Monday, September 16, 2013
Who has instructed the mind... ?
September 16, 2013 at 2:58pm
I am a cautious person these days. If the churches today show anything it is that there is more agreement in heaven than on earth. But read all the way to the finish, for I am able to "end well."
If it is so: How do we know apostles and prophets have ceased? How do we know WHEN that happened? Their office provided two things which are very advantageous to those sheep inclined to receive them: the authority of the inspired word of the prophet and the authority of the apostle to command. Today we see much in the churches as in the days of the judges we all do what is right in our own eyes. For a truth so important as the end of the prophetic and apostolic gifts to the church, one would need a clear prophecy! And I note the word "GAVE" from Ephesians 4:11::
11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Who is to say God stopped giving?
AND THEY WERE GIVEN FOR A PURPOSE!
Ephesians 4:11::
12 for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:
13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
Have we attained, have all attained? Are we full grown? Are we no longer children?
I fear it is that we have stopped receiving the gifts. It may well be in part because the prophet and apostle call us to surrender our pastoral authority and autonomy a bit more than we might like.
I just do not see it. I may not be a prophet or an apostle, and all those called prophets and apostles today may be false, but where can we find FROM THE SCRIPTURES WHEN the giving of the apostles and prophets has ceased? Those who teach it must provide that answer. There is the additional problem that in 1 Corinthians 13 tongues and knowledge cease too! And there also no mention is made of apostleship ceasing.
Could it be that as a result of the dominating anti-semitism in the 4th and 5th centuries and with the church state marriage this teaching will be found to have come in? It makes sense to me that Rome's popes would find apostles and prophets truly uncomfortable fellows and very inconvenient! Perhaps the “closing of the canon of scripture” brought the idea that we have the scriptures and they are enough! Not everyone had the scriptures then, and even today not everyone has them!
There are many peoples TODAY without Bibles in their own tongue. I sincerely believe apostles and prophets as well as tongues and knowledge to be essential for the people in those areas. The church sends out missionaries with the gospel to those never who have never heard it and are they not doing the same great commission as the 11 apostles did?
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
It could be said He sent them out as teachers from this verse, and do we send out missionaries to teach? But the recognition of an apostle or a prophet (OR evangelist, pastor and teacher too?) requires divine sanction, and would that not mean prophetic sanction?
For the church’s sake it makes more sense for even all the gifts to cease after the Lord is seated on David's throne than before. The need for them to fulfill their purpose is far greater for the church today than it will be then. Yes? No?
Builders and architects say a foundation does not continue right throughout the building. THAT is a stronger point than any other I have heard. Yet it does not account for the truth that the church is a building like none other. Not only is it made of living stones, but it gets larger and larger by the day. For that reasoning the foundation must grow larger too! Yes? No? To bear the weight of the present day church with the specific ministry works apostles and prophets peculiarly perform.
One thing I'm pretty sure of, we should not exclude apostles and prophets on the basis of that there are those who are now false apostles and prophets. I don't reject real money because there is some that is counterfeit, in fact I seek the real money all the more!
Philippians 1:14-15
American Standard Version (ASV)
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16 the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel;
17 but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.
18 What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
So whether there be apostles and prophets today is in the end eclipsed by the preaching of the gospel and the receiving of the gospel, if not apostles and prophets also!
Ephesians 4
15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;
16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.
September 16, 2013 at 2:58pm
I am a cautious person these days. If the churches today show anything it is that there is more agreement in heaven than on earth. But read all the way to the finish, for I am able to "end well."
If it is so: How do we know apostles and prophets have ceased? How do we know WHEN that happened? Their office provided two things which are very advantageous to those sheep inclined to receive them: the authority of the inspired word of the prophet and the authority of the apostle to command. Today we see much in the churches as in the days of the judges we all do what is right in our own eyes. For a truth so important as the end of the prophetic and apostolic gifts to the church, one would need a clear prophecy! And I note the word "GAVE" from Ephesians 4:11::
11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Who is to say God stopped giving?
AND THEY WERE GIVEN FOR A PURPOSE!
Ephesians 4:11::
12 for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:
13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
Have we attained, have all attained? Are we full grown? Are we no longer children?
I fear it is that we have stopped receiving the gifts. It may well be in part because the prophet and apostle call us to surrender our pastoral authority and autonomy a bit more than we might like.
I just do not see it. I may not be a prophet or an apostle, and all those called prophets and apostles today may be false, but where can we find FROM THE SCRIPTURES WHEN the giving of the apostles and prophets has ceased? Those who teach it must provide that answer. There is the additional problem that in 1 Corinthians 13 tongues and knowledge cease too! And there also no mention is made of apostleship ceasing.
Could it be that as a result of the dominating anti-semitism in the 4th and 5th centuries and with the church state marriage this teaching will be found to have come in? It makes sense to me that Rome's popes would find apostles and prophets truly uncomfortable fellows and very inconvenient! Perhaps the “closing of the canon of scripture” brought the idea that we have the scriptures and they are enough! Not everyone had the scriptures then, and even today not everyone has them!
There are many peoples TODAY without Bibles in their own tongue. I sincerely believe apostles and prophets as well as tongues and knowledge to be essential for the people in those areas. The church sends out missionaries with the gospel to those never who have never heard it and are they not doing the same great commission as the 11 apostles did?
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
It could be said He sent them out as teachers from this verse, and do we send out missionaries to teach? But the recognition of an apostle or a prophet (OR evangelist, pastor and teacher too?) requires divine sanction, and would that not mean prophetic sanction?
For the church’s sake it makes more sense for even all the gifts to cease after the Lord is seated on David's throne than before. The need for them to fulfill their purpose is far greater for the church today than it will be then. Yes? No?
Builders and architects say a foundation does not continue right throughout the building. THAT is a stronger point than any other I have heard. Yet it does not account for the truth that the church is a building like none other. Not only is it made of living stones, but it gets larger and larger by the day. For that reasoning the foundation must grow larger too! Yes? No? To bear the weight of the present day church with the specific ministry works apostles and prophets peculiarly perform.
One thing I'm pretty sure of, we should not exclude apostles and prophets on the basis of that there are those who are now false apostles and prophets. I don't reject real money because there is some that is counterfeit, in fact I seek the real money all the more!
Philippians 1:14-15
American Standard Version (ASV)
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16 the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel;
17 but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.
18 What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
So whether there be apostles and prophets today is in the end eclipsed by the preaching of the gospel and the receiving of the gospel, if not apostles and prophets also!
Ephesians 4
15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;
16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Anti-Semitism or WHAT???
Anti-Semitism or WHAT???
Anti-Semitism or WHAT???
What we call “anti-semitism” today is simply the age old hatred of Satan for every good thing God made and also redeemed! Regrettably for too many men (and women), they have been caught up in this satanic hatred which expresses itself firstly and most vehemently against the Jews!
“First the SATURDAY people then the Sunday people.”
It is ironic because Satan just trippingly follows in his hatred in parallel to God’s word!
Romans 1:16
American Standard Version (ASV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and [then] also to the Greek [gentile]. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%201.16&version=ASV#
It has been some time since I posted a note, but this topic has been "brewing" in my heart/mind for some good few years now. I have used some bold fonts, but IMHO the passages need to be studied, even more carefully by this man..........MOI ! : )
IMHO it is not simply anti-semitism, it is anti-Judaism and anti-Christian (anti-Messianic) and ... Anti-One New Man !!!!!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%201.16&version=ASV#
Romans 1:16
American Standard Version (ASV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and [then] also to the Greek [gentile].
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zech%201:12-21&version=ASV
Zechariah 1:15
American Standard Version (ASV)
12 Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
13 And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even comfortable words.
14 So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.
17 Cry yet again, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity; and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
18 And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.
19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
20 And Jehovah showed me four smiths.
21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.God’s devotion to Israel is everlasting and He is COVENANTALLY FAITHFUL to her. Israel will have a complete reversal of future [soon?] even as it is: AFTER she goes through the great tribulation [also coming soon?]. We gentiles need to wake up to these facts! This is seen again clearly especially in Ezekiel 36:8-15 (below) We are grafted into Messianic Israel where ever she is today and every future day! This is why Paul wrote admonishing Rome in his letter to them Ch.’s 9-11 !!!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezek%2035:1-5&version=ASV
Ezekiel 35:1-5
American Standard Version (ASV)
35 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
3 and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will make thee a desolation and an astonishment.
4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.
5 Because thou hast had a perpetual enmity, and hast given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end;
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2036:1-15&version=ASV
Ezekiel 36:1-15
American Standard Version (ASV)
36 And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah.
2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! and, The ancient high places are ours in possession;
3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
4 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;
5 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.
6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations:
7 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.
8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.
9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn into you, and ye shall be tilled and sown;
10 and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded;
11 and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of children.
13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, Thou land art a devourer of men, and hast been a bereaver of thy nation;
14 therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nation any more, saith the Lord Jehovah;
15 neither will I let thee hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nation to stumble any more, saith the Lord Jehovah.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2010.5-27&version=ASV
Isaiah 10:5-27
American Standard Version (ASV)
5 Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation!
6 I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes all of them kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excelthem of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
13 For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down them that sit on thrones:
14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood.
16 Therefore will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire.
17 And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And he will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and it shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.
19 And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child may write them.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return: a destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a full end, and that determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, make in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation against thee shall be accomplished, and mine anger shall be directed to his destruction.
26 And Jehovah of hosts will stir up against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of fatness.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lamentations%201&version=ASV
Lamentations 1 (7,21)
American Standard Version (ASV)
1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! She is become as a widow, that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces is become tributary!
2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they are become her enemies.
3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude; She dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest: All her persecutors overtook her within the straits.
4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.
5 Her adversaries are become the head, her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: Her young children are gone into captivity before the adversary.
6 And from the daughter of Zion all her majesty is departed: Her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, And they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembereth in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that were from the days of old: When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and none did help her, The adversaries saw her, they did mock at her desolations.
8 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is become as an unclean thing; All that honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: Yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
9 Her filthiness was in her skirts; she remembered not her latter end; Therefore is she come down wonderfully; she hath no comforter: Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified himself.
10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine assembly.
11 All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.
12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is brought upon me, Wherewith Jehovah hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
13 From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: He hath made me desolate and faint all the day.
14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand; They are knit together, they are come up upon my neck; he hath made my strength to fail: The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand.
15 The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; Because the comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.
17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands; there is none to comfort her; Jehovah hath commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries: Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.
18 Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow: My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: My priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, While they sought them food to refresh their souls.
20 Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
21 They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me; All mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: Thou wilt bring the day that thou hast proclaimed, and they shall be like unto me.
22 Let all their wickedness come before thee; And do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Obadiah+1&version=ASV
Obadiah 1
American Standard Version (ASV)
1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom: We have heard tidings from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
2 Behold, I have made thee small among the nations: thou art greatly despised.
3 The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
4 Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah.
5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night (how art thou cut off!), would they not steal only till they had enough? if grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
6 How are the things of Esau searched! how are his hidden treasures sought out!
7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him.
8 Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter.
10 For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
12 But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress.
13 Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.
14 And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress.
15 For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head.
16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been.
17 But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for Jehovah hath spoken it.
19 And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South.
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be Jehovah's.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jer%2050&version=ASV
Jeremiah 50
American Standard Version (ASV)
50 The word that Jehovah spake concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 Declare ye among the nations and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.
4 In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping, and shall seek Jehovah their God.
5 They shall inquire concerning Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come ye, andjoin yourselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6 My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place.
7 All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness, even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers.
8 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks.
9 For, lo, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain.
10 And Chaldea shall be a prey: all that prey upon her shall be satisfied, saith Jehovah.
11 Because ye are glad, because ye rejoice, O ye that plunder my heritage, because ye are wanton as a heifer that treadeth out the grain, and neigh as strong horses;
12 your mother shall be utterly put to shame; she that bare you shall be confounded: behold, she shall be the hindermost of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of Jehovah she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
14 Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against Jehovah.
15 Shout against her round about: she hath submitted herself; her bulwarks are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of Jehovah: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
17 Israel is a hunted sheep; the lions have driven him away: first, the king of Assyria devoured him; and now at last Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
18 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
19 And I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead.
20 In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I leave as a remnant.
21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: slay and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against Jehovah.
25 Jehovah hath opened his armory, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation; for the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, hath a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the utmost border; open her store-houses; cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of Jehovah our God, the vengeance of his temple.
29 Call together the archers against Babylon, all them that bend the bow; encamp against her round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath been proud against Jehovah, against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets, and all her men of war shall be brought to silence in that day, saith Jehovah.
31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou proud one, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
32 And the proud one shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all that are round about him.
33 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together; and all that took them captive hold them fast; they refuse to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of hosts is his name: he will thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith Jehovah, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36 A sword is upon the boasters, and they shall become fools; a sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed.
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed.
38 A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up; for it is a land of graven images, and they are mad over idols.
39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wolves shall dwell there, and the ostriches shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, so shall no man dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.
41 Behold, a people cometh from the north; and a great nation and many kings shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon hath heard the tidings of them, and his hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44 Behold, the enemy shall come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation: for I will suddenly make them run away from it; and whoso is chosen, him will I appoint over it: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a time? and who is the shepherd that can stand before me?
45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembleth, and the cry is heard among the nations.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=zeph%202&version=ASV
Zephaniah 2
American Standard Version (ASV)
2 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame;
2 before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.
4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
6 And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them, and bring back their captivity.
8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
9 Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them.
10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
11 Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations.
12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness.
14 And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work.
15 This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zephaniah%203&version=ASV
Zephaniah 3
American Standard Version (ASV)
3 Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city!
2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God.
3 Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow.
4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
5 Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
6 I have cut off nations; their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
7 I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
8 Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
11 In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah.
13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not fear evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; O Zion, let not thy hands be slack.
17 Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.
18 I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon her was a reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth.
20 At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah.
What we call “anti-semitism” today is simply the age old hatred of Satan for every good thing God made and also redeemed! Regrettably for too many men (and women), they have been caught up in this satanic hatred which expresses itself firstly and most vehemently against the Jews!
“First the SATURDAY people then the Sunday people.”
It is ironic because Satan just trippingly follows in his hatred in parallel to God’s word!
Romans 1:16
American Standard Version (ASV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and [then] also to the Greek [gentile]. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%201.16&version=ASV#
It has been some time since I posted a note, but this topic has been "brewing" in my heart/mind for some good few years now. I have used some bold fonts, but IMHO the passages need to be studied, even more carefully by this man..........MOI ! : )
IMHO it is not simply anti-semitism, it is anti-Judaism and anti-Christian (anti-Messianic) and ... Anti-One New Man !!!!!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%201.16&version=ASV#
Romans 1:16
American Standard Version (ASV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and [then] also to the Greek [gentile].
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zech%201:12-21&version=ASV
Zechariah 1:15
American Standard Version (ASV)
12 Then the angel of Jehovah answered and said, O Jehovah of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?
13 And Jehovah answered the angel that talked with me with good words, even comfortable words.
14 So the angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
15 And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are at ease; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies; my house shall be built in it, saith Jehovah of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth over Jerusalem.
17 Cry yet again, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: My cities shall yet overflow with prosperity; and Jehovah shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
18 And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, four horns.
19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
20 And Jehovah showed me four smiths.
21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head; but these are come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations, which lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.God’s devotion to Israel is everlasting and He is COVENANTALLY FAITHFUL to her. Israel will have a complete reversal of future [soon?] even as it is: AFTER she goes through the great tribulation [also coming soon?]. We gentiles need to wake up to these facts! This is seen again clearly especially in Ezekiel 36:8-15 (below) We are grafted into Messianic Israel where ever she is today and every future day! This is why Paul wrote admonishing Rome in his letter to them Ch.’s 9-11 !!!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezek%2035:1-5&version=ASV
Ezekiel 35:1-5
American Standard Version (ASV)
35 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
3 and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will make thee a desolation and an astonishment.
4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.
5 Because thou hast had a perpetual enmity, and hast given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end;
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2036:1-15&version=ASV
Ezekiel 36:1-15
American Standard Version (ASV)
36 And thou, son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of Jehovah.
2 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! and, The ancient high places are ours in possession;
3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
4 therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;
5 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land unto themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.
6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame of the nations:
7 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying, Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.
8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come.
9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn into you, and ye shall be tilled and sown;
10 and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded;
11 and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of children.
13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, Thou land art a devourer of men, and hast been a bereaver of thy nation;
14 therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nation any more, saith the Lord Jehovah;
15 neither will I let thee hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nation to stumble any more, saith the Lord Jehovah.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2010.5-27&version=ASV
Isaiah 10:5-27
American Standard Version (ASV)
5 Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation!
6 I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes all of them kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excelthem of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
13 For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down them that sit on thrones:
14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood.
16 Therefore will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire.
17 And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And he will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and it shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.
19 And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child may write them.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return: a destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a full end, and that determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, make in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation against thee shall be accomplished, and mine anger shall be directed to his destruction.
26 And Jehovah of hosts will stir up against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of fatness.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lamentations%201&version=ASV
Lamentations 1 (7,21)
American Standard Version (ASV)
1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! She is become as a widow, that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces is become tributary!
2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they are become her enemies.
3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude; She dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest: All her persecutors overtook her within the straits.
4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.
5 Her adversaries are become the head, her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: Her young children are gone into captivity before the adversary.
6 And from the daughter of Zion all her majesty is departed: Her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, And they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembereth in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that were from the days of old: When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and none did help her, The adversaries saw her, they did mock at her desolations.
8 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is become as an unclean thing; All that honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: Yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
9 Her filthiness was in her skirts; she remembered not her latter end; Therefore is she come down wonderfully; she hath no comforter: Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified himself.
10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine assembly.
11 All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.
12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is brought upon me, Wherewith Jehovah hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
13 From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: He hath made me desolate and faint all the day.
14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand; They are knit together, they are come up upon my neck; he hath made my strength to fail: The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand.
15 The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; Because the comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.
17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands; there is none to comfort her; Jehovah hath commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries: Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.
18 Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow: My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: My priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, While they sought them food to refresh their souls.
20 Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.
21 They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me; All mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: Thou wilt bring the day that thou hast proclaimed, and they shall be like unto me.
22 Let all their wickedness come before thee; And do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Obadiah+1&version=ASV
Obadiah 1
American Standard Version (ASV)
1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning Edom: We have heard tidings from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
2 Behold, I have made thee small among the nations: thou art greatly despised.
3 The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
4 Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah.
5 If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night (how art thou cut off!), would they not steal only till they had enough? if grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
6 How are the things of Esau searched! how are his hidden treasures sought out!
7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him.
8 Shall I not in that day, saith Jehovah, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
9 And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter.
10 For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
12 But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress.
13 Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.
14 And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress.
15 For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head.
16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been.
17 But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for Jehovah hath spoken it.
19 And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, shall possess even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South.
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be Jehovah's.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jer%2050&version=ASV
Jeremiah 50
American Standard Version (ASV)
50 The word that Jehovah spake concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 Declare ye among the nations and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.
4 In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping, and shall seek Jehovah their God.
5 They shall inquire concerning Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come ye, andjoin yourselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6 My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place.
7 All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness, even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers.
8 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks.
9 For, lo, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain.
10 And Chaldea shall be a prey: all that prey upon her shall be satisfied, saith Jehovah.
11 Because ye are glad, because ye rejoice, O ye that plunder my heritage, because ye are wanton as a heifer that treadeth out the grain, and neigh as strong horses;
12 your mother shall be utterly put to shame; she that bare you shall be confounded: behold, she shall be the hindermost of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of Jehovah she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
14 Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against Jehovah.
15 Shout against her round about: she hath submitted herself; her bulwarks are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of Jehovah: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
17 Israel is a hunted sheep; the lions have driven him away: first, the king of Assyria devoured him; and now at last Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
18 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
19 And I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead.
20 In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I leave as a remnant.
21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: slay and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against Jehovah.
25 Jehovah hath opened his armory, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation; for the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, hath a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the utmost border; open her store-houses; cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of Jehovah our God, the vengeance of his temple.
29 Call together the archers against Babylon, all them that bend the bow; encamp against her round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath been proud against Jehovah, against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets, and all her men of war shall be brought to silence in that day, saith Jehovah.
31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou proud one, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
32 And the proud one shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all that are round about him.
33 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together; and all that took them captive hold them fast; they refuse to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of hosts is his name: he will thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith Jehovah, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36 A sword is upon the boasters, and they shall become fools; a sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed.
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed.
38 A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up; for it is a land of graven images, and they are mad over idols.
39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wolves shall dwell there, and the ostriches shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, so shall no man dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.
41 Behold, a people cometh from the north; and a great nation and many kings shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon hath heard the tidings of them, and his hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44 Behold, the enemy shall come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation: for I will suddenly make them run away from it; and whoso is chosen, him will I appoint over it: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a time? and who is the shepherd that can stand before me?
45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembleth, and the cry is heard among the nations.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=zeph%202&version=ASV
Zephaniah 2
American Standard Version (ASV)
2 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame;
2 before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.
4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
6 And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them, and bring back their captivity.
8 I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
9 Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them.
10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts.
11 Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations.
12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness.
14 And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work.
15 This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zephaniah%203&version=ASV
Zephaniah 3
American Standard Version (ASV)
3 Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city!
2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God.
3 Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow.
4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.
5 Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
6 I have cut off nations; their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
7 I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
8 Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
11 In that day shalt thou not be put to shame for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee thy proudly exulting ones, and thou shalt no more be haughty in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah.
13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even Jehovah, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not fear evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; O Zion, let not thy hands be slack.
17 Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.
18 I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon her was a reproach.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth.
20 At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Jesus! Savior, Messiah, and Lord of all!
Jesus! Savior, Messiah, and Lord of all!
John 3:30-32
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that is come from on high, is above all: he that is of the earth, is of the earth, and speaketh of the earth: he that is come from heaven, is above all.
From my personal experience being unsaved for 27 years and saved for 37, I believe the denominations confuse the heaven out of the average unbeliever, and limit the progress of the average pilgrim. God wants us to be like His Son, not like Martin Luther, John Calvin, or even the Wesley Brothers.
Confessing to be a Baptist or a Presbyterian or a Pentecostal will avail nothing except comfortable admission to human fellowship. Confessing and following the Messiah will bring you into fellowship with the Creator of all things!
1 John 1
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with these our eyes, which we have looked upon, and these hands of ours have handled of that word of life,
2 (For that life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was made manifest unto us.)
3 That I say, which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may also have fellowship with us, and that our fellowship also may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write I unto you, that your joy may be full.
If you study 1 Corinthians you will see that Paul addressed the problem of denominations there.
1 Cor. 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak one thing, and that there be no dissensions among you: but be ye knit together in one mind, and in one judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me, my brethren, of you by them that are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am Paul’s, and I am Apollos’s, and I am Cephas’s and I am Christ’s.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? either were ye baptized into the name of Paul?
1 Cor. 2 :1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of words, or of wisdom, showing unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I esteemed not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was among you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 Neither stood my word, and my preaching in the enticing speech of man’s wisdom, but in plain evidence of the Spirit and of power.
5 That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
And the capper is:
1 Cor. 11:17 ¶ Now in this that I declare, I praise you not, that ye come together, not with profit, but with hurt.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the Church, I hear that there are dissensions among you: and I believe it to be true in some part.
19 For there must be heresies even among you, that they which are approved among you, might be known.
Proverbs 6
16 ¶ These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, his soul abhorreth seven:
19b ... and him that raiseth up contentions among brethren.
It is the devil who divides, and it is weak and proud men who fall to his wily divisiveness.
Jesus said lose your life; take up your cross. He didn't say fast for 3 days or even 40. He didn't say go to seminary instead of law school or even to the mission field instead of wall street. And he most certainly never said develop your own following by starting a denomination. Essentially He said "Prepare to DIE! They are gonna hate and kill me, and they are gonna hate and kill you too! Cut your attachments to a family, a career and a retirement in the sunbelt, YOU ARE GONNA DIE!" And which of them did not die? Even John the beloved they tried to boil in oil and somehow that failed so they put him on Patmos a prison island for the criminal and the criminally insane!
Hey! I'm not even able to say as I used to: "I'm non-denominational" !!!
There is but one NOM above every other nom, de NOM of Jesus!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Which War Do YOU Fight?
Which War Do YOU Fight?
Hebrews 2 ~ The Message (MSG) ~
Hebrews 2 ~ The Message (MSG) ~
14-15 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.
The US Constitution is a piece of paper truly written by men. It and the men who governed and govern us today have never been able to guarantee the rights written in it. Sinners have overwhelmed all their good intentions to one degree or another. Some of those sinners were our governors!
The God breathed (inSpired) Bible gives at least one right to those who receive the Messiah Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
John 1:12
KJV ~ "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"
Amplified Bible (AMP) ~ "But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—"
That is a right written in the sinless blood of Jesus. Essentially it is the right to be a Christlike born again believer; a child of God forever. One translation says it is "the prerogative" of the believer to become a son (child) of God.
Father sent Jesus to save us with how many marines behind Him? Our salvation was accomplished by the death (and resurrection) of ONE man! Christians need to understand how secure their faith in Christ makes them. Then they would not cower and defend their mortality (put off the day of their own death) against those who know not God.
Here, in my humble(?) opinion, is a scripture that every christian ought to meditate on:
Hebrews 2 ~ The Message (MSG) ~
Hebrews 2 ~ The Message (MSG) ~
14-15 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.
AND ANOTHER! ::
Revelation 12:11 ~ Amplified Bible (AMP) ~
And they have overcome (conquered) him [satan] by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].
Why do we fear death? Why do we cling to this “American dream” or even to the “socialist dream” ot the “muslim dream?” ??? Do we think these lives in these dying bodies on this dying planet are THAT valuable? They have value for one thing only: the service of God; the preaching of His gospel! Being qualified for heaven by our faith and His grace is the paramount goal of God! Declaring that truth and prerogative is more important than any other. When lose sight of this, our expectation of heaven, what rushes in to fill the vacuum?
Twenty years of training, fifty years of labor followed by twenty years retirement and he who dies with the least troubles does well! Essentially we are fighting for a life and lifestyle that death will strip from us, and death need not wait 70, 80 or 90 years. For death, tomorrow will do just fine! And yet so many christians are joined at the hip with the "American dream." Why settle for a short dream when an abundant and everlasting life is guaranteed you by the unbreakable Promise of the Living God?
John 16 ~ The Message (MSG) ~
31-33 Jesus answered them [on the night before He was crucified!], “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties [tribulations, troubles]. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
31-33 Jesus answered them [on the night before He was crucified!], “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties [tribulations, troubles]. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
2 Timothy 3:12 ~ New Living Translation (NLT) ~
Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
We flawed sinners who are changing [repenting] and becoming sons of God by faith ought to, NEED TO fight the real war with the sword of the Lord. If you think yourself a christian and are not aware of the unseen battle with satan, WAKE UP! READ the Bible you say you believe! I note the following authoritative words regarding that war:
2 Corinthians 10 ~ Amplified Bible (AMP) ~
1 Now I myself, Paul, beseech you, by the gentleness and consideration of Christ [Himself; I] who [am] lowly enough [so they say] when among you face to face, but bold (fearless and outspoken) to you when [I am] absent from you!
2 I entreat you when I do come [to you] that I may not [be driven to such] boldness as I intend to show toward those few who suspect us of acting according to the flesh [on the low level of worldly motives and as if invested with only human powers].
3 For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
6 Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete.
Ephesians 6 ~ (Amplified Bible (AMP)) ~
10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
14 Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,
15 And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.
18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
19 And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),
20 For which I am an ambassador...
READ YOUR BIBLE! BELIEVE IT! IT IS THE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS THE MESSIAH!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Can a christian be an anti-semite?
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Jewish men from Subcarpathian Rus await selection on the ramp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. |
Can a christian be an anti-semite? Or perhaps it is better asked, can an anti-semite be a christian?
Some people think Adolf Hitler was a christian. Some people think the Roman Catholics of the Spanish Inquisition were christians. Some christians(?) today call Israel's Jews occupiers of land belonging to "palestinians" and the oppressors of Muslims living in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Are they right? Are they christians?
It in the first century in Antioch that the disciples of Jesus were first called "christians." And they were christians! Christian means Christ like or little Christ, yes?
I think what happened is that we suffer from a redefinition of who and what christians are and are not. IMHO Constantine authorized and systematized the devils desire and that of many wolves by stamping "state owned" on the church. Or on what was left of it. And we suffer this in the context of human language still afflicted with the confusion God ordained for humanity by overthrowing the tower of Babel. It makes things very interesting to say the least.
In my view, the term christian, a very good name for those who follow Yeshua (Jesus), has been given a very bad name by those who have usurped it and made it a means for the supply and worship of their bellies.
Beginning even in the first centuries, anti-Christs, or anti-Messiahs began to be a problem in the church. By the time Constantine co-opted the weary worn out church in the 4th century gentiles in the church were busy removing all things Jewish from the church. They finally and formally inaugurated Sunday as the replacement of the Lord's sabbath. Reading the early church fathers from around the 4th century onward is a revelation of how the Jews were despised by those "fathers" who called themselves followers of the son of a virgin Jewess!
Paul wrote about God's plan and calls the church one new man. (Ephesians 2) Am I wrong that the word "messianic" is not actually found in the Bible? Yet David Stern translated the word church as "Messianic community" in the "Complete Jewish Bible." Nonetheless as one new man ought the church not say a christian (Those who were Jews in 1st century Antioch were called "christians" yes?) and a Messianic believer are essentially spiritually ONE? Is a gentile believer a messianic gentile and a Jewish believer a christian Jew? The wrong done was to "replace" the Jewish believer! But that lie will not stand in the end.
There is a ton of stuff coming into view as not a few preachers and teachers are grappling with the impact of May 14, 1948. Jerusalem, the cup of trembling! Zechariah 12:1-3 Is there as some say a different destiny for the Church and for Israel? (I'm thinking of Chuck Missler in particular who teaches that) I don't really know what to say. I am not jewish by blood pedigree, but the blood that saves me is that of the Son of God! That spectacular reality sort of overwhelms everything I can say or do, and TY Jesus for the overwhelming! halleluYah!
The real question is, as has been asked: If you were arrested for being a follower of Jesus would there be enough evidence to convict you (of the crime)??? A dear Pastor once put it something like this: if you are not being persecuted for your faith, check to see if your faith is alive or dead!!!
2 Timothy 3:12
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
"And indeed, all who want to live a godly life united with the Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted,"
By making the appellation Christian glorious I do not mean to diminish the facts of what has been done to Jews by those calling themselves christian since the earliest days of the church. In fact over several years I have found these verses which should scare the anti-semitism out of anyone!
Zech. 1:15;
Zeph. 2:10; 3:11
Obadiah vs. 12-14 (and the whole book)
Isaiah 10:1-27
Jeremiah 50:17
Lamentations 1:7,21
Ezekiel 35:7
Psalm 69:26
and
Matthew 25:31-46 “brethren” ~ from the womb, same mother.
In list Romans Chapters 9, 10 and 11 in which Paul is very plain that although there have been some changes made by God, He still loves His chosen Jewish people deeply. Romans 11:28
And He has plans to save them not just to the land but to the Kingdom!
Luke 1:31-33
31 For lo thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call his Name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom shall be none end.
And God will do this for Jews AND gentiles!
Acts 15
14 Simeon hath declared, how God first did visit the Gentiles, to take of them a people unto his Name.
15 And to this agree the words of the Prophets, as it is written,
16 After this I will return, and will build again the Tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, and the ruins thereof will I build again, and I will set it up.
17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my Name is called, saith the Lord which doeth all these things.
18 From the beginning of the world, God knoweth all his works.
Another question is this: Doesn't anti-semite mean to be anti the sons of Shem? The Semites are more than Jewish only. Shem was one of Noah's three sons from who Abraham came. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. From Isaac came Jacob AND Esau! And from Jacob (Israel) finally comes Judah. From that name Judah come the appellations Jew, Jewess, Jews and Jewish. Now are some today anti-semites or are they anti -Jewish? Certainly many who are Semites are anti-Israel, notably the Muslim Arabs. Language and history are important! Is the distinction I raise here important?
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