Podcast appearances and mentions of joseph gen

Northwest Bible Church – Jan. 26, 2025 – Joshua – Alan Conner Josh. 16-17 Imperfect Possession Intro A. JOSEPH'S DOUBLE PORTION. 1. Jacob to Joseph:  Gen. 48:5, 22  2. Principle of God's sovereignty.     B. FAILURES IN THE PROMISED LAND. 1. FAILURE east of the Jordan, Joshua 13:13. c 2. FAILURE in Judah, Joshua 13:1-2; 15:63. 3. FAILURE in Ephraim. a. General boundaries for the sons of Joseph (Joshua 16:1-4). b. Ephraim's borders  (Joshua 16:5-9). c. Failure in Ephraim (Joshua 16:10). 4. FAILURE in Manasseh. a. Zelophehad's daughters (Joshua 17:3-6).   b. Failure to take possession.   (1) Joshua 17:12-13.  Manasseh's failure. (2) Joshua 17:14-18.    Excuses for failure.     5. APPLICATION of failure:   Conclusion

THE STORY OF JOSEPH - lesson 20 Messiah and Judah Joseph - the prototype of Jesus In Genesis 49 Jacob knows he is about to die.  He gathers his sons together at his bedside.  He then begins predicting the future even unto הימים  באחרית or BayAchahreet HaYahmeem or the End of Days or the End Times.  This is an awesome lesson and we will “see” our Lord Jesus so clear in this chapter.  We will also see that the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD and the AFTERLIFE is in the Torah.  Some say Jacob in this chapter is prophesying.  But prediction is not prophesying or being a prophet.  So many in the church use the word prophet and to prophecy to imply one who tells the future.  This is Biblically wrong.  Let's get back to the Hebrew and learn from Jewish scholars as Judaism 101.  Here's the link to learn more - https://www.jewfaq.org/prophets In the predictions for the future Jacob address the tribe o Dan.  We did not go deeper into the tribe of Dan and its future but I said I'd give you some links so you can study the tribe of Dan in a little more depth.  The first link is an article by the great Bible teacher, historian, and scholar, Lois Tverberg.  She wrote a short article on the tribe of Dan - https://engediresourcecenter.com/2015/07/03/idolatry-of-dan/ A second link is to the excellent Bible study sire, “Got Questions?”  Here's an excellent article on the tribe of Dan - https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Dan.html Finally, we come to grips with the phrase in the Torah “he breathed his last, died, was gathered to his people, and was buried.”  This is a phrase that is connected to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and David.  What does it mean?  What does the phrase “gathered to his people mean?”  You'll be amazed.  Here are tow links to an article and a video by Dennis Prager.  These resources are awesome.  You will see that since the time of Abraham Israel believed in the resurrection of the dead and the afterlife.  Article – https://momentmag.com/afterlife-not-an-afterthought/ Video (5 minutes) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=covUnyZGVaQ Also, check out my research paper on Biblical dating.  This article is a required study piece for yourself.  You'll be amazed at how archaeology and history show the true date of the Exodus and the dating of the saga of Joseph.  It is a critical article to study in depth and with care.  Here's the link - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vnwmvpa19tys8ud2d8i8r/DATING-EDWIN-THIELE-ASSYRIAN-LIST-TO-JOSEPH-IN-EGYPT-...-edited-and-updated.pdf?rlkey=gytmbmhsubmvurppnlrhpcqak&st=7kngcxut&dl=0 Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0    

Sanctified From Wickedness (3)  (Audio)  Escaping Apostasy David Eells 5/12/24  Let's look at the letters to the seven churches since there's so much in them about the apostasy or falling away among God's people. I believe that the letters to the churches are also letters to certain kinds of Christians, which are symbolized by each church. Of course, I know that there's a prophetic value there, too (Revelation 1:3), but people should be able to recognize themselves in one of these churches. This is not a complete study of the Churches, but some very important things that we can take warning from.  Beginning in (Rev.2:1) To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: (2) I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles (People who fall away because of their pride and so forth, many of them are calling themselves prophets and apostles, but we need to test them. They need to have the signs of an apostle.), and they are not, and didst find them false; (3) and thou hast patience and didst bear for my name's sake, and hast not grown weary.   People do get tired when they don't keep their eyes on the Lord and His promises, which pick you up and give you courage and faith. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and the promises that He's made. Don't get worried or anxious, because the devil likes to wear you down and then, before you know it, you've fallen-away.   (Rev.2:4) But I have [this] against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Yes, a lot of people have started out really in love with Jesus and wanting to know all about Him, but it doesn't take long before they've been side-tracked by these false apostles or false pastors or false leaders. (5) Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works… The “first works” were wanting to know what it is to please the Lord. You wanted to know how to obey the Lord but you probably didn't read enough of the Book to find out what a church looked like, so you went to something that you thought was a church where, sadly, you were led astray and wasted a whole bunch of time. Go back! Go back and be obedient to the Lord as when you first entered into Christ, before you were led astray by these charlatans who told you that you didn't have to be obedient.   (Rev.2:5) Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick (The Greek word translated “candlestick” denotes “an oil-fed, portable lamp.”) out of its place, except thou repent. That's a falling-away. He is the One Who stands in the midst of the candlesticks. He is the One Who keeps your “oil-fed, portable lamp,” lit. You have to have fellowship with Him, and He is the Word. The best way to pray is when you read the Word. If you see something you like, then pray it. You can read the Word and pray at the same time. Whenever you run across something you know you need, or are lacking in, anywhere you see a promise, stop and pray. Stop, repent if you need to, and pray. Oh, thank you, Father, for pouring the oil of Your Spirit into the lamps of our portable tabernacles! Amen.   (Rev.2:6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Nicolaitans started out with a priestly order, like that of the Old Testament, where there is a priest between you and God, and that's what Catholicism started doing. There is a priest over the church and between you and God and so forth, and the Protestants picked it right up because their apple didn't fall far from the tree and now the pastor is the head of the church for them, too. But there's nothing more false in the whole Scriptures. That is the Nicolaitan error, which He said He hated, and that the church in Ephesus also hated.  (Rev.2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life… Between Adam and the “tree of life” there was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen.2:16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Well, as we know, Adam failed that test and he had to be removed from the garden lest he eat of the “tree of life” (Gen 3:22-24). However, we who have been born-again, have the power to do something with the knowledge of good and evil. The natural man doesn't have that; we who are born from above have that.   (1Co.2:14) Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. Therefore, we are to study the knowledge of good and evil in the Scriptures, not necessarily what men say is good or evil, but according to what the Scriptures say. We are to study it and know it. (Rev.2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh (That's somebody who studied it; they know it, and they're obeying it.), to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.  (Rev.2:8) And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and [lived] again: (9) I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich)… Yes, they are rich in the ways of the Kingdom. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world [to be] rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? And, yes, they are beloved.   (9) I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. It's interesting that this is addressing the church, but he is speaking about the church error, in which there are Jews who claim to be Jews, yet they are not Jews according to the New Covenant, the New Testament. It's important to understand this. Unless you're born-again, you're not a member of the New Covenant, nor are you a Jew according to the New Testament. We're told, (Rom.2:28) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.   The Jews had a “letter” Covenant; it was according to the letter. The Christians have a spiritual Covenant; it is a spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament type. We don't inherit their literal promises; we're not replacing them in a literal way. Their land is not our “land.” Our “land” is a spiritual land, as we were taught (John 17:14,16, John 18:36; 1 John 2:15). So if you're a member of the New Covenant, you have been circumcised in heart, which is having the “flesh” cut away from your heart.   When He says that they are a “synagogue of Satan,” it's obviously identifying physical Jews and He's telling the church that these people are not Jews. They're claiming to be Jews, but they are not. They are a synagogue of Satan. Why would they be a synagogue of Satan? It's because they're not born from above. If you're born from above (John 3:3), you're circumcised in heart. It doesn't matter if you're a physical Jew or a Gentile.  We can see this borne out again very well here. (Rom.9:25) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people (That's because His original people were all physical Jews.); And her beloved, that was not beloved. (So He loves someone that is not a Jew and was not called “my people.”) (26) And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people (This is the Gentiles.), There shall they be called sons of the living God. (27) And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved. He's talking about natural Israel there; only a remnant of natural Israel “shall be saved,” however, we know that “all Israel” shall be saved who is grafted into the “Olive Tree” (Rom 11:26).   (Rom.11:19) Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off (Those “branches” were natural Israel.), that I might be grafted in. (20) Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. In other words, if you walk in unbelief concerning His Word, you also shall be cut-off. (22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (23) And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.   (24) For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural [branches], be grafted into their own olive tree? (25) For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;   (26) and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;(Jesus in the Man-child reformers) He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (27) And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins. So we should fear, lest we walk outside the bounds of God's Covenant, which is His Word to us. Many do, and they see no problem with that, whatsoever, but we know it to be extremely dangerous because we're going to be judged according to our works.   Going back to the church of Smyrna (Rev2:10) Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer… Yes, we will suffer, although many people falsely think we won't have to suffer. We will suffer, and that suffering, of course, is losing our life: It's the “old man” dying and the “new man” taking his place. Whatever we have to go through to lose our old life and gain our new life, it is necessary, and it is suffering. You have to suffer the loss of your carnal life and the carnal way of living. You need to remember that there's an important difference between those who are “sons” of God and those who are “children” of God. “Sons” of God follow the Spirit of God; “children” do not.   Christ is our example of suffering. (1Pet.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh… He went to His Cross; His flesh was crucified. He said, (Mat.10:38) … he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. And also, (Luk.14:27) Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. That means we, too, must go to a spiritual cross of death to self. (2Co.4:16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. As you die, you live.   (1Pet.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin… There is no law against somebody who has “ceased from sin”. Suffering in the flesh gives a person the fear of God and it's a proof that they're losing their life. A person losing their carnal life is not going to fall away. Suffering is the normal Christian life, and we should expect it to be that.   (2) that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. This is extremely important, because if we walk after the flesh, we must die (Rom 8:13). That's a falling-away, isn't it? How do we avoid the falling-away? The flesh has to die, because it will do nothing but try to subvert you the rest of your life. And according to this, we don't have to live the rest of our “time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” We have to live the crucified life. People grow very quickly once they realize that their cross is to deny themselves and follow Jesus. Most religion doesn't teach denying self, but then, people don't grow up in God through most religion, either. So we see that this must be done. It is a suffering, but it must be done.   (Rev.2:10) Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried… We know of somebody who was cast into prison to be a type and shadow for us, and that was Joseph (Gen 39:20), who came out of that prison to become the second ruler of the kingdom (Gen 41:40). He represents Jesus, and he also represents the Man-child in our day. The Man-child company in these days is suffering at the hands of wicked men, and it is for the good purpose of their crucifixion. That will prepare the Man-child to lead the Woman into the wilderness, but the Woman in the wilderness still needs to have the same fruit of Jesus Christ.   That means there is a time for the Woman in the wilderness to also suffer in the exact same way, to suffer by being “cast into prison.” You know, there are lots of things we can't do. We're limited by the “bars” of the Word of God from doing them, because obeying the Word crucifies us. It restrains the “old man” to the point that he dies. Joseph was prepared through a death to rule, and Jesus preached to the souls in prison until He was resurrected to rule, and now He reigns. That's a parable for us. We, too, all of us, not just the Man-child but the Bride and Woman who goes into the wilderness will also be going through the exact same thing that the Man-child has gone through, at the hands of wicked people.   (Rev.2:10 …that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. Notice the condition here. People falsely think that salvation has been put into their hand when, actually, salvation is in Christ. And we know that when Christ went to the Cross, we went with Him as far as the sacrifice is concerned. (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.   We still need to go to our cross, but we reckon that it was done at the Cross. We believe we have received, as Jesus taught us (Mark 11:24). We need to be “faithful unto death,” the death of self, and, if necessary, the death of this old fleshly body. For some, it will take that much for them to enter into the Kingdom. But we, at the very least, have to die to self. Self is the enemy of God that must be crucified, and that's what we're here to do. We need to learn that lesson well.   So as we read, (1Pe.4:2) … ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Once you learn how to cooperate with God, you can do this fairly quickly, and then you're in a position where God can use you. You get the “crown of life” for death; you enter into God's Life through death, death to self. Before that, you're not trustworthy because you're living after the flesh. You have many idols to distract you, many rulers besides God but, of course, once you're crucified, there is only one Ruler, and that's the Lord. When He is the Head, there's not much chance that you're going to fail God because it's the flesh that walks astray; it's not the spiritual man.   (Rev.2:11) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. “Overcoming” is overcoming the things that we're reading about. It's obvious that when people fall away, they're not overcoming, but we're called to be overcomers. There are no promises in the letters to the churches for those who are not overcomers, therefore, we must lose our life. Just as our Lord took up His Cross, we are here to take up our cross and follow Him.   (Rev.2:11) …He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. What is the “second death”? (Rev.20:11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.   Everybody's going to be judged according to their works. You may say, “David, I thought we are judged according to our faith.” No, faith is manifested through works. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). The proof of faith is works. If a person believes, they will walk with the Lord. If they don't believe, they won't walk with the Lord. Therefore, all that God has to do to judge our faith is to judge our works. That's why it says, “according to their works.”   Those people who think they can live any way they want to live and still call themselves a “Christian” or “believer,” they don't believe that their sins were taken away. If they did believe that their sins were taken away, they would constantly be being taken away and it would be seen in how they live. No, their faith is hollow; they're just “accepting the Lord,” but there's nothing about “accepting the Lord” in the Bible. We're commanded to repent and believe the Gospel The Greek word for “repent” means to “change your mind” and believe what God says. This is what religion refuses to do, and that's why they're in rebellion, and that's why there's a great falling-away. There is a great falling-away, and it's their fault. Their blood is on the Harlot. (Rev.17:6) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   (Rev.20:13) And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, [even] the lake of fire. (15) And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. How do you get into the Book of Life? Well, according to that text, it has everything to do with your works.   Then how do we change our works? We do that through the Blood of the Lamb. We accept the fact that we were crucified with Him and now it's no longer we who live, but it's Christ Who lives in us. And our good confession is accepted by the High Priest of our Confession, and that is Jesus Christ. He is the One Who gives us authority over the old flesh. He is the One (Php.2:13) … who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. That's not true of everybody who claims to be a “Christian.” Many don't have the Will of God in them; they have their own will, which is self-will. That's why “self” has to die.   (Rev.2:12) And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword: (13) I know where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan's throne is; and thou holdest fast my name… That is, of course, what it takes not to fall away. (Now this is not a study of Revelation, this is a study of the falling-away, so there are things I'm going to skip over in order to emphasize the things that could possibly cause you to fall away.) We know that the word “name” in the Greek is onoma, which means “nature, character, and authority.” We hold fast to the real Jesus, His nature, His character, and His authority.   I would say that a lot of the church has denied that. They have created a new “Jesus” in these days, as Paul said (2 Cor 11:3-4; Gal 1:6-9) and, of course, that only makes you anti-Christ. A new Jesus makes you anti-Christ. The prefix “anti” not only means “against,” it also means “in the place of” because you've replaced the Jesus of the Bible with the Jesus of your religion. We need to learn not to go astray from the real Jesus.   (Rev.2:13) I know where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan's throne is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not deny my faith… As we've seen, this is so important because “he that endureth to the end” in faith, is going to have what they're believing for, by the grace of God. Don't deny the faith. Many people do deny the faith every time they speak, since they speak totally contrary to the promises of God. The Bible says, (Rom.10:9) … if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. We need to speak, what the Bible says about us. The word “confess” is the Greek word homologeo, which means “to speak the same as.” We are told to say what God says.   (Rev.2:13) …and didst not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwelleth. Yes, of course, some will die. Some will be martyred. We're all going to be spiritual martyrs if we're going to make it into the Kingdom. The old man is going to be crucified, so we're all going to be spiritual martyrs, and some will be physical martyrs, too, but if they stay faithful unto death, He will give them a “crown of life”.   (Rev.2:14) But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam… We know Balaam was a hireling. Balak hired him, and he was tempted and lusted after the things that Balak had to offer him. There are many hirelings out there that do what they do for profit, and when a person is perverted in that way, you can't trust anything they say or teach. If all they have their eyes on is the money, the gain, and the ego trip, they're not trustworthy; they have no business being in the ministry at all and you shouldn't be following them. It's sad, but there are many Balaams out there.   (Rev.2:14) …who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. What is it to “sacrifice” to “idols”? Anything can be an idol if it is more important to you than God. When you put it before God, if you serve it, if your money is wound-up in it, if your time is wound-up in it, then you're robbing God of the time that a disciple would spend with Him and money that would be going toward doing His work. One way or the other, it's a sacrifice. You can be sacrificing the old life, or you can be sacrificing the new life. So in the church at Pergamum, they were sacrificing things to idols. We are told in, (1Jn.2:15) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. That's the same way with idols. However much you love an idol, it's that much that you do not love the Father.   (1Co.10:14) Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (15) I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. (16) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? “Communion” means “having in common.” Do you spend a lot of time with people who are idolators? Do you have things in common with people who are idolators?   Scripture tells us very plainly how we are to live. (Rom.12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice (Are you presenting your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord and to His work? Or are you sacrificing your body to the world and to the love of the world and the things of the world?), holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service. (2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We are to sacrifice of our own mind and thoughts and actions because we give in to God's mind and thoughts and actions. We make this body do what is in agreement with the Word. We should not sacrifice our spiritual, higher, life to this world.   People can be idols in your life, as Jesus said. (Mat.10:37) He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. After you come into the Kingdom and you're of age, you are called upon to follow your heavenly Father, your Lord, Jesus Christ. You're not called to follow your earthly father or mother; you're called to honor them, but not to follow them. They may not know what you know and so you would, of course, be an idolator if you followed them instead of Jesus. (Mat.10:38) And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. (39) He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.   Let's go back to (Rev.2:15) So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. Now remember what we've already learned about the Nicolaitans. (Rev.2:6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Greek word Nikolaités which is translated “Nicolaitans,” is made up of two words: nikos meaning “a conquest, triumph, victory,” and laos meaning “a people, particularly used of the people of the Lord...the root of the English term ‘laity.'” When you put them together, “Nikolaités means “to conquer the people.” God says He hates this, and the people of the church at Ephesus also hated it.   It's a very destructive doctrine that's prevalent in the churches. The Nicolaitans followed the Old Testament, priestly order. They put the priest between you and God, which is false doctrine. We know that we are a “kingdom of priests”, but we've been called to not follow a priestly order. In these days, we are all priests and we all have a sacrifice to make, the sacrifice of this old flesh. We've been called to follow the Lord.  That priestly order came through Catholicism right on down to the Protestants, who have put the pastor in the place of the priestly order. The pastor is the undisputed head of the church and it revolves around him but, of course, we know that this is totally false doctrine because the Bible says otherwise. In (Eph.4:11) And he gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) for the perfecting of the saints… Notice the Lord gave the five-fold ministry “for the perfecting of the saints.” Their one-fold ministry cannot perfect the saints. Any church that is working properly will have a multiplicity of input of the gifts, of the ministries, and so on. This is where we're headed; We're going back to the five-fold ministry as God has chosen. It is a place of safety for God's people.   (Eph.4:12) For the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering… He's raising us up to minister in one form or another. Not everybody can be a preacher or an elder in the church; it's not permitted, in many cases, but we can all minister. The Greek word translated “minister” is diakonia and it just means “serve.” (13) … till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.   When everybody but the pastor is a spectator, and they just sit there and they're not learning to serve, they're not learning to be ministers, does it surprise you that nobody's growing up under this Nicolaitan error? That's why God says He hates it so much, and He gives credit to the churches that also hate it. (Eph.4:14) That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men (Yes, this is what a Nicolaitan preacher is all about.), in craftiness, after the wiles of error.    There's another important benefit of the five-fold ministry: (Pro.11:14) Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. The true Church is made up of specialists. The Nicolaitan error is that the pastor usurps the rest of the five-fold ministry. That is not permitted, because “in the multitude of counselors, there is safety.” If one man goes astray, he's going to take everybody with him, unless there's a church split where some people disagree with the man and others blindly follow him. (Pro.15:22) Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed; But in the multitude of counsellors they are established. The purposes of God are established in “the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering.” The purposes of the Christian, in growing up and not staying a child the rest of their life, is a purpose that needs to be fulfilled. When will the five-fold ministry be restored to the Church. History repeats. Jesus the Man-child raised up the apostolic leadership who raise up churches and appointed five-fold elders to rule them. So the coming Man-child body will repeat this in the beginning of the Tribulation. (1Ti.5:17) Let the elders that rule… First of all, you have to see here that the elders rule. The elders are not assistants to the pastor. That's the Nicolaitan error. The elders are the five-fold ministry but this escapes a lot of people. (1Ti.5:17) Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. Let me show you how elders are ordained of God as ministers of God as a five-fold ministry. (Act.20:17) And from Miletus he (This is the apostle Paul.) sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church. An elder is first somebody who is older in the Lord, who is able to lead other people not someone who has been merely ordained by men to that position. So Paul called the elders together.   (Act.20:18) And when they were come to him, he said unto them … (28) Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops (“Bishop” is the Greek episkopos meaning an “overseer.” Notice that the elders are the “bishops,” the “overseers,” the five-fold ministry ordained by God. Some qualifications for Bishops or elders are in 1Ti 3: 2  The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  3  no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money;), to feed the church of the Lord (Teaching and feeding the Church is the job of the five-fold ministry.) Back to Acts 20:28…which he purchased with his own blood. (29) I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Yes, these “wolves” are a bunch of dictators that usurped the authority of the five-fold ministers who were ordained of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they took over the church, usurping every other avenue of God's wisdom and gifts to the church, “not sparing the flock.” (Act.20:30) And from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.   (Act.20:31) Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears. (32) And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build [you] up, and to give [you] the inheritance among all them that are sanctified. This is the job of the five-fold ministry and this is why Paul called the elders to him to explain their job.   (33) I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. That's not true of any of the apostate leaders today, but who is there to stop them? They're the head. Who is there to say, “No, you can't do that”? So here Paul is instructing the five-fold ministry, the elders, the bishops, in the ways of the Kingdom and he gives himself as an example. (34) Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. (35) In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.   Going back to (Rev.2:15) So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. (16) Repent therefore; or else I come to thee quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. They had to repent of the Nicolaitan error, and part of this error was unqualified elders ruling over the people without the qualified five-fold ministry. If you're sitting under the Nicolaitan error, you must be ready to change. God said He hates it. The Man-child leaders are coming to change this soon.  (Rev.2:17) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna… The “hidden manna” is the Spirit of the Word. The letter is what everybody can see; it's not hidden, however, (2Co.3:6) … the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. God is able to translate for us the parables of the Old Testament, because that's what they were. The letter was given to the letter Jew and the Spirit was given to the spiritual Jew, who is the New Testament born-again, born from-above, Jew.   (Rev.2:17) …To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone… What is this white stone? According to the Old Testament Law, on the Day of Atonement, two goats were presented before the High Priest, and also a pouch with two stones. They were “lots” which were inside the pouch (Lev 16:5-34) and one of those stones was a white stone called “the lot of the Lord.”   The other stone was a black stone called “the lot of the scapegoat.” Without looking, the High Priest would choose a stone from the pouch with his right hand and hold the stone over the right-hand goat. If it was the white stone for the lot of the Lord, that goat would be sacrificed, but the other goat would be set free in the wilderness, which symbolized the Lord's sacrifice in our place. We were set free and He was sacrificed. That's the white stone and it represents God's acceptance of your sacrifice, and the fact that the Lord bore your curse and your sin, and you are free.   (Rev.2:17) …and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. The “new name” that only the overcomers have and know is the nature, character, and authority of the Father and Jesus.   (Rev.2:18) And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass: (19) I know thy works, and thy love and faith and ministry and patience, and that thy last works are more than the first. Yes, this is the way it is supposed to be. I know many people who started out by getting the beam out of their eye so they could see clearly to serve the people of God, and they did serve for a while, but then they went back to serving themselves.   They gave up their ministry and turned away from the Lord and started doing their own thing again. Their “last works” were not more than their first works. God knows everything we do, and we're going to be judged according to our works, which are all written in His books. Thank God that we have a Blood covering if we're not willfully disobedient! If you're seeking out His Will in the Word of God, seeking to be a disciple, seeking to lose your life in order to gain your life, if you're doing these things, you're not going to fail. You're not going to fall away.   (Rev.2:20) But I have [this] against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess… There is no office of “prophetess” in the five-fold ministry. There's only the office of “prophet” as part of the five-fold ministry. That's because a “prophet” is an “elder, bishop, overseer,” and a woman cannot teach or take authority over the man. So here is a Jezebel, whom we know well from the Old Testament as a woman who ruled over her Ahab husband, to both his destruction and to the destruction of his whole family.   All of her children through him, died. They were sentenced to death by the Lord Himself. It's the same with this “Jezebel.” She teaches, but her teaching leads the people into sin. She teaches, but she's not supposed to teach. (1Ti.2:11) Let a woman learn in quietness, with all subjection. (12) But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. And he goes on to say that Adam was the first-formed, and then Eve. She was a help-meet for him. She was to serve him. (13) For Adam was first formed, then Eve; (14) and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled (So Adam was not deceived, but Eve was deceived and that was one reason she shouldn't be a teacher.) hath fallen into transgression: (15) but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.   Understand that this Jezebel in Revelation made herself a prophetess; she “calleth herself a prophetess.” It's possible she was a prophetess before she fell away, because a “prophetess” is just “a woman with a gift of prophecy.” It does not mean she has the office of prophet; there's a difference. There's the gift of prophecy and there is also an office of prophet as one member of the five-fold ministry. The gift of prophecy does not give her, as a woman, authority in the church to teach or take authority over the man. It is not permitted, but that is what Jezebel does, and that is what Jezebel spirits do.   They take authority over the man: in the family, in the home, in the church. It's an evil spirit that leads people to destruction, and because the woman is more easily deceived in these things, she leads others astray. That's why it is not permitted for a woman to teach or take authority over the man. This is very important to understand and obey this. Now we have an in-depth study covering this subject and about women and their role in our book “The Word, Women and Authority”.  Now let's go back to (Rev.2:20) But I have [this] against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. We've seen what it is to partake of “things sacrificed to idols.” An idol is anything more important to you than following and serving the Lord. As for fornication, here is a woman, Jezebel, who is a fornicator in that she is not receiving the seed of the husband. This is spiritual fornication because she is receiving the seed of the devil. The Jezebel spirit is a demon spirit. Somebody who receives a Jezebel spirit is receiving the seed of a very selfish, self-willed, demon spirit that causes a domineering woman to rule over the man, disobeying what the Scripture says.   Maybe you've heard the lying excuse preachers will give about how, “All these things passed away with the apostles and it's different today.” No, it was an everlasting Covenant (Isaiah 24:5, 53:5). We are not to accept anybody who changes the Covenant. (Rev.22:18) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book:   (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. That's because they have led God's people astray and caused them to disobey His Word. It is very important that we obey His Word. So there is fornication, and Jezebel is teaching people to receive another seed that is not the seed of the Husband, Who is the Lord. The Lord is the Word. We have to obey the Word.   (Rev.2:21) And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to repent of her fornication. We know that all of Jezebel's seed were destroyed, and this is a type and shadow for the things to come. The people who follow Jezebel are going to be destroyed. (22) Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works. It doesn't sound like they're going to escape this “great tribulation.” There are people who are going to go through this tribulation and do very well, but Jezebel and her seed will not.   (23) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. There are good works and there are evil works. Jezebel is an evil work and those whom she trains are evil works. They're going to die in great tribulation, like Jezebel's seed did and Ahab's seed did. It was Ahab who refused to be the head over Jezebel his wife. Instead, he just gave into her and so both of them and all their seed were destroyed (2 Kings 9).   (Rev.2:24) But to you I say, to the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, who know not the deep things of Satan (Wow! This is saying that the teachings of Jezebel are “the deep things of Satan.”), as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none other burden. (25) Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come. (26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end (His works wouldn't be the teachings of Jezebel, they wouldn't be the Nicolaitan error, and there wouldn't be Gentiles going back to follow Judaism.), to him (he that overcometh.) will I give authority over the nations…   If you have authority in the church, you first had to be an overcomer. There is no true elder who is not an overcomer because he's been given authority. He's not only an authority for the Church, he's an authority against any nation that would hurt the Church. (Rev.2:26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: (27) and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: (28) and I will give him the morning star. (29) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. Notice that in every address to the churches, He makes promises only to the overcomer. The overcomer is overcoming all of these temptations to go astray from what is written.   (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. I've always supposed that this name could be “Christian.” (Act.11:25) And he (This is speaking of Barnabus.) went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul; (26) and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught much people, and that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.   The lost people called the disciples “Christians” because they followed in the steps of Jesus. They spoke His Word, they had His Power, they did His Works. It's sad that many people have taken the name of “Christian” but they haven't taken on His Name. When we baptize people, we baptize them into the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. When you're baptized and go down in the water, you accept by faith that you have died and are buried with Him in the likeness of His death. The water represents “the washing of water with the Word” (Eph 5:26) and the Word puts to death our old man. So when you go down into the water, you accept by faith that your old man died, and that the One Who comes up is Jesus Christ. You've been baptized into His Name and you are now a member of His Body.  (Rev.3:1) …I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Until we come into the Name, we are “dead” and of no use to ourselves or anyone else. Coming into the Name is, first of all, coming into the revelation of what it represents, which is the Word of God.   The reason we're here is to bear fruit. Remember the Parable of the Sower, and how it showed that three out of every four people who hear the Word, don't bear fruit and so they fall away. If you're side-tracked by Nicolaitan errors or by Jezebel spirits or by any of the other things we've been speaking about, you're not going to bear fruit. You have to overcome your flesh in order to bear fruit, and this is why I've said, many times, that when people become Christians, they need to start reading in the New Testament and read and read and read to renew their minds with the Word of God. That's the only way to know the truth for yourself. We've been told to each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Php 2:12)   I know God ordained this for me, but I started reading the Word of God only because my Baptist friend challenged me to do it. I didn't have any knowledge of the Word of God because I was raised in Catholicism and they don't teach you the Word of God. Well, that turned out to be a good thing. As I was reading the Bible day and night, since I didn't have anybody to tell me otherwise, I just believed what I was reading and it was changing my mind and it was changing my life. I learned that the Holy Spirit Himself can teach you. He taught me not to add-to, or take-away-from, the Word. These are principles I learned before I ever went to a church and by the time I did go to a church, I already had the Word in my heart, so I didn't stick anywhere very long because I realized that these people had gone astray with religion.   Of course, we have to “repent,” which is to “change your mind,” every time we pick up the Word of God and we see what it says. The Lord taught me that, (Psa.119:160) The sum of thy word is truth; … And (Isa.28:10) For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little. It's a little here and a little there, but when it's all added up, you don't have to reject any of it because it all fits together. If you'll do this, you'll learn quickly enough whether or not you're in a Nicolaitan church, a church which is (2Ti.3:5) holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. From these also turn away. Leave; just leave. The power is manifested through the specialists of the five-fold ministry.   Once you find out what the Church is supposed to look like, you're a lot less likely to get hung-up in some error and fall away. The “harlot” is a parable of not just a particular religion, but all religion that is apostate, fallen-away, and receiving the seed that is not of the Husband, Christ.   In Jesus' day. He came to the denominations of Judaism and none of them chose Him. Only those people who came out of those denominations chose Him. They were His Church, His “called-out” ones, and today, we are called out of the apostate denominations of Christianity, just as they were called out of the apostate denominations of Judaism. History always repeats. The things that have been are the things which shall be (Ecc 1:9). We are called out from among them to be separate. (2Co.6:16)   We are called to walk as He walked (1John 2:6). We're called to be overcomers. With most doctrines in the denominations, you don't have to overcome anything, but that's not what the promises to the churches say. That's why you need to read and find these things out. So He said to the church in Sardis, “You have a name that lives, but you're dead,” and that's true of an awful lot of people who call themselves “Christian.”   (Rev.3:2) Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die… Feed your spirit man on the Word and you will live.  Do what I did 55 years ago; I got rid of all my hobbies. God was my constant hobby after that. Be a disciple of Jesus. Mat 6:33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The heart of man is deceitfully wicked (Jer 17:9). It's very easy to be deceived. That's why God sent us His Word, and proved to us that it was His Word by putting a numeric pattern in it. That numeric pattern is God's “signature.”  The Word is His DNA. Its power and life. (Rev.3:2) …for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God. He's obviously saying that it's a normal thing for our works to be perfected before God, but how can that be, except we have a renewed mind? (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How can our works be perfected if we don't have this renewed mind, and don't repent and follow the Lord? Without a renewed mind, we don't know what the truth is.   (Rev.3:3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep it, and repent. What the denominations do is train us to ignore Scriptures that disagree with their pet doctrines. They give us reasons of why we need to overlook this or that or the other, and one of their favorite reasons is, “This all passed away with the apostles.” Well, they can't give any proof of that, whatsoever, because we've seen that the Bible says the exact opposite. The Bible says that it was “an everlasting Covenant” from the time it was made, and that we can't add to it or take away from it without falling under a curse. (Rev 22:18-19)   (Rev.3:3) …If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. You never know when your time will be up and, therefore, you need to live every day like it's your last.   (Rev.3:4) But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments… What are these “garments”? (Jud.1:22) And on some have mercy, who are in doubt; (23) and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Our garments are our works so put on Jesus' works; Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. The spots are works of the flesh. There are many people walking with “defiled garments.” Everything they do is fleshly and defiled, and therefore, everything they reap is defiled. (Gal.6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.   When your “garment” is defiled, what you do is defiled and you're going to reap the same, but God came so that you might sow a good seed and reap a good harvest. Our “actions” are what we “sow” and the Word of God is there to restrict our actions so that we can receive a good harvest. And since our “garments” represent our works, what should we be clothing ourselves with? But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ…  So, how is the Bride dressed? (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright (That's the Greek word lampros and it's also translated as “shining, magnificent, gorgeous, splendid.”) [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (The Bride is radiant and glorious, but what about those who are invited to the marriage feast? What are they wearing?) (Rev.19:14) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white [and] pure. White here is the Greek word leukos meaning “white”.   Those who are invited to the marriage feast will have the glory that comes with purity, but they will not have the magnificent radiance that is shining forth from the Bride. If you want to be in the Bride, you don't want your “garment” defiled because the Bride has a spotless and blemishless garment. Everything She knows about the Word, She is being obedient to, because She is walking by faith in the Lord and the Lord is working in Her to will and to do of His good pleasure. And He goes on to say, (Rev.3:4) But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. Well, now we know that that is about one quarter of the people that received the Gospel according to the parable of the sower.   (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… When you're born again, you're written in the Book. If you don't overcome, you're erased out of the Book. The only people who are not erased out of the Book are the people that overcome. In other words, overcomers know what is right and they know what is wrong, and they're going to do right. The promise of not being blotted out is only to overcomers. (Rev.3:5) …and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. The angels administer salvation to those who inherit it. They are the ministers of God's salvation to us and through us. (Rev.3:6) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.   (Rev.3:7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia… This is the church of brotherly love. “Philadelphia” is formed from two Greek words, philos meaning “affectionate friend” and adelphós meaning “brother, brotherly,” i.e., “loving one's brother.” The Philadelphia church is the greatest of all the churches. Just as Moses, as a type and shadow of the Man-child, married one of seven daughters (Exo 2:16,21), the church in this city, Philadelphia, the church of brotherly love, represents the Bride. The test, of course, is to see how much you love the Lord by keeping His commandments, and how much you love the brethren because you love the Lord. These are the ones who will be chosen.   (Rev.3:7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David (David was the ruler in Jerusalem, which was the Bride.), he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven. This authority was given to the people of God, but most of them don't have the faith to exercise it, because they don't have the knowledge of the Word that brings about the faith. (Rom.10:17) So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.   (Rev.3:8) I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut)… Praise the Lord! This is an opening for the work of the Lord to go forth. The Philadelphia church in these days is going to bring resurrection life to the rest of the church, just as Jesus, Who was the Man-child, did. He was the Head of the Bride. John the Baptist told his disciples, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom …. Jesus raised up those disciples to go forth and raise up the five-fold ministry. Once again, this is going to happen. The disciples of our day are going to go forth and raise up the five-fold ministry which “none can shut.”   (Rev.3:8) … that thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name. It's easy to deny the Name of the Lord; it's not just Judas and Peter who denied the Lord. There are a lot of people who deny the Lord because every time you read the Word of God, Who is Jesus Christ, and you deny it, you're denying the Lord. If you will not subject yourself to the Word, you're denying the Lord.   (Rev.3:9) Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. This speaks of how those natural Jews who will not be born again and become a member of the church, a member of the body of Christ, will be subservient to the Philadelphia church, which He loves. (10) Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.   In Revelation 17:12, God speaks about that hour when the beast makes war on the saints, which is not about “flying away”; it's about overcoming so that there is no trial for you. Remember how Moses went through his own wilderness, and that experience prepared him to bring God's people through the wilderness. It was not so much Moses being tried as it was God's people being tried. His trial was them. Their trial was the wilderness. Moses had been in the wilderness and he had overcome, or else God would not have used him to bring God's people there. It was their turn to overcome the wilderness; they had to overcome the fact that they couldn't do things the way they'd always done things. They had to have faith in God, just as Moses had faith in God.   (Rev.3:11) I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. Notice that they had the crown; they weren't seeking for the crown. In other places, we see that they were promised the crown “if,” because they had to meet a condition, but these people had the crown. They were the “Crown City.” These were the people of God, spotless and blemishless, walking in all the knowledge that they had. (12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem…   This is the Bride. They have the Name of their God, the nature, character, and authority of their God, which makes them the Bride, which makes them the one of the seven. It makes them the “Esther” who went into the King's house, but all the rest of the women went back to the house of the women. They were culled and Esther became the Bride, and that's what we're talking about here. The new Jerusalem, which is from above, according to John is coming down out of heaven (Rev 21:2), and here we see the same thing. It's not something that's going to happen in the future, it's something that is happening because you're either being born of this City, the Bride, or you're being born of the rest of Israel.  (12) …and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God… Notice it says “cometh,” which is present tense. We are being born from above. Paul spoke about coming to the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:18-29). (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched … (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 (Jesus is the firstborn and Jesus in the Man-child is the firstborn in our day. They were the head of the Bride body.) who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. This is not “a mount that might be touched,” but the apostate church erroneously teaches that this is a physical city which is coming down out of heaven at the end of the tribulation, and some push it even further into the future than that. (12) …and mine own new name. (13) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. Oh, thank You, Father!   This is a great prize! Paul said, (Php.3:12) Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do , forgetting the things which are behind (Forgetting past failures), and stretching forward to the things which are before (Seeing Jesus in the mirror by faith.), (14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.   And this will be your prize if you are willing to give up your life in this world to follow after Jesus, as those early disciples did. They gave up their selfish desires and anything else that stood in the way of them serving Jesus. They gave it up, and so it is today. Your most important employer is the Lord Himself. Wherever you are, you're supposed to be representing Him. People will be changed by your witness, by your testimony, by the fact that the Lord, through the Bride, lives in you. People will be changed by that. 

THE STORY OF JOSEPH - lesson 10 GOD BRINGS ORDER AND CHAOS HE IS THE ALL POWERFUL ONE WHO IS GOD ALONE In this lesson Joseph's life is shown to be clearly in the hands of the Lord.  The Pharaoh has dreams and through a series of circumstances the cup bearer of Pharaoh (probably his butler or the manager of food and beverages and banquets) remembers what happened to him in jail.  He remembered the Hebrew young man who interpreted his dream and the dream of the baker.  The message from the Lord is clear ... 1) He had a plan for Joseph's life and the Lord knew it meant some tough times for Joseph ... 2) This carries into the life of Jesus as well.  We know that the saga of Joseph is a paradigm, a model, a prototype of Jesus.  They are both saviors of the world through BREAD.  For Joseph is was the bread from the earth and for Jesus is was Himself, the bread from heaven.  So too for Jesus, the Father had a plan for His son's life as well and nothing could stop the plan or interfere with its results, the salvation of Jew and Gentile for those in Yeshua HaMaschiach.  Just consider ... Eph 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.  1Pe 1:18-20 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.  3) But this is true for us today in the 21st century.  God tells us again and again He never changes as we read in Mal. 3:6.  And if we are true disciples of Adonai Yeshua, if we truly want to live our lives as the image of the Messiah in all we say and do, then, as the Father had a plan for Yeshua so too for us who are to be like Him. Once again here is a great video that introduces us to this amazing connection between Joseph and Jesus.  What is so awesome is God inspired Moses to write about Joseph 3400 years ago.  Little did Moses know how his writing would help us today to see how God predicted His ultimate SAVIOR OF THE WORLD from the story of Joseph as the prototype.  Here's the link to the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQKadh0fVCo Also, here's link to an awesome website, "Hebrew4Christians."  I linked you to the pages at this website that also give even more awesome connections between Yosef and Yeshua.   Link - https://hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Mashiach_ben_Yosef/mashiach_ben_yosef.html Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0

Located in the heart of downtown Maryville, Pleasant Grove at College Street was founded as a church plant of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in 2017. Our sending church has been serving the greater Maryville area for over 175 years. We continue to partne

Histoire de Joseph (Genèse 37 + 39-46,7 + 46,28-48 + 50). Traduction d'Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy.

Despite our situation or circumstances, we still have so much to praise the LORD for! We need those times or occasions where we are reminded of how the LORD took care of us in the past. First in verses 1-3, they are reminded to praise the name of Jehovah and all that it represents about the attributes and character of God. Next, in verses 4-6 they are encouraged to praise God because there is no other God like Him. Earthly kings are concerned about the splendor and prominence of their thrones (2 Kings 25:27-30), but the Lord's throne is exalted above the nations and even above the heavens (Psalms 57:5, 11; 99:2). Today in the New Testament we need to remember that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings (Rev. 19:16; Ephesians 1:19-23; 4:10; Phil. 2:9-11). The question in verses 5-6 reminds us of Exodus 15:11: "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?”  And also in Isaiah 40:25-26: "To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.” It is not our Lord's transcendence that captivates the psalmist but His willingness to "stoop down" and pay attention to mere mortals who do not always honor Him. Most ancient kings were inaccessible to their people, but our God sees us and knows our every need (138:6; Isa. 57:15). For the believer, God's throne is not only a throne of glory and authority, but it is also a throne of grace, a topic the psalmist explained in the next three verses. The Lord in His grace not only sees us, but He cares for us and helps us. He "stoops down" and condescends to work on our behalf (Psalm 138:6-8). The picture in verses 7-8 comes from verses 7 and 8 of the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2: 1-10), part of which was borrowed by Mary in her song of praise to God (Luke 1:46-55). Hannah was a barren wife to whom God gave a son, Samuel the judge and prophet. The history of Israel contains the stories of several barren women to whom God gave sons. It begins with Abraham's wife Sarah who gave birth to Isaac (Gen. 17:15-19), and then Isaac's wife Rebekah became the mother of Jacob, who fathered the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 25:19-23). Jacob's favorite wife Rachel gave birth to Joseph (Gen. 29:31; 30:22-24), the man who protected the sons of Israel in Egypt. Hannah gave birth to Samuel (1 Sam. 1:1-2:11), and Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-15), the forerunner of Jesus Christ. The “ash heap” was the gathering place of the outcasts of the city, the unwanted poor, and the diseased (Job 2:8). The sun would warm the ashes during the day and the ashes would keep the people warm at night. It was the one place that people avoided going near, but our God visits rejected people and changes their lives! If this is a post-exilic psalm, as many believe it is, this truth must have been a great encouragement to the Jewish remnant struggling to rebuild their nation and their lives. The love of God and the grace of God made our God stoop to our level, especially when He sent Jesus Christ to become one of us and die for us on the cross (Phil. 2:1-11). In John 8:6 and 8 and 13:1-11, Jesus stooped to forgive a sinful woman and to wash His disciples' feet. But His greatest demonstration of grace was when He died for us on the cross. He condescended to become like us that we might become like Him (1 Cor. 1:26-29; Eph. 2:1-10). There can be no greater love (John 15:13). Only Jesus Christ can lift sinners out of the ash heap and put them on the throne! (Eph. 2:1-10). One day the Lord will visit "barren Israel" and bless the nation with many children (Isa. 54:1-3; 66:8-11). No matter how dark the day or impossible the circumstances, our God is able to do the impossible (Eph. 3:19-20). God bless!

Miraculous Births in the Bible:     - Isaac  (Genesis 11:30) - Jacob & Esau. (Gen. 25:21) - Joseph (Gen. 29:31) - Samson (Judges 13:2) - Samuel (1 Samuel 1:5) - John the Baptist (Luke 1:7)   Joseph obeyed the word from God. Mary received and believed the word from God.

The Story of JosephStudy 80"Thus Saith Thy Son Joseph"Gen 45:9-15October 29, 2023

Introduction: Download Barnabas' Sermon Slides - PDF Thanksgiving: History of Thanksgiving (Gen 1:9-13) No setting law period on eating food (Gen 4:10, 9:4) Ten generation from Adam to Noah (Gen 5) Ten generations from Noah to Abraham (Gen 11) Isaac, Jacob, Joseph (Gen 24-50) 430 years in Egypt (Ex 12:40) Giving laws on food (Ex 22:29, 23:19 34:26 Le 23:9-22 Nu 28:1,2 Dt 26) Promise-reminder laws carring for 40 years (Jos 5:6, Dt 8:4) God's promise is fulfilled & Israel in the promised land (Ik 6:1) 480 + 970 - 568 = 844 New Testament first-fruits indicate messiah & christians (Rom 16:5, 1 Cor 16:15) Thanksgiving for Today: Israel's thanksgiving is physical . (Pr 23:9-10, Ex 23:17) Christian's thanksgiving is both physical & spritual . (1 Cor 15:20, 22-23, Ex 23:15, Dt 16:16) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionWhat was your big take-away from this passage / message?Reflect upon Barnabas' mission field. How can you apply His enthusiasm to spread the gospel on the other side of the globe in your area of influence here?BreakoutPray for one another, for the leaders and new elder of our church, Justin Cady. Pray for the missionaries that we support such as Martha and Barnabas in Thailand.Pray that we would seek to be a church that goes, gives, and prays.

Welcome to another one of our Bible Studies! In today's Bible study, we will be continuing the story of Joseph. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfcZWAqrGOqUGZv7HHWjwyQ Website: www.messianics.us Bet Yeshurun Assembly, Berkley, Michigan, Oakland County. PayPal donations can be securely made at the bottom of the main page of our website: https://messianics.us

Introduction      In the previous section (Acts 7:1-8), Stephen presented the first part of his message which demonstrated God's work in history through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who fathered the twelve patriarchs (Acts 7:8). In the following sections, Stephen is showing God's work through Joseph (Acts 7:9-16), Moses (Acts 7:17-43), and that He ultimately does not dwell in human structures such as the tabernacle and temple (Acts 7:44-50). The final part of Stephen's message was intended to show God's work in Jesus, the Righteous One, who was betrayed and killed by the Jewish leadership (Acts 7:51-53).       In the current section (Acts 7:9-16), Stephen briefly explains how the patriarchs rejected and mistreated Joseph. However, the one they had rejected, was the one whom God had chosen to be their deliverer. And though they had rejected Joseph the first time, they welcomed him the second time (Acts 7:13). We will see Stephen repeat this narrative with Moses (Acts 7:17-43), who Israel rejected the first time, but welcomed the second time (Acts 7:35). The final part of Stephen's message will point out that his generation was guilty of rejecting and murdering Jesus, the Righteous One whom God had chosen to be their deliverer (Acts 7:51-53). Biblically, we know Jesus was rejected at His first coming, but will be accepted at His second coming. Text      Stephen opens this pericope with a brief overview of the Joseph narrative, saying, “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him” (Acts 7:9). Though the Jewish leaders would not make the connection until later, Stephen was comparing them with ten of Joseph's brothers who had become jealous and sold him into slavery. Likewise, it was because of a similar mental attitude of sin the Jewish leadership had mistreated Jesus, as Matthew records, it was “because of envy they had handed Him over” to Pilate to be crucified (Matt 27:18). Though Joseph was mistreated by ten of his brothers, we are told that “God was with him” (Acts 7:9b).      Because God was with Joseph, He “rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household” (Acts 7:10). Historically, we know God rescued Joseph, but only after allowing Joseph to suffer unjust persecution for a time. Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers (Gen 37:23-28), Potiphar's lying wife (Gen 39:7-19), and was placed in prison for two years (Gen 39:20). Though Joseph suffered at the hands of wicked people, God used their sinful choices to bring about a greater good. Similarly, God worked through wicked leaders—both Jews and Gentiles—to bring about the death of Christ and our salvation (Acts 2:22-24; 4:26-28). Throughout Joseph's time in Egypt, God was with Him “and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt” (Acts 7:10b). God has a way of directing His people to meet others. We should realize there are no accidental encounters in this life, but that God directs our lives in such a way that everyone we meet is part of His sovereign plan. The possession of wisdom in God's servants is an indication of His favor toward them. And God, who had granted Joseph wisdom and favor in the sight of Pharoah, made Joseph “governor over Egypt and all his household” (Acts 7:10c). God was in charge of Joseph's advancement, and this is true of all believers. We read in Hannah's prayer, “The LORD makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts. He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of honor” (1 Sam 2:7-8). Peter's instruction to believers is, “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Pet 5:6).      While God was advancing Joseph in Egypt, He was also controlling the regional weather that would result in a drought and famine over the land. Prior to the famine, God had given Pharoah two dreams that revealed He would cause seven years of prosperity to come and then He would bring seven years of drought and famine on the land (Gen 41:25-31). From Genesis to Revelation, God governs the lives of people and nations. Human rulers exist because of His plan, for “It is He who changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding” (Dan 2:21). Joseph told Pharoah, “God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do” (Gen 41:28), and “as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about” (Gen 41:32). It is this historical event that Stephen draws from, focusing on the time of the famine, stating, “Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food” (Acts 7:11).      Stephen tells us, “But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time” (Acts 7:12). Jacob was moved by the hunger pains God controlled, and in this way, the Lord moved His people geographically to the place He wanted. The suffering from the famine was the vehicle God used to get His people to Egypt in order to full His promise to Abraham (Gen 15:13). When Joseph's brothers visited him the first time, they did not recognize him, and he did not make himself known. But Stephen tells us, “On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was disclosed to Pharaoh” (Acts 7:13). According to John Polhill: "What Stephen did emphasize, however, was the seemingly insignificant detail that the brothers made two visits and only recognized Joseph on the second. Why this emphasis? The same would be true of Moses later on in Stephen's speech. His fellow Israelites did not recognize him either on his first visit but rejected him (Acts 7:27-28). Only on his second visit did they recognize him as the one God had sent to deliver them from Egypt (Acts 7:35-36)."[1] Charles Ryrie adds: "Stephen then passed to Joseph (Acts7:9-16) possibly because Joseph is such a good type of Christ. He was sold because of envy (cf., Mark 15:10) but God was with him (cf., Acts 10:38); there was a famine, which pictured Israel's condition at that time; and it was the second time when Joseph was revealed to his brethren just as it will be at our Lord's second coming that Israel will recognize Him."[2]      Historically, we know Jesus was rejected by His people when He came the first time. John tells us, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). However, when Jesus comes to earth a second time, Israel will receive Him. Through Zechariah, God said, “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (Zec 12:10). And John wrote, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen” (Rev 1:7). God has not broken His covenant with Israel, for “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (Rom 11:2). For though “a partial hardening has happened to Israel” (Rom 11:25), and they are currently under God's judgment (Matt 23:37-39), there will come a time in the future, after the Tribulation, that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26), and this according to God's sovereign plan.      After Joseph had revealed himself to his brothers, he invited the whole family to come to him, that he might care for them. Stephen says, “Then Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all” (Acts 7:14). This is amazing, for the one who had been treated with hostility, rejected, and sold into captivity, was the very one who became the deliverer of those who mistreated him. This is love. This is grace. According to Warren Wiersbe, “Joseph and Moses…have this in common: they were both rejected as deliverers the first time, but were accepted the second time.”[3] Jon Courson states: "During a time of famine, Joseph's brothers went to Egypt for help. They stood before the Prime Minister of Egypt, not recognizing him to be their own brother. As Joseph began to question them when they appeared before him a second time, they admitted that they had sinned greatly against their brother. Then, in that powerful emotional scene, Joseph said, “I am Joseph” (Gen 45:4). It wasn't until the second time they saw him that Joseph's brothers realized who he was. So, too, after going through a time of famine, drought, and tribulation, Israel will finally recognize Jesus in His Second Coming (Rom 11:26)."[4]      At first glance (prima facie), there seems to be a discrepancy between Stephen's record of “seventy-five persons in all” (Acts 7:14b), and the account by Moses who told us there were “sixty-six persons in all” (Gen 46:26b). How do we explain this? Earl Radmacher offers the following solution: "Stephen stated that seventy-five people in all went to Egypt. Genesis 46:26 indicates that sixty-six people accompanied Jacob to Egypt, not including Jacob, Joseph, and the two sons of Joseph. Stephen derived the number seventy-five from the Septuagint translation of the OT. The translators apparently added nine wives (Gen 46:26 says the number sixty-six did not include the wives). It was only nine and not twelve because the wives of Judah and Simeon had died and Joseph's wife was already in Egypt."[5]      Stephen skips ahead in his message and mentions the death of Jacob and the patriarchs, saying, “And Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died” (Acts 7:15). And then jumping ahead four hundred years, he says, “From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem” (Acts 7:16). Being removed from Egypt occurred during the time of the Exodus, when God was working through Moses to liberate His people from Egyptian bondage. But we seem to have a problem as Stephen states that Jacob was buried at Shechem (Acts 7:16), whereas Moses wrote in Genesis that his sons “buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah” (Gen 50:13), which was where “Abraham buried Sarah his wife” (Gen 23:19), and where Abraham himself was buried (Gen 25:9). After Israel had entered the land under the leadership of Joshua, we're told “they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem” (Josh 24:32). In Acts 7:16, Stephen reports that Abraham purchased the tomb in Shechem, whereas Moses records that Jacob “bought the piece of land…for one hundred pieces of money” (Gen 33:19). So who bought the burial place at Shechem, Abraham or Jacob? Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The simplest explanation is that Abraham actually purchased both pieces of property and that Jacob later had to purchase the Shechem property again. Abraham moved around quite a bit and it would be very easy for the residents of the land to forget or ignore the transactions he had made.”[6]      In summary, Stephen revealed how the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and mistreated him by selling him into slavery. But God was with Joseph and endowed him with wisdom and favor in the sight of others and, over time, elevated him to the position of governor of Egypt under Pharoah. Eventually, God created and controlled a famine that moved His people geographically to Egypt in order that they might be saved and cared for by the very one whom they'd rejected. In this way, Joseph becomes a type of Christ, Who was mistreated and rejected by His people, but will be accepted at His second coming. Present Application      Stephen thought and spoke from a biblical worldview, seeing God at work in the details of people's lives. He personally saw himself in the historical flow of God's plan, and could therefore see himself speaking and acting for God. Likewise, believers today who live in the biblical worldview develop a personal sense of destiny, seeing our lives as part of the fabric of God's eternal plan that is being worked out moment by moment in the everyday details of human history. The circumstances of our lives are not accidents, but divine appointments, designed by God to grow us spiritually and to advance His eternal plan for His glory and the edification of others.      Though Joseph suffered at the hands of his jealous brothers (Acts 7:9a), we're told that “God was with him” (Acts 7:9). As Christians, we too know that God is with us, as God Himself said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb 13:5). So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Heb 13:6). And though Joseph suffered unjustly for a time in prison, we're told that God “rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household” (Acts 7:10). God, in His sovereignty will, on occasion, bring a person low in order to humble him, but then later exalt him to a place of honor where he can serve as a trophy of His grace (see 1 Sam 2:7-8).      Though Joseph was mistreated by his brothers, later in his life, he interpreted their behavior from the divine perspective, telling his brothers, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). And Joseph repeated himself a second time, saying, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Gen 45:7-8a). And later, he told them a third time, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen 50:20). As Christians, we are called to renovate our thinking and learn to operate from the divine perspective (Rom 12:1-2). When we do this, we experience a paradigm shift that allows us to be able to frame life in way that gives us a confidence to face difficulties, for “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). Operating from divine viewpoint allows us to rise above the trials and hardships of life and to live by faith and not feelings. In this way, we can live as God intends and find stability and purpose in the details of life that He controls.  Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 192. [2] Charles C. Ryrie, Acts of the Apostles, Everyman's Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1961), 46. [3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 431. [4] Jon Courson, Jon Courson's Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 674. [5] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 1379–1380. [6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, 431–432.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of our mindsets during the changing seasons of our lives. We learn that there  is a purpose for the season, who controls the seasons, and  how to  optimize our present seasons.  Time: (measure)A limited period or interval, as between two successive events.Season (marker)Any period or time. A suitable, proper, fitting, or right time.Scriptures: Galatians 6:9Ecclesiastes 3:1-8Ecclesiastes 9:11People of interest:Joseph (Gen. 37)Abram (Gen. 12)David (I Samuel 16)Contact us at: lifeinspiredproductions@gmail.comFind us on Apple iTunes, SpotifyFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EnrichedPInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/enriched_perspectives/YouTube: @Enriched_Perspectives 

Genesis in the Light of the New Testament F. W. Grant. Part 1 God's Counsels in Creation Part 2 Divine Life in its Various Aspects — Adam The Carnal and the Spiritual Seed Noah Abraham, Lot, and the Philistines Isaac Jacob Joseph

What does the Bible say about the deity of Christ? For centuries, as affirmed at the Council of Nicea, Christians have used a wonderful list of verses to demonstrate from God's Word the deity of Jesus Christ. Here is another very different approach to show the same truth. (This is similar to the "Big Picture" approach used in the overview of the Bible called The Plot.) Thus Saith the Lord: If we count how many times the Old Testament prophets said, "Thus says the Lord" we find them using that phrase, in the New King James Version of the Bible, about 420 times. The New Testament on the other hand, never once records that phrase. Jesus Christ, with all the red ink devoted to recording His words, never once used that ubiquitous phrase, "Thus saith the Lord." Rather, Jesus proclaims, "I say to you," in the Gospels! Not a single "Thus says the Lord," but rather, "I say to you," 135 times. The following chart demonstrates biblically that these two phrases, Thus saith the Lord, and I say unto you, indicate the same thing, that God is speaking. For Jesus Christ made it clear that He Himself was at the heart of His message. Unlike the righteous priests and kings, prophets and the apostles, the Lord came to teach us about Himself: Christ's Self-focus: "Follow Me" 19x Mt. 4:19; 8:22; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; Mk. 1:17; 2:14; 8:34; 10:21; Lk. 5:27; 9:59; 18:22; Jn. 1:43; 8:12; 10:27; 12:26; 13:36; 21:19, 22 Pray and act "in My name" 18x Mt. 7:22; 18:5; 18:20; [24:5]; Mk. 9:37, 39, 41; [13:6]; Lk. 9:48; [21:8]; 24:47; Jn. 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24, 26; Acts 9:15 "the Holy Spirit" comes "in My name" Jn. 14:26 "for My name's sake" leave family and property Mt. 19:29; or even be killed 5x Mt. 24:9; [Lk. 21:12, 17;] Jn. 15:21; Acts 9:16 Believe in the "name of the… Son" and "in the Son" 3x Jn.  3:18, 36; 9:35 and "in Him [Jesus]" 4x Jn. 3:18; 6:29, 40; 8:31 "believe in Me" 14x Mt. 18:6; Mk. 9:42; Jn. 3:15-16, 18; 6:35, 47; 7:38; 11:25, 26; 12:44, 46; 14:1, 12; 16:8; 17:20 You "are sanctified by faith in Me" Acts 26:18 Live "in Me" Jn. 11:26 "come after Me" Mk. 8:34; Lk. 14:27 Abide "in Me" Jn. 15:2, 4:5, 7 "abide in Me" or else Jn. 15:6 "abide in My love" Jn. 15:9-10 "where two or three are gathered" Jesus is "there in the midst of them" Mt. 18:20 So too: "I [Jesus, will abide] in you" Jn. 15:4-5 "know that I am He" Jn. 8:28 or "if you do not believe that I am He you will die in your sins" Jn. 8:24 Do things "for My sake" Mt. 10:22, 39; even lose your life "for My sake" 4x Mt. 16:25; Mk. 8:35; 10:29; Lk. 6:22 "I never knew you, depart from Me" Mt. 7:23 "I am willing; be cleansed" Mt. 8:3; Mk.. 1:41 "confess Me" Mt. 10:32; Lk. 12:8 Do not deny "Me" 7x Mt. 10:33; 26:34; Mk. 14:30, 72; Lk. 12:9; 22:34; Jn. 13:38 Do not be "ashamed of Me" Mk. 8:38; Lk. 9:26 nor "My words" "love Me" 5x Jn. 14:15, 21, 23-24, 28 Do not reject "Me" Lk. 10:16; Jn. 12:48 "He who is not with Me is against Me" Lk. 11:23 Love Me "more than" your family members Mt. 10:37; [Lk. 14:26] Bob Enyart presents this material on a BEL radio program, in a secretly recorded meeting with Jehovah's Witnesses, and in his Gospel of John Bible Study which is downloadable or available on MP3 CD. "I… have loved you" Jn. 15:9, 12 Be "worthy of Me" Mt. 10:37-38 "Come to Me" 5x Mt. 11:28; Lk. 6:47; Jn. 5:40; 6:35; 7:37 "I will give you rest" Mt. 11:28 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" Mt. 11:30 I am "greater than the temple" "than Jonah" "than Solomon" Mt. 12:6, 41-42 I am "Lord even of the Sabbath" Mt. 12:8; Mk. 2:28; Lk. 6:5 [Lord of God's Ten Commandments] Thus He says keep "My commandments" 4x Jn. 14:15, 21; 15:10, 12 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you" Jn. 15:14 "keep My word" Jn. 14:23-24 "He who is not with Me is against Me" Mt. 12:30 The angels are "His angels" Mt. 13:41; 16:27 and He commands "His angels" Mt. 24:31; Mk. 13:27 The kingdom is "His kingdom" Mt. 13:41 and He calls it "My kingdom" Lk. 22:30 Jesus called it "My church" Mt. 16:18 and believers are "My sheep" Jn. 10:14, 27 and they are "His elect" Mt. 24:31; Mk. 13:27 Paul is a "vessel of Mine to bear My name" Acts 9:15 "all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine" Jn. 17:10 "My peace I give" Jn. 14:27 "in Me you may have peace" Jn. 16:33 "My joy" should fill you Jn. 15:11 "Who do men say that I am?" Mt. 16:13; Mk. 8:27 "who do you say that I am?" Mt. 16:15 Receive "Me" Mt. 18:5; Mk. 9:37; Lk. 9:48 Heaven and earth will pass away but "My words" will never Mt. [5:18] 24:35; Mk. 13:31; Lk. 21:33 Tell others about Jesus Mk. 5:19 "you belong to Christ" Mk. 9:41 Hear "My sayings" and do them Lk. 6:47 Jesus has "His own glory" Lk. 9:26; [Jn. 2:11; 16:14] The Son is "glorified" 8x Jn. 11:4; 12:23; 13:31-32; [17:1, 5, 10 24] "He who hears you hears Me" Lk. 10:16 Jesus expects praise, from stones if necessary Lk. 19:37-40 Return "to Me" Lk. 22:32 Be "My disciple" Lk. 14:27; Jn. 8:31; 15:8 Forsake all to "be My disciple" Lk. 14:33 "you are My disciples" Jn. 13:35 "I shall send… the [Holy] Spirit" Jn. 15:26; 16:7 The Holy Spirit "will testify of Me" Jn. 15:26 We read in John 5 and Luke 24 that "the Scriptures… testify of Me" Jn. 5:39; [Lk. 24:44] "You [Apostles] also will bear witness [of Me] because you have been with Me" Jn. 15:27 Paul gives "testimony concerning Me" Acts 22:18; 23:11 "the Son gives life to whom He will" Jn. 5:21 "seek Me" Jn. 6:26 Serve "Me" Jn. 12:26 "all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father" Jn. 5:23 "I am the bread of life," "of heaven," "of God" Jn. 6: 32-33, 35, 41, [48,] 51 Just seeing Christ is reason enough to believe in Him Jn. 6:36 [56] Drink "My blood" and eat "My flesh" Jn. 6:53-54, 56 "I will raise him up at the last day" Jn. 6:40 for He is the resurrection "The world… hates Me" Jn. 7:7 "I am the light of the world" Jn. 8:12; 9:5; 12:46 "I bear witness of Myself" Jn. 8:13-14, 18 "know… Jesus Christ" for "eternal life" Jn. 17:3; [8:19; 10:10, 14] "the Son makes you free" Jn. 8:36 "Abraham rejoiced to see My day" Jn. 8:56; "Before Abraham was, I AM" Jn. 8:58 Of believers, Christ said, "I know them" Jn. 10:27 "I give them eternal life" Jn. 10:28 "I am the resurrection and the life" Jn. 11:25 I "will draw all peoples to Myself" Jn. 12:32 "I will… receive you to Myself" Jn. 14:3 Be "Mine" Jn. 14:24 "I am the vine" Jn. 15:5 "without Me you can do nothing" Jn. 15:5 "Because I live, you will live also." Jn. 14:19 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you" Jn. 15:16 Those who oppress Christians are "persecuting Me" Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8; 26:14-15 "because they have not known… Me" Jn. 16:3 The Spirit "will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it" Jn. 16:14 "All things that the Father has are Mine" Jn. 16:15 "Whatever He [the Father] does, the Son does" Jn. 5:19 "the Father… loves you, because you have loved Me" Jn. 16:27 "If I will that he remain" Jn. 21:22 "I have overcome the world" Jn. 16:33 "I am the way" Jn. 14:6 "I am… the truth" Jn. 14:6 "I am… the life" Jn. 14:6 "I will… manifest Myself" Jn. 14:21 Scores of times Jesus uses the personal pronoun My with words like commandments, sake, words, lambs, sheep, peace, love, joy, voice, name, sayings, kingdom, angels, and church. Three examples powerfully illustrate the point. First, "Abraham rejoiced to see My day..." Secondly, "I know My sheep, and am known by My own." And thirdly, "Assuredly, I say to you... Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." The prophets and John were the messengers; Jesus is the Message, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and put Himself at the center of His message, because He is God. Hear all this on a BEL program, in a secretly recorded meeting with Jehovah's Witnesses, and in Bob Enyart's Gospel of John Bible Study which is downloadable or available on MP3 CD. The Forest for the Trees: A simple overview of Christ's message shows overwhelmingly that He is the Message. To paraphrase Greg Koukl from The John 10:10 Project, "You can take Buddha out and still have Buddhism, or take the prophet out and still have Allah, but if you take Jesus out you don't have Christianity any more." Jesus is either a blasphemer or God Himself. The above list comes from His words. We could make a similar list of Christ as the message using the remainder of the New Testament. And additionally, strong individual verses also show the Deity of Christ. The powerful and traditional proof texts show His deity even more effectively when presented alongside the big picture above of the ministry and message of Jesus Christ. The Traditional Passages Showing Christ's Deity: Most of the primary verses with a sampling of the many others showing that, like the Father, Jesus is... - Called God: John 1:1 with v. 14; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1; Luke 1:16-17 - From Everlasting: Ps. 90:2 with Micah 5:2 - Receiving worship: Mat. 2:11; 14:33; 28:9; John 9:38; Heb. 1:6 (etc., 10x) with Ex. 34:14; Acts 10:25-26 & Rev. 19:10 - Forgiving/Delegating Power to Forgive: Mat. 6:9, 12 with Jn. 20:23; Luke 5:20; Mark 2:5-11 & 1 Jn. 1:7-9 - Omniscient: John 10:15; 2:24-25 21:17 - Omnipresent: Ps. 139:7-10 with Mat. 18:20 & 28:20 - Omnipotent: Rev. 1:8 with 11-13, 17; 2:8; 5:11-6:1, 21:22-23; & 22:13 - Immutable: Mal. 3:6 with Hebrews 13:8 - The exact equivalent     in nature: Heb. 1:3; Phil 2:6 doesn't rob the Father to see Christ as His equal     in fullness: Col. 2:9 (in Christ "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead")     in glory: Isa. 45:25 with Gal. 6:14 and John 1:14; etc.     to whom every knee shalll bow: Isa. 45:23 with Phil. 2:10     to whom every tongue shall confess: Isa. 45:23 with Phil. 2:11 and Rom. 14:10-11     as the Almighty: Rev. 1:8 with 11-13, 17; 2:8; 5:11-6:1, 21:22-23; & 22:13     as Creator: Isa. 45:5-7, 18 with John 1:3 and Col. 1:16-17     as Savior: Isa. 45:21 and Luke 1:47 with Titus 3:6; 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:11; 1 John 4:14     as searcher of hearts: Ps. 139:23-24 with John 2:24-25 & Rev. 2:18-19, 23     as possessor of the everlasting kingdom: Dan. 7:13-14     as King of Kings: Rev. 19:16 with Dan. 2:47 and Isa. 33:22     as Lawgiver: James 4:12     as Judge: Ps. 9:7-8; 50:6 & 75:7; Isa. 33:22; 66:16; Heb. 12:23 with John 5:22; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8     as Jehovah: Isa. 40:3 with Mat. 3:3; and Isa. 8:13-14 with 1 Pet. 2:7-8; Mat. 21:42; Mk. 12:10. The Deity of Christ and Eternal Separation: Two doctrines, the afterlife of eternal separation from God in hell, and that of the deity of Christ, are inextricably linked. Therefore many of those who deny the deity of Christ, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, Ronald Hubbard's Scientology, and Christian Science, also deny an afterlife of eternal separation from God. Why? God put eternity in our hearts (Eccl. 3:11; Ps. 148:5-6) and so only a payment of infinite worth, something greater than the eternal futures of billions of human beings, could suffice to pay the price for our combined sin. When false teachers dismiss eternal punishment in Hades, they then fail to see the necessity of a Sacrifice of infinite worth. Jesus Is God: The dramatic contrast in the above chart shows Christ's self-presentation compared to the angels and prophets who present God to the world. These other messengers elevated not themselves, but God. They focused attention not on themselves but on Him. Godly priests, kings, and apostles presented God as their motivating message, of course, and not themselves. Jesus, on the other hand, came speaking about Himself. His most oft used, favorite title for Himself, undoubtedly selected also to communicate His mission, is not the "Son of God", but the "Son of Man". For, eternally He was the Son of God, but being the Son of Man was new to Him and uniquely cherished. God the Son submits Himself to the Father, willingly, not as a sign of a lesser God, but of His greatness. For as He lowers Himself, He is exalted to the central truth of Creation! (See the above chart.) Thus His "I say unto you" is the Scripture's "Thus Saith the Lord"! Three in the Bible: God exists as three persons in one Godhead, whom we refer to as the Trinity. Thus human beings made in His image also have a triune nature, and the cosmos itself is understood in threes, in the most fantastic ways. Before considering this, first see the Bible's extraordinary use of this number. Christ was three days in the tomb, which Jonah's three days foreshadowed, as did Abraham's three days of thinking that he would sacrifice his son Isaac on that same hill called Golgotha and Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22:14; 2 Chron. 3:1). Israel's three patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The priestly tribe of Levi is from Jacob's third child (Gen. 29:34), as Leviticus is the third book of the Bible. And the day the law was given, the sons of Levi killed "about three thousand men" (Ex. 32:28), whereas the day the Spirit was given, "that day about three thousand souls were [saved]" (Acts 2:41; and see 2 Cor. 3:6). The Hebrew Scriptures comprise three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (Luke 24:44), and God created three archangels. The most noteworthy women are Eve, Sarah, and Mary. The magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Three persons (one being the Son) started their public service at thirty years of age: Joseph (Gen. 41:46), a deliverer of his people; David (2 Sam. 5:4) seated on the messianic throne (2 Sam. 7:12-13); and "Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23). God could have led Esther to fast for two days, or four; and He could have kept Jonah in the whale for one day, or a week, but three days and three nights prefigures God's plan of salvation for Christ's time in the grave. For Jesus "rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:4). And thus, the triune Christian God, the mystery of the Trinity, Three Persons in One God, is the one God whose testimony we can trust (answering both the philosophical problem of the origin of the one and the many, and Euthyphro's Dilemma by Socrates), having imprinted our world and even ourselves with His triune nature. Threes Everywhere: The number three manifested in Scripture turns the Christian's attention outward to see space existing in three dimensions, height, width, and length, as does time in past, present and future. The electromagnetic force operates in positive, negative, and neutral, and in pigment the three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue whereas in light they are red, green, and blue which three blend into the hues of the rainbow. We human beings on this third planet from the Sun experience matter primarily in three states, solid, liquid, and gas. The strongest shape for building is the triangle. Writers often give three examples and artists group in threes as in interior design, sculpting, and even movie directors, as they have the word trilogy (1, 2, 3) but no word for any other number of films. Photographers use the rule of thirds and the language of DNA uses only three-letter words. Everything reinforces the triune aspect of all of existence, a reflection of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. See more at kgov.com/3. Tripartite Man: And so we humans are body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). For God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…" (Gen. 1:26). So mankind is made in God's image and likeness, image referring to our form, and likeness to our essence as sentient, morally-responsible persons. And unlike animals which look to the ground, men and women stand upright with a heavenly gaze. God's Image: God created a form, that is, an image, for the eternal Son to indwell. The verses Jehovah's Witnesses assume undermine Christ's deity are actually verses describing this aspect of Him at the creation. For the very first thing that God created was this form for His Son to indwell! (See Gen. 1:26 along with Col. 1:15; Rev. 3:14: Heb. 1:3; 5:5; 10:5; 2 Cor. 4:4; John 1:14; Phil. 2:5-6; 1 Tim. 2:5; and Rev. 1:13-18. When a son is "born" isn't the beginning of his existence anymore than when by taking up an image the Son became the "firstborn" of creation, was the beginning of His existence.) And in that image, "He made man" (Gen. 9:6), and not in the image of apes. "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27). The Plurality in God: The very first verse of Genesis presents the plurality of God, with Genesis 1:1 using a plural subject and a singular verb, that is, In the beginning gods He created the heavens and the earth. Elohim is the plural of the typical Hebrew word for God, which is El (cherub and seraph for example become plural as cherubim and seraphim, with Elah likely being the dual form, and Elohim being a plurality, in this case, three for the triune God). So, did Moses make a grammatical error in the first sentence of the first book of Scripture, in what has become not only the world's best-selling book, but in the most well-known sentence in the history of the world by using a singular verb with a plural subject? Of course not. For this was intentional. The Hebrew Scriptures in the most solemn texts presents God as a unified plurality. What grammarians refer to as the "royal we" comes from God's references to Himself using the plural: "Let Us make man in Our image," (Gen. 1:26). The solemn Hebrew prayer, called the Shema Yisroel, to the "one God" uses another plurality. For "The Lord our God, the Lord is One (of plurality)" at Deuteronomy 6:4 uses neither of the expected terms, yachad or even bad, words meaning a singularity, but God's Word uses the word echad, which is one in plurality as used by God at the Tower of Babel, "the people are one," and by Joseph "the dreams of Pharaoh are one," and by Moses, "the people answered with one voice," and back again to the beginning of Genesis at the institution of marriage when God says, "and they shall become one flesh." So this foundation prayer to God does not the use the Hebrew words for one, which mean a singularity (which words are never used in the Bible referring to God), but God describes Himself in the Bible using the One of plurality. So the Shema says: the Jehovah (who is the one God) our Elohim (plural) Jehovah is a Plural Unity! And Deuteronomy 6:4 is the central passage to all theology of God. Then the Scriptures go on to teach that the three Persons of the Trinity are God the Father (Isa. 63:16; Mal. 2:10), God the Son (Ps. 2:12; Zech. 12:10 and as in the chart above), and God the Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Isa. 48:16; Isa. 6:3; Rom. 5:5). See also Mat. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4, 9; 2 Cor. 13:14, and Psalm 110:1 with Matthew 22:41-46, and verses that show the personhood of the Spirit including Heb. 10:15-17. The Mystery in the Godhead: How can one God exist in three persons? Christian theologians have long described this as a mystery, but it is an expected mystery. Virtually everything, deep down, is a mystery. What is light (with its wave-particle duality)? What is life (with modern biology unable to agree on a definition)? What is matter (that it leaves modern physics bewildered)? What is space? What is energy? What is time? What is movement? (Is it a series of discrete stationary states?) How can the Creator bring the universe into existence from nothing? How can your non-physical spirit be attached to your physical body? How can God exist from the beginningless past? How can creatures procreate and bring everlasting beings into existence? In humility we acknowledge that virtually everything in the creation is a deep, almost unfathomable mystery. How much more mysterious would be the God who made us? If Christianity taught that there are three Gods in One God, that would be a contradiction, and by the laws of logic, therefore false. For 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 and each 1 would be 1/3rd of the whole, which is anathema to trinitarian theology. But by analogizing God with math we see that the number line lacks sufficient multidimensionality and points us to the 3-dimensionality of space and an appropriate anaology wherein 1 x 1 x 1 = 1. And likewise, if Christianity taught that there are three Persons in One Person, that also would be false. But Christianity teaches that there are three Persons in One God, and while being a deep mystery (what isn't?), that is no contradiction. And finally, denial of Christ's deity is a central teaching of many of today's cults, including for example the Jehovah's Witnesses. This denial goes hand-in-glove with the rejection of eternality of hell. Also, not understanding the plurality of the Godhead creates philosophical dilemmas such as the problem of the one and the many. And Socrates' pre-Christian argument against God called Euthyphro's Dilemma is resolved by none of the world's religions except for the Christian Answer to Euthyphro in the eternal corroborating testimony of the three Witnesses of the Trinity. -Bob Enyart, KGOV.com Pastor, Denver Bible Church Bible Resources: If you enjoyed the above study and you would like to learn more from the wealth of biblical resources available from Bob Enyart Live, then please consider getting our series on the Gospel of John, or at least starting with Volume I, titled, Is this Man God? And for more fun and to enrich yourself spiritually, consider reading The Plot, an overview of the Bible which is Pastor Bob's life's work. Also, we invite you to browse the Bible Study Department at our KGOV store. And you can call us at 1-800-8Enyart (836-9278) to tell Bob or a BEL staffer which topics of study you are most interested in, and we'll figure out which of our resources, if any, address your area of concern. Postscript -- Is the Father-Son Relationship Eternal? The Scriptures help us see the errors in two claims about the Son that are held by a minority of believers, many of whom, thankfully, do assent to the Trinity and the deity of Jesus Christ. One false teaching is against the eternality of the Trinity (immediately below, The Claim: No Past Trinity) and the other acknowledges the eternal Trinity but denies that ithe Second Person was always the "Son" (below, The Claim: No Past Son). The Claim: No Past Trinity: The first claim, that no triunity existed in God until He decided to express Himself in that way, is offered to defend monotheism, that there is only one God. Christianity teaches that there is one God in three persons.  can be falsified in three ways. 1) Because the "Father" is eternal His "Son" must also have been eternal. For by positing "no Trinity" through an eternity prior to the manifestation of such, a Christian is claiming the existence of a non-relational "Being". Theoretically, if such a Being could exist, it could not be a "Father" and may be non-binary. We estimate however that more than a thousand Bible verses present God as relational. Thus we teach that the five primary biblical attributes of our eternal God are that, "He is living, personal, relational, good, and loving." Not being "relational" has serious consequences including Euthyphro's, as linked to just below. And for those who may claim that "Father" could have been merely an eternal figure of speech, please see below on metaphor. 2) The Scripture asserts the existence of "the eternal Spirit" (Heb. 9:14). The Holy Spirit did not come to exist. If a defense of monotheism requires that mankind needs to know that God in the past was a unitarian Being who only later manifest Himself into three persons, it is surprising that the Bible would not teach this. Further, if there were a logical contradiction in three persons being One God, positing that One God manifest Himself into three persons does not make that apparent contradiction go away. That is not the answer to such a challenge. Rather, as shown above in The Mystery in the Godhead section, one God existing in three persons is not and never has been a contradiction. But like mostly everything else, it is a deep mystery. (Some claim that John 15:26 teaches an origin for the Holy Spirit, who "proceeds from the Father". However, context is king. If that was the Lord's teaching, it would have been quite a jump out of His context. You can wreak havoc anywhere and especially in John 15 by ignoring the contextual. Jesus there assures His disciples that "the world hates you... because you are not of the world." The disciples were not extraterrestrials and were not eternal aliens at that, even though Jesus said, "you have been with Me from the beginning." And about unbelievers, the Lord said, "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin". By taking that out of context one would assume unbelievers were sinless until just three years earlier. And "when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." Context is king. Jesus did not bounce out of His context to drop a theological bomb. Rather, He was assuring them that although in "a little while" He will be with them no longer, He is sending the Holy Spirit who comes not from this world, but from the Father in heaven.) 3) Above, this article mentions our Christian Answer to Euthyphro's Dilemma. That writing makes a defense of the eternal corroborating testimony of the Trinity's three Witnesses. This also rebuts the first claim here that no Trinity existed in eternity past. The Claim: No Past Son: The second related erroneous claim, as written about by Zeller and Showers, admits that the Persons of the Trinity have existed eternally, but that the Second Person did not become the "Son" until the Incarnation. This teaching at least has a proof text, which however appears to have been misapplied. One form of this second error is that through eternity past the second Person of the Trinity was the "Word" but not the "Son". This position claims that it was not until the Incarnation, or thereabouts, when the Father's prophecy was fulfilled, "This day have I begotten Thee", that the Word became the Son. The claim here is that the First Person of the Trinity sent the Second Person, the Word, to the world, who thereby became the Son. Let's look at four rebuttals to this claim. First, the Bible never says that God sent the Word to the Earth who then became the Son. Among His many titles (the Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, the Son of Man, the Bridegroom, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, etc.), the Second Person of the Trinity is also referred to as the Word (John 1:1, 14) and He was of course sent to the Earth. However, when the Bible addresses the topic of WHO was sent to Earth, WHO came, WHO was given to the world, we don't read that the Word was sent and He became the Son, but rather, each time we read that: - "He loved us and sent His Son" (1 John 4:10) - "the Son of God has come" (1 John 5:20) - "God gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16; and 3:17) - "Unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6) - "God sent forth His Son, born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4) - "the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14) - "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world" (1 John 4:9). Again, God did not send the Word into the world who became the Son through the Incarnation when He got here. Rather, God sent His "Son into the world". Even in the parable, "Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son'" (Mat. 21:37), "having one son, his beloved, he also sent him" (Mark 12:6). A second way of recognizing from Scripture that the Son is eternal is that the "Father" is eternal. Without a Son, the First Person of the Trinity would not have been the Father. Further, with all the Old Testament passages referring to God as Father notwithstanding, He would not have become the Father until about 2,000 years ago with the Incarnation. However, while the famous messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9 raises the deep mystery of the separateness within, yet also the oneness of, God, its description of Him as "Everlasting Father" has long been held by Christians to teach that throughout eternity past, the Father has been the Father. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things" (1 Cor. 8:6), such that everything that has flowed from Him has flowed from Him as "the Father". Likewise, to the Ephesians, the Hebrew poetry places in proximity the "one Spirit" with the "Father of all", reinforcing that as the Holy Spirit has been eternally the Spirit, so too with the Father, as likewise when Luke recorded, "Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I thank You, Father'" (Luke 10:21) and Matthew, "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mat. 28:19). Of course also, in the Hebrew Scriptures, prior to the Incarnation, God was referred to as Father. "Have we not all one Father? Has not God created us?" (Mal. 2:10; see also Deut. 32:6; Ps. 68:5; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; [43:10]; John 8:41; 5:21 [evidently referring to the three Old Testament resurrections]). Yes, of course, "Father" could be used as a metaphor, like the Father of our Country or the Father of Creation. However, that metaphor does not hang on nothing. It is "Our Father who art in heaven" that gives rise to the use of the Father metaphor. Also, the parallel passages to those above, regarding that the "Son" was sent, are those that teach us that the "Father" is the one who sent Him, such as Jesus' own frequently repeated statements about "the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30, 36-37; 6:39, 44, 57; 8:16, 18, 29, 42; 12:49; 14:24) and "I have come in My Father's name" (John 5:43). That is, the First Person who sent the Second Person to Earth, at the time of the sending, was already the Father. So to be the everlasting Father, of necessity, eternally, He has had a Son. Thirdly, the burden of proof for such a new doctrine is on the person claiming that the Godhead's relationships were different prior to the creation, or prior to the Incarnation, than they are today. However, with its one proof text, the scriptural evidence will fail to make the case if that passage is not making a claim about the past relationship of the First and Second persons, but rather, is referencing the future Incarnation when God the Son will be begotten to become the Son of Man. For Psalm 2:7 is a messianic Incarnation prophecy. "You are My Son, today I have begotten You." The immediate context, and the three times that this passage is quoted, shows that this relates to the messianic plan for the Second Person rather than to the First Person's past relationship with the Second Person. In context, this is about Jesus as God's "King on My holy hill of Zion" [i.e., Jerusalem] (Ps. 2:6). That description applies because of and sometime after the Holy Spirit overshadows Mary, for "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Mat. 1:20). So too, each of the three quotes of Psalm 2:7 refer explicitly to its fulfillment in the First Advent of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5). "And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm..." (Acts 13:32-33). Thus while some see Psalm 2 as claiming no past Father-Son relationship, the alternative traditional understanding is that it is referring to when God the Son becomes the Son of Man taking upon Himself the messianic role, with the Godhead as the Progenitor, so to speak, begetting Jesus' earthly existence. The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 2 and then explicitly connects it to a prophecy of the Incarnation, for Mary, Jesus' true earthly mother, descended from the line of David. "I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom... I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son" (1 Sam. 7:12-14). This messianic Incarnation prophecy is then quoted in Hebrews 1:5, again reinforcing that Psalm 2:7 refers to the Incarnation. Likewise, when quoted in Hebrews 5, the passage is associated with the prophecy that Christ would "become High Priest", another reference to His role through the Incarnation. Thus, the New Testament interprets Psalm 2:7 not as referring to some past spiritual begetting of the Son by the Father, but to God's begetting of His eternal Son through the virgin Mary whereby He became "the Son of Man", His favorite title for Himself. Finally, Scripture teaches about the Second Person of the Trinity that, "All things were created through Him" (Col. 1:16) and "without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3). If these are literal and comprehensive, that means that the Second Person of the Trinity is the one who actually created everything. The things created explicitly include all the created positions of authority, "whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers" (Col. 1:16). That leaves this false teaching in the awkward position of claiming that while the Second Person was eternally existing, the "Sonship" was a created position. Yet, if it were, one would expect that the Son Himself would have created that position, which seems untenable. The Son wouldn't create His own "Sonship". Yet He indeed created every position of authority. That again suggests, as with the above three extensive observations and natural readings from Scripture, that the Father-Son relationship was not brought into existence but that it eternally emanated from the Godhead and that therefore God the Son is eternally the only begotten Son of the Father.

January 26, 2023 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stjohnrandomlake/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stjohnrandomlake/support

Thursday Night Bible Study - Joseph (Gen 37-50)

Photographs of Faith The story of Joseph Gen. 37,39-50 I Wonder if Abraham ever thought about the journey his descendants would have go go on to finally see the promise come to pass? Faith is not about seeing the provision but holding onto the promise.  Joseph would not see the promise in his lifetime, but played a major part in making sure that promise would come to pass.  Make no mistake about it, Joseph had to have Great faith to

The Bible Project Podcast (Daily - Monday-Friday)https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com.This podcast was brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon.Why not join them and support my ministry;https://www.patreon.com/JeremyMcCandless?fan_landing=trueFacebook PageThe LIFE Podcast - The Bible Project/FacebookMy Youtube ChannelJeremy R McCandless/YouTubeBackground Music and sound design by Bonadventure.https://soundcloud.com/bonadventurehttps://bonadventure.bandcamp.comThanks to all my Kickstarter and Patrons who have supported by ministry..They are;The Lady Hewley Trust,  Adeline Israel, Stephen Longton, Bob Clough, Valerie Sims, Lisa Look, Robert Holloway, The Creative.fund, John  Van Mulligen, Sergey  Kochergan, Bobbi  Patchin, Thomas  Unitt, Colin  Evans' Martin  MPW

CW: Rape A discussion on Dinah (and why her story was skipped), Tamar as a seeker of justice, and Joseph as a queer hero. Transcript: David Doyle Episode Outlines: Stephanie Peterson, Christine LeStarge, Mary Gavilanes, Jen Altman, and Beth Johnson Transcripts available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1w6rBQR_kcJkUf9vfSWkh6Qvwg2qOPA4m?usp=sharing Episode outlines available here: tinyurl.com/btboutlines James' LDS Anti-racism 101 course: btbacademy.thinkific.com Support the show: glow.fm/beyondtheblock

Bill Allen - Thursday, January 20, 2022

Bill Allen - Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Series: The God of Promise

Phillip Keller, “Kindness involves finding ways to brighten & cheer the lives of others.” Stephen Grellet, “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” Kindness is a gift - Galatians 5:22-23 Kindness is a choice – Col 3:12 Kindness is a command – Eph 4:32 God's expression of kindness - Titus 3:4, Romans 2:4 William Barclay, “More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine, Kind words, & Kind deeds.” Kindness starts with the gift in your heart that is expressed through your life in your home, your workplace, your church, your world Kindness takes practice. Martyn Llyod Jones, The way the dead leaves of winter are removed from some trees is not that people go around plucking them off; no, it is the new life, the shoot that comes and pushes off the dead in order to make room for itself. In the same way the Christian gets rid of all such things as bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking and all malice. The new qualities develop & the others simply have no room; they are pushed out and they are pushed off. Focus on the new nature and you will eliminate the old nature. 1) Be Perceptive - Philippians 2:4, Romans 12:15-16 2) Be Redemptive - Prov 10:32, Prov 15:4, Eccl 10:12, Joseph Gen 50:20 3) Be Corrective - Prv 27:6, 2 Tim 2:24-26 4) Be Impulsive - Gal 6:10, Eccl 11:4

Rev, Tom Talks about what we can learn from the story of Joseph (Gen. 37-50) and how to apply it to our lives today.

Joseph is sent to prison. #Joseph #Prison #God #Obedience #purpose # #Faith #HisCall #Mypurpose

Le grand conflit, de près et de loin. Comme nous le savons en lisant l'histoire (Gen. 39:11-20), Joseph souffre à cause de sa décision de principe. Joseph est jeté en prison. En tant que propriété de Potiphar, Joseph aurait pu être tué sur place, sans qu'on lui pose de questions. Potiphar ne croyait évidemment pas sa femme, mais il devait protéger sa réputation en prenant des mesures. Et pourtant, malgré les circonstances horribles, l'Écriture dit, « l'Éternel fut avec Joseph » (Gen. 39:21). La vie sur la planète terre n'est pas juste. Le bien n'est pas toujours récompensé, et le mal n'est pas toujours immédiatement puni. Il y a quelques bonnes nouvelles: Joseph peut trouver le repos, même en prison, parce que Dieu est avec lui. En prison, il aurait pu méditer sur l'injustice de sa situation, se replier sur lui-même et même renoncer à Dieu. Émission présentée par Mickaël Miatti et le Pasteur Hery Daunès. Crédit (Habillage audio) :
 Musique proposée par La Musique Libre
 Nicolai Heidlas - Drive : youtu.be/-4sbuID9fwM 
Nicolai Heidlas : @nicolai-heidlas

Nous continuons d'étudier les derniers chapitres de la Genèse pour faire des parallèles entre Joseph et Jésus-Christ. Regardons dans cet épisode les détails concernant la famille de Joseph : son épouse, et ses 2 enfants. Dans cet épisode, nous allons regarder : - Pharaon change le nom de Joseph - L'épouse de Joseph, image de l'église - Les 2 enfants de Joseph, image des païens et des juifs - La bénédiction de Jacob, et la place de l'église et d'Israël Pour aller plus loin : Jacob bénit Éphraïm et Manassé, les fils de Joseph (Genèse 48) : https://etudierlabible.fr/episode/joseph-type-de-christ-asnath-epouse-image-eglise-genese-41-48/ Retrouvez la version texte de ce podcast sur https://etudierlabible.fr/episode/joseph-type-de-christ-asnath-epouse-image-eglise-genese-41-48/ Si vous appréciez ce Podcast, n'hésitez pas à mettre une note ou un commentaire et à le partager sur les réseaux sociaux avec le hashtag #EtudierLaBible !

In the final Episode on Genesis Pip, Joelle and Sam discuss the story of Joseph (Gen 37-50), including the challenging passage on Tamar, Joseph's character issues, where we see Jesus, the echoes and patterns between Genesis and Exodus, and the importance of avoiding a ‘prosperity gospel' interpretation. 

Après s'être installé à Gosen avec sa famille, nous retrouvons Jacob devenu âgé. Joseph va lui rendre visite avec ses deux enfants, et Jacob va les bénir. Mais pas comme Joseph le pensait. Dans cette étude biblique, nous allons regarder : - Jacob donne le droit d'ainesse à Joseph, à la place de Ruben - Jacob donne le droit d'ainesse à Ephraïm, plutôt qu'à Manassé - Ces transferts de privilège, une analogie pour l'église aujourd'hui - Dieu utilisera parfois le nom d'Ephraïm pour désigner son peuple, Israël - Jacob donne un héritage supplémentaire à Joseph Liens mentionnés dans ce podcast : Episode 39 – Jacob vole la bénédiction d'Isaac à Esaü (Genèse 27): https://etudierlabible.fr/episode/jacob-vole-la-benediction-isaac-a-esau-bible-genese-27/ Episode 30 – Ismael et Isaac, la Loi et la Grâce (Genèse 21): https://etudierlabible.fr/episode/episode-30-isaac-et-ismael-la-loi-et-la-grace/ Vous trouverez une synthèse de ce podcast en version texte sur https://etudierlabible.fr/episode/genese-48-jacob-benit-ephraim-manasse-fils-joseph-bible/ Si vous appréciez ce Podcast, n'hésitez pas à mettre une note ou un commentaire et à le partager sur les réseaux sociaux avec le hashtag #EtudierLaBible !

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1. No one enters into God's blessing apart from the God appointed sacrifice and mediator.-2. Jacob and his family went into Goshen at the mediation of Judah and Joseph and Benjamin who were all types of Christ.-3. No sinner gets into God's blessing due to their own obedience, but by the leading and obedience of another who is Christ.-4. If salvation is not 100- by grace then it is a false gospel. And many preachers and peoples who profess Christ profess a false gospel because they condition salvation on the sinner.-5. Salvation is a promise of God and that means as an inheritance it can not be had by your obedience no matter how sincere and no matter how you good before other people. -6. Sincerity in falsehood means nothing-it is zeal without knowledge and God does not respect zeal that is not in accordance with the truth of His Son. -7. Free food, free clothes, free unconditional reconciliation and free settlement in Goshen was all by grace and that the family of Jacob was also in Joseph. -8. Lots of gospel nuggets and they are free-

Isaiah 43:18-21 (NKJV) 18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. 1 Peter 2:9-10 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Opening: God is calling us to embrace our Identity as His chosen people. So thru His provision and protection, He will be praised. 1. New Seasons Bring Change: If you refuse to change (adapt) to your season you may not survive. In life we dress for seasons, we adjust activities, we eat different etc. So should we in Spiritual Seasons “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” Joseph: Gen 50. 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 2. New Seasons Bring new challenges: When is the last time you thanked the Lord for your Goliaths? Every level has new obstacles to deal with, and yes 2021 will bring about challenges as well. Sickness, Death, Financial struggles, Family struggles “But God” has prepared you for such a time as this. 3. New Seasons Bring new champions Gen 50:21 21 Now, therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.  No Longer Joseph the dreamer but Joseph the provider and sustainer Closing Remarks: Are you ready to embrace your identity as God's chosen people? Last week we talked about putting things behind us? What are you ready to leave behind to become who God has called you to be?

The Life of Joseph: Gen. 49:1-33 NIV – Jacob’s “Blessing” (Last Words) to His Sons…    Jacob’s Blessing or last words to his sons.   Rather than a blessing, it’s more of a Prophecy of what is to come.   Interesting note by David Guzik, Enduring Word, these were the first Prophetic words by a Man in the Bible. Genesis 49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it. Rueben was the first born but forfeited his birthright through his pride and lust for the flesh… He slept with his Father’s concubine Bilhah, the mother of Dan and Naphtali (Gen. 35:22) Unstable like water. The least little thing causes water to become unstable.  Water follows the least path of resistance. You shall not excel. No Prophet, Judge, King ever came from the Tribe of Rueben.  Remember a few weeks ago, “Character and Integrity.”   5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. Simeon and Levi were the brothers who wiped out the men of Shechem for raping their sister Dinah. (Gen. 34:25-29) They were men of Fierce Anger, Hot heads… They killed Oxen just for fun. (Oxen were used for the farms…) Let me not enter their council, join their assembly… Don’t listen to or associate with men who are hot heads, they’re unstable and lack self-control. God will divide and scatter them… He did. Simeon (started out as the 3rd largest tribe) but became the weakest and smallest of all Tribes, sharing land with Judah. Levi, (The only Tribe that did not participate in worshipping the golden calf at Mt. Sinai.) was selected to serve God in the Temple.  No land of their own but lived in towns scattered all across Israel.   8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;  your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.   Judah, the brother who suggested selling Joseph into slavery, who left the family for a foreign country, intermarried with foreigners. Did his daughter-in-law wrong because he would not offer his youngest son to provide an heir for her after her husband died. Had sex with what he thought was a temple prostitute but it was really his daughter-in-law! When she became pregnant… his sin was exposed… “She is more righteous than I.” Judah repented and then offered his life for Benjamin… Judah inherits the lead role in the family. The scepter will not depart from Judah… Kings would come from Judah and eventually the KING OF KINGS… the LION of the Tribe of Judah – Jesus!   13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon. Zebulun was a trader with those who traveled the seas.   14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. 15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his...

Real Science Radio hosts Bob Enyart and Fred Williams broadcast RSR's quantum mechanics article with an introduction and comments. - Prerequisite 1: RSR's List of Things that are Not Physical - Prerequisite 2: Know the 2-slit experiment - Other RSR QM resources below - Version 1.0 of the article... Quantum Mechanics' Wave-Particle Duality is a Triality by Bob Enyart Three is exact. Always. To infinite precision and regardless of how often it is used, in counting and equations, it never wears down. As is true with all integers, three is always precisely exact. Protons are always exact as are, in our experience, all neutrons. Like those baryons, all electrons are exact and identical to particles of their same kind whether primordial or formed just now through decay. And as with electrons, all the other leptons too of the same kind appear to be identical with others of the same kind including electron neutrinos, muons, and tau neutrinos. Hundreds of thousands of experiments have confirmed the extraordinarily successful mathematics of quantum mechanics leading to the conclusion that all particles of the same kind are identical (Ford, 2005, The Quantum World, p. 100). Yet at 1,835 times the (rest) mass of an electron, the proton is relatively enormous yet always exactly the same as all others and the two particles always have the opposite, yet exactly equal, electrical charges. So fermions, including all the particles mentioned so far, along with the quarks, all appear to be identical with others of their same kinds. The creatively named up and down, strange and charm, bottom and top quarks each are identical to all others of the same kind. And all of the antiparticles, as expected, such as antilepton positrons, appear to be identical with all others of their same kinds. As an aside, positron diffraction had been demonstrated in 1980 but it took almost four decades more to perform the full two-slit experiment with antimatter demonstrating the expected wave-particle duality (Ariga, et al., 2018, arxiv.org). That interference result was first obtained with light in 1801 and then with (normal) matter beginning in 1927 with electrons, then neutrons in 1988, atoms in 1991, and molecules beginning in 1994 with the largest projectiles to date in 2013 using a synthetic carbon-based molecule of 810 atoms (Eibenberger, et al., 2013, arxiv.org) and in 2019 with molecules of 2,000 atoms (Fein, et al., Nature Physics) weighing 25,000 to 40,000 AMU (atomic mass units). And likewise all bosons are identical with others of their same kind including the Z particle, the Higgs, and all photons as the ubiquitous and uniform force carrier of electromagnetism. (That is, all photons of the same energy levels are identical to all other similarly energized photons.) Manufacturing though, has taught mankind about unavoidable tolerances. So, how is it that all like particles, even those just now coming into existence, are apparently all absolutely identical? The exactness of repeatedly used numbers does not surprise scientists because, though materialists are known to deny this, numbers are not physical. Science itself cannot exist apart from numbers. And because numbers are not physical, scientific inquiry includes the non-physical. Numbers are a kind of information and, also often denied by materialists, information is not physical. Protons appear to be physical but certainly the statement and the concept that they are, is not physical. That statement, and any statement, as often observed, does not consist of the photons transmitting it to your eyes nor the molecules of ink on a page nor of the sound waves expressing it. Materialists may object but they disqualify themselves from being taken seriously. Rules of investigation, whether used by forensic criminologists or corporate accountants, should be valued to the extent that they help discover truth. The rules of the materialist, such as methodological naturalism, are the opposite. Materialism requires adherence to its rules of investigation especially if that means getting the most important answers completely wrong. Reviewing a Carl Sagan title, the famed Richard Lewontin (Jan. 9, 1997, New York Review of Books) admitted: We take the side of [materialist] science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs [and] in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations... Materialists’ objections are discarded because they arise from the ultimate bias, which is insistence especially if wrong. Contrary to that lack of humility, the New Testament indicates that even Christianity itself is falsifiable. If Christ is not risen, then our faith is false (1 Cor. 15:14). Yet materialists cannot match such courage, covering themselves in a layer of non-falsifiable anti-science. So because there is no discovery, or scientific law, or technological advancement that requires or affirms atheism (Enyart, 2011, rsr.org/technology), the public posturing of materialism as more scientific than theism is dishonest. RSR at NYC's main public libraryFor decades, renowned physicists, many Christians, and others have interpreted quantum mechanics as providing evidence against the materialist worldview. And even more, the observer himself appears to have a special status. Might there be then a specifically Christian insight into quantum mechanics and matter's wave-particle duality? Physics, like biology, is increasingly seen as information based. Some physicists speak of an “information wave” (ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4,  ref5, etc.) and even a primordial information wave. Quantum mechanics obeys some rules that seem almost grammatical. Subject and verb, for example, must agree in number. In organisms, it’s not the acids that encode it but the functional information that is the more fundamental substance. Human beings are body, soul, and spirit and the soul survives even if all atoms of our body are replaced over time and both soul and spirit survive even cremation, so our non-physical selves are of greater substance than our physical bodies. God exists in three persons from eternity past and created a form for the Son to indwell in which He walked in the garden, and in Nazareth, and in which He will continue to walk eternally including on the new Earth. God is Spirit through eternity past yet the Son has become flesh and taken humanity upon Himself and the Bible describes Him now as inhabiting a glorified body. The Father, the Holy Spirit, and now inhabiting a glorified body, the Son, these three are reflected in human beings as body, soul, and spirit. As God stamped the creation with His own triune image (see below), might elementary particles themselves bear that triunity? Rather than a wave-particle duality perhaps matter is a wave-particle-word triality. If so, then like with biology and even humanity, it is the non-physical information-based component behind matter that is the deeper substance, the more solid phenomenon, the harder reality. The exactness of fundamental particles is a bewildering phenomenon, so much so that asking why these are exact is a question either ignored or sufficient to drive the most brilliant men nearly insane. As Richard Feynman said in his Nobel lecture: I received a telephone call one day at the graduate college at Princeton from Professor Wheeler, in which he said, "Feynman, I know why all electrons have the same charge and the same mass" "Why?" "Because, they are all the same electron!" That's similar to saying that the reason all threes are exactly the same is because they're all the same three! Consider though that the exactness of particles is itself a quantum effect. Perhaps an electron is a mathematical expression. Likewise, perhaps a proton is a mathematical expression, or even a grammatical one, conditionally expressed as a particle or wave depending upon context and the grammatical rules of physics. Long realizing that atoms, and therefore, steel and diamonds, are mostly empty space, brings us to consider that perhaps the baryons and leptons of the atom are, in a way, less than empty space, that is, that they are non-physical. Information, being non-physical, would have no problem passing through either one or two slits, depending upon context. Regardless of how far it may extend through space a sentence requires agreement between subject and verb, just as entangled particles affect each other even over vast distances, seemingly violating the laws of classical physics but not the immaterial laws of math, information theory, and grammar. Quantum tunneling may seem impossible but what physical barrier can impede a probability, a sentence, or an equation? Of the 77 creation passages in Scripture, the two greatest parallel passages from the Old and New Testaments, Genesis 1 and John 1, both stress a literary, verbal creation. And interestingly, the great creation Psalm 19 does the same. (Note first though, that while "the" Word refers to God the Son who "became flesh and dwelt among us", this paper, not written by a pantheist, does not imply that matter is divine. We therefore use an uppercase "W" to refer to God as the Word and a lowercase "w" to refer to the wave-particle-word as information.) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through Him, and without [the Word] nothing was made that was made. Nothing. In Genesis, to perform a creative act, He spoke, including when God "said", Let there be light. The Holy Spirit could have inspired Moses to simply write that God made light or God created light, and so on for the next seven instances. But instead, God "said." The nineteenth psalm C.S. Lewis famously described as, "one of the greatest lyrics in the world." The "higher critics", such as those of the Documentary Hypothesis, opining otherwise, describe the chapter as a disjointed concatenation of two unrelated poems (1904, Cheyne, The Book of Psalms, 2nd Ed., Vol. 1, p. 75; etc., etc.). However, they miss the structure whereby the first half describes the physical heavens in literary terms and the second half describes the written or literary Word of God in astronomical terms. Physical Heavens in Literary Terms: The heavens declare the glory of God And the firmament shows [Hb. tells] His handiwork Day unto day utters speech And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line [Sept., Rom. 10:18, voice] has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. Etc. The second part of Psalm 19 describes the Scriptures in terms not as evidently astronomical as the first half is literary, yet we can see it there. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul… The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes…" Then, "Who can understand his errors" (from Hb. shagah) wanderings, as with the wandering planets which the ancients did not understand. Then, of those errors, "Let them not have dominion over me", using the same Hebrew word as Genesis 1 where the "lights in the firmament of the heavens… rule over the day and over the night." Other expressions may suggest the same parallel. For God's Word is as "perfect" as is the Sun's annual "circuit" (v. 6) through the stars, which can "convert the soul", which is an especially unusual Hebrew expression, translated literally as, returning the soul, with this verb reminding us of the Sun which returns "from one end of heaven… to the other" (v. 6). So nothing was created apart from the Word. Logos, there referring to God the Son (Jn. 1:14), with that Greek word also meaning idea, reason. The creation week is characterized by God "saying", and the creation Psalm describes the heavens in terms of speech and knowledge. As with all creation, God is the "Author of life" (Acts 3:15). Likewise with redemption He is the "Author" of salvation and of faith (Heb. 2:10; 5:9; 12:2). Even then regarding the ongoing operation of the universe we see the same literary perspective with God, "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3). Rather than a wave-particle duality, perhaps more complete and leading to more scientific understanding is the description of matter as a wave-particle-word triality. And perhaps as with vegetation, animals, and people, the non-physical aspect of matter is, ironically, the greater substance. Plants have a body, animals have a body and soul (Gen. 1:24; Hb. nephesh), and human beings have a body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 4:12), yet the non-physical realm, which happens also to be the domain of information, is the greatest substance for all three; for plants, animals, and people. If normal metabolism happened to replace every atom in a favorite pet's body, as long as it had breath, still its identity, that is, its soul, would persist. For animals too then, and even aside from their immaterial biological information, the "physical" component is not the greater substance. For human beings, and known through general and special revelation that, as above, our spirits survive even cremation, our physical body is not remotely the greater substance of our existence. And the genetic molecule is not the deepest substance of broccoli. For just as with ink in a book, even with plants, amino acids are not the essence. And in some respects clearly a human being is "an epistle... written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh" (2 Cor. 3:3). Again, a plant's substance, its essence, is not it's DNA but the functional information the genetic molecule and other cellular systems carry. In the same way, if fundamental particles have a wave-particle-word triality, the information is the deeper substance, expressing matter as a wave, or a particle, depending upon the context, both mathematical and linguistic. All human beings, but especially Christian theologians and quantum physicists, can see a triune stamp on the cosmos. Electrons, physicists have discovered, are of one of the three "flavors" of leptons and one of the three groupings of quarks form protons and neutrons, with quarks existing in one of three "colors" and of multiples of one-third electrical charge. Exactly three generations of elementary particles underlie all matter. Physicist Richard Feynman in his book QED asked how many fundamental actions are there to account for nearly all phenomena in the universe regarding light and electricity to which he answered: "There are Three!" And in his Nobel prize lecture Feynman said, astoundingly, that there are three unique ways of "describing quantum mechanics". Further, unlike our arbitrary earth-based units of measurement, scientists so far have discovered "two natural units", Planck's constant, h, and the speed of light, c. A "still-unanswered question is whether a third natural unit awaits discovery", for such a triune "'all-natural' physics" would "form a basis of measurement as complete as, and much more satisfying than, the kilogram, the meter, and the second." Might there, though, be more, say, of the leptons? Overlooking the theologian, Kenneth Ford, retired director of the American Institute of Physics, wrote, "No one knows why there are three flavors of particles..." yet he concludes, "Surprisingly, physicists feel confident that the third flavor marks the end of the trail—no more lie ahead." The Christian theologian by the Scriptures knows that God exists as three persons in one Trinity. So, unsurprisingly, man has a triune nature. Christ was three days in the tomb, which Jonah’s three days foreshadowed, as did Abraham’s three days of thinking that he would sacrifice his own son on that same hill called Golgotha, the Skull, and Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22:14; 2 Chron. 3:1). Israel's three patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The priestly tribe of Levi is from Jacob's third child (Gen. 29:34) as Leviticus is the Bible's third book. The day the law was given the sons of Levi killed "about three thousand men' (Ex. 32:28), whereas the day the Spirit was given, "that day about three thousand souls" were saved (Acts 2:41; 2 Cor. 3:6), for the law kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6-7). The Hebrew Scriptures comprise three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (Luke 24:44), and the Bible names three archangels. The most noteworthy women are Eve, Sarah, and Mary. The magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Three persons (one being the Son) started their public service at thirty years of age: Joseph (Gen. 41:46), a deliverer of his people; David (2 Sam. 5:4) seated on the messianic throne (2 Sam. 7:12-13); and "Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23). God could have led Esther to fast for two days, or four; and He could have kept Jonah in the whale for one day, or a week, but three days and three nights prefigures God’s plan of salvation for Christ’s time in the grave. For Jesus "rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:4). Thus the triune Christian God, the mystery of the Trinity, three Persons in One God, is the only true God. And even theoretically, unlike the unitarian Allah and any of the alleged pagan idols, the God of the Bible is the only one whose testimony we would be able to trust, for His triunity answers both the philosophical problem of the one and the many and it answers Socrates' challenge against theism titled Euthyphro's Dilemma. For, how could God Himself know that He is good, and not evil? Allah could not know that [John 5:31]. But with the Triune God, the Son testifies that for eternity past, the Father has never wronged the Son, and the Father of the Spirit, and the Spirit of the Son, an eternal threefold testimony for by the testimony of two or three witnesses the matter is established (Deut. 19:15; Eccl. 4:12; Mat. 18:16; John 5:31-39; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). Even the one who never heard a Bible verse can notice that the Creator has imprinted our world with a triune nature. Space exists in three dimensions, height, width, and length, as does time in past, present and future. The electromagnetic force operates in positive, negative, and neutral, and in light, red, green, and blue blend into the hues of the rainbow whereas in pigment the three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. We human beings live on this third planet from the Sun; we're made of atoms built of "just three basic particles", protons, neutrons, and electrons; and we have trichromatic color vision. Mankind's first known states of matter were solid, liquid, and gas and his first known number system used the Sumerian term "man" for 1, "woman" for 2, and the word "plurality" for 3, with math itself happening in the realm of positive, negative, and zero. His strongest shape for building is the triangle. Writers often give three examples and artists group in threes as in interior design, sculpting, and even movie directing, as compared to trilogy (1, 2, 3) there is no commonly used word for any other number of films. Photographers use the rule of thirds. Logicians use the three laws of logic as genetic scientists learned that DNA uses only three-letter words. It's not that only the number three describes reality (see rsr.org/360 and rsr.org/300). Rather, as known by architects, authors, and composers, a theme is most appreciated in the context of greater variety. If well designed, the greater the variety, the more appreciated the theme. So we humans are body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23), made in the image of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. People live here, in heaven, and in hell. Those who love God cry, "Holy, holy, holy." Consider a hypothesis that is consistent with, well, just about everything, and that if true would help to answer many questions. Rather than a wave-particle duality, matter is a wave-particle-word triality, with "word" meaning information or, perhaps better, functional information. Quantum states are probabilistic and probability is conceptual, not physical. This may explain why, after a century of trying, currently there is no explanation for how a wave can physically collapse into a particle. No such explanation may exist. A survey of quantum physics instructors found that 30% "thought of the wave function as a physical matter wave, while nearly half preferred to view the wave function as containing information only..." A photon, like every other elementary particle, is primarily a functional information packet expressing itself, based on context and the rules of physical grammar, so to speak, as a particle or as a wave. (Experiment suggests even that a photon can exhibit aspects of both particle and wave simultaneously.) In quantum mechanics, a particle's probability is not based on a lack of information, as with a classical shell game with its one-third probability that the ball is under a particular cup. The probabilistic quantum state does not refer to a lack of knowledge about the state but to the state itself. Further, every particle, regardless of its state, is an expression of a quantum packet of information. So one consequence of the wave-particle-word triality hypothesis is that every particle is always in a quantum state. Of proton (and quark) manufacturing, so to speak, why are the tolerances exact? Why can't some protons (or their quarks), with the mass of more than 1,800 electrons, perhaps have only 99.7% or 100.1%, of the inverse charge of an electron? Why are all fundamental particles, even long after the Fall, apparently exactly identical to all others of the same kind? Elementary particles of the same kind are identical to one another because each is the expression of a mathematical and linguistic information packet, which packets are the essence of matter. A bottom quark is identical to all other bottom quarks in the way that the number 3 is exact and identical regardless of how many times it is expressed. Though it obeys a grammar and is fundamentally information, neither a particle nor a wave is an illusion. They are not non-physical in the sense that they only exist in one's perception. The wave does not occupy any abstract higher-dimensional Hilbert space (2016, The Quantum Handshake: Entanglement, Nonlocality and Transactions, John G. Cramer, Springer, p. 71; 2006, Cramer's transactional interpretation and causal loop problems, Synthese, Vo. 150, pp. 1-40). Instead, both the particle and the wave are actual expressions of the quantum information packet. (Should that be called a quip?) Why would a particle heading toward two slits transform itself into a wave? Why must a subject and verb agree in number? Why must the spin of a far-distant entangled particle equal zero with its entangled twin? Why grammatically is a singular subject typically paired with a plural verb when in a counterfactual subjunctive mood? These are the rules of language, human language and the language (punctuation, syntax even, grammar and composition) of physics. In both, context determines which expressions are appropriate. If we can't conceive of a particle going through two slits simultaneously, we also cannot conceive of any way that such a problem could challenge a non-physical entity. Information is not physical. It exists and flows in a non-physical dimension that is interfaced with our physical universe. Information can be generated by a man's spirit, which spirit itself is interfaced to his body. In some similarly bewildering manner, quantum information is interfaced to our physical cosmos. So, not aware of that functional information nor its role, in one camp the Copenhagen interpreters say "shut up and measure", arguing against even trying to understand. And another broad camp visualizes, in the place where the quip interfaces to the physical realm, either a multiverse or multiple non-existent physical dimensions, all because they are unwittingly trying to physicalize something that cannot be physicalized. When Newton described universal gravitation, he gave little thought to its mechanism, satisfying himself with describing what it does. Mankind has benefited ever since. Quantum physicists describe in precise detail what electrons do, for example, when they instantly jump between energy levels, but not why or how it is that they do this. (Participles, by the way, like adjectives, must agree with their substantives in case, gender, and number.) Likewise, we know the electric charge of a proton but why is it so? Maxwell's field equations addressed waves of electromagnetism a half century before Einstein spoke of individual quanta. So with the single photon's invariant zero mass we know that its velocity upon creation is light speed but why is it that speed? Following Newton's approach, if matter is a wave-particle-word triality, that gives us a clearer idea of what it is and what it is doing and even some insight into the why, even if we have no conception of the how. For example, the triality insight is supportive of the view of the particle as a mathematical equation, for, the quantum packet of functional information would include any such mathematical formulation. And this triality may help to better understand what is called the quantum conservation of weirdness. Particles can superimpose because their inherent mathematical expressions can superimpose, and the information packet containing those expressions also contain the grammatical rules to discern the proper contexts for such behavior. And a quantum state can be split because division is a valid operation on its mathematical expression. Particles can tunnel because experiment has shown that the rules of quantum syntax and grammar permit a flow of information such that these tiny physical barriers cannot prevent it. God thought E=mc2 and implemented that equality and many other beautiful mathematical equations in His creation. Likewise, design considerations and functional requirements led our inexhaustibly creative God to implement the quantum world. This provides a robust foundation for the macro world. And it also makes available these astounding microscopic capabilities to achieve otherwise impossible precision (as in navigation and smell) in biological organisms and for creative human inventors to exploit including by enabling information technology that could blur the distinction between easy and hard computational problems. Considering further this contrast between what and how, the spectacular discoveries of what the laws of science describe expose the physicist's ignorance of why and even of how they do it. The 2018 Oxford University Press text Conjuring the Universe: the origin of the laws of nature by Peter Atkins wears its author's atheism on its sleeve with the dust jacket claiming that the laws of nature leave "very little, if anything at all, for a Creator to do" and the Preface beginning, "The workings of the world have been ascribed by some to an astonishingly busybody but disembodied Creator… My gut recoils from this…" Yet right off, Chapter 1 makes it clear that the author (and by extension, all Oxford and the entire atheistic world) has no explanation for the ostensible topic of the book, the origin of laws. Two things are observed, however, about the nature of these laws, that they describe actions, and "that some are intrinsically mathematical and the others are adequately verbal" (p. 13). Thus many of nature's laws were discovered by thought experiments on such things as idealized gas, radiators, and spatial points (LaGrange), and even on things like trolleys and falling bodies. The hypothesis in this paper, that matter is fundamentally non-physical, has as a corollary, that the laws of quantum mechanics, like all laws, are themselves non-physical. The most fundamental of the laws of physics, found in the probabilistic quantum world, appear to be not only conceptual, but also declaratory. Thus an electron shall be offset by a proton; it may not decay (a prohibition); and its wave state will proceed until observed. Extrapolating from the quantum world, some of the classical laws seem to be declaratory rather than physical. For arguments sake, we can concede that methodological naturalism could possibly explain something like the inverse square law. Consider though, that classical objects shall attract each other; elements' properties shall recur in the periodic table; every action will produce a reaction. This paper's hypothesis suggests that no purely physical reason will ever be found to explain why or even how it could be that unlike the neutron, the charge of the proton and the electron are equal and opposite. Meanwhile, substantives like pronouns (current social insanity aside) are only masculine, feminine, or neutral. The corresponding electrical charge of various particles may exist because the respective quantum information packets of those particles are multi-field data records that have a sexagesimal value of plus or minus one unit in their respective electrical charge "fields", fields that is, not in the coulomb sense but in the data structure sense in information technology. So even with the inverse-square law, which has perhaps the most physicality of all the physical laws, as a particle is approached, force increases yet it does not reach infinity. Why not? Because its maximum value, is declared, not unlike when God said, "Let there be light", that is, as in computer programming, max value is set by definition. That definition is set either within the quantum information packet itself, or more likely it resides in a mathematical universal constant which is referenced by a pointer from within the packet, which provides part of the context within which that packet exists and can be expressed. Meanwhile, the non-physical is crashing down on the materialist from all sides. As though themselves glorious, numbers are not physical. Math is not physical. Information is not physical. Grammar is not physical. Logic is not physical. Reason is not physical. Ideas are not physical. Science is not physical. Concepts are not physical. Morality is not physical. Truth is not physical. Souls are not physical. Spirits are not physical. Codes are not physical. The square root of negative one is not physical (and so like everything else, by its use in the implementation of quantum mechanics, etc., therefore the √(−1) reveals the Creator). Infinity is not physical. Consciousness is not physical. Genomes are not physical. Pain is not physical. Your mind is not physical. Laws are not physical. And God is not physical. For ninety years now, various quantum physicists have even been arguing that particles themselves may not be physical! And they might be right. So the apparent exactness of all elementary particles may itself be evidence of their underlying non-physical numerical essence, with that exactness occurring by each particle's constant quantum expression of its value and worth in the eyes of the Beholder. So to the materialist, if it turns out that along with everything else, that matter itself is non-physical, well then, that's just piling on. For as Paul wrote to the Colossians, Christ "is the image of the invisible God… For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible" and He Himself is Spirit and for whatever it means, "in Him all things hold together." ### This draft is unfinished as of 4/9/20. RSR notes toward finalizing this article reside in RSR's shared Google Docs folder Quantum Mechanics including RSR's List of Quantum Mechanics Rules. Members of the RSR Research Team meet online via a Google Hangouts video conference on Monday nights at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. To join and get access to that and scores of other private team resources, see rsr.org/research-team. And please, your comments may help Bob decide whether to submit this draft to a creation journal, so don't hesitate to send them along to Bob@rsr.org. Thanks! RSR's Quantum Thoughts: - 2018: Quantum Biology: Doing what standard chemistry and physics can't - 2019: QB Pt. 2: Our seemingly impossible sense of smell - 2019: How Quantum Computers Do It: Finally, a Helpful Illustration - 2019: Google's Quantum Supremacy - 2019: Top Mathematicians: Ants & Bees, Mold & Amoebas - 2018: Coincidence or Determinism? Quantum theology and physics - 2015: An RSR preview show - 2020: Our rsr.org/wave-particle-duality-is-a-triality (this page) aka rsr.org/quantum and rsr.org/triality.  

Real Science Radio hosts Bob Enyart and Fred Williams broadcast RSR's quantum mechanics article with an introduction and comments. - Prerequisite 1: RSR's List of Things that are Not Physical - Prerequisite 2: Know the 2-slit experiment - Other RSR QM resources below - Version 1.0 of the article... Quantum Mechanics' Wave-Particle Duality is a Triality by Bob Enyart Three is exact. Always. To infinite precision and regardless of how often it is used, in counting and equations, as is true with all integers, three is always precisely exact. Protons are always exact as are, in our experience, all neutrons. Like those baryons, all electrons are exact and identical to particles of their same kind whether primordial or formed just now through decay. And as with electrons, all the other leptons too of the same kind appear to be identical with others of the same kind including electron neutrinos, muons, and tau neutrinos. Hundreds of thousands of experiments have confirmed the extraordinarily successful mathematics of quantum mechanics leading to the conclusion that all particles of the same kind are identical (Ford, 2005, The Quantum World, p. 100). Yet at 1,835 times the (rest) mass of an electron, the proton is relatively enormous yet always exactly the same as all others and the two particles always have the opposite, yet exactly equal, electrical charges. So fermions, including all the particles mentioned so far, along with the quarks, all appear to be identical with others of their same kinds. The creatively named up and down, strange and charm, bottom and top quarks each are identical to all others of the same kind. And all of the antiparticles, as expected, such as antilepton positrons, appear to be identical with all others of their same kinds. As an aside, positron diffraction had been demonstrated in 1980 but it took almost four decades more to perform the full two-slit experiment with antimatter demonstrating the expected wave-particle duality (Ariga, et al., 2018, arxiv.org). That interference result was first obtained with light in 1801 and then with (normal) matter beginning in 1927 with electrons, then neutrons in 1988, atoms in 1991, and molecules beginning in 1994 with the largest projectiles to date in 2013 using a synthetic carbon-based molecule of 810 atoms (Eibenberger, et al., 2013, arxiv.org). And likewise all bosons are identical with others of their same kind including the Z particle, the Higgs, and all photons as the ubiquitous and uniform force carrier of electromagnetism. (That is, all photons of the same energy levels are identical to all other similarly energized photons.) Manufacturing though, has taught mankind about unavoidable tolerances. So, how is it that all like particles, even those just now coming into existence, are apparently all absolutely identical? The exactness of repeatedly used numbers does not surprise scientists because, though materialists are known to deny this, numbers are not physical. Science itself cannot exist apart from numbers. And because numbers are not physical, scientific inquiry includes the non-physical. Numbers are a kind of information and, also often denied by materialists, information is not physical. Protons appear to be physical but certainly the statement and the concept that they are, is not physical. That statement, and any statement, as often observed, does not consist of the photons transmitting it to your eyes nor the molecules of ink on a page nor of the sound waves expressing it. Materialists may object but they disqualify themselves from being taken seriously. Rules of investigation, whether used by forensic criminologists or corporate accountants, should be valued to the extent that they help discover truth. The rules of the materialist, such as methodological naturalism, are the opposite. Materialism requires adherence to its rules of investigation especially if that means getting the most important answers completely wrong. Reviewing a Carl Sagan title, the famed Richard Lewontin (Jan. 9, 1997, New York Review of Books) admitted: We take the side of [materialist] science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs [and] in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations... Materialists’ objections are discarded because they arise from the ultimate bias, which is insistence especially if wrong. Contrary to that lack of humility, the New Testament indicates that even Christianity itself is falsifiable. If Christ is not risen, then our faith is false (1 Cor. 15:14). Yet materialists cannot match such courage, covering themselves in a layer of non-falsifiable anti-science. So because there is no discovery, or scientific law, or technological advancement that requires or affirms atheism (Enyart, 2011, rsr.org/technology), the public posturing of materialism as more scientific than theism is dishonest. RSR at NYC's main public libraryFor decades, renowned physicists, many Christians, and others have interpreted quantum mechanics as providing evidence against the materialist worldview. And even more, the observer himself appears to have a special status. Might there be then a specifically Christian insight into quantum mechanics and matter's wave-particle duality? Physics, like biology, is increasingly seen as information based. Some physicists speak of an “information wave” (ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4,  ref5, etc.) and even a primordial information wave. Quantum mechanics obeys some rules that seem almost grammatical. Subject and verb, for example, must agree in number. In organisms, it’s not the acids that encode it but the functional information that is the more fundamental substance. Human beings are body, soul, and spirit and the soul survives even if all atoms of our body are replaced over time and both soul and spirit survive even cremation, so our non-physical selves are of greater substance than our physical bodies. God exists in three persons from eternity past and created a form for the Son to indwell in which He walked in the garden, and in Nazareth, and in which He will continue to walk eternally including on the new Earth. God is Spirit through eternity past yet the Son has become flesh and taken humanity upon Himself and the Bible describes Him now as inhabiting a glorified body. The Father, the Holy Spirit, and now inhabiting a glorified body, the Son, these three are reflected in human beings as body, soul, and spirit. As God stamped the creation with His own triune image (see below), might elementary particles themselves bear that triunity? Rather than a wave-particle duality perhaps matter is a wave-particle-word triality. If so, then like with biology and even humanity, it is the non-physical information-based component behind matter that is the deeper substance, the more solid phenomenon, the harder reality. The exactness of fundamental particles is a bewildering phenomenon, so much so that asking why these are exact is a question either ignored or sufficient to drive the most brilliant men nearly insane. As Richard Feynman said in his Nobel lecture: I received a telephone call one day at the graduate college at Princeton from Professor Wheeler, in which he said, "Feynman, I know why all electrons have the same charge and the same mass" "Why?" "Because, they are all the same electron! Rather, consider that the exactness of particles is itself a quantum effect. Perhaps an electron is a mathematical expression. Likewise, perhaps a proton is a mathematical expression, or even a grammatical one, conditionally expressed as a particle or wave depending upon context and the grammatical rules of physics. Long realizing that atoms, and therefore, steel and diamonds, are mostly empty space, brings us to consider that perhaps the baryons and leptons of the atom are, in a way, less than empty space, that is, that they are non-physical. Information, being non-physical, would have no problem passing through either one or two slits, depending upon context. Regardless of how far it may extend through space a sentence requires agreement between subject and verb, just as entangled particles affect each other even over vast distances, seemingly violating the laws of classical physics but not the immaterial laws of math, information theory, and grammar. Quantum tunneling may seem impossible but what physical barrier can impede a probability, a sentence, or an equation? Of the 77 creation passages in Scripture, the two greatest parallel passages from the Old and New Testaments, Genesis 1 and John 1, both stress a literary, verbal creation. And interestingly, the great creation Psalm 19 does the same. (Note first though, that while "the" Word refers to God the Son who "became flesh and dwelt among us", this paper, not written by a pantheist, does not imply that matter is divine. We therefore use an uppercase "W" to refer to God as the Word and a lowercase "w" to refer to the wave-particle-word as information.) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... All things were made through Him, and without [the Word] nothing was made that was made. Nothing. In Genesis, to perform a creative act, He spoke, including when God "said", Let there be light. The Holy Spirit could have inspired Moses to simply write that God made light or God created light, and so on for the next seven instances. But instead, God "said." The nineteenth psalm C.S. Lewis famously described as, "one of the greatest lyrics in the world." The "higher critics", such as those of the Documentary Hypothesis, opining otherwise, describe the chapter as a disjointed concatenation of two unrelated poems (1904, Cheyne, The Book of Psalms, 2nd Ed., Vol. 1, p. 75; etc., etc.). However, they miss the structure whereby the first half describes the heavens in literary terms and the second half describes the Word of God in astronomical terms. Physical Heavens in Literary Terms: The heavens declare the glory of God And the firmament shows [Hb. tells] His handiwork Day unto day utters speech And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line [Sept., Rom. 10:18, voice] has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. Etc. The second part of Psalm 19 describes the Scriptures in terms not as evidently astronomical as the first half is literary, yet we can see it there. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul… The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes…" Then, "Who can understand his errors" (from Hb. shagah) wanderings, as with the wandering planets which the ancients did not understand. Then, of those errors, "Let them not have dominion over me", using the same Hebrew word as Genesis 1 where the "lights in the firmament of the heavens… rule over the day and over the night." Other expressions may suggest the same parallel. For God's Word is as "perfect" as is the Sun's annual "circuit" (v. 6) through the stars, which can "convert the soul", which is an especially unusual Hebrew expression, translated literally as, returning the soul, with this verb reminding us of the Sun which returns "from one end of heaven… to the other" (v. 6). To summarize, nothing was created apart from the Word. Logos, there referring to God the Son (Jn. 1:14), with that Greek word also meaning idea, reason. The creation week is characterized by God "saying", and the creation Psalm describes the heavens in terms of speech and knowledge. Rather than a wave-particle duality, perhaps more complete and leading to more scientific understanding is the description of matter as a wave-particle-word triality. And perhaps as with vegetation, animals, and people, the non-physical aspect of matter is, ironically, the greater substance. Plants have a body, animals have a body and soul (Gen. 1:24; Hb. nephesh), and human beings have a body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23; Heb. 4:12), yet the non-physical realm, which happens also to be the domain of information, is the greatest substance for all three; for plants, animals, and people. If normal metabolism happened to replace every atom in a favorite pet's body, as long as it had breath, still its identity, that is, its soul, would persist. For animals too then, and even aside from their immaterial biological information, the "physical" component is not the greater substance. For human beings, and known through general and special revelation that, as above, our spirits survive even cremation, our physical body is not remotely the greater substance of our existence. And the genetic molecule is not the deepest substance of broccoli. For just as with ink in a book, even with plants, amino acids are not the essence. And in some respects clearly a human being is "an epistle... written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh" (2 Cor. 3:3). Again, a plant's substance, its essence, is not it's DNA but the functional information the genetic molecule and other cellular systems carry. In the same way, if fundamental particles have a wave-particle-word triality, the information is the deeper substance, expressing matter as a wave, or a particle, depending upon the context, both mathematical and linguistic. All human beings, but especially Christian theologians and quantum physicists, can see a triune stamp on the cosmos. Electrons, physicists have discovered, are of one of the three "flavors" of leptons and one of the three groupings of quarks form protons and neutrons, with quarks existing in one of three "colors" and of multiples of one-third electrical charge. Exactly three generations of elementary particles underlie all matter. Physicist Richard Feynman in his book QED asked how many fundamental actions are there to account for nearly all phenomena in the universe regarding light and electricity to which he answered: "There are Three!" And in his Nobel prize lecture Feynman said, astoundingly, that there are three unique ways of "describing quantum mechanics". Further, unlike our arbitrary earth-based units of measurement, scientists so far have discovered "two natural units", Planck's constant, h, and the speed of light, c. A "still-unanswered question is whether a third natural unit awaits discovery", for such a triune "'all-natural' physics" would "form a basis of measurement as complete as, and much more satisfying than, the kilogram, the meter, and the second." Might there, though, be more, say, of the leptons? Overlooking the theologian, Kenneth Ford, retired director of the American Institute of Physics, wrote, "No one knows why there are three flavors of particles..." yet he concludes, "Surprisingly, physicists feel confident that the third flavor marks the end of the trail—no more lie ahead." The Christian theologian by the Scriptures knows that God exists as three persons in one Trinity. So, unsurprisingly, man has a triune nature. Christ was three days in the tomb, which Jonah’s three days foreshadowed, as did Abraham’s three days of thinking that he would sacrifice his own son on that same hill called Golgotha, the Skull, and Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22:14; 2 Chron. 3:1). Israel's three patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The priestly tribe of Levi is from Jacob's third child (Gen. 29:34) as Leviticus is the Bible's third book. The day the law was given the sons of Levi killed "about three thousand men' (Ex. 32:28), whereas the day the Spirit was given, "that day about three thousand souls" were saved (Acts 2:41; 2 Cor. 3:6), for the law kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6-7). The Hebrew Scriptures comprise three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (Luke 24:44), and the Bible names three archangels. The most noteworthy women are Eve, Sarah, and Mary. The magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Three persons (one being the Son) started their public service at thirty years of age: Joseph (Gen. 41:46), a deliverer of his people; David (2 Sam. 5:4) seated on the messianic throne (2 Sam. 7:12-13); and "Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23). God could have led Esther to fast for two days, or four; and He could have kept Jonah in the whale for one day, or a week, but three days and three nights prefigures God’s plan of salvation for Christ’s time in the grave. For Jesus "rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:4). Thus the triune Christian God, the mystery of the Trinity, three Persons in One God, is the only true God. And even theoretically, unlike the unitarian Allah and any of the alleged pagan idols, the God of the Bible is the only one whose testimony we would be able to trust, for His triunity answers both the philosophical problem of the one and the many and it answers Socrates' challenge against theism titled Euthyphro's Dilemma. For, how could God Himself know that He is good, and not evil? Allah could not know that [John 5:31]. But with the Triune God, the Son testifies that for eternity past, the Father has never wronged the Son, and the Father of the Spirit, and the Spirit of the Son, an eternal threefold testimony for by the testimony of two or three witnesses the matter is established (Deut. 19:15; Eccl. 4:12; Mat. 18:16; John 5:31-39; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19; Heb. 10:28). Even the one who never heard a Bible verse can notice that the Creator has imprinted our world with a triune nature. Space exists in three dimensions, height, width, and length, as does time in past, present and future. The electromagnetic force operates in positive, negative, and neutral, and in light, red, green, and blue blend into the hues of the rainbow whereas in pigment the three primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. We human beings live on this third planet from the Sun; we're made of atoms built of "just three basic particles", protons, neutrons, and electrons; and we have trichromatic color vision. Mankind's first known states of matter were solid, liquid, and gas and his first known number system used the Sumerian term "man" for 1, "woman" for 2, and the word "plurality" for 3, with math itself happening in the realm of positive, negative, and zero. His strongest shape for building is the triangle. Writers often give three examples and artists group in threes as in interior design, sculpting, and even movie directing, as compared to trilogy (1, 2, 3) there is no commonly used word for any other number of films. Photographers use the rule of thirds. Logicians use the three laws of logic as genetic scientists learned that DNA uses only three-letter words. It's not that only the number three describes reality (see rsr.org/360 and rsr.org/300). Rather, as known by architects, authors, and composers, a theme is most appreciated in the context of greater variety. If well designed, the greater the variety, the more appreciated the theme. So we humans are body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23), made in the image of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. People live here, in heaven, and in hell. Those who love God cry, "Holy, holy, holy." Consider a hypothesis that is consistent with, well, just about everything, and that if true would help to answer many questions. Rather than a wave-particle duality, matter is a wave-particle-word triality, with "word" meaning information or, perhaps better, functional information. Quantum states are probabilistic and probability is conceptual, not physical. This may explain why, after a century of trying, currently there is no explanation for how a wave can physically collapse into a particle. No such explanation may exist. A survey of quantum physics instructors found that 30% "thought of the wave function as a physical matter wave, while nearly half preferred to view the wave function as containing information only..." A photon, like every other elementary particle, is primarily a functional information packet expressing itself, based on context and the rules of physical grammar, so to speak, as a particle or as a wave. (Experiment suggests even that a photon can exhibit aspects of both particle and wave simultaneously.) In quantum mechanics, a particle's probability is not based on a lack of information, as with a classical shell game with its one-third probability that the ball is under a particular cup. The probabilistic quantum state does not refer to a lack of knowledge about the state but to the state itself. Further, every particle, regardless of its state, is an expression of a quantum packet of information. So one consequence of the wave-particle-word triality hypothesis is that every particle is always in a quantum state. Of proton (and quark) manufacturing, so to speak, why are the tolerances exact? Why can't some protons (or their quarks), with the mass of more than 1,800 electrons, perhaps have only 99.7% or 100.1%, of the inverse charge of an electron? Why are all fundamental particles, even long after the Fall, apparently exactly identical to all others of the same kind? Elementary particles of the same kind are identical to one another because each is the expression of a mathematical and linguistic information packet, which packets are the essence of matter. A bottom quark is identical to all other bottom quarks almost in the way that the number 3 is exact and identical regardless of how many times it is expressed. Though it obeys a grammar and is fundamentally information, neither a particle nor a wave is an illusion. They are not non-physical in the sense that they only exist in one's perception. The wave does not occupy any abstract higher-dimensional Hilbert space (2016, The Quantum Handshake: Entanglement, Nonlocality and Transactions, John G. Cramer, Springer, p. 71; 2006, Cramer's transactional interpretation and causal loop problems, Synthese, Vo. 150, pp. 1-40). Instead, both the particle and the wave are actual expressions of the quantum information packet. (Should that be called a quip?) Why would a particle heading toward two slits transform itself into a wave? Why must a subject and verb agree in number? Why must the spin of a far-distant entangled particle equal zero with its entangled twin? Why grammatically is a singular subject typically paired with a plural verb when in a counterfactual subjunctive mood? These are the rules of language, human language and the language (punctuation, syntax even, grammar and composition) of physics. In both, context determines which expressions are appropriate. If we can't conceive of a particle going through two slits simultaneously, we also cannot conceive of any way that such a problem could challenge a non-physical entity. Information is not physical. It exists and flows in a non-physical dimension that is interfaced with our physical universe. Information can be generated by a man's spirit, which spirit itself is interfaced to his body. In some similarly bewildering manner, quantum information is interfaced to our physical cosmos. So, not aware of that functional information nor its role, in one camp the Copenhagen interpreters say "shut up and measure", arguing against even trying to understand. And another broad camp visualizes, in the place where the quip interfaces to the physical realm, either a multiverse or multiple non-existent physical dimensions, all because they are unwittingly trying to physicalize something that cannot be physicalized. When Newton described universal gravitation, he gave little thought to its mechanism, satisfying himself with describing what it does. Mankind has benefited ever since. Quantum physicists describe in precise detail what electrons do, for example, when they instantly jump between energy levels, but not why or how it is that they do this. (Participles, by the way, like adjectives, must agree with their substantives in case, gender, and number.) Likewise, we know the electric charge of a proton but why is it so? Maxwell's field equations addressed waves of electromagnetism a half century before Einstein spoke of individual quanta. So with the single photon's invariant zero mass we know that its velocity upon creation is light speed but why is it that speed? Following Newton's approach, if matter is a wave-particle-word triality, that gives us a clearer idea of what it is and what it is doing and even some insight into the why, even if we have no conception of the how. For example, the triality insight is supportive of the view of the particle as a mathematical equation, for, the quantum packet of functional information would include any such mathematical formulation. And this triality may help to better understand what is called the quantum conservation of weirdness. Particles can superimpose because their inherent mathematical expressions can superimpose, and the information packet containing those expressions also contain the grammatical rules to discern the proper contexts for such behavior. And a quantum state can be split because division is a valid operation on its mathematical expression. Particles can tunnel because experiment has shown that the rules of quantum syntax and grammar permit a flow of information such that these tiny physical barriers cannot prevent it. God thought E=mc2 and implemented that equality and many other beautiful mathematical equations in His creation. Likewise, design considerations and functional requirements led our inexhaustibly creative God to implement the quantum world. This provides a robust foundation for the macro world. And it also makes available these astounding microscopic capabilities to achieve otherwise impossible precision (as in navigation and smell) in biological organisms and for creative human inventors to exploit including by enabling information technology that could blur the distinction between easy and hard computational problems. Considering further this contrast between what and how, the spectacular discoveries of what the laws of science describe expose the physicist's ignorance of why and even of how they do it. The 2018 Oxford University Press text Conjuring the Universe: the origin of the laws of nature by Peter Atkins wears its author's atheism on its sleeve with the dust jacket claiming that the laws of nature leave "very little, if anything at all, for a Creator to do" and the Preface beginning, "The workings of the world have been ascribed by some to an astonishingly busybody but disembodied Creator… My gut recoils from this…" Yet right off, Chapter 1 makes it clear that the author (and by extension, all Oxford and the entire atheistic world) has no explanation for the ostensible topic of the book, the origin of laws. Two things are observed, however, about the nature of these laws, that they describe actions, and "that some are intrinsically mathematical and the others are adequately verbal" (p. 13). Thus many of nature's laws were discovered by thought experiments on such things as idealized gas, radiators, and spatial points (LaGrange), and even on things like trolleys and falling bodies. The hypothesis in this paper, that matter is fundamentally non-physical, has as a corollary, that the laws of quantum mechanics, like all laws, are themselves non-physical. The most fundamental of the laws of physics, found in the probabilistic quantum world, appear to be not only conceptual, but also declaratory. Thus an electron shall be offset by a proton; it may not decay (a prohibition); and its wave state will proceed until observed. Extrapolating from the quantum world, some of the classical laws seem to be declaratory rather than physical. For arguments sake, we can concede that methodological naturalism could possibly explain something like the inverse square law. Consider though, that classical objects shall attract each other; elements' properties shall recur in the periodic table; every action will produce a reaction. This paper's hypothesis suggests that no purely physical reason will ever be found to explain why or even how it could be that unlike the neutron, the charge of the proton and the electron are equal and opposite. Meanwhile, substantives like pronouns (current social insanity aside) are only masculine, feminine, or neutral. The corresponding electrical charge of various particles may exist because the respective quantum information packets of those particles are multi-field data records that have a sexagesimal value of plus or minus one unit in their respective electrical charge "fields", fields that is, not in the coulomb sense but in the data structure sense in information technology. So even with the inverse-square law, which has perhaps the most physicality of all the physical laws, as a particle is approached, force increases yet it does not reach infinity. Why not? Because its maximum value, is declared, not unlike when God said, "Let there be light", that is, as in computer programming, max value is set by definition. That definition is set either within the quantum information packet itself, or more likely it resides in a mathematical universal constant which is referenced by a pointer from within the packet, which provides part of the context within which that packet exists and can be expressed. Meanwhile, the non-physical is crashing down on the materialist from all sides. As though themselves glorious, numbers are not physical. Math is not physical. Information is not physical. Grammar is not physical. Logic is not physical. Reason is not physical. Ideas are not physical. Science is not physical. Concepts are not physical. Morality is not physical. Truth is not physical. Souls are not physical. Spirits are not physical. Codes are not physical. The square root of negative one is not physical (and so like everything else, by its use in the implementation of quantum mechanics, etc., therefore the √(−1) reveals the Creator). Infinity is not physical. Consciousness is not physical. Genomes are not physical. Pain is not physical. Your mind is not physical. Laws are not physical. And God is not physical. For ninety years now, various quantum physicists have even been arguing that particles themselves may not be physical! And they might be right. So the apparent exactness of all elementary particles may itself be evidence of their underlying non-physical numerical essence, with that exactness occurring by each particle's constant quantum expression of its value and worth in the eyes of the Beholder. So to the materialist, if it turns out that along with everything else, that matter itself is non-physical, well then, that's just piling on. For as Paul wrote to the Colossians, Christ "is the image of the invisible God… For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible" and He Himself is Spirit and for whatever it means, "in Him all things hold together." ### This draft is unfinished as of 4/9/20. RSR notes toward finalizing this article reside in RSR's shared Google Docs folder Quantum Mechanics including RSR's List of Quantum Mechanics Rules. Members of the RSR Research Team meet online via a Google Hangouts video conference on Monday nights at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. To join and get access to that and scores of other private team resources, see rsr.org/research-team. And please, your comments may help Bob decide whether to submit this draft to a creation journal, so don't hesitate to send them along to Bob@rsr.org. Thanks! RSR's Quantum Thoughts: - 2018: Quantum Biology Pt. 1: Doing what standard chemistry and physics can't - 2019: QB Pt. 2: Our seemingly impossible sense of smell - 2019: How Quantum Computers Do It: Finally, a Helpful Illustration - 2019: Google's Quantum Supremacy - 2019: Top Mathematicians: Ants & Bees, Mold & Amoebas - 2018: Coincidence or Determinism? Quantum theology and physics - 2015: An RSR preview show - 2020: Bob's rsr.org/wave-particle-duality-is-a-triality (this page) aka rsr.org/quantum and rsr.org/triality.  

Bible Text: Psalms 25: 21. Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Character Traits related to Integrity: respectful, honest, trustworthy, responsible, helpful and patient. Others Bible Texts: 1st Peter 3:16, Prov 12:22, Luke 16:10, Col.3:23, 2nd Cor 8:21, Prov.11:3, Prob.13:6. People of Integrity: Abraham Gen.14:1-24, Joseph Gen.37, Gen. 39-50, Daniel -Daniel 6:1 to end and Abigail - 1st Samuel 25:14-19, 23-31..

1. God has always been about telling the story of Christ Jesus.--2. Joseph enters into Egypt-sold by his brothers because of their hatred of his dreams of his future glory.--3. They hate him and end up selling him to the Ishmaelites -Hagar's grand children- who inturn sold him to one Potiphar-the captain of the guard. According to Galatians 4-Hagar represented the Law and so, anyone who is carried by her goes into slavery and this is who through the Ishmaelites took Joseph into the humiliation and slavery of Egypt. People do not understand the function of the Law. The Law is Hagar and it will always carry you into bondage. -4. In Egypt God began to define the work of Christ through Joseph's encounter with the one Mrs. Potiphar. Many people think they are Joseph, but none of us is Joseph in the whole story. We are Mrs. Potiphar-the adulteress who tried to sleep with Joseph, but ended up with his garment.--5. And that was a picture of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the sinner. And Joseph ended up in the dungeon to make payment and satisfaction for a sin that he did not commit and to say, Christ suffering for the sins of His people, Him who knew no sin.--6. But Joseph had to come out of prison-after he had been perfected through suffering and became the captain of salvation-to feed the whole nation of Egypt from a severe famine.--7. God had given Pharaoh a dream that he could not interpret-so that in its interpretation-He would exalt his servant in the salvation of the nation from the 7 years of hunger. The matter of salvation is a dream that sinners cannot interpret as to understand without the Holy Spirit. --8. And Joseph ends up being highly exalted on

SUNDAY TEACHING SERIES Gateways to Financial Fortune What is a Covenant? A covenant is a deal enacted by God based on well-defined terms and sealed with an oath, such as the covenant of seed time and harvest – Gen. 8:20-22/ Heb. 6:12-15/ 2 Cor 9:6-10 How does God Bless? * Through divine direction as in the case of Abraham – Gen. 12:1-3/ Isa. 48:17/21 * Through the works of our hands as in the case of Isaac – Gen. 26:1/12-14/ Gal. 4:28 * Through the Rain of Divine Ideas as in the case of Jacob – Gen. 30:30-33/37-43 * Through divine favour as in Joseph – Gen. 39:1-5/21—22/ Gen. 41:38-44 * Through Priestly Blessings – Gen. 14:18-20/ Heb. 7:1-8 Covenant Requirements for Walking in Financial Fortune > Tithing and kingdom Advancement sacrifice – Mal. 3:6-11/ Hag. 1:3-10 > Giving to the needy – Pro. 28:27/ Psa. 41:1-3

SUNDAY TEACHING SERIES Gateways to Financial Fortune What is a Covenant? A covenant is a deal enacted by God based on well-defined terms and sealed with an oath, such as the covenant of seed time and harvest – Gen. 8:20-22/ Heb. 6:12-15/ 2 Cor 9:6-10 How does God Bless? * Through divine direction as in the case of Abraham – Gen. 12:1-3/ Isa. 48:17/21 * Through the works of our hands as in the case of Isaac – Gen. 26:1/12-14/ Gal. 4:28 * Through the Rain of Divine Ideas as in the case of Jacob – Gen. 30:30-33/37-43 * Through divine favour as in Joseph – Gen. 39:1-5/21—22/ Gen. 41:38-44 * Through Priestly Blessings – Gen. 14:18-20/ Heb. 7:1-8 Covenant Requirements for Walking in Financial Fortune > Tithing and kingdom Advancement sacrifice – Mal. 3:6-11/ Hag. 1:3-10 > Giving to the needy – Pro. 28:27/ Psa. 41:1-3

SUNDAY TEACHING SERIES Gateways to Financial Fortune What is a Covenant? A covenant is a deal enacted by God based on well-defined terms and sealed with an oath, such as the covenant of seed time and harvest – Gen. 8:20-22/ Heb. 6:12-15/ 2 Cor 9:6-10 How does God Bless? * Through divine direction as in the case of Abraham – Gen. 12:1-3/ Isa. 48:17/21 * Through the works of our hands as in the case of Isaac – Gen. 26:1/12-14/ Gal. 4:28 * Through the Rain of Divine Ideas as in the case of Jacob – Gen. 30:30-33/37-43 * Through divine favour as in Joseph – Gen. 39:1-5/21—22/ Gen. 41:38-44 * Through Priestly Blessings – Gen. 14:18-20/ Heb. 7:1-8 Covenant Requirements for Walking in Financial Fortune > Tithing and kingdom Advancement sacrifice – Mal. 3:6-11/ Hag. 1:3-10 > Giving to the needy – Pro. 28:27/ Psa. 41:1-3

This week, Craig continues on the story and life of Joseph (Gen 39), through Joseph's rollercoaster ride of a life we see that he holds firm in God and does not allow the temptations of his circumstances over come his desire to trust in God's plan.

"Psalms of Ascent Series", Quiet Time Coaching: Episode 211, Psalm 132v2  You have found a daily podcast based on the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134).  They are designed to help our hearts and minds being a healthy place while the Covid 19 virus does its worst.  “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1–4 NIV11)  Each day we will meditate on a verse or two from these wonderful Psalms as we make our pilgrimage from confusion to hope, pain to peace, anxiety to joy.  "Heb: ‘avir’ = Mighty, the mighty One of. This word occurs only in poetical passages. The first is Jacob’s blessing on his son Joseph (Gen 49:24). The third stich of that verse, which contains this word, has the expression “the hands of the Mighty One,” which is paralleled in the preceding line by the expression “hands were made strong.” The following stich has “the stone of Israel” to parallel “the Mighty One of Jacob.” The word “stone” is ןֶבֶא which sounds something like ריִבָא “Mighty One” and emphasizes his strength further. The two appearances of the word ריִבָא in Ps 132 (vv. 2, 5) are paralleled by the divine name YHWH. The same is true of its three appearances in Isaiah (Isa 1:24; Is 49:26; Is 60:16). Notice the distribution of the term throughout this book, often trisected by critics. The name ריִבָא used as a substitute for deity may be compared with דַחַּפ the “Fear” of Isaac (q.v., Gen 31:42, Gen 31:53). This word “Fear” is also taken by some as a surrogate for deity used especially in patriarchal times. It is possible to be translated “Kinsman.” (Albright, FSAC, p. 248; Dahood, in AB, Psalms, I, p. 81.) Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Accordance electronic edition, version 1.6. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. Lk 1:48-49, Mary’s prayer. Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org (mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org) . If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org (http://www.malcolmcox.org/) . Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) God bless, Malcolm PS: You might also be interested in my book: "An elephant's swimming pool" (https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/9167082/379662794.jpg) , a devotional look at the Gospel of John mccx, Malcolm Cox, Watford, Croxley Green, teaching, preaching, spiritual disciplines, public speaking, corporate worship, Sunday Sample, Corporate Worship Matters, Tuesday Teaching Tips, Quiet Time Coaching, coaching, coaching near me, coach, online coaching, savior, quiet time, devotion, God, Jesus, Pray, prayer, malcolm’s, cox, 

June 24th, 2018

June 17, 2018

2017 - 10 - 08 Chris Ayers - Hijacked (joseph) Gen 37 by mccmedia