Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Psalm 30

Psa 30:1  A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the House of David. I will praise You, O Jehovah; for You have lifted me up, and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me.
Psa 30:2  O Jehovah my God, I cried to You, and You have healed me.
Psa 30:3  O Jehovah, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, so that I should not go down to the Pit.
Psa 30:4  Sing praises to Jehovah, O you saints of His, and give thanks at the memory of His holiness.
Psa 30:5  For His anger is only a moment; in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psa 30:6  And in my blessedness I said, I shall never be moved.
Psa 30:7  O Jehovah, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
Psa 30:8  I cried to You, O Jehovah; and I prayed to Jehovah.
Psa 30:9  What profit is in my blood, in going down to the pit? Shall the dust praise You? Shall it tell of Your truth?
Psa 30:10  Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy on me; Jehovah, be my helper.
Psa 30:11  You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have torn off my sackcloth, and have clothed me with gladness,
Psa 30:12  so that my glory may sing praise to You, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

  It perhaps is foolishness on my part to comment on scripture, one can see the psalm above requires no comment. It's beauty and truth stands just fine all on it's own without any help from this knucklehead. I highlighted the one phrase that sums up God's entire plan for that part of humanity that would believe Him. There is a path to belief that cannot be cut short, belief comes from wisdom, wisdom comes from understanding, understanding comes from knowledge. can one believe something they do not know? or understand? one can attempt to go solely by feelings and emotion. but, as the prophet Jeremiah points out "the heart of man is deceitfully wicked, who can know it!" (jer 17:9).
 there are many more such scriptures as this, an oft recurring theme in the Bible. so, going about "feeling" something without knowledge or understanding seems destined to fail. feeling WITH understanding though, that's great! look again at the highlighted verse above.  Look at what comes in the future tense at the end of that phrase, take a glimpse of your future and rejoice:)

Monday, December 27, 2010

Forgiveness

  One thing true forgiveness isn't is showy, like play-acting. All of us at one time or another as children had a parent force us to say "I'm sorry" while the other child was forced to accept the forced apology. Is this true repentance by the one and true forgiveness by the other? Only God knows the true feeling of our hearts, and that goes for all of us. Only God is the source of true forgiveness, only the Christian Bible teaches that God completely forgives sins.

Heb 10:17  also He adds, "their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more."
Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Col 2:14  blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

  If God completely forgives sins, and is in the business of redeeming us, who is it that accuses? Consider Christ's parable:

Mat 18:23  Therefore the kingdom of Heaven has been compared to a certain king who desired to make an accounting with his servants.
Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to count, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25  But as he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded that he, and his wife and children, and all that he had, be sold, and payment be made.
Mat 18:26  Then the servant fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me and I will pay you all.
Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. And he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you owe.
Mat 18:29  And his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me and I will pay you all.
Mat 18:30  And he would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry. And they came and told their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after he had called him, said to him, O wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
Mat 18:33  Should you not also have pitied your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you?
Mat 18:34  And his lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him.
Mat 18:35  So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also to you, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses.

 Shouldn't we all consider just what we are forgiven from?



 Christ forgave us our sins, He's the one who paid the check, what then, is to become of those who accuse and abuse their fellow-servants? The lord's prayer teaches us to "forgive us our sins, AS we forgive those who sin against us" and the Lord adds:


Mat 6:14  For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
Mat 6:15  but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 While salvation is a gift from God, freely given, there for the asking, there is but one condition here. to be forgiven one must forgive. this comes from the Lords mouth. the only person to get in the way of your own salvation is you. harboring ill will to your fellowservants, using the accusers tools like envy, bitterness, anger, backbiting, all that negative shit the accuser uses will destroy you. not the other party. think you can bring accusations against your fellowservant to the Lord? the Lord is interested in redeeming, not accusing. want justice? better you should want forgiveness for all, not just the people you like, the Lord is the judge, and he has already shown his desire that all would come to repentance.

 Consider this parable 
Luke 18:9-14 (NIV) To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God..."

 God is not interested in keeping score, tallying how many black marks this one has or that one doesn't have. there should be a renewed way of thinking amongst those who follow Christ, Christians should be the bright light shining on the hill, so the people of the world can consider the light, contrast that with the darkness, and see the light is good. 

  
Eph 5:8  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light
Eph 5:9  (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
Eph 5:10  proving what is acceptable to the Lord.
Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
Eph 5:13  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Eph 5:14  Therefore he says, "Awake, sleeping ones! And arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light."

I pray Christ gives us all light.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Prophecies Fulfilled

  No other book you will ever read contains events yet to happen at the time they were written about. Jewish rabbi's can attest to the dates most of these books were written as they kept accurate records despite all the trouble that nation has suffered. One needs to take into account that (most) Jewish Rabbi's do not at this time believe Jesus is the Messiah so there is no incentive for Jewish Rabbi's to "cook the books" for the benefit of Christians. Jewish scribes have carefully and painstakingly copied the Tanakh letter by letter over their generations.  read this partial list of prophecy concerning Christ's first coming. one can pretty much cover Jesus ministry in writings written hundreds and even thousands of years BEFORE his ministry. 

 One of my favorite tools for studying scripture is e-sword, makes finding those passages you can only partially remember easy as pie to find. has a great search feature. the software is freely given, here's the link.

Gen. 3:15-He will bruise Satan's head.....Heb. 2:14, 1 Jn. 3:18
Gen. 5:24....The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated....Mk. 6:19
Gen. 9:26,27...The God of Shem will be the Son of Shem...Lu. 3:36
Gen. 12:3...As Abraham's seed,will bless all nations...Acts. 3:25,26
Gen. 12:7...The Promise made to Abraham's Seed...Gal. 3:16
Gen. 14:18...A priest after Melchizedek...Heb. 6:20
Gen. 14:18........A King also........Heb. 7:2
Gen. 14:18...The Last Supper foreshadowed...Mt. 26:26-29
Gen. 17:19.......The Seed of Isaac.......Rom. 9:7
Gen. 22:8...The Lamb of God promised...Jn. 1:29
Gen. 22:18...As Isaac's seed, will bless all nations...Gal. 3:16
Gen.26:2-5..The Seed of Isaac promised as the Redeemer..Heb.11:18
Gen. 49:10...The time of His coming...Lu. 2:1-7; Gal. 4:4
Gen. 49:10.......The Seed of Judah.......Lu. 3:33
Gen. 49:10......Called Shiloh or One Sent......Jn. 17:3
Gen. 49:10...To come before Judah lost identity...Jn. 11:47-52
Gen. 49:10...To Him shall the obedience of the people be...Jn. 10:16
Ex. 3:13,14........The Great "I Am".......Jn. 4:26
Ex. 12:5...A Lamb without blemish...1 Pet. 1:19
Ex. 12:13...The blood of the Lamb saves from wrath...Rom. 5:8
Ex. 12:21-27...Christ is our Passover...1 Cor. 5;7
Ex. 12:46...Not a bone of the Lamb to be broken...Jn. 19:31-36
Ex. 15:2...His exaltation predicted as Yeshua...Acts 7:55,56
Ex. 15:11...His Character-Holiness...Luke 1:35; Acts 4:27
Ex. 17:6...The Spiritual Rock of Israel...1 Cor. 10;4
Ex. 33:19...His Character-Merciful...Lu. 1:72
Lev.14:11..The leper cleansed-Sign to priesthood..Lu.5:12-14; Acts 6:7
Lev.16:15-17...Prefigures Christ's once-for-all death...Heb. 9:7-14
Lev.16:27...Suffering outside the Camp...Mt. 27:33; Heb. 13:11, 12
Lev.17:11...The Blood-the life of the flesh...Mt. 26;28; Mk. 10:45
Lev.17:11...It is the blood that makes atonement...1 Jn. 3:14-18
Lev.23:36-37...The Drink-offering: "If any man thirst." ..Jn. 19:31-36
Num. 9:12...Not a bone of Him broken...John 19:31-36
Num. 21:9...The serpent on a pole-Christ lifted up...Jn. 3:14-18
Num. 24:17...Time: "I shall see him, but not now."...Gal. 4:4
Deut. 18:15..."This is of a truth that prophet."...Jn. 6:14
Deut. 18:15-16..."Had ye believed Moses, ye would believe me."...Jn. 5:45-47
Deut. 18:18...Sent by the Father to speak His word...Jn. 8:28, 29
Deut. 18:19...Whoever will not hear must bear his sin...Jn. 12:15,
Deut. 21:23...Cursed is he that hangs on a tree...Gal. 3:10-13
Ruth 4:4-9...Christ, our kinsman, has redeemed us...Eph. 1:3-7
1 Sam. 2:10...Shall be an anointed King to the Lord...Mt. 28:18; Jn. 12:15
2 Sam. 7:12...David's Seed...Mt. 1:1
2 Sam. 7:14a...The Son of God... Lu. 1:32
2 Sam. 7:16...David's house established forever...Lu. 3:31; Rev. 22:16
2 Ki. 2:11...The bodily ascension to heaven illustrated...Lu. 24:51
1 Chr. 17:11...David's Seed...Mt. 1:1; 9:27
1 Chr. 17:12, 13a...To reign on David's throne forever...Lu. 1:32, 33
1 Chr. 17:13a..."I will be His Father, He...my Son."...Heb. 1:5
Job 19:23-27...The Resurrection predicted...Jn. 5:24-29
Psa. 2:1-3...The enmity of kings foreordained...Acts 4:25-28
Psa. 2:2...To own the title, Anointed (Christ)...Acts 2:36
Ps. 2:6...His Character-Holiness...Jn. 8:46; Rev. 3:7
Ps. 2:6...To own the title King...Mt. 2:2
Ps. 2:7...Declared the Beloved Son...Mt. 3;17
Psa. 2:7, 8...The Crucifixion and Resurrection intimated...Acts 13:29-33
Psa. 2:12...Life comes through faith in Him...Jn. 20:31
Psa. 8:2...The mouths of babes perfect His praise...Mt. 21:16
Psa. 8:5, 6...His humiliation and exaltation...Lu. 24:50-53; 1 Cor. 15:27
Psa. 16:10...Was not to see corruption...Acts 2:31
Psa. 16:9-11...Was to arise from the dead...Jn. 20:9
Psa. 17;15...The resurrection predicted...Lu. 24:6
Psa. 22:1...Forsaken because of sins of others...2 Cor. 5:21
Psa. 22:1...Words spoken from Calvary, "My God..." Mk. 15:34
Psa. 22:2...Darkness upon Calvary...Mt. 27:45
Psa. 22:7...They shoot out the lip and shake the head...Mt. 27:39
Psa. 22:8.."He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him"...Mt. 27:43
Psa. 22:9......Born the Saviour......Lu. 2:7
Psa. 22:14...Died of a broken (ruptured)heart...Jn. 19:34
Psa. 22:14,15...Suffered agony on Calvary...Mk. 15:34-37
Psa. 22:15........He thirsted........Jn. 19:28
Psa. 22:16...They pierced His hands and His feet....Jn. 19:34,37;20:27
Psa. 22:17,18...Stripped Him before the stares of men...Lu. 23:34,35
Psa. 22:18.....They parted His garments.....Jn. 19:23,24
Psa. 22:20,21...He committed Himself to God...Lu.23:46
Psa. 22:20,21..Satanic power bruising the Redeemer's heel..Heb. 2:14
Psa. 22:22.....His Resurrection declared.....Jn. 20:17
Psa. 22:27...He shall be the governor of the nations...Col 1:16
Psa. 22:31......"It is finished"......Jn. 19:30
Psa. 23:1...."I am the Good Shephard"....Jn. 10:11
Psa. 24:3......His exaltation predicted......Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:9
Psa. 30:3......His resurrection predicted......Acts 2:32
Psa. 31:5..."Into thy hands I commit my spirit"...Lu. 23:46
Psa. 31:11...His acquaintances fled from Him...Mk. 14:50
Psa. 31:13...They took counsel to put Him to death...Jn. 11:53
Psa. 31:14,15..." He trusted in God, let Him deliver him"...Mt. 27:43
Psa. 34:20.....Not a bone of Him broken.....Jn 19:31-36
Psa. 35:11....False witnesses rose up against Him....Mt. 26:59
Psa. 35:19...He was hated without a cause...Jn. 15:25
Psa. 38:11.....His friends stood afar off.....Lu. 23:49
Psa. 40:2-5...The joy of His resurrection predicted...Jn. 20:20
Psa. 40:6-8....His delight-the will of the Father....Jn. 4:34
Psa. 40:9....He was to preach the Righteousness in Israel....Mt. 4:17
Psa. 40:14...Confronted by adversaries in the Garden...Jn. 18:4-6
Psa. 41:9.....Betrayed by a familiar friend.....Jn. 13:18
Psa. 45:2...Words of Grace come from His lips...Lu. 4:22
Psa. 45:6...To own the title, God or Elohim...Heb. 1:8
Psa. 45:7...A special anointing by the Holy Spirit...Mt.3:16; Heb.1:9
Psa. 45:7,8...Called the Christ (Messiah or Anointed)...Lu. 2:11
Psa. 55:12-14...Betrayed by a friend, not an enemy...Jn. 13:18
Psa. 55:15...Unrepentant death of the Betrayer...Mt. 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-19
Psa. 68:18...To give gifts to men...Eph. 4:7-16
Psa. 68:18...Ascended into Heaven...Lu. 24:51
Psa. 69:4...Hated without a cause...Jn. 15:25
Psa. 69:8...A stranger to own brethren...Lu. 8;20,21
Psa. 69:9...Zealous for the Lord's House...Jn. 2:17
Psa. 69:14-20...Messiah's anguish of soul before crucifixion...Mt. 26:36-45
Psa. 69:20..."My soul is exceeding sorrowful."...Mt. 26:38
Psa. 69:21...Given vinegar in thirst...Mt. 27:34
Psa. 69:26...The Saviour given and smitten by God...Jn. 17:4; 18:11
Psa. 72:10,11...Great persons were to visit Him...Mt. 2:1-11
Psa. 72:16...The corn of wheat to fall into the Ground...Jn. 12:24
Psa. 72:17...His name, Yinon, will produce offspring...Jn. 1:12,13
Psa. 72:17...All nations shall be blessed by Him...Acts 2:11,12,41
Psa. 78:1.2...He would teach in parables...Mt. 13:34-35
Psa. 78:2b...To speak the Wisdom of God with authority...Mt. 7:29
Psa. 88:8...They stood afar off and watched...Lu. 23:49
Psa. 89:27...Emmanuel to be higher than earthly kings...Lu. 1:32,33
Psa. 89:35-37...David's Seed, throne, kingdom endure forever...Lu. 1:32,33
Psa. 89:36-37...His character-Faithfulness...Rev. 1:5
Psa. 90:2...He is from everlasting (Micah 5:2)...Jn. 1:1
Psa. 91:11,12...Identified as Messianic; used to tempt Christ...Lu. 4;10,11
Psa. 97:9...His exaltation predicted...Acts 1:11;Eph. 1:20
Psa. 100:5...His character-Goodness...Mt. 19:16,17
Psa. 102:1-11...The Suffering and Reproach of Calvary...Jn. 21:16-30
Psa. 102:25-27...Messiah is the Preexistent Son...Heb. 1:10-12
Psa. 109:25...Ridiculed...Mt. 27:39
Psa. 110:1...Son of David...Mt. 22:43
Psa. 110:1...To ascend to the right-hand of the Father...Mk.16:19
Psa. 110:1...David's son called Lord...Mt. 22:44,45
Psa. 110:4...A priest after Melchizedek's order...Heb. 6:20
Psa. 112:4...His character-Compassionate, Gracious, et al... Mt. 9;36
Psa. 118:17,18...Messiah's Resurrection assured...Lu. 24:5-7;1 Cor. 15:20
Psa. 118:22,23...The rejected stone is Head of the corner...Mt. 21:42,43
Psa. 118:26a...The Blessed One presented to Israel...Mt. 21:9
Psa. 118:26b...To come while Temple standing...Mt. 21;12-15
Psa. 132:11...The Seed of David(the fruit of His Body)...Lu. 1:32
Psa. 138:1-6...The supremacy of David's Seed amazes kings... Mt. 2:2-6
Psa. 147:3,6...The earthly ministry of Christ described...Lu. 4:18
Psa. 1:23...He will send the Spirit of God... Jn. 16;7
Song. 5;16...The altogether lovely One...Jn. 1:17
Isa. 6:1...When Isaiah saw His glory... Jn. 12:40-41
Isa. 6:9-10...Parables fall on deaf ears...Mt. 13:13-15
Isa. 6:9-12...Blinded to Christ and deaf to His words...Acts. 28:23-29
Isa. 7:14...To be born of a virgin...Lu. 1:35
Isa. 7:14...To be Emmanuel-God with us... Mt. 1:18-23
Isa. 8:8...Called Emmanuel...Mt. 28:20
Isa. 8:14...A stone of stumbling, a Rock of offense... 1 Pet. 2:8
Isa. 9:1,2...His ministry to begin in Galilee...Mt. 4:12-17
Isa. 9:6...A child born-Humanity...Lu. 1:31
Isa. 9:6...A Son given-Deity...Lu. 1:32; Jn. 1;14; 1 Tim. 3:16
Isa. 9:6...Declared to be the Son of God with power... Rom. 1:3,4
Isa. 9:6...The Wonderful One, Peleh...Lu. 4:22
Isa. 9:6...The Counsellor, Yaatz...Mt. 13:54
Isa. 9:6...The Mighty God, El Gibor...Mt. 11:20
Isa. 9:6...The Everlasting Father, Avi Adth...Jn. 8:58
Isa. 9:6...The Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom...Jn . 16:33
Isa. 9:7...To establish an everlasting kingdom...Lu. 1:32-33
Isa. 9:7...His Character-Just...Jn. 5:30
Isa. 9:7...No end to his Government, Throne, and Peace...Lu. 1:32-33
Isa. 11:1...Called a Nazarene-the Branch, Netzer...Mt. 2:23
Isa. 11:1...A rod out of Jesse-Son of Jesse...Lu. 3:23,32
Isa. 11:2...The anointed One by the Spirit...Mt. 3;16,17
Isa. 11:2...His Character-Wisdom, Understanding, et al....Jn. 4:4-26
Isa. 11:4...His Character-Truth...Jn. 14:6
Isa. 11:10...The Gentiles seek Him...Jn. 12:18-21
Isa. 12:2...Called Jesus-Yeshua...Mt. 1:21
Isa. 25:8...The Resurrection predicted...I Cor. 15:54
Isa. 26:19...His power of Resurrection predicted...Jn. 11:43,44
Isa. 28:16...The Messiah is the precious corner stone...Acts 4:11,12
Isa. 29:13...He indicated hypocritical obedience to His Word...Mt. 15:7-9
Isa. 29:14...The wise are confounded by the Word...I Cor. 1:18-31
Isa. 32:2...A Refuge-A man shall be a hiding place...Mt. 23:37
Isa. 35:4...He will come and save you...Mt. 1:21
Isa. 35:5...To have a ministry of miracles...Mt. 11:4-6
Isa. 40:3,4...Preceded by forerunner...Jn. 1:23
Isa. 40:9..."Behold your God."...Jn. 1:36;19:14
Isa. 40:11...A shepherd-compassionatelife-giver...Jn. 10:10-18
Isa. 42:1-4...The Servant-as a faithful, patient redeemer... Mt.12:18-21
Isa. 42:2...Meek and lowly... Mt. 11:28-30
Isa. 42:3...He brings hope for the hopeless... Jn. 4
Isa. 42:4...The nations shall wait on His teachings... Jn. 12:20-26
Isa. 42:6...The Light (salvation) of the Gentiles...Lu. 2:32
Isa. 42:1,6...His is a Worldwide compassion... Mt. 28:19,20
Isa. 42:7...Blind eyes opened... Jn. 9:25-38
Isa. 43:11...He is the only Saviour... Acts. 4:12
Isa. 44:3...He will send the Spirit of God... Jn. 16:7,13
Isa. 45:23...He will be the Judge... Jn. 5:22;Rom. 14:11
Isa. 48:12...The First and the Last...Jn. 1:30;Rev. 1:8,17
Isa. 48:17...He came as a Teacher...Jn. 3:2
Isa. 49:1...Called from the womb-His humanity...Mt. 1:18
Isa. 49:5...A Servant from the womb...Lu. 1:31;Phil. 2:7
Isa. 49:6...He is Salvation for Israel...Lu. 2:29-32
Isa. 49:6...He is the Light of the Gentiles...Acts 13:47
Isa. 49:6...He is Salvation unto the ends of the earth... Acts 15:7-18
Isa. 49:7...He is despised of the Nation... Jn. 8:48-49
Isa. 50:3...Heaven is clothed in black at His humiliation... Lu. 23:44,45
Isa. 50:4...He is a learned counsellor for the weary... Mt. 11:28,29
Isa. 50:5...The Servant bound willingly to obedience... Mt. 26:39
Isa. 50:6a..."I gave my back to the smiters."... Mt. 27:26
Isa. 50:6b...He was smitten on the cheeks... Mt. 26:67
Isa. 50:6c...He was spat upon... Mt. 27:30
Isa. 52:7...To publish good tidings of peace... Lu. 4:14,15
Isa. 52:13...The Servant exalted...Acts 1:8-11; Eph. 1:19-22
Isa. 52:13...Behold, My Servant... Mt. 17:5; Phil. 2:5-8
Isa. 52:14...The Servant shockingly abused... Lu. 18:31-34; Mt. 26:67,68
Isa. 52:15...Nations startled by message of the Servant... Rom. 15:18-21
Isa. 52:15...His blood shed to make atonement for all... Rev. 1:5
Isa. 53:1...His people would not believe Him... Jn. 12:37-38
Isa. 53:2a...He would grow up in a poor family.... Lu. 2:7
Isa. 53:2b...Appearance of an ordinary man... Phil. 2:7-8
Isa. 53:3a...Despised.... Lu. 4:28-29
Isa. 53:3b...Rejected... Mt. 27:21-23
Isa. 53:3c...Great sorrow and grief... Lu. 19:41-42
Isa. 53:3d...Men hide from being associated with Him... Mk. 14:50-52
Isa. 53:4a...He would have a healing ministry... Lu. 6:17-19
Isa. 53:4b...He would bear the sins of the world... 1 Pet. 2:24
Isa. 53:4c...Thought to be cursed by God... Mt. 27:41-43
Isa. 53:5a...Bears penalty for mankind's transgressions... Lu. 23:33
Isa. 53:5b...His sacrifice would provide peace between man and God... Col. 1:20
Isa. 53:5c...His back would be whipped... Mt. 27:26
Isa. 53:6a...He would be the sin-bearer for all mankind...Gal. 1:4
Isa. 53:6b...God's will that He bear sin for all mankind... 1 Jn. 4:10
Isa. 53:7a...Oppressed and afflicted... Mt. 27:27-31
Isa. 53:7b...Silent before his accusers... Mt. 27:12-14
Isa. 53:7c...Sacrificial lamb... Jn. 1:29
Isa. 53:8a...Confined and persecuted... Mt. 26:47-27:31
Isa. 53:8b...He would be judged... Jn. 18:13-22
Isa. 53:8c...Killed.... Mt. 27:35
Isa. 53:8d...Dies for the sins of the world... 1 Jn. 2:2
Isa. 53:9a...Buried in a rich man's grave... Mt. 27:57
Isa. 53:9b...Innocent and had done no violence... Mk. 15:3
Isa. 53:9c...No deceit in his mouth... Jn. 18:38
Isa. 53:10a...God's will that He die for mankind... Jn. 18:11
Isa. 53:10b...An offering for sin... Mt. 20:28
Isa. 53:10c...Resurrected and live forever.... Mk. 16:16
Isa. 53:10d...He would prosper... Jn. 17:1-5
Isa. 53:11a...God fully satisfied with His suffering... Jn. 12:27
Isa. 53:11b...God's servant... Rom. 5:18-19
Isa. 53:11c...He would justify man before God... Rom. 5:8-9
Isa. 53:11d...The sin-bearer for all mankind... Heb. 9:28
Isa. 53:12a...Exalted by God because of his sacrifice... Mt. 28:18
Isa. 53:12b...He would give up his life to save mankind... Lu. 23:46
Isa. 53:12c...Grouped with criminals... Lu. 23:32
Isa. 53:12d...Sin-bearer for all mankind... 2 Cor. 5:21
Isa. 53:12e...Intercede to God in behalf of mankind... Lu. 23:34
Isa. 55:3...Resurrected by God... Acts 13:34
Isa. 55:4...A witness... Jn. 18:37
Isa. 59:15-16a...He would come to provide salvation... Jn. 6:40
Isa. 59:15-16b...Intercessor between man and God... Mt. 10:32
Isa. 59:20...He would come to Zion as their Redeemer... Lu. 2:38
Isa. 61:1-2a...The Spirit of God upon him... Mt. 3:16-17
Isa. 61:1-2b...The Messiah would preach the good news... Lu. 4:17-21
Isa. 61:1-2c...Provide freedom from the bondage of sin and death... Jn. 8:31-32
Isa. 61:1-2...Proclaim a period of grace... Jn. 5:24
Jer.23:5-6a...Descendant of David...Lu. 3:23-31
Jer. 23:5-6b...The Messiah would be God... Jn. 13:13
Jer. 23:5-6c...The Messiah would be both God and Man... 1 Tim. 3:16
Jer. 31:22...Born of a virgin... Mt. 1:18-20
Jer. 31:31...The Messiah would be the new covenant... Mt. 26:28
Jer. 33:14-15...Descendant of David... Lu. 3:23-31
Eze.17:22-24...Descendant of David... Lk. 3:23-31
Eze.34:23-24...Descendant of David... Mt. 1:1
Dan. 7:13-14a...He would ascend into heaven... Acts 1:9-11
Dan. 7:13-14b...Highly exalted... Eph. 1:20-22
Dan. 7:13-14c...His dominion would be everlasting... Lu. 1:31-33
Dan. 9:24a...To make an end to sins... Gal. 1:3-5
Dan. 9:24b...He would be holy... Lu. 1:35
Dan. 9:25...Announced to his people 483 years, to the exact day, after the decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem... Jn. 12:12-13
Dan. 9:26a...Killed... Mt. 27:35
Dan. 9:26b...Die for the sins of the world... Heb. 2:9
Dan. 9:26c...Killed before the destruction of the temple... Mt. 27:50-51
Dan. 10:5-6...Messiah in a glorified state... Rev. 1:13-16
Hos. 13:14...He would defeat death... 1 Cor. 15:55-57
Joel 2:32...Offer salvation to all mankind... Rom. 10:12-13
Mic. 5:2a...Born in Bethlehem... Mt. 2:1-2
Mic. 5:2b...God's servant... Jn. 15:10
Mic. 5:2c...From everlasting... Jn. 8:58
Hag. 2:6-9...He would visit the second Temple... Lu. 2:27-32
Hag. 2:23...Descendant of Zerubbabel... Lu. 3:23-27
Zech. 3:8...God's servant... Jn. 17:4
Zech. 6:12-13...Priest and King... Heb. 8:1
Zech. 9:9a...Greeted with rejoicing in Jerusalem... Mt. 21:8-10
Zech. 9:9b...Beheld as King... Jn. 12:12-13
Zech. 9:9c...The Messiah would be just... Jn. 5:30
Zech. 9:9d...The Messiah would bring salvation... Luke 19:10
Zech. 9:9e...The Messiah would be humble... Mt. 11:29
Zech. 9:9f...Presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey... Mt. 21:6-9
Zech. 10:4...The cornerstone... Eph. 2:20
Zech. 11:4-6a...At His coming, Israel to have unfit leaders... Mt. 23:1-4
Zech. 11:4-6b...Rejection causes God to remove His protection.. Lu. 19:41-44
Zech. 11:4-6c...Rejected in favor of another king... Jn. 19:13-15
Zech. 11:7...Ministry to "poor," the believing remnant... Mt. 9:35-36
Zech. 11:8a...Unbelief forces Messiah to reject them... Mt. 23:33
Zech. 11:8b...Despised... Mt. 27:20
Zech. 11:9...Stops ministering to the those who rejected Him... Mt. 13:10-11
Zech. 11:10-11a...Rejection causes God to remove protection... Lu. 19:41-44
Zech. 11:10-11b...The Messiah would be God... Jn. 14:7
Zech. 11:12-13a...Betrayed for thirty pieces of silver... Mt. 26:14-15
Zech. 11:12-13b...Rejected... Mt. 26:14-15
Zech. 11:12-13c...Thirty pieces of silver thrown into the house of the Lord... Mt. 27:3-5
Zech. 11:12-13d...The Messiah would be God... Jn. 12:45
Zech. 12:10a...The Messiah's body would be pierced... Jn. 19:34-37
Zech. 12:10b...The Messiah would be both God and man... Jn. 10:30
Zech. 12:10c...The Messiah would be rejected... Jn. 1:11
Zech. 13:7a...God's will He die for mankind... Jn. 18:11
Zech. 13:7b...A violent death... Mt. 27:35
Zech. 13:7c...Both God and man.. Jn. 14:9
Zech. 13:7d...Israel scattered as a result of rejecting Him... Mt. 26:31-56
Mal. 3:1a...Messenger to prepare the way for Messiah... Mt. 11:10
Mal. 3:1b...Sudden appearance at the temple... Mk. 11:15-16
Mal. 3:1c...Messenger of the new covenant... Lu. 4:43
Mal. 4:5...Forerunner in the spirit of Elijah... Mt. 3:1-2
Mal. 4:6...Forerunner would turn many to righteousness... Lu. 1:16-17

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Human Arrogance

 Testimony of Human arrogance begins right after the story of human beginnings. The second human created rejected the word of God for the shiny fruit of pride. It didn't take much encouragement from the serpent for Eve to ignore God's command and accept the evil premise that 'ol snake spewed forth. He said "you won't die, God is a liar, and when you eat that fruit, you will know as much as God." well, we know how well that worked out, don't we? or do we? Human arrogance is pretty blind, it can't see hardly anything outside itself. It's little wonder that this attitude brought forth it's offspring murder, the ultimate in selfishness. human arrogance mocked Noah, spending all that time building a big boat on dry land had the neighbors rolling in the street. Shortly after God singled out the nation of Israel those people grew rather arrogant against the very source of their strength, as the prophets testified. and even when Jesus, the Christ, the savior of the world was on this earth, the arrogant leadership of the Jews mocked and upbraided the very Lord they claimed to worship. 
 Many people today can look at these examples of human arrogance toward God and shake their heads and mutter against these people of the past, but consider this point, are Humans any less arrogant today than they were then? the chief priests even Mocked Christ as he was hanging on the cross, are there church leaders who would do the same today? 
 Atheists don't believe in God at all they believe all the complex systems that make up the universe just happened, believing against the most basic laws of physics. any scientist knows that is you see an effect, there has to be some cause behind it. is this not arrogance? just as many peoples of the past made a God formed with their own hands, molded by the will of it's human creator so do these folks form a God they can live with, their own delusion.
 even among those who would call their self true believers there can be found similar arrogance, there is a lot of confusion in the church just who the potter is and who's the clay. many people form a God in their imagination to fit their wants or needs. this is ass-backwards. It is God who should be playing the fiddle and it is us, that is, Humans that should be dancing. not the other way around. who gets to choose how to worship God? God? or man? if you say Man, then you don't worship God at all, just some figment of your imagination that you hang God's name on. this occurs not only in individuals, but groups as well, does a lie become a truth if many people believe it? Is truth measured by who accepts it, or how many accept it? I'm convinced truth has to be measured by a standard far higher than my, or any other Human's thought, feeling, or guess. God ought to be the standard, and we ought to be the clay to be molded in his hands. anything else is simply self-delusion on our part either individually or as whatever group we choose to adhere to. what of that question Pontius Pilate asked the Lord? "what is truth?". Did Pilate really want an answer? one could argue the guy was looking truth in the face when he asked that question, it is my hope and prayer nobody holds to, and then falls for, that cynical spirit that is even more prevalent today that it was in Pilate's era. one problem with truth today is few people see any value in it. One of the spirits of this age is relativism, this is the thought that there is no such thing as absolutes, not anywhere, not in truth, values, all is relative to the individuals perception. truth is whatever that individual says it is. well, that might work well until you have any meaningful relation with another individual, when you have a community who thinks that reality conforms to their desires, their many and varied desires, what will the end result be? to even believe such a silly notion as relativism one has to ignore a most basic law of logic. a self contradictory statement can't be true. if I say that "there is no such thing as absolutes", what am i saying? is THIS statement absolutely true? the statement is inferring the absolute truth that there is no absolute truth. the only conclusion one could draw from this is that there is, in fact, absolute truth and that absolute truth is knowable. 
 Humans can have a relationship with truth. 
 The Apostle Paul, in Romans ch.7 talks about the trouble of humans struggling with truth, he talks of seeing things he should do, that he doesn't, and seeing things he shouldn't do, that he does. we all have this dilemma. the carnal fighting the spiritual within us. we know what is good, do it not and we know what is bad, and that, we do. it seems the same problem plagues Humankind throughout history. take a look at the ten commandments as an example.
1 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
3 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6 “You shall not murder.
7 “You shall not commit adultery.
8 “You shall not steal.
9 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”


  Ask yourself what of these seem awful or grievous to you, imagine what society would be like if these were followed, you would not worry about being lied to, not have to worry about letting your children walk to school, wouldn't need locks on your doors as nobody would even think about stealing from their neighbor. look at the freedom Humans would enjoy by following a few simple rules, Put God first, the God who gave you this law, follow this simple law and you would have one incredible community free from worry and mistrust (and even a day off a week in the bargain). you can see how God wants us to live and it is strong evidence God Loves us a lot, seeing how he would like our world to be, it's a big difference from the world we created for ourselves, is it not? what with all the jealousy, envy, strife, arguments, selfishness, bitterness, destruction. all this, because we want to go our own way... seems like maybe God knows us better that we know ourselves, eh? Loving God would seem to have it's benefits. Jesus said if you Love me, keep my commandments. He also said my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 
 Jesus said if we would humble ourselves, that is put God's will over our own, we could enter his kingdom. one cannot enter through any other way, not by following some plan contrived by other people, or some plan you made up yourself, You need to humble yourself and read the plan God made for us. 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Psalm 22

  This Psalm was written a thousand years before Christ. reference the gospel accounts of Jesus crucifixion a millennium after this song was written.

Psa 22:1  To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
Psa 22:2  O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
Psa 22:3  But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psa 22:4  Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
Psa 22:5  They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
Psa 22:6  But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7  All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8  He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psa 22:9  But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
Psa 22:10  I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Psa 22:11  Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Psa 22:12  Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
Psa 22:13  They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
Psa 22:14  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
Psa 22:15  My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
Psa 22:16  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Psa 22:17  I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
Psa 22:18  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Psa 22:19  But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Psa 22:20  Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
Psa 22:21  Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
Psa 22:22  I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Psa 22:23  Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Psa 22:24  For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
Psa 22:25  My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
Psa 22:26  The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psa 22:29  All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
Psa 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psa 22:31  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

 Here is the excerpts of the testimonies of Matthew and Mark.

Mat 27:30  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Mat 27:31  And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Mat 27:35  And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.



Mat 27:39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
Mat 27:40  And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Mat 27:41  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
Mat 27:42  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
Mat 27:43  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Mat 27:44  The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
Mat 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
ar 15:18  And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
Mar 15:19  And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
Mar 15:20  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
Mar 15:24  And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
ar 15:29  And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
Mar 15:30  Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
Mar 15:31  Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
Mar 15:32  Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Mar 15:33  And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Mar 15:34  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 This is just a tiny part of prophesy that was written, then mostly fulfilled a thousand years after. one could darn near get the sum total of the gospel of Christ from the book of Isaiah, while  scholars disagree on when Isaiah was written, a copy of pretty much the whole book was found in the dead sea area that pre-dates Christ by at least a hundred years. you don't find extensive detailed prophesies in any other book. this is why I find it worth putting real serious study to.  

sa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Isa 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
Isa 50:6  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Isa 50:7  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Isa 52:14  As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
Isa 52:15  So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isa 59:15  Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
Isa 59:16  And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Isa 59:17  For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;





 There is much more about what Christ will do in the future, something for another time.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Who is (your) God?

 Catchy title, aint it?

  Somebody who was once very close to me liked to throw the phrase "don't be so heavenly minded your no earthly good" at me as some kind of accusation. well, I sincerely wish I was MORE heavenly minded and personally believe if I was, I would be MORE earthly good. so in light of this, pretty much all I will be posting on this blog anymore is going to an effort to nudge whoever might find this blog towards Christ.

 Is God who HE thinks he is or is God who YOU think he is?

 I think this is a very, very, important question. how does one person know another? do you know someone by going to their house? or by having a 5 minute chat in the coffeehouse? or jogging with then in the park one morning? do you get to know someone by talking about them with a third party? or working beside them or sharing a cab ride?
 You can get to know bits and pieces of a person by all of the above but none of these will give you a clear picture. how many times to people just get these bits and pieces and fill all the blanks in in their own mind? and, when they have done this, come to think that this construct of their mind is really the person they met? sadly, this happens all too often in life between people. People make judgments about others all the time without all the information. most people are even aware of this yet still continue this same activity.

 Do people do this with God too? What is the best way to get to know God? listen to the gossip? or go to the most direct source?

Saturday, December 11, 2010

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse

 Ever wonder about these ghastly riders? wonder when they will ride? or are they already? 
 
 Many people have no belief in even a concept of God, or believe if there is such, Man cannot understand or even prove the existence of such. to such people I  have little to say but to let God speak for Himself. I quote Psalms 14. 



(Psa 14:1)  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
 Not only Does God say such people are fools, but it would seem God is saying he IS knowable. but how does one get to know God? after all, if you look the world over and see God's self-proclaimed representatives, the Church, what knowledge of God do you find there? For one church teaches one thing and the next church down the street teaches another. where then are God TRUE representatives? the Catholics? Lutherans? Baptists? Mormons? the Jehovah's Witness knockin on your door? who? all churches have some statement of faith or book of discipline or catechism members have to abide by or be shown the door, or receive the left foot of dis-fellowship if by chance there is one point or another where you might disagree with the accepted "truth" as the leadership would put it. some might wonder why I've only listed only Christian churches here? well one thing Christianity and Judaism have is a book as it's foundation, claimed to be inspired by God. but what about Islam you ask? it has a book claimed to be inspired by God! yes it does, but two obvious differences are that the Quran was written by just one man, obviously AFTER the Bible, that was written by 44 people, yet with amazing continuity. obviously twisting and perverting what the Bible, that was written before it, says. which, if you were to accept that, you would have to say God changes his mind and/or is wishy-washy like charlie brown, or lies, one of the two. any time I find a lie, I assume the liar is not God, but human. so the quran was obviously written by a lying human. read it yourself, to be intellectually honest you would have to come to the same conclusion.  The other big difference  is the Bible is chock full of prophecy. even if you don't want to use prophecy for it's predictive value you do have to look at the phenomena of prophesies written centuries before the events they described having been fulfilled literally in the past. that rules out not just Islam but Judaism too, for Judaism Ignored a heaping pile of prophesy by it's own prophets where Jesus is concerned. that pretty much leaves Christianity. One has to wonder about the state of the Church though. look around and there are all kinds of people claiming to represent the Lord, and many contradicting each other (and sometimes themselves) and fighting amongst themselves about this bit or that bit. none seem to represent like the early church of the first century that were under the disciples do they? I read somewhere a survey that said about 5% of the people claiming to be Christians actually read the whole Bible. kinda sad, when you think about it. how many are placing their faith in Christ directly? or placing their faith in some construct of their mind they hang Jesus' name on? each person will have to decide for themselves. back to the Horsemen:

(Rev 6:2)  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
 This white horseman is trying to look like somebody, who? Jesus himself said "many will come in MY NAME", this gent surely does not look like the Lord on the white horse described in Rev 19., an impostor? many have done horrible things in Jesus' name, many pogroms of time past and the inquisition come to mind, I'm just trying to note that not all who come in Jesus name are true. one best study scripture in order to know the real from the fake.


(Rev 6:4)  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

  This kinda looks like the spirit of Islam to me, there is no place either in history or currently that Islamic evangelism is not violent, this religion was quite literally spread with the sword, despite what the current batch of history reformers want you to believe today. even in Europe we see the coercion and the fear engendered by this rider today.

(Rev 6:5)  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
(Rev 6:6)  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

 Looks like the current economic structure to me, the pair of balances, the trade of money for goods, bible scholars say this "penny" here is a day's wages, so the average joe spends his whole day's work for a days worth of groceries. notice today how most families both husband and wife work ever longer hours to make just enough to get by. taking all their time just to work, not being with their families or having the time to teach their kids, work is everything, money is everything. no time or effort for much else. "hurt not the oil or wine" save this for the wealthy folks, look at the dirty underbelly of our world economy and you see a mere few families holding most of the wealth of the world. I'm not talking of the wealthy you see in the papers, the wealth of Bill Gates or even the Kings and Emir's  of the middle east are a pittance to those who hold the keys to the fractional reserve banking establishment hiding in the shadows and pulling the strings behind governments of the world today.

(Rev 6:8)  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

 this one is kinda obvious, It is no secret we can kill each other with an efficiency today never seen before in the not to distant past. most folks thing these prophecies are of some long distant future, to me it looks like these riders are making their travels today. Do you think perhaps God wrote scripture for our benefit? Do you think that only some scripture is worthwhile while other scripture is not? does some scripture scare you? how many times does the phrase "fear not" show up in the Bible? I think prophecy is written for a reason, much of the reason is to confirm the word, all scripture is worthwhile. Most people, If they want to know what someone is thinking, would go to THAT PERSON. why is it that when so many want to know what God is thinking, go to someone else to tell them what God is thinking, rather than go to the closest source to them, the BIBLE.

 UPDATE: I may have been hasty in just what spirits these horses relate to, the red horse may very well be the spirit of communism/socialism. and the pale horse at the end the spirit of Islam. all the powers of the earth merge into a final human government. while Islam got it's start before communism it is only just recently become a real world-size power.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Handel's Messiah

Handel's Messiah is my favorite baroque era work. It is the Gospel of Christ from is birth, John the Baptist's paving the way ministry to the establishment of his kingdom here on earth at his second coming, set to music! One of the things that strikes me so is what Handel understood then. pretty much the entire text of the work is from prophecy. very little is from the gospels. the promise of salvation, his sacrifice, death, resurrection, his coming again, his creation of an earthly kingdom, all this Handel understood way back in 1741!
About a third of the bible is prophecy, about a third of that prophecy has been fulfilled (literally too, not allegorically), nearly all prophecy has to do with Christ. so, there is about two thirds of this whole third of the scriptures that are prophecy about what Christ will do in the future. seems like something worth putting some study to, don't it?

here is a list of the scriptures that comprise the work:

MESSIAH

(1) Overture.
(2) Isaiah 40:1-3 “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned ...“
“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord) make straight in the desert a highway for our God”.
(3) Isaiah 40:4 “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain"
(4) Isaiah 40:5 “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”.
(5) Haggai 2:6&7 “... and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come..."
(6) Malachi 3:2 “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire...”
(7) Malachi 3:3 “... and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering of righteousness."
(8) Isaiah 7:14 “... Behold,a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name lmmanuel”.
(9) Isaiah 40:9 & 60:1 “0 Zion,that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain;O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee”.
(10) Isaiah 60:2&3 “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall rise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee”. "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising:"
(11) Isaiah 9:2 “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined!”
(12) Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace"
(13) Pastoral Symphony.
(14) Luke 2:8&9 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid”.
(15) Luke 2: l0 &11 ‘And the angel said unto them, fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord”.
(16) Luke 2:13 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying”.
(17) Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”.
(18) Zechariah 9: pt.9 & pt.14 ” Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy king cometh unto thee ...“
(Added by Handel) “He, is the righteous Saviour” (Then part of verse 10) “he shall speak peace unto the heathen ...“
(19) Isaiah 35:5&6 “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped”. “Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and:the tongue of the dumb sing ...“
(20) Isaiah 40:11 and Matthew 11 :28 & 29 “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young”.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”.
(21) Matthew 11:30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.
(22) John 1:29. "... Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”.
(23) Isaiah 53:3 & 50:6 “He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows and aquainted with grief...”
“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting”.
(24) Isaiah 53:4&5 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.... he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him ...“
(25) Isaiah 53:5 “... and with his stripes we are healed”.
(26) Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all”.
(27) Psalm 22:7 “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, and shake the head saying”.
(28) Psalm 22:8. “He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him".
(29) Psalm 69:20 “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none”.
(30) Lamentations 1:12 “... behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow”.
(31) Isaiah 53:8 “He was taken from prison and from judgement: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken”.
(32) Psalm 16:10 “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell: neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption”.
(33) Psalm 24:10 “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory”.
(34) Hebrews 1:5 “... unto which of the angels said he at anytime, thou art my beloved Son, this day have I begotten thee?”.
(35) Hebrews 1:6 ”... let all the angels of God worship him”.
(36) Psalm 68:18 “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them”.
(37) Psalm 68:11 “The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those that published it”.
(38) Romans 10:15 “... How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.”
(39) Romans 10:18 “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world”.
(40) Psalm 2:1 &2 “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing! The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed saying”.
(41) Psalm 2:3 “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us”.
(42) Psalm 2:4 “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision”.
(43) Psalm 2:9 ”Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron: thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessel”.
(44) Rev. 19:6: 11:15 and 19:16. “. . ,Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth”.
“... The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever"
“...KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”.
(45) Job 19:25: 19:26 and I Corinthians 15:20. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. Though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see GOD”. “ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first:fruits of them that slept”.
(46) I Corinthians 15:21 & 22. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”.
(47) I Corinthians 15:51 & 52. ”Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump."
(48) I Corinthians 15:52 and 15:53. “... for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”.
(49) I Corinthians 15:54, ” ... then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory”.
(50) I Corinthians 15:55 & 56. “0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?”
“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law”.
(51) I Corinthians 15:57. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(52) Romans 8:31, 33 and 34. “...lf God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God That justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died: yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
(53) Revelation 5:12, 5:9, 5 12 and 5:13. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain...”
“.. .and has redeemed us to God by thy blood ...“ "to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”.
“Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever”. Amen.

These are the texts Handel chose to write Messiah which is truly a picture of the glory of God. It gives us glimpse of heaven and reminds us of the importance of our indispensable God and Saviour. Handel used over seventy quotations from Scripture. Many more are available in the Bible providing further enlightenment.


This is a flash mob performance of the Alleluia Chorus of Handel's Messiah in a mall food court somewhere in Ontario. good thing this was performed in Canada, because if this was a mall in the US it would likely have ended in arrests, or at least lawsuits being filed by CAIR or the ACLU. perhaps even Homeland security would have gotten involved as this chorus, concerning Christ establishing an earthly kingdom in the future, is clearly seditious in nature, and a threat to Emperor O! :-D




Sunday, December 05, 2010

The party all should want to attend, but will they really want to?

This is not an original idea of mine, but my thoughts on a little sermon I heard yesterday from Andy Stanley.
Most of us have read the story of the prodigal son. few of us have really understood it completely, most of us think we have forgiveness in our hearts, but do we really? how much time do many of us spend harboring an unforgiving attitude at people around us?
The parable Yeshua relates is about a Father and his two sons, the elder, a steady responsible young man who worked tirelessly for his father and the younger son who, it seems lacks a bit in heart and mind. one day this youngster walks up to pops and says "hey pops!, you know one day a portion of your wealth will be mine, but dang it you 'aint dying fast enough to suit me pops, I want my share now! I got important things I want to do NOW and it looks like you 'aint going to kick off fast enough to suit me."
So, what does the 'ol man do? he GIVES it to him! do you believe that shit! can you wonder what the neighbors think! can you wonder what Yeshua's audience was thinking? many of these were sinners and publicans, publicans being civil servants, government workers, in that time and place any people working for the Roman government was considered the lowest of the low by the "church" leadership of the time. and on the other side of the room was the church leadership itself, who quite simply could not understand how a teacher of scripture could dare allow himself to be associated with the lowly sinners sitting around him. consider their thoughts of this story. even the most self centered man there probably thought to himself that this young man in the story was a real lowlife bastard right? anyhow, back to the story:
our young jackass packs up and goes to a faraway city and spends his inheritance on wine, women, and song until he wastes the entire sum. then the economy takes a dive and the only job this young Jew can find is taking care of some dude's hogs. now, Imagine what our teachers audience is thinking now! surely the fine church leaders, the scribes and pharisees are thinking this young prick got what he deserved, right? I imagine even the commoners and sinners in the room are thinking the same thing too, there is probably complete consent in the whole room of scribes, pharisees AND publicans, common folk, and sinners that this little jerk got his just desserts eh? bet this is the end of the story right? nope, the teachers story goes on:
after a while the jerk thinks "hey, pops servants get better treatment than this, they got clothes to wear and food to eat, I'm going to go home and beg pops to take me back as his lowest servant. at least my Jewish father won't have any disgusting hogs to tend. I will confess my gross sin, and declare my unworthiness to be called his son, I can maybe tend his goats or something." so off our little jerk goes back home to pop, working out the little speech he's going to give to beg for any lowly job pop might have to give him. (pay attention to what happens now!) when he was yet a far way off his father saw him, had COMPASSION on him and RAN TO him and hugged him around the neck, and even before our jerk could ask forgiveness pop's orders servants to bring out his best robe, shoes, and a ring for his hand, (many of you folks today may not know what the ring signifies, but it means pop recognizes him as his SON). but, not only that, but orders the servants to kill the fatted calf and organize a party! call all the neighbors, church fellows, and family! it's party time! can you imagine the shock this crowd got when they found out what the party was for? oh, you remember pop's youngest, the brat who demanded his inheritance to run off and carouse with the whores, drunks, and dope heads in the faraway city? yeah, well he came back to pop's house in rags and smelling of hogshit and we're having the biggest party we ever had over it!
now cue the older brother, the older loyal, steadfast brother. upon hearing all the commotion asks one of the servants what's going on? and HE hears all this shit! and great indignation wells up within him! why how DARE Pop's have a party for that sorry asshole brother of mine when I worked hard and took care of all the chores and never balked once at all Pop's asked ME to do and he never so much as gave me a kidd of the goats to have a little party with my friends! what shit is this? Can you share in this brother's indignation? what think you? you can bet the scribes Pharisees and temple elders probably could. but what about you? look here what happens next:
Pop said to his older son "you were ever with me, all that I have is yours, it is RIGHT that we should be happy, because your little brother was dead, and now he lives, was lost but now he's found."
All that is important to Pop in this story is that they are together, present in each others company. no "what ya done for me lately." no "I'm right, you're wrong". nothing like that. Pop required no explanation, heck the brat did not even have time to say his little speech to his father before his father saw him "a long way off" and had compassion on him. Pop's knew before he heard a word what he was going to do for this wayward son. do you disagree with Pops? do you realize just who you are disagreeing with? All of us want redemption, but I often wonder why it seems to me that many people want to think they have some sort of "special" relationship with the lord that someone else doesn't have, like MY relationship with the Lord is better than YOUR relationship with him because I did this and that but YOU did that and this. YOU associate with the wrong crowd, YOU don't go to Church enough, YOU don't pray as loud or as often as I do. etc. etc. etc. This list can go on forever. but do we really want a Lord that will save only as some payment for some work we have done? if you run faster than your neighbor you win he doesn't? is that how ya want it? thankfully, that's not the case. Salvation is solely the work of Yeshua. and nobody can boast of any great work having gotten him or her any extra favor towards salvation. Hooray for that!