Jerusalem - 2

1Ki 2:11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.


David, beloved of God, chosen of God as a young man to be His champion, His king for His people reigned for forty years. Seven of those years he was king in Hebron but for thirty-three years he was king in Jerusalem.

Thirty-three years. Our Savior lived upon earth thirty-three years and He cried over Jerusalem.

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

A bit of Jerusalem history-

Ceramic evidence indicates occupation of the City of David, within present-day Jerusalem, as far back as the Copper Age (c. 4th millennium BCE),[13][42] with evidence of a permanent settlement during the early Bronze Age (c. 3000–2800 BCE).[42][43] The Execration Texts (c. 19th century BCE), which refer to a city called Roshlamem or Rosh-ramen[42] and the Amarna letters (c. 14th century BCE) may be the earliest mention of the city.[44][45] Some archaeologists, including Kathleen Kenyon, believe Jerusalem[46] as a city was founded by Northwest Semitic people with organized settlements from around 2600 BCE. According to Jewish tradition, the city was founded by Shem and Eber, ancestors of Abraham. In the biblical account, Jerusalem ("Salem") when first mentioned is ruled by Melchizedek, an ally of Abraham (identified with Shem in legend). Later, in the time of Joshua, Jerusalem lay within territory allocated to the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:28), but continued to be under the independent control of the Jebusites until it was conquered by David and made into the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel (c. 11th century BCE)

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1Ki 8:16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.
1Ki 8:17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
1Ki 8:18 And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.
1Ki 8:19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.
1Ki 8:20 And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
1Ki 8:21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
1Ki 8:22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven.


The heart of David was to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. David's son Solomon built this house for God. You see, the people of Israel ever since they were set free from Egyptian rule keep the covenant of God through a ceremonial law. The Temple of God in Heaven was seen and after that vision a Tabernacle on earth was made. This Tabernacle traveled with the people of God for a long, long, long time and David kept the ceremonial law in the portable Tabernacle as God required of His chosen. David wanted something more permanent, more ornate, more amazing for God than what had originally been given them to make. Because David was beloved of God and followed after God keeping His commandments, God wanted David to have this but it would be David's son, not David who would build the Temple on earth that was not built to be portable. Jerusalem, the city of God, would house that Temple.


Is it any wonder that Jerusalem became known as the City of God? The true God of Israel, the God of all Creation, would make this city something amazingly important.

Let's read the prayer of Solomon to God upon the day of dedication for the Temple.

1Ki 8:23 And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
1Ki 8:24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
1Ki 8:25 Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
1Ki 8:26 And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
1Ki 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
1Ki 8:28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
1Ki 8:29 That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.
1Ki 8:30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.
1Ki 8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house:
1Ki 8:32 Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
1Ki 8:33 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
1Ki 8:34 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
1Ki 8:35 When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
1Ki 8:36 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.
1Ki 8:37 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
1Ki 8:38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:
1Ki 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
1Ki 8:40 That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
1Ki 8:41 Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake;
1Ki 8:42 (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house;
1Ki 8:43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.
1Ki 8:44 If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name:
1Ki 8:45 Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
1Ki 8:46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
1Ki 8:47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
1Ki 8:48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
1Ki 8:49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
1Ki 8:50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
1Ki 8:51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:
1Ki 8:52 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.
1Ki 8:53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.
1Ki 8:54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
1Ki 8:55 And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
1Ki 8:56 Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
1Ki 8:57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
1Ki 8:58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
1Ki 8:59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:
1Ki 8:60 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
1Ki 8:61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
1Ki 8:62 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD.


So amazing, and yet now as we live with thousands of years of history between us and Solomon, and the time of his prayer, we know some of the long history of Jerusalem. We know that the temple was destroyed- more than once. We know that Jerusalem has been razed more than once and held in the hands of those who have been enemies of God. We know this has happened and we know why- Satan.


Satan has filled the hearts of people and caused them to abandon God, our Creator, our Redeemer. Corruption, deception, lies, blasphemies, rebellion, commandment breakers, covenant breakers, men's hearts filled with sin and they continuously left God, abandoned their Creator, their Deliverer time and time again.

Let's look at a bit more of the history of Jerusalem thus far…

According to Hebrew scripture, King David reigned for 40 years. The generally accepted estimate of the conclusion of this reign is 970 BCE. The Bible records that David was succeeded by his son Solomon,[50] who built the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah. Solomon's Temple (later known as the First Temple), went on to play a pivotal role in Jewish history as the repository of the Ark of the Covenant.[51] For more than 400 years, until the Babylonian conquest in 587 BCE, Jerusalem was the political capital of the united Kingdom of Israel and then the Kingdom of Judah. During this period, known as the First Temple Period,[52] the Temple was the religious center of the Israelites.[53] On Solomon's death (c. 930 BCE), the ten northern tribes split off to form the Kingdom of Israel. Under the leadership of the House of David and Solomon, Jerusalem remained the capital of the Kingdom of Judah.[54]

When the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE, Jerusalem was strengthened by a great influx of refugees from the northern kingdom. The First Temple period ended around 586 BCE, as the Babylonians conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and laid waste to Solomon's Temple.[52]

In 538 BCE, after 50 years of Babylonian captivity, Persian King Cyrus the Great invited the Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the Temple.[55] Construction of the Second Temple was completed in 516 BCE, during the reign of Darius the Great, 70 years after the destruction of the First Temple.[56][57] In about 445 BCE, King Artaxerxes I of Persia issued a decree allowing the city and the walls to be rebuilt.[58] Jerusalem resumed its role as capital of Judah and center of Jewish worship.

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Such amazing history. More tomorrow on Jerusalem, the City of God, by the will of our LORD.


In His love may we learn more of the history both Biblical and secular of the City of Jerusalem. Can we do no less, it is a city our Savior in the flesh mourned for. Please Lord bless us with understanding, help us to watch as we've been told to watch, help us to pray as we've been told to pray. Prepare us for Your soon return Lord, all through Your LOVE, Your RIGHTEOUSNESS.


By Your mercy and grace, by Your forgiveness.


Amen.

Jerusalem

Ezr 1:3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.


Too often people believe that Jerusalem means nothing today.


Do people really believe that God could make Jerusalem His city upon earth for such a long, long time and then take away that distinction entirely. Listen to David--


Psa 87:1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
Psa 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.


God's city. God's Holy city - Jerusalem.


Read this…

Ezr 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
Ezr 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
Ezr 4:3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
Ezr 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
Ezr 4:5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The children of God had disobey Him and Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews captive. Then later a Persian King made a decree that the captives be free to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple that had been destroyed. The children of God went back and began to rebuild the temple and then adversaries of God tried to stop them from completing their rebuilding.

They DIDN'T succeed.

God's holy city has been destroyed, the people of God taken captive more than once, and yet Jerusalem remains the city of God. Others have tried to claim the city as theirs but to no real avail. After that temple was rebuilt the children of God wanted God's blessings but they knew they'd transgressed against God and they'd joined themselves to those who did not follow God. The solution was to put away those wives the men had joined themselves to. Joining with the ungodly will forever will incur God's disfavor.


Jesus said these things about Jerusalem-


Mat 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
Mat 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.


Mat 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death


Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!


Luk 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.


Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.


Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.



Jerusalem has forever been in God's plan.


Forsaken, renewed, forsaken, renewed, trodden down, no longer trodden down- all in God's plan. Until the end it will be in God's plan.


A NEW Jerusalem will even descend from God out of heaven.


Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.


So if people believe they should NO LONGER look to Jerusalem as part of our Savior's plan, to watch and know the signs of the time, they are sadly mistaken. Even as it stands today with so many UNGODLY forces within the city, it is STILL a place to look for signs of the times.


Jerusalem.

We're going to study a bit more about Jerusalem in the coming days by the will of God.


In His amazing love!

Amen.

They've philosophized away creation

Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

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All thing were and are created for God's pleasure. Another word used in place of pleasure is 'will'. This is from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible-

Rev 4:11 Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honour and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.

Because of God's will all things are and were created. It's by God's will that we exist. Too many people like to take the verse and use 'pleasure' and they expound on God being sadistic getting pleasure from our suffering. Nothing was created by God to suffer. That suffering occurs is something that will be rectified, not kept as if it were a cherished condition of mankind. God did NOT want sin to enter the world He'd created. The result of sin grieved Him, angered Him. God could have ended mankind right then and there after that first sin. As He'd brought mankind into existence He could have ended that existence. How often do we throw things away when a single flaw occurs in it? Some people will be able to answer all the time, others will say never, I fall in between there. I don't like to discard something because of single flaw. I might work crocheting an afghan and look back and see a missed stitch and depending on how noticeable, and how it affects the overall afghan I might just leave it there, not unravel everything to fix a tiny flaw. Of course we like to believe that in really important things that even the tiniest flaw would be unacceptable- such as surgery, or in the manufacturing of our various products, we want things as unflawed as possible especially if we're paying for them. God could have rejected us, and some might argue should have rejected us, but those people have to realize the very fact they can have that thought is because God willed them into existence.

Creating us and allowing us to continue in spite of our failure to live for Him in hopes that among all the millions and billions of people brought into existence there would be those who would desire His will, desire His laws, desire a covenant with Him is a magnificent revelation of love towards mankind.


Psa 105:4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Psa 105:5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth

Psa 105:42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
Psa 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
Psa 105:44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Psa 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.


God had a plan of salvation ready much the same way any smart person has a contingency plan when they are undertaken something monumental. They people put on the task of -If something goes wrong then this is what we do- back up plans. Some really fantastical endeavors have teams of people going over and over a situation trying to come up with all feasible ways something could go wrong, even the wildest craziest of scenarios are brought into play and then when a good amount of time is spend doing this every single scenario is examined and for each of them the possible outcomes to rectify the problem. This doesn't mean things don't still happen that weren't thought of but most planners of such things will do all they can to foresee problems and create possible solutions. Best case scenario is that no contingency plan will be necessary- everything goes as desired- as planned. But sometimes that worst case scenario occurs and then the plan for that goes into effect. We understand on our level of comprehension that having contingency plans are a good idea. How can anyone truly disagree that having contingency plans is a bad idea? Maybe some will say that having contingency plans allows for a less focused, less determined person to get the plan right the first time, and they might be right but planning for the unthinkable, planning for the worst case scenario especially when lives are at stake is a must. You hope for the best, plan for the worst.


God hoped for the best and planned for the worst. If He hadn't planned for the worst we most likely would never have been allowed to live as a species.

God allowed us to continue to live and multiply all in the belief that there would be those who would choose to love Him. When we worship God, when we obey God's commands, when we surrender ourselves to Him we do it ALL out of love for Him. God created a people that He could call His, a people that would follow Him out of love. Abraham LOVED God, and from Abraham these people came. But not all of those people chose to love God. The people were eventually taken into captivity. The people were shown the dark depths of oppression under the hand of the god-less. Then the people were delivered from that oppression by the hand of God. Why?

Psa 105:42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
Psa 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
Psa 105:44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Psa 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.

That they might observe his statutes and keep his laws.

That they might follow God.
That they might choose God as the One to obey.
That they might understand the Love of God towards them- their Deliverer.


This amazing event in the history of mankind is a prophetic revelation of a greater plan of God's.

We are enslaved to sin, we are captives of Satan, none can escape the fact they are born with the propensity towards sinning. God understood that this enslavement of mankind under an evil master needed a Deliverer. The Deliverer would free mankind from the captivity of Satan allowing them to claim the Deliverer's righteousness as theirs. The Deliverer would free mankind and allow them to choose to worship God, to keep His commandments, to love God. Unlike an entire group of people being brought out of a captive nation, this Deliverer would offer deliverance to ALL people no matter who, no matter where, all would have an opportunity to follow their Deliverer throughout their lives.


Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.


Our God is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.
Our God created all things by His will.


We can't allow ourselves to forget or disbelieve that we are CREATED beings. Too many have forgotten this, way too many. They've philosophized away creation and this suits Satan's plan perfectly. If we stop believing we are all the result of the first God created beings who received the breath of life from God to pass on and on to all generations of mankind then we are left floundering with all sorts of theories- none fully explainable, none.


By faith we believe. And many will save faith is senseless, but the very nature of faith is the acceptance that we need to believe without having full evidence of the seen. Adam and Eve were to live by faith in God and they chose not to do that. They chose to believe the seductive voice of another, one who had nothing to do with their creation. They wanted to live without faith and Satan promised them they would be as God knowing good and evil, in effect they wouldn't need to live by faith in God because they'd be gods. They were tragically wrong. Without faith in God, without faith in our Creator we have nothing. It is more than obvious that living without faith results in tragedy yet many choose to live without faith in God, still hoping they can be like gods themselves and all they're left with in the end is a deep down dissatisfaction with things they absolutely cannot control and have no ability to control. Not even the richest, smartest person in the world can control life and their ultimate end, not ONE, yet most of mankind still insists they are very wise to believe in themselves and not in God. That belief gives them no hope, none at all, they'll be left empty. A belief in our Creator gives us all things through our Savior, our Deliverer, our Redeemer- we have hope.


By His amazing LOVE, His amazing GRACE, His amazing RIGHTEOUSNESS, all through His amazing FAITH.


May His will be done, may His kingdom come!


Amen.

Blood of the Lamb

Lev 14:25 And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot

The lamb of the trespass offering.
The blood of the trespass offering.
To be cleansed.

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

A lamb was ONLY ever brought to be slain as an offering to God for CLEANSING. The blood of the slain lamb was used for cleansing. Every single time a blood offering was made it was made as sacrifice for something man had done in sin. Blood is NOT shed in sacrifice without a reason.

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot

We are NOT redeemed by anything other than the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST! Christ the LAMB of GOD!

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We are clothed in FILTHY RAGS- OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES are filthy rags. Is it any wonder we must be WASHED in the blood of the Lamb? Only the blood of the Lamb can redeem us. Only the blood of the Lamb has any cleansing power. There is not a single thing on earth that can cleanse us, that can take away the stains of sin that lays upon us thickly. Not one million good deeds for a single deed of evil will cleanse us from that stain of evil. We try to cleanse ourselves all too often. We try to redeem ourselves. We are constantly trying to make up for the wrong we've committed. We try to justify our evil acts in all sorts of ways and unfortunately Satan is all too eager to tell us we are justified, that there was good reason for our evil actions. We were provoked into committing evil. We were done evil and that warrants our justification to return evil for evil. We have RIGHTS we are born with those rights which allow us to justify ourselves. We are all about our individual rights. If we sin it is only because we are too weak to do otherwise, and it's not our fault we were made weak. It's not our fault we were born with a propensity towards sin. It's NOT our fault we are filthy so because it's not our fault we are NOT accountable. WRONG! We are accountable! We might not be Eve who sinned first, or Adam who sinned second - but we just like them are given a CHOICE. We are given a choice and that choice is whether or not we will choose to WASH our robes in the blood of the Lamb. It is our choice whether or not we will accept the sacrifice made for our filthy sinfilled state. We do not have to accept it, it's our choice. Adam and Eve were originally clothed in righteousness- the righteousness given them by God and it was their choice to disobey and that righteousness God clothed them with, they stained with sinned, with disobedience. The only way the filthy righteousness is made clean is by the Lamb's blood. We choose.

Rev 7:14 ...These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Zec 3:4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow

Mar 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

Luk 9:29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

We are purchased with Jesus Christ's blood, His amazing, His precious, precious blood.

Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

AMEN.

Psalms 104:35

Psa 104:35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

If something is no more- then it doesn't exist, right?

Psa 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Psa 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psa 68:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
Psa 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
Psa 73:27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
Pro 2:22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Isa 9:18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
Hos 13:3 Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.


Let the wicked be no more.

Why do so many people believe they will have eternal life after death, a second chance to redeem themselves after death? Why do people cling to the hope of some sort of purgatory where they'll be able to suffer enough to be saved? Why don't people believe God's word?


Very few people live today with the fear of God in them, a real fear of His wrath. They say God is love so don't fear any wrath, that's all old timey stuff to scare you- that ol' fire and brimstone preaching that is long outdated and no longer applicable. Who wants to hear about hell and damnation when they could be hearing about love, love, love? We want the Pollyanna preaching, not the ministers of fury trying to put the fear of God deep inside you. Speaking of Pollyanna, that whole movie was about being happy and spreading cheerfulness with very little left for anything like fear inducing preaching.

People take the soft side of our Savior and want to sell that as His being more compassionate than the old testament God, but it's not true! Nothing that went on during the old testament times occurred without our Savior as God with God, knowing about it, not one thing and it all met with His approval. God being a consuming fire is a reality, not something that was done away with over time. Jesus did not come to change God's ways, but to reveal the Father to us fully. The Father's long suffering and compassion were truly displayed by His Begotten Son, His sorrow over the wicked, unrepentant sinner was revealed. The wrath over presumptuous sin was clearly evident as Jesus rid the temple of buyers and sellers, cheaters, thieves. Jesus' words to us about the wicked and their end are so incredibly relevant but we want to forget He said stuff like this--

Mat 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just

Luk 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

The wicked are NOT acceptable.
The unrepentant are NOT acceptable.
The evil man is NOT acceptable.

The evil and the just will both have good things happen to them in this world now, but at the end of the world when our Savior returns the evil, the unrepentant wicked will NOT inherit the kingdom of God! We need to realize this! We need to understand that the love of God is amazing, it's powerful, it's beyond our imagination, but so too is His wrath. None will be saved that choose NOT to be saved. None will be saved that choose to disobey God. None will be saved that defy all that our God calls on us to be in Him, through Him.

We are to LOVE those who hurt us and do wickedness towards us- but that doesn't mean our loving them will alter their wicked ways. If we for one moment believe that God is going to have all loving people upon earth when He returns then we are BLIND, DEAF, and LACK UNDERSTANDING of God's word to us.

The wicked will far out number the righteous and there will be NO SECOND CHANCE! Stop it right now, stop believing you have all the time in the world or the world hereafter to become God's, to accept God, to ask for forgiveness, to truly repent! STOP IT! You do NOT have time to imagine that being evil is good or acceptable at any time, ever! The very thought of repenting later after you've 'lived a little on the wild side' is a damning thought! It's a presumption that you cannot afford to EVER make! You are not guaranteed tomorrow, no one is. You are only guaranteed right this moment you are living in right now and in this moment you can choose God over Satan, Good over Evil, Righteousness in Christ over self righteousness. Don't wait!

Psa 104:35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

Sinners really will be consumed.
Sinners really will be NO MORE!

All those in Christ and Him alone will be blessed with life and that life will be everlasting.

Don't fool yourself that God is not exacting, don't, please don't.

By the grace of God, our loving, loving God!

May we be blessed with Him always choosing God! Choosing to fear our God in a healthy fear that allows us to comprehend good from evil. Let us never, ever lose that fear which stems from the love of God towards us.


Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

We recently studied this very part of Revelation we can't ignore the duality of our God's workings. Fear God- reverence Him, and yes, fear God who has the power to render punishment to the wicked - righteous punishment, justice. That punishment is permanent-the wicked will be no more.


By the grace of our Lord always in His love!


Amen.

Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created

Psa 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Psa 104:31 The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.


Yes, I'm still stuck on this business of creation and dying, it's a subject that is forever pertinent.

When God hides his face it is troublesome isn't it? Seriously, when we feel as if God is choosing not to let us see Him (of course in a spiritual sense) it's something that upset us. We like to believe God is close to us. So many say He's just a prayer away, and they're not wrong, it's just that people believe they can constantly rebel against God and He'll forever strive with them- this isn't true!

Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years

Sin separates us from God. True, genuine repentance and desire for forgiveness heals that separation. God knows the difference between genuine and false- we can't hide from Him. As long as we keep alive the desire to sin, as long as we stop fighting sin and just allow it to be part of our lives, we cannot hope to have God close to us. Yes, we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ our Lord and nothing else but His righteousness, His forgiveness of our sins, can save us. Yet, this does NOT give us a free pass allowing us to continue on in presumptuous sin without thoughts of the consequences.

Some believe that God hides His face from them when they are overwhelmed with life's all to numerous tragedies, but we know that isn't true. We know that God will never hide His face from those who truly love Him- even if they are called to suffer unimaginably. We cannot hope to have a better path than our Savior had.

Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake

We cannot gauge our eternal life on whether or not we are living a pain free life, a life free of troubles and heartaches. God isn't hiding His face from those who love Him when those loved ones are suffering. God will hide His face from those who are not his because sin will separate them from God.

Psa 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

We talked about our breath being taken away yesterday and here is yet another verse on that very subject.

When God takes the breath away- we die- we return to dust.

Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Psa 104:31 The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

When God sends forth His Spirit- we are created. Remember how we discussed how we will receive new flesh bodies one day? God who created the earth and all the things therein, God who created the sun, the moon, the stars. God who can create something from nothing will be able to do this miraculous thing for all of those who love Him.


It is so true that the glory of the LORD will endure forever.
The LORD can rejoice in His works, they are amazing.


By the word of the Lord creation exists so how can we even begin to question His ability to call all the dead in Him to new life? We have way too many horror movies out there that love to portray the dead returning to life and they very seldom do so in any sort of good way. Is it any wonder we tend to question the hows and whys of things when we are overwhelmed with 'man's' version of how things are? Satan has corrupted so much and he'll never stop filling the minds of those who don't want to hear truth -with deception. We live in a world today where our government has actually implemented plans for a world filled with the living dead- people who have died and yet are reanimated through some sort of virus or some such. Could it happen? Who am I to say it could not? Yet, my Bible tells me that no matter what sort of evil the devil is able to work with his ability to perform miracles, that Christ is my Savior and I will have everlasting life in Him and NO other!


Psa 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Psa 104:31 The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.


God our Creator, God our Redeemer will forever exist- He's from everlasting to everlasting and I, by His grace will be found in Him and His everlasting.

Amen.

While I have my being

Psa 104:33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

While I have my being.

We lose our being, our being is temporary.

Psa 63:4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

While I live.

We lose our lives.

Psa 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

While I live. While I have any being.

So many people really believe that they'll have the ability to praise God always forever without end. Yet why would David say these words? Why would we read - 'while I have my being.' And 'while I live.'

David KNEW there would come a time when he no longer had his 'being', when he no longer 'lived', and then he wouldn't be able to praise, sing, lift up his hands to God. Yet if…as so many people believe…we never really die but simple switch from having a physical being to a spiritual being upon death then WHY can't that spiritual being sing praises to God? Angels are spiritual beings and they sing. We cannot imagine being unable to speak after death- right? If we in fact we are among those who believe in instant life after death- which I don't and neither did David.

Psa 31:12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

Psa 88:9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
Psa 88:10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
Psa 88:11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
Psa 88:12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psa 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

How can ANYONE believe that we live after we die?

Yes, there are a lot of verses that indicate there is life after death, but that doesn't mean there is IMMEDIATE LIFE after death.

Why are we told the dead in Christ shall rise and meet the Lord in the air, if they are already living with Him in heaven?

We've had plenty of studies on the dead being dead not living on in any existence after death until Christ returns, but I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Yesterday's study talked about us being dust. We die and return to dust.

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

The spirit shall return to God. The word spirit here is the word used for breath. God gave Adam his first breath- remember?

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The breath of life. It's that breath of life given to Adam that has subsequently been given to EVERY human being who has ever lived.

Think about it! We have the breath of God in us. Adam's breath, Eve's breath created Cain and Seth's breath and on and on. When Adam died, the breath that enable Him to live was expelled and he never took in another breath. That breath returned to God who gave it.

Now one of the things I've been thinking on is this-- will we get that breath of life back from God?

Lazarus stopped breathing when he died and was wrapped in his burial shroud and laid in his tomb. The breath that he received from his parents, who all the way back to Adam and Eve received the breath from God went back to God. But then Jesus call Lazarus back to life. That breath returned to his body. It had been given by God through long line of ancestors and God gave it back to Him, without receiving that breath back into his body he could not have lived again. We have to remember that Lot had begun to decay already- a human body doesn't stay well preserved for very long unless it is frozen and he wasn't frozen-not even close. The body begins decay immediately going through the process of deterioration. Remember this…

Joh 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

She knew her brother was decaying in the tomb, she wasn't under any other impression at all whatsoever. So when that breath of life returned to Lazarus another change took place as well, the process of decay was instantly reversed, new life was given to Lazarus by the power of God.

No matter when we die- a day before Christ returns or 1000 days, or 6000 days, or more when we are called from our graves no matter where they may be we will be given a new body of dust and that breath of life that God took back from us will return to that new incorruptible body. We will have bodies that will be preserved by the tree of life and never ever see corruption.


God who formed Adam from dust, God who formed Eve from Adam, God who gave Lazarus new life and reversed the decay he'd undergone, God who gave our SAVIOR new life, God who gave back our Savior His breath of life will give us that breath of life again along with new life - new flesh.

God knows each one of us.
God knows all who have been born.
God knows all who have been formed by the miracle of new life that He enable mankind to perform.
There isn't a single person that God doesn't know, not one.

Right now there is a big to do over there being 7 billion people upon earth now and that is an incredible amount of people- God knows every single one. God knows every person that lived and we can't even count that number. Each one received His breath in order to live and each one will receive that breath again- some to eternal life and others to eternal death.


Dear God may we PLEASE be among those who receive Your breath again if we die before Your return, and if we are blessed to not die let us please receive the new flesh you will give to all who will be yours!


By Your grace Lord, by Your righteousness!

In Your love always, always!

Amen.