[Posted May 3, 2024]

Thanks Mike,

That cleared it up well for me.

As far as what’s going on over in the middle east, I guess all we can do is follow our Lord’s will Psalms 122:6   Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Always in the love of God,
K____

Hi K____,

I am thankful you were helped.

I do need to point out who the ‘Jerusalem’ is for whose peace we are instructed to pray. The Lord reveals to us that from His perspective “Jerusalem which now is… is Agar [Hagar], and is in bondage with her children [and] will not be made heir with the son of the free woman… Jerusalem above the mother of us all”:

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28  Now we [Gentile converts], brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

From God’s perspective it is those who are in Christ, with absolutely no regard to physical descent or physical pedigree, who are the children of Abraham. It is not the physical Jews nor is it physical Christians who say ‘Lord, Lord’ but will not do the things He says’, like “Love thine enemies… resist not evil… turn the other cheek”, etc. etc.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Christ goes on in the very next verses to say:

Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

The whole Christian world who believes we are to fight and kill our enemies and the enemies of Israel are building their “house… without a foundation” and the coming storm will cause that house to fall and the ruin of that house will be great”.

There is not one Christian minister in a thousand who would dare say that “Hagar answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”, simply because God has not given them eyes that see nor ears that hear… the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given [Jews who believed on Christ but had no use for His words (John 8)]
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

These are the same ‘Jews’, signifying the Christian churches, who tell us to support physical Israel, or we will be cursed. These are the same Jews who were Abraham’s physical descendants, and who believed on Christ, and yet they wanted to kill him:

Joh 8:30  As he spake these words, many [Jews] believed on him.
Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, [we are Christians, we support Israel], and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin [Whoever ignores ‘Love your enemies, resist not evil, turn the other cheek].
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you [The same as saying, ‘I know you claim to be Christians, but my word has no place in you’].
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father [You are of your father the devil (Christians or Jews who say ‘Lord, Lord’ but do not do the things He says Luk 6:46)].
Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father [‘We are Christians, we support Israel’]. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father [‘Go fight and kill for God and country and ignore what Christ says’]. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Joh 8:46  Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
Joh 8:47  He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

“You cannot hear My Word” does not mean they did not literally hear. It means they are not given to do what Christ says to do.

If we are not “given” to understand that the Jewish religion of Christ’s day signifies the Christian religion of our day, the New Testament will mean nothing to us. If Christ were to return in the weak flesh He came in two thousand years ago, with the same doctrine He brought at that time, it would be professing Christians who would be the first to say, as our presidents all believe… “Turn the other cheek is not good foreign policy.”

One of our presidents said those very words and was given a standing ovation. Another president said that he would be the hero of both the Christian community and the LGBTQ+ community. The Truth is:

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Without fail, the rejected master in this age will always be Christ and His uncompromising doctrines.

The ‘Jerusalem’ for whose peace we are to be praying is to be found in these words which instruct us for whom we are to be praying:

Joh 17:9  I pray for them [“Jerusalem above” (Gal 4:26) those who do what Christ says to do (Luk 6:46)]: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Paul urges us to pray that we, those who do what Christ says, can live in peace in this present Christ-rejecting world. It is in complete accord with what Christ prayed to His Father the night of His apprehension by the Jews in John 17:9:

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2  For kings, and for all that are in authority [Pray “for kings and for all in authority” to be saved in this present time? That is not what Paul is saying at all. Read the rest of this verse]; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth [Via “Your mercy” which they will receive “when Sodom… returns to her former estate” (Rom 11:31-32, Eze 16:55)].

This reveals “the peace of Jerusalem… Jerusalem above, the mother of us all” (Gal 4:26) for whom we are instructed to pray… “Not for the world but for those You have given Me” (Joh 17:9).

Praying you are given eyes that see and ears that hear,

YbiChrist, Mike

Exodus 30:1-16  The Making of the Incense Altar and the Atonement Offering

[Study Aired December 19, 2022]

Exo 30:1  And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. 
Exo 30:2  A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. 
Exo 30:3  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 
Exo 30:4  And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. 
Exo 30:5  And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo 30:6  And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
Exo 30:7  And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 
Exo 30:8  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 
Exo 30:9  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 
Exo 30:10  And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD. 
Exo 30:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 30:12  When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 
Exo 30:13  This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. 
Exo 30:14  Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 
Exo 30:15  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Exo 30:16  And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

Today’s study focuses on the altar of incense and the atonement offering. In order to understand the spiritual significance of the altar of incense, we will trace our steps from the entrance of the tabernacle to the Holy of Holies. We start our journey into the Holy of Holies as we enter the tabernacle courtyard to offer sacrifice to the Lord for our sins. It is worth noting that it was only Israelites who could enter the courtyard of the tabernacle. These Israelites represent our lives in Babylon. We enter the courtyard to offer sacrifice to the Lord at the altar in the courtyard. This sacrifice is Christ whose blood cleanses us from our sins. However, we go back to become worse off as a result of the false doctrines we receive in Babylon or the physical churches of this world. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
Heb 9:14  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

However, if we are granted to become priests in this life, then we are given to know our spiritual poverty which grants us access to the laver in the courtyard which holds water for our ceremonial cleansing. As we are aware, water represents the word of God and so at this stage of our lives, we are given to begin to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This is accompanied by our trials and tribulations because of the word we have received. These fiery trials cause us to learn righteousness.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Learning righteousness through our trials and tribulations is what grants us the grace to be able to put on our priestly garments which reflect the righteousness of the saints. Putting on these priestly garments is the same as putting on Christ. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Once we have put on the priestly garments, we have access to the holy place of the Tent of Meeting to commune with the Lord which is symbolized by the offering of incense at the incense altar in the Holy Place. 

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

As we know, the temple is our bodies where the Lord dwells. As we are cleansed through the words of the Lord which bring about our fiery trials, our hearts and mind becomes a holy place for the Lord to dwell in. It is within our hearts and minds that we are building this altar of incense before the Lord. We, therefore, have this treasure in the earthen vessel of our flesh.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Today’s study will show us how we can build this altar of incense within us.

Exo 30:1  And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

In Scripture, incense is often associated with prayer. David prayed, “May my prayer be set before you like incense.” In his vision of heaven, John saw that the elders around the throne “were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” In the Gospel according to Luke, as Zechariah the priest was offering incense in the temple, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. The altar of incense then, can be seen as a symbol of the prayers of God’s people. Our prayers ascend to God as the smoke of the incense ascending to God in the sanctuary.

Psa 141:2  Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Rev 8:5 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev 8:3  And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 

Luk 1:9  According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 
Luk 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

So, the instructions about the making of an altar of incense are basically to show us how we can communicate with the Lord. The altar of incense is required to be made of shittim wood which comes from acacia. Apart from the fact that acacia wood grows wild in the desert, it is considered incorruptible. It is very dense and resistant both to disease and insects, just like cedar. What this means is that to be effective in communicating with the Lord, we must know that it is all the work of the Lord and that we do not contribute anything to this just as the Lord cares for acacia wood in the desert. Since we do not bring anything to the table, our prayers before the Lord must be accompanied with a heart that is humble and grateful for being counted worthy to come before His presence. That is what the story of the two gentlemen who went to pray teaches us.

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 
Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbled himself shall be exalted.

Exo 30:2  A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same. 
Exo 30:3  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 

The shape of the altar of incense was to be a square. This implies that from whatever situation we find ourselves as a priest of the Lord, we must offer prayers to the Lord. That is another way of saying that men must always pray and not faint.

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

There is a horn at each of the four corners of the square-shaped altar of incense. Horns symbolize strength. This is to let us know that our strength to resist the devil is through prayers. As He is, so are we. Jesus was strengthened when He prayed. In the same way, we are also strengthened to overcome temptation when we pray.

Luk 22:40  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luk 22:41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 

Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

The fact that the altar of incense must be overlaid means that to become a house of prayer, we must be refined just like gold refined in the fire. As we are aware, if we are to become a house of prayer, then Jesus has to come into our temple to drive away all that offends with a scourge of small cords. The scourging signifies our fiery trials or the refining process of gold which cleanses us to become a house of prayer. 

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 

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

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 

Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Exo 30:4  And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. 
Exo 30:5  And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

Rings of gold were attached to the altar so that it could be carried about with acacia wood poles that were slipped through the rings. The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. In Ezekiel chapter 1, the living creatures who represent the elect, have wheels which are rings full of eyes. These living creatures represent the elect. The two rings of gold are therefore the elect who serve as witness of Christ. 

Eze 1:15  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 
Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 
Eze 1:17  When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 
Eze 1:18  As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

The staves are long rods of wood which pass through the rings to make it easier to carry the altar. The function of the staves suggests that spiritually, they represent the spirit of the Lord which helps us bear Christ wherever we go. These staves are made from shittim wood and therefore are not of man’s origin but of the Lord. The staves being in the rings means the promise of the comforter being within us to lead us into all truth so we can have the mind of Christ and therefore “carry” Christ wherever we go.

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Exo 30:6  And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

As we indicated, the altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where the mercy seat of the ark of the testimony was placed. It is in the Holy of Holies that the Lord meets with us before the mercy seat. The veil represents the flesh of Christ and therefore represents our flesh as well. It is when our flesh is done away with that we can meet and commune with the Lord in our hearts and mind.

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

It is through being wounded by our fiery trials that this veil of the flesh is gradually taken away from us. In the Song of Solomon, it is the watchmen that took away the veil from us. These watchmen, or the keepers of the walls, are the Lord’s elect, and it is the words of the Lord that come out from us that wounds us. What this means is that through what every joint supplies, our veils are removed. 

Son 5:7  The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

Exo 30:7  And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 
Exo 30:8  And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 

Aaron was instructed to burn incense on the altar each morning and at twilight, every day, as a regular offering to the Lord. The fire used to burn the incense was always taken from the altar of burnt offering outside the sanctuary.

Lev 16:12  And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

As we have indicated, sweet incense represents our prayers. The lamps symbolize the word of the Lord.

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Burning incense in the morning and evening means that we should always pray and not faint and that our prayers and the word of the Lord must go together.  It also means that the basis of our prayers must be in line with the word of the Lord.

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Exo 30:9  Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

If our prayers are not guided by the word of the Lord, then we are offering strange incense before the Lord. When we are given to false doctrines, our offering of incense, burnt offering, meat offering or drink offering become an abomination to the Lord. These instructions were not heeded by Aaron’s sons as they performed their priestly duty before the Lord. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord and as a result, died before Him.

Lev 10:1  And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 
Lev 10:2  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

This was written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. We must therefore not be carried away by divers and strange doctrines.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Exo 30:10  And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD. 

Aaron here represents the Lord Jesus Christ who atoned for our sins with His own blood.

Heb 9:11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

As we are aware, our bodies are the temple of the living God which is being purged by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Exo 30:11  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 30:12  When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.
Exo 30:13  This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.
Exo 30:14  Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.
Exo 30:15  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Exo 30:16  And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

A simpler rendition of these verses is as follows:

Exo 30:11  And the Lord said to Moses, 
Exo 30:12  When you are taking the number of the children of Israel, let every man who is numbered give to the Lord a price for his life, so that no disease may come on them when they are numbered. 
Exo 30:13  And this is what they are to give; let every man who is numbered give half a shekel, by the scale of the holy place: the shekel being valued at twenty gerahs: this money is an offering to the Lord. 
Exo 30:14  Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, is to give an offering to the Lord. 
Exo 30:15  The man of wealth is to give no more and the poor man no less than the half-shekel of silver, when the offering is made to the Lord as the price for your lives.
Exo 30:16  And you are to take this money from the children of Israel to be used for the work of the Tent of meeting, to keep the memory of the children of Israel before the Lord and to be the price of your lives. (BBE)

The question is, “Who were those being counted?” They were male Israelites who were twenty years old and above as stated in verse 14. Being twenty years is a symbol of being ready to go to war in our heavens. This means that those who are being counted represent the elect who are ready to war or are warring against the flesh. We must remember that women in Israel were not counted. The reason is simple: In the sight of the Lord, there is only one woman (one church) who is the bride of Christ. That is why women are not counted. In Babylon, however, there are several women who are not part of the commonwealth of Israel. All these, show us the privilege we have received of being part of the bride of Christ.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Num 1:22  Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Another question to ask is, “Why would Moses count the Israelites?” It is because the Lord wants to demonstrate to us His ability to keep us safe in this life irrespective of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. This is alluded to in verse 12 when the Lord asked Moses to let those counted give back to the Lord for keeping them safe.

Exo 30:12  Find out how many grown men there are in Israel and require each of them to pay me to keep him safe from danger while you are counting them. (CEV)

In numbers, after the men of war were counted, none was found missing!! Indeed, the Lord is able to keep us from falling and to preserve us faultless until that day!!

Num 31:49 and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us.”

In view of the Lord’s preservation, which is because of His mercies, what shall we render unto Him? That is the import of Verse 13. We are to give back to the Lord for His mercies toward us. In verse 13 and 15, everybody, irrespective of whether one is rich or poor, offers the same amount of money – half shekels to the Lord.  The giving of the shekels here represents the giving of our lives to the Lord. Remember that both Jesus and Joseph were exchanged for money. What this means is that we are to offer ourselves wholly to the Lord as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord in view of His mercies towards us.

Psa 116:12  What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
Psa 116:13  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. 
Psa 116:14  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people. 
Psa 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. 
Psa 116:16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds. 
Psa 116:17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Gen 37:28  Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Mat 26:15  And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him [Jesus] unto you? And they covenanted with him [Judas] for thirty pieces of silver.

It is insightful to note that Psalm 116:15 shows us that the death of the Lord’s saints is precious in His eyes. The death here refers to being dead to the flesh. It is when we are dying to the flesh that we can offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord. That is the sacrifice of thanksgiving mentioned here in Psalm 116:17 which is pleasing to the Lord.

In the sight of the Lord, every elect offers the same thing – our bodies as a living sacrifice. That is why in the body of Christ, there is no hierarchy. That is why the Lord hates the Nicolaitan doctrine of Babylon. Of course, we do have leaders, but they are there to serve, instead of being served.  Because we all offer the same thing, that is why the reward we are to receive is also the same for every elect!! We need to also note that the atonement offering collected was used for services of the tabernacle. As we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, we are able to be part of what every joint supplies in the church.

May the Lord grant us the grace to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him in view of His mercies towards us!! Amen!!

Daniel – Dan 9:1-27  O Daniel, I am now Come Forth to Give Thee Skill and Understanding

[Study Aired January 31, 2022]

Dan 9:1  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 
Dan 9:2  In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 
Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 
Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 
Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 
Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 
Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 
Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 
Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 
Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 
Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. 
Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 
Dan 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 
Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 
Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 
Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

Chapter 9 of Daniel is about the prayer of Daniel for his people for deliverance from their Babylonian captivity and the coming of Gabriel to explain to Daniel what has been determined by the Lord concerning Israel, who represents the elect in this case. The coming of Gabriel was in answer to Daniel’s prayer, and what He told Daniel concerning the details of the seventy weeks affirms to us that all things are ours including both good and evil!!

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

Dan 9:1  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

Darius means Lord, and it is the name of several kings of Media and Persia. Ahasuerus stands for mighty man and Chaldea means clod-breakers. The English Dictionary defines clod as a lump of earth. So, what we are being told is that Christ (Darius), the son of God (mighty), reigns in the lives of those who have victory over the flesh (clod-breakers).

1Ch 29:11  Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 

Dan 9:2  In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

The number one signifies unity. Thus, the first year of Darius’ reign is to let us know that in union with Christ, we are made to understand through the word of the Lord that our captivity in Babylon lasts until our rebellion against God is made complete (70=7×10).

Jer 25:11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 25:12  And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. 

Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 

Prayers which are recorded in the scriptures are all in line with the perfect will of the Lord. In other words, they are prayers of faith as mentioned by James in the scriptures and follow the pattern of our Lord’s Jesus’ guidelines for prayer.

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 
Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 

Prayer grants us access to the throne of grace where we receive mercy and grace to help us in our times of need. In the presence of the Lord, we are strengthened to overcome the pulls of the flesh through temptation.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Here in verse 3 we are shown the ingredients that make our prayer effective. The first one is fasting. We are not talking about physical denial of ourselves of food as our brothers and sisters in Babylon call fasting. We are speaking about true spiritual fasting which entails breaking the bands of wickedness, that is to stop sinning in our lives, and denying ourselves from taking in false doctrines. This is what makes our prayer heard.

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 
Isa 58:9  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 

Another ingredient for effective fervent prayer mentioned in verse 3 is being in sackcloth and ashes. Being in sackcloth is understanding the mourning nature of our walk with Christ. We therefore come before Him understanding that we deserve His judgment because of our sins. Being in ashes speaks of our coming before Him knowing we are not worthy of His presence.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

Gen 18:27  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

Job 30:19  He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

Job 42:6  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

The essence of the parable by Jesus about the Pharisee and the publican who went to the temple to pray is to remind us of our unworthiness as we come before the Lord. Being unworthy before the Lord is the same as being in ashes.

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 

As indicated, Daniel’s prayer follows the guidelines given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ when the disciples asked Him to show them how to pray. Daniel started praying by praising and worshiping the Lord and acknowledging His greatness. Keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him is the same as saying ‘our Lord’s kingdom come and His will be done in earth’.

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 

These verses show us how we had strayed by not adhering to His words. We therefore come before His presence asking for forgiveness. This confession of our sins is the same as what is said in the Lord’s prayer as follows:

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 
Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

According to Strong, the word confusion means shame. We experience shame when we come before His presence because we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord. The good news, however, is that when we come before His presence, we receive mercy to help us at our point of need.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 

In Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 15, we are told that if we do not follow after the commandments and statutes of the Lord, then we are cursed. As a matter of fact, we experienced the curses of the Lord just like the Israelites during our walk with Christ when we were not made to obey the words of the Lord. It was after Christ came to us with the brightness of His coming that the Lord started the process of delivering us from the curses of the law.

Deu 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 

Deu 28:20  The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 

The fact that we are undergoing evil or judgment is to confirm the words of the Lord which He spoke against us. The statement in the latter end of verse 12 says that the whole heaven had not been done as had been done upon Jerusalem is to let us know that this evil or judgment must begin with the elect (Jerusalem) first in this life. Later, in another age, all humanity will also experience judgment.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 

Here in verse 13, we are given insight into the fact that evil (judgment) that comes upon us is for the purpose of turning us away from iniquity and coming to understand the truth. However, until Christ comes to us with the brightness of His coming to destroy the beast within, we do not turn from our iniquities, and we do not understand the truth of the word of the Lord which is able to set us free.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 
Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 

Our coming out of the world (Egypt) was through the mighty hands of the Lord. However, since we were not given eyes to see or ears to hear, we continued to do the lust of our father, the devil, and therefore we incurred the anger and fury of our Lord. This continues until the Lord comes in with His brightness which is the word, to start the process of destroying the beast within us.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 
Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. 

The sanctuary that is desolate refers to our inability to offer our bodies representing the temple of God as a place for the habitation of the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

As Romans 12:2 says, when our mindset and actions conform to that of this world, then basically, we are not being affected by the word of the Lord. This means that the beast within is the one who is exalting himself above all that is called God and sits in the temple of God.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

In the fullness of time, however, for the sake of bearing our Lord’s name or being called and chosen by the Lord, He will come to our aid to forgive us our sins and sanctify our temples through His judgment. It all starts when He brings us to a point when we humble ourselves or come to know that we are the greatest sinners, just like how Daniel recognized his sinfulness together with the people of Israel.

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 
Dan 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

As indicated, it is while we come to understand our spiritual depravity that the Lord comes to our aid. In this case, Gabriel came to the scene to give Daniel the skills to understand the mysteries surrounding how the Lord deals with His people. As we revealed in the previous study of the second part of Daniel chapter 8, Gabriel means man of God. This man who appeared before Daniel in the vision is Christ, and since Christ is sending us, we are now playing the role of Gabriel. So, Gabriel also stands for the elect who are the messengers of the Lord.

Joh 20:21  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

In verse 23, Christ is telling the elect, represented by Daniel, that our role is to give the body of Christ skills to understand the word of God. This word of the Lord is what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In verse 21, it is stated that while Daniel was still praying, Gabriel came to him in a swift flight. For our sake, our Lord will speedily come to our aid to cleanse our temple and make it habitable for Him to take residence within us.

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 

In verse 21, it is also stated that Gabriel came and touched Daniel at the time of the evening sacrifice. What this means is that it is when the day is over in our lives, that is, when sin has run its course in our lives as we count it pleasure to riot in the daytime, Christ comes in with the brightness of His coming to judge us to make us offer our bodies as living sacrifice for the Lord.

2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 

Mal 3:2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 
Mal 3:4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 
Mal 3:5  “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

The next few verses of Daniel chapter 9 deal with how we become marred in the hand of the potter and how He makes it again into another vessel as seems good for the Lord.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

We must remember that Gabriel coming to Daniel was in answer to Daniel’s prayer requesting the Lord to intervene in the circumstances of Israel regarding their captivity in Babylon. Thus, the answer given by Gabriel involves the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites. Before we go into the details of the seventy weeks, we need to understand that in the spiritual realm, or in the presence of the Lord, weeks, days, months and years are irrelevant as a day can be a year or even a thousand years and vice versa.

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The seventy weeks, therefore, represents the complete period in our lives where we are overcome by sin, judged by the Lord to learn righteousness and to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord as we become His elect or anointed. Please note that the words “seal up” of the phrase “seal up the vision and prophecy” means to make an end.

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 

Here, we are made to understand that the seventy weeks are divided into three time periods. The first seven weeks, the second sixty-two weeks and the final one week, making a total of seventy weeks. The first seven weeks and the next sixty-two weeks is the period starting with the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem and ending with Christ coming into our lives. The time in our lives while in Babylon was when we began realizing our spiritual bankruptcy. That was when the commandment to restore and build us (Jerusalem) began. However, sin had not run its full course in our lives, and so the sixty-two weeks represents, while in our captivity in Babylon, we became worse off, or sin ran its full course. That is when we come to our wits’ end and realize we cannot help ourselves. Our spiritual degradation in Babylon is the result of what we hear from our “men of God” in Babylon. These speak great swelling words of man’s wisdom which makes us worse off.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

The streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in the troublesome times in verse 25 is to make us aware that if we are called and chosen, symbolized by Jerusalem, then in spite of all we go through, we shall be restored but through fire as symbolized by the “troublous times”. This troublesome time is when Christ comes into His temple (our bodies) to put things in order.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

This verse shows us our state at the end of the sixty-two weeks, which represents the period in our lives while in Babylonian captivity when we become worse off. The cutting off of the Messiah is to let us know that during this period, Christ is basically dead to us. In other words, we have replaced Christ with another Jesus. The people we were taught were of Christ were rather ravenous wolves who come to make our temple (bodies) desolate such that we cannot offer our bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

Verse 27 focuses on the last week of the seventy weeks. This last week is when the Lord comes to do His quick work on us. It is in the last week, that is, the complete period of our walk with Christ when we come to see the abomination of desolation in our temple (bodies). Seeing this abomination of desolation signifies that the end of the old man or beast within is at hand as the Lord will pour out His judgment on the old man.

Rom 9:28  For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 

Through signs and wonders, the evil one deceives us into thinking that the Lord had confirmed the covenant with us only to see our temple desolate and therefore being unable to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. However, in our Lord’s mercy, it is at this point that He comes to us with the brightness of His coming to destroy the abomination of desolation in our temple (the old man within).

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

Jdg 13:15-25 We Shall Surely Die, for We Have Seen God

[Study Aired July 5, 2021]

Jdg 13:15  And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. 
Jdg 13:16  And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. 
Jdg 13:17  And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? 
Jdg 13:18  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? 
Jdg 13:19  So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. 
Jdg 13:20  For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. 
Jdg 13:21  But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. 
Jdg 13:22  And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. 
Jdg 13:23  But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these. 
Jdg 13:24  And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. 
Jdg 13:25  And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. 

The first part of Judges Chapter 13 focuses on the encounter of an angel of the Lord with the wife of Manoah concerning the birth of a child who was to be born a Nazarite from birth. The angel also gave instructions about what must be done to give birth to the child. Here the woman was advised not to drink wine nor strong drink nor eat an unclean thing. Spiritually speaking, to be advised not to drink wine or strong drink is being warned to avoid taking in false doctrines which will make us unable to bring forth a son – the new man!! Unclean thing also signifies false doctrines which comes from spiritually dead children of God. It can also imply unrighteousness as follows:

Lev 20:21  And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.

So if we want to give birth to the new man, then we must avoid taking in false doctrines and live righteously!!

Today’s study continues with the encounter with the angel of the Lord and the birth of a son called Sampson.

Jdg 13:15  And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. 

Usually, when we have an encounter with the Lord, we want to preserve the experience. For example, there are times that the Holy Spirit brings us inexplicable joy or we are miraculously provided for or protected.  We think we can preserve this experience of anointing by doing something for the Lord. The same thing happened to Peter when he was with our Lord Jesus Christ when He was transfigured and saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. This is what ensued:

Mat 17:3  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 
Mat 17:4  Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 
Mat 17:5  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 

So here our Lord Jesus was telling Peter that what is most important in our walk with Christ is not what we do, but hearing His voice. In other words, when our eyes begin to see and our ears begin to hear, that is the ultimate experience we can have with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Jdg 13:16  And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

When we do not know the Lord, just as Manoah did not know the angel of the Lord, we think that we can please the Lord by what we do. Here in verse 16, however, the Lord told Manoah that He will not eat of his bread, which means that He is not interested in our works when we do not know Him. We also used to think like Manoah that we must offer something to God. All over the world, people are offering praise and worship, building exotic churches, evangelizing the world, praying and fasting for forty days, etc. However, none of these things is what the Lord requires if we do not know Him intimately through His words. The Lord calls all these works we do when we do not know Him as works of iniquity.

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What the Lord required of Manoah was a burnt offering to the Lord. The traditional burnt offering by Israel was carried out using a bull, sheep, or goat; a male with no defect. These animals were killed at the entrance to the tabernacle. The animal’s blood was drained, and the priest sprinkled blood around the altar. The animal was skinned and cut into pieces, the intestines and legs washed, and the priest burned the pieces over the altar all night. A turtledove or pigeon could also be sacrificed, although they weren’t skinned. The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God as “a soothing aroma to the LORD”.

Lev 1:9  But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ultimate burnt offering for our sins. As He is, so are we here on earth. We, too, are being offered as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Offering our bodies as a living sacrifice means that we, too, must be without blemish. A vital ingredient in a burnt offering is the fire which consumes the flesh and causes smoke which is the sweet aroma to the Lord.  This fire is our judgment. We are first to be judged here on earth so that we will learn righteousness or become unblemished. It is this fire, or judgment, that burns down our flesh or the old man and causes us to offer a sweet aroma of smoke to the Lord. This is what the Lord requires, not what we, of ourselves, offer!!

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Jdg 13:17  And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? 

This verse is to confirm to us the fact that Manoah did not know the Lord. That is why he was asking the angel of the Lord His name. He was not even sure whether what the angel was saying will come to pass. He was going to wait until what the angel said comes to pass before he honors the angel. That is not faith. Blessed are those who have not seen but yet believe!!

Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

As mentioned in the previous review, if we know Him intimately, then when we hear His voice. We do not need to ask who is speaking.

Joh 21:4  But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
Joh 21:5  Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
Joh 21:6  And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Joh 21:7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 
Joh 21:8  And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
Joh 21:9  As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
Joh 21:10  Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
Joh 21:11  Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
Joh 21:12  Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Jdg 13:18  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

This verse is the same as saying that we have a God who hides Himself from the world and reveals Himself to only a chosen few in this life!! The phrase “Seeing it is secret” means that the name is known to only those that our Lord chooses to reveal.

Isa 45:15  Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Jdg 13:19  So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. 

As indicated earlier, the only way we can please the Lord is to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord. That is when we see our Lord Jesus do “wondrously” in our lives. Manoah and his wife looking on means that we are not partakers of what God is doing in our lives. It is the work of God alone, not us. Our victory is standing still to see the salvation of the Lord.

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

In the next verse, we shall explain what it means by the angel doing wondrously by what took place while offering the sacrifice to the Lord. In Darby’s version of this verse, he states that an amazing thing happened while the sacrifice was going on.

Jdg 13:19  So Manoah took a young goat over to a large rock he had chosen for an altar, and he built a fire on the rock. Then he killed the goat, and offered it with some grain as a sacrifice to the LORD. But then an amazing thing happened. (Darby)

Let’s now take a look at this amazing thing that happened!!

Jdg 13:20  For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. 

The flame here is the word of God which goes into our heavens to cleanse us of every false doctrine and all that offends. As this cleansing work of the word of God is going on in our lives, that is when we see Christ rise up in our heart (the angel of the Lord ascended in the flames).

Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The light that shines in dark place in 1 Peter 1:19 is the cleansing flame of the altar, which is the word of God which results in the day star (Christ) rising in our hearts. This is the wondrous work that Jesus Christ, the angel of the Lord, does in our lives as we watch this spectacle just like Manoah and his wife. The fact that Manoah and his wife were watching this display means that they have no part to play in this wondrous work of the Lord. We all can only stand and see the salvation of the Lord. We are too weak to help ourselves. All the work of salvation is of the Lord.  We play no part in it but only accept this work with grateful heart.

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Psa 107:10  Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; 
Psa 107:11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:14  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Psa 107:15  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Manoah and his wife falling on their faces as they saw this wondrous work by the angel of the Lord is the same as worshiping the Lord or showing gratitude for what God was doing.  We, too, must show exceeding gratefulness for how far God has brought us through this wondrous work of the Lord. Each one of us has a reason to praise the Lord in spite of our circumstance. For we brought nothing into this world and we cannot carry anything out of this world.

1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

“We brought nothing into this world” can spiritually be interpreted as having no part to play in this work of salvation while we live in this world. Carrying nothing out means that when we die spiritually, we leave behind everything that is of the world within us behind which is this wonderful work of the Lord we are discussing. “Having food and raiment” means being fed by the word of the Lord which produces the righteousness of Christ in us. That is what we need to be satisfied with in this life irrespective of our circumstances. Let us all, therefore, with gratefulness of heart say to the Lord like the Psalmist:

Psa 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psa 34:2  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
Psa 34:3  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Psa 34:4  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psa 34:5  They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Psa 34:6  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Psa 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Jdg 13:21  But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.

It is surprising that it was when the angel of the Lord ceased to appear before Manoah and his wife that Manoah perceived his encounter was indeed with the angel of the Lord. When Jesus was on earth, he told his disciples that it was expedient that he went away. What our Lord Jesus was implying was that his physical presence with the disciples was even a hindrance to their growth spiritually. The benefits of Christ going away for us as his elect are spelled out in the following scriptures:

Joh 16:5  But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?
Joh 16:6  But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

So the angel not appearing to Manoah and his wife again was advantageous for them to know the Lord. It was in the absence of the physical presence of the angel of the Lord that Manoah perceived that they have indeed had an encounter with the Lord of Hosts. That is what it means when the Lord said to Thomas that blessed are those who have not seen but yet believe.

Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

We, too, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, are being ushered into all truth to know who the angel of the Lord is (Jesus Christ). We do not need any apparition to authenticate the presence of the Lord in our lives. As long as our eyes are seeing and our ears are hearing who the angel of the Lord (Jesus Christ) is, we have fellowship with our Lord Jesus and our Father and we are most blessed!!

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Jdg 13:22  And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

This verse means that we must go through the dying process of the old man or the flesh before we can see God or get to know the Lord Jesus Christ.  For whosoever has seen God or claims to know God must have been died, or in the process of dying to the flesh. 

Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

This death is through the process of judgment. The story of the raising up of Lazarus from death is to give us insight into why we should die before we can see the Lord. When we do not know the Lord, we are spiritually dead like the death of Lazarus. Being spiritually dead means being under the dominion of the flesh. It is just like being bound hand and foot with our face covered by a napkin and a stone covering our tomb. The stone covering our tomb prevents light from reaching us.  So also is the covering of napkin which prevents us from seeing Christ. It is only when we die to the flesh and are resurrected by our Lord Jesus Christ that all that bids us, including the stone and the napkin that covers our face, are set loose or removed.  It is then that we can see the Lord Jesus clearly. So without dying, there is no way that we can see Christ.

Joh 11:14  Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Joh 11:15  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 
Joh 11:16  Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
Joh 11:41  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

Joh 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Joh 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Jdg 13:23  But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

This verse is assuring us that we haven’t come this far in our walk with Christ for Him to abort or kill our dream of knowing Him. No!! He Who has started with us is able to bring us to completion. Here the verse mentioned two things that should assure us that our Lord will fulfill that which He has started.

The first thing mentioned is that of the receipt of the burnt and meat offering by the Lord. This means that we should focus on offering our bodies as living sacrifices holy and acceptable to God. Offering our bodies this way means we are not conforming to this world, but rather we are being transformed by the renewing of our mind by the word of God. That is the only way we can know the will of God.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The second thing that was said in verse 23 is that if the Lord wanted to kill them (Manoah and his wife), He would not have shown them things concerning the birth of their son and how to raise him. What we are being told here is that as long as we are seeing and hearing the word of the Lord concerning the birth of the new man in our lives, we should be rest assured that God will finish His work in us.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Jdg 13:24  And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

The son born to Manoah and his wife is the new man after the image of Christ. This new man comes only when we start the dying process. According to Strong, “Sampson” means sunlight. The coming of this new man is when the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shines on us.

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

As the old man continues to die, the new man continues to grow, and we are therefore blessed.

Jdg 13:25  And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Before we can understand what the spirit is saying in this verse, we need to know the meaning of the two places mentioned in this verse – Zorah and Eshtaol. According to Strong, “Zorah” means a type of wasp called a hornet. In the scriptures, there are only two places that the word “hornet” are used, and it was in relation to the defeat of the enemies of Israel as follows:

Deu 7:20  Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

Jos 24:12  And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

The name “Eshtaol” means to enquire, pray or request. The camp of Dan here refers to the assembly of the elect. So what we are being told in verse 25 is that while we are in the church of the elect (the camp of Dan), the word of God (the Spirit of the Lord) causes us to defeat our enemies within and to pray.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Joh 16:23  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 
Joh 16:24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

]]> https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/gospels-in-harmony-have-faith-in-god-and-forgive/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gospels-in-harmony-have-faith-in-god-and-forgive Tue, 04 May 2021 20:32:17 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=23496 Gospels In Harmony Have Faith In God And Forgive

Mat 21:20-22, Mar 11:20-26

[Study Aired May 4, 2021]

Mar 11:20a And in the morning, as they passed by, Mat 21:20a And when the disciples saw it, Mar 11:20b the fig tree dried up from the roots. Mat 21:20b they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
Mar 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mat 21:21a Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, Mar 11:23b and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mat 21:21b ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mar 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mar 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

In today’s study we will attempt to answer these questions: What is faith? Where does faith come from? Who receives faith? What is the purpose of faith? How does our faith become stronger? What is forgiveness, and finally how do we obtain forgiveness?

Here are the answers to our questions about faith.

Heb 11:1-4 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb 11:39-40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Eph 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Rom 5:1-6 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

2Th 1:11-12 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Ti 1:12-14 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

1Jn 5:1-4 (BBE) Everyone who has faith that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God: and everyone who has love for the Father has love for his child. In this way, we are certain that we have love for the children of God, when we have love for God and keep his laws. For loving God is keeping his laws: and his laws are not hard. Anything which comes from God is able to overcome the world: and the power by which we have overcome the world is our faith.

What is faith? 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Where does faith come from? 

Faith is a gift of God.

Who receives faith? 

Those that believe and diligently seek him.

What is the purpose of faith?

That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you. Without faith it is impossible to please him, and we cannot overcome the world without faith.

How does our faith become stronger?

Jas 1:2-6 (BBE) Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort; Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope; But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing. But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him. Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind. 

Heb 5:11-6:6 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Here again are the verses of our study pertaining to faith.

Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Mat 21:21a Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, Mar 11:23b and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mat 21:21b ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Christ says “what things soever you desire” will be given to you if you have faith and have no doubt that you will receive the desire of your heart.

What do we desire being the sons of God, the elect, the new man, a child of God?

Jas 1:19-27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Those that receive the gift of faith are also given the desire to ask for what is proper in the sight of God. Those with faith seek diligently the things of the kingdom of God and not the desires of this world. Our faith will be tested in order to receive more faith until the end of our age so that, in the ages to come we can be faithful kings and priests of our Lord and God and receive the crown of glory and life replacing our crown of pride.

2Ti 2:1-13 (BBE) So then, my child, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus. And the things which I have said to you before a number of witnesses, give to those of the faith, so that they may be teachers of others. Be ready to do without the comforts of life, as one of the army of Christ Jesus. A fighting man, when he is with the army, keeps himself free from the business of this life so that he may be pleasing to him who has taken him into his army. And if a man takes part in a competition he does not get the crown if he has not kept the rules. It is right for the worker in the fields to be the first to take of the fruit. Give thought to what I say; for the Lord will give you wisdom in all things. Keep in mind Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, who came back from the dead, as my good news gives witness: In which I put up with the hardest conditions, even prison chains, like one who has done a crime; but the word of God is not in chains. But I undergo all things for the saints, so that they may have salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a true saying: If we undergo death with him, then will we be living with him: If we go on to the end, then we will be ruling with him: if we say we have no knowledge of him, then he will say he has no knowledge of us: If we are without faith, still he keeps faith, for he will never be untrue to himself.

Rev 5:9-10 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Isa 28:3-6 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

Isa 62:1-3 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Rev 2:8-11 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Our next verses speak of forgiveness.

Mar 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mar 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

While we are praying for whatsoever we desire, we are commanded to forgive if we have anything against another. If we do not do this, we shall not receive forgiveness of our Father.

What is forgiveness?

Let’s answer this by looking at what forgiveness is not.

If we condone the evil that is done by us or others.

Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

If we pretend evil has not taken place.

1Sa 15:13-15 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Forgiveness is not pardoning with no valid basis.

Pro 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Forgiveness is recognizing that we are all going to stumble and accepting that God is working this out in everyone. Once the offender has repented of the issue, then let it go and move forward because there are more offenses to be dealt with.

Pro 14:30-31(BBE) A quiet mind is the life of the body, but envy is a disease in the bones. He who is hard on the poor puts shame on his Maker; but he who has mercy on those who are in need gives him honour.

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Jas 3:2 (BBE) For we all go wrong in a number of things. If a man never makes a slip in his talk, then he is a complete man and able to keep all his body in control.

Finally, how do we obtain forgiveness?

Col 3:1-17 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Mat 6:5-15 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

]]> https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/teach-us-to-pray/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teach-us-to-pray Mon, 08 Apr 2019 23:36:37 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=18559 Teach Us To Pray

Luk 11:1  AND it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Luk 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.
Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins; [G266: hamartia, sin] for we also forgive every one that is indebted [G3784: opheilo, opheileo, to owe] to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luk 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luk 11:9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luk 11:11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Luk 11:12  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

This is the so-called ‘Lord’s prayer’. It is more accurately ‘the Lord’s outline prayer’, because the Lord gives us these instructions in answer to the request to “teach us how to pray [by] one of His disciples”.

As we all know, the truth of any Biblical question or any subject is only to be found in “the sum of [the Lord’s words” (Psa 119:160). For that reason we will also look at Matthew’s version of this ‘outline prayer’:

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts [G3783: opheilema, something owed], as we forgive our debtors [G3781: opheiletes, a delinquent debtor].
Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses [G3900: paraptoma, error or transgression] your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses [G3900: paraptoma, error or transgression], neither will your Father forgive your trespasses [G3900: paraptoma, error or transgression].

In these two accounts of ‘the Lord’s prayer’ we have three different words used to speak of the same thing. Those three words are used interchangeably to speak of sin, and they are:

1) G266: hamartia, sin,
2) G3784: opheilo, opheileo, to owe, and
3) G3900: paraptoma, error or transgression.

These three words give us a much clearer understanding of how our sinful condition affects our relationship with our Creator. He has made us sinful and “marred” for the purpose of bringing us to see what we are and to be ashamed of how naked He has made us, and then, after He grants us repentance, He is covering our nakedness with a new man who will be conformed to the spiritual image of His Son Jesus Christ.

Luke’s version taken alone has led many to believe that if we nag the Lord enough, He will rise up and give us whatever we ask for “as many as [we] need”.

Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luk 11:9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

I remember distinctly as a young man listening to and being intrigued by a sermon which was centered around this verse of scripture:

Isa 45:11  Thus saith the LORD , the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

The minister had actually put the words of Luke 11:8-10 together with this verse in Isaiah 45 and concluded that we have been given the power to command the Lord to do as we wish concerning the work of His hands.

A very casual perusal of this 45^th chapter of Isaiah will reveal that verse 11 is a sarcastic question which is preceded by these words:

Isa 45:5  I am the LORD , and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6  That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD , and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isa 45:9  Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
Isa 45:10  Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

Verse 11 simply continues this line of questioning:

Isa 45:11  Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.[???]

For the Lord’s own reasons He had the King James translators leave off the question mark in this verse, but the same humbling of mankind continues into verse 12, informing us who it is who gives any and all commandments:

Isa 45:12  I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

Who then commands whom? Who is obedient to whom? This is how Christ answers those questions:

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

It is we who “[have] Christ’s commandments, and keep them”.  “Command [we Him] concerning the works of [His] hands”? I think not!

All of which serves to inform us that the translators got the comma right in this verse:

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

If we actually think that we can sit in the temple of God and expect to ‘command Him’ according to what we want, and according to what we think, then we are indeed “the man of sin… standing in the holy place… showing [ourselves] that we [are] God”:

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. [‘Commanding God concerning the work of His hands’]

Knowing we are the temple of God, His house, we can understand these verses as they are to be taken spiritually:

1Ki 8:37 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
1Ki 8:38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house:

2Ch 6:20 That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.

2Ch 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
2Ch 7:16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

We need not be aware of our own rebellion to be found ‘kicking against the pricks”. The apostle Paul thought He was doing the Lord a service by persecuting the Lord’s own body. We may appear to be physically blessed while teaching false doctrines, but it is still very “hard… to kick against the pricks”:

Act 9:1  AND Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
Act 9:3  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Saul of Tarsus was predestined to become Paul the apostle, the most prolific writer of the New Testament, and the man through whom came an “abundance of revelations”:

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Obviously, there are times when the Lord lets us know that we are not to continue with our importuning of Him for relief from our trial:

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

The Lord has also given us instructions concerning other things for which we are commanded not to pray. The salvation of our old man is just such a thing:

Jer 7:16  Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

Jer 11:14  Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

Christ set us this same example of not praying for those with whom He is not working in this age:

Joh 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh 17:7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Joh 17:8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

We are given the same instructions concerning apostate brothers in the house of our Lord in the New Testament. When a brother leaves the body of Christ, whether it is a matter of turning the Lord’s grace into lasciviousness or succumbing to heresy, we are not to pray for those who we “turn over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:9  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
1Co 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
1Co 5:12  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co 5:13  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Doctrinal heresy is also specified as especially egregious to the Lord:

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Like Christ, we do not pray for those who are not being given to Christ “at this present time” (Rom 8:18).

Our prayer life is a reflection of our lives, whether we are doing what Christ tells us to do, whether we truly seek for the Lord’s will to be done ‘in earth as it is in heaven’. If we, like Christ, are seeking only to please our heavenly Father, then our lives will reflect that fact and our prayers will be Christ’s prayer, which is:

Luk 22:41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

That is “the mind of Christ”… “Not my will, but thine be done”! That is how we “seek… first the kingdom of God”. That is how we “do the things [Christ] tells [us] to do” and that is the only way we can “pray without ceasing”.

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought [Greek: anxious thought] for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

1Th 5:17  Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

“In everything give thanks” means “everything” including the good and the evil which the Lord works in our lives, because it is He who is “working all things… everything… after the counsel of His own will… for [our] good”

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

For us to “pray without ceasing”, we must be seeking first the Lord’s will and not our own, seeking first the kingdom of God, and always doing the things Christ and His Words tell us to do.

Prayer is not just a time of spending a period of time speaking to the Lord. Rather, the sum of the Word of God reveals that prayer is a way of life. Prayer is seeking to please the Lord in everything we do.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

]]> https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/could-you-not-watch-with-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=could-you-not-watch-with-me Fri, 07 Jul 2006 05:00:01 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=2208 Audio Download

Could You Not Watch With Me?

[Study Posted June 6, 2006]

This study is entitled ‘Could you not watch with me?’ That’s what Christ asks his disciples when they go with him to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, right after the Lord’s supper, the passover.

Mat 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
Mat 26:37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

There’s something revealed here, if we pay attention to it, that is a truism to this very day. It is that Christ revealed more to certain of His disciples than He did to others. That’s just the way life is. Your more mature children can receive more than the less mature. This is a truism all through the gospels.

Mat 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Christ, Peter, James and John are the only ones at the transfiguration. Then, at the instance of raising the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue from the dead, we are told:

Mar 5:35 While he yet spake [told her she was healed], there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

He was talking to the lady who had the issue of blood. He was already on his way to heal this ruler’s daughter. Christ didn’t pray for people, he just healed them. He gave the word, and it was done. He was on the way to do just that when this lady touched him, and he asked, “Who touched me?”

Mar 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
Mat 5:37 And he suffered [allowed] no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

Those three disciples were the only ones he allowed to witness this raising from the dead of the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. This is something that caught me off guard when I saw it several years ago. At the Olivet prophecy, the prophecy of ‘what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world’ do you think that all of the disciples are there? No. Who was there? You have two sets of brothers here who asked him privately. This is just the five of them.

Mar 13:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
Mar 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Mar 13:5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
Mar 13:6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

The whole point of mentioning of Peter, James and John is that God works through, and reveals more to, certain disciples – James and John were the sons of thunder. They were the ones that asked to sit at Christ’s right hand and His left hand. Peter was the outspoken, gung-ho disciple. The thing you can say for all three of them is they were zealous. God put a spirit of zealousness in them. We need to pray for that same spirit, pray for the ability to hunger and thirst after righteousness and to know God and Jesus Christ. That’s what life is.

Mat 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

That’s all he wanted them to do; just be with him and watch with Him while He prayed.

Mat 26:39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Every word that Christ spoke was the Father speaking. So, when he said, “Not my will but thine be done” that was the Father having him say it. It is the Father that gives us the ability to have that same prayer. Of course, we don’t know the Father except through Christ. That’s why we are told, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Just as the Father was in Christ, Christ is in us: ‘As my Father has sent me, so send I you.’ When we pray a prayer, do you know why we pray that prayer? Because Christ inspires us to pray that prayer. He brings us to pray the prayers.

Christ’s prayer, and His struggle with His flesh right at this moment, is all the work of God, putting these words in Him for us to learn. All is written for our admonition.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet, not I but Christ lives in me and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Mat 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

That is the purpose for Christ asking them, “Could you not watch?” He is telling us it was a rhetorical question. He knew they were going to be asleep when he got back. He knew they were going to be asleep when He told them to come and watch with him. He knows what our frame is, but we have all of these admonitions so that we will know what to expect of ourselves.

Mat 26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

This is a real thing with Christ. He is feeling the pulls of the flesh just like you and I would feel it under these conditions and do feel it under the conditions we face. We don’t think we can do it; we know we can’t. I pray to God every day. I know there are trials down the road. You and I will not, of ourself, be able to endure those fleshly pulls.

Mat 26:43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
Mat 26:44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Mat 26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Who are these sinners? The church leaders of the day, God’s people, the many called, the very people he fed with physical food, healed with physical healings did not get a thing out of what He taught. Not even his own apostle, Peter, understood what Christ taught.

It doesn’t matter if it is in Christ’s agony or in his glory:

Luk 9:28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
Luk 9:29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

This is a spectacular thing! What do you think they are doing? They are sleeping.

Luk 9:30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
Luk 9:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

You may wonder what Christ talked about with Moses and Elijah. There it is. They spoke about Christ’s impending death.

Luk 9:32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

It seems that no matter what we are enduring for God, the tendency is to try and get some rest, take it easy, store up enough so we don’t have to worry about tomorrow. That’s the tendency. It does not fit in to your spiritual walk. Your spiritual walk needs to be one that you are in constant need of God’s help, constantly desperate for God.

The lesson of that whole story is watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. How long does it go on?

Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

God does not want us to ever have an attitude of, “Hey, I’m the chosen, therefore, I don’t have to worry about tomorrow. My lamp is filled with God’s spirit.” If I don’t see myself as one of the five women who were short of oil, then I am not going to be one of the five who have it. We have to quit putting ourselves in the upper echelons and keep ourselves down at the bottom of the reception room.

Until you see that you have to face your blindness and acknowledge that you, literally, could not see your hand in front of your face, you will not be given spiritual sight. If you never see yourself as blind, your sin remains.

Outward things don’t change anything inwardly. What changes you is Jesus Christ in your heart. If He doesn’t come in, you can take all the dips in the water by being baptized you want, and you can fast twice in the week every week, it won’t change a thing. It is how you treat your brother that shows what you think of Jesus Christ.

Here is a proper spiritual perspective on the subject of who is God’s elect and who is chosen.

1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

1Co 9:23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

He knows that there is a purpose in what He is doing, and He knows who is doing it. Here’s what we are told by scripture: we are not to assume that we stand, but take heed lest we fall; we are to keep our bodies under subjection lest we become castaways; we are told that we should run to obtain the win and not run uncertainly. It almost sounds like there is a contradiction. Do we run with confidence? Do we run hoping we get there? It’s both, and there is no contradiction.

The message in the whole thing is: If you endure to the end, you shall be saved (Mat 10:22). You are not saved, past tense, you are being saved by daily dying to the flesh. “I die daily” is something that we have to learn as the process, accept as the process and rejoice in it. It is by enduring to the end that we are completed. There is no such thing as a completed person in the flesh. You have to, literally, drop the flesh off before your completion is accomplished.

The truth is that most people will not endure to the end. The majority of the people who came to Christ did not endure.

We are supposed to witness to, not save them, but to be a witness against them.

Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

Joh 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

The lesson we should get out of what we have read here is that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We will make it to the end, because we know that He who has begun a good work in us is able to finish it. We have been promised that. We can run with certainty, yet, we have to be vigilant.

Christ is able to finish the work He has begun in all of us. Yet, it is something that requires constant vigilance. If you recognize that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, you will see the need and understand why so many things in scripture are repeated over and again. That’s what flesh requires.

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