Podcasts about zech

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.There are five important themes in the latter part of James 1 (vs.19-27), the first three of which we examined in the previous reflection:Restraint of hasty desirePractical obedience to God's WordReception of the Word with humilityConcern for defenseless members of the communityTurning from the ways of the world1:26-27Profanity, gossip, slander, lying, perjury, babbling—and talking about obeying God but not actually doing it."Worthless" – 1:26 parallels 2:26.Religion is “the celebration of God and the discovery of his will for our lives” (Richard Holloway).Concern for defenseless members of the community connected with turning from the ways of the world, as in Ezekiel 16:49.Pollution.What is the evidence most churches ignore 1:26-27?The fellowship isn't stratified – we tend to be one social or economic class. We may help the needy, but how close are we to them?General apathy re: the vulnerable.Ignorance of the strong OT mandate to care for orphans and widows (Exod 22:21; Deut 10:18; 14:28; 16:11, 14; 24:17-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Ps 68:5; Isa 1:17; Jer 5:28; Ezek 22:7; Zech 7:10)—plus aliens!General lack of compassion towards refugees.Aloofness from dire issues (human trafficking, famine, civil wars, poverty—the list is endless). We tend to give lip service rather than getting involved in a costly, relational, and meaningful way.We spend plenty of money on worldly purchases (homes, cars, vacations, nice clothes…), but nearly 0% to help the needy.We may donate for disaster relief, or support solid Christian charities, but are we bringing the poor into the fellowship?Most churches give a minuscule percentage of their budget to assist the weak and vulnerable—but spend large amounts on salaries and buildings.Do we realize that the poor / working class / slaves were the majority in the early church? The NT church collected money as necessary for the needy—this was by far the primary item in their "budget" (if they had one).I don't mean to paint every congregation with the same brush. Certainly there are numerous exemplary exceptions. But looking at Christendom worldwide, I think this is a fair criticism. (Do you?)Summary (Jas 1:19-25 and 1:26-27)Trust in God > the power of human will (anger)Let's look into the Word and be honest about what we seeLet's humbly receive the implanted word, which can save usGet rid of all moral filthCareless speech is not a matter of indifference to our GodNor is caring for the needy optionalMere talk about the needy makes our religion worthless.Let's be champions for the powerless, for the vulnerableThis will rewrite rejecting the world and its anti-God valuesFreedom comes with obedienceNext time: James 1-5 read in the RPM version 

Well this is one of three messages left in the book of James. Then Palm Sunday and then Easter. One of the comments I've heard over and over through our study of James is this: "Man I love James because it's so practical." And it's true. James talks about so many aspects of everyday life, the tongue, money, trials, etc... Well if you like practical, it doesn't get any more practical than today. When we attend a funeral, perhaps one of the greatest compliments that can be said of a person during that funeral is something like: "Man, her life really counted. His life had an impact. That was a life well-lived." We all want our life to count. We all want to matter. We all want to make an impact. So how do we do that? You want to know the recipe James gives for having a kingdom impact, to really making your life count, to really doing something with your life that has value? Be patient, trust God and don't complain. What we are going to see today is that the heroic moments of the Christian life are actually forged in the mundane corners of everyday life. This is where character is hammered out. This is where the real stuff comes out. This is HEAVEN'S stage. Why? Because it's easy to be a hero at work; it's easy to be a hero when the spotlight is on you; it's easy to be a hero on the screen. It's hard to be a hero at home in the normal everyday grind of life. Many of you are stuck in that grind right now. You are stuck in an unfulfilling job. You are bored. You want to pull your hair out from cleaning up after toddlers, changing diapers and reading Dr. Seuss books. You are thinking, how does this even matter? James is showing us in the passage today that the big spiritual battles are not at dramatic, historical, spotlight kinds of moments. Today what we are going to see is that the big spiritual battles for your soul, the thing that's going to shake the foundations of the kingdom of the enemy is to simply be patient, trust God and not complain. Let's see how this works. Review Remember last week we began by noting that the primary focus of the Bible isn't social reform. It doesn't give us a style of government to address the economic disparity we see in the various classes of people. Rather, depending on where you find yourself in the social structure, God gives you commands on how to conduct yourself such that you will honor the Lord wherever you find yourself. Last week, James addressed the rich. And it was pretty harsh. His tone was unforgiving and contained precisely zero nuance. He was really serious about the danger of loving money and what that would do to our soul. Last week James was addressing the rich. But this week we get the other side of that. What if you find yourself not rich, but suffering under the rich. What if you find yourself oppressed in some way. Well, James has something to say to you this week as well. He talks about how we should conduct ourselves if we find ourselves in this situation. So let's read verses 7-9 and keep in mind, the context is impending judgment for the rich. He's going to begin with a 'THEREFORE.' Knowing that God will judge the rich for their self-indulgence, AS A LOGICAL OUTFLOW OF KNOWING THAT THE JUDGE IS COMING, he now says to the poor who are suffering under the rich, 'THEREFORE' So if verses 1-8 was addressing: - how to be wealthy, powerful AND ALSO righteous, verses 7-9 tells us - how to be poor, powerless AND ALSO righteous. Again, no call for reforms here. No calls for social justice warriors to come swooping in to rescue the oppressed. Instead a call to glorify God by being godly and righteous. The three points of the outline come out of the three commands in the text. We need patience in any situation where we want our situation to change and it's not changing according to our expectations. - I'm hungry for dinner. What's mom say? Be patient; it's almost ready. - I need this paint to dry so I can get on with my project. Be patient; you can't make paint dry any faster. - I'm dying to know the results of my test score or my interview. Be patient; they will get back with you tomorrow. Patience is the ability to be content when you want something to change, but it in fact, does not change. I'm still hungry. The paint is still wet. I still don't have the information I want. Patience is CONTENTMENT with non-change. That's the first command in the list here: Now in this passage, James is talking about a certain type of patience. James is talking about patient suffering. When we suffer, of course we want those circumstances to change and we want them to change now. The poor in this passage are being taken advantage of by the rich. They are suffering. The cry of the laborers goes up to the Lord and what does God say, "Be patient." God wants them to hope in future deliverance. He wants them to trust that one day, it will be made right. But the timing of that is up to God. Be patient. You must be patient. And that patience might need to last your entire life. It very well could be that you have to be very, very, very patient. It very well could be that the justice you hope for won't come until the last day, the judgment day, the day of slaughter. It's hard to be patient, especially that patient. It's really hard. We can all be patient for a while. It's socially rude not to be. But after a while, it seems like, "Okay we've crossed a line here. We've crossed over from reasonable to unreasonable." It's one thing to be on an airplane and sit on the tarmac for 15 minutes because of a delay. It's another thing entirely to sit on the tarmac for 6 hours. Okay, now I have a right to be upset. This is totally unreasonable. Heads are going to roll. The goal of today is to get us all to see that all impatience is a very serious spiritual issue. There's a heart sin pretty deep down there. Let me try to show you how this very spiritual issue disguises itself as no big deal.. - If I asked, "Do you think it's reasonable to say you know better than God?" You have instant answers to those questions. Of course. If I asked you, "Do you think it's reasonable to become impatient when sitting on the tarmac for four hours?" I mean, that's understandable. It's pretty normal to be impatient. To be impatient is part of being human. But you see to be impatient is nothing less than saying, "I know better than God." God, I'm here to complain and let you know that your divine plan for these 6 hours is mistaken. If Satan can get you to think that being impatient in that moment is no big deal, then he has succeeded in getting you to relocate your trust, to distrust the God of the universe. If he can get you to simply be impatient and not even relate that impatience to a spiritual issue, he has succeeded in ripping Christ off the throne of your heart. If he can get you to think that a little grumbling or complaining about my situation is no big deal, he's already won before the war even started because he's tricked you as to where the real battle is taking place. The war is waged in the small attitudes of the heart, in the seemingly insignificant, invisible throw away moments of the day. The victory between heaven and hell is determined by the small choices that come from attitudes that happen every day, moment by moment, in the most mundane corners of life. Maybe you feel pretty good about yourself because you judge your holiness by the number of banks you've robbed, people you've killed, and affairs you've had, you might be tempted to feel pretty good. I've not done these things. I'm a pretty good person. Or maybe you feel bad because you judge your success by how many Bible studies you lead, how many degrees you have, or how large of a business you lead. I don't do these things, so I'm a loser. But God is informing us the real indicator of godliness is the patience and longsuffering you show in the difficult situations of life you have to endure. Listen, I just did a funeral last week for Bonnie Wallace who attended our church for several years. And I can't get out of my mind the testimony of the daughters of this family. I asked them to share with me some memories of their mom. Here she was a single mom raising several kids. She had to work 2 and sometimes 3 jobs. She was dirt poor. She had nothing. But in the summer she would come home to feed her kids, put on sunscreen and then go back to work. Over and over again, she would make that sacrifice. I am quite certain she prayed over and over again, "Lord this is so difficult. Lord this is so hard to raise my kids by myself making minimum wage." And the Lord said, "Be patient." There was no stage. There was no lights. There was nobody cheering her on. She just trusted the Lord, did not complain and did what was right. And then she went to be with the Lord. But man that impacted me. What a mom. I was shattered by that. Do you see? She lived, her entire life, suffered and died never even knowing how that act of patient suffering impacted me. I didn't even know about it till after her passing. And now here you are benefiting from it. An act of patient obedience, no complaining, in her life, invisible to everyone (or so it seemed) is now glorifying God after her death. The ways of God are mysterious. The biggest choices in life are the small ones. Heaven and hell is under every bush. It's decisions to sacrifice self, choices to forgive, attitudes to endure and not complain and things like that that are going to determine who you really are and who you will become. As I said, the outline here comes from the three commands given in the text. The first command is to be patient. And the second command gives you resources to obey the first command. How am I supposed to be patient? Let's look at the second command. ESTABLISH your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. We are ABLE to be patient because the coming of the Lord is at hand. The Judge who will execute justice, the judge who will deliver the oppressed, is coming. That is the certain, CRITICAL HOPE that transforms your perspective and gives you the ability to suffer well. The more certain the hope, the more established the point is in your heart, the more patient we can be. Consider the psychological difference between these two scenarios. Here's the first scenario: Let's say you are playing around in a pool and someone comes behind you and without warning, grabs you and forces your head underwater. Who is this? Am I being attacked? How long will this last? You'd be thrashing around. You'd panic. You'd be punching and doing everything in your power to free yourself. Totally understandable. And then after 60 eternal seconds the assailant lets you up and you come thrashing to the surface gasping for breath, choking, water in your lungs and you discover it was your friend playing a joke on you. Now compare that to if that same friend said, "Let's see if you can do this. I'm going to hold you underwater for 60 seconds and then let you up. And he gives you a stopwatch. " That one sentence creates a totally different experience. You stayed underwater the exact same amount of time. The difference was you trusted that the suffering has an end. It's just a matter of the clock. Your best bet is to just sit it out, to wait, to expend as little energy as possible. In the first situation you had no hope or reason to believe it would end so you had to save yourself. In the second situation, because you believed that salvation is coming, your strategy totally changes. My strategy is to wait. To just focus on that IMPENDING salvation moment instead of focusing on the suffering. There's no point in trying to do anything when salvation is right around the corner. So what I'm really trying to point out here is the connection between our ability to be patient and our HOPE. Our ability to wait patiently is DIRECTLY CONNECTED to our future hope. HOPE makes PATIENT WAITING possible. No hope; no patience. Much Hope; much patience. Now that connection between PATIENCE and HOPE is found all through our Bibles, both OT and NT. GREAT HOPE; GREAT PATIENCE. I want to give you a blast of verses here. Here's just 7. I literally could have given you 47. It's everywhere in the Bible. GREAT HOPE = GREAT PATIENCE. God, as a loving father, cares that you suffer. We look up at our heavenly father with puppy dog eyes and say, "God why are you allowing us to suffer?" That's the question we want answered. And God gives us some help with that. James 1. Well, trials refine us. the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But God's comfort in suffering rarely focuses on the why. God rarely answers the question we are asking, "Why am I suffering." Instead, God almost always focuses on the who. Look at my eyes. I love you. Look at my eyes. Do you see that I love you. I have a reason. Trust me. And that is actually the main reason patience honors the Lord. There is no greater vote of confidence in the wisdom of God, the love of God the character of God then patient suffering. Because when you suffer patiently, here is what you are saying: - God is too good to be unkind. - He's too loving to be uncaring. - He's too compassionate to be calloused or heartless. - He's far too wise to be mistaken. And so if he is asking me to patiently suffer and I cannot understand his reason or trace his hand, then I must trust. I look at his love poured out for me on Calvary and that seals the deal. How could I ever question? If God did not spare his own Son, how will he not along with him give me every needed thing. That kind of fixed, established hope, honors the Lord and as it turns out, is also what is best for us. "When the time is right, he will act." Perhaps the situation you are suffering and the patience required to endure it is teaching you something you could not learn any other way. Talk to 1000 godly men or women who have gone before you and they will all tell you that it was not on the mountaintop that they met the Lord. It was in the valley. As hard as the valley was, they would not trade it for the world. It was not until they learned of the emptiness of everything else that they learned of the fullness of Christ. Patience is to trust in God's great unseen purposes. When you suffer, you just lay your head on the pillow of God's great love. You just lay your head down and rest in his goodness. You just close your eyes and let him take care of the details. I cannot see but I trust and I'm going to sleep right here. I'm just going to shut my eyes and rest and release my worry to him. It is not mine to manage. Sometimes in great trials you have to remind yourself of these big stabilizing truths to help you control your feelings. You have to pull into focus things that at other points in your life were patently obvious but in this moment they are no longer clear and everything feels chaotic. Of course he loves me. I see him there on the cross. Of course he's powerful. He created all things with a word. I will trust him. Keep the connection between this anchored, established hope and the ability to be patient anchored in your mind. To further cement that principle, James gives the illustration of the farmer. Consider how HOPE allows a farmer to be patient. Consider the ability to be patient is LINKED to the hope of the farmer. Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. Vs. 8 You also, be patient. The farmer prepares a field, sows seed, waters, and then he just sits there. His work is over. And he just waits. His ability to wait is anchored in his ESTABLISHED CONFIDENCE, in his sure and steady hope of the coming rains. The farmer can do nothing. He has to just wait for the right rain at the right time. In Israel, the way the geography is set up, you are basically just 100% dependent on rain. Rain is everything. The farmers all through the Bible were just absolutely dependent on the rains that came in late autumn and early spring. In the Bible, these rains are called the early and latter rains. And if you read the OT, every reference to "early and later rains" 100 percent of them are in a context affirming the faithfulness of the Lord (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24; Hos. 6:3; Joel 2:23; Zech. 10:1). What we are really hoping in is the character of God. We are really establishing our hearts not in WHAT we know will happen but WHO controls the uncontrollable. The farmer sees with the eye of faith. He can't see the crops grow. He stares and sees nothing, but he knows in the invisible world of cell biology things are happening. Photosynthesis is happening. ATP. DNA strands are uncoiling, copying, proteins are folding, and this plant is growing. All that is way above my pay grade, but I know it's happening. God is sending the rain, and a crop is coming. Why is this suffering happening to me? I have no idea. That's way above my pay grade. But I know that salvation is coming. When we trust the who, we can be patient with the how. 3 commands and three points in our message. Grumbling is just the verbal expression of impatience. You feel impatient and you express that impatience by grumbling. How do you know when people sitting for four hours are becoming impatient? They begin to grumble. They begin to complain. And James in the text warns us against it. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. - Grumbling is very easy to do. - Grumbling is complaining. - Grumbling can come in the form of making sarcastic comments. - Grumbling can happen when we cut someone down. - Grumbling is griping. - Grumbling is whining or always finding fault. - Grumbling is nitpicking. - Grumbling is verbal discontent. James says this is so serious because just like impatience, if Satan can get you to grumble and complain then he's won. He's succeeded in making you believe that the war for heaven and hell takes place on an entirely different front. Your try to ward off the schemes of the devil fighting by planting churches, doing social reform, political reform, starting schools, making Christian music and art, and you are so proud; we are so effective. Satan is nowhere to be seen. Satan is just laughing as he walks in the front door. James is reminding us: the spearhead of the entire battle for holiness happens in your ability to trust God, not complain or grumble. Grumbling is the seed of something terribly poisonous and toxic. It is so bad that he wants you to see the Judge will judge you for it. Do you remember the children of Israel getting swallowed up in holes in the ground, snakes attacking and biting them all because of some complaining. It seems so harsh until you step back and you realize the wicked spiritual condition of the complaining heart. Grumbling is just not trusting God. Grumbling is questioning God's authority in your life. Grumbling is your vote that God doesn't know what he's doing and you do. And you have to agree, that is a pretty evil thing to say. And he warns that this kind of behavior is at the core of judgment. Setting self above God is at the very heart of the judgment seat of Christ. So he warns you, don't do it. Don't do it, not because I'm trying to destroy your fun. I'm trying to preserve your joy. - Remember, God doesn't condemn things because he knows they will make you happy and God is anti-happiness. - He doesn't condemn things because they are easy and he wants to make your life miserable through hard labor. - He condemns things that hurt you. A doctor doesn't forbid a patient from eating of Snickers bars because they taste good. He forbids the eating of Snickers because too much sugar undermines health. That's so important. Do you see that? Grumbling will kill you and everybody around you, eventually. It's like the poison of sugar. It gets into your blood. It gets added like fat to your body. C.S. Lewis wrote A Preface to Paradise Lost. He says, “A vote for Satan is a vote for hell, and a vote for hell is a vote for an endless autobiography.” What is hell? Hell is an endless monolog with self. Hell is living in your own head where you get to create reality and never be challenged as to what is good for you. There is nothing more miserable than not being able to get out of your own needs. That is all grumbling is. Hell is endless grumbling. Hell is the endless autobiography, the absolute self-absorption, the absolute concentration on nothing but you, and "Why aren't you doing this for me? Why isn't this happening for me?" God does not say, "Don't grumble because I want to give you random commands to limit you." He says, -"Grumbling will kill you because grumbling is cutting yourself off from the goodness of God. - Grumbling is setting yourself up as Lord and master. - Grumbling is the worship and trust of self over God. - Grumbling is casting off the authority, care and love of the God of life and all good things. - If you cut yourself off of the vine by grumbling you will die." There's nothing more like hell than to be grumbling, always unhappy with the way things are for you. The way you can melt your heart down and start to become patient and radiant and loving with people who ordinarily would be irritating to you, the way you can do that, is to think about how much you've taxed God's patience. You have to go back. You have to think about it. One of the great themes of the book of James is repentance. It's much overlooked. James is very harsh but he's not trying to get you to feel ashamed. He's not trying to put you in your place. He's not trying to squash you beneath his thumb. He's simply trying to get you to fall at the foot of the cross so you can receive mercy. You guys we are all a bunch of miserable sinners. I'm not up here telling you all that you are grumpy, impatient sinners as a way to make you feel shame. It is true, we are all a bunch of grumpy, impatient sinners. True enough. It's okay to say that. Let's stop denying it. Let's all just cast ourselves at the foot of the cross where Jesus died to save us from that evil and receive his grace. Let's cast ourselves there to receive his love. Let's fall on our faces with tears streaming down our face saying, "How could you love me so much despite my grumbling, questioning, complaining impatient heart?" God you are so good. Thank you for absorbing in my place. Lord I love you! Do you see the irony of this thing? You can't exhort yourself into patience. You can't discipline yourself to be patient. You can't beat yourself into not grumbling. You can't say, “I really should be more patient," and whip and beat yourself. You can only repent yourself into patience. You have to see who he is. You have to see that he loves you. You have to stare at his love and repent of your arrogance to ever question it. You have to repent and confess that he has always been so slow to anger with you. Until you repent and see how bad you are, you lack the engine for becoming a patient, gentle, evil-absorbing, loving person. Listen, trust God. He loves you. He cares for you. He is for you. If you are suffering, trust God. He loves you. He has your good in mind. I want to close by reading an extended quote from C.H. Spurgeon. This was so good. This wrecked me this week. Closing “Believer, if your inheritance be a lowly one you should be satisfied with your earthly portion; for you may rest assured that it is the fittest for you. Unerring wisdom ordained your lot, and selected for you the safest and best condition. A ship of large tonnage is to be brought up the river; now, in one part of the stream there is a sandbank; should someone ask, "Why does the captain steer through the deep part of the channel and deviate so much from a straight line?" His answer would be, "Because I should not get my vessel into harbour at all if I did not keep to the deep channel." So, it may be, you would run aground and suffer shipwreck, if your divine Captain did not steer you into the depths of affliction where waves of trouble follow each other in quick succession. Some plants die if they have too much sunshine. It may be that you are planted where you get but little, you are put there by the loving Husbandman, because only in that situation will you bring forth fruit unto perfection. Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing of your lot, you would soon cry, "Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. Down busy self, and proud impatience, it is not for you to choose, but for the Lord of Love! Trials must and will befall- But with humble faith to see Love inscribed upon them all; This is happiness to me."

Key words in the PsalmThe wicked- 75:4, 8, 10Lifted up, on high, exaltation, exalts- 75:4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 10. These are from the same Hebrew wordHorn, horns- 75:4, 5, 10, 1075:8 the cup is an image of judgment. Isaiah 51:17-23; Jer. 25:15-28; 49:12; 51:7; Ezek. 23:32-34; Hab. 2:15-16; Zech. 12:2; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 18:5-6Jesus fulfills this Psalm.I am sorry for any background knowledge. 

 Are you struggling with the level of spiritual gifts and power in your life? Jesus is extending an invitation to hunger for more in your life today. ‘Not by might nor by power, but, by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. Zech. 4:6 NKJV This encouraging episode with the pastor of Celebration Church and author of Your Divine Invitation: Access the Holy Spirit to Complete Your Assignment, Frankie Mazzapica, will inspire you to pursue power from on high, the gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Frankie also describes the measures he did to gain the breakthrough and start witnessing healing. “If your not whitnesing the power of God in your life, you learn to live without it,” said Mazzapica.  Listen as he recounts how he put gospel teachings into practice in his own life. Listen for three practical steps to receiving more from God. Hear testimonies from Frankie's life and ministry, listen to the end for a prayer from Frankie.    CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST: Frankie Mazzapica Website ,  Facebook , Podcast , Instagram , YouTube, Your Divine Invitation: Access the Holy Spirit to Complete Your Assignment   SOCIAL CONNECT:  Facebook & Instagram  RESOURCE:  New Believer Workbook-FREE PDF Download when you enter your email! Do you love prophetic devotionals? Get a free PDF Workbook: Becoming the Bride, when entering your email address.  Sign up for a FREE eBook version of Fire In Unity. LEARN MORE ABOUT: Christina Perera Ministries. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, rate us on iTunes, and sign up for our ministry mailing list to get more encouraging content on our beautiful Savior Jesus and more! SPONSOR: Plexus Living Free- Are you looking to improve your health? Plexus products help you lose weight and balance your body with plant-based supplements. Take control of your health with this quiz and receive 10% off your order and a Free VIP membership for listening to Revealing Jesus. Use code RJ10OFF CPM EVENTS & OUTREACHES: Miracles Tour Photos & Contemporary Christian Music Magazine article! MORE RESOURCES: I want to empower you with additional resources to deepen your walk with Jesus!  Chosen: Appointed for Favor, Destined for Greatness- Choose now and declare, “I am chosen!” and watch as the mysteries of heaven are opened to you. ADDITIONAL READING:  Transfigured by Grace, By Christina Perera & Jesus Is Provision You Will Not Lack! By Christina Perera SUPPORT: We cannot bring you this faith-building podcast without your financial gifts. Share the gospel of Jesus Christ by sponsoring an episode of Revealing Jesus!  Support Revealing Jesus and honor your loved one's special day. Get a special on-air dedication to your loved one! CONNECT: It's your turn to join the conversation on Revealing Jesus; tell us your burning questions about Jesus, your favorite Christian leaders, and your testimonies of God's goodness! STORE: Get your favorite gear from the store and help our ministry initiatives unite and reach a hurting world!     

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.

Zech 7:9-10, Proverbs 21:21, Micah 6:8, Proverbs 31:10 & 26, Luke 22:35-36

Zech 14:1-21, Rev 20:1-15, Ps 148:1-14, Pr 31:8-9

Zech 14:1-21, Rev 20:1-15, Ps 148:1-14, Pr 31:8-9

Zech 14:1-21, Rev 20:1-15, Ps 148:1-14, Pr 31:8-9

Zech 14:1-21, Rev 20:1-15, Ps 148:1-14, Pr 31:8-9

Audio reading: Gen 45:28-46:27, Zech 14:1-21, Rev 20:1-15, Psalm 148:1-14, Prov 31:8-9 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 12:1-13:9, Rev 19:1-21, Ps 147:1-20, Pr 31:1-7

Zech 12:1-13:9, Rev 19:1-21, Ps 147:1-20, Pr 31:1-7

Zech 12:1-13:9, Rev 19:1-21, Ps 147:1-20, Pr 31:1-7

Audio reading: Genesis 45:19-27, Zech 12:1-13:9, Rev 19:1-21, Psalm 147:1-20, Prov 31:1-7 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 12:1-13:9, Rev 19:1-21, Ps 147:1-20, Pr 31:1-7

Zech 10:1-11:17, Rev 18:1-24, Ps 146:1-10, Pr 30:33

Audio reading: Genesis 45:8-18, Zech 10:1-11:17, Rev 18:1-24, Psalm 146:1-10, Prov 30:33 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 10:1-11:17, Rev 18:1-24, Ps 146:1-10, Pr 30:33

Zech 10:1-11:17, Rev 18:1-24, Ps 146:1-10, Pr 30:33

Zech 10:1-11:17, Rev 18:1-24, Ps 146:1-10, Pr 30:33

Zech 9:1-17, Rev 17:1-18, Ps 145:1-21, Pr 30:32

Audio reading: Genesis 44:31-45:7, Zech 9:1-17, Rev 17:1-18, Psalm 145:1-21, Prov 30:22 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones!

Zech 9:1-17, Rev 17:1-18, Ps 145:1-21, Pr 30:32

Zech 9:1-17, Rev 17:1-18, Ps 145:1-21, Pr 30:32

2022-12-25 Morning Sermon

Zech 8:1-23, Rev 16:1-21, Ps 144:1-15, Pr 30:29-31

Zech 8:1-23, Rev 16:1-21, Ps 144:1-15, Pr 30:29-31

Zech 8:1-23, Rev 16:1-21, Ps 144:1-15, Pr 30:29-31

Audio reading: Genesis 44:18-30, Zech 8:1-23, Rev 16:1-21, Psalm 144:1-15, Prov 30:29-31 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Audio reading: Gen 43:30-44:17, Zech 6:1-7:14, Rev 15:1-8, Psalm 143:1-12, Prov 30:24-28 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 6:1-7:14, Rev 15:1-8, Ps 143:1-12, Pr 30:24-28

Zech 6:1-7:14, Rev 15:1-8, Ps 143:1-12, Pr 30:24-28

Zech 6:1-7:14, Rev 15:1-8, Ps 143:1-12, Pr 30:24-28

Audio reading: Gen 43:16-29, Zech 4:1-5, Rev 14:1-20, Psalm 142:1-7, Prov 30:21-23 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 4:1-5:11, Rev 14:1-20, Ps 142:1-7, Pr 30:21-23

Zech 4:1-5:11, Rev 14:1-20, Ps 142:1-7, Pr 30:21-23

Sunday 25th December 2022   Exploring topological typologies of Christ's Incarnation at Christmas!   Rivers of Tears Flow from My Eyes Because They Will Not Keep Your Word    Psalm 119:136   The Doctrine (or teaching) of Salvation is revealed clearly within the Bible but it is also legitimate to find revelation of it through the Creation, confirmed by the opening chapter of Romans verse 16 to 21:   16 I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save the non-Jews. 17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. God's way of making people right with him begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “The person who is made right with God by faith will live forever.”   Faith means believing in something unseen, in the Bible it has the same word meaning as believe or trust.   18 God's anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. 19 God shows his anger because everything that may be known about God has been made clear. Yes, God has clearly shown them everything that may be known about him. 20 There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand. They are made clear by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. 21    Thus the Word of God tells us that God has clearly shown us everything that may be known about him within the Word and without.   There are things about God that people cannot see,  but since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand.  They are made clear by what God has made.   The Bible teaches that God has made the world and everything in it, in such a way as to reveal things about Him.  God has created the world and done so like an artist or sculpture would do, leaving his signature or fingerprints on it for us to clearly see.     In this episode, we will look at how the mountains, rivers and seas in the Jordan Valley provide some fascinating pictures which glorify God and support teachings found throughout His Word.    Many thanks to Charlie Garrett whose analysis was the spark to light this work and further insight provided by other contributors to the body of Christ at the Superior Word church whilst studying the book of Joshua.  Thanks to Nikki Higgins for her fellowship and love including thoughtful discussion on the apologetic aspects of this presentation.  Thanks to Elsa Higgins for her observation about the Pre Tribulation rapture pictured by clouds that form before falling as rain on the Mount of Olives.   Thanks to Samuel Higgins for finding the Jordan River in Job 40.    Thanks to Joel Higgins for drawing my attention to the brother who was dead but now is alive.   Thanks to Grace Higgins for her love of the Rivers of Tears song we made up to soothe her when she was crying.   Thanks most of all to the Lord Jesus for guiding me through this study and comforting me with the two passages from 2nd Kings on the 8th Dec 22 when I found out the news of my brother's passing.   2 Kings 5:14 Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman. The messenger said, “Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed, and you will be clean.” The Doctrine of the Incarnation of Jesus our Saviour      The Christmas story.  The virgin born Saviour who took on flesh in order to live a perfect life which qualified as sacrificial atonement to be made as payment for the sins of all mankind.      “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 He who believes in God's Son is not judged guilty. He who does not believe has already been judged guilty, because he has not believed in God's only Son.    (John 3:16-19)   It is marvellous that this is illustrated through the Jordan River!   From the origination at Mount Hermon to the termination at the Dead Sea, God has provided a stunning picture to support the Bible narrative of Jesus coming down from Heaven, setting aside his divine attribute to Earth, Dying on the Cross for our sins, being buried and Rising again according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4).   Please seek to glorify the Lord in your heart as you follow these ten steps and praise our Lord, the Creator God !   “One that descends”.    The name "Jordan" means "descender."   Its name comes from the root ‘YARAD,' to descend.      Paul writes in Philippians 2:   “Christ himself was like God in everything. He was equal with God. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be held on to. He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God. He obeyed even when that caused his death—death on a cross. So God raised Christ to the highest place. God made the name of Christ greater than every other name. God wants every knee to bow to Jesus— everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Everyone will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” and bring glory to God the Father.    (Philippians 2:5-11)   The name of the majestic mountain which is the source for the Jordan River is Mount Hermon .  in the (Hebrew it is Chermon Phonetic Spelling: (kher-mone')  "sacred (mountain)"     In one place it is called Chermonim (Psalm 42:6) using the Hebrew plural ending as seen in the word Elohim which means God but has a plurality distinct from El.     Mount Hermon has three roughly equal sized summits, situated like the angles of a triangle, and equidistant about a quarter of a mile from each other. Hopefully you can imagine how this symbolises the Holy Trinity - three equal persons of God sharing one essence.   God The Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.      It is on this mountain that the scholars at Bible.org believe the transfiguration event occurred.  The transfiguration is a biblical event that appears in each of the Gospel books as an important moment in the life of Jesus and evidence of his divinity. After Jesus performs a series of miracles and foretells His own death, Jesus leads exactly three of his disciples, to Hermon and his appearance was radiantly transformed.     In Mark Chapter 9 we read: While these followers watched, Jesus was changed. 3 His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them. 4 Then two men appeared, talking with Jesus. The men were Moses and Elijah  (Mark 9:3-4)    Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Obey him!”    (Mark 9:7)    Jesus revealed his divine being.   Some rivers begin in mountains or hills, where rain water or snowmelt collects and forms small channels.   Some rivers begin where a natural spring releases water from underground. The Jordan River has three principal sources, all of which rise at the foot of Mount Hermon.  As the water springs up having descended from the holy place,  a picture of the virgin birth of Christ can be imagined. Isaiah 12:3 “With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation.” As the river flows into Galilee the river path is quite ordinary picturing the humble early life of Jesus - Can anything good come from Nazareth?  This changes once the river reaches the sea of Galilee - picturing the extraordinary life which is revealed during his ministry which begins with miracles and teaching around this very place.     The change to a zigzag pattern after the Jordan leaves Galilee pictures Jesus' teaching and miracles across Israel.     The Jordan river zigzags at least 153 miles, although if one is precise one can measure a river bed distance up to infinity - picturing the divine essence of Jesus.   Jesus is God and  Jesus is man.   The God/Man Jesus Died for Our Sins - this is pictured by water entering the Salt Sea or Dead Sea which cannot support life -     Fish carried in by the Jordan die quickly  - the salt content is way too high for life, being ten times more than the average level of salt in the sea. Salt has a cleansing property.  The sins of the believers are washed away by the shedding of Jesus' blood.   Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Jesus was Buried (The lowest point on Earth in terms of dry land is the shore of the Dead Sea)   The days between Jesus death and resurrection where the lowest point in the lives of his friends. 39 Nicodemus went with Joseph. Nicodemus was the man who earlier had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of spices. This was a mixture of myrrh and aloes. 40 These two men took Jesus' body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth. (This is how the Jews bury people.)     John 19:39-42   International Children's Bible   Just as Jesus' body was encased in valuable minerals as it was buried so too the water arriving in the dead sea is sitting above a treasure trove of minerals.   Most Valuable Piece of Land on Earth ( approx 5 trillion dollar ($5,000,000,000,000) chemical and mineral wealth is deposited at  Dead Sea ).   This vast value in some small way pictures the infinite price paid for the sins of potentially all people in the world.      Interesting fact!  The Dead Sea is known for its unique climate and the area has approx 330, (or 33 times 10) sunny days a year and Jesus' earthly life was 33 years!      Jesus Rose again  -  Water in the Salt Sea evaporates and this pictures the resurrection.  Evaporation is the process by which a liquid turns into a gas. It is also one of the three main steps in the water cycle.    It can be easily visualised when rain puddles “disappear” on a hot day or when wet clothes dry in the sun. In these examples, the liquid water is not actually vanishing—it is evaporating into a gas, called water vapour. A river crosses two lands, picturing Heaven and Hell.  The Children of Israel had to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land (amazingly Charlie deduced that this was on the very same day of the first Passover (which in itself pictures Jesus' innocent personal sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins and overcome death).   This pictures our need to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ's Sacrifice to escape the wilderness / Hell and enter The Promised Land / Heaven  The very stones and rivers bear testimony, to that invisible yet wonderful reality. The water descends so profoundly, picturing an all encompassing sanctity.   The Jordan River springs up at the foot of Hermon, continuing plainly until it reaches the Galilee.     Until His teaching ministry has yet begun, Jesus' life appears to be quite ordinary.    Now the river leaves Galilee,  its journey zigzags much more. Spreading across Israel teaching about the Door, The Father is revealed for everyone to see!   The Jordan River is where Jesus was baptised.  A voice from Heaven cried out “this is my beloved!” Yes the Father spoke! “this is My Son in whom I am well pleased” The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, His ministry was started.       Now when he was at the age of thirty, Miracles abound around the Sea of Galilee. The lame walk, the blind see and the dead are no longer affected Jesus's offer to Israel of the Kingdom is rejected.   Jesus's first advent and the Jordan River end unexpectedly. Instead of the river making its way to the ocean  The water meanders into the Salt or Dead Sea. God has produced an amazing topography!    Water in the sea evaporates under the 330 days of annual sun. Leaving behind the minerals and salt, which make swimming in it such fun! Salt has a cleansing property - a metaphor for the believers sins,  washed away by the shedding of Jesus' blood, for the remission of our sins.   Jesus left the Jordan River filled with the Holy Spirit.    All believers now benefit from the full dwelling of His Holy Spirit.    The water in the river symbolises the Spirit work which glorifies the Saviour,  For the Spirit of God named this typological river, the Descender.   Joshua and the Israelites had to cross the Descender  In doing so the Promised Land they would enter, We must simply believe in the cross work of Jesus  In doing so the Promised Land of Heaven we will surely enter!   We face a choice, which is free and freely offered. Please make a one time profession  Change your eternal destination!  faith in the Lord Jesus!   Change from death to life and be saved!  Yes, just call upon Him and you WILL be saved! Overcome death Just as He did! Simply by faith in just what He did!   Choose wisely.  Choose life!  Choose God's offer of forgiveness, Found in Christ! 2) How wonderful is the Word of God!   Humanly speaking, the Bible was written by approximately 40 men and women of diverse backgrounds over the course of 1500 years. Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra was a priest, Matthew was a tax-collector, John was a fisherman, Paul was a tentmaker, Moses was a shepherd, Luke was a physician. Despite being penned by different authors over 15 centuries, the Bible does not contradict itself and does not contain any errors.   The doctrine of the incarnation is referenced explicitly or implicitly by type or picture by all these writers.   God declares that His Creation will also reveal his invisible attributes which are clearly seen.   The metaphor of the Jordan River is astonishing yet is not alluded to by the writers, some of whom may not have even made the allegorical link.     As well as the Incarnation the following doctrines are pictured in and around the Jordan River: The Doctrine of the Sealing of the Holy Spirit The Dead Sea is the only place on earth where you can sunbathe for long periods with little or no sunburn because harmful ultraviolet rays are filtered through an extra thick atmospheric layer which contains evaporated water particles from the Dead Sea. The Doctrine of Eternal Salvation - in Joshua 3, the Children of Israel cross the river on dry land, the waters then resume to their natural level and there is no way to cross back in the same way. The Doctrine of the Trinity  - Hermon means Sacred - three equal height, equidistant mountain caps arranged in a triangle formation.   The Doctrine of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit  - in the way the water level falls at a place called Adam and is restored when the Ark picturing Christ's priestly work is pictured. The Doctrine of the 2nd Coming of Christ after the Rapture -  God has provided a living breathing Bible Eschatological Map!   Water enters dead sea 15.3 miles due East of Mount of Olives.   Some water evaporates and forms clouds (picturing the saints rescued in the pre tribulation rapture), some water is left behind and remains in the Dead Sea signifying those heading into the tribulation period.      The doctrine of the Kingdom Inauguration - The dead sea comes alive, signifying all Israel being saved Zech 12-14; Rom 11 (Israelogy - helps refutes Replacement Theology?) The doctrine of the first week of Creation - The river visits a place called Adam, and ends in death when Adam disobeys God leading to the Curse  (Fish dying as they reach the Dead Sea) The Sovereignty of God over His Creation (implied from all the above).  God created the water cycle in such a way that it serves as a continuous model which at the Jordan River pictures the death burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Either God has created the Geography of Israel to support key doctrines of the Bible or the writers of the Bible studied the geography and water cycle in and around the Jordan Valley in order to weave a story which was inspired by the Jordan River, yet did so without seeking barely any credit for their ingenuity!   The only verse hinting at the powerful significance of the Jordan River compared to all over rivers was found by Samuel Higgins in Job 40.   If the river floods, he will not be afraid.     He is not afraid even if the Jordan River rushes to his mouth.     Job 40:23   It is interesting that this is in the oldest book of the Bible, yet no other Bible authors make such a reference to the Jordan as far as I can find.   The pictures found in the Jordan river are not lying on the surface but have been left just under it for us to discover..   It is incredible that we are being blessed to know this now!   So the non believer has a choice to make. If the Bible was written without God the authors took this innocuous reference in the first book and then proceeded to weave the Jesus story ever more complex, without contradiction and yet consistent to the geography of the Jordan River  OR the almighty God made this to glorify Himself OR the connection is just a coincidence.   God graciously leaves the philosophical possibility of a coincidence open to us since it is not an understanding of evidence which pleases God it is faith alone. We all need to simply have faith or trust or belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.  Have you put your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins? Nothing can compare to the water that Christ offers us.   Let us close now by understanding how we can receive the forgiveness of God by believing the Gospel.  Salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone.   Grace is undeserved love. Faith or Belief is the act of trusting in something without seeing.    Ephesians 2 8-9  8 … you have been saved by grace because you believe. You did not save yourselves. It was a gift from God. 9 You cannot brag that you are saved by the work you have done.   We are saved only by believing in what Jesus did for us!   Any person regardless of swimming ability can exercise faith that they would not drown in the Salt Sea and they would float without any effort.   Undeserved floating instead of drowning as would occur in any other body of water on the planet.   The Doctrine of Salvation by Grace through Believing is pictured at the Dead Sea where the Descender dies.   The default position of man is one under condemnation (because of Adam's sin).   We all deserve to die because of participation in a world of sin, but there is only one place we can be to avoid this penalty.      The message of the Gospel is exclusive and non negotiable.  Jesus is the way the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.  “. . . for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23) Closing Verse:   2 Kings 5:14 14 So Naaman went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times. He did just as Elisha had said. Then Naaman's skin became new again. It was like the skin of a little boy. And Naaman was clean! Thank you Uncle Charlie's for your excellent sermons at SuperiorWord.org.  We learned that the water flow in and out of the Jordan river can be examined alongside the Bible record to highlight many important features of the Incarnation of the Second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God/Man.      RIVERS OF TEARS FLOW THROUGH MY EYES BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT KEEP YOU WORD!    Ps 119  --     Praise the Lord for he has provided us with a teaching model within the very place in His created world in which the Bible story unfolds.  This wonderfully reaffirms His Salvation plan through the Person of Jesus Christ.    Hallelujah and Amen  

Zech 4:1-5:11, Rev 14:1-20, Ps 142:1-7, Pr 30:21-23

Zech 2:1-3:10, Rev 13:1-18, Ps 141:1-10, Pr 30:18-20

Zech 2:1-3:10, Rev 13:1-18, Ps 141:1-10, Pr 30:18-20

Audio reading: Gen 42:19-43:15, Zech 2:1-3:10, Rev 12:18-13:18, Psalm 141:1-10, Prov 30:18-20 For an in-depth and well-researched article on this topic, click link below: How Close are We to the Mark of the Beast? https://thetorahhouse.com/how-close-are-we-to-the-mark-of-the-beast/ I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 2:1-3:10, Rev 13:1-18, Ps 141:1-10, Pr 30:18-20

Zech 1:1-21, Rev 12:1-17, Ps 140:1-13, Pr 30:17

In the last episode of the season and in preparation for Christmas, Gordon and Ashley talk about the deep spiritual significance behind the powerful name of God—Immanuel. Scripture(s) Referenced: Is. 7:14 & 9:6, Zech.2:10-11, John 1:1-5, John 1:14, 1 Cor. 3:16, Rev. 21:3 Become CBN Partner today! Visit: https://go.cbn.com/ueVqq

Audio reading: Gen 41:53-42:18, Zech 1:1-21, Rev 12:1-17, Psalm 140:1-13, Prov 30:17 I invite you in to Jacob's tent where we dive in to the Word of God. Join me in this Journey through the entire bible in one year focusing on the biblical calendar, the feasts and the Torah reading cycle. In Matthew 4:4, Yeshua said these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Taking in the word of God every day is LIFE to our spirit and health to our bones! Visit us at: dailyaudiotorah.com

Zech 1:1-21, Rev 12:1-17, Ps 140:1-13, Pr 30:17

Zech 1:1-21, Rev 12:1-17, Ps 140:1-13, Pr 30:17