. Once again, Jacob was given the blessing and inheritance, not Esau.

Then as one final example in Genesis, we find Israel giving the blessing to Ephraim, not Manassah the firstborn of Joseph.

One of the reasons behind this seeming disregard for the principle of the firstborn, at least when it comes to the propogation of the seed of the woman, is found when we look again at that principle:

but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
(Deu 21:17)

Notice that the firstborn is considered the beginning of his strength. Who's strength? Man's. But this whole saga is all about how God brings the miraculous out of the impossible. He alone is the one who is to receive the glory. Boasting is only to be done in him. So in terms of the blessing of the promises of God, and the inheritance given by him, it is not man's firstborn, but God's, that he chooses each and every time.

This teaches us that the flesh, and it's strength, fortitude, and anything else originating with it, can have nothing to do with the promises of God. Only the spirit does, which is solely from God himself, as out of his very essence.

Let us who boast, boast in the Lord therfore. May he be forever blessed!

Ron

THE TABERNACLE

2010-12-19T09:37:00.002-05:00

I came across this beautiful poem concerning the realities found in the tabernacle:

by David Hamilton

When in the wilderness of desolation I see,
A gate of blue, purple and scarlet inviting me
Within the linen that surrounds the court,
I know I’m near the righteous port

Moving closer I encounter the altar,
A restoration place for all who falter
Here the blameless sacrifice ascends,
Joining the acceptance, of God who descends

Then the fire of God is revealed,
Consuming sin so long concealed
A place of death and repentance,
That I may rise, free from its sentence

Approaching the laver, as to the grave,
Buried in water, arising to be saved
A priest passing through the door of grace,
Dressed to serve in His Holy Place

To the right a table of wood and gold,
And on it the bread, which never grows old
Eternally fresh the sustaining Word,
Life when eaten by those who’ve heard

Turning to the Lamp, the Menorah of gold,
Skillfully wrought without a mold
In its light the tapestries displayed,
Revealing walls of wood that is gold overlaid,

A cloud of incense of worship and praise,
Fills the chamber with its fragrant haze
Cherubim woven, their wings hovering,
All who enter are protected by its cover

Before the veil I now stand,
The way is open for me, a mortal man
For which cause the Lamb was sent,
That this partition be, forever rent

Opening the way to the throne of God,
Into his presence, the Holy of Holies I trod
Oh! The glorious majesty of it all,
Before the Ark of His Covenant I must fall

For in this room is the throne of grace,
It is here God calls His secret place
A place not hidden to those within,
The ones who are washed and freed from sin

Here among God’s holy objects,
The Truth revealed, in this divine project
The house designed for all in shackles,
Can only be God’s perfect plan

The Tabernacle

THE FOOD OF GOD

2010-12-12T19:24:00.007-05:00

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush was on fire, and the bush was not consumed.
(Exo 3:2)

Here we find the first of many references to God eating, as a picture to help us understand how it is that he relates to that which is useful to him, and that which is not. This is a very apt picture because it is something which every human can relate to, for we all eat. God does not literally eat as we do, but he pictures himself as doing it to teach us lessons about himself.

Unfortunately, this picture is not usually seen in most translations, including this one I am using. See the word 'flame' which I have in bold letters? This is the Hebrew word ba'ar which literally means 'consume.' Here are just a couple of examples where this can be easily seen:

If a man shall cause a field or a vineyard to be eaten, and shall let his cattle loose to feed in another man's field, of the best of his own field and of the best of his own vineyard, he shall make restitution.
(Exo 22:5)

Here we find the same Hebrew word translated as 'eaten' and 'feed', and we can clearly see it is referring to the cattle grazing in a field or vineyard.

So when we look back at the burning bush passage, we can render it this way:

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a consuming fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush was on fire, and the bush was not eaten.
(Exo 3:2)

Since the last word in this verse happens to also be translated 'consume' we change that to the word 'eaten', since that is what it is referring to. That Hebrew word is most commonly translated 'eat.' Here is but one example of this:

Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
(Gen 2:16)

I believe that the reason this word 'ba'ar', in its first usage, is also found with the common word 'akal', to eat, is that he wants us to link the concept of taking in food with the flame of fire. My reason for sharing this is because I believe in seeing this picture of God consuming and eating something we get another facet given to us of what happens to that which is useful to God and that which is not.

When we eat food, there are parts of it useful to us, and parts that are not useful for us. The difference between eating- 'akal' in Hebrew, and consuming- 'ba'ar' in Hebrew, is that eating is related to that which is taken in as useful for the body, while consuming is related to that which is take in as not useful for the body. That which is useful is assimilated into the body, while that which is not useful is eliminated.

So eating is akin to assimilation, while consuming is akin to elimination. Each are taken in, but for different purposes.

And thus we can see that this idea of eradication, or elimination, is linked to the uses of the word 'ba'ar' when we trace it throughout scripture.

This fits with a similar picture, a fire that purifies gold, silver, and precious stones, while it consumes ['ba'ar'] wood, hay, and stubble.

4 LIVING CREATURES PICTURED IN COVENANT WITH NOAH

2010-12-07T12:05:00.005-05:00

It is said by the rabbis that every verse has several layers of meaning, and I am seeing that more and more with my own eyes. One example I want to share with you today is concerning what I wrote about another time with regard to the 4 living creatures, found in Ezekiel and in Revelation. Here is a description of those 2 visions, in particular the parts I want you to see a connection with all the way back in Genesis are bolded:

Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne that looked like a jasper stone and a sardius. There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads. Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne was something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal. In the midst of the throne, and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.
(Rev 4:2-7)

Out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. Everyone had four faces, and each one of them had four wings. Their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished brass. They had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings were joined one to another; they didn't turn when they went; each one went straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle. Their faces and their wings were separate above; two wings of each one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies...As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. THIS WAS THE APPEARANCE OF THE LIKENESS OF THE GLORY OF YAHWEH. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.
(Eze 1:5-11, 28)

Now, let's compare this with the covenant God gave to Noah and his sons:

God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, "As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth. I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth." God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my COVENANT, WHICH IS BETWEEN ME AND YOU AND EVERY LIVING CREATURE OF ALL FLESH, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND EVERY LIVING CREATURE OF ALL FLESH THAT IS ON THE EARTH." God said to Noah, "This is the token of the COVENANT WHICH I HAVE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN ME AND ALL FLESH THAT IS ON THE EARTH."
(Gen 9:8-17)

Let us make some connections here. First of all, notice that this original stating of the covenant had a rainbow as the token of it. We also see a rainbow in the vision Ezekiel saw, as well as the one John saw.

Now, if we look at the vision of Ezekiel and John we can plainly see the similarity of the four living creatures; that, although slightly different in description, they speak of the same thing. They each had 4 types of faces:

1) man
2) eagle
3) ox
4) lion

Compare that with the 4 groups with which God made his covenant in Genesis:

1) Noah
2) bird
3) livestock
4) animal

Here Noah, as the head of such, since it would be through them that all of us would come. The bird would represent the eagle, which is considered the head of birds. The livestock would represent the ox as the most majestic of all domesticated animals, which is what livestock are. And lastly, the animal would represent the lion, as the most majestic of the wild beasts. Thus we see the further connection:

1) Noah, man
2) bird, eagle
3) livestock, ox
4) animal, lion

This happens to encompass what God calls several times...every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. So once again we see the end being revealed right out of the beginning, the book of Genesis.

I bolded one other very important thing in the book of Ezekiel. Writing about a brightness that he had seen and compared to the rainbow, Ezekiel says this:

THIS WAS THE APPEARANCE OF THE LIKENESS OF THE GLORY OF YAHWEH.

There are 5 times in scripture (the number of grace, which is the means by which this take place) that it is written that God's glory will fill the earth.

but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahweh;
(Num 14:21)

One called to another, and said, "Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!"
(Isa 6:3)

Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
(Psa 72:19)

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
(Hab 2:14)

They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
(Isa 11:9)

I know that the last verse does not have the word 'glory' in it. However, look again at Hab 2:14 and you will see that the knowledge of Yahweh is associated with his glory. In fact, the Psalmist also wrote of this connection when he said:

May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine [his glory] on us. Selah. That your way [his knowledge] may be known on earth, and your salvation among all nations,
(Psa 67:1-2)

So when you look up at the sky, not only should it remind you of his promise never to flood the world again with physical water, but it should also remind you of his promise to flood the world by the pouring out of his spirit, a process which started on the Feast of Weeks with the 120 disciples:

In these days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty)...Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
(Act 1:15; 2:1-4)

This connects with the 120 years during Noah's time when the spirit would be removed during the flood, as recorded in Genesis 6:3:

Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not dwell with man forever, because he also is flesh; yet will his days be one hundred twenty years."
(Gen 6:3)

and then again when the spirit's presence came to fill the temple in Solomon's day with the 120 trumpet playing priests ushering the spirit in:

also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brothers, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them one hundred twenty priests sounding with trumpets;) it happened, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Yahweh; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised Yahweh, saying, For he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of Yahweh,
(2Ch 5:12-13)

His glory indeed covers the earth, and will be seen one day as the reality it already is!

Ron

RENEWED MOONS-A PICTURE OF A RENEWED YOU

2010-12-04T22:16:00.002-05:00

Go outside on a clear night and look up at the moon. Depending on what night you look, you will see a varying portion of it most nights, or you will see it as completely round, or not at all. These variations cycle through each and every month, and in scripture it is referred to as renewed moons.

Now here is a simple question for you. On those days you see only part of the moon, or not at all, are you seeing reality? No. You are seeing what is real to your eyes, but the truth is that the moon is the same on each and every day. The only difference is that, as it orbits the earth, the amount of light that shines on it will vary, creating the illusion that it is waning, or waxing.

This is yet another simple yet profound lesson in creation that Father has used to witness to us the truth that within us there is that same renewing each and every day. Paul wrote of it when he said:

Therefore we don't faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
(2Co 4:16)

The truth is that inwardly, in our spirit, we are complete. Yet, as we move about in this life, we only see glimpses here and there of who we truly are. Like the moon, some days we see more of the reality than others. One thing we can know for sure though-no matter how it looks, we are as complete as the moon is. Also, just as the moon is renewed faithfully each and every month, not a day goes by that we are not renewed inwardly.

Ron

BREASTPLATE OF JUDGMENT-A JUDGMENT OF HOW PRECIOUS YOU ARE

2010-12-01T02:46:00.005-05:00

You shall put in the breastplate of verdict the lights and the completions; and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before Yahweh: and Aaron shall bear the verdict of the children of Israel on his heart before Yahweh continually.
(Exo 28:30)

You may have read this in its more traditional rendering 'breastplate of judgment, the Urim and Thummim...', but I took the liberty of making a couple of changes here because I just love how the translating of urim and thummim, instead of simply transliterating the Hebrew words, as well as changing judgment to verdict, tells such a wonderful truth about his people.

Yes, Jesus our High Priest has given sentence, and if one is familiar with a modern courtroom everyone is familiar with that one little piece of paper, given by the jury to the judge. It carries the verdict, the decision that will decide the fate of the individual on trial.

What is this verdict, or judgment? The text here tells us by means of a connection we can make. Here it is:

The lights and completions are on Aaron's heart.
The verdict is on Aaron's heart.

Therefore, the verdict is represented by lights and completions. In verse 29 there is one further connection we can add to this:

Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of verdict on his heart...
(Exo 28:29)

So we see that the verdict represented by lights and completions is with reference to the children of Israel, all 12 tribes.

When Jesus appears before the Father, he bears us on his heart, whether we are naturally a child of Israel or grafted in as a Gentile. And what does Father see when he looks at us? He sees the ultimate light, and the ultimate completion. That is why the Urim and Thummim are translated as lights and completions, not speaking of quantity, but of quality. When they wanted to express the idea of the greatest or best of something, they would often render it in the plural to do so. Context and grammar help us to determine whether the plural is referring to quantity, or of quality.

Why is this the ultimate light and completion? Because it is the completeness and light of Jesus himself, with us sharing in that, not as the source, but as an expression. So we, his people, are a living testimony to the truth that in Christ we are complete, or flawless, and pure light, not a mixture making up darkness.

Ron

BOOK OF REVELATION FORESHADOWED BY FEAST DAYS

2010-11-20T12:07:00.006-05:00

I have just started embarking on a new and exciting journey in my studies, one that finds connections concerning the events written in the book of Revelation and the feast days (in particular, the fall ones) of the Lord.

Starting in chapter 8 and onward, there can see seen things concerning the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day. These are not necessarily in chronological order, but are recorded in themes, as is common among Semitic literature.

The purpose of this writing is to examine some of these connections and see what meaning they hold for us.

My reason for seeing this connection is in the pattern shown by the feasts of the Lord. Most know that Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts of the Lord by his first coming. These are shown in the Gospel accounts and the first couple of chapters of Acts:

Passover- in his death
Feast of Unleavened Bread- in his being hastily buried
Feast of First fruits- in his resurrection and ascension to his Father
Feast of Weeks- in the spirit being poured out on the 120 in the upper room

These spring feasts were followed by 3 fall feasts, which occurred about 4 months later. This period of time between the spring and fall feasts is shown in the rest of the book of Act and all of the letters up to the book of Revelation 3.

This leaves the 3 fall feasts, which are all written about and are essential for understanding the book of Revelation.

more to come...

153 FISHES REVEALED TO BE THE SONS OF GOD

2010-11-16T19:31:00.008-05:00

Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." They told him, "We are also coming with you." They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing. But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, have you anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." They cast it therefore, and now they weren't able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!" So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around him (for he was naked), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn't torn.
(Joh 21:3-11)

Here we find a familiar scene, one that is similar to early in Jesus' ministry, where we find the disciples being unsuccessful in fishing, with Jesus producing out of it a miracle. There is a little detail given here that has baffled many who have attempted to meditate on it's possible meaning. So baffling in fact, that some don't even try and just attribute the detail to mere historical accuracy on the part of John the writer. I have a hard time with that though, because here you have the apostle writing a very important document several years after the events occurred. Each detail is important, especially when understood from an Hebraic mindset; the one John had, as well as Jesus and the other apostles.

The detail I am referring to is his mentioning that there were 153 fish. What does that number teach us. Where is the connection elsewhere in scripture? That is the connection we must make, for the writings of the 1st century all wrote of things revealed OUT OF the scriptures-Genesis to Malachi. Those books bear witness to all that is revealed out of them, so we must look there to find the connection to 153, and there is one, only one, which we will see momentarily.

First let us establish a couple of other points in this life lesson. First of all, we have a net bringing in fish. When we compare this with scripture we find the following connections:

In Ezekiel 47, we read of a vision of living water flowing from the temple, which heals all that it flows to. This is obviously symbolic with it's own set of connections. Look though, at verse 10:

It shall happen, that fishermen shall stand by it: from En Gedi even to En Eglaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
(Eze 47:10)

This too, is a symbolic letting down of nets for fishing. To complete the connection, here are couple of things mentioned by Jesus:

Concerning the first instance where Jesus did the same type of miracle, he said:

He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men."
(Mat 4:19)

And even more pointed and complete was the following parable:

"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away.
(Mat 13:47-48)

We see clearly that this fishing with nets has to do with fishing for people. The fish are people, and the net is the gospel, while the fishermen are the disciples.

The second point I want us to consider is why Jesus said to put the net on the right side of the boat. Why not just record him as saying 'the other side?'

In rabbinic writings we find an important teaching concerning the right arm of Yahweh. It is his means by which he accomplishes what he wants. It speaks of power, authority, and work, among other things. Never does scripture speak of the left arm. Only the right. Who is the right arm of Yahweh?

Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
(Isa 52:10)

Here is just one of several connections helping identify the arm of the Yahweh. Yahweh bares his holy arm, which means that he rolls up his sleeve so it can be seen. And what is seen? The salvation of God. See the connection? Yeshua is the salvation of God. It is he to whom the prophets bore witness concerning this.

This holy arm is the one he used to bring salvation for Israel. Isaiah elsewhere calls it his right hand, the one associated with strength:

Yahweh has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, "Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies; and foreigners shall not drink your new wine, for which you have labored:
(Isa 62:8)

This is important to know because when Jesus told the disciples to let down the net on the right side, he was teaching the truth that this catching of fish was not something done in their own strength or smarts, but only with the right arm of Yahweh, the living one who was speaking with them.

So now, let us look at this number 153 keeping in mind what we have seen so far:

1) There will be another witness to a truth, for by 2 or 3 witnesses a matter is established.
2) What we are being taught is contained within an Hebraic mindset, one they would be familiar with.

The fact that he gives us a number gives us a clue, for there is a legitimate study (although there are illegitimate ones as well) known as gematria, which is the study of numbers derived from letters, and the relationships that can be found from them.

Each letter in Hebrew functions also as a number. Here is a chart with them listed, along with their number value. I did not include the 5 final forms as I do not believe they existed in the original Hebrew:

1	Aleph	א
2	Bet	ב
3	Gimel	ג
4	Daled	ד
5	He	ה
6	Vav	ו
7	Zayin	ז
8	Heth	ח
9	Teth	ט

Decimal	Hebrew	Glyph
10	Yud	י
20	Kaph	כ
30	Lamed	ל
40	Mem	מ
50	Nun	נ
60	Samech	ס
70	Ayin	ע
80	Pe	פ
90	Tsadhe	צ

Decimal	Hebrew	Glyph
100	Qoph	ק
200	Reish	ר
300	Shin	ש
400	Tav	ת

With this in mind, there is only 1 phrase in all of scripture I am aware of (if you know of any others, please let me know so I can change this) that adds up to exactly 153. It is the phrase in English 'sons of God.' Literally in Hebrew it is 'sons of the God.'
(Hos 1:10)

That phrase is made up of two Hebrew words. Here they are, listed with their numeric value:

Sons
Bet 2
Nun 50
Yud 10

The God
Hey 5
Aleph 1
Lamed 30
Hey 5
Yud 10
Mem 40

2+50+10+5+1+30+5+10+40=153!

I believe this is probably why Jesus refers to these 7 disciples as little children:

Jesus, then, is saying to them, "Little children, have you no viands?They answered Him, "No!"
(Joh 21:5)

This is the only time you find Jesus referring to them in this way. In Hebrew it is the same word Bet, Nun, Yud. He is preparing them (and us) for what he is about to teach them.

Now we have the completed picture. The reason Jesus did this miracle was to teach us that all of the children of God would be gathered in by the proclaiming of the gospel, in his power.

Ron

ANGELS SITTING ON THE JOB

2010-11-13T21:45:00.002-05:00

In the book of John, there is a statement made, almost in passing, seemingly insignificant, about what Peter and John saw when they entered the empty tomb of Jesus. Here is what it says:

and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
(Joh 20:12)

While it is easy to just pass right over this, I want to submit that here we find another witness given to the fact that the work Jesus came to do was finished. If you look up every other instance of angels, you will never see them sitting, except here. Why is that significant?

To be sitting means to be at rest. It is a signal demonstrating that something is finished. Concerning Jesus, the work he came to do was indeed finished, as he stated on the tree. These 2 angels were witnesses demonstrating that truth for Peter and John to see, and now, for us to read. I thank God for his finished work!

Ron

NO TURNING BACK

2010-11-09T20:29:00.002-05:00

Isaac is a well known type of Messiah, especially concerning his being offered up by his father Abraham. That is perhaps the most well known aspect that believers will turn to when examining scriptures with Messianic proportions.

Let us not stop there, for as his life continues, we see other wonderful things concerning our Messiah, such as what is expressed in the truth that I call, 'no turning back.' I find this truth in a couple of little statements in the life of Isaac, the first of which is here:

The servant said to him, "What if the woman isn't willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?" Abraham said to him, "Beware that you don't bring my son there again. Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, 'I will give this land to your seed.' He will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. If the woman isn't willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this my oath. Only you shall not bring my son there again."
(Gen 24:5-8)

Keeping in mind that the type of shadow of the death and resurrection took place back in chapter 22, and then we find the seeking of a bride for Isaac next in the story. Abraham makes it very clear that no matter what, Isaac is not to be brought back to where Abraham came from. This is significant because it teaches us that what Messiah has accomplished is a once and for all time occurrence. He can never go back to where he came from, because it is finished!!

The second scripture bearing testimony to this truth is found when another famine hits the land just as happened during his father's time. If your remember, Abraham went down to Egypt to live for a time. Isaac repeated some of his fathers' actions during his life. Would this be one of them?

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar. Yahweh appeared to him, and said, "Don't go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.
(Gen 26:1-2)

No he did not. Unlike his father, he did not go down to Egypt. Just as Israel would be delivered once and for all from Egyptian bondage many years later, never to return, so Isaac, a type of the One to come who would bring about the greater exodus from Egyptian bondage for mankind, having been offered up once and for all, could never return to that place again. I believe this prophetically is the reason for God's telling him not to go down.

It was necessary that Isaac stay in the promised land, which he did until his death. Of the 3 named patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, only Isaac lived his entire life in the promised land. Abraham went to Egypt during the beginning of his sojourn, while Jacob went during the last of his.

Isaac's staying in the promised land pictures the fact the Jesus, and we his body, are the fulfillment of the promised land, delivered from bondage, living in that reality forever, never in danger of returning to where we came from.

Ron

BE BLUE? ALWAYS!

2010-11-03T17:13:00.008-04:00

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue: and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all the commandments of Yahweh, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute; that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
(Num 15:37-40)

One of the physical reminders Yahweh gave to his people was what is recorded here. While it is translated here as 'fringes', its Hebrew term is 'tzit tzit.' These were 4 sets of tassel threads wound together in a special way, woven on the 4 corners of the garments, served as a reminder for his people concerning his directions and instructions.

One of the perplexing parts of the tzit tzit was the blue thread used. Rabbi's throughout the years have pondered the meaning of that color, why it was used. I believe there is a beautiful sod [hidden] teaching behind his use of that particular color.

A very common understanding is that blue pictures heavenly things, since the heaven we see is blue in color. I believe that to be true, yet from that truth emerges the sod teaching that should excite everyone today in Messiah.

I want to compare the Hebrew word for blue with a couple of other words and see how God makes a fascinating connection between these words:

Blue.................................. תְּכֵלֶת
Finished.............................. כָּלָה
All..................................... כֹּל

All three words share the same marriage root, which are the two highlighted letters Kaph and Lamed. The basic idea behind those two letters is the idea of completion, with nothing left to be added, such as in Genesis 2:1:

The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array.
(Gen 2:1)

As a verb it expresses the idea of something being finished, such as also is found in Genesis 2:1 where that word is used for the first time with regard to creation.

The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array.
(Gen 2:1)

Now let us make a connection between that understanding and the color blue, as it relates to heavenly things.

Remember Jesus once told his disciples how to pray, and in that example, one of the things they were to ask for was:

Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
(Mat 6:10)

What we are being shown here is the truth that in the heavenly realm, all is complete, finished, from God's view. His will is being done there. The image of that completion back in the beginning was hidden from view when sin entered into the world, and this prayer is a request for that image to be restored. That image is a finished and completed image, concerning all that exists. This is why these heavenly things, picturing completeness and that which is finished, is represented by this color blue. That is the connection that teaches us this hidden meaning.

Jesus came to restore that image, removing that which hindered it, and thus, on the cross, uttered his final words:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished." He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.
(Joh 19:30)

Those three English words 'It is finished', are one word in Hebrew, the same word that we have been considering.

Tying all of this together then, when God's people wore their tzit tzit, they were proclaiming to all that there would come a day when the image of the finished work would once again be restored by the one to come, their Messiah, and that man would be enabled to rest in that finished work spiritually.

So while it may be true that to be blue is, in one sense, not a desirable thing, know that there is another blue we can be so refreshed and excited about, the blue of heavenly things from a finished perspective that we now have the privilege of resting in every day.

Ron

ABRAHAM THE PROPHET, FOR WHAT PURPOSE?

2010-11-02T23:22:00.004-04:00

What comes to mind when you think of what a prophet is, or does? I think most people think of someone who foretells the future. If you were asked to name a prophet, who's name would come to mind? Of the several you could choose from, I do not think that Abraham would be first on hardly anyone's list, if any at all. Abraham is thought as many things, but prophet isn't usually one of them.

And yet, the first use of the word 'prophet' in scripture is:

Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don't restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours. (Gen 20:7)

Here we have God himself referring to Abraham as a prophet. Read all you can find about anything Abraham said however, and you will not find any predicting of the future. There must be more to being a prophet than appears to be the case.

What I want you to notice is the reason God gives for Abraham being a prophet.

Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. (Gen 20:7)

I have never given that really any consideration, but being a prophet involves what we would call intercessory prayer. The fact that this is linked to the first occurrence of the word tells us God wants us to look beyond what appears to be the obvious, because this idea of a prophet being intercessor is the foundation upon everything a prophet does. It is one thing to proclaim something to someone who needs to hear, but quite another to get alone with Father and pray privately concerning that someone, without them being aware of it. That gets more to the heart of things.

Seeing this little verse helped me to see the account in Genesis 18 in a whole new light. Here we have Abraham being told that Sodom and Gomorrah was to be destroyed, and what do we find Abraham doing? Yes, he is compelled to pray concerning their plight. He intercedes.

As an aside, this statement:

Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do...?
(Gen 18:17)

links thematically with this principle given by the Lord, further proof of his being a true prophet:

Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
(Amo 3:7)

With this foundational understanding of what it means to be a prophet, go back and read of other prophets who are extensively written about, such as Moses and Daniel, for example, and notice how they also prayed in behalf of others. Ultimately then, consider the greatest prophet of them all, Jesus, as meditate on his intercession on our behalf:

Jesus said these things, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you; even as you gave him authority over all flesh, he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him. This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do. Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed. I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word. Now they have known that all things whatever you have given me are from you, for the words which you have given me I have given to them, and they received them, and knew for sure that I came forth from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I don't pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world hasn't known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me. I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them."
(Joh 17:1-26)

Ron

MANS FEAR VS. GODS FEAR

2010-10-31T14:37:00.006-04:00

All the people were discerning the voices and the torches and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain asmoke. And the people saw and roved about and stood afar. They said to Moses: Speak you with us that we may hear; yet Elohim must not speak with us lest we die. Then Moses said to the people: Do not fear, for in order to probe you the One, Elohim has come, and in order that the fear of Him should come over your faces, that you may not sin. Then the people stood afar, yet Moses, he came close to the murkiness where the One, Elohim was.
(Exo 20:18-21) CLV

As I read this today, I saw a wonderful contrast between fear that originates within man, and fear that originates within God. Yes, it is true. God has fear, although you will rarely, if ever, hear or read of it. Knowing what fear truly is, according to the concrete word picture making up the word, helps to solve what appears to be a contradiction here.

It appears as though Moses waffles between telling Israel NOT to fear, as something to be avoided, and then in the next breath telling them that God WANTS them to fear him so that they don't sin.

Regarding the fear that Moses told them not to have, notice what it resulted in:

And the people saw and roved about and stood afar.

The first time the word for 'rove about' is found, it is in the context of Cain being cursed, where the Lord tells him that:

As you are serving the ground, it will not continue to give its vigor to you. A rover and a wanderer shall you become in the earth. And saying is Cain to Yahweh Elohim, "Too great is my depravity to bear. Behold, drive me do You out today off the surface of the ground, and from Your face shall I be concealed, and become shall I a rover and a wanderer in the earth.
(Gen 4:12-14)

Notice the connections here. In the case of Cain and Israel, this roving about is connected to being separated from the face of God. This fear, which originates within man, causes him to live as one who is distant from the Lord. This is important so I will reword it this way:

Any fear that originates with man results in a mind and walk separated and distanced from God.

This is what Israel did. They stood at a distance, and did not want to hear from God himself. They were afraid of God. This is the type of fear that John wrote about when he said:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
(1Jn 4:18)

See the connection? They were afraid that hearing God in this way would result in their death. This is similar to the fear John wrote about that is connected with punishment. Such human fear is what God dealt with on the cross in Christ, wherein he took our punishment.

So, in dealing with them about their fleshly fear, originating from themselves, what is this fear of him that Moses said he put before them so that they would not sin?

Just as there is a fear that originates within man, there is also a fear that originates within God. This is the fear that Moses speaks of. Another way to say 'fear of Him' is to say 'His fear.' 'Love of Him' is 'His love.' 'Mercy of Him' would be 'His mercy.' These are just a few of the many, many examples of this. This fear is possessed by God. It originates within him.

The problem people today have with understanding this is that we have a preconceived idea of what fear is supposed to be that becomes a blanket idea covering every instance of that word.

For example, we read of Israel fearing God, and understand that as being afraid of him. With that meaning, we then ask, is God afraid of anything? No, he is not, and so we come away thinking that fear cannot originate with God. We read such things as:

For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
(2Ti 1:7)

From this we conclude that again, anything having to do with fear cannot originate with God. Such thinking however, is short-sighted, and not according to truth. God does possess fear, and this is the fear he put before Israel for their benefit. So if that fear isn't being afraid, what is it? Forget about any definition you have heard and let us go back to the original, concrete meaning to find out.

The Hebrew word translated as fear in Exodus 20:20 basically carries the concept of 'flowing of the insides' or 'moving inwardly'. Specifically, it has to do with the gut moving, or flowing. This will sound distasteful, but here is an example that most of us are familiar with that conveys this very idea. People who are afraid of something are sometimes said to 'crap their pants,' or something similar to that. This English phrase comes from that Hebraic meaning of the gut moving.

As you know, the insides moving in such a way force one to do something. Some form of action is needed, and cannot be avoided. This is the negative aspect of the word. There is a positive aspect as well, which is conveyed in the action of 'being moved by something.' This moving, or compelling, comes from within, from the bowels, but in this case, can be a moving to a beneficial action. For example, the scriptures uses phrases similar to this, where people experience a moving of their bowels:

My darling put forth his hand into the latch hole, And my bowels clamored for him."
(Son 5:4)

or, in this case, God experiencing a moving of his bowels:

A precious son is Ephraim to Me? A child of delights? For since My speaking against him, I do thoroughly remember him still, Therefore have My bowels been moved for him, I do greatly love him, An affirmation of Yahweh."
(Jer 31:20)

The moving of the bowels is an inward impelling or moving either toward or away from something or someone. This is what fear is in concrete terms.

With this in mind, let's look again at the verses I quoted earlier, and see them in this light:

Then Moses said to the people: [Do not moved from within away from the Lord], for in order to probe you the One, Elohim has come, and in order that [His being compelled from within toward himself and you, his people], should come over your faces, that you may not sin.
(Exo 20:20) CLV

And as a further connection linking with this understanding, notice the contrasting result from those who feared the Lord from within themselves, verses Moses, who walked in the fear that the Lord has within himself, set before them:

Then the people stood afar, YET Moses, he came close to the murkiness where the One, Elohim was.
(Exo 20:21)

We are a people who have been made to walk in the fear of the Lord, moved from within toward all that is of God. Such fear is ours because we are found to be in him, and he in us. What is his, is ours.

May this understanding stretch us to not be fearful of this word, nor cast it aside, but simply to understand as he has intended it from the beginning.

Ron

GUARD YOUR HEART...GUARD THE GARDEN

2010-10-29T23:08:00.002-04:00

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.
(Pro 4:23)

Today the Lord put this scripture in my mind and told me it was connected to something I had taught on before, back in Genesis 2:

Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
(Gen 2:15)

The garden in Eden can be seen as a type of Christ, and of us as his body. In one of the parables Jesus told, he likened the heart to soil:

As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.
(Mat 13:4)

When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.
(Mat 13:19)

Soil has no life in and of itself. It is designed to be the medium out of which life emerges, in the form of plants. The heart is the same. In and of itself physically, it has no life. It is designed to pump out of it life, in the form of oxygen, using blood as a carrier. Like the physical, so is the spiritual. The heart of man is the medium out of which life comes. It itself has no life of its own. That life is Jesus himself.

Adam and Eve were put in the garden to keep it, which means to watch over it, guard it, and protect it. That garden would produce life out of its soil in the form of all manner of fruit trees for them to eat of.

The proverb is making that same connection from the beginning, since life issues out of the heart, hence the reason to watch over it and protect it. While we may feel like we do a rotten job at times in this, I will leave you with our Father's encouragement:

He is the one who is the gardener, and we are his field. Jesus is the life planted within us, and we can rest assured that Father works to perfection watching over us so that Jesus life is manifested in the form of fruit to be enjoyed!

Ron

AN EVERYDAY ACT, WITH SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

2010-10-21T11:36:00.016-04:00

(Gen 26:17) Isaac departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.

(Gen 6:8) But Noah found favor in Yahweh's eyes.

Here is another scripture that shares a connection that lies beneath the surface. What word idea is shared by these 2 verses? Knowing this will help give us more understanding of a very common word that we as believers use in our everyday lives.

Looking at an English translation will never allow you to see the similarity that is there, so we have to go back to the Hebrew to see it. That similarity is found in the words 'encamped' and 'favor'. In what way are these words similar, and why did God make them that way? What is he trying to teach us? First, let us see the similarity.

Every Hebrew word is made up of either 2 or 3 letter roots that form the basis for the word. What is fascinating about this is that when you see those letters forming the basis of more than one word, each of them will share the same basic idea conveyed by the 2 or 3 letter root. There will be similarity there. So what are the Hebrew words for encamp and favor?

חנה is the Hebrew word for 'encamp'.

חן is the Hebrew word for 'favor'. (this word is the Hebrew equivalent to 'charis' in Greek, meaning 'grace.')

The 2 letter root that these words share in common are the 2 letters (from right to left) chet, and nun, which I highlighted in red. (as an aside, the letter nun is elongated if at the end of a word, which is why it looks different from the first instance where it is in the middle of the word)

What then, is the relationship between encamping, and showing favor or grace? While a very common definition of grace is an unmerited or undeserved act of kindness, I want to add some more to that definition.

Think for a moment of what life would be like in a desert. A barren, desolate place, very harsh for anyone trying to go it alone; in fact, deadly. For those living in such conditions, there is truly safety in numbers. Survival depends upon people who are able to encamp together.

Just as important, companionship is another thing needed, for in a shared life mental stability, encouragement, stimulation, acceptance, and value are but some of the many benefits derived from encampment.

Anyone who has gone camping has probably experienced a level of friendliness and sociability that is almost all but absent in everyday life for most of us. There is something about the experience that just draws it out.

All that I have described is the grace God lavishes on us, and that we are encouraged to lavish on others. He encamps around us and with us, and we share the one life, his life. In this there is safety, encouragement, spiritual stimulation, acceptance, and value. Of that which we enjoy we have many opportunities to encamp with others because as we come to appreciate all that he is in us and us in him, being around others that we view as along the same journey draws it out, just like being on a literal camping trip. Who has Father put along your path to camp with? :)

Ron

PAUL'S SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF RED SEA CROSSING

2010-10-20T10:13:00.002-04:00

(Exo 14:13) Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.

(Gal 5:1) Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Do you see any similarity between these two statements?

The word salvation in the Hebrew language, means spaciousness. It is the opposite of the word bondage, meaning to be hemmed in, constrained. When Moses said the words recorded in Exodus, Israel was hemmed in-the Red Sea on one side, and the Egyptian army on the other- with nowhere to go. This is a classic picture of bondage, for it left them hopeless, and the Lord led them there to show the he is the only hope.

To see the salvation of the Lord was to be delivered out of that hemmed in situation into spaciousness, which ultimately for them would be the experience of the promised land.

See how similar that prophetic event is to the spiritual situation of man, hemmed in by the bondage to sin-with death on one side, and the world and it's enemies on the other- with nowhere to go.

God delivered us from that bondage into the spaciousness, or freedom, of the land we now live in, Christ himself! Yes, in him we have our every provision met, and much more. Since he is unlimited, as Paul said, we experience the ultimate in spaciousness today, his riches with no end in sight!

I want to tell them of the great riches of Christ, which do not come to an end. Eph 3:8 New Life Bible.

Ron

GOD'S VIEW OF FAMILY

2010-10-17T13:31:00.003-04:00

Many try to live by the coined phrase "God first, family second." I used to do that as well, but over the past few years the Lord has totally changed my understanding and view of what family is in his eyes. It seems as though when I have tried to share this with others, the response has been either misunderstanding (usually in the form of thinking that I don't care about my wife and children) or, a nod of the head, but with reason why such thinking isn't practical for "today's world."

I believe that Jesus came to bring about the reality of all things, including the concept of family. Yes, scripture teaches us that what we call family is in fact a creation of God for the purpose of being a physical shadow pointing to a spiritual reality.

This reality however, is not shadowed by what most consider family today, for today's family is a far cry from what God made from the beginning, even those that are close-knit. Let me explain by sharing a couple of quotes from The Bible Almanac:

In the most basic sense, a Hebrew family consisted of a husband, a wife, and their children. When the husband had more than one wife, the 'family' included all of the wives and the children in their various relationships. Sometimes the family included everyone who shared a common dwelling place under the protection of the head of the family. They might be grandparents, servants, and visitors, as well as widowed daughters and their children. The extended family commonly included sons and their wives and children. God counted Abraham's slaves as part of the family group, for He required Abraham to circumcise them. In Israel's early history, as many as four generations lived together. This was a normal part of the semi-nomadic life-style and the later agricultural one. - pg. 416.

What struck me as I was reading this yesterday was that family would include 'visitors', those who stopped by for a period of time to stay. Now I can hear the objection coming already, that 'we live in different times now, not like it was back then.' Yes, that is true, but is that being said as an excuse to 'just keep things the way they are', because we are afraid of change, or bucking the so-called 'system?

One of the things I have been seeing Father teaching me is that he reveals the things that are now right out of the beginning. For all the great accomplishments we have seen in our day, there is still much wisdom to be gained from the past, including how to view one another. The Hebrew people viewed family in a much larger and more communal way than is the case today.

Where did this idea of family (meaning father, mother, and children alone) come from? Well, here is the second quote from this book I want to share:

The Romans did not value the 'extended family' as the Jews did; the immediate family was the basic unit of their society. -pg 417.

This view of 'immediate' family has served to cause separation and distance between what God desires from his heart, which is true community among all in a given area. This, and various things that Jesus said about family have caused me to view my brothers and sisters, not as simply some title to tack onto the name of someone I 'attend' the same 'worship service' with- brother so and so, or sister so and so- but as truly brother and sister, just as much as my fleshly sister.

Have you ever heard of the distinction between one's 'spiritual family' and 'real family?' Those who think in such ways should really step back and consider what they are saying, for it is the reverse of what God thinks. 'Real family' to him IS the 'spiritual family!' The physical, natural one is merely a shadow of the reality. The Hebrew people lived in that reality, recognizing the truth that family goes way beyond marital ties and natural birth.

Because of this, whenever you hear or read of me mentioning my family, I am never simply referring to my wife and children, although they are certainly a part. I include you as well, my brothers, sisters, mothers, and children. You are not like them to me, but you are them, for that is reality.

But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
(Mar 10:30)

I cannot concern myself with whether you misunderstand me, or think I am living in a fantasy world that can never be real. I can only proclaim what is real, and leave it for our Father to work out as he pleases.

Ron

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, YOU WHO ARE VALUED IN THE LORD

2010-10-04T15:39:00.005-04:00

At times I have wondered (even doubted) if all the effort I put into writing the various articles here was worth it. Judging by the number of responses I have received, one would think it to be a total waste of time. The Lord told me almost a year ago, during one of my times of doubt, that what he is having me do is for those who will see it after I am gone, the next generation, so that I will not become exalted in myself from what I am receiving from him.

I must admit that I have had problems believing that, and yet someone who I do not know very well confirmed it by making that same statement to me a few weeks back, which really hit me, because I have never told anyone of it except my wife. I am thankful for that confirmation, and the way that it came, so I press on in faith, since it is his work to do with as he pleases, not mine.

Thankfully, the Lord has given me snippets of encouragement from unlikely sources which also strengthen me to continue sharing things which I believe are important for us to know. One such source just last week came from someone I have never met, who, on reading a post of mine on a message board I decided to stop posting on, wrote this to me on there:

Ron,
You are going to be missed! I don't often get a chance to log on, but I am always happy when I see that you have posted. You have a beautiful spirit and much wisdom!
I have been visiting Ronsrestingplace for a long time, (it is awesome!), and I was thrilled recently to learn of your Original Hebrew site.
I have much I would like to ask you about,(most recently you posted insights into the fullness of the gentiles on another thread)
I am going to miss you, your input here is exceedingly valuable!

Once again, (this same thing happened before over a year ago) the Lord used someone in the body to show me that even though whatever will happen with the things I am writing in the future is yet future, even now there are those who find encouragement from me, which I so very much appreciate. Here is someone who said they have visited this site for a long time, and I never knew until they mentioned it.

To find each other as valuable in Christ is so desperately needed today. I thank Father for this timely little note of value to me, and my prayer is that more and more of us would rise up to the challenge of finding AND EXPRESSING value to one another, for in doing so, we are expressing our value of Christ, our head. Yes, my dear brothers and sisters,

YOU ARE VALUABLE BEYOND MEASURE, FILLED FROM HIS LIMITLESS LOVE.

Ron

LESSONS FROM THE GENEALOGY OF CAIN AND ADAM

2010-10-02T20:50:00.005-04:00

In Genesis 4 we have the genealogy of Cain, and in Genesis 5 we have the genealogy of Adam. It is very easy to quickly pass over these verses to 'get to the good stuff' afterward, the flood. However, all scripture is beneficial for teaching, and these 2 genealogies are no exception. Let's see what these genealogies have to teach us.

Here is the listing of Cain's sons. Notice what is said about some of them:

Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe. Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.
(Gen 4:17-22)

Now compare that with the listing of Adam's sons. Notice what is said about them:

He created them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of sons and daughters. All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died. Seth lived one hundred five years, and became the father of Enosh. Seth lived after he became the father of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years, then he died. Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. Enosh lived after he became the father of Kenan, eight hundred fifteen years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years, then he died. Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. Kenan lived after he became the father of Mahalalel eight hundred forty years, and became the father of sons and daughters and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred ten years, then he died. Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. Mahalalel lived after he became the father of Jared eight hundred thirty years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, then he died. Jared lived one hundred sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. Jared lived after he became the father of Enoch eight hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years, then he died. Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he became the father of Methuselah three hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Methuselah lived one hundred eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech. Methuselah lived after he became the father of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died. Lamech lived one hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of a son, and he named him Noah, saying, "This same will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Yahweh has cursed." Lamech lived after he became the father of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and became the father of sons and daughters. All the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years, then he died.
(Gen 5:2-31)

The son's out of Cain generally had their accomplishments listed, something giving credit to them. We find none of that in the listing of the son's of Adam. All we find listed (with the exception of Enoch) is that they died.

What then, is the Lord teaching us through these 2 lists? Cain, who is also the seed of the serpent, pictures the flesh, and fleshly accomplishments. There is no mention of death in the first genealogy because the flesh is all about doing what it has to to preserve itself alive. Jesus had this to say about such thinking:

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it...
(Mat 16:25)

On the other hand, we can see that the seed of the woman through Adam pictures the death of the old man in order to find life in the Messiah. Jesus went on to say,

and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
(Mat 16:25)

One thing we find about all the descendants listed in Gen 5 is that they were all out of Seth, who was born after Adam's likeness.

Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
(Gen 5:3)

That likeness and image is the old man that Adam became. That old man had to die, and we are encouraged to be determined to always see that old man as dead, and ourselves as alive only in Christ, our life. This was Paul's determination:

For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
(1Co 2:2)

Remember that anything concerning our Lord, concerns us, his body as well. So Paul also said such things as:

For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.
(2Co 5:14)

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
(Gal 2:20)

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
(Col 3:3)

Yes brothers and sisters, the truths Jesus and Paul expounded concerning the old man and his ways, and what had to happen to him, and how we are to view ourselves, have been hidden in Torah, all the way back in 2 little listings found in Genesis 4 and 5. Once again, God reveals the end right out of the beginning.

Telling from the beginning, the hereafter, and from aforetime, what has not yet been done. Saying, `All My counsel shall be confirmed, and all My desire will I do.'"
(Isa 46:10)

Ron

THE BRANCH-DEPICTIONS OF CHRIST FOUND IN THE GOSPELS

2010-10-01T19:34:00.002-04:00

In another article I wrote of how the 4 living creatures written of in Ezekiel correspond to the 4 gospels, depicting Jesus as King and Servant, as Heavenly and Earthly. We are going to examine another image that depicts Messiah in similar fashion, known in Hebrew as צמח.

This 'Tsemach', or Branch, is listed as a title describing the Messiah in the following scriptures:

Isaiah 4:2-4; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12

These 5 scriptures describe aspects of the Messiah that form the theme of the 4 gospel accounts, as well as the revelation, which some consider a 5th gospel. Let's now look at these individually, and see the depictions:

Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
(Jer 23:5)

Here, the Branch is depicted as a King. Which gospel primarily portrays Jesus as king? Matthew does.

Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men who are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant, the Branch.
(Zec 3:8)

Here, the Branch is depicted as a Servant. Which gospel primarily portrays Jesus as servant? Mark does.

and speak to him, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of Armies, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Yahweh;
(Zec 6:12)

Here, the Branch is depicted as a Man. Which gospel primarily portrays Jesus as man? Luke does.

In that day, Yahweh's branch will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the beauty and glory of the survivors of Israel.
(Isa 4:2)

Here, the Branch is depicted as Beautiful and Glorious. This is how Jesus is primarily depicted in the gospel of John.

And lastly:

In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
(Jer 33:15)

Here we see depicted the righteousness of the Branch, out of which justice and righteousness prevails. This is Jesus depicted in Revelation.

Once again, we see an interweaving of all the Lord of all is, all wrapped up in the symbolism of a Branch, coming from the root of Jesse. Being part of that same stock, we also participate in all that Christ is, as his body today.

Ron

ALIENATION FROM GOD-IN THE MIND

2010-09-18T22:13:00.009-04:00

Man has been familiar with the concept of alienation from God for thousands of years. This is one of the primary ideas behind religion, which leads it to be a lifelong pursuit of getting close or closer to this distant God.

The Bible does speak about alienation from God as well, but it is important to understand WHERE that alienation is, and what the cause of it is.

Let's look at one of the things Paul had to write about it, in Ephesians 4. Paul was a Hebrew, and as such, thought like one. I also believe he wrote like one. I say this because in the passages I want us to look at, verses 17-18, I believe he was using Semitic poetry in the form of parallelism there. This is where you have a thought or thoughts stated in slightly different ways, in order to connect those ideas together.

Here is Eph 4:17, 18:

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;

Now, I am going to put this together according to the parallelisms I see, which consist of 3 sets of 2 things:

SET 1 futility............................... mind
SET 2 darkened.......................... understanding
SET 3 ignorance.......................... hearts

What we can see is that futility, darkness, and ignorance are connected; and the mind, understanding, and hearts are connected also.

Another way to see this is to set it up as this way:

in the futility of their mind,
[AS A RESULT OF]
being darkened in their understanding,
[IN OTHER WORDS]
alienated from the life of God,
[WHY]
because of the ignorance that is in them,
[FROM WHAT]
because of the hardening of their hearts

This teaches us that the darkening of the understanding is equivalent to alienation from the life of God. And what is one thing that this darkness is likened to? Ignorance. Ignorance simply means 'without knowledge or awareness.' So Paul is telling us that the alienation is not a REALITY, but a PERCEPTION; and a wrong one at that.

What then, is causing this ignorance and darkness that causes man to perceive himself as alienated from the life of God? Paul says it is the hardening of their hearts. That hardness is likened by Paul to a veil, and notice where that veil lies, and what is darkened as a result:

But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away. But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
(2Co 3:14-15)

See the connection with what Paul wrote in Ephesians? In reality, man is not alienated from God. He, who is light, is their very life

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
(Joh 1:4)

but if that light is covered with a veil, what will be seen? Darkness. Most of mankind goes about ignorant of the very light and life that they are in, and who is in them.

Remember how Paul that these things result in the gentiles walking in futility? This reminds me of another thematic connection found in Acts 17:

He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live, and move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
(Act 17:26-28)

Can you see the futility of the nations here? It's not as clear in this translation, but the phrase 'reach out' means to 'grope', or 'feel for.' The reason they are groping for God is because they are in darkness, as that is what causes one to grope. As another example of this, notice the Lord's words through the prophet Isaiah:

We grope for the wall like the blind; yes, we grope as those who have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among those who are lusty we are as dead men.
(Isa 59:10)

I wrote on the Acts 17 passage in another article, but the point Paul was making here was that these people were groping as in the dark, trying to find God, as though he were apart from them, when they were in him the whole time! It would be similar to me being in my house, and yet telling everyone that I am trying to find my house. Such thinking is indeed futile and based on ignorance.

This is important, brothers and sisters, because the good news is not about how you can get close to an otherwise distant God, but rather about how God, in Christ, destroyed that which caused the perception of separation, revealing the truth of our oneness with him!!

Ron

JOSEPH'S COAT-WHAT MEANING FOR US?

2010-09-11T18:24:00.004-04:00

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors.
(Gen 37:3)

This coat, given by Jacob, gave evidence to Joseph's brothers that he was loved more than they were. For that reason, they hated Joseph:

His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn't speak peaceably to him.
(Gen 37:4)

Now, while in most Bible's it calls this coat a coat of many colors, the Hebrew word 'pas' literally means 'extremity.' What this tells us is that this garment was actually one that reached to the hands and feet. This holds a significant lesson for us, a reality that should set our often worried minds at ease.

You see, back in those days, those who worked for a living typically wore sleeveless garments, which freed the arms to be able to perform various tasks in work. To put it another way, the clothes that were worn by the typical man representing toil and labor.

Only the rich, those of royalty, would wear garments that went all the way to the sleeves. They did this because, unlike the people around them, they didn't have to labor for a living.

Jacob, in giving Joseph this coat, was, in effect saying that Joseph would be royalty. He would not have to toil. It was a robe of distinction, which his brothers understood and so hated him for it.

Jesus came as the greater Joseph to teach us that we, being in him, have on that same spiritual garment that extends to our hands and feet. In Christ, we have been declared royalty. The spiritual toiling for righteousness and God's favor is over. We are distinguished from those who continue to toil along in life, not knowing God because of the ignorance in them.

You see, Jesus is that garment. That is why we have been told that we have put on Christ.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(Gal 3:27)

That garment is also spoken of in Revelation, where John describes it this way:

It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
(Rev 19:8)

This is no ordinary garment. It had to be made of fine linen because other materials would cause sweat, which represents the toil and labor of self-effort. These righteous acts are the fruit of our righteousness, who is Jesus Christ. Priests wore these types of garments:

They shall have linen tires on their heads, and shall have linen breeches on their waists; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.
(Eze 44:18)

See the connection? They could not sweat. They represent us today, who have been made to be in rest, even while we labor. Our labor is a fruit out of a completed work, not a labor in sweat out of an incomplete work. Think on that, for it makes such a difference in life.

Rest in the completed work of Christ, knowing you are wearing robes of righteousness, which distinguishes you from the world which hates you, laboring in sweat as they do.

Ron

IN HIM, AN EXAMINATION

2010-09-10T20:22:00.004-04:00

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;
(Eph 1:3-4)

What did Paul have in mind when he wrote these words? I am going to take us through some possibilities and see how they pan out, because there is an important reality to any and everything that occurs 'in him.'

Some will say that to be chosen in Christ means that whoever is chosen is chosen to be in Christ. In other words, 'in Christ' is a destination. They would see Paul as saying that 'he chose us to be in him before that foundation of the world...'

This is a subtlety that distorts the meaning and makes the gospel a man-centered one. Let me explain. Some believe that the basis upon which the choice is made is God's knowing beforehand who will believe in Jesus. From before the foundation of the world, he looked down through time and knew that John would believe in Jesus, so he chose him. He know that Joe would not believe, so he did not choose him. That is the general thinking.

Others believe that the choice is based solely on God's own pleasure, and nothing more. From before the foundation of the world, he decided to choose John and not Joe, simply because he has the right to do whatever he wants with his creation, and it was his pleasure to choose John, but not Joe.

In each case though, I believe a fundamental flaw exists. For whatever reason, if anyone is chosen while outside of Christ to be placed into Christ at a later time, then that choice is centered in man. Man, apart from Christ, is somehow deemed choosable.

'In him' has nothing to do with destination, but rather with origin. You see, it is not that anyone is chosen to be in Christ, but that in Christ we are chosen. See the difference? God's choice had its origin, or source, in Christ. Truly the gospel is the gospel of Christ, and thus centered on him. Our being chosen was from the place of being 'in Christ' at the time of choosing. The good pleasure that Paul writes about in verse 5...

having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
(Eph 1:5)

is Jesus Christ! Paul relates this by comparison to the sacrifices of the old covenant:

Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, "Sacrifice and offering you didn't desire, but you prepared a body for me; You had no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God.' "
(Heb 10:5-7)

Notice that God did not desire, nor take pleasure in the various offerings, because he had another desire. He wanted a body, one prepared for his son. It was in his Jesus that he would take pleasure, because Jesus actually did God's will, which he was sent to do. Ultimately, no other man ever did.

From God's own mouth, it is his son only with whom he is well pleased:

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."
(Mat 17:5)

Therefore, the only way any of us can be chosen is to be 'in him.' God, in choosing Christ, also chose by association everyone in him. When a person is chosen for something, every part of them is chosen, are they not? No one says, 'hey, come eat with us tonight, but leave your arms at home.' Sound ridiculous? It should. It really is that simple.

It is the same spiritually, which is why Paul was given the revelation of us being the 'body of Christ.' Now, with this foundational understanding, I encourage you to go over all the verses which speak about anything 'in him', meaning that he is the source and reason for whatever the 'in him' passages are saying.

The gospel is not about you, how smart or intuitive you are because you were wise enough to see your need for Christ and chose him. Nor is it about you, that you were somehow blessed enough to be handpicked by God just because he felt like it.

The gospel has always been, and will always be, about Christ, and him alone. All of the blessings we enjoy are only enjoyed because in choosing Christ, God was merciful in having us to be in him, along for the ride of Life.

Ron

THREE BARRIERS TO SALVATION, TYPES AND FULFILLMENTS

2010-09-06T15:18:00.004-04:00

There were 3 barriers preventing Israel from entering the promised land. Two of them involved water; the Red Sea and the Jordan River. The third one was the peoples inhabiting the land they were to inherit. Let us examine these barriers and see how they are all fulfilled in Christ.

The Red Sea

Exo 14:4 I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will follow after them; and I will get honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies; and the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh."

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

Egypt is symbolic of the world, which produces bondage and slavery to it. Pharaoh is a picture of Satan. Here we see that, just as God would get honor over Pharaoh, so also Christ would get victory over the world, defeating Satan and setting us free from its law.

Exo 14:11 They said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us forth out of Egypt?
Exo 14:12 Isn't this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

Here we see in their reaction the hidden barrier showing its ugly head. We will get more into it later, but take note of this attitude of unbelief in them, and how God deals with it later.

Exo 14:13 Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.

Exo 14:16 Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.
Exo 14:21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Salvation would come, not from anything they would or could do, but solely from Yahweh himself, through the hand of his chosen one- Moses. Take special note of the fact that the hand of the prophet Moses was used here for this miracle- a hand stretched out. When we get to the Jordan River crossing, notice the difference:

Jos 3:13 It shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap."

Here we see the feet of the priests being used in this miracle. Likewise, the miracle of salvation and entering into the promised land of rest in Christ took place by the piercing of the stretched out hands of the prophet to come, Jesus, and the feet of the true High Priest, who was also Jesus.

This is a veiled picture of the cross.

The Jordan River

Just as the Red Sea crossing pictured the conquering of Satan and the world, the Jordan River crossing pictures a conquering as well-the death of the flesh.

Paul said that

flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God... 1Co 15:50

All of those who left Egypt represented the flesh. They exhibited the signs of the flesh by their constant complaining and inability to remain faithful to God while there. Their unbelief manifested itself many times. Even Moses exhibited his flesh on one occasion, and that was all it took to keep him out of the promised land as well.

There were 2 however, who left Egypt, who were allowed to go in. They were Joshua and Caleb.

Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, a natural born Jew.
Caleb was of the tribe of Judah by adoption, being a natural born Gentile.

Thus we see pictured 2 things here relating to what Christ did on the cross. Joshua the Jew, and Caleb the Gentile, together enter the promised land. Paul writes of the uniting of Jew and Gentile into the one body of Christ:

having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. (Eph 2:15, 16)

The other thing is that in Joshua and Caleb we find pictured the fulfillment of the new covenant, for it was given to 2 parties, the house of Israel and the house of Judah:

Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, 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 broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh. (Jer 31:31,32)

The house of Israel was represented by Ephraim, son of Joseph, which made up 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel. The children of Israel were represented by the house of Judah, made up of Judah and Benjamin. This division occurred after Solomon died, due to his unfaithfulness to Yahweh.

Ezekiel writes of this division being healed:

You, son of man, take one stick, and write on it, For his companions: then take another stick, and write on it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them for you one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. When the children of your people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not show us what you mean by these? tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them with it, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in my hand. (Eze 37:16-19)

Remember that Caleb was of Judah, while Joshua was of Ephraim. Fittingly then, in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, as well as this division of Israel, are all brought together as one into Christ. In him there is no more division!

Aside from Joshua and Caleb, the children born to those who left Egypt were allowed to go in. This pictures the new birth. New life, born of the spirit, entering the land. Unlike their fathers:

Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of Yahweh, that he had worked for Israel. (Jos 24:31)

That speaks of us today, who serve the greater Joshua, Jesus, all his days, meaning for all eternity. We have been made to do so.

The Seven Nations Defeated

Once they crossed the Jordan, they had one final barrier, for not only did the flesh have to die, but also the deeds of the flesh. Sin had to go. These deeds are summarized in these 7 nations.

They are listed for us in Joshua 3:10

Joshua said, "Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.

These 7 nations correspond to deeds and attitudes of the flesh manifested as sin that Christ conquered on the cross. I will only give a bare bones synopsis here, but feel free to contact me if you wish to have more information on this.

Canaanites represent the love of money, specifically as it pertains to merchandising.
Hittites represent terror.
Hivites represent worldly life.
Perizzites represent those who are mixed with the world.
Girgashites represent weakness.
Amorites represent fleshly prominence.
Jebusites represent being dominated.

These 7 nations are also characteristic of the 7 abominations that the Lord hates, written of in Proverbs 6:6-19. Here they are listed with the people group represented:

There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
Amorite = haughty eyes,
Girgashite = a lying tongue,
Hittite = hands that shed innocent blood;
Hivite = a heart that devises wicked schemes,
Jebusite = feet that are swift in running to mischief,
Canaanite = a false witness who utters lies,
Perizzite = and he who sows discord among brothers.
Those 7 traits were not only defeated by Christ for us, but now we have the following sevenfold traits of the spirit of God:

and the Spirit of God shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill Him; the spirit of the fear of God.

We are truly complete in him, for he has conquered all. Satan and his world, the flesh, and sin have been dealt with. Why wait any longer? The land is yours. Rest in him! Praise be to him forever!

GOOD OUT OF EVIL

2010-09-05T16:50:00.002-04:00

I have learned to be thankful in the midst of evil, understanding, as I do now, why it was created by God. Notice this series of comparisons of a former evil and its relation to the latter blessing.

Rom 5:15 But the free gift isn't like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

Rom 5:17 For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

righteousness [good]> so much more > trespass [evil]

Rom 5:20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

grace abounded [good] > more exceedingly > sin abounded [evil]

2Co 3:7-10 But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away: won't service of the Spirit be with much more glory? For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.

glory of service of Spirit, righteousness [good] > much more, surpasses > service of death, condemnation [evil]

As an aside, do not misunderstand Paul here. He is not saying that the ten commandments written in stone are themselves condemnation, or death-something bad or evil. It is that the law written in stone, as righteous and spiritual, and good, and holy as it was, when given to the flesh, could only bring about death and condemnation, because the flesh cannot submit, but only rebel. See the difference? Do not disparage the law of God, for it is now IN us, as fruit, whereas before it was OUTSIDE, as a work.

2Co 4:6-7 seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.

treasure, power of God [good]> exceeding greatness > darkness, clay vessels [evil]

Notice how the the latter is seen and experienced to be greater and more. This can only be as it relates and compares to the former. Thus, the former is needed, and in that sense beneficial in the context of the whole.

2Co 4:11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.

Paul writes here of the necessity of being delivered over to death constantly, for the express purpose of the life of Jesus being revealed out of bodies that are considered mortal, dead. How is this so? Well, there is hardly anything more inspiring than to witness someone going through, and coming out of, adversity, victorious. That is exactly what is being considered here, that others could witness all the hardship that the apostles went through, and yet in spite of it all, seeing, not a caving in and being destroyed, but instead a strength beyond description, a peace defying imagination, and a resoluteness not of themselves, but of God. Notice Paul's description of this very thing:

2Co 4:8 We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; 2Co 4:9 pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;

Rom 8:20,21,28 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

liberty of the glory of the children of God [good]> in hope (out of)> vanity, bondage of decay [evil]

In context, the 'all things' working together for good has to do with vain things related to bondage and decay-in other words, evil. These were the result of God's own doing so that, out of such a condition, creation would be delivered by God into the freedom and liberty of the glory of the children of God.

To quote Yanki Tauber:

That is why, say the Kabbalists, G-d created evil. Darkness exists so that it should be transformed into light, resulting in a luminance infinitely greater than light itself could ever yield. Cruelty is implanted in the heart of man so that we should tap its intensity to fuel acts of kindness infinitely more potent than kindness itself could ever produce. Evil exists to be exploited by goodness.

When you experience evil (and you will) know that there is someone Greater than the evil, working behind the scenes, producing more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. 2Co 4:17

Ron

SIGN OF A DISCIPLE OF JESUS

2010-08-27T21:47:00.002-04:00

If someone said that they knew you were a disciple of Jesus, what is it that they would see that would lead them to that conclusion?

Today there is a different understanding of what a disciple is than what it meant back in the time of Jesus. Many would define being a disciple as one who is disciplined to be like Jesus, and it breaks down typically into 3 areas:

1. Bible study

2. Prayer life

3. Evangelizing

While all of these things can be beneficial, they are NOT what being a disciple of Jesus is about. Jesus himself told his disciples what others would see that would tell them that they were his disciples, and it did not include any of these 3 things. Here is what Jesus said on the night before his crucifixion:

By this all will know you are my disciples..._______________

What do you think he said?

Before we see, let's try and see if any of these 3 typical things would fit:

By this all will know you are my disciples, by your Bible study.

Well, most people study the Bible privately, and usually those who are not believers (the ones he is speaking of as knowing they were disciples), would have no clue how much someone studies the Bible, if at all.

By this all will know you are my disciples, by your prayer life.

Jesus himself said that when we pray, to go into our closet and pray privately to our Father. Only the hypocrites were known for their so-called 'great' prayers. So I don't think that is what Jesus had in mind.

By this all will know you are my disciples, by your evangelizing.

This one could be something seen by others, but this is not what Jesus said either. So what is it that would identify to the world that one is a disciple of Jesus?

By this all will know you are my disciples, by the love you have among yourselves.

Now, be honest, have you ever been in a discipleship class where loving other believers was even discussed as having any relation to being a disciple? I know I haven't.

Think for a moment. Jesus knew the scriptures, but he is not known as one who studied them. We have no record of him even doing so. Jesus was certainly a man of prayer, yet he was not known specifically as one. And he did go around telling the good news, and teaching, yet in his mind, to be his disciple meant one thing that encompassed ALL that he did, and that was to love one another as he had loved them while with them.

What did that involve? Basically, it was a shared life of caring deeply for and providing for his disciples, teaching them to do the same for each other when he left. And yet most of Christianity revolves primarily around meeting once or twice a week usually around some common cause, and perhaps a get together every now and then (usually only with people in your 'church'). Believers can actually be neighbors and yet hardly know each other. Despite these appearances however, this love Jesus spoke of is a reality resident within the heart.

As the world watches, what do they see in you, a disciple of Jesus? May God's love, poured out into our hearts, overflow into the lives of others around us, especially those in our family of faith. Such love is one of the most powerful forces known to man. It is what enabled the early believers to withstand all that they went through, and the same holds true today, in a cynical world full of indifference.

MAN'S FALL FROM REALITY, AND RESTORATION

2010-08-08T11:09:00.001-04:00

Paul once said that anyone who desired to be justified by law has fallen from grace. Now, does that mean that he is literally no longer within the grace of God, as though that grace has limits? God's grace is as limitless as God himself.

To fall from grace then, as I understand it, would mean that one would not be living in his own mind and experience as one under grace, but would once again be entering into the old way of thinking, which led to guilt, shame, sin consciousness, etc. It is to live in the ways of sin and death, as opposed to the way which is reality for them, of life and peace and freedom.

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, their perception of themselves with relation to God changed, not literally, but in their mind. They SAW [changed perception] that they were naked, and felt shame, and the need to hide. God wasn't hiding from them though. He was seeking fellowship with them just as before. Jesus came to restore that lost identity, to reveal that, by means of his death, burial, and resurrection, that old man, with it's way of thinking, would be crucified with Christ on that cross, and thus man could once again experience, not BECOMING one with the Father and Son, but to BE one with them, for man has always been one with God. To "be" speaks of living as one already is. It is not the same as "becoming" something, which has to do with coming to "be" what you are not already.

Ron

THAT THEY MAY BE ONE EVEN AS WE ARE ONE

2010-08-04T06:22:00.000-04:00

Joh 17:20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word,
Joh 17:21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.
Joh 17:22 The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;

Here we see a simple truth, hidden right in Jesus' words to his Father, which is that we have ALWAYS been one with the Father and the Son. He defines the oneness as a mutual being "in." Son in Father, Father in Son. So likewise, us in them, and them in us.

I am starting to see more and more as I consider the writings of scripture (currently I am working through Isaiah 59) that there has never truly been any separation of God from man, but rather that sin has covered and blinded man, making him believe he is separated and distant, when in fact he is not.

When Jesus prayed the above, as I have said on other blogs, the little word "be" is a key to understanding what he said. For he did not ask that they would "become" one, because that would mean that they were not already one. Rather, he asked that they would "be" one, meaning that, by what Jesus would do, and their belief in that, they would experience the oneness that was theirs all along, but hidden by sin.

God has always been, and will always be, our life. If he were to truly separate himself from us, we would cease to exist. Now it has been revealed that that life in God is none other than the one new man, Jesus Christ, and us in and with him, hidden, as Paul puts it. What a glorious truth to know of our oneness with him, and what a joy to be able to share this truth with others, that they may believe and experience it as well. No more guilt or shame!

Ron

VALIDATION

2010-07-20T08:14:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday morning, a group of men from the assembly here met together and one of the things shared with me in my current situation I wanted to share with all of you for encouragement. You see, I have struggled most of my life with feeling misunderstood, and having a desire to be understood, and accepted.

What was told to me was the fact that when Jesus spoke, his motivation was not to be understood, or even accepted, but simply to proclaim. I knew that, but it was so good to be reminded of that truth again, as it is one thing to know something, and quite another to live it in my experience. It was sort of tucked away in the recesses of my mind, until a brother shared that with me.

It was also said that we do not need validation from anyone, including each other, as the only validation we truly need we have already received, from God himself. This frees us then, to speak freely whatever is on our hearts and minds.

Sometimes it will be life, and sometimes it will be death. I was assured by these men that even if we speak out of our butts, we are still loved just the same and recognize it for what it is. I know that because I have witnessed that amongst our gathering. That in and of itself is so freeing as well.

We know we will, as believers, never totally agree with everything we say to one another. But the constancy of knowing we do not need to be understood, or accepted even, for that has already been done, frees us to simply proclaim.

I recognize that to feel the way I do and let it keep me silent and selfish (thinking only about how things affect ME) is, just as one brother put it, BONDAGE. And we have been set free, and we are called to live in that freedom.

I thank God for those in my life who speak life to me, and where I can for them as well. I know they will be praying for me to continue to grow in the experience of that freedom, as hard as it is for me. (Who am I kidding, as IMPOSSIBLE as it is) :) But of course, not so with Papa. I love you so much, for you are soo soo good to us all.

Ron

A LITTLE EXPERIMENT

2010-07-17T08:02:00.002-04:00

Take out a blender (a good one is best for this lesson), and put in it some type of vegetable, such as kale or spinach, etc; something that most people would not care to eat raw, much less drink in a smoothie. Then take a sweet fruit, such as strawberry, banana, etc., and add it to the blender. Blend thoroughly. Now, since you don't like kale or spinach in a drink, go ahead and take it out. Woops, we have a problem. No can do.

I guess you are going to have to drink it as is. When you look at this green concoction, it certainly doesn't look appetizing does it? But, because you know I would never waste your hard earned food, you close your nose, and eyes, and take a sip. Notice something interesting? You taste banana, and strawberry, but no kale or spinach!

So you open your eyes, and finish it up. The entire thing was delicious!

Now, having completed that "experiment", have a look at this:

1Co 12:24 Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member,

1Co 12:25 so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another.-NET

By the way, the word in the KJV "tempered" or in the NASB "composed", literally means, to mix, or blend.

Isn't this true, that God blends the body (vegetables=you and me, and fruit=Jesus) together, giving greater honor to the lesser member (anyone who feels like an unsavory veggie) by blending us all up with the sweetness of our Lord? And in so doing, there is no division. You cannot separate us out from Him anymore than you can the blended veggies from the fruit! And in this new man we have all become, as we partake of our Lord, partaking of one another in the process, we find that EACH AND EVERY one, without exception, provides what we need.

Now the real question is...which am I, a kale, or a spinach? :)

Ron

DISAGREEMENTS-A REASON FOR DIVISION?

2010-07-11T18:33:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking quite a bit about a post that A-Rose made on a message board I frequent, and it brought back memories of my past and where I have come since then. As some of you may know, I was for many years in several different church backgrounds, including Jehovah's Witnesses. That mindset in particular is what was touched in me when I read his post.

It got me to thinking on what I used to believe about unity, and what I see now. Here are some thoughts on this that I hope will offer a more biblical perspective on this subject.

Doctrinal disagreements themselves do not ever cause division, only people do. It is when people make those ideas the basis for separation. Throughout history this sin of division has been falsely justified under the guise of someone's quest for "doctrinal purity." Sounds good, but it is far from it.

One's beliefs about eschatology (which is a big topic of discussion on this particular message board), or about the nature of the resurrection, or predestination, etc, at worst means that they may need to be straightened out by someone more grounded and mature, and yet at the same time, such a believer is still to be considered a fellow brother or sister in Christ.

Think about it. I can speak for myself that if what I believe is the sole basis of my fellowship, then not only myself, but some of you would not have been able to fellowship with yourself say, five years ago because you now longer hold to a doctrinal position you once held.

One point that A-Rose brought up was unity in the "essentials of the faith." So what about the essential doctrines, say those regarding salvation? Doctrines essential for salvation such as knowing our one Lord rather than a false Christ does not divide one Christian from another Christian, but rather it divides Christians from non-Christians. These essential doctrines, whatever one thinks they are, divide the Church from the world, not one church from another church.

Yet unfortunately today the vast majority of divisions between churches have nothing to do with the essentials of the faith, but rather petty doctrines created by men. Even when there are disagreements about salvation among Christians, that is not grounds for division between one another. Why is that? Well, if one Christian believes salvation is say, by God's doing alone, from his choosing alone, and another Christian believes God only offers us salvation and that it is up to us to choose him, but both are genuinely born again believers, then they are to be recognized as Christians, as believers, as brothers, both of them, even though the one believes the other is mistaken.

This is very scriptural, for you often find Paul dealing with false beliefs that believers were dealing with, yet Paul speaks to such ones as brothers in the Lord, partakers of his grace. He never told believers who were dividing themselves to stay divided, but rather to work their issues out as brothers and sisters, in love.

It is one thing to disagree with a fellow believer, and quite another to give up fellowship with them because of it. Children may and often do disagree with each other about things in a family, but they do not go off and start a new sub-family. They stay and hopefully work things out. They are still considered part of the family. And even if someone has to be put out of the church because they are being divisive, Paul makes it clear that while we would not be intimate with them, we would still warn them "as a brother." They are still part of the spiritual family, even in their state of error. The breaking of fellowship is for their restoration.

Despite all the disagreements, disputes, arguments, etc in the early church, there was still only one church. There was not one church formed out of every disagreement; there was only one church who at times had disagreements, sometimes even serious ones. We have had enough evidence of this false idea of dividing over doctrine, and what a mess we see today. Yet, amid that mess, is the reality that we still only have one visible true body of believers, and to me fighting to make that as visible as possible in how we deal with each other and view each other is one of the most important things we can do.

Ron

AN EXPERIENCE OF A PASTOR I KNOW

2010-07-11T18:30:00.001-04:00

A couple years ago my wife came home from her church and shared something with me that never happened before there. It is a pretty laid back church, about 100 or so people, that meet in a school. They do the normal routine of singing for a while, being led by a music group, then the pastor either has a message to bring, or sometimes other designated men will.

I have spoken to him on a few occasions of why I do not choose to attend there, and of course he does not see it the same way I do. The way I understand it is too risky for him.

She told me, however, that whereas normally he, or whoever is talking, will do so from the front with everyone facing him, today he just sat with everyone else and gave his message from the seat. He said he wanted the focus to be on God, not on him.

I was so happy to see the revelation that this man is seeing, although there is still much revelation to be had, which I trust the Lord to bring in his time. What I see him failing to see still is that God is not up front, so sitting there staring at the front has nothing to do with focusing on God rather than him. God is in each and every believer, so the whole idea of sitting in neat little rows staring at the back of someone's head, or up front to some man, is so far removed from the reality that he is, and is to be expressed, in each believer.

I will be sharing this with him, to encourage him to continue being open to whatever the Lord reveals to him. I will be asking him why is it that the Wednesday home group isn't set up like Sunday. In that group, everyone sits in a group facing one another. That is just like Father desires it, a family getting together. How can one anothering take place if it is confined to a thing you attend where the only time you get to talk is the few minutes before and after, and the brief time one is told to turn around and greet the person behind you?

I am so glad to see many who are coming to see through the false ideas promoted through centuries of so called "church practice." It is a painful process, one that I went through years ago, but the freedom it brings from religious thinking and the true living out of "the church" as a people, and not just something you attend at a "holy place" is something I would never consider going back to.

I realize that it challenges the status quo, and I have been ridiculed by people, particularly pastors, who I have met and when asked where I go to church, I tell them that I meet with whoever loves the Lord throughout the area I live, whenever and however I can, mostly at home. At hearing this I usually get an uncomfortable look, then the speech on how I need to be under a covering, or that I am missing out. If only they knew the truth.

Let me make one thing clear. I am not talking against anyone who attends a place each week. Obviously if it is where you believe you are to be, then by all means it is where the Lord has you. It is the system in particular that I think needs to be truly examined and seen for what it is, what it cannot do, and how Christianity and "church" is actually so much more simple and straighforward than most realize. Risky? Perhaps. But giving up our own controlling methods of meeting together, if we are in leadership, or realizing that we can have a part, a responsibility, for each other, and not just to go somewhere as a passive spectator, if we are not in leadership, while risky, demonstrates the reality that God is truly able to work through his body, each and every one.

Ron

MEANING OF THE WORD "MIGHT"

2010-07-11T10:29:00.003-04:00

Mat 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Mat 26:9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."

There are many, many verses which contain the prefix which is translated "might", but there is a difference in meaning, depending on how it is used. We can see such a difference in these 2 verses.

The first one is a causal statement, which indicates assurance. In other words, Matthew is not saying that the prophecy MAY OR MAY NOT be fulfilled. He is saying that it WOULD IN FACT be fulfilled, and the Jesus living in Nazareth gave proof of that.

The second verse is an uncertain statement. In other words, the ointment MAY OR MAY NOT have been able to have been sold for much. It is a mere possibility.

The way to tell the difference as to whether the "might" is an assured causal statement sure to happen, as opposed to a mere possibility of something that may or may not happen, is the English word "that". Whenever you see those two words, you can be assured that whatever "might" happen will in fact happen. That is why other translations will render it as "so that" instead of "that it might", as in this case:

Rom 5:20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Rom 5:20 But [the] Law entered alongside so that the offense should abound, but where sin abounded, grace super-abounded,

In this verse, which meaning is intended? Did the law coming in give the possibility that the trespass might or might not abound?

Or did the law coming in assure that the trespass would in fact abound?

See the difference? So, with this principle in mind, go over and find all those verses with the English word "might" in it and you will be surprised how many of them are not mere possibilities, but in fact, assurances guaranteed to occur.

Ron

MEANING OF THE WORD "DRAW"

2010-07-11T10:29:00.000-04:00

Here are all the verses that contain the word "draw."

Joh 18:10 Simon Peter, then, having a sword, draws it, and hits the chief priest's slave and strikes off his right ear. Now the name of the slave was Malchus."

Joh 21:6 Now He said to them, "Cast the net on the right parts of the ship and you will be finding.They cast, then, and they no longer were strong enough to draw it, for the multitude of fishes."

Joh 21:11 Simon Peter, then, went up and draws the net to the land, distended with a hundred and fifty-three large fishes. And, being so many, the net is not rent."

Act 16:19 Now her masters, perceiving that the expectation of their income was come out, getting hold of Paul and Silas, draw them into the market to the magistrates,

Act 21:30 Besides, stirred was the whole city, and there came to be a running together of the people. And getting hold of Paul, they drew him outside of the sanctuary, and immediately the doors are locked."

Jas 2:6 Yet you dishonor the poor one. Are not the rich tyrannizing over you? And they are drawing you to tribunals.

Now, before we look at the final 2 verses, ask yourself this question: In what sense is the sword, the net, and the people being drawn? I think everyone would answer the same way. And yet, BECAUSE OF RELIGIOUS THINKING, when we come to these final 2 verses, somehow the meaning changes to be the opposite of what is consistent with each and every other usage of the word.

Joh 6:44 No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him. And I shall be raising him in the last day.

Joh 12:32 And I, if I should be exalted out of the earth, shall be drawing all to Myself."

The truth is, the Father draws people, and the Son draw people, in the exact same way as you read in the other verses.

Ron

A FEAST COVERED BY DEATH

2010-07-06T08:24:00.025-04:00

Isa 25:6 In this mountain, Yahweh of Armies will make all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines, of fat things full of marrow, of well refined choice wines. Isa 25:7 He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. Isa 25:8 He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it.

Here is a beautiful description given by Yahweh of life being revealed out of death. As we examine this bit by bit, keep that in mind and watch it unfold before our eyes...

This mountain he speaks of is the same mountain he has spoken of throughout the book, called Mount Zion at times, and at other times called the mountain of Yahweh. While the literal Mount Zion was the place where David ruled, called the City of David

2Sa 5:6 The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, Unless you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not come in here; thinking, David can't come in here.

Later it came to include the place where God dwells, represented by the pillar of cloud and fire:

Isa 4:5 Yahweh will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.

Mount Zion is still the place where David rules, and where God dwells, which is now in human vessels, the hearts of humanity. Paul describes Mount Zion in a 5-fold Hebraic parallelism, which I will outline here:

Heb 12:22-24 But you have come to

1) Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God,

2) the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels,
3) to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,

4) to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
5) to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.

This feast then, pictures the fullness of life that Christ came to bring, for to the Hebrew peoples, full life (more commonly known as eternal life) was pictured as a feast, to have a full and satisfied palate and stomach:

Joh 10:10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.-CEV

Joe 2:26 My people, you will eat until you are satisfied. Then you will praise me for the wonderful things I have done. Never again will you be put to shame.-CEV

Knowing that this feast is in this mountain, in God, in heaven, in us, and in Jesus, who is he making this feast for? He plainly says "for all peoples." In verse 7 he further describes who the "all peoples" are, as "all nations." But there was a problem that needed to be solved, and it concerned everyone.

My wife once spoke of an illustration she thought of, concerning a banquet of food, with plates for everyone. Those plates, however, had napkins covering them. The master removes some of the napkins, and those people are enjoying the meal. However, the rest of the people complain because they don't think they have any food, since all they see is a napkin in front of them.

This illustrates to me, in a sense, the verses we are considering here in Isaiah, for he says there is a covering, a veil, covering the nations, all the people. This is the same veil that Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 that covers the human heart.

Notice the Hebrew parallelism that defines for us what this covering is. Two things are said to be swallowed up:

1. The covering, also known as the veil.
2. Death.

I know that some translations say that Yahweh will "destroy" the covering, and "swallow up" death, but "destroy" and "swallow up" are the same word in Hebrew, so should be rendered the same. Otherwise, the Hebrew poetic parallelism is destroyed.

Seeing that this covering, this veil, that covers all people is death, fits beautifully with what it is contrasted with-LIFE!!-as pictured by the feast.

God has prepared this wonderful life for all, and yet, until the veil is removed, only death will be seen. The life is there, just as the food and wine is, but it cannot be seen while a veil remains. Paul spoke of this when he said:

2Co 3:15 But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

The veil hid the glory of the law covenant from the people, which pictured a veil that lies on human hearts. And what did it hide?

2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

2Co 4:3 Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish;

The glory of the Lord, also spoken of as the good news, lies hidden in each person, waiting patiently that, as each turns to the Lord, and it is taken away, they behold that glorious feast pertaining to life, eternal life.

Ron

FULFILLMENT OF THE BEGINNING

2010-06-10T21:02:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note of something I have been considering and want you to consider. When God made man, formed woman out of man and brought them together, gave them the garden in Eden to care for and protect, telling them to reproduce and have dominion over all living things, all of this was a type and shadow, to be fulfilled by Christ.

I have always thought that it is we who fulfill what Adam lost, that we in some way have a garden to take care of and protect, and are to reproduce and have dominion, all in a spiritual way. However, Paul, though his explanation of what the law and prophets wrote about, seems to indicate that it is God who is fulfilling what Adam didn't, in a spiritual sense, by means of Jesus Christ, his word. Christ not only is the fulfillment of Adam by being the last Adam, but I see him also as the fruit trees in the garden, with us as his branches, with God himself being the "Adam and Eve" by means of Christ, tending to the vineyard and the fruit being produced through us.

I know I am only scratching the surface, but I believe there is so much at work here from seeing the realities brought out in picture form all the way back in the garden, finding fulfillment today. Please consider this, and see what other implications and applications you can draw from the Genesis account.

Ron

BE REAL WITH GOD

2010-05-31T07:40:00.004-04:00

God calls Abram out of his homeland to a land he promises to give him, along with many children. Some time goes by and the Lord appears to him again. Notice what Abraham asks:

Gen 15:2 Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"
Gen 15:3 Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir."

And then, when he is told of the land he is to inherit, instead of simply accepting what the Lord says, he asks:

Gen 15:8 He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?"

Later, after Abraham has a child on his own through Hagar, the Lord appears to him again, at the age of 99, and says that he is to have the promise fulfilled through Sarah; that she will indeed have a child. Notice his response:

Gen 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"
Gen 17:18 Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"

Now consider an event in Jacob's life, the one who was named Israel. Why was he named Israel? Here is the event:

Gen 32:24 Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 When he saw that he didn't prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled.
Gen 32:26 The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." Jacob said, "I won't let you go, unless you bless me."
Gen 32:27 He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
Gen 32:28 He said, "Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed."

Next, have a look at Moses', at a time when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and turned from God to worship a golden calf. The Lord was about to destroy them all (or so it seems) when Moses steps in:

Exo 32:11 Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, "Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
Exo 32:12 Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'He brought them forth for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?' Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.
Exo 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.' "

Jonah was upset that God spared Nineveh, and told him so:

Jon 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
Jon 4:2 He prayed to Yahweh, and said, "Please, Yahweh, wasn't this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.
Jon 4:3 Therefore now, Yahweh, take, I beg you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live."

David was not pleased with the Lord's killing of Uzzah when they were trying to return the Ark of the Covenant.

2Sa 6:8 David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken forth on Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah, to this day. 2Sa 6:9 David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, How shall the ark of Yahweh come to me?

Yes, time and time again we find these righteous people of God complaining to him, even at times arguing with him. And this is just a few little examples. We have the entire book of Job, and also the Psalms, which contain many other such instances.

However, don't misunderstand my purpose for listing all of these examples. There is one thing that I think is sorely needed in many peoples' relationship with God. Reality.

How many of you can list one relationship, whether it be parent-child, husband-wife, or even close friendship, where you have never had one incident of what could be considered arguing, or disagreement about something? I can assure you of one thing, if you have ever had a relationship that never had such a bump in it, then you have not had a true relationship.

At my business, the motto is "the customer is always right." Even if they are blatantly wrong. So if I am talking with one, and vehemently disagree with them, I have to swallow what I want to say and do what I can to make them happy. I would not call that a relationship, and I hope you don't think of it as one either.

Part of having relationships involves interaction between two wills, and sometimes those wills are not the same. The same is true of God. We can see this clearly in these examples. Have you ever wondered why these men, who God considered righteous, at times questioned God, and even got upset with him, instead of always going along perfectly with everything he said and did? For whatever reasons you can think of, I want you to consider this as well: that one reason is because they were in a genuine relationship with someone they utterly were devoted to, even in times when they didn't understand what he was doing. Another reason? They felt FREE to be genuine with him.

Now, this is not to say that we SEEK to find things to argue about, but rather that, in any genuinely growing relationship, there can and will be times where friction occurs. The beautiful thing about seeing all of these examples in scripture is that it helps us to understand that God desires us to be real and genuine with him. If we see an injustice, God expects us to come to him with the emotion we honestly feel. He is ok with it. If we find something we don't understand, and are upset with him over it, he wants us to come to him with it. Any parent who loves their child wants that from their child right? It is no different with our Father.

I think religious thinking has given us the false idea that we have to always be so careful in coming to God, never saying anything but of the utmost respect to him. Anything negative would be seen as disrespect. Would you say that these men I have listed looked upon God with disrespect? I don't believe so, and yet they questioned and even got upset at times with how he did things. You see, it isn't the complaint or questioning, in and of itself, it is the attitude of the one complaining or questioning, that is important.

So please, I encourage everyone to put aside the masks of spirituality with God. Be real with him. After all, we are talking about genuine relationship here, not some act to see who can look like they have their act totally together. Trust me, I haven't found one genuine person yet who did. And yet, God works through the mess bringing us through our doubts and questions and complaints to a greater understanding of him, to know him in ways we would not otherwise have known him.

Ron

MESSIAH-FROM ALEPH TO TAV

2010-05-22T07:45:00.003-04:00

ALEPH IS THE MIGHTY OX

YOKED UP TO YOU AND ME

ITS NOT A YOKE THAT WEIGHS US DOWN

BUT INSTEAD IT SETS US FREE

BETH IS THE TENT FROM WHICH

MESSIAH LIVED HIS LIFE

NOW THAT TENT HAS BEEN EXPANDED

TO INCLUDE US AS HIS WIFE

GIMEL IS THE FEET OF HIM

WHO BRINGS US SUCH GOOD NEWS

NOT THE TYPE YOU HEAR AROUND YOU

WITH THIS MESSAGE YOU CAN'T LOSE

DALET IS THE OPEN DOOR

MESSIAH IS THE WAY

HE'S THE DOOR THATS ALWAYS OPEN

AS LONG AS ITS TODAY

HEY IS THE REVELATION

OF ALL THAT COMES FROM HIM

EACH DAY IS FRESH AND EVER NEW

SPIRIT'S FILLED TO THE BRIM

VAV IS THAT POINTY STAKE

THAT MAKES ALL THINGS SECURE

MESSIAH JOINS US TO THE FATHER

ON THAT YOU CAN BE SURE

ZAYIN IS THE MIGHTY WEAPON

COMING FROM MESSIAH'S MOUTH

EVERY WORD CUTS WITHOUT FAIL

TO THE NORTH EAST WEST AND SOUTH

CHET IS THAT WALL PROVIDING

PROTECTION FROM THE ENEMY

SAFE INSIDE MESSIAH'S LOVE

FOR ALL ITS A PLACE TO FLEE

TETH IS MESSIAH'S BASKET

WITH ALL THE FOOD WE NEED

SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS UP IN THE HEAVENS

ON MESSIAH WE DRINK AND FEED

YOD IS THE FATHER'S ARM

COME TO EARTH TO SET THINGS STRAIGHT

RESTORING EVERY BROKEN LIFE

CAN ANYONE RELATE?

KAPH IS THE OPEN PALM

REACHING OUT TO US ALL

MESSIAH HOLDS US IN HIS HAND

SO THAT NONE OF US FALL

AS YOU CAN SEE, MOST DEFINITELY, MESSIAH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF ALL THAT BE, SO WITH THAT IN MIND, LETS RETURN TO MY RHYME, AND SEE WHAT MORE THAT WE CAN FIND

LAMED IS THAT STAFF HE HOLDS

TO RULE WITH AUTHORITY

BUT WITH US HE USES THAT SAME STAFF

TO LEAD US SO GENTLY

MEM IS THE WATER OF LIFE

WE NEVER HAVE TO THIRST AGAIN

BUBBLING UP ETERNAL LIFE

FROM EVERY HEART WITHIN

NUN IS THE SEED THATS PLANTED

IN EVERY HEART MADE NEW

MESSIAH'S GROWING CAN YOU FEEL HIM KICK

FROM DEEP INSIDE OF YOU

SAMECH IS THE ONE SUPPORTING

OUR FATHER'S EVERY WISH

YES MESSIAH RAN THE RACE

THE FIRST ONE TO FINISH

AYIN IS MESSIAH'S EYE

NOTHING ESCAPES HIS SIGHT

DARKNESS HAS NOWHERE TO HIDE

FROM HE WHO IS THE LIGHT

PEY IS MESSIAH'S MOUTH

FROM WHICH OUR FATHER SPOKE

TODAY THAT MOUTH IS YOU AND ME

DESTROYING EVERY YOKE

TZADDI IS THE HOOK OF GRACE

MESSIAH GRANTS US ALL

DRAWING MAN TOWARD HIMSELF

WITH THE SHOUT OF THE GOSPEL CALL

QOF IS THE HORIZON

WHERE THE SUN BOTH ENDS AND STARTS

MESSIAH SHINES IN THE SAME WAY

IN THE HORIZON OF HUMAN HEARTS

RESH IS THE HEAD UPON

WHICH RESTED A CROWN OF THORNS

ALTHOUGH THEY USED IT TO MOCK HIM

HE CONQUERED ALL THEIR SCORNS

SHIN IS THE TEETH OF GNASHERS

WHO HATE MESSIAH'S WAYS

MAY WE BY THE LIFE WE LIVE

CHANGE GNASHING INTO PRAISE

TAV IS THE COVENANT

MARKING MY EVERY RHYME

MESSIAH IS ALEPH TO TAV

AND ALL FROM HIM SUBLIME

AS YOU CAN SEE, MOST DEFINITELY, MESSIAH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF ALL THAT BE, SO WITH THAT IN MIND, LETS REMEMBER THIS RHYME, AND SEE WHAT MORE THAT WE CAN FIND.

WAS THE 7TH DAY COMPLETED?

2010-04-19T19:12:00.004-04:00

God pronounced each of the 6 days good, and each day ended with an evening and a morning. However, when we come to the 7th day, he blesses it and sets it apart, but does not pronounce it good, nor is it said to end. There is a spiritual lesson here that God is teaching us. That day, wherein God rested from all his works, was a day that would continue, in a spiritual sense, long after it started. It could not be complete, nor pronounced good, until the purpose for which God set it apart and blessed it was finished, complete, and functional.

I believe it is possible that that finishing took place on the cross of Jesus Christ. Remember, God said that on the seventh day he rested from all his works. With this in mind, turn to John 9, where we will consider a blind man getting healed, and some interesting statements made by Jesus about it.

Concerning this man, and the purpose for which he was born blind, notice what Jesus says:

Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.

Pay careful attention to the last part, "revealed IN him." This revelation in him conveys the picture of God's work being hidden IN the man even before he is healed. That is what revelation, or manifestation, is all about-the showing of something that is hidden somehow. For example, speaking of his parables, which served to contain hidden meaning, meant to be understood only by those Jesus wanted, he said:

Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.

Concerning the mystery (hidden secret) of Christ in the non-Jew, it too was hidden, then revealed:

Col 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints,
Col 1:27 to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;

So, going back to John 9, we can see that there were works from God that were hidden in that blind man, waiting until that very day to be revealed by Jesus, the living word sent by the Father to accomplish his will.

Isa 55:11 so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

What I believe is that the Father prepared this work at the same time he prepared all of his works, by that sixth day of creation all the way back in Genesis. Those works were hidden, waiting to be revealed over time through the events that happened throughout history.

Just to keep it succinct, I will share one more scripture that sheds light on this: Eph 2:10. The works that we walk in as believers are not works that God whips up here and now, but rather, are works that were prepared beforehand for us. When? I believe all the way back in Genesis.

God is pictured as resting on that day, and the works that he performed were done from that position of rest and completion, from his viewpoint. However, from our viewpoint, things were far from finished.

We all know what happened, with sin entering the world, and the land being cursed for man, all creation subjected to futility. There would be an experiencing of good AND evil, what works and what is broken. The man born blind is but one small example of this, where he experienced evil from his birth (in his blindness) and would experience also good through the healing Jesus would provide.

Now here is what I want you to consider as I press on. Everything God worked, he only worked during the day, called morning and evening. God NEVER works at night. You can confirm this by reading over Genesis 1 again, and notice that after light is separated from darkness on the first day, night is no longer mentioned. The only period mentioned is the day, that period of time when God was at work. Now I'm not talking about the physical night period, but rather at what it represents in scripture. It represents that period where man cannot work, and neither does God.

You see, since God is light, then everything he works is in the light also, for there is no darkness in him from which works of darkness (which the light reveals to be not works at all) can come forth. That is why works of darkness (works during the night) are attributed only to the wicked, never to God.

Jesus, the one sent by God to work the works of God, said the same:

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.

Now, again, he was not speaking about the physical period of light we commonly call day. Nor was he referring to the physical night. These represent spiritual realities, namely, what is of God (light, day) and what is not of God (darkness, night).

Notice that Jesus speaks of himself as the light of the world, and that while he was in the world working, it was considered day. I believe this day to be the extension spiritually of the day of rest that God blessed back in Genesis, waiting for night to come and a new day to dawn.

Looking at verse 4 again, Jesus spoke of a time when night would come. When was that night? I believe it was that period when Jesus was crucified.

It was when he about to breath his last mortal human breath that Jesus said this:

Joh 19:30 "It is finished." He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.

While it is true that this speaks of the completion of all Jesus came to do, and what the Father was to accomplish through him, I believe that it also relates to the finishing of the last day, for when Jesus died, night came, and would remain until his resurrection, when the new day dawned for all mankind, the 8th day, the day of resurrection life! The rest which God offered to Israel physically through the promised land, but which they failed to enter because of unbelief, was now a reality through the finished work of Christ.

Ron

DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST IN THE SCRIPTURES

2010-04-10T22:12:00.003-04:00

Hidden in the stories of the books of scripture, you will find the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord all over the place. I know one of the most familiar ones is that of Jonah and his being 3 days and nights in the fish, but that is just one of many, many others. His death, burial, and resurrection is the very foundation of the good news we believe, according to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, and so we should not be surprised to find this as the most written about event in Genesis through Malachi. Some are more difficult to find, but if you know what to look for, you will see them all over the place.

Basically, when reading an account, if you come across a derivative of 3, whether it be 3, 30, 300, or 3000, and with that something signifying a death and/or burial, or what would normally end up in death, and then a coming out of that situation, you are most likely reading a hidden occurrence of his death, burial, and resurrection.

The very first occurrence I could see is right there in the first chapter of Genesis, verses 1-13. I wrote about that in a previous blog (the one in March) so you can refer to that to see the pattern. I will be sharing more here and there as I come across them, but in the meantime, I encourage you to go search them out for yourself and be overjoyed at what the Lord reveals to you through it.

Ron

EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS IS UNDER GOD'S CONTROL

2010-04-04T20:14:00.007-04:00

The Hebrew word i e i is the word that is commonly translated as become, be, was, come to pass, and exist. For example, in Genesis 1:3:

And God said, "Let there be light, and there was light.

The word "be" and "was" is this word. This word contains a marvelous truth that testifies to the sovereignty of God, as one who is in control of all that exists.

This word contains a 2 letter root word, i e , that means "I exist, I breathe, I reveal." This is the root word for the divine name of God. It is commonly translated either as Yah, in English, shortened from Yahweh.

When the yod (which is depicted in ancient Hebrew as a hand with and arm) is added to this root, it becomes a verb telling us that whatever exists, whatever is revealed, whatever becomes, does so because God works so that it happens. The yod pictures the idea of working. So in other words, when we read Gen 1:3 we can say that God, by saying "Let there be light," was in effect saying, "Light, be revealed by the working [i] of the one who reveals [ie]." When there was light, we can also say it this way, that the light existed by the working [i ] of the one who exists [ie]. (Depending on your understanding of whether God's name speaks of his existence, or his revealing. I lean toward the understanding that it means "he reveals.")

All through scripture we thus see that everything that occurs is under God's sovereign control. He is working in and through it all, including that which is evil, to bring about that which is good and brings glory to his name. This little word takes on so much more meaning does it not, knowing that the very imprint of God's name is in it? This also teaches us that the entirety of scripture is primarily about revelation, all under the direction of God.

Ron

WHAT DO SHINE AND TENT HAVE IN COMMON?

2010-04-04T11:12:00.007-04:00

Gen 4:20 And Adah is baring Jabal. He becomes the forefather of the tent dweller and the cattleman.

Job 25:5 Behold, even the moon has no brightness, and the stars are not pure in his sight;

In doing my translation work this morning, I was researching the word for tent in Hebrew, which is a,e,l-Aleph, Hey, Lamed. What I found out is that the same 3 letter root word is found in Job 25:5, which means "to shine or be bright."

Gen 4:20 ותלד עדה את־יבל הוא היה אבי ישׁב אהל ומקנה׃

Job 25:5 הן עד־ירח ולא יאהיל וכוכבים לא־זכו בעיניו׃

(As a note, this is the Hebrew without the vowel pointings, and also understand that the י at the beginning of the word in Job 25:5 is a prefix indicating gender and type, in this case, masculine. The other י next to the ל denotes action, in this case, the act of shining.) The 3 remaining letters are the same as what makes up the word for tent, also commonly called a tabernacle.

Why would the Hebrews have used the same root words to indicate shining, and also tent? There is something that they have in common, something that relates one to the other in their minds. The letter ה in the middle helps us understand the relationship. That letter basically conveys the idea of beholding something, looking at something, something revealed. Oftentimes when it is placed in the middle of another word, it means that whatever that other word is is revealed.

If we take away the ה we now have the word, אל which is the basic root word for God. When I saw this, I realized that this is speaking of something where God is revealed. In seeing that, I now could see the connection. Can you see it?

One of the primary ways God is revealed is as light; in particular, a shining from his presence. There are many things which are bright, things shine, which speak of God; things such as fire, precious stones, gold, light from the sun and moon and stars, etc. This is the basic understanding of the word found in Job 25:5, which speaks of the shining, or revealing, of the moon.

Now, let's complete the picture. Where is it that God revealed himself primarily to Israel? It was the tent of meeting, or the tabernacle of meeting. That is where his glory, or shining, dwelt. Just as a shining reveals God, so too the tabernacle revealed him. But let's go a bit further with it.

The common tent, or dwelling place, of the nomadic Hebrews also was to be a place where God was revealed. Each family unit living in a tent was to reveal God in the home. But we can take it to it's ultimate fulfillment, somewhere intimately associated with us.

Jesus is said by John to have tabernacled with man. He was the ultimate fulfillment of the object that would reveal God. It would be by means of his own body. He did that in a limited way while on earth, yet now he does so across the globe, in us, his body now. Our tabernacles are where God reveals himself now. Truly our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so may this little lesson keep fresh in our minds the reality that we are who God chose to reveal himself through permanently. Therefore how awesome it is to think that when God speaks of revealing himself, we are the ones he does it through!

Ron

CREATION DAYS AND HOW THEY RELATE TO JESUS DEATH AND RESURRECTION

2010-04-04T00:18:00.003-04:00

If you look carefully at the account in Genesis 1, you will notice that before the light is seen in verse 3, there is darkness, which God would later call night. After the light comes, and the light is separated from the darkness, there is no more mention of darkness or of night in any of the rest of the chapter. God is teaching us something here about our Lord.

From verse 5 on, there is only mention made of the daylight portion, the day, made up of 2 things-morning and evening. Evening is not night. It is not darkness. It is that period of time in the afternoon until the sun goes down, so it is also part of the day, as scripture says. We consider days as 24 hour periods. A biblical day is, as Jesus said, 12 hours. The night portion has nothing to do with the day. It is simply that dark period known as night that comes between each day, between evening and morning.

This mentioning of only the day teaches us that our Lord is only of the day. He only works in the day. None of his works are works in darkness, for with God, there is no darkness. That is why there is no mention of darkness or of night given in the creation account, to teach us this, as well as give us a foreshadowing of what would happen with Jesus on the cross.

In John 9, he made this statement shortly before his death:

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.

A little while later, he made a similar statement:

Joh 12:34 The multitude answered him, "We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up?' Who is this Son of Man?"
Joh 12:35 Jesus therefore said to them, "Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn't overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn't know where he is going.

Jesus is saying that he, as the light of the world, only worked during the day, for that is only when his Father worked as well, as Genesis 1 confirms. Also, we see that he, as the light, would give way to night. Once again, the world would be put into a darkness spiritually, where there would be no light, just as existed in Genesis 1:2.

This would occur when Jesus, the light of the world, was crucified. God signified this darkness by means of a literal darkness he caused to occur over the land for 3 hours, from 12 noon, when the sun was at it's height, until 3pm, which was the height of the evening.

That 3 hours of darkness I believe pictured the 3 days and night of darkness during which time Jesus was in the heart of the earth. But then, by the power of God, light would once again be seen, for Jesus would rise from the dead! This was foreshadowed back in Genesis 1:3 when God spoke, and light came. Just as that light came out of the darkness, according to the way Paul worded it in 2Co 4:6, so too Jesus, the true light, came out of the darkness of the spiritual night he said would come on all the earth when he was dead.

We are in him, as as such, belong to the day. We are therefore the light of the world as well, and our works are works of light, of the day. That is the only time that work can be done. Be thankful for his removing us from the kingdom of darkness and being put into the kingdom of light. We once were as Jesus said in John 12, overcome by darkness, and not knowing where we were going. But by Jesus' miraculous raising from death, we now walk in and live the resurrection life, which is light.

Ron

FIRST SHADOW OF JESUS DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION

2010-03-25T09:54:00.006-04:00

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Gen 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

The chaotic mass of mankind (the watery deep) had light (God's Spirit) but it could not be seen because of the darkness covering it.

Gen 1:3 God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

Jesus comes into the world.

Gen 1:4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
Gen 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. There was evening and there was morning, one day.

Jesus belongs to the day, when work is done. In him there is no darkness, hence darkness and light are separate. Light can exist in darkness, but darkness cannot exist in light. The way light can exist in darkness is if the light is covered.

Gen 1:6 God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
Gen 1:7 God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
Gen 1:8 God called the expanse heaven. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Heaven was covered by the waters over the earth, until he divided the waters vertically, revealing what God called "heaven."

Gen 1:9 God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;" and it was so.
Gen 1:10 God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. God saw that it was good.

Earth (the dry part called Land) was covered by the waters on the earth covering it, until he divided the waters horizontally, revealing what God called "earth."

This vertical and horizontal dividing pictures the cross, by which Jesus, the true heaven (spiritual) and earth (natural) are brought together. Heaven touches earth.

Gen 1:11 God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth;" and it was so.
Gen 1:12 The earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
Gen 1:13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

On the 3rd day, (the day of resurrection) the first signs of life were seen. That life was produced by the Jesus (the land) in the form of seed-bearing plants (all who have the seed of God in them) which produce after their kind.

Thus we can see a type of Jesus coming into a dark world, dying on a cross, reconciling man to God in his body, and then, with his resurrection on the 3rd day, life being produced from him.

Ron

WHAT IS REVELATION?

2010-02-23T07:50:00.002-05:00

What is revelation? Scriptural definition given in the story of Jacob in Gen 28 and 35. You can read the account in verses 10-22. Jacob is running from his brother and one night, while in the land of Luz, he takes a stone and sleeps, using it as a pillow. During the night he has a dream, seeing a ladder going into heaven with angels going up and down on it. He also saw the Lord at the top, who reiterates the promise to him. When he wakes up, he makes this statement, which defines an element of revelation that is very important to understand:

Gen 28:16 Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it."

We know this is speaking of revelation because a few chapters later, Jacob goes back to this very place and the writer records this fact:

Gen 35:7 He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

So what is the important element of revelation? It is the fact that whatever is revealed is revealed from a place where it was even before it was revealed. Notice that Jacob did not say that Yahweh came to that place, but that he IS in that place. Jacob just did not know it.

So when you read about revelation, which is the uncovering of something or someone, pay attention to where it is being revealed. Remember that wherever it is revealed, it was there even BEFORE it was uncovered. It was simply not known, because it was hidden. Keeping this in mind will reveal some wonderful surprises with regard to Christ.

Ron

DO YOU LIKE PRESENTS?

2010-02-22T12:05:00.006-05:00

Everyone likes presents, don't they? Especially when they are meaningful ones, you can't wait to see them. I want to talk about another kind of present, not the noun type, but the verb type. I am referring to the act of presenting. This act is mentioned 41 times in the NT, some of which simply describe the act of standing alongside someone, which is what the word basically means-to stand alongside.

I would like to focus though, on the uses of the word in Paul's writings, as he is the only one who uses the word in a very unique way, all consistent with each other. I am going to list those scriptures, with 1 exception, doing that for a reason, which I will explain later.

These scriptures all speak of presenting in such a way that encourages and strengthens by means of standing by, or with, another who needs it.

Rom 16:2 that you should be receiving her in the Lord worthily of the saints, and may stand by her in whatever matter she may be needing you, for she became a patroness of many, as well as of myself."
1Co 8:8 Now food will not give us a standing with God, neither, if we should not be eating are we in want, nor if we should be eating are we cloyed."
2Ti 4:17 May it not be reckoned against them! Yet the Lord stood beside me, and He invigorates me, that through me the heralding may be fully discharged, and all the nations should hear; and I am rescued out of the mouth of the lion."

These scriptures speak about the act of presenting ourselves by 1. ourselves, or 2. Christ, or 3. others believers, standing by us presenting us to God, or to Christ.

Rom 6:13 Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Rom 6:16 Don't you know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered. Rom 6:18 Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.
Rom 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.
Rom 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
2Co 4:14 being aware that He Who rouses the Lord Jesus will be rousing us also, through Jesus, and will be presenting us together with you."
2Co 11:2 for I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God. For I betroth you to one Man, to present a chaste virgin to Christ. "
Eph 5:27 that He should be presenting to Himself a glorious ecclesia, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it may be holy and flawless."
Col 1:22 by His body of flesh, through His death, to present you holy and flawless and unimpeachable in His sight,
Col 1:28 Whom we are announcing, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we should be presenting every man mature in Christ Jesus;"
2Ti 2:15 Endeavor to present yourself to God qualified, an unashamed worker, correctly cutting the word of truth."

How do you present yourself to God? Does even the mere thought of being before the Most Holy One make you feel uncomfortable? Well, whether we like it or not, presenting ourselves before God is not some future one time event. It is done every day, in the here and now. Look again at the scriptures, they are pretty plain on that note. So again, how do you present yourself before God? Before you answer, let's see how Jesus presents us before his Father:

He presents us as "glorious, not having spot nor wrinkle...holy and flawless" Eph 5:27; "holy and flawless and unimpeachable." Col 1:22

In case you think that he is only speaking of something in the future, notice that, according to Colossians, we are currently being presented by Christ. So accept the fact that what Christ wants, he gets. His father wants a bride fitting for his Son, and he got exactly what he wanted in you and me.

So, if that be true as to how the Father and the Son sees us, then how should we present ourselves before them? Do not read these with a view to comparing how you are doing so that you can see how far short you come in "obeying," but instead, let these truths fill you with tears of joy and encouragement and confidence and hope.

We are encouraged to present ourselves as alive from the dead, instruments of righteousness, living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God, pure and untouched, mature, qualified, and unashamed.

Now, God is not going to stop you from presenting yourself to him in ways that are not true. This is why Paul said to the Roman believers not to present themselves as instruments of unrighteousness. This means that they could if they wanted to, but this would be denying who they truly were, because Paul went on to say that they WERE bondservants of sin, that they PRESENTED [speaking of their past] their members as servants of uncleanness. But if you were convinced of something about someone and yet they went around presenting themselves differently to everyone, how would you feel?

Remember the beautiful girl who dressed like a total geek, thick glasses and all? I mean, on the outside she appeared to be anything but beautiful. And no doubt she truly believed she wasn't. But then along came someone who saw her differently, and so did a few things and then presented this bombshell to the world. What made the difference? Did her outward appearance TRULY make her an ugly girl, or did her view of herself affect how she presented herself, so that to others, she looked nothing like she truly was? She was born beautiful, but she presented herself in a way that was not true of her. When she finally got a glimpse of just how beautiful she was, she now was encouraged and strengthened to be herself. It is the same with us. We are part of a gorgeous new creation, yet too many times we walk around like we are still part of the old creation that Christ did away with on the cross.

As to that last verse, let me put it here and then briefly comment on it, for it is based around the same reality that these other verses are:

Rom 14:10 Now why are you judging your brother? Or why are you also scorning your brother? For all of us shall be presented at the judgment seat of God,

Now this is speaking of a future presenting of ourselves to God, but notice that we will not present ourselves, but rather we will BE presented. Yes, Christ is the one who presents us before his Father. This presenting, more commonly understood as standing, before the judgment seat of God, is usually presented as an accounting given to God (mentioned in vs. 12), which is usually interpreted as a recounting of our sins. Yet, besides the obvious fact that our sins have been dealt with on the cross, notice what the context tells us.

This presenting is given as a reason not to judge or scorn each other. What does that have to do with this judgment seat of God? Well, a few verses earlier he speaks of not judging with regard to questionable matters because of the fact that all of us belong to our same Lord. He is the one who we stand before. He alone is the one who makes us stand. This means that we do not make each other stand, nor are we accountable to each other as though we were master over anyone.

So, in looking at this, we can see that the reason we are told not to judge or scorn each other is because it is the Lord, not us, who will present us before God's judgment seat, which, by the way, is the place for rewards, not punishments. This is why this is mentioned, because it has to do with the Lord making us STAND, meaning, not the simple act of standing on our feet, but rather being the opposite of falling, of weakness, of shame. We are made confident and strong, able to stand before our God by means of the one who makes us stand.

And remember how the Lord presents us to God? If we went around judging each other and condemning each other because of our questionable differences, how is that presenting each other in the same way the Lord does? It isn't. It is lifting ourselves over our brother, looking down on them. So knowing that the Lord ALONE makes us stand before God, each with our differences, as he sees us, what does that result in? The next verse tells us:

Rom 14:11 For it is written, "As certainly as I live, declares the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess God."

This confession simply means we will joyfully agree with God to his glory and praise. It is an act of worship. This is not a time of shame from sin being brought up and displayed before us. We will not be giving an accounting of anyone else but ourselves, which again ties into the reason not to judge or look down on each other over those differences.

May you catch that glimpse of how beautiful you truly have been made to be, and then present yourself confidently in that way to God. I believe he, as any loving father, treasures every moment he gets to open up his present, so thoughfully and wonderfully made-you and I.

Ron

GLORY COVERED, GLORY REVEALED

2010-02-18T13:31:00.010-05:00

2Co 3:13 and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn't look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.

Exo 34:29 It happened, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mountain, that Moses didn't know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.
Exo 34:30 When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.

When Moses went up to receive the law covenant, because of being in the Lord's presence, his face shined. As a result, the children of Israel were afraid to go near him.

Exo 34:35 The children of Israel saw Moses' face, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Because of this, he covered his face with a veil so that his shining face would be hidden from their view. Paul refers to that shining as glory.

That veil was a picture of another spiritual covering:

2Co 3:14 But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.
2Co 3:15 But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

Paul says that the heart is covered with a veil. As we follow through Paul's thoughts carefully, we will see that just as Moses' face had a glory that he covered with a veil, so to the heart is where God's glory is in reality, that was covered with a spiritual veil.

The purpose of the veil was to hide, or cover, glory so that it could not be seen. I submit to you that this glory is in every human heart in Christ Jesus, even though for most it is covered with a veil. Because the glory is not seen, the minds of those who's hearts are covered are hardened, meaning they hear and see, but do not understand. I know this goes against much of what you will hear spoken of today among believers, but I hope you will at least look at what I share, because I believe that knowing this, if it is true, will change how we look at each other, whether believers or not. As a result, we will truly understand how God wants us to look at humanity from this side of the cross, and also, to see how victorious our Lord was in what he came to do.

Only in Christ does the veil pass away, meaning, to be nullified, or rendered useless. We see this in Moses case, for he only had the veil on when he was in the presence of the children of Israel. When he would go back up to talk to the Lord more, he would take off the veil, for it was useless there:

Exo 34:34 But when Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

The fulfillment of that is that we no longer go in and out of the presence of the Lord, but, in Christ, are in God's presence permanently. Therefore, the veil is truly rendered useless in Christ.

Christ is the only one who can take off the veil. It is not the responsibility of those of us to share the message of the good news, nor is it even the responsibility of the listener who has his heart veiled. When an unbeliever turns to the Lord, meaning that he now faces him, acknowledging him, the veil becomes useless and is taken away by the Lord. This turning to the Lord is not a literal turning, as though you can face somewhere where the Lord is not at, but rather, it is a figure of speech meaning you are in your mind, turned away from him, treating him as though he were not there. It speaks of independence. Turning to the Lord then, speaks of your awakening to the truth that we are utterly dependent on God for everything. Independence from God is seen as a farce, a lie.

Now, notice carefully where the glory of the Lord comes from, where it is seen:

2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Read this carefully. He speaks as if there is a mirror in front of you. That mirror reflects an image back to you of what is in front of it. What is there? What do you see when you look in the mirror? If your heart was veiled, all you would see is yourself right? Nothing more, nothing less. However, what do you see when the Lord takes away the veil? The glory of the Lord is seen. And where does that glory come from? Here is the glorious truth. It does not shine TO you, but FROM INSIDE you! And it can only come from one place, the place that at one time had a veil over it, man's heart! Can you see that? Such good news it is!

What does it mean to behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror? It means to see yourself as you truly are, with nothing hidden anymore. Think on that for a moment...If we could see ourselves as God sees us, with his very own glory bursting forth from inside, what effect do you think that would have on us? I would have to agree with Paul, it would have a transforming effect on us into his very image. Yes, to become more and more convinced of who we truly have been made to be can do nothing BUT transform us into something so much better than we ever thought possible.

Let's go on and see how these connections are further seen as Paul continues writing.

2Co 4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame...

The hidden things speak of those things that belong to darkness, a darkness which is the result of a veiled heart. A believer, having had the veil removed, now renounces, or rejects, that old way of thinking that he no longer lives in.

By way of recap, let's see the connections again, and then add another piece to that connection:

The veil covered Moses' face, to hide the glory shining on his face.
The veil covers the heart, hiding the glory of the Lord in that heart.

This compares to what Paul next writes:

2Co 4:3 Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish;

This good news has a brightness, just as Moses' face did, and as the human heart does.

2Co 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

In this case we now see that the veil results in the mind being blinded, which means it is unable to see what it would normally be able to.

What is the good news of? It is of the glory of Christ, and where does that glory shine? Paul said that it dawns on them. Peter is more specific in showing exactly where it dawns, or rises at, when he writes:

2Pe 1:19 We have the more sure word of prophecy; and you do well that you heed it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts:

The dark place is the human heart, and Christ shines in his glory which, like the sun, rises in the heart. This dawning is what the mind when unveiled is able to see as a dawning on it. This dawning speaks also of revelation, hence the expression, "[thus and such] dawned on me." Notice again the connection here with what Peter wrote:

2Co 4:6 seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The light (glory of Christ) shines out of darkness (the inner person of the heart) when the veil is taken off by Christ as we turn to him. What this does is illuminate, or light up, the mind, which is spoken of as the "knowledge of the glory of God."

Because revelation is the uncovering of what is ALREADY THERE, it is for that reason I believe that this glorious light of Christ is in every human heart. As we bring them the good news, if they turn toward the light we bring, we can know that the veil has been lifted off by Jesus. Now they can see the light shining forth from inside them. They then see themselves as they truly are, without shame.

One thing I have not answered is this: What is the veil that covers? In Moses' day it was a physical cloth. What does it represent in our day? I suspect that it has something to do with what occurred with Adam and Eve when they sinned.

Gen 2:25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Here they saw themselves as they truly were, and notice that shame was absent. They were indeed naked and open before their Maker.

After sin entered the world, however, things changed:

Gen 3:7 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Gen 3:8 They heard the voice of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"
Gen 3:10 The man said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."

They didn't suddenly become naked, but they came to see that as something shameful. At first they had no concept of nakedness, but when they came to see themselves as naked, they then wanted to hide themselves, because that is what darkness always does when light comes, it retreats.

From this I deduce that the veil is the mindset that thinks of itself as separate from God, and governed by shame when they sense his presence. Even with the veil removed, we find ourselves at times reverting back to old ways of thinking. We do not belong to the shame that Jesus dealt with on the cross. The veil is totally useless for us, because we know that we are light in the Lord, even as he is light.

So now let's see all the connections made so far:

The veil covered Moses' face, to hide the glory shining on his face.
The veil covers the heart, hiding the glory of the Lord in that heart.
The veil covers the good news, hiding the light of the glory of Christ coming from the good news.

The glory shines from Moses' face, the human heart, and the good news. Now if this is true, we can see a marvelous truth. Remember, there is no veil over the heart of a believer. It has been taken away. The veils are only on the hearts of those who do not believe. And since that veil, in every case, covers what shines with glory, I believe that every human heart, whether believer or unbeliever, has that glory. Those who believe can see it. Those who do not believe cannot.

May this also help us adjust our thinking with regard to how we view those who do not believe. The only separation between us and them is their mindset. It is a bogus separation, and it is our privilege to bring them the good news which proclaims who they truly are, as Christ has brought to light.

Ron

THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE

2010-02-17T09:40:00.005-05:00

Joh 12:37 But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn't believe in him,
Joh 12:38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
Joh 12:39 For this cause they couldn't believe...

Here is yet another example of the principle of God's perspective, and man's perspective, of things. Verse 37 tells us man's perspective-these one's who saw the Lord's miracles DIDN'T BELIEVE in him. Yes, from our perspective these people could be seen as deciding not to believe.

I want to focus on God's perspective in this message, which is that they COULDN'T BELIEVE. Yes, there was a cause for their unbelief, one which shows the manifold wisdom of God.

"For this cause they couldn't believe"...For what reason? Simply put, it was so that the words of Isaiah would be fulfilled. The 2 questions "who has believed our report" and "to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed" are asked in such as way as to demand a negative response. In other words, no one.

John's gospel, more than the other 3 combined, speaks of believing. It is a very important element to what he is trying to communicate. At times it appears a bit confusing.

For example, here you have John saying that they didn't believe in him (vs. 37) then just a few verses later you have this statement:

Joh 12:42 Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed in him...

It appears to be a contradiction, but it actually both statements are true, and shows us that the belief that God desired, they were incapable of producing. Let me show the entire statement to show what I mean:

Joh 12:42 Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn't confess it, so that they wouldn't be put out of the synagogue,
Joh 12:43 for they loved men's praise more than God's praise.

Yes, they believed, but it was not the kind of belief that God was looking for, and this, as we will see, was very important and necessary in God's plan of redemption.

Look again at verse 39. Notice it does not simply say that they did not believe, but that they COULD not believe. Very strong language indeed. Now, why could they not believe, which means, as Isaiah described it, not believing the report, nor having the Lord's arm revealed to them? Look carefully at his reason. He again quotes from the prophet:

Joh 12:39 For this cause they couldn't believe, for Isaiah said again,
Joh 12:40 "He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them."

Who is the 'he' that blinds their eyes, and hardens their heart? Turning to Isaiah's account, we will see, so let's look there:

Isa 6:8 I heard the Lord's voice, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am. Send me!"
Isa 6:9 He said, "Go, and tell this people, 'You hear indeed, but don't understand; and you see indeed, but don't perceive.'
Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed."

Following the flow of thought, we see that the Lord is the one speaking, and Isaiah (the writer of this scroll) is responding. So, according to verse 9, the Lord is telling Isaiah to go to this people, and tell them that they hear without understanding, and see without perceiving.

Then he tells Isaiah to make their hearts fat, ears heavy, and shut their eyes. Now, Isaiah would not literally be doing this, but rather it would be by the message he brings that this would be done.

Returning to John's account, we can now answer the question as to who the he was that would be doing this in Jesus' day. We know that Isaiah did not, for he was long dead, but there is a greater Isaiah, one who fulfilled this, which was speaking about the people in the days of Jesus. That one was Jesus himself. He is the one who would blind their eyes and harden their hearts by the message he brought.

If you want an example of that, read over John 8, where we find that many believed in him (vs 30), and then he proceeds to share a message with these very people, the end result being that they pick up stones to stone him. (vs 59)

Now let us ask the all important question, why in the world would God want his Son to bring a message that would cause people to be blind, and for hearts to be hard? Here is the Lord's own answer:

Joh 12:40 "He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them."

Now, pretend for a moment that you are not a believer while reading this. Doesn't this make God look like a cruel God? Here we have God not wanting people to see, perceive, and turn to him so that he heals them. What you are reading is the truth, yet anyone thinking that God was cruel to do this would be most mistaken, for it was of utmost importance that this take place. It has everything to do with the cross, and with the mercy that would result from it.

Let's consider another example of something similar that took place all the way back in the Garden of Eden, and glean some wisdom from it:

Gen 3:22 Yahweh God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he put forth his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."
Gen 3:23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

At first glance, this too seems to make God out to be the bad guy. He kicks Adam and Eve out of the garden and places a cherub there to make sure they could not get back in to eat of the tree of life. And why not? Because if they did they would live forever.

Sounds cruel right? Looks like God doesn't want people to live forever or be healed right? By I assure you, stick with this study and you will see that what occurred in Eden, as well as in Jesus day, was an act of MERCY, and was necessary.

If God had allowed Adam and Eve to eat of that tree, knowing good and evil, which meant being in a state of shame and sin before God, they would have been in that state forever. God purposed that the sin and shame be dealt with, and eating of the tree of life would not in itself solve the problem. A death had to occur. There was a cross that was needed, and so likewise, was needed in Jesus day as well, and he would be the one sent to provide that remedy.

Ron

TWO PERSPECTIVES, AN EXAMPLE FROM MOSES

2010-02-03T14:15:00.002-05:00

Exo 2:14 Yet he said: Who appointed you as foreman and judge over us? Are you meaning to kill me just as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses became fearful and said: Surely the matter is known.
Exo 2:15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. So Moses ran away from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian, where he sat by the well.

Heb 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the fury of the king, for he is staunch as seeing the Invisible."
Heb 11:28 By faith he has the passover made and the pouring of blood against the door jambs, lest the exterminator of the first-born may come into contact with them."
Heb 11:29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as through dry land, attempting which, the Egyptians were swallowed up."

There are 2 perspectives to our lives, and this is depicted here. Do we view ourselves or others based on what we see? Moses was depicted in the historical account of Exodus as a man fearing for his own life and fleeing Egypt to get away from Pharaoh's attempts to kill him. This view, although accurate, is not the whole story. For this is man's perspective.

This perspective is how the world presents us, and how we often present ourselves as believers. Go to most church's and I can guarantee that most conversations concerning life will revolve around how far we fall short, how we don't pray enough, or witness enough, or spend enough time with our family, or read the Bible enough, etc.; and how much we need to improve in these and a myriad of other areas. Usually this is done because we are afraid of sounding cocky, thinking too much of ourselves, instead of being humble, or at least appearing to others as such. No wonder many believers feel burnt out from the weary treadmill called "Christian growth." However, I said there is another perspective that deserves to be considered. So let's have a look at that.

The other perspective is not so easily seen. In fact, it is not "seen" at all by what we can observe necessarily. That other side is God's perspective. He was right there in the midst of Moses' leaving Egypt, which is described by the phrase "in faith he left Egypt." Despite how things appear, Moses was described as not afraid, because that same God was in the midst, miraculously enabling Moses to see what could not be seen.

How did Paul know this? He came to know the true source of this miraculous faith, and thus was enabled to see these historical accounts as truly miraculous events, events which reveal, even though long, long ago, God's glory.

His glory is being revealed in us today as well, despite how much we may find ourselves very comfortably in man's perspective, with all the doubts, fears, confusion, etc. I say "comfortable" because, despite how much we don't like feeling those things, it is all too easy to just accept that "that's just the way it is," and so we just numb ourselves to it, and cope. After all, it is so much a part of the fabric of this world. We can be thankful, however, that there is another perspective that paints an even truer picture, for isn't it God's perspective that is all that matters?

Ron

DISQUALIFIED?

2010-01-31T21:22:00.002-05:00

2Co 13:5 Try yourselves, if you are in the faith; test yourselves. Or are you not recognizing yourselves that Christ Jesus is in you, except you are somewhat disqualified? "

What made Paul write what he did about being disqualified? What does it mean to be disqualified? Disqualified from what? And does this mean that believers can be disqualified? Let's first look at all the other instances in the Bible where this word appears:

Rom 1:28 And according as they do not test God, to have Him in recognition, God gives them over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting,

1Co 9:27 but I am belaboring my body and leading it into slavery, lest somehow, when heralding to others, I myself may become disqualified."

2Co 13:6 Now I am expecting that you will know that we are not disqualified!
2Co 13:7 Now we are wishing to God that you do not do anything evil, not that we may be appearing qualified, but that you may be doing that which is ideal, yet we may be as disqualified.

2Ti 3:8 Now, by the method by which Jannes and Jambres withstand Moses, thus these also are withstanding the truth, men of a depraved mind, disqualified as to the faith."

Tit 1:15 All, indeed, is clean to the clean, yet to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean, but their mind as well as conscience is defiled."
Tit 1:16 They are avowing an acquaintance with God, yet by their acts are denying it, being abominable and stubborn, and disqualified for every good act."

Here are all the instances of the word in the Bible. Notice the connection between disqualification, and mind, as the accounts of it in Romans, 2Timothy, and Titus make clear.

The disqualifying is a mind, the old humanity's mind, a mind to which everything is unclean. The reason this is so is because those who think this way base things on appearance. This is one of the things Paul was dealing with when he wrote to the Corinthians, which provides the contextual reason he wrote concerning disqualification in chapter 13.

There were false brothers masquerading as apostles, people who were very polished and appeared outwardly to have evidence of God's backing. Paul, on the other hand, with all the many hardships he went through, as well as not appearing very polished at all in looks nor in speech, appeared to be disqualified from any say as to approval by God.

2Co 13:4 For even if He was crucified out of weakness, nevertheless He is living by the power of God. For we also are weak together with Him, but we shall be living together with Him by the power of God for you. "

He identifies himself with someone else who appeared to be disqualified, a big failure, one who died in weakness-Jesus Christ, the one these false brothers said they were emulating, without the weakness part.

While we have the freedom to think and reason as the old humanity we used to be, and watch death and corruption be the result, the truth is that we have the mind of Christ, and are pure, having clear consciences. That is what Paul was encouraging these believers to do, to live in the same mind as what they had, the mind of Christ, and not as they were being tempted to live in, that disqualified mind of the false brothers. Notice that he asked the question "unless you are somewhat disqualified". This question was meant to drive them to the realization that they indeed were not disqualified in actuality, (a device he often used in his writings) but were behaving as if they were in the way they were viewing Paul and his companions.

Notice that in verse 7 of chapter 13, Paul did not care about APPEARING to be qualified, for he knew they already were. It had nothing to do with appearance, but with reality. The important thing is not the appearance of qualification, but rather the fact that someone has qualified us.

2Ti 2:15 Hurry to present yourself to God qualified

Among the things we are to present ourselves as, one of them is as qualified.

2Co 13:7 ...but that you may be doing that which is ideal, yet we may be as disqualified.

The "ideal" he wanted from them was that they would see him, and themselves, as they truly have been made to be, even if it appeared to be as disqualified.

Remember, one is only disqualified in his mind when he sees himself as such. The good news is that that old mind was crucified with Christ, and to us, who are pure, all things are truly pure.

We truly boast in the Lord for this, for it is only because of him that we are qualified, and this is based on God's commendation of us, not on our commending ourselves based on any comparison, either of others, or themselves.

2Co 10:12 For we are not daring to judge ourselves by, or compare ourselves with, some who are commending themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, do not understand. "
2Co 10:18 For not he who is commending himself is qualified, but whom the Lord is commending."

Who is the Lord commending? This word literally means "standing-together." It comes from the root word meaning "to stand." So we could ask the question this way, "Who is the Lord making stand together with him?" Paul tells us:

Rom 14:4 Who are you who are judging Another's domestic? To his own Master he is standing or falling. Now he will be made to stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

This is speaking of us, whether weak or strong, as belonging to our master; and it is he who is not only able to make us stand, but that we will be made to stand. We are the ones he is commending, or making stand together with him.

As you can see, the Lord makes us stand together, commending us with him, and it is for that reason we are qualified. Stop with all the comparisons, and instead give thanks and boast in him!

Ron

I WILL DRAW ALL TO MYSELF

2010-01-30T11:29:00.007-05:00

Joh 12:31 Now is the judging of this world. Now shall the Chief of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I should be exalted out of the earth, shall be drawing all to Myself."

Jesus spoke these words shortly before his death. I have included verse 31 because it helps clear up what I believe is a misunderstanding about what the "all" in verse 32 is, and also the timing of when the "all" would be drawn to Jesus.

The most common understanding is that the "all" is speaking of mankind, which is why most translations will add the word "men" or "people" to the text.

Another misunderstanding is that people will read this as if Jesus is saying that the "all" would be drawn to himself AFTER he is lifted up. In other words, it is taught that after his resurrection, people started to be drawn to Christ, as a process over time, which continues down until this day.

I want to submit to you though, that what is drawn to Christ is something specific ABOUT the world of man, and that the drawing took place, not after the cross, but WHILE he was on it.

Verse 31 tells us that the what was drawn to Christ was judgment, specifically, the judgment of the world. Remember that Jesus came into the world for judgment:

Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment came I into this world,

This judgment was given to him by his Father:

Joh 5:22 For neither is the Father judging anyone, but has given all judging to the Son,

And yet Jesus said he did not come to judge the world:

Joh 12:47 If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn't believe, I don't judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

So if Jesus was given all judging by his Father, and that judging is why he came into this world, then how is it that Jesus would not be judging the world? Sounds like a contradiction right?

When Jesus said that he came into the world for judgment, he did not indicate HOW that judgment would be carried out. How then, did judgment take place? Jesus did indeed execute judgment, but not by judging the world, rendering a guilty verdict and executing the death sentence to everyone OUTSIDE OF HIS OWN BODY. Remember that the first Adam brought sin into the world, not outside of himself, but in his own body. It would be the same with the last Adam. What Jesus did was take all man's judgment to himself, and judged it IN HIS OWN BODY. The entire world of the first Adam was drawn into Christ to be judged.

The result was that, by Jesus dying for the sake of all, all died:

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ is constraining us, judging this, that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently all died."

This death is the killing off of what the first Adam introduced, not physical death, but a death of the mindset of the first Adam, elsewhere called the old humanity. Christ did not come to patch up and fix the old humanity in Adam. By taking that judgment in himself, he killed off the old humanity entirely, and started a new humanity, a new creation.

It is in this sense that all died, which Paul also speaks of as a death with Christ:

Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him,
Rom 6:8 Now if we died together with Christ
Gal 2:20 With Christ have I been crucified,

No one literally died when Christ did. Paul was still alive physically at the time. Again, what died was what the first Adam brought into the world, called the old humanity; drawn to Christ when he hung on the cross.

Ron

LIFE'S QUESTIONS-WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY

2010-01-29T06:15:00.003-05:00

The questions asked about Life are answered in the foundation that is described in Hebrews 6:

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving behind the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of:

repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, [THIS IS THE WHAT]

Heb 6:2 of the teaching of washings, of laying on of hands, [THIS IS THE HOW]

of resurrection of the dead, [THIS IS THE WHEN]

and of eonian judgment. [THIS IS THE WHY]

Guess who the who is?

Ron

PEOPLE OF FAITH...WHO'S FAITH?

2010-01-28T06:28:00.012-05:00

As you look at all the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11, it might seem like a silly question to ask who's faith it was. Consider though, that not once does the phrase "By [his][her] faith..." It simply says "By faith..." We have to look at the context to determine the source of the faith.

After all these men and women are mentioned, I want you to notice that Paul does not say that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of examples, even though we typically read it as though these men and women were being used as great examples of faith. This is what he calls them:

Heb 12:1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses...

While the faith by which they operated was indeed awesome, it's interesting that Paul, instead of putting them up on a pedestal for us to admire as examples, does what he has done throughout the earlier parts of the letter, consistently pointing to something better and greater.

In doing this, he places them right alongside us as, not examples, but witnesses! Yes, the faith they operated in is the same faith we operate in, and that faith does not find its source in us. No, it does not point back to us, but to someone, the same someone who is the theme of this entire letter-Christ!

Notice what they, and we, are focusing on, looking at as witnesses:

Heb 12:2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,

Did you catch that? We witness Jesus, and how is he described here? As not only the perfecter, or finisher of faith, but also the very author, or originator and source of it. Any true faith we see, including the demonstrations found in chapter 11, is this faith originating from him, and so it is ours only as anything given to us is ours, which is why faith is called a gift, and fruit of the spirit.

You see, just as the other examples found in the Hebrew scriptures were all shadows pointing to and bearing witness to realities, the same can be said of the faith that was seen among men and women of God of old.

That faith was a type and a foretaste of the fulfillment, which would be brought to fulfillment with the coming of Jesus Christ. The promise had to come out of his faith, as Paul plainly says here.

Gal 3:22 But the scripture locks up all together under sin, that the promise out of Jesus Christ's faith may be given to those who are believing."

In other words, his faith is the source from which God would bless the families of the earth.

Understanding this vital truth about faith helps us to understand how we can read of faith among those men and women all throughout history before Christ, and yet there would still be a time when faith would come, a faith which would replace the need for the law as an escort.

Gal 3:23 Now before the coming of faith we were garrisoned under law, being locked up together for the faith about to be revealed."
Gal 3:24 So that the law has become our escort to Christ, that we may be justified by faith."
Gal 3:25 Now, at the coming of faith, we are no longer under an escort,

2Co 13:5 Try yourselves, if you are in the faith; test yourselves. Or are you not recognizing yourselves that Christ Jesus is in you, except you are somewhat disqualified? "

Here is another connection we can see between "the faith" and Christ. Although some have taken this expression to be about doctrines and teachings of the church, Paul shows by Hebrew parallelism that the expression "in the faith" is equivalent to "Christ Jesus is in you".

The faith is not some set of doctrines or beliefs. The essence of faith is Jesus Christ himself. And it is by his faith that we are justified before God and enjoy every blessing out of his infinite supply. Please note that I am not saying that the faith does not include doctrines and teachings, but that any and all doctrine or teaching is summed up, not in itself, but in Christ, for it is him who we learned, and it is him alone who saves, not a set of doctrines and teachings.

Any and all of the many examples of faith in the scriptures are not meant to point to the individuals to whom they are ascribed, but rather stand as a cumulative witness to the originator of any true faith that exists, that of Jesus the Christ.

Ron

CALLED, CHOSEN, PREDESTINED

2010-01-24T12:44:00.004-05:00

There is a phrase Jesus used, that is only recorded in Matthew's account, that I want to consider. That phrase is "many are called, but few are chosen." The context of that statement is regarding workers hired to work at different times in a vineyard, and invitations given to a wedding feast. You can read about it in Matt 20:1-16, and 22:2-14.

This choosing of God, also known as his election, is often confused with another term, called predestination. They are often thought of as speaking of the same thing, so as to say that all who are chosen are predestined, and all who are predestined are chosen. Being chosen and being predestined are not the same, though. I believe that all who are chosen are predestined, but not all who are predestined are chosen. Predestination is for everyone, as is God's calling, but being chosen is limited to a time period during the first century.

Rom 8:29 For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Rom 8:30 Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.

What Paul wrote here has helped me get a start in understanding what I do about this subject. He describes a series of things that are all the result of God's foreknowing. What did God do for those he foreknew? He predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son. Notice he does not say that many, or few, or some, were predestined, but that those he foreknew he did this to. This means that everyone who he foreknew he predestined, without exception.

Next, he says that all he predestined, he also called. Again, he doesn't say only some are, but that the same all he predestines, he calls.

Now, here is where it gets interesting, and helps me understand where being elect, or chosen, comes into play. The next thing he says is that all who are called he....justified. Then, to finish off the sequence, those who were justified he also glorified.

Notice that in the progression, he says nothing about those being called being chosen. This is one reason I believe that being chosen is a separate issue from being predestined.

In describing all who are foreknown by God, he says that every one of them are predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. He then proceeds to describe in more detail how that comes about, in describing them as being called, justified, and glorified. Being glorified is the final image of his Son in the conforming work of God. Therefore, as regards the calling, and predestination here, the process is for every single person who is foreknown, that they all end up glorified, conformed to his Sons' image.

With regard to those who are spoken of as chosen, I believe, as Jesus said, that they are few and far between in comparison to those during the first century who were called. That choosing was for a specific purpose which I believe was fulfilled during that time.

Ron

THE NOT SO TALKED ABOUT MEN AND WOMEN OF FAITH

2010-01-21T18:15:00.001-05:00

Heb 11:35 Other believers were brutally tortured but refused to be released so that they might gain eternal life. Heb 11:36 Some were mocked and whipped, and some were chained and put in prison. Heb 11:37 Some were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. Some were poor, abused, and mistreated. Heb 11:38 The world didn't deserve these good people. Some wandered around in deserts and mountains and lived in caves and holes in the ground. Heb 11:39 All these people were known for faith

I want to encourage you, my brothers and sisters, with the truth that faith is evident in one's life, not only by the victories that even the world can bear witness to, but just as much through what the world would see as total defeat.

Do you see yourself in any of the above scenarios? Mistreated, mocked, poor, abused, wanderers, against which the flesh would scream, WHERE IS GOD NOW?! WHAT MORE DO I NEED TO DO?! WHY AM I NOT BLESSED?!

Oh, but for us, upon whom the promises have been bestowed, the blessings promised to Abraham and his seed are being witnessed to. For even now in the experiences we are going through that appear to only portray the death of Jesus, speaking of the humiliation and appearance of God's abandonment or aloofness, is actually showing his life in and through those same experiences. Just as surely as these unnamed ones in Hebrew were known for faith despite the seeming failure, so to will faith in you been witnessed to as well.

Father has not abandoned us, anymore than he abandoned them. Listen to Paul share from his own life, considered a failure by the flesh's standards, and be encouraged to know the exact same glory is being worked in each of us:

2Co 4:10 We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies. 2Co 4:15 All this is for your sake so that, as God's kindness overflows in the lives of many people, it will produce even more thanksgiving to the glory of God. 2Co 4:17 Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine.

Ron

NO ONE IS GOOD BUT ONE, THAT IS, GOD

2010-01-20T08:12:00.002-05:00

Mat 19:16 Behold, one came to him and said, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Mat 19:17 He said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God.

At first glance, have you ever thought that Jesus was saying that even he wasn't good? That is what I thought. Jesus, however, is demonstrating a very powerful lesson in how we have misunderstood this thing called "good." Let's take another look at this short conversation.

We start by seeing that this young man called Jesus "Good Teacher." Why do you suppose that the man called him that? Upon what basis did he do it? I believe the reason he did is tied up in that distorted view of what good and evil is. Man has come to have a perception of it that is not based on reality.

Notice that Jesus did not answer him by saying, "Do not call me good," but rather "Why do you call me good?" You see, I have read it as though he were telling the man not to call him good, which is why I came away believing Jesus was saying that even he wasn't good.

As I understand it, the issue wasn't whether or not to call Jesus good, but rather it was how "good" was defined, and the reasons behind calling him that. Again, why do you suppose that man called him Good teacher? Jesus knew man's perception of what good was, and that perception is very different from God's view. I believe that is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he spoke to this young man.

What do you think of when you think of good? I bet you start thinking about all sorts of "things", correct? And make no mistake, things such as serving others, being kind, etc., are indeed good things, but there is a greater reality that goes deeper than merely the "good" things we see. And let's face it. Good things can be seen in different ways, depending on the person's perception. For example, Jesus cast out demons. To some it was a "good" thing. He cared for those nobody else cared for. But to others it was a "bad" thing. They said he did this by means of the prince of demons. "Things" can never be the definition of good, only identity. The "things" only serve to point to the identity, testifying to it, not be the identity itself.

Part of the reality Jesus shared with the man was that, while the man was basing Jesus' goodness on actions called "good," his actions had nothing to do with true goodness. Jesus pointed the man to reality, which had to do with his identity. In saying that no one "is", (not "does") good but the Father, he was identifying the true reason for anything we would rightly call good. In other words, God IS good, not because he DOES things we would consider good, but simply because it is his very nature.

Yes, it is true that only the Father is good, but I believe that what Jesus was also saying, in his own way, was that he too was good, but not for the reasons the man was thinking he was. As can be seen in the very question the man asked, "What good thing must I do..."he was all about, not identity, but self effort to attain an identity he didn't have in his own mind.

Jesus was good, not in himself, but only in his union with his Father which was his identity. He always rested and lived out of his identity, for he knew what his Father was, he was. That is why he could tell his disciples that if they have seen him, they have seen the Father. He also came to kill off that old man, that old distorted identity, in it's entirety, and bring clarity to man's true identity, one hidden by sin, a true identity where man and God are one, just as Jesus and his Father are one.

Every attempt to act out of a distorted view is to put ourselves on that vicious cycle of self righteousness. Man was made in the image and likeness of God. Sin distorted that image and likeness, like one of those wavy mirrors. The true image was still there, but we could not see it, and so, seeing ourselves as empty, we sought every which way to fill that void, but nothing could. Christ came to take away the mirror, and replace it with himself, so that as we look at him, we see ourselves truly for the first time, now with eyes of faith and hope, then, when we are revealed with him, in the fullness of the fullness with which we exist in Him.

Ron

PRODIGAL SON, A STORY OF RECONCILIATION

2010-01-16T21:51:00.004-05:00

Luk 15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. Luk 15:19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants." ' Luk 15:20 "He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luk 15:21 The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' Luk 15:22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Luk 15:23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; Luk 15:24 for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.' They began to celebrate.

For all the wonderful lessons we can glean from this parable, I want to share this as a lesson of reconciliation. At this point in the story, we have the son rehearsing what he is going to say so that he can have a place to stay back with his father. Before he arrived, his father demonstrates reconciliation by running to him and expressing tender love to him. The act of the father shows that he was never alienated from his son. It was the son who was alienated from his father, by his sin. So we see the act of a father, who demonstrates powerfully that the son is reconciled to him.

What about the son though? Well, from his perspective he is not, and so he proceeds with his prepared speech. This is important. The son is reconciled to the father, and yet the son still needs to be reconciled to the father. So the father ignores his son's speech and orders a big party and further demonstrates that his son is reconciled to him, that all is well. We can presume, based on the father speaking of his son as being found, that his son finally accepted the fact that his father had reconciled him to himself. Reconciliation from the son to the father was complete, from both perspectives.

This is exactly the case with our heavenly Father and us. Notice how Paul describes it:

2Co 5:18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; 2Co 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2Co 5:20 We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Notice that God reconciled the entire world to himself in Christ, doing it by not reckoning to them their trespasses. From God's perspective everyone is reconciled to him, just as in the case of the father and son in Jesus parable.

Yet, man still needs to be reconciled to God, because until he believes that he is reconciled to God, he lives as the son did, as though he were not reconciled. This is why the message of reconciliation was given, so that man could be encouraged to be reconciled to God.

Unfortunately, that good news has been turned into a work from a false premise. It is no longer a message saying "be reconciled," but rather, "become reconciled." To be reconciled is to live as one who already is reconciled. To become reconciled is to do something to make reconciliation happen, because it does not exist yet.

God is not waiting for you to do anything so that he can reconcile you to himself. He has already fully accomplished that over 2,000 years ago in Christ on the cross.

Nowhere in scripture do we find it said that God needed to be reconciled to man. Look up every usage of the word, and you will find that it is only spoken of as man being reconciled to God. This is because God was never in a place of needing reconciliation, only man. Man was the one who believed he was naked, and felt shame in the presence of God, and thus saw himself as separate and alienated. God did not, as we see him seeking man out in the garden, just like man was used to. Man's sin distorted the reality, which Christ came to remove.

You can believe it friends. He has already done everything necessary to show that you are reconciled to him. He wants to bring all to the point of contact with that truth by believing it to be true, so that we can know and live in the truth of that reconciliation, just as the son in the parable ended up doing. What good news!

Ron