UGW
John 1:14
(14) “AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG US, (AND WE BEHELD HIS GLORY, THE GLORY AS OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER,) FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH.”
The phrase, “And the Word was made flesh,” refers to the Incarnation.
That God, the “Eternal Word,” in all of His wondrous Glory as the Creator of all things, which is beyond the comprehension of man, would become “flesh,” portrays a type of love which cannot be imagined by mere mortals. As well, He will retain this “flesh” forever, albeit in Glorified Form.
This made Jesus, God’s Son, for Sonship in connection with Jesus Christ always refers to humanity, never to Deity. He was always the “Word,” but not always “flesh!” However, He did not cease to be the “Word,” even when He became “flesh.”
When Jesus “Became flesh,” His moral glory brought back to the human family the very Image of God. Man departed from God and lost His Image. So, the True Image of God came to dwell with man, in order that the Holy Spirit could dwell in man, that man might dwell in God.
Man has never observed man as God originally made him, other than when men observed Jesus Christ. Man, who has fallen from his lofty state, has no idea as to what he was before the Fall. There was, and is, no way he could know except in Jesus. Jesus was, even in His consummate flesh, the Perfect Man, “The Man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5). But sadly, man does not desire to accept God’s Standard of Perfection, and continues to try to produce his own, which always fails. The very idea of Redemption as portrayed in verse 12, is to make men “Sons of God,” in effect, in the Image of Christ, Who is the Image of God.
The phrase, “And dwelt among us,” refers to Jesus, although perfect, not holding Himself aloft from all others, as many or most of the self-appointed greats of the world do, but rather lived as all men, even a peasant. His Mother and foster Father, at least as far as the economic sense was concerned, were of the poor. Joseph was a carpenter, and it seems raised Jesus in this same occupation, for tradition says that Jesus mostly made plows and yokes. Consequently, as “flesh,” He knew exactly how most of the world lives, laboring to earn a bare existence. As a result, He is “Touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15).
The phrase, “And we beheld His Glory,” speaks of His Deity, although hidden from eyes which were merely curious. Someone has said that in the Incarnation, Christ, while always retaining possession of His Deity, did lose its expression.
His “Glory” was represented not only in Who He was, but, as well, in what He did. His Miracle-working Power, which He used to heal literally thousands, was in a sense a transferring of a tiny part of His Glory from Himself to the needy soul. The same could be said for Miracles and Deliverances.
The Greek word for “beheld” is “theaomai,” and means “a careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object.” It is more than merely seeing, but has the idea in mind of an object, in this case, a Person displaying a certain aura or attribute which causes one to see something far above the ordinary. Such was Christ! Consequently, the Pharisees and Religious Leaders of Israel had no excuse for their actions, inasmuch as this “Glory” was obvious to all. There is none so blind as those who refuse to see, even though plainly obvious to them.
The phrase, “The Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,” presents Jesus Who is, and was, and always will be “The Only Begotten Son of God.”
Men never will be “begotten,” or “born” in the same sense as Jesus was (Mat. 1:18–25; Lk. 1:34–35), for their sonship is on a different basis—that of adoption, not an actual begetting and coming into existence (Rom. 8:15; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5).
The phrase, “Full of Grace and Truth,” proclaims with the word “Full” His Deity, for only God is “Full of Grace and Truth,” as “flesh” proclaimed His Humanity.
So, the Glory in which He was seen was that of an Only Son with the Father, the One Sole Object of the Father’s delight. Such are the two Glories displayed in these verses—His Glory as the Word Who was with God in Eternity, and His Glory on earth as the Only Son of the Father.
If one is to notice, there is no pedigree in this Gospel, for how could Deity have a pedigree? In Mark as well, there is also no pedigree, for a servant needs none; he only needs a character (Williams).
~J. Swaggart Ministry
Matthew 16:18
ADMISSION INTO THE CHURCH
Admission into the Church is strictly spiritual, but with a physical, domestical and economical result.
Admittance into the “Church” is by Faith in Christ, which means to accept what Christ did at Calvary and the Resurrection. Paul stated, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
“For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation.”
Paul then said, “For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:9–10, 13).
As well, the invitation is given to all, irrespective of race or nationality. Paul also said, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him” (Rom. 10:12).
As is obvious, other than witnessing or preaching the Gospel to individuals, man has nothing to do with admitting the individual into the Church, except to recognize what God has already done, and, likewise, man cannot remove one from the Church.
As well, belonging to a certain congregation, organization, Religious Denomination, or any other type of group, has absolutely nothing to do with being a member of the Body of Christ, i.e., the Church. Unfortunately, many Church groups have led others to believe that association with their group guarantees association with Christ, and disassociation with that group, whatever it may be, causes one to lose association with Christ.
Nothing could be further from the Truth. Association with an earthly group has absolutely nothing to do with one’s Salvation and, likewise, disassociation in no way removes one from association and fellowship with Christ.
So, admittance into the Church, the Body of Christ, is the making of Christ as one’s Saviour, which results in a heartfelt, born-again experience (Jn. 3:3).
Upon being born again, one should certainly seek to be associated with a group of local Believers, if at all possible, who are attempting to follow the Word of God, with it as their criteria.
The phrase, “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” actually means “The power of death” shall not prevail against it.
The reference here is to Resurrection and not to infallibility in Doctrine, as asserted by some.
Christ, being the Living God, and His people living stones, they could not be held captive in the mansions of the dead.
On the third day, He, as the True Samson, rose and carried away the gates of hell. They could not prevail against that Rock, i.e., “It.” He prevailed against them; and when He arose all His people arose in and with Him (I Thess. 4:14).
As well as referring to “the power of death,” the “gates of hell” also refers to the iron grip of sinful bondage which binds all of unsaved humanity. This includes sin, sickness, poverty and all other domains of darkness. With the Death and Resurrection of Christ, all of these “gates” fell. As a result, any authority presently held by Satan is a pseudo-authority, or, more particularly, that allowed him by Believers.
This is what Jesus was speaking of when He said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
“They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mk. 16:17–18).
To be sure, most, if not all, of these Promises have to do with demon spirits and their expulsion.
For instance, the words, “Take up,” in verse 18, and concerning serpents, have absolutely nothing to do with snakes. The Greek word for “Take up,” is “airo,” and means to “take up, in order to remove, to put away.” It refers to the putting away of demon spirits, which takes place when the Gospel is preached in Power and Anointing, and by the authority of the Name of Jesus, as used by Believers.
The Church is meant to tear down the strongholds of Satan, and to do so by the Power of the Holy Spirit, which is brought into focus by the use of the “Name of Jesus.”
Regrettably, much of the modern Church is no longer a “Living Organism,” empowered from On High, but, instead, an intellectual or academic organization. Unfortunately, Satan does not respond to the intellectual or academic posture. He only responds to the Power of God, as evidenced in the Name of Jesus, used by Spirit-filled Believers.
Tragically, most of the modern Church is a far cry from that intended by the Holy Spirit, according to what Jesus built. Actually, the Book of Acts is meant to serve as an ideal of what the “Church” ought to be.
Regrettably, many have foolishly claimed that the modern Church has outgrown the Book of Acts.
If that is the case, then it means that mere man is more intelligent than the Holy Spirit, which is ludicrous to say the least!
No! The Book of Acts is meant to serve as the criteria, and should not be deviated from. To do so, institutes man’s ways instead of God’s Ways, and proves catastrophic.
~JSM
CHURCH ATTENDANCE
The Church is the Body of Christ, not a particular building by the side of the road. Actually you are now a part of that Body, and Jesus Christ is its Head. So, if at all possible, it is very important that you find a good Church to attend.
The following is what should be taught and preached in the Church:
1. Salvation through the Blood of Jesus Christ should be preached. Any Church teaching Salvation by any means other than the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, in other words, what the Lord did on Calvary’s Cross, in order to redeem humanity, is promoting something contrary to the Word of God (Mat. 26:28; Acts 20:28; Col. 1:20; Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18–19).
2. The Church should teach the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other Tongues, which is available to all Believers, and is received after conversion (Isa. 28:11–12; Acts 2:4; 10:45–46; 19:6; 1 Cor. 14:4–5, 14–18).
3. A victorious, overcoming Christian life should be preached (Rom. 6:11; 1 Cor. 15:57–58; Eph. 6:10–13; James 1:22; 1 Jn. 5:4–5; Rev. 2:7). This means victory over sin in every capacity.
4. Divine Healing according to the Word of God should be preached (Ex. 15:26; 23:25; Isa. 53:5; Mk. 6:13; James 5:14–15; 1 Pet. 2:24).
We believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ heals today, the same as He did in Bible days.
5. The Rapture of the Church should be taught and preached. This refers to the time when the Church shall be taken out of this world in order to be with the Lord. It could happen at any moment, with every single Believer whether dead or alive, being resurrected. In fact, the Resurrection and the Rapture are one and the same (I Cor. Chpt. 15; 1 Thess. 4:13–17).
6. The soon and eminent return of our Lord to Earth, to take up His rightful position as King of kings and Lord of lords should be preached. He will be accompanied at that time by every Saint of God who has ever lived. In other words, all who were taken up in the Rapture (Resurrection), will then come back with Him to this Earth, which will begin the Kingdom Age (Rev. Chpt. 19).
7. Whatever Church is attended, should be a Church filled with a group of people, whether the number is little or large, with the consuming desire to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entirety of the world. The taking of the Gospel to all is priority with God, as should be obvious.
Someone brought you the Gospel, and you should love the Lord enough, to desire strongly that everyone else have the opportunity to hear exactly as you did. Whether they except or not, is their privilege; however, that they have the opportunity is absolutely paramount.
To be frank, the greatest way we can thank the Lord for giving us His Great Salvation, is to tell this grand story to others in whatever way we can, and as well, to help support those who are taking the Gospel to the world. That must be our consuming desire in all things (Mk. 16:15–16).
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
~JSM
then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with the sword, and with the spear, and with the shield: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have defied (I Sam. 17:45).
When David, who was just a young stripling, probably sixteen or seventeen years old, went to the battlefront where his brothers were, he went there to bless them and do them good; however, like Joseph’s brothers, when he was sent to bless them, he was met with envy and hatred. Thus it was with God’s Beloved Son. His brothers, Mary’s sons, did not believe on Him (Jn. 7:5), and, with her, sought to lay hold upon Him as being beside Himself (Mk. 3:32); His spiritual brethren, Israel, nailed Him to the tree.
When David offered to fight the giant, not for money, nor for the hand of the king’s daughter—every man he spoke to had no higher thought than that—but David knew that the matter was more noble and more serious than this. He was to bring the Philistine giant and the Living God face-to-face. What had a woman and her money to do with that?
Saul tried to get David to use his armor, but David knew that God could not give victories to “the flesh,” nor can faith use it. In the Name of the Lord, David had privately vanquished the “lion” and the “bear.” This is one of the fundamental principles governing the Christian life. Public victories can come only after private victories are won.
Going toward the giant, David chose five smooth stones out of the brook. If the brook, with its living running water, pictures the Holy Spirit, then the five smooth stones picture Grace; to be sure, Grace won the day! The Stone, picturing Christ, smote the giant in the forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
The Scripture then says, “David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith” (I Sam. 17:51). This is the posture for the Child of God. We are to stand as “more than a conqueror” on the head of any giant that may come against us, which we can do in Christ.
The Believer must understand that the terrible forces of darkness facing him are beyond his power and capabilities. As Goliath, Satan can only be defeated by and through Christ and what Christ has done for us at the Cross. To face the giants that come against us in any other fashion is to guarantee defeat. To place one’s Faith in Christ and the Cross guarantees victory, and a total and complete victory, at that (Rom. 6:3–14).
and the LORD said unto Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go, I will send you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons (I Sam. 16:1).
At the very time that Samuel the Prophet was “mourning” for Saul, i.e., he saw no positive future for Israel, the Lord was planning great things for His People.
Let me say that again:
Whatever the circumstances might be, however the situation may present itself, the Lord is planning great things for us, that is, if we will only believe Him.
Look at it again!
At this very moment, and no matter how it may seem to be otherwise, the Lord is planning great things for you. To receive those great things, obedience is demanded, but obedience which we can easily carry out, that is, if we will truly follow the Lord. This means that there is no reason that any Believer should “mourn.”
Concerning Saul, the Lord told the Prophet, “I have rejected him from reigning over Israel.”
There are untold numbers of Godly people who are spending their time and attention on something that God has already rejected. Some of you holding this small book in your hands are still trying to hold on to a Church, or even an entire Denomination, which the Lord has already rejected. Such a Church, even as Saul, may continue right on; however, if the Believer is to truly follow the Lord, he will have to look elsewhere, even as Samuel is here told to look elsewhere.
The Lord told the Prophet to quit his pity-party, and “Fill your horn with oil, and go.”
“Oil” is a Type of the Holy Spirit. We readily see here that the Holy Spirit had departed from Saul. If the Holy Spirit is no longer present, we should find out where the Holy Spirit is moving, and there situate ourselves. Nothing else matters!
The Lord had already chosen another king. He would be in the family of “Jesse the Beth-lehemite.” It was the Lord Who chose a certain member of this family, David; man had no choice in the matter.
The trouble with the modern Church is men appointing men; consequently, they wind up with Saul, whom God has rejected, rather than David, whom God has chosen.
Last of all, the Lord told Samuel, “For I have provided Me a king among his sons.” Whatever we think, God has provided! We, unfortunately, all too often look in the wrong place.
The Lord didn’t tell Samuel which one of the sons He had chosen from the family of Jesse the Bethlehemite.
The reason?
The Lord was looking for faith on the part of Samuel; to be sure, such faith was ultimately found!
~J. Swaggart Ministry
THE LAND IS MINE -EYES ON ISRAEL PT. 2
BY JOHN ROSENSTERN
Leviticus 25:23 –
“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and
sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.”
ISRAEL’S RIGHT IN THE LAND
There are many claims to the land of Israel. Muslims claim Jerusalem houses their third holiest site. The world recognized Jerusalem as an international city. The Bible declares Jerusalem will be a “burdensome stone for all people.” Middle East peace has plagued every president since the founding of the United States of America. The expansion of the U.S. Navy after the Revolutionary War was to free our seafaring mercantilists from the Muslim pirates of the Barbary Coasts.
The name of Israel is mentioned more than 1,600 times throughout the Bible while Jerusalem is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible. The city of Jerusalem is called the City of David more than 40 times. There should be little argument to the significance of Israel and Jerusalem for God’s sake, according to the Bible. God’s immutable promise to Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and his children, and David will not be broken or substituted by the Christian church. God has a plan to bring Israel to its rightful and legal possession of the land. The day is coming soon when Israel will reign in God’s righteousness and possess God’s land in peace. Only then will there be world peace (Deut. 3 0:1- 6; I s a. 11:11-16).
ABRAHAM
There are three faiths in the world that trace their origins to Abraham. Jews, Christians and Muslims all claim father Abraham to be of vast significance to the establishment of their beliefs. Jews and Christians obtain the majority of their knowledge about Abraham from the Old Testament of the Bible, also called the Tanakh in Hebrew. Muslims hold to the Quran as their sacred book. Muslims believe their prophet Muhammad received revelations from Allah, his god, and memorized Allah’s instruction and then dictated the sayings to others. Later these revelations were compiled into a book after Muhammad’s death and called the Quran. Muslims believe Jews and Christians twisted and perverted the original meaning of the Bible.
Therefore, Allah sent down the Quran to bring back the proper understanding of his will for man. In Islam, Muhammad is revered above all prophets and is considered to be the last and greatest of all prophets. Muslims also revere Abraham as a prophet and a version of his life is found throughout the Quran. Abraham’s name occurs 69 times in the Quran, making him the second most occurring name of prophets in the Quran after Moses. There are many fundamental differences between the Bible story of Abraham and the Quran. Both accounts contradict each other. They are mutually incompatible.
The Quran is written in suras, similar to chapters. The verses of the Quran are called ayats. There are 114 suras in the Quran. The structure of the chapters is not in histological or chronological order. The suras, with the exception of the first one, are arranged by length. Chapter two is the longest, on down to the last sura. Due to the lack of chronology, the Quran is not designed to be a story. The very name Quran means “to recite.” It is more a book of commands than a storyline of historical events. The hadiths — sayings and traditions of Muhammad — were assembled by followers of Muhammad after his death. The Hadiths provide some historical perspective that transpired throughout Muhammad’s life.
The hadiths explain the historical events in the Quran. In Sura 6:74, the Quran claims Abraham’s father’s name was Azar and not Terah as in the Bible (Gen. 11:24, 31). Sura 14:37 says Abraham worshipped in the valley of Mecca. Mecca is located in modern day Saudi Arabia. A distance of more than 750 miles separates Mecca from Israel. In Gen. 13:18, the Bible clearly says Abraham worshipped Jehovah God in Hebron. The well-known story of how Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac as a sacrifice is detailed throughout Chapter 22 of Genesis.
Jehovah God made it very clear that Abraham was to take his “only son Isaac” into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering. Isaac was God’s child of promise. It was to be through Isaac’s lineage that God’s promise to Abraham would manifest. The contravening testimony of the Quran teaches in Sura 37:100-112, that Abraham offered Ishmael and not Isaac as a sacrifice.Two more important discrepancies that distinguish the Bible from the Quran are not found in the Bible. In fact they are ambiguous and historically incorrect. The Quran claims Abraham built the Kabah (Sura 2:125-127).
The Kabah was located in Mecca and was the shrine where 360 gods were worshipped amongst the Arab Bedouins. Muhammad’s family was the caretaker of the Kabah, according to Islamic tradition. One of the gods of the Kabah was Allah. Muhammad’s father was named after Allah. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. The only remote similarity in the stories of Abraham and Isaac in the Bible and Quran are simply their names. The other story of Abraham’s life taken from the Quran is a claim that he was thrown into a furnace by Nimrod (Sura 21:68-69 and 9:69). This fairy tale is not found in the Bible but is plagiarized by Muhammad from Jewish tradition. This story is found in the Midrash Rabbah. The Bible gives a lengthy story of Abraham and the promises of God to him and his seed.
The calling of Abraham came to him while he was a Gentile living in Ur of the Chaldees. Ur of the Chaldees was located in modern day Iraq, not far from Babylon.
God instructed Abraham to leave his family and go to a land that God would show him. The promise of God to Abraham begins with a destination — Canaan land — known today as modern Israel or Palestine. We can immediately observe from the call to Abraham that it is linked to a promised land. The promises given by God to Abraham required his obedience to God. If Abraham would leave his family and father’s house and travel to the land God would show him, then Abraham would become a great nation, and his name would be blessed, and he would be a blessing to the world. God would add to the promise given to Abraham with a special blessing to those who would bless Abraham. Likewise, God would curse those who cursed Abraham. Abraham was to leave the worship of idols and separate himself from his family unto God. In order to better comprehend the deep meaning associated with Abraham’s relationship to God, we must first understand how Abraham worshipped God through sacrifices.
The first evidence we have of Abraham sacrificing to God is when Abraham passed through the land of Canaan. God appeared to Abraham and strengthened His promise to him by telling him that his seed, children, and future posterity, would also inherit the land. Abraham built an altar unto God. The Hebrew for altar means “a place of slaughter,” signifying a place used for sacrifices. The sacrifice was a memorial to God for His deeds towards Abraham. The sacrifice denotes Abraham recognizing God as God. His relationship was based on trust and obedience to God. The patriarch knew God and honored Him with worship through sacrifices. It is essential for us to realize that throughout Abraham’s life, the wonderful loving fellowship he shared with God was never without his sacrifices to God. What assurance did Abraham have from God that God would honor His promise?
THE LAND IS MINE -EYES ON ISRAEL
Part I
by John Rosenstern
Leviticus 25:23 –
“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and
sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.”
THE MIDDLE EAST HAS been a festering powder keg for centuries. Now, more than ever, it seems ripe for an all-out confrontation between Israel and her surrounding Muslim neighbors. The land — comprised of modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and small parts of other neighboring countries — was promised by God, in the Bible, to Israel. Events in the last 100 years have shaped the modern real estate of the Middle East. However, there’s one small parcel of land in the Middle East that is still in dispute: Israel. What legitimate claim do the Jews have to their land? Do the Palestinian people truly have a history in this land and therefore a right of succession? How does God figure into this equation? I hope to address these questions and many others as we explore from the Bible what God has to say about the land ownership and whose right it is to claim the land. I believe a careful evaluation of this matter will expose the root of the problem that existed from the time of Abraham unto this day.
GOD’S LAND
“The land is Mine,” was a declaration by God to Israel, and to us all, that there is a legitimate landowner. Throughout the Bible, God establishes who owns the land, to whom the land is promised, and the conditions that must be obeyed to remain
in possession of the land known as Israel. History has proven the land has been possessed or controlled by many different nations at many different times. Right now, the land is possessed by Israelis and Palestinians. However, the influence from
the surrounding nations of Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia; and the United States, England, Russia, and many other nations, including the United Nations, have played a crucial role toward resolving who they think should possess the land.
ISRAEL RETURNS
Modern Israel was formed on May 14, 1948, in postulation of the United Nations’ decision to partition the land between Israel and the Palestinian people. A two-state solution was determined as the peaceful resolution for the disputed land. The Palestinian’s rejected Israel’s right to be a nation and protested by refusing to form their nation. Israel declared her independence, and the birth of modern Israel took her first traumatic breath with a struggle to survive, not just as a nation, but also as a people. The confederate Muslim armies of the newly shaped Middle East immediately sought to destroy Israel and prevent her from being a nation. Efforts by Nazi Germany during World War II failed to abort the Jews while they were in the womb of hope of being a nation. Adolph Hitler, while accompanied by his Muslim companions, Haj Amin al Husseini and Hasan al Banna, formulated the Final Solution to exterminate Jews from the planet. Although nearly 6 million Jews died during Hitler’s reign of terror, Jews drew strength from their survival as a people, and hopes of being a nation once again finally became reality.
OCCUPATION TERMS
“The land is Mine” will consider God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These patriarchs of old were given immutable promises that their seed would have “lease” rights to God’s land forever. The conditions were clearly spelled out by God and the terms were not to be broken lest the tenant suffer temporary eviction. Each dispensation of the generations that succeeded Abraham was given responsibilities to satisfy the land lease terms. Dwelling in the land with obedience had many privileges and benefits though. Unlike today where an apartment renter my get cable TV and electric thrown in as part of the lease package, Israel was promised financial prosperity, good health, and peace amongst itself and its enemies. In fact, the whole world was promised these benefits as long as Israel remained obedient to the lease terms and remained in the land.
NO PEACE
Today Jews dwell in the land promised by God to her forefathers; yet she is without peace. The world speaks of peace at every forum and conclave; yet it is without peace. What peace is and what consti-tutes peace will be addressed throughout this article series, “The Land is Mine,” to illustrate how true and lasting peace can be achieved and maintained by individuals, and the nations of the world. History has demonstrated that under the leadership of dictators, monarchs, and governments there have been times of peace. However, during those times, financial prosperity, personal health, and freedom were not obtained by everyone. Even while under Pax Romana, the Roman Empire sustained a façade of peace. Rome’s egregious emperors ruled in dictatorial fashion by subduing surrounding countries and demoralizing the general public at will while heralding this as peace (?) For us to laudably claim peace on earth and good will toward man, while using corrupt governments as our guide, is as foolish as putting a compass in your car and planning to drive your car to the moon.
~JSM
Has the Lamp of God Gone Out in Today’s Church?
and ere the Lamp of God went out in the Temple of the LORD, where the Ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep (I Sam. 3:3).
I Samuel 3:1 says “The Word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” This means there was a scarcity of the Word of the Lord in Israel of that day. The nation and its people were in serious straits, which always is the case when the Word of the Lord is scarce.
There have never been more Churches in America than at the present time; however, there has never been less true Word of the Lord preached at any time since the Reformation than now!
Eli, the High Priest, was not only physically blind, but spiritually blind, as well. Consequently, Israel had no spiritual leadership. How so much that mirrors the present!
Then the Scripture says, “And ere the Lamp of God went out in the Temple of the LORD,” which proclaims the Golden Lampstand, which sat in the Holy Place, giving light so that the Priests could see to minister. Regrettably, it is unattended, which means the oil has not been replenished. Is the “Lamp” going out in the modern Church?
The phrase, “Where the Ark of God was,” proclaimed the Holy of Holies, and typified the Throne of God. In other words, access to the Throne was being seriously curtailed. But then God spoke. It was at this dark moment that He chose to reveal Himself; yet not to some influential personage, but to a little boy!
Many people say that it is wrong to speak to a child about the Wrath of God; however, this belief shows how even religious teachers are fallen from God’s moral likeness. For His first Message to little Samuel was an appalling one!
Regrettably, if the modern Church doesn’t like the messenger, they reject the Message.
However, let it ever be understood:
It is God Who chooses the messenger, and not man. Those whom man chooses are not accepted by God; sadly, those whom God chooses, it seems, are little accepted by man. Nevertheless, the Word of God holds true, irrespective as to the messenger.
Jesus did not meet with the approval of Israel, so they rejected Him. In rejecting Him, they rejected His Message, which was the only Message of Life.
Listen to the Message! If it’s not the Message of the Cross, then it’s not the Message of the Lord, for the entirety of the Tabernacle and all of its furnishings typified Christ and the Cross.
~JSM
End time Events: Keeping Our Eyes on Israel For Our Future Well Being.
Israel
Israel was the only Nation in the world, at least during Old Testament Times that was monotheistic, meaning a worshipper of the One True God, i.e., “Jehovah.” All of the other nations of the world were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped many gods, all in the form of idols. To Israel was given the responsibility of proclaiming the True God to the world, in which, as stated, she miserably failed. As such, Israel had the responsibility of leadership for the world, which was in the Mind of God, but not at all recognized by the world. At any rate, due to sin, that privilege was removed from Israel, and given to the Gentiles. During Bible times, those Gentiles included Babylon (modern Iraq), the Medo-Persians (modern Iran), the Grecian Empire, and then the Romans. The Romans were in power during the time of Christ.
The United States
When the Roman Empire ceased to be in the Sixth Century, it could probably be said that the scepter of power passed from her faltering hands to England, where it remained for nearly 1,500 years. Admittedly, the first several centuries were spent with England gradually getting her sea legs, so to speak. During WWII, this scepter of power passed from England to the United States, where it has remained ever since.
This “times of the Gentiles” referring to the United States, is very important, in fact, far more important than the tenure of England, inasmuch as Israel became a Nation in 1948. Even though the sovereignty of Israel is not complete, even unto this hour, at least in the Mind of God, and simply because Israel is not functioning as demanded by the Lord. In fact, she will not be able to do that until after the Second Coming, when she finally accepts Christ. Nevertheless, America’s position, at least again in the Mind of God, is extremely important, inasmuch as it is our responsibility to serve as the lord protectorate of Israel. In fact, the protection of Israel is possibly the single most important responsibility we have, that is, designated by God.
This scepter of power is scheduled to pass from the hands of the U.S.A. to that of the Antichrist. This will take place after the Rapture (Resurrection) of the Church. Concerning this, the Apostle Paul said:
“Let no man deceive you by any means (in other words, don’t listen to that which is Scripturally incorrect): for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first (should have been translated, ‘for that day shall not come, except there come a departure first’; this speaks of the Rapture, which in essence says the Second Coming cannot take place until certain things happen), and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (this speaks of the Antichrist, who must come upon the world scene before the Second Coming)” (II Thess. 2:3).
~JSM