Podcasts about both jesus

After relocating from his hiding place David and his men go to Keilah a fortified town where they had a right to believe that they would be safe. This is because on following instructions from God to go to Keilah and David having rescued the inhabitants of Keilah from the Philistines David rightly expected loyalty from them. In verses 6-14 Saul hears of David's "foolishness" and brings his army to Keilah. David consults God's advice and is told to flee from Keilah as the ungrateful townsfolk would hand him over to Saul. David and his men fled to the wilderness of Ziph where Saul daily sought him; but the LORD protected him. Verses 15-18 tell us that yet again Jonathan is able to find David and encourage him to continue to trust Yahweh who will bring David to the throne. Another covenant is made between the two great friends. Verses 19-29 tell of the Ziphites' treachery in betraying David by telling Saul where David was hiding. When Saul had completely surrounded David and his men a message came to Saul telling him that the Philistines had attacked Israel and Saul must come to protect his people. Yet again we see how the Almighty's providence saved David. Let us put our trust in our Sovereign who will always use His power to preserve His people for His kingdom. Psalms 17 and 54 were most likely written to thank God for His deliverance. Isaiah 66 verses1-2 tell of the greatness of our Omnipotent Creator and His requirement for His children to show Him the reverence that is due to Him. His Word is powerful and the faithful must tremble before God's Word. Interestingly the sect of the Quakers used Isaiah 66 verse 2 as the foundation clause of their beliefs. The sense of the Hebrew of verse 2 that Yahweh is actively seeking worshippers who are similar to Himself: compare Isaiah 57 verse 15. Our God, despite His Majestic Grandeur, is of a humble disposition and can only be worshipped by humble people: James 4 verses 7-10; 1 Peter 5 verses 5-7. Verses 3-4 describe God's detesting of the nation's hypocrisy and formalism in Israel's worship. Verse 5 tells the faithful to patiently endure despite what they had suffered for their choosing God's ways. Verse 6 says that God will vindicate His people and repay their enemies. Verses 7-14 speak of the LORD's blessings on His people at the time of His Son's kingdom. God's first people Israel will become the focus of the worship of the Almighty during the kingdom: Isaiah 2 verses 1-5; Jeremiah 3 verses 16-17; Zechariah chapters 8, 13 and 14. The reborn nation will be centred in Mount Zion. This nation will spring into existence from the time of their acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah: Romans 11 verses 15-36; Galatians 4 verses 21-31. This will be a time of great joy and gladness. Verses 15-23 speak of the final glories of the Creator being brought to fulfilment in the earth. The commencing of this process is a time of severe judgment against the world and its abominations. Verses 18-20 describe some nations receiving more favourable treatment during this time than others and those who have shown favour to Israel will receive mercy from the LORD according to His promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. After Armageddon these nations will assist in the bringing of Jewish people to their homeland. And from among the returning Jews our God will make some of them mortal priests in the Land. Slowly read verses 22-23 aloud and let your mind contemplate the glory of that time when all flesh shall worship Yahweh in the glory of holiness. Verses 24 concludes the prophecy with the total eradication of the wicked.  Matthew 11:1-6 tells us that John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus from his prison at Machaerus to Jesus asking whether our Lord was the Messiah. Some have seen this as John wavering under an intense trial. I doubt this as John knew from the time of Jesus' baptism that Jesus was Messiah: John 1:29. It would seem that John knew that he had run his race and finished his course. More than likely he was sending his disciples to transfer their allegiance to Christ. Verses 7-19 give our Lord's response to, firstly John's disciples, but more so to the bulk of the wondering crowd who were fickle in their views about John. Jesus tells the crowd that John was resolute - John was not a reed shaken by the wind. Our Lord tells them that John followed his divinely appointed mission without being affected by the refinements of the great people of his time. He was Yahweh's messenger who was the forerunner of the Messiah - the messenger of the covenant: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:67-80. There was no greater man born of a human mother than John the Baptist - excepting Jesus himself. Since Jesus' mission in proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, men and women are exerting themselves to put the kingdom first. John was the last representative of the era of the Law and the Prophets that prophesied of Messiah. Jesus was the beginning of the era of grace and truth: John 1:1-18. Verses 16-19 speak of the crowd's fickleness. They were like the children in the marketplace who when their friends said "we want to play funerals" their friends replied "no we want to play weddings". God in his wisdom had sent them John the Baptist and lastly His beloved Son. The bulk of the crown responded to neither man's beseeching of them. Was Jesus work independent of John's work without avail and unwise? No! Both Jesus and John the Baptist were needed and their missions were complementary to the work of each other. Verses 20-24 record our Lord's denouncing of the unrepentant cities of Galilee - Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida - they had witnessed many miracles and heard the wonderful message of Jesus the Son of God; and yet had failed to repent. Jesus says that Tyre and Sidon would have turned to God had those cities been presented with the works done among the Galilean peoples. Those cities were shown much but showed little response. Their inhabitants will be judged accordingly. Likewise, says our Lord Jesus, that Sodom would have responded better than these two cities in Galilee did. So they will be held responsible for their rejection of the Son of God. In verses 25-27 Jesus offers a prayer of thanksgiving to his Father for revealing His will to the lowly and humble people and hiding it from the self important and proud people who think themselves to be somebodies. In verses 28-30 Jesus appeals to his listeners to yoke themselves together with him. Jesus speaks to all who are burdened in words that remind us of Isaiah 55:1-4. Each of us need the Lord Jesus to help us to bare the load each of us must carry: see also Galatians 6:1-10. When our Lord bares our burden our burden becomes lighter. Like his Father our Lord Jesus is kind and humble and in that understanding we can find rest. In verse 30 his yoke is described as "easy" and the Greek word means 'kindly'. It tells us that in joining with Christ there will be great benefits and kindness experienced. Let us learn this and walk in harmony with our Lord Jesus towards his kingdom. For at that time he will finally bring us into his rest: see Hebrews chapters 3 and 4.

Monday, 7 July 2025   The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children.” Matthew 11:19   “He came, the Son of Man, eating and drinking, and they say, ‘You behold! A man, a glutton, and a winebibber! A friend of taxmen and sinners!' And it is justified, the wisdom, from her children” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus noted that John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said he had a demon. He continues with, “He came, the Son of Man, eating and drinking.”   Jesus is referring to Himself in the third person, contrasting His life to that of John. As noted in the previous commentary, “eating and drinking” signifies more than just the act of eating and drinking, but doing so in a social setting. Whereas John would refrain from such things, Jesus welcomed them. For example –   “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.' 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, ‘He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.'” Luke 19:1-7   Understanding this, Jesus continues, saying, “and they say, ‘You behold! A man, a glutton, and a winebibber! A friend of taxmen and sinners!'”   Two new words are introduced here. The first is phagos, a glutton. The second is oinopotés, a winebibber. It is derived from oinos, wine, and pinó, to drink. Both words will only be seen again in the comparable passage in Luke 7.   As in the account of Zacchaeus, Jesus went into the houses of those whom the Pharisees and Sadducees would never enter. He ate and drank what was put before Him without any objections.   Seeing this, the judgmental sort called him a glutton and a winebibber. This shows the utter folly of their thinking. John, who refrained from any such thing, was said to have a demon. Jesus, who openly associated with those shunned by the elites, is accused of inappropriate behavior.   Neither had committed any infraction of the law, and yet, they were arrogantly dismissed as being something they were not. As such, those saying such things had made themselves the standard of what is acceptable and what is not, ignoring the fact that it is the Lord, through the law, who set the standards of what was acceptable in the society.   As for the words, “they say,” it is the same thought from the previous verse –   ... and they say he has a demon! ... and they say, “You behold! A man, a glutton, and a winebibber!”   The words reveal who “this generation” in verse 16 is. It is not referring to John and Jesus, but to the Jews who stood accusing them –   Vs. 17 ...they say, “We piped to you and not you danced. We bewailed to you and not you breast-beat.” Vs. 18 ...and they say he has a demon! Vs. 19 ...and they say, “You behold! A man, a glutton, and a winebibber!”   Jesus is making a one-to-one comparison of those in His example and the Jews who stood around, finger-pointing at the lifestyles of John and Jesus. Because of this, Jesus concludes the thought with, “And it is justified, the wisdom, from her children.”   Another new word is seen here, dikaioó, to render just or innocent. It is that which is upright because of meeting a proper standard. Jesus is saying the wisdom, that which is divinely set forth by God, and which seems so arbitrary in how it is displayed, meaning in the conflicting, changeable conduct between John and Jesus, is proven upright from their actions.   Both Jesus and John were within their rights to live their lives as they desired while adhering to the Law of Moses as the guide for Israeli society. Despite one living in a certain way while the other lived in a completely different manner, they performed their roles before God in a way that He accepted and that brought Him glory.   Life application: Jesus' words show that God can and does work through different means and allowances to meet the set goals of the plan of redemption. John was used while living the life of an ascetic. Jesus lived His life associating with the outcasts, dining with them, etc. The two seemingly contrary lifestyles merged to form a part of God's unfolding redemptive narrative.   This is like the doctrine of dispensationalism. People have a problem with it because it seems fickle. In the dispensational model, God works one way with one group of people and another way with another group. As such, it seems arbitrary, and it appears that His plans are conflicting and changeable.   Such is not the case. The wisdom of God expresses itself through these various methods to form a whole. Bread doesn't just pop into existence. It first grows as wheat. The wheat is harvested and processed. It is then ground in a mill. After that, it will be mixed into dough. From there, the dough is placed in an oven. Once the bread is finished, butter is slathered all over it, and the family enjoys it as a part of dinner.   Each step of the process is different, and yet, a final anticipated result is realized. This is akin to how God's dispensational plan works from beginning to end. It is a step-by-step process, each dispensation unique and different from the others, culminating in eternal fellowship between God and His creatures. Peace and harmony are restored and realized.   Lord God, Your wisdom is on display in everything around us. The movement of the stars, pollination by the bees, males and females forming a couple... each of these and an infinite number more things reveal Your wisdom. It is also seen in Your word, which explains to us how we can be reconciled to You through Jesus. Thank You for such wonderful wisdom, leading to hope and restoration. Amen.

God's Great Plan (1) (audio) David Eells 6/18/25 Many prophetic words are not understood in the day they are given. Just as the scriptures show, they come ahead so that warnings are taken and spiritual warfare done. Also, many more people can partake of them this way.   Now Is the Time of My Great Plan Glynda Lomax - 10/01/2012 Now is the time of My Great Plan for the people of the earth. For thousands of years, I have planned the victory of My people in great detail. Now it is time for My people to rise up and walk as I have called you to walk, talk as I have called you to talk, for I have much to accomplish through you, My people. Cast your burdens to Me and walk forth as I have called you to do. Those I have called to ministry will now be positioned to move forward as never before. A great and glorious destiny awaits you, My people, such as you cannot imagine. Great shall be the reward of all My people who serve Me in this time. Yes, there shall be many trials and much tribulation also, but My glory through My people will outshine the darkness in the final days. Look up, My people, your redemption draws near! Glynda gives these verses: Heb.12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 1Pe.5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1Pe.4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. Rev.22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Deu.4:29-31 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. Isa.60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. Luk.21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.   Strategic Couplings Glynda Lomax - 09/26/2012 My children, the heat is being turned up in your lives and in your world. I will soon begin to place My devoted ones into position for battle as I have called them to stand. Some of you I will place in pairs - strategic couplings for the battles ahead. I have chosen mates for you that complement your weaknesses. They will be your rear guards on the earth as you march forth into all I have called you to do. Many of you I will pair with unlikely counterparts, of which the world around you will not approve, nor understand. Those near you cannot always see My mighty hand in all I am doing in your lives. Be careful, My children, of judging with your eyes or your hearts - judge only by My Spirit, for you walk in danger of calling My plans evil when you do this, and I do not consider lightly those who call My good evil, just as those who call evil good. Refrain your lips from speaking evil and seek Me only. Judge not what does not concern your own lives, for you shall see much around you in these end times you will not understand. The times approaching are perilous indeed, and I have a plan for each of your lives. You will not always understand what I am doing or the many ways I shall bless you through it. Many plans of the Evil One are being hatched behind the scenes, the horrors of which many are unaware. My children who have been watching and praying for My Son's soon return shall not be caught unawares. Rest now while you can, My children, for a fierce battle looms on the horizon of your lives and will soon be at your doors. Glynda gives these verses: Isa.58:8-10 (NIV) 8 and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isa.55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa.5:20-21 20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 2Ti.3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Mat.7:1-5 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Rom.14:12-13 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.   The Master's Plan Is Given G. W. - 11/21/2010 (David's notes in red) Part 1: I went to pray on Saturday night for full reconciliation for someone who was falling away. I could not pray. As I tried, my prayer returned to me. The word came to me, “I'm moving him out of the way to make room for another from the West”. Part 2: I had a dream Sunday night. It took place in the future. David had just received this email from me, which I wrote above as Part 1. David responded to the email by handing me a master plan. (Note: The email was sent to me on Monday, 11/22/10. I responded by sharing this interpretation of the parable of the master plan. This is the David's/Man-child's mission to receive and give revelation from the throne of God's plan on earth. Moses went up the mount to receive this and came down with his face glowing. Jesus also received this master plan and gave it to the disciples.) G. W. - I knew this master plan was the work that needed to be done by the people in the ministry. The master plan appeared to me in a hologram in the shape of a square. As I looked at the square before me, I knew it to be the uncomely parts of the body. (Note: There are many, many uncomely parts now but they will change through the Word from heaven. Remember this started with a falling away in Part 1 and now we see a raising up in Part 2. Luk.2:34 ... Behold, this [child] is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against... This is the master plan.) G. W.- The hologram began to change, like a slot machine changes its images as it goes around. Different numbers began flashing, and in my mind I knew them to be the different workings in the ministry. (Note: The falling of the old order and raising up of the new five-fold ministers, the deacons [ministries] and the gifts in the ministry.) G. W. - I also realized that the positions were growing into greater honor in the body and they started to become chess pieces. (Note: Those who are growing in the image of Christ.) G. W. - I was waiting for the hologram flashes to go up to the highest honors in God. But as I was watching it go up, it came to the Rook piece and I was taken out of the dream. That was the last thing I recall from this dream. (Note: The revelation didn't go up to the king, who is normally the highest honor, because in this dream, the King gives the highest honors to those “in God”, as the dream says. The game is centered around the King and He is never taken. The highest honor didn't go as high as the queen because the Man-child is the head of the Queen on earth, just as David was the head of Jerusalem, which is the Bride, according to Revelation 21:9,10. The Rook is the second most powerful piece on the chess board and has the highest honor, the revelation went to, and represents the Man-child. G. W. - Excerpt from Chess Rules for Movement of the Rook: The rook, shaped like a castle, is one of the more powerful pieces on the board. (Note: The rook is represented by the lookout portion of a castle. Where the “watchman” would stand and fight to protect the castle. A Man-child has power to defend the Castle of Zion.) G. W. - The rooks, grouped with the queen, are often thought of as the “major pieces”. (Note: A Man-child can be seen with the queen and has a major advantage against a foe.) G. W. - Rooks are worth a bishop or a knight plus two pawns. (Note: Man-childs are greater than bishops or overseers and knights or warriors.) G. W. - The rook can move any number of squares in a straight line along any column or row. (Note: Man-childs only move on a straight path that is not impeded.) G. W. - They CANNOT move diagonally. (Note: Never a crooked path.) G. W. - The rook can move or capture only on this straight line. (Note: One can only take leadership by walking on the straight path.) G. W. - The simplicity of the rook's movement is indeed what makes it powerful. (Note: Man-childs, like Jesus, have a simple life and walk with power.) G. W. - It can cover a significant area of the board, and there are no areas which an opponent's piece -- moving one square at a time -- can slip through. (Note: Man-childs can move supernaturally to far places. The enemy cannot deceive them or outmaneuver them.) G. W. - The rook may also make a move in conjunction with the king. (Note: Like Jesus said, “I do always those things I see of my Father”.)   Bride Prepares for Man-child Deborah Horton - 09/20/2010 (David's notes in red) As David has said, something wonderful is going to happen. :) (Looking forward to it.) In a dream, I was inside a large building, on the bottom floor, with people everywhere. They were all waiting for a Jewish man and while they were waiting, they were very busy all through the building. I have no idea what they were busy with -- can't remember. (The coming Jewish man is Jesus, Who will inhabit the Man-child as “Christ in you the hope of glory”. The building is the House of God, His people, which is being prepared for His coming habitation. I was just saying to several brethren that I hope we can prepare it ahead of time.) Then, as I looked around, I saw the Jewish man come in, along with a young woman/girl, who was his assistant somehow. I think she was setting up some audio equipment (speakers, etc.) (The Bride is making ready for the Man-child to reach many people.) Even though I saw him, no one else seemed able to do so. (He is coming in the heart of the true  House.) It wasn't that he was invisible; they could look at him and see him, but at the same time they didn't see him (this is hard to explain and doesn't make a whole lot of sense), and they kept on with whatever it was that they were doing. (We can see the body He will inhabit but many don't recognize Him to the extent He is in it now.) The next thing I can remember is that I walked over to him and he asked me to sing with him, but I told him that I couldn't because I didn't “know the language” or “speak Hebrew” (can't remember exactly how I worded it). (Singing with Him means to be in harmony with Him.) I think he was a little disappointed by that. (Reminds me of Miriam's song about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea into the wilderness tribulation and the destruction of the old man, or, as you say, the song only the 144,000 first-fruits could sing.) His assistant was still working on getting everything set up. As I looked at him, I absolutely had to give him a great big hug, which I did. I squeezed him like there was no tomorrow -- poor guy! And then I let go, although I didn't want to let go of him. He was completely ordinary-looking, about two inches taller than me, I think he was wearing a work shirt and jeans -- very informal. He was so ordinary that there was nothing you could say about him to describe him. (As Isaiah 53 says, the first individual body Jesus came in was unremarkable, so the corporate first-fruits body will be plain folks.) He had dark hair; I can't remember if he had a beard, but I don't think he did. He reminded me of a teddy bear and there was no way I could ever be afraid of him. He wasn't skinny or fat, just had a tiny bit of extra weight on his belly, so you could tell that he wasn't a very physical person. He radiated such confidence, such peace and such love! (The anointing of the latter rain is coming to manifest the attributes of Jesus in His first-fruits body, like Hosea 6:1-3 says.) The last scene I remember is that somehow pigeons were all around us and they kept landing on him. They didn't want to get off. He was petting them and let me pet them, too, and then he'd put them down where they would walk about and coo. There were three specific pigeons with beautiful markings, as gorgeous as any pigeon is ever going to get without being a specialty-breed show pigeon. He handed me one that had some dark black markings on its back and it felt like velour; it was so soft. (Maybe these are the overcomers, 30-, 60- and 100-fold. According to Romans 8, the whole creation is awaiting the manifestation of sonship or Christ in you because it too will be delivered.)   White Horse Prepared for Rider Linda L. Gray - 09/29/2016 (David's notes in red) I had this dream where I was inside my home when I noticed an unusual white cloud formation through one of my windows. To get a better look at the cloud formation, I went outside. It was a clear blue sky with no clouds elsewhere but this particular large formation in front of my house. (Nothing else will be more significant concerning changes in the world for God's people.) Within the formation of clouds, I saw a white horse. (The Bride who lives above this evil world in heavenly places by abiding IN Christ. Eph.2:4 but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: 7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. The Bride as a cloud will water the earth with the Word of God. The rest of the Church has not arrived at this place and not chosen to be in the Bride.) There was no rider on the horse that I could see as the clouds kept going around the horse, making it difficult to get a clearer view. Psa.48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. (The white horse is the Bride or Zion, as John was told in Revelation. All of the horses in the seals of Revelation 6 are white (representing holiness conquering the Beast), red (war), black (famine and economic collapse) and pale (death and Hades). The hoses represent the flesh of men who serve the spirit and leadership that rides them and rules over them. All of these horses are people who bring these judgments to the world. When they are empowered, they will have riders upon them. The first rider is the Lord in His first-fruits Man-child body who will ride/rule the Bride white horse and through them the Church. At the time of this dream, this first rider is not anointed or set on the horse. When Jesus was anointed to lead the first of the disciples to recognize Him, John said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom”. But that rider is coming, according to this next verse Linda received.) Rev.1:7 Behold, he cometh with the clouds (notice, the white horse); and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen. This verse has a more literal interpretation at the end of the tribulation, but it accurately describes in the spirit what will happen when the white horse rider, Jesus in the Man-child body, leads the other horse judgments in the earth, which is exactly what Moses the Man-child did. He brought the other judgments. “He cometh with clouds”. The Gematria for “clouds” here is 144 x 10. 144 is the number of the Man-child and 10 is the number of the Word or law he obeys and teaches. “Were purchased from among men to be first-fruits” is verse 14:4. Notice the verse number 144. Rev.14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. 4 These are they that were not defiled with women (sects or denominations); for they are virgins (not having received the seed or word of man). These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, to be the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. Both Jesus and Jesus in the Man-child as a repeat of history fit this. Psa.118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner. Circling the outer perimeter of the cloud formation was a large plane, which apparently had seen this formation (surveillance) and was trying to get a better view. (Haman attempted to bring down the Bride before Mordecai came to leadership; before the Man-child was anointed to rule in the Book of Esther. The white horse rider is typed by Mordecai, Moses, Joseph, David, Jesus and many more. This was a judgment on Egypt, as a type of the world. Each of these men and many like them led the Bride, and through them the Church, to freedom and power. Each of these also brought judgment on the Beast body, as a type of the world Beast body of seven heads and 10 horns.) I was very excited and wanted a photo of the beautiful white horse, so I went inside my house to retrieve my cell phone. When I came back outside, the airspace was filled with war planes covering the entire field of vision, flying in a grid formation heading from south to north. It looked like a tic-tac-toe-type grid with the planes in perfect formation. Rev.12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; 8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. And the Dragon or Satan was cast down to rule over his world body of seven heads and 10 horns, which is beaten by He who “came with the clouds”, the Man-child, and saints in whom the Lord lives. Jesus in the Man-child reformers will conquer the world beast. Dan.7:13 I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. ... 22 until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. The dream then ended. (Whatever was in the clouds, the powers that be didn't like, and they were ready to wage war against it.) (Yes, the powers that be are the head of the Dragon body on earth. They are Satanists whom we are casting down.) This preparation for the Bride to receive her head fits well with this next dream of the Wedding Feast.   Wedding and Temple Cakes M.L.- 09/22/2016 (David's notes in red) I woke up from a dream, and was taken back by it, but in a good way. I was in a huge room with many very sturdy tables. They were all square with white tablecloths. Each table had an extremely large wedding cake on it. (Time for the Wedding Feast to begin, the tribulation seven days before the bride is escorted by the virgins to the Groom's home in Heaven.) These cakes seemed to be about four feet tall and many inches round, coming to about two inches to the edge of the table all the way around. They were multi-tiered and in various designs and were all decorated white-on-white. Nothing stood out that would distract the eyes from one cake to another. Flowers in white in all sizes, small pillars of white, miniature fountains, white ribbon, white doves. Looking at all this, it was magnificent, all made according to their Creator's desire. After taking all this in, I looked to the right and saw the most magnificent of all cakes: a replica of the Temple. (The temple of God's presence is in the Jerusalem Bride, who is born from above.) It resembled light gray marble stone and was very smooth without a flaw in the icing! It stood about five feet high (representing grace), with the outside perimeters a square. And it was all cake. It was displayed on a very sturdy table with a white tablecloth draped to the floor. It had ornate gold trim work on top of the roof line. It reminded me of the points on a “king's crown”. (The Bride is a crown in Isa.62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. At the base of these points was a wide piece that looked like “crown molding”, the color of the building itself. In the same width of the molding above was a decorative, gold ornate area going around the top. On the two front corners were pillars, and a pillar on each side of the door. On top of each pillar were gold embellishments. Then I woke up. The wedding cakes are made ready. (For the Marriage Feast.) I didn't see any tables that were “set”. (Yet). The Bride has made herself ready. She is in fine linen, pure and white. Eph.5:27 that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. These are the righteous acts of the saints. Obedience: Jas.1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 4:17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Faith: Heb.11:6 And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. Fruit: Mat.7:20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Love: 1Jn.4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. The temple cake: The temple is where God dwells. We are also God's temple, for He dwells in us. 1Co.3:16 Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; 17 ... for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye ... 19) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness...   It's Not What They Thought Sandy Shaw - 09/21/2016 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I landed on my feet in a big city (Babylon/US), for I was translated there. Immediately, I felt the earth quake and I could tell by the surroundings that there had been others. (The time is the great earthquakes just before the tribulation; some will help others through translation, as happened to me.) I can see a road buckled, and the top half of a skyscraper had fallen to the ground. People were running and screaming, and I saw two little girls to the right. The five-year-old (five is grace) had long blond curly hair (1 Corinthians 11: submission to the sun/Son) and deep dimples and wore a blue dress (dressed up with heavenly works). The other little girl was black (representing walking in darkness) and seven years old. She wore a red dress and had dark pigtails with red ribbons (the color of the red Dragon body). I walked to them and asked them where their fathers were. (Fathers represent heads of churches.) They didn't know. The black-haired girl said that they were there for Daily Vacation Bible School. I asked, “Where are your mothers?” The seven-year-old black girl said, “She died a few months ago”. (The apostate Church mother is dead.) And the five-year-old very excitedly said, “Oh, my mom has already been with Jesus”. (Her mother is the early Church because she abides in Christ. 1Jn.2:24 As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise which he promised us, even the life eternal.) The ground started to shake some more and I knew that they were not safe. (At the time of the great earthquakes many will be helped to escape by the righteous.) So I grabbed the two little girl's wrists and started to fly over the city. (Although I have only done this instantaneously, I believe translation can happen slowly like flying. It is in the Spirit, though, and unseen by the world. It is without wings or propulsion, so it is not literally flying. Flying also represents overcoming the world and its law of sin and death, represented by gravity, to ascend into heavenly places in Christ by abiding in Jesus Who is the Word. Eph.2:4 but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. The woman in the wilderness tribulation was given the overcoming wings of the eagle by the Man-child to escape the Dragon/serpent and his works. Rev.12:14 And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [by the Man-child body], from the face of the serpent.) The seven-year-old said, “I don't understand”. Then she asked, “What is this ...the tribulation?” We landed on a suspension bridge stretched out over the water. All of a sudden, the bridge became a slide (falling into the water) and before we got to the bottom, we started to fly again. (The way of escape is cut off as in Jer.25:35 And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. But the righteous always have a way of escape, even if by flight. 1Co.10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.) We flew over the city and into the country, where there was a huge red barn, and we landed. Cars were coming up on both sides of the barn. People were coming up to it because they knew it was a refuge and a safe place and all the people around were in a state of confusion. These people were Christians and yet confused. The seven-year-old said, “Hey, that looks like my church barn!” And she let go of my hand and started running. (Many of the Church are confused by their doctrines but if they have walked with the Lord in a righteous life, they will escape. Even those who are chosen to come to understanding and holiness later will escape like the seven-year-old who walks in darkness.) The blond girl said, “There's my daddy!” He was sitting down on a folding chair inside the barn, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, and he said, “I don't understand. I don't understand”. The five-year-old shook his arm and said, “Daddy! I'm here! I'm here!” He mumbled, “Yeah, yeah”. She said, “No, Daddy, she brought me here (pointing to me)! We flew! We were flying! And we were on a big slide (toward death)”. The dad reached out and touched my hand and said, “Thank you. Thank you for bringing her here”. Then he said, in a daze, “Lord, I thought my heart was right with You”. I said, “If you were waiting for the rapture, it's not going to happen now or in the way that you think”. (At the time of the great quakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, economic collapse, chaos, many will see that they have not escaped tribulation and will repent of this deception.) I heard the seven-year-old say, “Daddy! Daddy!” And he hugged her. She asked, “This is tribulation?” She waited for him to respond and said, “Jesus didn't come yet”. He fell to his knees crying and asking the Lord, “I thought I was in right standing with You. I thought my heart was right with You. I have been preaching for 35 years”. I grabbed his hand and said, “This isn't the rapture you're waiting for. That's not happening”. I said, “You come with me”. And we walked over to the other preacher who was sitting down. (The great earthquakes are at the beginning of the tribulation, as in Rev.8:5 And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth (meteors striking the earth): and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake. Notice that this came just before the first trumpet of the tribulation. 6 And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.) I told the two little girls to stay in the barn. Then I took them to the corner of the barn. I reached to the floor, pulled open the door to a root cellar, and grabbed two bottles of water. There was food there also. Then I took the preacher's hands and we went up and through the roof of the barn! (Meaning not physical flight.) And we flew to Tennessee. David and Michael were standing outside. They saw that we had landed. The preachers were confused about what had just happened. Then I said, “Now these two men can answer any questions you have about the rapture or anything else you think you're going through”. Michael asked, “Sandy, where have you been? Where were you?” I said, “I don't know. I was translated.” Michael said, “I should have known that.” Then I went back and got the girls and brought them to Tennessee. Then I woke up. By faith at random I received Isa.49:1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye peoples, from far: JEHOVAH hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name: 2 and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me: and he hath made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he kept me close: 3 and he said unto me, Thou art my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 4 But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with JEHOVAH, and my recompense with my God. The rest of this chapter tells the magnificent story of His people being used to restore those of God's people who have been in captivity to the nations. 5 And now saith Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength); 6 yea, he saith, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 7 Thus saith Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of Jehovah that is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee. 8 Thus saith Jehovah, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages: 9 saying to them that are bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water will he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. 13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 17 Thy children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee. 18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride. 19 For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 20 The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell. 21 Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they? (Converts coming from all over the World!) 22 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. 24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? 25 But thus saith Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. 26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Both Jesus and the apostle Paul warned shepherd leaders to be on guard against the wolves in sheep's clothing that would seek to destroy the flock from within. Here is the best wolf deterrent shepherds can use. Find out more about my book When Sheep Bite. ►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

John 15:12-13 Both Jesus and Baymax are not merely human, but may be the most human of all of us. Both came to bring healing. And both give their lives for others – friends and enemies alike. There is no greater hero than these.

The poet Ogden Nash once wrote, “Some debts are fun when you are acquiring them, but none are fun when you set about retiring them.”One thing's for sure: getting into debt is much easier than getting out of debt, so the more you know about debt and credit, the better off you'll be. Author Dr. Shane Enete joins us again today to discuss his take on that double-edged sword.Dr. Shane Enete is an Associate Professor of Finance at Biola University and the author of the brand new book, “Whole Heart Finances: A Jesus-Centered Guide to Managing Your Money with Joy.”Debt In God's WordDebt is often used in the Bible as a metaphor for bondage, emphasizing its severity. Both Jesus and Paul liken redemption to being freed from debt, highlighting the spiritual implications of financial burdens. Debt restricts our ability to fully express our identity in Christ and live freely according to God's will.The biblical concept of Jubilee, where debts are forgiven, highlights God's desire for us to be free and return to our original inheritance, reflecting His provision and grace.While usury, or lending that exploits and enslaves others, is condemned in the Bible, being in debt is more about wisdom than morality. Understanding the distinction between debt on appreciating assets (like education or a home) and depreciating assets (like a car or consumer goods) is crucial for making wise financial decisions.Credit: Not Always Synonymous With DebtCredit is often misunderstood as synonymous with debt. However, building good credit without borrowing is possible and beneficial. Credit is simply a measure of your trustworthiness to repay loans, and a good credit score can provide access to lower interest rates and better financial opportunities.Credit cards are a double-edged sword. While they offer convenience, they also delay the consequences of spending, making it easier to overspend. This delay can trigger a dopamine response, making shopping more enjoyable but also more dangerous financially. It's essential to be aware of this psychological trap and manage credit card use wisely.To avoid the pitfalls of credit cards, we recommend tracking spending daily and using digital envelopes for budgeting. These methods help make the consequences of spending immediate, encouraging more mindful financial decisions. Maintaining visibility over our finances prevents overspending and promotes wise money management. The FaithFi app is a great tool if you're looking for a customizable money management tool to help you make good financial decisions every day. With the app, you can securely connect to bank accounts, track spending, and make the most of every dollar.Living debt-free and managing money in a way that honors God allows us to excel in the grace of giving. This enriches our spiritual lives by continually experiencing the gospel through generosity. By applying biblical principles to our financial lives, we can experience greater joy and freedom.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:How can I find investments that align with my faith beliefs?My adult son is disabled and collects SSI and SSA. I retired early, but I am also a teacher seeking licensure. I'm not working right now until school starts again. The bank says they cannot use my son's income unless I'm a beneficiary. How can I become a beneficiary to show his income? And how would that impact me later on with the home if the government tried to take the house since he was receiving Social Security?Resources Mentioned:Whole Heart Finances: A Jesus-Centered Guide to Managing Your Money with Joy by Dr. Shane EneteFaith-Based Investment Funds ListRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (9/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!     Printer-friendly version     © 2017 UBM | Unleavened Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.    [ Fair Use Notice ]

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (6/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!  

May 15, 2024Today's Reading: Luke 19:29-48Daily Lectionary: Numbers 16:23-40; Luke 19:29-48Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Luke 19:38)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Even though the church calendar says we are in the seventh week of Easter, think back for a moment to Palm Sunday and then further back to Christmas. What do Christmas and Palm Sunday have in common with one another? The more you think about it, the more similarities you find. Both Jesus' birth and entry into Jerusalem were foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament. Both Christmas and Palm Sunday point to Jesus' humility; He was born in humility, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and laid in a manger. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in humility. And yet He is also a king, both in His birth and on Palm Sunday as He makes His way to the throne of the cross.Jesus did all of this to bring peace between God and sinners. And that word peace is another thing that connects Christmas and Palm Sunday. At Jesus' birth, the angels announced to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds shouted out the same joyful words. “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Turns out that Christmas and Palm Sunday have a lot in common. Christ Jesus, who was born in our human flesh, entered Jerusalem to go to the cross and die in our place as God and man. The angels announced that the Savior from sin and death had arrived in Bethlehem and the Palm Sunday crowds announced that the Savior had arrived in Jerusalem to go to the cross to make peace by His death on the cross. God reveals his glory in Jesus' incarnation for us and His glory in his crucifixion for us.But these words are not only a past event. We continue to join the angels and crowds every time we prepare to receive the Lord's Supper, singing the same words. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus, who was born for us and entered Jerusalem to go to the cross for us, now is present with us and for us in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The same body and blood of Jesus, who was born for us and died on the cross for us, is given for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. And blessed are you in Jesus' gifts. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of His great humility and patience and be made partakers of His resurrection; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.- Pastor Samuel Schuldheisz is pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, WA.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. This collection of over 600 hand-drawn Christian symbols by artist and author Edward Riojas will teach you the extensive history of the imagery of the Church. Each symbol is a beautiful and historical connection to generations of Christians that have worshiped before you. A Complete Guide to Christian Symbols. Now available from Concordia Publishing House. 

Text: Mark 1:9-15 (ESV)   9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”   YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON I AM WELL PLEASED   Jesus grew up as a Galilean, from Nazareth. Before He started His public ministry, He was baptized by John the baptizer. John's baptism was for repentance but Jesus needed no repentance. Jesus argued that it should be done because “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Mat 3:15). His baptism confirmed Himself as the Messiah. Secondly, it confirmed John as the forerunner to the Messiah. Both Jesus and John were acting in fulfillment of prophecy. Interestingly, God the Father was pleased.   Immediately, the Spirit led Him to the wilderness to be tempted. It should be noted that His obedience led Him to trials and in danger with wild animals. The devil was allowed to tempt Him but the angels were ministering to Him. God won't lead us to where He isn't able to protect us.[1 Cor 10:13]   Afterwhich, He began preaching in Galilee, for the people to repent and believe the good news. His message is backed up by His impeccable character. His courage was notable that though John was arrested, it did not deter Him to preach the truth. What prompts us to proclaim the good news to others?   Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

ABBA As we continue our series on the names of God, the term ABBA or Father in the aramaic languages is our next course of study. Both Jesus and Paul refer to God as father, and Paul goes even deeper to say that we are sons and daughters adopted by God. Downey Adventist Church Sermon ABBA The Names of God series #3 Bill Aumack 20 April 2024 www.downeychurch.org Online sermon notes: https://bit.ly/3xBnIvV PowerPoint, Handout, and Transcript are available on our website.

Jesus uses a common oil-burning lamp as a “visual aid” or as a “parable” to illustrate the value of “light.” No doubt, you can think of examples in real life that demonstrate the value of light—a candle in the midst of a blackout, the light on your phone when you are trying to open the lock on your front door, or a handy flashlight to change a flat tire late at night. The Bible includes several references to “light” in both the Old and the New Testaments (see: Gen. 1:1-5; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23; Lk. 2:32; Jn. 3:19-21, 8:12). These short passages show us that light is a very important concept in the Bible. It is not an accident that Jesus uses a lamp that gives off light to express something quite valuable—but what does it mean? If we conclude that the “light” in the Parable of the Lamp refers to the gospel message, then how should Christians today seek to show forth the “light” of the gospel? Both Jesus and Paul speak of Christians as the “sons of light” (Jn. 12:36; 1 Thes. 5:5). Therefore, we can be confident that whatever we might do in our life—whether it is in art, business, economics, education, family, law, politics, sports, or work—we bring the light of the gospel into it. Jesus did not intend for us to keep the light hidden, but to make it clearly known for all to see!

As we continue our series on discipleship, we'll be highlighting the importance of prayer to God, but also for one another. Both Jesus and Paul exhorted the believers, and us to pray for and encourage one another. Downey Adventist Church Sermon Love One Another Through Prayer Follow Me series #3 Chris Famisaran 16 March 2024 www.downeychurch.org

Many Christians today bristle at the doctrine of election, but the Scriptures do not. Both Jesus and the Apostles blatantly call God's people the elect or chosen, not to mention God's choosing of Israel from among the nations in the Old Testament. Ephesians 1:4 specifies that God made this choice “before the foundation of the world.” As Romans 9 displays, such a teaching is an undoubtedly bitter pill for our finite and worldly minds to swallow, but as Ephesians 1-3 displays, once accepted it becomes a foundation of great comfort and blessing for Christians. For more resources for knowing and loving God's Word, visit bcnewton.co

Even for the most devout Christian, today's parable and the next three makes us feel insecure, fear, or perhaps doubt.  They make us take account of our faith and our actions, our sincerity, our devotedness to follow Jesus.  Both Jesus' and Matthew's intent, however, is to prepare themselves for Judgment Day with vibrant faith which fuels their daily lives and relationships with others.  You, and only you, are held accountable to be faithful both in your confession of Christ as your Savior, and in leading a life of love and mercy, fueled by that faith. These next three parables are a call to be prepared and to not let your guard down in a world that would swallow you, and your faith, whole.  It is Christ who overcomes fear and doubt and you must keep your eyes and live your lives on Him.  He is the prize.

Both Jesus and Paul quote nuggets from Proverbs 25, written by King Solomon. Order Eden to Eternity and find all of your Bible study needs here. Join our Healthy Christian Women Facebook Group here. Follow Dr. Melody on IG: @dr.melody_fitplusfaith

Episode Synopsis:From the moment of our Lord's ascension into heaven (as recounted in Acts 1:8) Christians have expected the Lord's bodily and imminent return.  Both Jesus and the apostles had a fair bit to say about his return as well as those signs which would precede the end.  So, from the dawn of the church, until now, some two thousand years removed from our Lord's life and ministry, Christians have eagerly expected the Lord's return.  What are these signs of the end, and how are we to understand them?  What remains to be fulfilled before Jesus returns?There are also a number of common expectations people have about the Lord's return, but which really are not signs of the end at all–the rapture, the seven-year tribulation, a millennial age, and so on.  We'll also discuss these expectations which are not biblical signs of the end.It is hard to address the signs of the end today because since the days of the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948, the biblical prophecy pundit industry has been doing its best to connect current events to biblical prophecy–especially events surrounding Israel.  This has colored Christian expectation in many harmful ways–verses are lifted from their context and applied to virtually any event involving the Jewish state without due regard for what Scripture actually teaches about the end.  A few of these predictions have come to pass, and those which have are more of “a broken clock is right twice a day” variety.  So lets step back from the prognosticators and the Bible prophecy industry and take a fresh look at the biblical teaching regarding the signs of the end.  I think this is an important and valuable exercise.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here: https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

In today's lesson, we will delve into the Roman Imperial Cult and the officially sanctioned worship of Caesar Augustus. As the message of the Kingdom of God, centered around Jesus as Lord, spreads throughout the Roman Empire, it encounters a direct clash with the Roman establishment, where Caesar is regarded as the supreme authority. Both Jesus and the writers of the New Testament possess a keen awareness of the imperial propaganda machinery. They skillfully employ the terminology associated with the imperial cult to directly challenge the assertions made by Caesar. Come and join us on a journey to ancient Priene, where we will investigate an inscription dating back to 9 BC. This inscription portrays Augustus as the "savior" and "god," while also depicting his birth as the "good news for the world." --------------------- Tower of Babel: https://youtu.be/8B8JjGFEvgs Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Class Handout: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/faith-lessons/good-news-of-caesar-augustus#/ www.figtreeteaching.com YouTube: https://youtu.be/dv2d0lKtKQU Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mh4v8e7FDwOoPhQd7bz7Y References: Priene Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_Inscription_of_Priene#:~:text=The%20Priene%20Calendar%20Inscription%20(IK,the%20edict%20from%209%20BC. Craig Evans (2000) - Mark's Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel. https://web.archive.org/web/20170829065710/http://craigaevans.com/Priene%20art.pdf JD Crossan and JL Reed - In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom https://www.amazon.com/Search-Paul-Apostle-Opposed-Kingdom/dp/0060514574/ref=sr_1_2?hvadid=616863302838&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9013186&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9698310806900404646&hvtargid=kwd-777937745&hydadcr=24658_13611734&keywords=in+search+of+paul&qid=1691592463&sr=8-2 N.T. Wright - How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels https://www.amazon.com/How-God-Became-King-Getting/dp/0281061467/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1687643128&sr=8-1 Ethelbert Stauffer - Christ and the Caesars - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Caesars-Ethelbert-Stauffer/dp/1556358180/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BY4ZQQVBOR33&keywords=christ+and+the+caesars+stauffer&qid=1692565351&sprefix=christ+and+the+ca%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1 Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels - https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Jesus-Gospels-IVP-Bible/dp/0830824561/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20A1I5S7RIMCB&keywords=dictionary+of+jesus+and+the+gospels&qid=1687643188&sprefix=dictionary+of+jesus%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840 Dictionary of Paul and His Letters - https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Paul-His-Letters-Contemporary/dp/0830817859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5PWS1X5XO943&keywords=dictionary+of+paul+and+his+letters+2nd+edition&qid=1687643216&sprefix=dictionary+of+paul%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

Protection from Cults or even controlling dysfunctional Christian leaders can be accomplished by understanding not just the words of Jesus but "Who Jesus Is" and understanding... the "kind of person" that He is. Cult leaders use the words of Jesus but "detached" them from the person and character of Jesus! Beware. The best and only context for the Words of Jesus is the person and character of Jesus. You absolutely have to know who a person is, to understand what they are saying.Let me say it differently. The best way to "interpret" Jesus words is in the context of His good person and character. You need to study how Jesus related to people and understand His relationships to know who He is and what He is like.This was the whole goal of the God Is Just Like Jesus Book and the whole goal of the You Tube Videos and Podcasts.Both Jesus and the Devil (or a Pharisee) can say the same words like, "Deny yourself and follow me" but the results are as radically different as St Francis of Assisi is from Jim Jones.Resources:Please feel free to email me at chris@godisjustlikejesus.com if you like an episode or you have suggestions how to improve an episode.Search for “God Is Just Like Jesus” on these Platforms:Podcasts: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Pandora | Amazon MusicConcept Video: https://youtu.be/Hi6kknKWjCwYou Tube Play List: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJkV7zR-7Ao0XHJTo0FQVowVHZ7BLGPO5Link Tree of Resources https://linktr.ee/chrissarrisWeb Site: http://www.godisjustlikejesus.com/Music by AlexiAction from PixaBay

John the Baptist seems to be disappointed with Jesus ministry but is he justified to be? Both Jesus and John play key roles in transitioning the old covenant into the new. John prepares for the new offering a baptism of repentance and Jesus extends that salvation via repentance to the outsiders. However, not everyone welcomes the good news

Both Jesus' miraculous works and His clear teaching reveal that He and God the Father are equal. This great truth that Jesus Christ is God means He is Lord over every aspect of life. Do we acknowledge Him as Lord and act accordingly? (Matthew 12:1-21; Mark 2:23–3:12; Luke 6:1-11; John 5:1-47) Get Stephen's FREE resource to help fathers build a godly legacy: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/dad

Both Jesus entrance and departure from this earth are supernatural. His conception by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and his physical human departure by the supernatural lifting of his glorified resurrected body through the sky into the cloud. What does Messiah Jesus ascension mean to him and to us, his people--

Both Jesus and Paul were single men and both made a compelling case for why others might also choose to remain single for the sake of the kingdom. Unmarried Christians are uniquely qualified to focus on a wide-range of relationships and ministries, as well as testify against  our generation's idolatry of romance and sex.

Both Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well are thirsty; they go the well at noon, the hottest time off the day. The history of Interpretation, however, has mostly focused on “living water.” What would it look like to focus on their need for refreshing, drinkable, “regular water”? Jonathan and Seth do just that in this episode that focuses on water scarcity around the globe.

Introduction: We are at WarFACT: We are at war. Bold. Underline. Italics. Exclamation point. We are at war. There are an estimated 600 million Evangelical Christians around the globe today making up about 8% of the world's population. The majority of the other 92% are walking in darkness, held captive by our great enemy Satan who is the father of lies. Billions have been led astray by false forms of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Secularism, Materialism, Atheism, and vast array of other false religions. These all stand in opposition to the Gospel and often fight with great zeal against Jesus Christ and His people. We are engaged in a war for the souls of men, women and children. The Battle is real and it one that we cannot win on our own.Stories of persecutionIn a few weeks we will be celebrating Palm Sunday here at TPC. Six years ago, on Palm Sunday 2017, bombs blew up at two churches in Egypt, killing nearly fifty Christians and injuring more than one hundred others. Just hours after the blast, amid outrage and grief, Pastor Boulos stepped before his packed church in Egypt and gave the terrorists a three-point sermon that went viral worldwide. It was entitled “A Message to Those Who Kill Us.” His three points were simple: “Thank you,” “We love you,” and “We're praying for you.” Pastor Boulos said “Thank you” because the terrorists gave the dead the honor to die as Christ died; and because theterrorists' actions made people outside the church mindful of their eternal destinies. (After the attacks, Egyptian churches overflowed with people who had never attended before). Then Pastor Boulos said “We love you” because even murderers and thieves love those who love them, but only followers of Jesus are taught to love our enemies. Pastor Boulos closed hismessage with “We're praying for you” because, he reasoned, if a terrorist could taste the loveof God even one time, it would drive hatred from his heart.This is one story of persecution among millions through the ages. Across 76 countries, more than 360 million evangelical Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith today. We are indeed at war. And on our own, it is a war that we cannot win.John Piper on Prayer as a War-Time Walkie TalkieJohn Piper has been preaching that we are war for decades. In his book “Let the Nations Be Glad!” Piper says some convicting things about our major weapon in fighting this war against our adversary the devil – a weapon that we often misuse or do not use at all. That weapon is prayer as we know from Ephesians chapter 6 (which we read earlier). It is our primary firepower against the devil. But let me read directly from JohnPiper's book, because I'm not so sure we act like life is a battlefield. Piper says:“Probably the number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of believers is that we try to turn a wartime walkie talkie into a domestic intercom. Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission…[Our] field commander (Jesus) called in the troops, gave them a crucial mission (go and bear fruit); [he] handed each of them a personal transmittercoded to the frequency of the General's headquarters, and [he] said, ‘Comrades, the general has a mission for you. He aims to see it accomplished. And to that end he has authorized me to give each of you personal access to him through these transmitters. If you stay true to his mission and seek his victory first, he will always be as close as your transmitter, to give tactical advice and to send air cover when you need it.'“But what have millions of Christians done? We have stopped believing that we are in a war. [There's] no urgency, no watching, no vigilance. No strategic planning. Just easy peace and prosperity. And what did we do with the walkie talkie? We [have] tried to rig it up as an intercom in our houses and cabins and [our] boats and [our] cars – not to call in firepower for conflict with a mortal enemy, but to ask for more comforts [andcushions] in the den.”Four Elements of Earth-Shattering Missions PrayerWith that as our introduction, I want to turn to our two texts for today. We will be looking at two biblical prayers that were prayed in times of great distress for God's people. We will look at one prayer in 2 Kings 19 and one prayer in Acts chapter 4. In both situations God's people were at war and they were engaged against enemies they knew that they could not defeat. They knew they were hopeless unless God came to their rescue. So, they turned to Him in God- exalting, enemy-defeating prayer. In both instances, these prayers moved the heart of God and he acted with great power to help his people.Both of these prayers follow a pattern and have 4 key elements that I want to examine. As we look at prayer as a weapon of war against the enemy, I want to encourage us to integrate these elements in our prayers as individuals, as families and as a church body here at TPC. We can use these prayers as roadmaps as we pray for the work of spreading the Gospel to every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Let's look at the pattern first, and then we will look at how it plays out in these two prayers. The pattern is printed on the back of today's bulletin.The Pattern is:We acknowledge the DIVINE POWER of God aloneWe affirm our DEPENDENCE on God aloneWe arouse the heart of God to DELIVER his people and to DESTROY our enemiesWe appeal to God to DISPLAY HIS GLORY for all the earth to seeHezekiah's Prayer (2 Kings 19:14-19)First, let's consider Hezekiah's prayer. Let us look at the historical backdrop. Hezekiah was King of Judah. He was a good king. In fact, the Bible says there were no kings of Judah before or after him that followed God like he did. In 2 Kings 18:5-7 we read:5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.”Now these last words were the epicenter of the problem that Hezekiah was facing. He rebelled against the King of Assyria. He would not bow his knee to a pagan king. The King of Assyria was named Sennacherib and the capitol of his evil empire was “Ninevah” if you have ever heard of it. It is no wonder that brother Jonah had no love for this people.So, Sennacherib was coming to extract his vengeance on this rebel king of Judah. He besieged Jerusalem with the largest most powerful army on earth. Then he sent a blasphemous letter (in 2 King 19:10-13) to Hezekiah that read: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, orthe king of Ivvah?'”In verse 14 we read about what Hezekiah did upon receiving this letter. It says: “Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.” What a glorious demonstration of faith. He didn't sit and fret on his throne, filled with anxiety and fear. He didn't sit and strategize and mull over all of his military options to fight or surrender. He went into the temple and spread the letter before the Lord and prayed! And what did he pray?First, Hezekiah Acknowledged the DIVINE POWER of God alone:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.”Consider these words in contrast to the blasphemy of Sennacherib who had mocked the God of the Israelites. Hezekiah here is saying to God, Sennacherib is a blasphemous liar, for we know, we believe, we have faith that you alone, not Sennacherib, are the Sovereign Lord who is above all kings and who sits enthroned over all nations.Second, Hezekiah Affirmed His DEPENDENCE on God alone: In verse 16 we read:“Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.”After acknowledging the power of God alone, Hezekiah humbly entreats God, demonstrating his complete dependence on God. He says incline your ear O Lord. Listen to me. Hear me. We need your help, Lord. And “Open your eyes Lord and see. “ If you don't listen to us and see us, no one will hear us, see us, rescue us. The idols of the other nations did not save them. But we depend on you, the true and the living God who alone has the power to save us!Third, Hezekiah Aroused the heart of God to DELIVER his people and to DESTROY their enemies: In verse 19 we read: “So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand.”Only after acknowledging God's power and sovereignty, and his dependence on God alone, Hezekiah appeals for help. He simply says, “O Lord our God, save us, please from the hand of Sennacherib.” His heart's desire was for his people to be delivered and he knew that no one else could deliver from the mighty hoards of the Assyrians, so he simply says, “save us, please.” It is beautiful in its simplicity and earnestness.Finally, Hezekiah Appealed to God to DISPLAY HIS GLORY for all the earth to see: “That all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” Hezekiah was praying for something bigger to happen than just for his people to be rescued. He knew the power of the Assyrian army, the arrogance of King Sennacherib, the wanton cruelty, and destruction and annihilation that they had wreaked on the entire Middle East. He knew that if God delivered His people and destroyed the Assyrians, then all the Kingdoms of the earth would know that there is only one and true and living God who answers prayer and is more powerful than any king or empire that sets themselves up against Him. He wanted God to deliver his people in the same magnificent way that he had delivered His people from the hands of Pharoah King of Egypt hundreds of years before and all of the world heard and trembled. He wanted God to be glorified far beyond the borders of Judah, and so he prayed for this very thing.So what did God do in response to Hezekiah's prayer?Two things. First, God sent the prophet Isaiah to assure Hezekiah that God had heard his prayer and would surely come to the defense of his people. We will not read Isaiah's entire message for the sake of brevity, but in verse 22 God says to Sennacherib:“Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to theheights? Against the Holy One of Israel!”And jumping down to verse 32-34 God says:32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”The second thing that happens is that God acts with great power. He sent his angel and destroyed the Assyrian army. In verses 35-37 we read:35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.Indeed, now the whole world knew there was only one God, the God of Israel, that he alone had all power, and that He delivers His people from their enemies when they pray. The blasphemous king of Assyria and his mighty army were totally annihilated by Jehovah Sabbaoth—the God of Angel Armies.The Prayer of the First Church (Acts 4)Let us turn our attention now to the New Testament, to Acts chapter 4, to a prayer of the disciples, of the early church. The context here is that in chapter 3 Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray. Along the way they met a beggar who had been lame from birth who asked them for money. Peter replied:“I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”Peter then proceeds to preach a powerful gospel sermon at the end of Acts chapter 3 to everyone gathered at the temple. This results in Peter and John being arrested because all of this greatly annoyed the Jewish religious leaders. They interrogated them and asked them where they got the power to heal this man. Peter boldly says:“Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus[a] is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.[b] 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.”The religious leaders and rulers then ordered Peter and John to stop preaching about Jesus and doing miracles in His name.“But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than toGod, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”“When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and prayed.”What did they pray? Their prayer is very similar to Hezekiah's, containing the same 4 elements although in a different order. Let's take a look.First, in verse 24, the church Acknowledged the DIVINE POWER of God alone: “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” Before they ask for rescue, they begin with worship, adoration and an affirmation of faith in God's sovereignty and power over all things.Second, the church Aroused the heart of God to DELIVER his people and to DESTROY their enemies: In verses 25-28 we read: 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'—27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.They reminded God that these very same enemies of theirs, these Jewish religions leaders, who are now persecuting them had only a short time ago set themselves up against God and his Anointed son Christ Jesus and joined with the Gentiles to destroy him. But the disciples also acknowledged that all of this was part of God's sovereign plan that he has predestined to take place.Third, the Church Affirmed their DEPENDENCE on God alone: In verse 29 they pray:“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness”We see that they have a simple prayer for help. Strengthen us to continue preaching your gospel in the midst of persecution. We need your help. We cannot win this war on our own. Protect us and strengthen us and give us boldness. We depend on you in this war for souls.Finally, the church Appealed to God to DISPLAY HIS GLORY for all the earth to see: In verse 30 we read:“while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of yourholy servant Jesus.”In addition to a plea for boldness, the church asks God to do signs and wonders through the Name of Jesus. They wanted something greater to happen than just to be able to continue to share their faith. They wanted God to act in powerful ways so that all the earth would know that salvation is found in no other name than in the powerful and beautiful name of Jesus Christ.How did God answer this prayer? We see in verse 31:“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”God answered their prayer for boldness. He shook the earth and poured out the Holy Spirit upon them. Along with that, he also answered their prayer for miracles. In the next chapter, Acts 5 we read that they continued to do miracles in the Name of Jesus. People from all around brought the sick and demon possessed to the disciples and they were ALL healed.Conclusion: As we draw to a close this morning, I want to offer three words of encouragement as we wage war for the souls of the lost through prayer, as we continue the battle of global missions and church planting among every tribe and language and people and nation.First. Your prayers matter. The enemy wants you to believe that your prayers do not matter, that your prayers are not heard, that God is not moved by your prayers. That is a lie. James 5:16 says: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” In Revelation chapter 5 we get the glorious glimpse into the throne room of God. We see angels, elders, heavenly creatures and the redeemed from every nation are gathered to worship the Lamb of God. Here we see that our prayers are a fragrant incense before God. It says that angels and heavenly creatures and elders are holding golden bowls of incense before God. What is the incense that fills those bowls? The prayers of all the saints through the ages. They are a beautiful aroma to God and they move his heart. Your prayers matter and are effective in this battle. They are ever present in the throne room of heaven.Second. We do not pray alone. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit pray with us and pray for us. In Hebrews 7:25 we read: “Consequently, he (Jesus) is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” And in Romans 8:26-27 we read: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” We do not pray alone in this war.Third, and finally, the war has already been won. As opposition to the Gospel grows stronger day by day, and persecution of the church intensifies, it is easy to be discouraged and to believe that we are losing the war. Perish the thought! King Jesus has already defeated sin and death and Satan through his death and resurrection. Satan is in the throes of death, wriggling and writhing and lashing out like the great serpent that he is. The final victory will soon be revealed, so let us persevere to the end in our faith and in our God-exalting, enemy-defeating wartime prayers. What shall we pray? And what shall we pray? Let us pray that the light of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit will push back the darkness that holds almost 7 billion souls in slavery to the devil. Let us pray that the lost sheep will come into the fold of Jesus. Let us pray that the Church of Christ will prevail as we storm the gates of hell. Let us pray that the elect from every tribe and people and language and nation will be saved. And let us pray that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior to the glory of our Heavenly Father. And let us pray, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus, Come Quickly, and let your sovereign rule and reign be revealed for all of eternity!” To him be the glory. Amen.

January 22, 2023 Sermon: Teach us to Pray Part 2: A Nation Calls on the Lord The Power of Persistence Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8 A hesitant driver, waiting for a traffic jam to clear, came to a stop on the expressway ramp. The traffic thinned, but the timid driver still waited. Finally, an infuriated voice came from behind shouting: “The sign says Yield, not give up.” The primary actors in Sunday's parables neither yielded nor gave up. In fact, that really is the lesson of these parables: The Power of Persistence. Jesus told two parables with almost identical messages about persistence. The stories are different only in their setting; they make the same point. The first story is recorded in Luke 11:5-13. Jesus told that parable just after he had taught his disciples to pray, using the prayer we call the Lord's Prayer. We can imagine the parable answering a question from Peter, “Master, should we really bother God with small concerns like our daily bread?” Jesus answered such a thought, spoken or unspoken, with a story right out of the experiences of everyday life, the parable of the friend at midnight. Both Jesus and his listeners would have enjoyed the humor of this story. In both instances someone—the reluctant neighbor and the unjust judge—did the decent thing because it was the least bothersome thing to do. They didn't do it out of love or mercy or justice. They did it because they were badgered. Jesus is making the big point that resistance can be battered down by sheer persistence. He also makes the point that if it's true with two not-so-admirable persons, how much more may we expect God to respond to us as we keep our needs before Him. Let's glean some significant truths from the parable. If goodness is produced by less than righteous, even evil powers, we can expect limitless goodness from God. Both parables immediately follow the request of the disciples for Jesus to teach them how to pray. So, Jesus is teaching us about prayer. And I believe he's saying at least three things: 1. Sincere prayers are always answered. 2. Persistent prayers are always answered. 3. Prayers that voice our deepest needs in keeping with God's will are always answered. Note that Jesus does not picture either the unjust judge nor the reluctant neighbor as a symbol or a metaphor for God. He's not teaching us about the nature of God—he's teaching us about the nature of our praying. Sincerity, persistence, the voicing of our deepest need in keeping with God's will. That's what prayer is all about. Grace and Peace, Stephen

A @Christadelphians Video: Description: Nothing better unites the New Testament with the Old than the clear biblical teaching that “the Gospel” was first preached to the man Abraham - over 1900 years before the birth of Christ. Both Jesus and his Apostle Paul attest to this fact and explain how this good news can lead to eternal life to any who both understand, believe and respond to the real "Good News". --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/christadelphians-talk/message

Change of Fortunes for the Man-child and Bride (Audio) David Eells - 12/18/22 The DS Plan to Rob the People Winnie Osegueda - 12/4/2002 (David's notes in red)   I dreamt that my husband, Chuc, and I were driving through the city streets. (Representing world Babylon.) There were a few large, black SUV's that were in front of us which suddenly turned sideways in order to block the road so that we, and others, would not be able to drive through. I knew, in the dream, what they were about to do. (As we will see, the black SUVs represent DS government forces who are trying to hyjack the people and the banking system. Cyrus, who we know Trump is a type of, was shown the stolen hidden riches of Babylon mentioned in Isaiah 45. Trump discovered these riches and repatriated them. Which, in effect, he will use to re-build the Kingdom of God like Cyrus did.) Masked men wearing black from head to toe came out of the SUVs with large guns in order to rob people; particularly, the large armored truck to our left which was transporting money for the banks. (Robbing the truck translates into robbing the people who have money in the banks. Also, blocking the road from people passing through could represent preventing people from accessing their money in the banks.)  They made all the cars stop whether they were going to rob that specific car or not. However, Chuc and I decided to not be afraid and kept driving. Chuc drove through a gap on the right and we made it through the roadblock. The masked men began to shoot at the back of our car, and although our car was hit, the bullets did not penetrate, and we were unharmed. I remember calling on the name of Jesus while we were driving away. (Staying on the right represents access to God's protection.) Then I woke up. Verses I received by faith at random: Deuteronomy 10:17 For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of Lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way; But Jehovah directeth his steps. (The DS thinks “might is right” but when it comes to God's people who trust in Him, His might comes into play.) A verse Chuc received by faith at random: John 3:19 And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.    The DS Serpent Coming to Constrict Babylon Marie Kelton - 12/9/22 (David's notes in red)  During our meeting, as we were praying, I closed my eyes and saw a vision of a huge brown and black boa constrictor. It was slithering down a rocky cliff going towards a city that was below the cliff. (We recently had a factious man rail at us that we weren't going to “constrict” him. He became a Judas. Judas also went over a cliff when he hung himself and fell into Akeldama “the field of blood.” Because he was guilty of innocent blood. This also seems to fit the factious in the Church and state.) The city buildings looked light brown, like they were made out of clay or sand. (Light brown was the color of Hitler's Nazi uniforms. Also, Jesus said in, Mat. 7:26-27 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.) The city looked like it was in a desert. There was little water and not many trees. (The old serpent, the dragon, and his factious minions, are being cast down through our prayers. He will not be able to save his Nazi (Brown) city of Babylon. They are falling together..)   The Old Serpent Seeks to Devour the Bride and Man-child  Tiannah Fire - 12/13/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamt Samuel and I were visiting a town called Dysart. (Meaning isolated, desert, waste)  We walked around to the back of a shop to find a trash bin. (God's true disciples seek to rid themselves of all worldly Babylonish garbage.) We found an enclosed area… that led us through this big corridor to a covered area. The roof was plastic and partially transparent, and there were heaps of leaves on top of it. (Preventing the light of the sun/Son from getting through.) …   Towards the left … was a dirty, red car parked, that looked like it hadn't been used in an extremely long time. … (Representing [the apostates that have fallen away from the crucified life.] Their lives are stagnant in this town and almost completely buried under the carnality and death of the world;) (The dead leaves represent wintertime which the Bible says is tribulation. Dead leaves can no longer take in the light of the sun/Son representing the Word.)  Samuel was holding our baby, David, and he went to walk over to another section that had green, wheeled, trash bins. …Samuel went over there to put the trash in a bin, as I watched from over near the car. (Representing sanctification and getting rid of the Babylonish waste from our lives.)  Then, I saw two brown snakes slither out, but Samuel didn't see them. They slipped straight past him and came towards me. I then saw a yellow snake and a black snake come out from under the dirty, red car towards my left, and they went in front of me. (The snakes represent the enemies that surround us.) (The left is where Jesus placed all the apostate, rebellious goats. Both Jesus and John the Baptist referred to the factious leadership “vipers.”) I shouted to Samuel about the snakes, and he turned and looked at them. Then our son David jumped from his arms onto the ground, and the snakes slid around him but they couldn't bite him. (Little David represents the Man-child whom the enemy will try to destroy but will not be able to. The Pharisees were afraid to publicly against Jesus because His wisdom was beyond them.) Then many more snakes appeared and came over towards us.   David crawled to me, and I picked him up and Samuel came over to us. Although the snakes were slithering all over the ground and around him, he never once stepped on one of them. (The demons in these serpents cause them to come against satan's enemies.)   The snakes tried to intimidate us by looking like they were going to bite us; opening their mouths wide and moving their tongues and showing off their fangs, but they never bit us. (This represents the enemy spreading their fear, lies and intimidation. We must put on our spiritual armor and guard ourselves from the wickedness and venomous poison of the enemy.)  Psa 140:3 They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders' venom is under their lips. Selah.   Mar 16:18 and in their hands they shall take up serpents, and if they drink aught deadly, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.   I was getting attacked with fear, but I was trying to reject it and stay calm. …Samuel said we needed to leave, and told me to just walk slowly and calmly out, the same way that we came in. (They came in seeking sanctification which is the only escape from the torments and tactics of the enemy.)   The snakes followed us and kept moving around our feet. Even though they looked so close to us, they couldn't touch or bite us, but they were trying to intimidate us.   When we were going through the …corridor to get out, we stopped for a moment, and Samuel turned around and stepped on the head of one of the brown snakes and it died straight away. (We must “bruise its head” with our heel representing our walk of faith and spiritual warfare or we won't win the battle.)  Luk 10:19 Lo, I have given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.   He then stamped his foot on another, and it wriggled around for a bit, but then died. (Gen. 3:15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.) Then a giant snake slithered over to us; it was 10 times bigger than all the other ones. Its head was a bright yellow and green and its body a bright purple. (This represents satan himself who has appeared to men as a beautiful angel of light. He is the old serpent who will try to devour the woman and her Man-child in Rev. 12.) I was holding little David when this snake came to us and we were supernaturally lifted up off the ground, but still inside this covered area. (The Bride and Man-child are kept safe and are hidden.) (The wicked dwell on the earth and are at the mercy of the Beast. Rev. 13:7-8 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8 And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, everyone whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain. But the Bride abides in heavenly places in safety. Eph. 2:6 and raised us up with him and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.) Rev 12:5-6 And she was delivered of a son, a male, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath there a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred threescore days.   The snake kept moving its head around, and on the top of its head it had a big hole. This snake didn't show off its fangs like the other smaller ones. But instead, it kept aiming the hole on the top of its head at Samuel and each time it would spew out venom at him. (Satan uses those who have the mind of the flesh because it is at enmity with God.)  Samuel casually moved out of the way each time and the venom couldn't get onto him. … (When the enemy cannot directly attack or intimidate, he will desperately try anything to spread his lies.)  We ended up just opening the gate we came in through and walking out. The snakes couldn't follow us out of the gate. We were all safe praise God! (Satan cannot deceive those that come out from among them.)   Man-child at Death's Door Missy Pollock 12/3/22 (David's notes in red) I was in David's house observing; I knew it was Davids' house, but it didn't look like it was his house. (It is the house of David as a type of the larger Man-child reformers.) David was in a bed covered up and frail looking like he was at deaths door; it hardly looked like him. (Representing the death of the Man-child David's old man in preparation for the catching up to the throne of resurrection life. This will be a great change of fortunes for the Man-child and Bride initially and then for the Church.) There were a lot of brothers and sisters around him and he was talking to them about something, but I didn't hear what he said. After a bit, everyone left. (John 6:66-71 (Notice 666 represents a departure of the factious among the disciples.) Upon this many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. 67 Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away? 68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God. 70 Jesus answered them, Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 Now he spake of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.) I went over to Michael who was laying on his back on the kitchen counter with his head at the corner. (Jesus was the Head of the corner) and his legs stretched out across the countertop, and he had on blue jeans. (Michael means, "who is like God". A corner is also a turning point like the death of self brings resurrection. Also resting on his back puts his eyes toward heaven, meaning his expectation and faith is in God. And the kitchen is the place to prepare spiritual food, which the Man-child body will bring to the Church.)  There were items scattered around him, but it wasn't clear what they were. They didn't look like the shape of pots and pans. (Pots and pans are a natural way to prepare food. Spiritual food is prepared by God's methods which don't look anything like the ways of man.) I said to him, "You're in one corner and David is in the other.” (The corners are turning places where walks and provisions will be changed for the better.) (I believe I was just an observer in this dream because I didn't interact with anyone, and Michael didn't respond when I spoke to him.) Then David had gotten out of bed, and I saw that he was wearing a white t-shirt and white and red print pajama bottoms. (Representing being dressed in righteous works and red on the pajama bottoms represents a blood washed and rested walk.) He was nothing but skin and bones. (When the flesh life is dead and gone then the resurrection comes.)  David went to the other end of the countertop from Michael and there was a wooden safe under the countertop. I knew he wanted to check and see if he could open it. It didn't look like a normal safe because it had a latch on it that he pulled straight out and it opened. He didn't open the door wide but just enough to know that he could get into it when he needed to. (Access to funds for the ministry will be available to the resurrected Man-child David's.)  Then someone was at the door, and he went and opened it and it was Merlene. She had a smile on her face as she walked in. David asked her something like, "Did you bring $180?" She said, "Yes." (180 is a play on words; like making a 180 degree turn about. (Two 90 degree corners that Michael and David were in equals the 180 degree turn about. Everything will change for the Man-child reformers and those who follow them. The 180 degree turn about at the death of the Man-child and the corners represents a total turn about of situations, authority, power, fortunes, etc. The verses at random below, also imply this total turn around regarding enemies and fortunes.) I asked the Lord for verses by faith at random for the dream and received. Isa 14:28, (in context 28-32) 28 In the year that king Ahaz (Father of Hezekiah) died was this burden. 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smote thee is broken; for out of the  serpent's root shall come forth an adder, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. (Enemies of God's people, and especially Zion, will be judged)   30 And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and thy remnant shall be slain. 31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou art melted away, O Philistia, all of thee; for there cometh a smoke out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and in her shall the afflicted of his people take refuge. (Zion, the Bride city, shall have a rebirth and great change of fortunes. They will once again be a leader of God's people for the David Man-child will be crowned.) Zec 8:10, (in context 9-13) 9 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid (Where we are again now), even the temple, that it might be built. 10 For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbor. (Again, where we are now) (The fortunes will change for the better.) 11 But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts. 12 For there shall be the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13 And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong. (Michael and I asked if the coming of the Man-child would be soon and got heads for yes 3 times. I asked on Dec. 8th., “Is the Man-child coming now?” And received, Psa. 11:7b the upright shall behold his face.) I also had asked the angel Baruch, “Is the Man-child coming and he answered, “Surely.”) Missy said, “The bank situation may be a sign of Man child coming and related to the safe dream above. …I put my phone on shuffle and the first song was EVEN SO COME! (This is a confirmation of the dream) Last night I was looking at my dream about the embers of judgement falling out of the sky while I was holding my grandson, Maverick, all swaddled up, who wasn't born yet at the time. I know that from the time of that dream I felt things would happen soon; especially hoping the Man child would be anointed. As we know, when that happens, there are blessings and judgement.”   When the Davids Die, the Man-child Ministry is Born Vanessa Weeks - 12/1/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I and some UBM women were standing outside on a white patio (Representing being founded on holiness.) We were standing in a circle, talking with each other on a sunny day. (Representing taking in the sun/Son.) Winnie was there in this circle and was pregnant. (“Winnie” as opposed to “losie” represents those in the Bride body who are winners or overcomers in order to give birth to the Man-child, Jesus.) She was dressed in a white, sleeveless sundress. (Representing righteous acts and works exposed to the sun/Son. Rev 3:5 He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.  Also Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and we will give him the glory: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And it was given her that she array herself in fine linen bright, pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.)  Winnie said something regarding how amazing it was that she was pregnant at her age, but I was thinking she was not too old. Then Merlene said that she was pregnant too. (The Bride body, who are the first fruits to bring forth the Man-child, is made up of many people young and old.) I remember thinking that was amazing because I have not known anyone pregnant at Merlene's age. (Representing Sarah who bore the impossible fruit of the promised seed, Isaac, at the age of 90 through the faith of Abraham.) Then I saw that a baby boy was born, and it seemed that he came from both Merlene and Winnie. (Representing the birth of the Man-child out of the Bride Body.) I no longer saw Winnie or Merlene, but only the baby. (We are no longer seen when our fruit of Christ is manifested.) There was a very small nurse, standing to my left. (Where Jesus placed the rebellious goats.) Immediately after the birth, she looked at the baby and said it was still born. (Representing the bad report; doubt and unbelief. Even though the apostates look on the fruit, it is not to their liking.) Then I saw the baby move and said, "No, he's alive." 2Co. 2:14-16 But thanks to God, who always leadeth us in triumph in the Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a sweet savor of Christ to God, in those being saved, and in those perishing; 16 to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these?  The baby was very big, like the size of a three-year-old child. He was also maturing quickly and starting to talk, even though he was just born. (When the Man-child is born, He will mature very quickly, for He is born in the image of His Father. 2Co. 3:18) After I woke up from this dream, I opened my Bible and saw this verse, which I think is the meaning of this dream. Rom. 6:22 But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. Note: Since the David's are close to death, Judas must come along to help Him to His cross. This Judas process has been going on for some time and is near its end.   Dream About Judas Bill Steenland - 12/5/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was telling a group of people “One of you is a devil!” (This is what Jesus said referring to Judas in John 6:70-71 Jesus answered them, Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 Now he spake of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.)  In the dream I said it multiple times and emphasized the word “is”.  I didn't know who the group of people were in the dream. (The factious Judas' become strangers and enemies to us when they are taken over by those spirits, as Judas was. Php. 3:18-19 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)   One of You Shall Betray Me Matthew Stewart - 12-11-22 (David's notes in red) In the dream, I was in a room and David was sitting in the doorway. (Jesus in the Man-child David reformers is the Door of the sheep.) Behind him were standing two or three people (Representing those who are mature in Christ [and standing with David in ministry.]), one of whom was Michael Hare, but I can't recall who the others were. In the room were lots of kids of various ages. (Indicating all of UBM local and larger.) (Representing different maturity levels in Christ). I was among the children, but I was a little older. I was sitting along the wall, along with some of the older kids, across from David. (The older ”kids” stay near the wall of sanctification, which represents a separation from the world.) Then David said to us all, “Do you know that part in the Bible where Jesus says, ‘One of you shall betray me?' ” All the kids answered, “Yeah”. Then David said, “One of you shall betray me.” (Mat. 26:20-25 Now when even was come, he was sitting at meat with the twelve disciples; 21 and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him every one, Is it I, Lord?  23 And he answered and said, He that dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born. 25 And Judas, who betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, Rabbi? He saith unto him, Thou hast said.) I discerned that this event has not happened yet but is for a future time. Of course, I immediately thought, "is it me?” Then I saw a vision, where it was just David. (When Judas betrayed Jesus, Jesus was then all alone. This is the way it has been for me with my past Judas'. To involve others with these vicious people causes them to turn on the innocent.) He said, “I didn't see that one coming. I guess my discernment for that is gone.” (The last Judas that left made threats, but we haven't seen them come to pass. Backstabbers never warn you, they shoot from darkness. But the Lord is coming like a Lion as we shall see to judge these wicked Edomites.) Then I woke up.   The Backstabber's Feigned Repentance Winnie Osegueda - 11/21/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamt that some of local UBM was helping a factious man move into an apartment on the 1st floor. (The ground floor represents dwelling on the earth and not desiring to go higher with Christ. The last Judas was being helped into an apartment by us, but it didn't work out for him because he had not repented.) In this dream he had a bald head. (Representing no submission to the Lord since hair is a sign of submission in 1Co. 11.) It seemed that this factious man had repented, and David was being kind in helping him out, giving him another chance, and allowing him back into the fellowship. (True repentance and confession of sin is still the condition for governmental forgiveness in the Church. This is a warning to hold fast to the conditions that none return to defile the body.)  I remember that others were kindly helping to move the man's stuff in. However, I kept feeling that something was not right and that this man's repentance was not sincere. I had a knowing that he would destroy the place when he left. (He left before he got moved in because of backstabbing.  The factious demons in them always leave death and destruction in the lives of others in their wake, as it was with the disciples when Jesus was crucified through Judas.)  I noticed that he had a couple of black duffle bags full of knives. The knives had white handles, but on them were etched something like "love and light" which might sound good to the undiscerning, but it's something that new agers say, and it's a false love and a false light. (They always say they love you while they stab you in the back, and they don't seem to realize how hypocritical this is. This was exactly fulfilled with the last Judas and he left. Rom. 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent.) I remember saying "This person is not truly repentant," and then I woke up.    Hidden Sins of the Judas' Exposed Tiannah Fire - 12/12/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamt that I was a part of a group of brethren in the United States. (Representing UBM which is based in the U.S.) We all went to another country to set up a school, to tell everyone the real good news and to have a safe place for brethren to live. (This represents our missions outreach and the missionaries that supply our books and materials to the people in their respective countries.) The group bought a giant set of buildings which looked like a boarding school, it was giant and spread out and the buildings were yellow. (Representing the UBM Headquarters that the Lord has promised us for the great revival of the end times. It is yellow because we will spread the light of the Son/sun everywhere.) The buildings were located close to a beach on a small island, but you could still access the mainland by boat. (We were told by the Lord through dreams that this is how it's going to be. The beach represents Abraham's seed whom God promised would be as the sands of the sea.) The main people we were trying to minister to were like Islanders, people that didn't live in normal civilization but lived off the land. (This also describes what the Lord has told us. That we will be separated from the rest of civilization where many judgments will fall. We are living on a big boat in the land that will be separated by earthquakes. Those who are here with us in the boat and are the elect of God will come into the kingdom.). We would go to little islands all around the place and there would be many that came to Jesus. (Jesus went to every city and preached.) There was one woman that came to our Lord, and she was so on fire for our God that she was constantly out preaching and looking for lost brethren, day and night, not worrying about basic needs. (A Body of Saul's will turn into Paul's and will seek diligently to prove themselves worthy of the kingdom.) Samuel and I went for a walk around some of the beaches on this island that the school was located on. It was nighttime and the moon was very bright (The darkness can't stop the light and everything in darkness gets brought into the light, as we will see.). …We walked to this area on the beach which was more secret because there were large sand dunes.  As we walked close to the water, from a distance, we saw a man lying down on his back in the water, …but we couldn't quite recognize him. (Representing having his back to the word and in a backslidden state.) We then saw another man walk towards him as if he had been waiting for him. It was made obvious they were in a same sex relationship. We saw the face of the man walking and he was a man that was a part of the Christian group from the USA, (UBM) and he had blonde hair. (Many of the factious traitors have fallen into both bi-sexuality and homosexuality and other perversions because they judged as sinners and they were judged by God.) It was just found out now that he had this hidden sin. (This is why God turns them over to a reprobate mind. We can't hide our sins from God, he will expose them so we can be cleansed or purged out of His Body. Psa. 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.) We would never have guessed that he was doing this evil behind our back. He seemed to love our Lord. This was very unexpected. These two men didn't see us until we started to walk around them. The man we recognized yelled out to us in anger and frustration for being caught. (This is a good example of exactly how they act. They are mad at you because you caught them.) (Their attacks are based in pride and self-justification.) We didn't want to argue with him, so we just ran back to the school building. (Tit. 3:9-11 but shun foolish questionings, and genealogies, and strifes, and fightings about law; for they are unprofitable and vain. 10 A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; 11 knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned.) The man started chasing after us yelling that if we tell anyone he will kill us and he kept threatening and trying to put fear on us. (They love to threaten and intimidate, and they are stalkers too. They send curses against all who are witnesses against them.) We ran straight to the buildings where some of the elder brethren were and we told them what we saw and how the man was threatening us. (Mat.18:15-17 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.) …They said that they would confront the man about his hidden sin. So, we stayed in a different room on the top of a two story building for our safety. (We must take the “high road” and obey the Word represented by relocating to a higher level in the building. This is where safety from temptation and our enemies is provided.) The next day an elder's wife came to us and told us that they searched everywhere for the man, and no one could find him. She also told us to stay hidden in groups of people for our safety. (Pro. 11:14 Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.) There was a group meeting with everyone in the hall, so we joined them.  When we got down the stairs there was a man waiting there with a cart that had our items in it and it had my phone that I had dropped when were we escaping the factious Judas. He told us he was delivering our stuff to us. I picked up my phone and saw that I had a text from the man we had caught in sin, and the text was a threat to kill me for telling people about what we saw him doing. (They send factious witchcraft spirits to spiritually kill those who are witnesses or dreamers who reveal their secret sins.) …I then looked at the man holding the cart and, when seeing his face, I realized that he was the man we saw lying down in the water. This was my first time seeing him face to face. I ran over to the elder's wife and said this is the man that we saw. She refused to believe it because she loved this man very much and he helped out so much and had been with them for a long time. (Most of these people have rejection and fear of rejection and, like Judas, they hide their sins, but God reveals them every time.) We told her it was true, but she didn't want to hear it or believe it. (Believers don't want to accept the evil that is in these people, but sooner or later it will be revealed to them.) I felt that there is nothing else I can do except speak the truth. Then I woke up.    A Duty to Expose Judas Gabby Dibble - Sept. 2022 (David's notes in red)   I dreamed that I had to go undercover to hide my identity. I was posing as a man to sneak into a government building. I didn't change up my look that much; it must've been the Lord hiding me because I still looked female. (We are to put on Christ and abide in Him in the secret place. Gal. 3:28 There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus.) I was inside the building heading for a specific room. I had a duty to expose something. (Luke 17:3 … if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.) I also had a child with me, and I was carrying them as I was walking calmly. (This represents our fruit of Christ in us.) I could hear a woman over the speaker announce that I wasn't who I said I was, but a poser undercover. (A slanderous, false accusation and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. These people always accuse you of what they themselves are guilty of.) I knew now I didn't have much time and … I continued to press on to the room I intended to go to [for the exposure].  Then the scene changed, and I was in the spirit. I saw this man who would travel everyday on a school bus to a home nearby for some type of secret work. He and another man would have some kind of work exchange. For example, one provided the physical laboring, and the other paid for it. I'm not sure if this was the exact scenario or if it was a trading & bartering situation. (The laborer is the Son of man, and His life is being exchanged for the life of the Son of God. This man represents Jesus in the Man-child body who traded or exchanged His life for ours. The secret work represents the Mystery of Christ in us our hope of glory. The man rides a school bus because He teaches the children the good news of the reconciliation which means exchange.) This man that traveled on the bus got caught going to the other man's house. Many other men came into the school bus and began beating this man. (The factious Pharisees captured Jesus, beat him, and crucified Him. Luke 20:9-16 …A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country for a long time. 10 And at the season he sent unto the husbandmen a servant, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him and sent him away empty. 11 And he sent yet another servant: and him also they beat, and handled him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12 And he sent yet a third: and him also they wounded and cast him forth. 13 And the lord of the vineyard said, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it may be they will reverence him. 14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned one with another, saying, this is the heir; let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15 And they cast him forth out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16 He will come and destroy these husbandmen and will give the vineyard unto others.) A friend of his was a part of this group and betrayed him by joining in the beating. Another man that hit him didn't want to as they were also friends. I believe this friend was actually genuine as he didn't hit the man to kill him. (This represents Judas and Peter. Both betrayed the Lord but Peter was able to be redeemed while Judas was reprobated. Some of the faction will return to us while the majority won't receive grace to be reconciled.) The man ended up surviving the attacks. (This represents spiritual death and resurrection.) Then I woke up.   A Shift Taking Place  Gabby Dibble - Sept. 2022 (David's notes in red) I had a dream that things were taking a shift. I was standing outside with a group of people. They had an action plan and I felt I had no idea what any of them were talking about. I had no memory of what happened before this moment in the dream. I also didn't know who they were. (These are the factious Judas' who have many plans of action but the Lord will continue to foil, derail, and expose their plans. By the grace of God were able to record their leader and his corruption and plans.) All of them were talking in a circle and a man harshly rebuked me but it didn't seem to be accurate. I don't remember what he rebuked me for, but it caused me to cry. (This represents persecution and slander that are based on false charges.)  They were about to leave this location to pursue their action plan. I was still confused on what they were doing and where there were going. (We have the renewed mind of Christ and not unregenerate evil minds, so it's hard for us to relate to evil people with evil intentions.)  All I knew was that their plan seemed urgent to them. (They were in a hurry to earn their thirty pieces of silver.) They were going to take three trucks. I asked the first two drivers of the trucks if I could ride with them and there wasn't space. The last vehicle was driven by the man who rebuked me harshly. I had such an off feeling about it alI. I ended up not going with them. (Pro. 1:10-19 My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not. 11 If they say, come with us, Let us lay wait for blood; Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit; 13 We shall find all precious substance; We shall fill our houses with spoil;  14 Thou shalt cast thy lot among us; We will all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird: 18 And these lay wait for their own blood; They lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.)   The Lion is Released Taryn Ezell - 12/12/22 (David's notes in red) I had a vision while listening to the song “Let it Rain” in our praise and worship meeting. (A symbol of God pouring out His Holy Spirit with power and signs as we are seeing.) In the vision, the throne of God was there and there was light everywhere. There was a huge Lion next to the Lord on his right side as I was looking straight at them. (Representing Jesus, the Lion of Judah. He is not coming as a lamb but a Lion.) The floor was a blackish gray color with a shiny resin or epoxy on it, where I could see a reflection of all the light surrounding the Lord. (Rev. 4:6 and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like unto crystal…) The Lord gave the Lion a nod. (The angels told us that “the Son is waiting for the Father's command”; referring to Jesus' return in the Man-child. Meaning it's time for the Lion to go forth and conquer His enemies.) Then I saw satan standing behind me and a huge pit behind him. The Lion was calm but then became enraged when it saw satan who appeared as a dark figure in this vision. (Zec. 3:1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary [or accuser]. 2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, Jehovah that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?) The Lord spoke into my mind and said, “The Lion is angry that the dark figure [satan] is [the one] who made Him how He is.” (An angry Lion) The Lion was thrashing around on the chain, like an angry dog on a leash, ready to kill. (Isa. 31:4 For thus saith Jehovah unto me, As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, … so will Jehovah of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof.) As the Lion was showing his teeth and growling, the Lord unhooked the leash from His collar and loosed the Lion. (The Father is sending the Son as a Lion. The stone that the builders rejected had become the head of the corner.) The Lion gained traction quickly and ran past me, jumped up, and tackled satan with his claws around his neck and with all his might and they both end up in the pit. (The Lord will do a quick work upon His enemies; taking them to the pit. Its important to note that the last Judas who tried to usurp the Kingdom from the aged David was killed by Solomon who was given the Kingdom before David died.) I asked the Lord to confirm if this was from Him or not to make sure it was not just my imagination. I asked Him for a reference to the word “lion” in the next song at the praise meeting.  We sang Psalm 34 by the Brooklyn Tabernacle. In the lyrics of the song there was no mention of a lion, so I thought, “Maybe it was just my imagination.”  But, when I got home, the Lord led me to look up Psalm 34 and, low and behold, there was the mention of a Lion. It hadn't been in the song lyrics, but I had only asked the Lord for the word Lion in the next song! Here is the context of the scripture: Psalms 34:8-10 Taste and see how good the LORD is! The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy! You who are the LORD's holy ones, honor him, because those who honor him don't lack a thing. Even strong young lions go without and get hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. I also used an image generator to generate an image from words, and it gave me a few images based on this vision. I'll add those as well. I just thought it was a really awesome to be shown that vision!          Note: The dragon in Revelation 12 is the body of satan. The dragon was also the symbol of Babylon. The DS are satanists and Judas' to their brethren. The Lion is coming to do what the Alliance, alone, is not capable of, which is destroy satan's kingdom in Babylon. So, from here we will see this scenario worked out.     The Lord Will Come as a Mighty Man David Eells - 12-10-22 The Alliance will not be able to finish off the DS.  Their successes so far have been because the Bride like Esther was given authority over Haman and his army. But the Lord is coming as a "mighty man" in the Man-child to bring them down. Like Mordecai, meaning little man or man-child, was given the ring of authority by the King of Kings to lead the Bride to victory. Psa 78:65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. 66 And he smote his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual reproach. (We have received this many times by faith at random.  The Lord is coming in His David mighty man to finish off Babylon DS.) Psa 89:19-23 Then thou spakest in vision to thy saints, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; (A mighty one, mighty man, the David Man-child reformers) I have exalted one chosen out of the people. 20 I have found David my servant; With my holy oil have I anointed him: 21 With whom my hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen him. (In Isa 53, the arm of the Lord is Jesus, who we see here strengthening the David's)  22 The enemy shall not exact from him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 And I will beat down his adversaries before him and smite them that hate him. When David was anointed, he beat down the factious Edomites, which we have in Church and State. Isa 52:11-53:1 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. 12 For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward. 13 Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Like as many were astonished at thee (Who is just like thee? The Man-child David's just like Jesus were character assassinated, lied about, slanderered, and spiritually murdered, as Hisstory repeats. Both are defaced as the rest of this verse says.) (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand. 53:1 Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? (Jesus) So, we see there were two manifestations of Jesus. First, we see that history or His Story has to repeat according to the Word. Ecc 1:9-12 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us. 11 There is no remembrance of the former generations; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter generations that are to come, among those that shall come after. 12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. (Now we can see that Jesus, the former generation, will be repeated by Jesus in the Man-child Body of the latter generation at the Latter Rain.) Notice once again there are two, Jesus, and as history repeats on the larger scale, Jesus in the Man-child body, which will cover the earth and be over mulitudes of the living.  Ecc 4:14 For out of prison he came forth to be king; yea, even in his kingdom he was born poor. (This was Jesus)15 I saw all the living that walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead. (This is the Man-child body of reformers who will be over all the Living on the earth. They are the son of man in whom the Son of God lives by His Word and Spirit.) 16 There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind. The Mighty One will come to judge His enemies in Church and state and as a refiner or reformer to the Church all over the earth. Isa 1:24-26 Therefore saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies; 25 and I will turn my hand upon thee, and thoroughly purge away thy dross, and will take away all thy tin; 26 and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, a faithful town. Mal 3:1 Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple (At this time the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem is the Man-child Body of reformers.); and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. 2 But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3  and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts. Isa 40:10-11 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him (Jesus in the Man-child body): Behold, his reward is with him (They will choose the Bride as Jesus did.), and his recompense before him. (He will judge the factions in Church and State)11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd (He will shepherd His Sheep, and all of this will be worldwide), he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young. Isa 42:13-18 Jehovah will go forth as a mighty man (Jesus is coming as a Lion in the Man-child body to destroy the factious enemies in Church and state); he will stir up his zeal like a man of war: he will cry, yea, he will shout aloud; he will do mightily against his enemies. 14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman (The Lord will come as the Man-child ministry is birthed from the travailing Woman in Rev.12); I will gasp and pant together. 15 I will lay waste mountains and hills and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands and will dry up the pools. 16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not (Jesus will come in the Manchild body to set the captives free for their dead religions as Jesus did in Isa 61); in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, that trust in graven images, that say unto molten images, Ye are our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Jer 20:10-13 For I have heard the defaming of many, terror on every side. Denounce, and we will denounce him, say all my familiar friends, they that watch for my fall; peradventure he will be persuaded, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. 11 But Jehovah is with me as a mighty one and a terrible (The Mighty one in Jeremiah was a type of the Man-child): therefore, my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; they shall be utterly put to shame, because they have not dealt wisely, even with an everlasting dishonor which shall never be forgotten. 12 But, O Jehovah of hosts, that triest the righteous, that seest the heart and the mind, let me see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause. 13 Sing unto Jehovah, praise ye Jehovah; for he hath delivered the soul of the needy from the hand of evil doers. Act 3:20-23 and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: 21 whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, (things, here is italicized and has no numeric pattern as the Numeric NT shows. This is because the people were restored not all things.) whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old. (This restoration happened to Moses and the people who came out of Egypt for there "was not one feeble one among them”. From then until Moses was 120; he had perfect health and strength.  Deu 34:7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.)  So, Jesus is coming again in a body of spiritual Davids to bring this restoration and close the Red Sea on Pharaoh's army so we can go into the wilderness tribulation and see the guidance and miraculous provision for us through the Man-child body.)  22 Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. 23 And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. (Those who did not listen to Jesus in His first body were destroyed by the beast in 70 AD while the saints escaped to the mountains.  Those who do not listen to Jesus in His end time body will be destroyed also for His-Story will repeat as we have seen.) In Jesus' first body was crucified by the factious leaders and His flesh died but He was caught up to the throne. So, it will be in the second larger body. This crucifixion and death of the flesh is almost complete and then we will see Jesus' ministry again all over the world. Rev 12:1-6 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman  (the Church) arrayed with the sun (Clothed with the Son), and the moon under her feet (Reflecting the light of the Son), and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; (With the inheritance of the original 12 apostles. All of this is her position given to her by the sacrifice of Jesus and not what she has attained to.) 2 and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered. 3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. (The worldwide body of the Dragon) 4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth (The great falling away): and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered, he may devour her child. 5 And she was delivered of a son, a man-child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron (Given to the overcomers in 2:26-27): and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her (Jesus in the Man-child nourishes the woman in the wilderness for 3 1/2 years as Jesus did in his first body.)  a thousand two hundred and threescore days.   Select Language Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Assamese Aymara Azerbaijani Bambara Basque Belarusian Bengali Bhojpuri Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Cebuano Chichewa Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Corsican Croatian Czech Danish Dhivehi Dogri Dutch Esperanto Estonian Ewe Filipino Finnish French Frisian Galician Georgian German Greek Guarani Gujarati Haitian Creole Hausa Hawaiian Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Icelandic Igbo Ilocano Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Kazakh Khmer Kinyarwanda Konkani Korean Krio Kurdish (Kurmanji) Kurdish (Sorani) Kyrgyz Lao Latin Latvian Lingala Lithuanian Luganda Luxembourgish Macedonian Maithili Malagasy Malay Malayalam Maltese Maori Marathi Meiteilon (Manipuri) Mizo Mongolian Myanmar (Burmese) Nepali Norwegian Odia (Oriya) Oromo Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Quechua Romanian Russian Samoan Sanskrit Scots Gaelic Sepedi Serbian Sesotho Shona Sindhi Sinhala Slovak Slovenian Somali Spanish Sundanese Swahili Swedish Tajik Tamil Tatar Telugu Thai Tigrinya Tsonga Turkish Turkmen Twi Ukrainian Urdu Uyghur Uzbek Vietnamese Welsh Xhosa Yiddish Yoruba Zulu Powered by Translate Printer-friendly version     © 2017 UBM | Unleavened Bread Ministries. 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A Sunday morning sermon by Pastor Steve Hartman. "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you" (1 Thess 3:12). "So then, whenever we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith (or household of faith)" (Galatians 6:10). At the beginning of this month, Pastor David called us to let God increase our capacity for love.  Then, last Sunday, in helping all of us, especially husbands and wives, love one another, he especially focused on women and men being created in the very image of God. When we recognize those close to us and far from us are created in the image of God, that recognition helps us increase and abound in love. And, when we forget that fact, all kinds of sins can emerge.   Now, this week we will be continuing to think about expanding our capacity to love as we focus on love in the church family.  As the Apostle Paul prays for the Thessalonian church, he prays for their love to increase and abound for all--yes--but also "for one another"--for the members of the church family. In the passage from Galatians above, the Apostle Paul challenges the Galatian church family never to miss an opportunity to do good to anyone--to all, but "especially for those of the family of faith."  Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul place a priority on loving relationships in the church family.  Why is that? Why is there this special emphasis on loving fellow believers--those we sit with in worship on Sunday or meet up with in prayer, Bible study, or service? Come Sunday and find out.  Come Sunday as we think about our call to "increase and abound in love for one another" in the church family.

St. Paul and the Power of His Conversion Story - This week Peter and Leslie explore Saint Paul and his conversion. The Lord dramatically saved this Apostle to the Gentiles. His story was used by God to dramatically teach Catholic Christians both the importance of our own conversion and the need for ongoing conversion in each of our lives. Both Jesus and the Catholic Catechism teach us that conversion is our first step to entering the kingdom of God. An emphasis on conversion will change individual, family, and parish life

S Unity John 17:20-26 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [j]will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”" Eph 4 I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in [c]you all. Spiritual Gifts 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. The New Man 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [f]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Do Not Grieve the Spirit 25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give [g]place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary [h]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [i]clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Both Jesus, Yeshua, and Paul are speaking to and about fellow believers in Yeshua. This is not talking about the woke idea that everyone needs to tolerate every idea as equally valid and moral, and it's certainly not talking about the coming push for a One World Religion. This is talking about unity within the body of The Way, the body of our Messiah Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach. This issue of unity has been on my heart for many reasons.  One is because of recent conflict with a close family member relating to my Messianic beliefs and practices, but also a teaching I've been following from a Messianic teacher from a Youtube channel and ministry called MTOI, Messianic Torah Observant Israel called "Unity and Division in the Body of Messiah". He makes several points in that teaching that I want to pass along. We can and should pursue truth in various areas of our faith, but we can practice and believe in our convictions without feeling the need to push those on others. Our goal should be to be selfless, where our focus is on our Creator and not on ourselves, and by doing so we'll be operating in the spirit and not in the flesh. If we are selfless, we cannot be offended and we will not feel the need to be right, or for others to acknowledge that we're right. Note that I'm talking about behavior within the body of believers.  We are told to make disciples and to share the good news of the Gospel, but these lessons also can inform how we go about talking to and dealing with unbelievers.  Remember we're told to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us the reason for the hope that we have.  That's different than sharing something with someone who didn't ask for the information. This teacher also talked about a mental exercise that's helpful for us to make. Our Heavenly Father wants to spend eternity with us, but though He wants all to come to be saved, we know that not all will be saved. He has given us free will and He has told us how He wants us to think and how to live.  To me , it's clear that it matters to Him the condition of our hearts and who He is going to spending eternity with. What if you were able to choose who you were going to spend eternity with.  Who would it be and what would be your criteria? A more eye opening is what is others were able to choose who they were going to spend eternity with, on whose list would you be included and would you be included on anyone's list?  This exercise got me thinking about my impact on others in general, as well as in the workplace. When God created Adam and Eve and He told them to be fruitful and multiply, and that same command applies to us. That can mean we should bear children, but it can also refer to the fruits of the spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." Are you bearing this kidn of spiritual fruit at work, as well as at home, and within the larger body of Christ?   E Fred Abakah, Merchant Marine in Ep. 4. Some of you may be in the military, or in jobs where you spend time with your co-workers for long periods of time away from home.  If so, you may benefit from listenig to that episode.   L   18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. - Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV   A   H Dad Joke "Why can't a nose be 12 in long?" - then it would be a foot   MTOI Teaching (7) Covenant Community 101 | Unity & Division in the Body of Messiah | Part 3 - YouTube    

The Bible describes Jesus as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." God asked Job if he can hunt the prey for the lion, suggesting that it is God Himself who does the "hunting." And in the Gospels, Jesus calls His disciples to "come" as He will teach them to be "fishers of men."  Our God is a Hunter and a Fisherman. C.S. Lewis described Jesus as the "Hound of Heaven" who unrelentingly came after the skeptical literary scholar over the course of many years.  And in Lewis' beloved classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis created the character of Aslan the Lion, a "suppositional" representation of Jesus in another world. In Narnia, the Beavers tell the children that Aslan isn't "safe but he's good."  Indeed God does not guarantee our personal and physical safety in this world, but He is good and bids us to trust Him no matter our circumstances.  Both Jesus and His creation are in many ways "not safe" but they are good; good beyond what we can finally comprehend. As Joseph says to his brothers maltreatment of him that eventually enigmatically lead to Joseph being second in command over the Egyptian empire, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."  On the next three episodes of Good Heavens! Dan speaks with Christian and astrophysicist Dr. Leslie Wickman about her faith and how she sees God in the finely-tuned details of God's universe.  It is our aim at Good Heavens! to find common ground among all believers in relation to our faith in Christ and what contemporary science tells us about creation. We believe there are things to learn from a wide variety of different perspectives. We try to present thoughtful and faithful believers presenting their different points of view that will hopefully encourage you to seek out these issues more deeply for yourself.   From Leslie's page at Azusa Pacific:   Leslie Wickman is a research scientist, engineering consultant, author, and inspirational speaker. For more than a decade, Wickman was an engineer for Lockheed Martin, where she worked on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station Programs, receiving commendations from NASA for her contributions and being designated as Lockheed's Corporate Astronaut Leslie's Book God of the Big Bang  Leslie's original article featured on CNN.   Watchman Fellowship's Atheist and Christian Book Club. Join us this coming October as we further discuss God of the Big Bang with Leslie live!   Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Saint Paul and the Power of his Conversion Story - This week Peter and Leslie explore Saint Paul and his conversion. The Lord dramatically saved this Apostle to the Gentiles. His story was used by God to dramatically teach Catholic Christians both the importance of our own conversion and the need for ongoing conversion in each of our lives. Both Jesus and the Catholic Catechism teach us that conversion is our first step to enter the kingdom of God. An emphasis on conversion will change individual, family, and parish life!

Is the “Tithe” commanded in the Old Covenant a requirement of New Covenant believers? We will deeply exam the origins and purposes of tithe in the old covenant and the popular scriptures on this topic, that are misused (some purposefully and some unintentionally) today by many church leaders, to attempt to convince their congregations that tithing is a new covenant REQUIREMENT. Both Jesus and the apostles encouraged new covenant believers to give lavishly (especially to the poor) but neither of them EVER commanded the new covenant believers to give a tithe (10%). Jesus did however, address the Pharisees for their hypocrisy of tithing faithfully while simultaneously neglecting deeds of mercy. During this multiple episode series, Dean will discuss this scripture in Luke, along with Malachi and Hebrews and many many others. So we encourage you to take notes. This message will open your eyes to many misunderstood and misapplied texts of scripture. The light bulb will go off and you will absolutely be liberated!!!!

Should We Compromise Truth for Family Unity? Sabbath School Q2 2022: Genesis - Week 12 This week's lesson is entitled, "Joseph, Prince of Egypt." We know that Joseph came from a very broken family. Sometimes, people turn on someone in their family just because that person is following truth or received some special revelation from God - as was the case for Joseph. We know that in the end, Joseph's brothers repented of their evil, and were restored into right standing with God. Joseph's loyalty to truth at first put him in the place of disunity with his brothers, even to the point where they hated him and did evil to him. But in the end, Joseph's loyalty enabled him to save them and they were finally united - and on the platform of truth too! Jesus also went through this kind of experience. The gospel of Mark records the events surrounding the beginning of Jesus' public ministry...his baptism, the healings he administered, the choosing of the 12, the crowds that gathered to hear him preach...this all caused quite a stir, and was obviously very disconcerting for his family as can be understood from their reactions and Jesus statements recorded in Mark 3, which make it clear that Jesus' family thought he was out of his mind, and that according to Jesus, his mother and his brothers were not among those who were doing God's will. Also, John 7:5 tells us that Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him. Jesus can actually relate to us in having family disunity and he gives us the best example for what we ought to do. We need to press forward to obey the truth, not compromising what is right. Both Jesus and Joseph did this and eventually at least some of their family repented by the end and they were able to be united. Jesus' brothers, James and Jude (and maybe some other of his brothers), eventually became active members of the early Jesus movement. For further study on the importance knowing and following truth, see: "Are You Minding What Matters?" by Trent Wilde http://www.bdsda.com/are-you-minding-what-matters/ A Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on the Sabbath School lesson. www.bdsda.com Email us at bdsdalit@gmail.com for comments and literature requests.

Both Jesus and the apostle Paul believed that Satan was a personal, malicious, and active enemy. If the devil messed with them, why wouldn't he mess with us? As believers, we need to know the schemes of our enemy. So, what methods does Satan use to hinder Christians from doing what God tells us to do?

John 10:22-30 – Both Jesus words and his works are identical to that of the Father, for he and the Father are one. Therefore, the protecting hand of the Good Shepherd is almighty. The Foundation Preacher Podcast is provided to you by WELS Congregational Services. The Foundation resources were created to help churches allow the […]

On this episode Social Media Czar Chrissy joins the rest of the crew in guest-hosting more of your questions: The scripture speaks both of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven--are these two different names for the same thing, or are there differences? Both Jesus and James discuss the concept of letting our "yes be yes" and our "no be no." What does that look like practically in our conversations with other people? Should we qualify our speech or keep it cut-and-dry? And, what should be a Christian's relationship to the emotion of anger? Can Christians experience "righteous anger" like God does? And if so, how are we to respond appropriately to it? 

On the eighth day after his birth from Mary in Bethlehem Jesus received his name at the time of his circumcision. This name had been chosen by God and conveyed, first to Mary, and later to Joseph by the angel- You shall call his name Jesus --Yeshua- in Hebrew- for he will save his people from their sins. Both Jesus' personal identity and his mission or work are in his name- Yeshua -Hebrew- or Jesus -English- means Yahweh is salvation.

There is no shortage of things to be anxious about. The question is what do we do with our anxiety?  Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul have some wise and practical words for us. We're reminded that Jesus himself was also greatly distressed and troubled (some might say anxious), and it's important to notice how he responded in such situations.

This week we are looking at God making preparations for the birth of Jesus, the one every story we've read this year in the Jesus Storybook Bible has been pointing toward. God delights in doing the unexpected with the unexpected. God acted after Israel had been waiting for 400 years without a prophet and without a word from the Lord. No one was expecting the Savior to come. Both Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist would be conceived in unexpected ways and through unexpected people. This Advent season we can learn that we should always be waiting well on God, that He is Sovereign in His plan, and he delights in doing the miraculous through ordinary people who have faith. - For more information about Connection Church Dublin and other resources please visit: www.connectiondublin.com

Our discussion of "random questions" submitted by listeners continues. First, we will consider one of the most common arguments frequently heard to defend same-sex relationships: "Love is love." Is this true? Christ told us to love one another, so does that support the idea that "love is love"? We will then turn our attention to the subject of spiritual warfare. What is spiritual warfare, and is this something the Orthodox church emphasizes? Both Jesus and St. Paul speak about "spiritual fruit." How do we develop the fruit of the Spirit? Join us LIVE tonight

Our discussion of "random questions" submitted by listeners continues. First, we will consider one of the most common arguments frequently heard to defend same-sex relationships: "Love is love." Is this true? Christ told us to love one another, so does that support the idea that "love is love"? We will then turn our attention to the subject of spiritual warfare. What is spiritual warfare, and is this something the Orthodox church emphasizes? Both Jesus and St. Paul speak about "spiritual fruit." How do we develop the fruit of the Spirit? Join us LIVE tonight

In this third episode on the topic of the great falling away at the end of the age, we give our ear to the words of the Apostle John and the words of Jesus Christ. Both Jesus and John spoke specifically about the issue of whether or not a genuinely converted believer can commit apostasy or renounce the faith. Surprisingly, what they teach is not complicated to understand, yet many seem to gloss over the unquestionable words of the Savior and His apostle on this topic. We cannot afford to do so as we approach the end of the age. In this episode of Mavericks & Misfits, Jeff takes us through a small handful of scriptiures and calls us to ask and answer the question, “What is the Bible saying about who can and cannot renounce the faith?” Who exactly are these people who were once connected to the Church, declared allegiance to Jesus, served in ministry…only to later recant all that they once said they believed? Is there any danger that I might become one of those people? There are clear answers to these questions and this episode helps us to throw down our anchors in these choppy waters of theology. Additional resources are available at TransformingTruth.org

Did you know not all Jews in first century Israel believed the same thing?  Did you know there were branches or sects within Judaism?  As you read the Gospels or the book of Acts, have you paid attention to how Jesus or Paul interact with certain groups?  Both Jesus and Paul knew how to use their differing beliefs to their advantage.  Do you know which group Paul belonged to and what they believed?  Do you know which group is considered the heroes of Judaism and why? Veronica and Erika talk about the 4 main groups we see in Scripture.  They are the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the zealots. Veronica mentioned Dwight Pryor and his study called "Behold the Man! Discovering our Hebrew Lord."  His website is https://www.jcstudies.comYou can also look at this website to see a quick, simple explanation of the differences.  https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/pharisees-sadducees-and-essenesTabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4453-tabukLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Healed Trauma = Freed Finances feat. Destiny Thomas “The Prayerpist”   “When you HEAL your trauma, you can free your finances.”-Ramesha Nicole As The Internal Debt Collector™ one of the things that Ramesha Nicole believes in wholeheartedly is that you can have BOTH Jesus and a therapist, but what if he gave you it all in one through prayer +therapy his way? That's exactly this week's guest, Destiny Thomas also known as The Prayerpist™ does. She takes the power of prayer and therapy God's way to help you heal from your trauma by going into the darkest places in your heart  (through her 6-step process of hearing God clearly)  in order to help you experience freedom in every area of your life including your finances. Healed Trauma = Freed Finances Take-Aways: Sometimes you have to have those hard core honest conversations with God in order to hear clearly from him.-Destiny Thomas If God isn't giving you something in this moment, it may be something greater in you that he wants to do.-Destiny Thomas “I was operating from a spirit of rejection which is why I was being triggered by rejection in my body”-Destiny Thomas “It revealed to me how toxic I was in my marriage due to the spirits of abandonment and rejection and unrealistic expectations in my friendships.”-Destiny Thomas “Confronting your internal stuff may be what some classify as weak.”-Destiny Thomas “You have to deal with YOU even when it's easier to ignore and keep going.”-Destiny Thomas “You have to stop running.”-Ramesha Nicole “It's so much easier to go around pointing the finger at others, but what really is going to motivate you to look at yourself?”-Destiny Thomas “You're not responsible for what happened to you, but you are responsible for doing the work.”-Ramesha Nicole “Most people don't think they're being triggered because that's how they operate on a regular basis.”-Destiny Thomas How to Heal Your Trauma to Find Freedom: Discover what's frustrating you or keeping from living a life of peace and fully surrender by giving God your “yes”. Determine how much longer you're willing to keeping going on in this way. “Sometimes you have to also surrender your mind and your emotions.”-Ramesha Nicole Truth for Freedom Questions: What does it mean to get REAL in order to experience freedom? You have to be naked. You have to let it all hang. Take the masks off and pour it all out. 2. My name is Destiny Thomas and the truth about debt is God never truly intended for us to have it.   To connect with Destiny, visit: https://www.realizingdestiny.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/realizing_destiny Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ThePrayerpist/ Podcast: https://www.realizingdestiny.com/realizingdestinypodcast To connect or work with Ramesha Nicole, please visit: www.rameshanicole.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iam.rameshanicole Facebook: www.facebook.com/iam.rameshanicole Clubhouse:  @rameshanicole   To place an ad on the show or for sponsorship information, please contact info@rameshanicole.com        

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because he wasn't a very good Samaritan! Benjamin and Ryker spend this episode of the podcast wondering how in the world theology can relate to this joke and others like it. Show Notes (The Theology of Humor) S1:E12 Table of Contents & Timestamps: (0:00-2:19) Introduction (2:19-13:56) What is Humor? (14:14-20:00) Is God Funny? (20:00-23:06) Is Jesus Funny? (23:06-27:10) Is the Bible Funny? (27:28-30:15) Should we be Funny? (30:15-34:50) Fallen/Redeemed Humor (34:50-38:41) Improv (39:02-42:00) Recap (42:00-44:11) Resources (44:11-45:04) A Couple Jokes (45:04-47:06) Outro Key Takeaways: Humor is amusingly subverted expectations, probably The Gospel is full of paradoxes which are mysterious but not illogical God the Father is probably humorous, but His jokes go way over our head Both Jesus and Scripture are really funny at times, but we should be careful not to anachronistically turn them into standup comedy Fallen humor is rotten, low-hanging fruit, redeemed humor is fresh, high-hanging fruit Godly humor is humbling, community-building, and perspective-resetting Resources: The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Was-Thursday-Nightmare/dp/0141191465 “Does God Have a Sense of Humour?” by Stephen Masty https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2014/01/god-sense-humour.html “Beyond a Joke? The Place of Humour in the Christian Life” by Susanna Baldwin https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/beyond-a-joke-humour-in-the-christian-life/ “Humor as Theology” by Scot McKnight https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2019/12/31/humor-as-theology/ Music: “Beach Trance” - Luke Hall “Funky” - Luke Hall “Experimental Jazz” - Tyler Hall Follow Luke: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nvVzvhz2ATr1TlLS3kEM0?si=TO4CR2lyRbmE-wpdVatwUg https://soundcloud.com/c_luke_hall Follow Tyler: https://www.tjaudioengineering.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tylerhallphotography/ https://www.facebook.com/tjaudioengineering Reach out to us with any suggestions, thoughts, or love! thetheologyof@outlook.com Copyright Benjamin Corneliusen & Ryker Lutjens 2020. All rights reserved.

Both Jesus and Paul likened death to sleep. Does this mean we enter into a passive, dreamlike state when we die? Jesus shared a story of what a rich man and a beggar experienced when they died. In the story, Jesus teaches vital information about the conditions we can anticipate when we die.

Paul, knowing the church in Thessalonica was experiencing affliction and persecution, sends Timothy to exhort and encourage them so that they are unmoved in their faith. Both Paul and the church were experiencing the effects of spiritual warfare such that Paul attributes their tribulation to satan. Upon Timothy's return to Paul in Corinth, he shares the good news that the Thessalonians have remained steadfast in their faith.  Community Group Questions 1. What have you endeavored to do for Christ and his Kingdom that has been hindered by the enemy? 2. What does Paul mean when he describes Timothy as 'God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ'? 3. Why did Paul send Timothy back to Thessalonica? 4. What are common tactics the devil and his minions use to undermine our faith in Christ? 5. Both Jesus and Paul teach that in this life, Christians are appointed (or 'destined' v. 3) to suffer affliction. Why? 6. How would your life differ if you believed that suffering is a common in Christian faith? Would you walk away? Would you cling even more to Jesus? Would you trust and depend on him more? Would you grumble less knowing He has told us to expect it? Would you treasure Heaven more?  7. What did Paul supply that was lacking in their faith? Did this lack mean they were not true Christians? 8. What three things does Paul pray for the Thessalonians in v. 11-13? What is the connection between love and holiness?

Both Jesus and the Psalmist show us that God knows us through-and-through. Rather than pretend (and become hypocrites,) we have the opportunity today to acknowledge our sins with humility and receive the grace of God. August 27, 2019 - Cathedral of Christ the King - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com