A STUDY IN GENESIS

We come to the next part in our mini-series of A STUDY OF GENESIS. Today, we talk about the genealogy. Many people will gloss over what is happening in this chapter, but it is important for us to understand. It is here that we get an understanding of God’s rescue of our very souls. Even though this might seem not as important, if it is scripture it is very important. “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16.

This chapter explains why we can rightfully declare evolution to be false. We have a genealogy from Adam to Noah’s sons who are the founding fathers of the nations. There is no guessing, there is no theories, these are facts. However, it is here at this critical moment in time that the population of the earth begins to explode. We know from the previous lesson that mankind had begun to blaspheme the name of the Lord in these days. Mankind began to live wickedly. There are two sayings that come about during this time, which we still see their devastating philosophy today. The first is “Might makes right” and “Majority is right” Evil mankind starts to outnumber those following the Lord, in fact the numbers are so lopsided that this chapter helps identify the only people we know of following the Lord.

I would encourage you to stop here and read the entirety of Genesis chapter five.

While I want to highlight some important aspects, this is not an exhaustive list. A careful study of God’s word in Genesis chapter five should be done on your own.

Verse one reiterates the importance that mankind was made in God’s image. “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.”

Verse two demolishes the unscientific claim of there being more than two genders.  “ He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.”

Verse three identifies Adam having a son; who, like him, also shared a love for the Lord. As born again Christians, do we not share the likeness of our heavenly father? This principle is found here, Moses, who wrote Genesis under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is identifying what Adam valued most. All the children were his, but Seth was a believer like his father.  “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

Verses four and five should never have been there. “After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.” If Adam would not have sinned, this verse would not be there. Satan lied, he said “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. The evidence reveals Satan/Lucifer, is a liar, murderer, and a thief.

In verses eighteen through twenty four, we come to one of my favorite characters in the Bible, Enoch!

“Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Enoch is an inspiration for all believers no matter the age they live in. He walked with the Lord, you could say they were jogging buddies, or hiking pals. Nevertheless, Enoch was in a relationship with the Lord. He talked for the Lord to the people, look at the book of Jude. I personally believe he is one of the contenders for the two witnesses found in the book of Revelation. Enoch lived 365 years, we have 365 days in a year, in his life he exemplified what we should be doing everyday. Ironically, Enoch did not die, but was raptured. For those who say the rapture does not exist, there are accounts of this throughout every age of human history done by the Lord. Enoch is taken up prior to the flood. Before God’s wrath, Enoch is taken up. As we will see later, Noah goes through God’s wrath while being protected. Right here we have a typology of the Church and the Jewish nation. One is to be taken out of the environment, while the other goes through.

The final verses bring a moment of God’s character to light that we see today. Names have special meanings in Hebrew and thus you can be given additional information. Methuselah’s name means something, which I will leave to you to research, however this treasure gives us a glimmer into the eyes of the Lord. God would not bring judgment down until Methuselah died, how ironic is it that the oldest person in human history on earth is Methuselah. God was very patient in bringing His wrath.

“25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. 28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

You see, each chapter of the Bible needs to have a careful examination given to it. We have only spent a few minutes in this chapter and we can already see answers to things that we did not know we would be able to. God is so good and His love for us is greater than just actions alone, but preservation of His actions through His word to us. Just imagine where we would be without chapter five of Genesis! I would encourage you to examine the rest of this chapter and see the amazing declaration of God to us. Next week we will see what Satan is doing during the exact same time God is preserving our rescue.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

JL

Re-Post Friday

Do you know that Jesus can teach us to pray? Read it HERE!

A Race

There is a passage in the book of John that I always sat and wondered about, and it is a passage that many pastors like to make jokes about. In this passage, we see Mary Magdalene discussing with Peter and John that Jesus’s body was gone and she did not know where it was. The next couple verses are where we begin to see the jokes being made.

“So Peter and the other disciple left, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; 5 and he stooped to look in, and *saw the linen wrappings lying there; however he did not go in. 6 So Simon Peter also *came, following him, and he entered the tomb; and he *looked at the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings but folded up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb also entered then, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.”

John 20:3-9

We see the two men left together to go investigate the tomb, but I always wondered why John felt it necessary to point out that he was faster. Was it to brag? Couldn’t be because that would be pride, a trait that Jesus often warned about. So why was it so important to point out that John was the faster runner? For that, we need to look at what occurs in the next couple of verses. First we see the two men together, then John is ahead and reaches the tomb first but does not go in, Peter is the first to go in, then finally John.

While this may seem a strange thing to point out; I think this passage, and the fact that John points out that he was the faster runner, is to give us an example of how our walk and the walk of those around us with Jesus Christ goes. First the two men start off together, they are both looking for the same thing, Jesus Christ. Then one pulls ahead in their walk with Jesus Christ, I am sure we can all think of someone who has grown more in knowledge of the Lord at a time when we might not have been. However, that does not mean that we need to stay behind them. After all, John may have reached the tomb first but it was Peter who entered first. What was important is that both of the men kept their eyes on the goal, to see what happened to their Messiah. For us today, we may start on the same path as other believers, then there may be times when some get farther ahead in their walk, the important thing is that we do not take our eyes off of Jesus Christ. When we keep the focus on Him, He is able to bring us the knowledge and understanding of scripture we need.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Dear fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, last week I told you we would review how the Antediluvian period still holds sway over present day events. At that time, I had no idea what would be happening only a few days later with the world watching the Paris Olympic opening. Because of this, we will be taking a little bit more time diving into the ancient world and how it still has a strong influence on us today.

First I want to make sure you can take heart in knowing God is bigger, more powerful, and cares for us very much!

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Psalms 55:22 “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

Matthew 10:28-31 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

As believers, we need to take heart in knowing God is personable and knows what is going on. Now let us examine what preceded after the murder of Abel.

Genesis 4:17-26 “Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” 25 Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

Cain has been cursed, he has been kicked out. However, his life is not over. He marries! Cain and his wife have a family. Some naysayers try to ask, who did he marry? The answer is simple, he married his sister. Adam and Eve’s genes did not have the issues and concerns that would happen in the world today. We would encourage you to review the Creation Institute and their work on the subject.

We learn in this particular segment of the chapter, that mankind is starting to develop the tools and trade that we are accustomed to today. Agriculture (Animal Science), music, bronze, and iron. Mankind appears to be prospering. However, we learn that mankind is in fact falling rapidly! Society is being built on a loose foundation of personal relativism, “Your truth is not my truth” comes from this period of time. Mankind hides their sin behind freedom. This was clearly shown to be present in the Olympic ceremony in France.

Let’s go deeper! “Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Only a few years before, we see Cain murder his brother because of religion and mankind trying to fix what only God can. By Lamech’s day, we see man’s deprivation has grown. Lamech kills a man for wounding him and kills a boy for striking him. Lamech takes on two wives. God designed the marriage as to be one woman and one man, and in just a few short years we see Lamech taking on two wives. Now some might see this and point to other places in the Old Testament, they would be correct in identifying this difference. The societal changes that would come later are based on necessary customs because of circumstances of the times.

In Lamech’s day, this was not the case, there were plenty of men and women and there were no wars creating widows. A women could find a husband who would live for a long time. Lamech had Adam and Eve as witnesses of what a marriage was designed to be. And yet, sin had multiplied in such a manner causing mankind to now attack and murder each other for offenses. Do we not see this today? Of course! Mankind has little value in each other, we kill and strike others for offenses even when they might be telling us the truth.

However, there is hope!

Verse 25 is a statement and should not be put into place in any timeline with the previous verses. It is more of a statement ending the chapter with a summary. This summary is to reveal there is a war in humanity. After Cain kills Abel, Adam has relations with Eve and another son is born, Seth. This person is who Jesus Christ would one day come from. Genesis 3:15 happens because of Seth, and Adam and Eve knew this! While they might have been hoping Seth would be the one to do it, the promised one had to come from a virgin. Already we see the prerequisites of the Messiah and the uniqueness it would have to be for Jesus to be it. Nevertheless, the lineage of Jesus Christ comes from Seth! “Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh.”

However, here we come to an area of scripture that English fails to understand and provide the meaning when it says, “Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Genesis 4:26b. The English does not portray the correct meaning that the Hebrew does, several theological scholars have argued the meaning was in fact, “Then men began to blaspheme the name of the LORD.” This appears to be supported by the quick turn of events with Lamech being such an evil murderer. The Antediluvian period reveals that man with sin is evil. We are born with it, it is inside of us; and without a check and balance of Christ, we are doomed with it. the Antediluvian period however, is not done. Next week we will discuss what further insidious things come out of this period.

I want to end on a positive note, remember Seth! Even though the world was in disarray, God was preparing. He was providing, He was focused on righting our wrongs! The same can be said today, even though it seems as if these dark days are returning, God has a plan. All we need to do is read that plan in scripture, and help tell the good news of Jesus Christ. Like Seth, we can be a walking symbol of hope to an ever darkening world.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Are you focused on God’s Word? Read it HERE!

The Importance of Study

Christians throughout the ages have been met with questions from the outside world. Some are asking questions because they want to know more and possibly come to know Jesus Christ personally. Others it is purely to mock and express their own opinion. Even though Christians have experienced these confrontations, there are many times we find ourselves not ready for the questions. So today, we are going to look at a passage that will give us the answer on how to fix this situation.

“17 Extend your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge; 18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, So that they may be ready on your lips. 19 So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, you indeed. 20 Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, 21 To make you know the certainty of the words of truth, So that you may correctly answer him who sent you?”

Proverbs 22:17-21

We know from Proverbs 1:7 that knowledge comes from fear of the Lord. This is not a bullying type of fear that forces the individual to obey, instead it is a fear that comes from the knowledge of how incapable we are as humans to reconcile ourselves to the great Almighty God. It is through this that we gain understanding into what God’s word means and how it relates to us. This is were Proverbs 22:17-21 comes in.

In this passage, God is calling us to hear those who have knowledge of the word, meaning being involved in Bible studies, listening to pastors and not just the one in our local church. But above all of these, we need to be spending time in the word of God, we need to apply our minds to seek out the treasures buried in the word, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2 The more we study God’s word, the more we are able to keep it at the forefront of our minds, allowing us to be able to answer the questions as they come; the answers will be ready on our lips. Pastors and Bible study teachers are great, as long as they are sticking to accurate interpretation of the word. This is why Proverbs 22:19 points out that our trust is in the Lord because it is Him who teaches us to understand His word. He has written us excellent things to give us knowledge and guidance. Our only task is to study His word seriously. When we do, we become assured of the truth.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

We now enter a time in human history called the Antediluvian period. The Antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period is the time period from Adam and Eve’s fall to the flood. We will discuss more on this age of human history next week. For now, we want to emphasize two aspects of the Antediluvian age. First, nature is closely connected and in fellowship with humans, the fear of man has not entered their hearts. This will happen post Antediluvian age Genesis 9:2 “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.” Second, the Jewish people are not here yet. Abram is not called yet to be the father of many nations, Isaiah has not willing followed the Lord, and Jacob does not have his 12 sons orchestrating the twelve tribes of Israel.

Unfortunately, what we do have starting at the very beginning, is man’s attempt at pacifying God. Religion emerged its ugly head and like all religion, death is the only thing that comes from it. You see, in Christ religion has no place. In Christ there is only a relationship between us and God on the individual level. The person recognizes their sin and the need for salvation, they know only God can provide that salvation. Religion does not like this, and as history will reveal, religion persecutes the true believers in Jesus Christ.

Genesis 4:1-6 “Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the LORD’s help, I have produced a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought a gift--the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. 6 “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?”

Adam and Eve have children, many people assume this is their only children, however, this is not the case. Cain and Abel are the beginning of their children. Abel recognized his sin and understood that only blood could answer for his sin, Cain brought what was on the ground. We know from later on interactions of sacrifices, there will be grain offerings and other non blood related offerings to the Lord that will be accepted. Leviticus 5:11 “If you cannot afford to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, you may bring two quarts of choice flour for your sin offering. Since it is an offering for sin, you must not moisten it with olive oil or put any frankincense on it.” Cain’s offering is not accepted by the Lord because his heart! Both Cain and Abel had access to animals, and yet Cain decides to just pick some crops and give them to the Lord. When God tells Cain He is not happy with the sacrifice, Cain gets upset. Religion gets upset when God says, “Your actions are not good enough for my righteousness.” You see, there are many religious people who work diligent and hard to pacify God. And when this fails, what they have failed to recognize as their biggest issue comes to light, themselves. Religion does one thing very well, it identifies what truly is number one in man other than God. For Cain it was himself, verse 6 helps reveal this to us. “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?” God is wanting to help Cain before it is to late, but Cain is already feeling rejected, hurt, insulted, his truth was not accepted, his opinion was not valued. Cain was in fact acting like how many today in the Church and in the world act. They are told “No you are wrong” about something and they get upset and angry. Nothing has changed in thousands of years.

Genesis 4:7-8 “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” 8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.” God attempts to talk some sense into Cain before he sins, but Cain is not having any of it. Do you see the equation of sin? First it starts with pride, Cain is upset that his religious attempts are not good enough. Then he gets upset with his brother’s acceptance, he then gets angry and murders his brother. You see, sin is perfect at casting itself as your friend, sin was there with Cain assisting in outrage, anger, and self-righteousness/pity. However, God knows the truth and sin was at the door raising to control Cain. Yet, what people hate most about God, is that He knows what they have done. He can hold them accountable even when they do not wish it. This is why Christians are hated above all. We reflect Christ, this is why the Catholics killed so many born again believers when they called out to the Lord and studied the Bible, this is why throughout history mankind has been persecuting those who follow the Messiah Jesus Christ. Christians reflect Christ, thus mankind hates us. However, that does not stop God from acting according to His good will. He holds the sinner accountable no matter what. Just look at what He does to Cain for murdering Abel.

Genesis 4:9-16 “Afterward the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10 But the LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain replied to the LORD, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!” 15 The LORD replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the LORD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

Cain has real punishment against him, God recognized the premeditative murder of Abel. However, for Abel God has him in His grasp. Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” Even though Abel is dead, his actions speak and gives those who are born again a promise of salvation. If God can save Abel who believed that his savior would come, we can be saved knowing our savior has come. You see God has been saving mankind through the cross no matter what timeframe you are in it. For us, we have a choice to follow religion or to follow Christ. Religion leads to death. Christ leads to eternal life. The gospel has not changed since the beginning, however for many this will come as a monumental challenge. I hope you take a moment and realize just how much the Lord loves you and cherishes you. He wants what is best for you, even if that means identifying your sin and short comings so that you can come to grips that you need Christ. Next week, we will see what happens in the Antediluvian period still having sway of present day events.  Brace yourself and take time to pray and ask God to help you be ready to see His truth no matter how strange, bizarre, and unspoken at the pulpits it really is.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Introduction into the different types of prayers. Read it HERE!

A Better Wine

It was around this time last year that I wrote a post on John 2:1-12. In that post, we discussed the importance of the act of Jesus turning the water into wine and how it shows through Him believers are all made into new creations. You may be wondering why I am bringing up a post a year after it has been written, and that is to discuss two very important topics.

The first, God’s word is alive. The more you study His word, the more you learn. Even passages that you might have read a year or more ago can show new and deeper meanings. This is why it is so important to take God’s word and our Bible study time seriously, we do not want to miss out on any lesson that we can learn.

The second topic is based off of my experience recently in rereading John chapter 2. When I wrote the post regarding how Jesus purifies those who believe in Him, I thought that was the end of the matter. I had learned the deeper meaning to the passage. However, like so much of God’s word, there is more than one lesson to be learned.

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus *said to her, “What business do you have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.”6 Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each.7 Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He *said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him. 9 Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the groom, 10 and *said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. 12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.”

Luke 2:1-12

At first glance, we see Jesus performing His first miracle an act that began to show those who were around Him that He was the Son of God and not just any other man. At a second glance, we see the act of Jesus using the water pots meant for purification to turn the water into wine. This is a symbolism of Jesus purifying those who accept Him as Lord and Savior, they become new creations. Now one a third glance, we find that there is actually a lesson in hope for those who have become new creations through Jesus Christ.

Last year, I focused in on verses seven through nine. This year I want to look deeper into the comment the headwaiter makes to the bridegroom in verse ten. “and *said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” How strange this comment must have seen to the bridegroom. What could the headwaiter possibly mean that this last wine was better than all the rest? This bridegroom had no idea that Jesus was going to use his wedding to perform His first miracle, and so he would have stuck with tradition. That is to serve the best wine first and end with the poorer wine. I can only imagine his confusion at being told that the wine being served at the end of the night is the best of all.

Now you may be wondering where I am going with this. Imagine instead that the wine is the earth. At the beginning, the earth was good in fact after every day of creation God announced it good; ending with the sixth day in which He announced all of creation as very good (Genesis 1:31). However, the fall of mankind comes and sin enters the world. This would be the poorer wine that was served after the good. God did not intend for mankind to be separated from Him, but do to the actions of Satan that caused Adam and Eve’s fall, the world became corrupt. “To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall deliver children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” 17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:16-19.

We are certainly experiencing this “poor wine” now. The world has grown dark and it will grow darker still but when we look to John chapter 2 we see that there is hope, there is a wine coming that even outshines the first. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:1-5. How amazing will it be to experience this better wine, this new earth! How wonderful will it be that not only will God dwell among His children, but He will wipe away every tear!

How amazing is it to realize that God was already telling His children that there was something better coming way in the beginning of His ministry! How wonderful is it to realize that God is in complete control. How reassuring to know that He has always shad the end goal in mind!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Listen, Assemble, and Come Near

While we are currently studying the book of Genesis, it is important to pause so that we may discuss recent events and the call to action that men of God need to take. Next week we will continue in our study on the book of Genesis, however, we need to discuss the effect that what occurred on Saturday, July 13th in Pennsylvania at the President Trump rally. By now you have been inundated with loud voices and opinions from both sides of the political spectrum; and while I do not want to contribute to the noise, these events can be used to point to a call of action for men of God.

Deuteronomy 28 describes a set of blessings and curses that God was to use on the nation of Israel if they followed or disobeyed Him. Deuteronomy 28:1-3 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: 3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.”

It is important to remember that Israel is a nation set aside for God. Some Christians will rip these passages and throw the United States into chapters when that is not the case. Replacement theology and liberation theology are both poisons in the Church today that must be confronted with God’s Word. However, there are promises in God’s Word to Israel that are intrinsically in God’s nature, and because we know God does not change, Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” we should be vigilant to take hold of promises knowing they are applicable to us as well.

I want to also say that while I am talking about a gentile nation (United States), I am talking more importantly about the Church inside of the United States which makes up Jew and Gentile. Ephesians 2:13-18 “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”

So I say this to the born again believer. We need to get on our knees and pray! Men of God, get down on your knees and pray, ask for repentance! Our nation is struggling worse than it did during the civil war. Worse than it did in any time since our nation came into being. The cause of this? Church men failed to be what we were meant to be. However, I want to point to a promise to Israel and the characteristics of God’s nature being perfect and eternal and reveal application we as men in the Church need to stop and obey. Read Deuteronomy chapter 28 and see what God says to Israel. Are these truths for us as well? Yes! Paul emphasizes this with in his letter to Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

So what should we do after the events of July 13th? Go to Isaiah 48! What we have here is God talking to Israel through His prophet Isaiah. While the message is for Israel, the principles of going to God are universal.

Isaiah 48:12-19 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. 13 “Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together. 14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans. 15 “I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful. 16 “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” 17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. 18 “If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 “Your descendants would have been like the sand, And your offspring like its grains; Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”

  God gives three commandments in a unique pattern that must be identified and applied as soon as possible in our own nation. Men examine verse 12!

12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.”

God calls them to listen! That means He is trying to talk to them and they are not listening. Are we listening in our own nation? Do we turn off the television, the computer, the games and listen to the Lord through His word? Men of God, we must repent! Our nation is on life support and it is entirely because we are not listening to what the Lord wants us to do.

Examine His next command to the reader in verse 14, “Assemble, all of you, and listen!” Men, are we getting together and worshiping God? Examining His word? Or are we at a social club? Wake up, seek other men of God, get together and encourage each other to follow the Lord. Follow together! Disciple now! Be in His word, not a Christian commentary or some historical book on our founding fathers, but on the Founding Father of creation! We know this is what the Lord is talking about because of what He finishes with in verse 14b. “Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.” God is telling them to examine His word. Are we doing that? Or are we listening to the radio, podcast, or our favorite YouTuber?

Finally, examine verse 16 and see how God wants to talk to us individually. In our own lives with our own challenges. “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” God says “Come near to me,” we are to come near and listen. What an awesome privilege we have as believers in Christ to do just that.

God says, “Listen to me”, “Assemble all of you” and finally, “Come near to me.” If we are to experience a revival in this Nation we need to first start in our own lives, the lives of our wives, than our children, and than outside our homes. Our nation is entering a crucial moment and we need to stop and pray; ask the Lord for a humble heart, one tender and seeking Him. No matter your political understanding our hope is not in an election, but in Jesus Christ. We are ambassadors for Christ, and that first starts in our own home and than outward. So whatever sin you might have, repent of it, ask the Lord for guidance, listen to Him, gather with other men of God and listen to Him together, finally take individual time alone with Him. Pray for our nation, pray for our leaders, and pray for not only the peace of Jerusalem as we are commanded to do; but pray that the Lord would come soon and take us home. Keep your head up, do not let the pundits try to distract you and listen to God’s Word which is always applicable and reliable for us.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A look back at our Basic Series! Read it HERE!

All His Ways

Before I became a Christian, I had heard the mistaken idea that with God there is no free will and this is an idea that still floats around. Some will use this idea to say that it doesn’t matter what they do, whether that is sharing the gospel with someone or continuing in their sin, because God is in control of it all. They will make the argument that they do not need to share the gospel because if God wills for them to be saved then they will be, or they do not need to turn from their sin because God has placed that desire in them. However, this poor idea could not be farther from the truth. While this post is not going to go into how God operates outside of time, I do want to discuss one simple verse that points to the fact that mankind has free will to make their choices.

“21 For the ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord, And He observes all his paths.”

Proverbs 5:21

Like I said, this was going to be a simple verse; but like so much of God’s word, there is so much to it when you take the time to really consider it.

First, we see that the ways of everyone are before the eyes of God. That means every man, woman, and child are within His sight. No one is to far, to lost, or to remote that He cannot see them. How amazing is it that there is no place that He cannot reach! Second, we see that God is watching over all the paths of everyone. The word “paths” shows that each individual has multiple paths that they can take. This again shows that God operates outside of time, He is able to see all the possible paths a person can take. These paths vary; some lead to God, some lead away from Him, some lead to sin, some lead to edifying other believers, etc. All these paths are before each individual person and only God can see the outcome of each choice when one chooses a path, but it is a choice that each individual has. We are free to make our decisions here, but that does not mean that we are free from the consequences. We have a God who cares enough to watch over all our paths, who brings us to Him when we fall, who rejoices when we follow Him, and who offers words of wisdom (Scripture) on where our next path should go. How amazing is it that God not only brought about salvation, but cares for us each individual to allow us to have free will!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Today’s post will not be one taken lightly, but if you are a person asking the “Why” questions; today is a day of treasure in answering many of the questions we ask throughout our lives.

To recap, mankind has fallen. Satan has tricked Eve and Adam went along willingly. Mankind is no longer in charge of the earth. We gave the rights to Satan. There is now separation between us and God. Let us read Genesis 3:7-13, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

I want to point something out right at the beginning. Satan never leaves! He is there when the Lord arrives. This reveals that Satan is thrilled that he has dirtied what was pure, he has defiled a relationship between mankind and God. Satan wants to be there to witness it. Ironically, this also reveals that Satan thought he had won. That God would not have a plan ready to go. However, before we get to this I think we should identify a couple core normalities that we live with today because of this.

First, mankind is no longer covered. Some Bible scholars believe they were clothed in righteousness, because they were without sin. Once sin came in that clothing disappeared, leaving them naked. The Bible does not give us a diffinitive answer. However, I ask the question, was God wearing clothes? If He wasn’t they would have now known. So we can assume He was. Was He with sin? Absolutely not! Thus He was clothed in righteousness. There are a plethora of Bible verses talking about the righteousness that God clothes us with. I say all this to say, while we do not know the answer it is curious.

The next thing we need to point out is the issues with men and women. We see at the very start Adam is trying to pass the judgement onto his wife. Eve is wanting to pass the judgement onto someone else. Both are not owning up to what they did. No one forced the fruit into their mouth. They did it themselves.

The relationship with God was broken, mankind was afraid. How ironic that when mankind comes to grips with who God is, they either run away from Him or ask to come closer. In Christ we can boldly come to the throne and be with our Father. God starts with the root of the issue. The serpent is to be dealt with first. I find this interesting that God deals with the snake. Genesis 3:14 “The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;”. The fact there is judgment on the snake at all, means the snake was a willing tool in the schemes of the devil. So next time you see a snake, just remember they are crawling on the ground because of the garden.

At this point, Satan might have been catching on to the idea God was passing judgement onto each participant, or he might not. However, when God turned to the devil and proclaimed his future it had to be sobering. Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Let us examine the specifics of what God is saying. There will be war between mankind and the devil, “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” There would be a war between a decedent of mankind and a decedent the devil, “and between your seed and her seed.” Yes the devil has children (we will get into that later but if you are wanting to know more now. Check out LA Marzuli (Link https://lamarzulli.net). The next aspect is unique, because it says, “her seed,” as much as mankind wants to say it is possible and deny science, women do not have seed. God is hinting at the virgin birth, hinting towards Jesus Christ. We know this is what God was thinking because of what is said next. “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” The word “bruise” here is the Hebrew word “shuph.” It can mean bruise, break, or cover. Based on what we know about scripture, we can safely assume that based on context in the English language it should say, “He shall break you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” We all know that breaking the head is fetal while a bruised head is not. The Gospel reveals that Christ died for us, while Satan will be crushed.

The next stage of human events are on full display. Satan now realizes that God is not only playing for keeps, but He is going for Satan personally. In fact, the Trinity personhood that is talking to Satan, Adam, and Eve, was Jesus Christ. We know this, because in verse 21, God provides temporary clothing. God finishes by passing judgment on Adam, Eve, and on their relationship with each other and the earth. What was perfect is now cursed.

Genesis 3:16-24 “To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.” 17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” 20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”-- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”

They were kicked out of the Garden. Nothing could be done by human hands to preserve them. It appeared to be dark, only a promise of a future child to crush Satan’s head lingered in the air. For the Devil his fate was sealed, for humanity it appeared God had a plan. Next week we will start the next chapter in Genesis and look into human events between mankind with sin at the helm.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Understanding what it means to be born-again. Read it HERE!

True Freedom

As our American readers are preparing to celebrate our independence tomorrow, there is a fact that needs to be addressed. For us in the United States, we have become used to many freedoms that our brothers and sisters around the world do not have. And for American Christians this is often overlooked. American Christians are accustomed to religious freedoms, however these freedoms are rapidly evaporating. This means we need to be vigilant to what is happening around the world. We need to remember Christ is coming for His church and after the tribulation He will reign on earth. The Bible is very clear that things will get worse before we are called home. So we need to continue to be about the Lord’s work. American Christian’s must recognize that our liberty comes from not a document or law but rather Christ Himself. We need to be continuing the work that God has called all those who have accepted Him, to share the gospel and help believers grow in their faith. Too many churches in the United States focus only on the gospel message and are not encouraging their members to dive deep into the word of God. Too many churches still preach false teachings and without the knowledge to rebuke them, their ideals will continue to spread. So for our American Christians as we prepare to celebrate our independence, I ask this of you. First, pray for our brothers and sisters around the world as they face the trials, pray for strength for them and for them to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ. Second, pray for our country. Pray that the believers here to have strength and to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ.

For our readers who do not live in the United States. I ask that you pray for your brothers and sisters here. Many of you are facing trials that have not been seen in the United States and I ask that you pray for us when we begin to face those trials. I also pray for our readers abroad that you grow in your walk with Jesus Christ, that your knowledge of the word grows, and that your discernment grows as well.

For the nonbelievers reading this, there are many still bound to slavery and that slavery is to sin. The only way to experience true freedom is accepting the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross, not only for me but for you and anyone who would accept that they are sinners in need of a savior. Sin is tricky, since it separates us from God it casts thoughts of being unworthy or irredeemable. This cannot be farther from the truth. Christ went to that cross for your sins and for mine. He died, rose again three days later, and sits at the right hand of God because He loves us. All we need to do is accept His sacrifice and we will be seen as worthy because Jesus Christ is worthy. True freedom can only be found in Him.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Last week we discussed what happened to Lucifer and his fall to evil. Hollywood and many in the world might try to convince you that there is a struggle of two equals, right vs wrong and good vs bad. However, that is not the case. There is a cosmic war, there is a right team and a wrong team; but we should be clear there is no equals between God and Satan. In fact, Satan cannot even be measured in the same category as God. Satan could do nothing to God; thus, he went after God’s most treasured creation. Satan went after mankind.

Genesis 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Right from the very beginning people might tell you that this is a story of analogy, that this needs to be spiritualized for personal reflection. They would be dead wrong. This is a very literal event that took place. The account is accurate as we will describe in a moment. Examine Paul’s account to the Romans.

Romans 5:12-21 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died--from the time of Adam to the time of Moses--even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. 20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul is expounding on the principles of salvation; Paul’s foundation of his argument is found in the literal interpretation of Adam’s sin. This is now confirming the fact, that the reliability of the entire scripture is predicated on the idea of a serious interpretation of God’s Word. Where it is literal, it must be taken literal no matter how bizarre and uncomfortable it is. The book of Genesis has several more challenges for us in the future regarding historical events. However, Paul makes the events circulating around the fall of man to be literally documented and described accurately here in God’s Word in the book of Genesis.

Now you might be wondering, “What about Eve?” Allow me a moment to expound. Eve is first having the discussion with the serpent. The very fact they are having this discussion indicates a certain level of intellectual limitation that has now been placed on animals. This apparently was not always the case. Moving forward, Satan being the serpent must first attack God’s Word. Lucifer’s strategy has not changed, it is the same from Genesis chapter 3 to the present and future. Genesis 3:1b “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Satan starts to lay doubt. Eve answers incorrectly, Genesis 3:2-3 “The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” Adam, who was next to her, should have spoken up. This was his moment to be the hero and rescue his wife, but instead he stayed silent. Oh, how men today need to step up and be the spiritual leaders in their homes, how we stay silent when the world needs us to step up.

This has been our folly from the beginning gentlemen, this is our indictment. Adam should have corrected Eve, and accurately rebuked Satan by quoting God’s Word accurately, Genesis 2:16-17 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”  Adam and Eve could touch it but couldn’t eat it. Do you see the subtlety? Not much of a change, but enough to get us off the correct interpretation and thus off of the correct path. This is why so many who claim Genesis must be read spiritualized or in some poetic allegorical interpretation, are already victims of Satan’s first attack against us. For those who are in churches that do not believe this interpretation of God’s Word, I would highly encourage you to flee, run, and escape from the grasps of the trap you are in. God’s Word must be taken seriously, or we will fall victim to Satan’s lies. Just see what happens to Adam and Eve when Satan realizes their mistake. Satan sees the slip up and goes for the vital attack, he throws in his own lies. Genesis 3:4-5 “4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan promises us that we can become like God. The same lie is repackaged depending on the century. Satan gives promises, hope, and opportunity; and in all three cases they end in separation, misery, and death. Unfortunately, Adam did nothing and joined his wife. Both ate of the fruit and thus they handed dominion over to Satan. Adam gave his dominion to Lucifer and in exchange gave a birth right of death to all. For all of Adam’s decedents have sin within their DNA. Man failed to uphold God’s Word; thus man passes this curse down.

Mankind died that day, spiritually separated in our darkest hour. Satan had struck a crucial blow against the Lord. Lucifer who once praised God and led worship in Heaven was now attacking the Lord in the one area he could, God’s relationship with mankind.

Now there is an application that I believe we need to quickly discuss today. Let it sink in, that the angel in charge of worship in front of the Lord is the one who fell. I cannot help but make connection to worship music today and see a parallel between the two. How much of Christian music is scripturally accurate? How much is made and created by those who are not even saved. A Christian worship leader should be as invested in providing Biblical and accurate worship as the pastor preaching. And the Christ followers in the pews need to be as vigilant with the worship leader as they are with the pastor. Let us not forget that man’s original sin was first carried to us from a worship leader.

Finally, we need to be reminded that even though sin had entered the world, God had foreseen this and had put into creation the very process for salvation. Adam and Eve were unaware, but their anatomy already declared the crucifixion. Their body structure was already designed to hold the nails, the wood had already been created and grown of which the cross would be formed out of. The very metal used as the nails was imbedded in the earth awaiting His glorious sacrifice. Satan was the loser, and he didn’t even know it yet. Satan might have drawn first blood, but it would be the Lord God who would end the war before it had even begone.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A special note from one of our authors. Read it HERE!

Seek God

There is no getting around the fact that many in today’s world wish to silence the word of God. Many would believe that if they can only get those teaching about Jesus Christ to be silent then Christianity would simply go away. I am sure they are of the same mind as the Pharisees in Luke 19, and they should receive the same answer today. “37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:37-40.

You see, many today wish to cause born-again Christians to stop sharing the saving faith that is found in Jesus Christ, but for born-again believers we can not allow ourselves to be silent. Instead we need to take a look at Matthew 20:29-34 to see what happens when we ignore the world telling us to be silent.

“29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

Here we have two men who were in desperate need of someone to heal them, they became aware that the Son of God was walking past and began to plead to Him. The world told them to be silent but they ignored them, instead they became louder still. With them not backing down, Jesus acknowledged their faith, had compassion on them, and made them well.

While this is a short passage, there is a key element we can learn. When the world is telling Christians to be silent and not share the gospel, we need to speak all the louder. When we do, Jesus is able to bring more to Him. Ignore the world telling you to be silent and instead keep the focus on Jesus Christ; because even if no one else is declaring Him, the very stones will.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

As you might have expected, our study in Genesis is laced and held together by the other books of the Bible. Today we are going to talk about the rebellion in Heaven. There are many opinions, ideas, theories, and assumptions regarding this topic. However, we have the Word of God to help provide evidence of what has happened.

Let us examine the facts according to God. This is not a study into Satan himself, also known as “satanology,” but rather to his origins and the influence of the event that takes place where we are in our study of Genesis.  But to do this, I believe we need to recognize three arguments that influence the Christian thought and paradigm today.

First, is the idea that Satan is a metaphor for human nature. Satan is everything that is bad in us that we hate. Humanism with a Christian flavoring as you might say. However, this is debunked when you read the story of Job who was persecuted by Satan. Or examine Jesus’ interactions with Satan, was Jesus talking to Himself in Matthew?

Matthew 4:4-11 “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” 5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”

Examine Revelation 20, where we see the angel Michael physically fight Satan. Revelation 20:1-2 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;”

It is my opinion that we blame Satan for too much in this world. There is evil in this world that mankind does, and I think we even surprise Satan. However, to assume the devil is some metaphorical character for humanistic lessons is absurd. We must take God’s Word seriously, and if that is the case we must take Satan seriously. This is further emphasized in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

The second idea that I see inside the evangelical movement is that Satan is very real, but this world was his before it was ours. They believe things like that there was a garden of Eden before the one spoken of in Genesis. Many well spoken and dearly beloved prophecy experts stumble across on this idea. They say there is a gap in Genesis chapter 1 vs 1 and Genesis chapter 1 vs 2. We need to give them grace, but this group has become so focused on the micro details they failed to recognize the simplistic contextual realities of the Hebrew language. In the analyst world we would say, “Hey you are in an echo chamber of thinkers.” This is why we need to evaluate our understanding of scripture and pay close attention to all aspects and cross examine our understanding with other born-again believers. This is why I would point you to Pastor James Kadis with Calvary Chapel Signal Hills, the late Dr. Chuck Missler with Koinonia House Ministries, or Dr. Andy Woods of Sugar Bible Church for further details. However, a very simple and basic argument that I believe stand against any critical view is what God Himself states in Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

This leads to our final group of thought, which ironically is what I believe happened. Based on Genesis 1:31, everything is made, and it is good. Thus, to this point Satan also known as Lucifer is still good. He is an angel, a created being by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

This is where you have to focus on surrounding evidence to get an idea of the swiftness of Satan’s downfall. Adam and Eve are commanded to be one and multiply. There is something that is called Adamic sin (which we will talk about next week) that is passed down from Adam to each child. Because Adam had no child without sin born of him, we can assume that the downfall of humans in the garden of Eden must come rather quickly. This equates to Satan having to fall even faster. Some might argue that there is no way Satan could be made that quickly and decide to fall that fast. However, they fail to recognize that Lucifer was in the Lord’s presence. God never changed, so if he chose to walk away from God on day eight or thousands of years later it is irrelevant since God does not change. What Lucifer saw was the same now or later. Second, man did. Man knew the Lord, knew His goodness and fell. I would argue what Isaiah describes in chapter 14 with Lucifer, happened on day eight or sometime very close.

Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”

The five “I” statements. Because of this Satan is found to have pride. Pride is sin period. Ironically, the United States has an entire month dedicated to pride, yet when we examine scripture we can tell that pride is something the Lord does not want. Some might ask why did he do it? The answer is not needed, and we are not told why. However, if I had to guess, I would say it has something to do with his laser focus on mankind. An in-depth study of Satan would reveal that amongst the angels he was in charge of worship for the Lord. However, when man comes into the picture, there is now something that has all of God’s attention. Something that is the connection between the spirit and physical world. Mankind is made in God’s image, not Satan. Satan is described as a murderer, a liar, and his hatred for mankind only points more to us being the reason he chose to fall. Nevertheless, Satan chooses to attack God’s greatest creation mankind. Next week we will see what happens to mankind.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A look back into a study on man-made religions. Read it HERE!