John

John Part 8 Christ increases

This part of John is rather straight forward, but we will cover it anyway.

John 3:22:  After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

We will see in the next chapter that Jesus only baptized his disciples.  This is important and we will cover why.

John 3:23:  And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

The meaning of the word Aenon is springs and Salim, peace.  This is neat to note that John is baptizing in the springs of peace.
It is also good to note that John was here because there was much water.  Baptism is a symbol of us dying in the flesh.  It is a total thing and the symbolism requires submersion.  If you only needed to be sprinkled John would not need to go to where there is a lot of water.

John 3:24:  For John was not yet cast into prison.
John 3:25:  Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.
John 3:26:  And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

They are asking why Christ is taking over.

John 3:27:  John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

And it is true all things come from God.

John 3:28:  Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

John never declared himself head honcho.

John 3:29:  He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

The friend of the bridegroom was the person that attended the groom, settled details between the bride and groom etc.  It was a great honor.  John, by paving the way, was getting the bride ready for Christ.  He understood that this wasn’t about him or his ministry.  He understood this was about God.  John was given this great honor because God knew he would be able to perform this duty.  He could trust John.  He didn’t suddenly start a religious war or claim some hold over Christ just because he baptized him.

John 3:30:  He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:31:  He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Things of he flesh mean little to the heavenly.  Bank loans, stubbed toes and broken coffee pots are not the topics of angels.

John 3:32:  And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

Christ spoke of God and his kingdom and no man was able to understand it because we are flesh and understand the things of the flesh.

John 3:33:  He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

Does this say that while in the flesh we cannot accept his testimony?  In part surely for Paul told us this.

1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

While in the flesh we are always going to struggle to understand.  Can a line understand a square?  Can a square understand a cube?  The ways of God are contrary to the ways of the flesh, but we have forgiveness and if we seek him we will receive his testimony even if we do not understand all of it.

John 3:30:  Jesus must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:31:  Jesus that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: Jesus that cometh from heaven is above all.
John 3:32:  And what Jesus hath seen and heard, that Jesus testifieth; and no man receiveth Jesus’ testimony.

Remember the purpose of the Gospel of John is to show Jesus as God.

John 3:33:  He that hath received Jesus testimony hath set to Jesus seal that God is true.
John 3:34:  For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

We are to ask for our daily bread.  Our daily portion of the mana from heaven.  Christ is that bread and just as there was no end to the loaves and fishes there is no end to his bread.
John 3:35:  The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

John 3:36:  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Topic Discussions

How can we be certain that Lucifer and satan are the same person?

Asked and answered.  I have been asking questions in groups for sometime now and I think that I would like to post some of the great answers I get.

How can we be certain that Lucifer and satan are the same person?

Lucifer is only mention in Isaiah 14

Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Lucifer is never referred to directly as Satan.  We fill in the blanks of Satan with the scripture of Lucifer. Is this justified?

Best Answer posted by Jason Hacker

‎(Revelation 9:11) And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon (destroying angel), but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Ἀβαδδών
Abaddōn
ab-ad-dohn’
Of Hebrew origin [H11]; a destroying angel: – Abaddon.

אבדּון
‘ăbaddôn
ab-ad-done’
Intensively from H6; abstractly a perishing; concretely Hades: – destruction.

Abaddon is the destroying angel that will perish. The only one in the Bible that led a rebellion that destroyed the goodness in heaven was Lucifer. He is the king of those in the bottomless pit and has been sentenced to perish.

Also here we see that Lucifer was brought down to the sides of the pit in hell just as we know satan was: (Isaiah 14:12) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

(Isaiah 14:13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

(Isaiah 14:14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

(Isaiah 14:15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Here we see that Lucifer made the earth to tremble and shake kingdoms and we know satan does and will do that: (Isaiah 14:16) They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

We also know that this is Lucifer: (Ezekiel 28:14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

(Ezekiel 28:15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

(Ezekiel 28:16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

(Ezekiel 28:17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

(Ezekiel 28:18) Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

(Ezekiel 28:19) All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

We know that satan defiles sanctuaries. We know he was cast out of Heaven, etc…

And I know you have read this verse once or twice, but this one ties them together as the one who was cast out of Heaven after his rebellion: (Revelation 12:9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Jason Hacker: Then of course we know that satan is sentenced to perish and therefore is the son of perdition and we know that Lucifer exalted himself above God. He wants to be God and to be worshipped, so here you go: (2 Thessalonians 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;

(2 Thessalonians 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.

John

John part 7 How to recieve everlasting life

I am sorry that John part 6 didn’t really have much of an intro or closing.  To be honest what I had, had been sitting on my desktop for a while and I just wanted to move on.

The Greek manuscripts do not have any paragraph breaks anywhere here, but many scholars agree that this should be the start of a new paragraph.  In the last part Christ was explaining to Nicodemus about being born with the spirit.  Do not forget that there are two births there are also two deaths, that of the flesh and that of the spirit.  The second death does not occur until after the millenium (Day of the Lord) when all those that choose to follow Satan at that time are cast into the lake of fire.

In this part Christ is going to explain HOW our spirits are born.

John 3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

All Souls come from God and when we leave this flesh body we return to the Father that gave it.  This isn’t a new thought either.  Take a look at Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 12:6:  Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

This isn’t talking about pots it is talking our bodies.

Ecclesiastes 12:7:  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Our bodies are just dust, but our spirits return onto God.  This is why Christ told Nicodemus that he should have know these things.

John 3:14:  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Christ is like a serpent?  What?  I thought Satan was the serpent.  Don’t worry he is.  So what is Christ talking about here?  He is referencing Numbers 21:9  Let’s turn there so we follow along.  Remember Christ teaches so that everyone can understand if they will take the time to try.

Numbers 21:4:  And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

Earlier in this selfsame chapter God had just delivered the Canaanite into their hand.  God is providing manna, but they still want to complain about a bit of a walk.

Numbers 21:5:  And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

This light bread they loath is the manna and you should know that God gave them manna as a physical example of the word.  Remember the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Spiritually speaking they are loathing God’s word and whenever you do that friends he will make make our Father angry.

Numbers 21:6:  And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

The word fiery here isn’t that they spit fireballs or anything.  Rather their bites felt like fire.

Numbers 21:7:  Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

Here is why Christ brought us here.  The people admitted their sin.  I am sure that you are all aware that John 3:16 coming up and what that verse says.

Numbers 21:8:  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

Here is that lifting up that Christ was talking about.

Numbers 21:9:  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Beheld here makes it seems like anyone that saw this brass serpent thing were ok, but there is more to it than that so lets pull up the word beheld here:

H5027  נבט  nâbaṭ  naw-bat’
A primitive root; to scan, that is, look intently at; by implication to regard with pleasure, favor or care: – (cause to) behold, consider, look (down), regard, have respect, see.

As you can see it is more than just seeing.  It is looking intently, regarding, respect.  Just as you can’t just say oh there is Christ I am fine.  You need to put a little more into it than that.

So why did God use a serpent here and what is the connection to Christ.  For one you must understand that Satan doesn’t do anything unless it is God’s will.  Which is why oft times God will call Satan’s army his own army.  (See Joel 2 and Revelation 9 if you have questions on this).  Looking upon the brass serpent was more of showing them who was power over the serpent.  Remember when Moses cast down his staff before Pharaoh and it turned into a serpent and then pharaoh’s’s magicians did the same, but Moses’ rod ate theirs up. Why? Again because God has power over Satan so keep your eyes on the one lifted up and the snake on the ground cannot hurt you.

John 3:15:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Understand the theme here now?  Did you think this concept was new that Christ brought it?

John 3:16:  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now does Satan believe in Christ?  Certainly he tried to stop him when he was fasting in the desert.  The legions of demons called him by name when he was about to cast them out.  So then what does this believeth mean?  Let’s pull up the word.

G4100  πιστεύω  pisteuō  pist-yoo’-o
From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): – believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

Again it is to have faith in and by implication to entrust.  Entrust what?  Your spirit of course.  Satan does not do that he wants to be in charge.  Make sure that you are entrusting your soul to him.

John 3:17:  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18:  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Many religions accept that Christ walked the earth.  Many say that he was a great teacher and that he came from God, but they do not accept him as messiah.  They do not accept him as Immanuel, God with us.  They do not under stand Jesus (Yashusha) mean’s Yahaveh’s savior (God’s savior).

Do you?

John 3:19:  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

It is often hard to understand how it is that men would choose evil.  We live in an age where we don’t have to look very hard to see evil, but as a child of light it is hard to understand.  Or is it?  How often do we decide not to cast off things we know are not of God?  It is easier to do than you think.  Have you ever come from a dark room where your e yes have adjusted and you are comfortable.  You may even think you see what is about you then someone turns on a light or opens a window and you flinch and your eyes reject the light.

John 3:20:  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
John 3:21:  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

And that is true.  Our eyes only see blacks and whites in the dark, but the world comes alive with color when you step from the shadows and follow God.  It maybe hard at first to adapt to the light your eyes maybe even a bit blurry for a while until you adjust, but they will adjust if you stay in the light.

Remember this if you are new to Christianity.  Remember this is if you have been in the light for some time.  Remember how hard it is and how blurry things can be for a new person.  Be patient and already remember to keep your eyes on Christ and he will NEVER let you down.

John

John part 6 Christ explains born from above

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John 2:23:  Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

Remember the law was to come to Jerusalem at passover so Christ is there.  Now notice that many believed, but only when they saw the miracles he did.  Blessed are you who believe and do not see.

John 2:24:  But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

This word commit doesn’t quite cut it.  Let’s pull it up.

G4100  πιστεύω  pisteuō  pist-yoo’-o
From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): – believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

So it isn’t that Christ didn’t have faith unto himself it means that he knew their faith was because they saw the miracles.  Thus he knew all men and really today if you have that gift of discernment it isn’t that hard for the Holy Spirit to reveal a person’s motives or where their mind is.

John 2:25:  And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

And this is just a continuation of this thought.  Testify here is bear witness.  Christ didn’t need anyone to tell him what was in the heart of  a man.

John 3:1:  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

They are still in Jerusalem.  A a ruler in Jerusalem is a member of the Sanhedrin.  The same Sanhedrin that will eventually demand Christ gets crucified.  Most likely Nicodemus (meaning conqueror of the people) was not there at that time along with Joseph of Arimathea.
History tells us that he was one of the richest men in Jerusalem.  Ever hear of a rich super preacher?

John 3:2:  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Note when Nicodemus comes to him.  Does he arrive by day? No he comes at night no doubt to hide his visit from the rest of the super preachers errr I mean Sanhedrin.  I am sure he would be in hot water if Caiaphas heard about this.

I don’t want you to get the wrong picture of Nicodemus.  He does recognize that Christ is sent from God that is a far cry from the rest of them that think he casts out devils in Satan’s name.  And he does call him Rabbi meaning master, it’s a respectful address.

John 3:3:  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

I am sure you have all heard the phrase, “born again,” but really it means born from above.  Let’s pull up the word.

G509  ἄνωθεν  anōthen  an’-o-then
From G507; from above; by analogy from the first; by implication anew: – from above, again, from the beginning (very first), the top.

John 3:4:  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

Nicodemus isn’t getting it, but don’t worry Christ will explain.

John 3:5:  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

This is why again doesn’t really convey the complete thought.  We are born from water meaning the water in the womb.  What breaks before we come?  And of the spirit.  This is from above and without Christ our spirit is dead.  The wages of sin is death.

John 3:6:  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:7:  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

See Christ expects a leader of Israel to know this.

John 3:8:  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Sometimes I wonder if the translators of this verse fell asleep.  They did a great work, but did they read this and expect anyone to understand it?

the word wind here is pneuma and should be spirit.  Let me try to put this verse in a way you can follow

The Spirit breathes where it He pleases, and you hear the voice thereof, but you cannot tell where is comes from or where it goes:  so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Basically it says that the Holy Spirit goes where it will, but we can’t tell where it comes from.

John 3:9:  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
John 3:10:  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

This is the second time that Christ is asking why he doesn’t know.

John 3:11:  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

Truly, Truly we (him and the disciples) have told you that we know and we tell you this, but your not believing us.

John 3:12:  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

It’s easy here to look down upon Nicodemus here, but how many of us understand the spiritual things Christ teaches?  Do you understand the parables and why he fed the 4,000?

Topic Discussions

Does the bible say we can see God?

A friend of mine brought me this question the other day and I promised him I would answer, but I wanted to write up this post in case anyone else has this question.

Here is the verses he brought forth

Gen 32:30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

1 John 4:12:  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

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

His question is simple.  Does the bible say we can see God or not?

I love this question there is so much in it.  Let’s start with Exodus.

Exodus 33:18:  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

This is Moses speaking.  Now note here what is he asking to see?  God in his full glory.  This is important to understand.

Exodus 33:19:  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

This is God in all his goodness proclaiming YHVH you don’t get any more real that this.

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

Ok here is God himself saying that you cannot see his face and live so there can be no doubt.  Why?  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:50:  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The flesh and blood are not good enough.  This is also why we partake of Christ’s flesh and blood.

Exodus 33:21:  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Now shapen up.  God is teaching here.  Who is our rock?  It should be Jesus Christ.

Exodus 33:22:  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

God looks out for those he loves.  Many people cannot understand how when Christ returns the good can be here when his wrath is laid out.  With God there is not collateral damage.  He will keep you in the cleft of the Rock which is Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 32:9:  For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:10:  He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

This is a portion of the Song of Moses which is the song the overcomers sing at Christ return.  God keeps us a the apple of his eye.  You see the name Jacob there and think this is just some old Jewish thing consider this: Psalms 105:15:  Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Christ is the anointed one and if you are in him them you are under that protection.

Exodus 33:23:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

So Moses only got to see the back of God and even that affected him tremendously .  Let’s skip ahead to see.

Exodus 34:33:  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.

This is just after Moses comes back down to see the people and he has to keep a vail on his face.

Exodus 34:34:  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.
Exodus 34:35:  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

His skin glowed guys the word here in Hebrew is interesting:
H7160 קרן qâran kaw-ran’
A primitive root; to push or gore; used only as denominative from H7161, to shoot out horns; figuratively rays: – have horns, shine.

So we are not just talking about the head of Mr. Clean we are talking rays.

Ok I think by now we can all understand 1 John 4:12:  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

So that leaves us with Jacob back in Genesis doesn’t it.

Genesis 32:24:  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

The word for man here is:  H376  אישׁ  ‘ı̂ysh  eesh.  Meaning man.  Not God and certainly not the full glory of God.

Genesis 32:25:  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

This here describes Israel’s relationship with God since day one.

Genesis 32:26:  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Now we know from the upcoming verse that he is wrestling with God and what are they fighting about?  A blessing.  Think on that.  That tells you a lot about how Israel works.  Everything has to be the hard way.  Would God have just given him a blessing?  Well I think so that is what Christ taught, but Jacob needs to go about it the hard way is it no wonder that God calls Israel a stiffnecked people.

Genesis 32:27:  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Genesis 32:28:  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

When God changes names pay attention.  What does Israel mean?

H3478  ישׂראל  yiśrâ’êl  yis-raw-ale’
From H8280 and H410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: – Israel.

Now did that say maybe?  No and God doesn’t like it says that Israel WILL rule as God.  Why because that is the line in which Christ comes through and it is that vine (Christ) which you must be attached to in order to have a living soul.  Do not forget that Gentiles who attach themselves to the root of Jesse are quickened and they become part of Israel.  If you don’t understand that just put it aside for now.
Do you understand better now when Paul says:
1 Corinthians 15:24:  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1 Corinthians 15:25:  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1 Corinthians 15:26:  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Genesis 32:29:  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

What is your name? Jacob asks.  Does God answer him? It isn’t written and when God called upon Moses to speak to the children of Israel he asked, “Who should I say sent me?”  So it wasn’t known.

Genesis 32:30:  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Who said he saw God face to face here?  Jacob did not God.  We saw that Jacob wrestled with a man.  Was if God?  Yes Jacob was very clear on that point, but did God show himself in his full glory?  No.  We can even tell this from the word used for God here.  H430  אלהים  ‘ĕlôhı̂ym  el-o-heem’
Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: – angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

You can see it wasn’t the sacred name that is used here.  Does that mean it wasn’t God?  No it just shows us that he was presenting himself to Jacob in a form he could understand.  God and sin cannot co-exist.  When God and sin come in contact guess who wins.

Maybe now you can understand how Christ can be God and he was able to be seen.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
John 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
John 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 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.
John 14:11  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

I will close with a line from Isaiah.

Isaiah 52:8  Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

This is the end friends.  This is when we shall truly see the glory of our Father.  I hope this helped if it did don’t just “like” it “share” it.

John

John part 5 Christ kicks butt

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John 2:12:  After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

After what?  After the wedding.

John 2:13:  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

Remember passover was given to all of Israel but the 10 tribes in the north were taken by Assyria.  The two southern tribes Benjamin and Judah (often just grouped together and called Judah.  Benjamin was very small after most of them were killed in the book of Judges) were taken to Babylon but returned 70 years later.  A remnant of them anyway.  You can read about this in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Christ is also king of all of Israel not just the Jews.

John 2:14:  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

There are several things going on here and remember Christ taught on 3 levels.

John 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;

This scourge of small cords is a cat of nine tails whip.

John 2:16:  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

So let’s take this one step at a time.  During this time the pharisees were using a temple currency called a half shekel and you had to have these in order to “conduct business” in the temple.  They set the rate of exchange to whatever they wanted.  Basically whatever they could rake the people over the coals for.

The purpose of the doves etc were for sacrifice and it was supposed to be the first fruits of our labor and given in love and they had turned it into a one stop shopping to make God happy.  Well God wasn’t happy.

Now let’s take it a bit deeper.  What were they supposed to be doing in the temple?  They were supposed to be giving out the Word of the Lord.  Instead they were selling short cuts.  Take a look at:

Jeremiah 23:1:  Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:2:  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

Do you see how angry this makes God when the pastors don’t do what they are supposed to do.  Read the read of that chapter in Jeremiah and you will understand even more.

At the very root of it all what they were doing was causing Israel to sin and to God that isn’t any different than if you had a golden calf standing there.  Pastors that set up new or different ways to God lead God’s children straight to the road to hell and it makes him  ANGRY.

Lastly what is the temple symbolic of? 1 Corinthians 3:16:  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  We are going to see that Christ is going to talk of himself as the temple in just a moment.  So what is Christ showing us here?  He is cleaning out the temple.  Just as he cleaned out the evil spirits out of the man with a legion of demons in him.  Remember what he said when you clean out an evil spirit?  You have to fill the house else the spirit will return with a few of his buddies (see Luke 11).  What is Christ going to fill the temple with?  The Holy Spirit which is given 50 days after his resurrection.

John 2:17:  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

This is quoted from Psalms 69.  Whenever a verse is quoted it is a good practice to go back and read the chapter it is from.  There you will see it mentions a flood.  Symbolicly we see that a flood represents the flood of lies that come from Satan’s mouth.  Revelation 12:15:  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

John 2:18:  Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

They always want a sign don’t they?  There is nothing wrong with asking for Father’s direction, but that is not what they are doing here.  They are demanding He proof himself.  What did Christ tell tell them?
Matthew 12:39:  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Matthew 12:40:  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

He is telling them the same here.

John 2:19:  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
John 2:20:  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

They are thinking in the flesh.  Be careful you don’t.  It is easy to do, but when you think in the flesh you cannot understand Christ.

John 2:21:  But he spake of the temple of his body.
John 2:22:  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

This is in part my opinion so you can take it or leave it, but I don’t think he wanted a temple built necessarily.  When Israel wanted a king he wanted to be their king, but he gave them one.  Yes God did tell Solomon to build the temple so I won’t argue with this point, but take a look these scriptures and let’s see if maybe we can get a grasp on the emotions and feelings of our Father.

2 Samuel 7:5:  Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

Are you David going to build me a house?  Remember Christ just said his body was the temple not a collection of cedar.

2 Samuel 7:6:  Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

Remember God didn’t even want them to shape the stones they used to build altars.  Why because he didn’t want man’s hand fashioning it.  We can’t cut it without the blood of our Savior.

2 Samuel 7:7:  In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?

God is making it very clear this wasn’t his idea.  You can read the rest on this on your own.  God Bless you all and if this has helped you in anyway don’t just “like” it “share” it.

Topic Discussions

6 reasons why Muhammad was not sent from God

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1. Muslim believe that God sent Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad.  Since both Christian and Muslim believe God sent sent Moses and it was. Moses who taught us how to know if a prophet was sent from God let’s begin there.
Deuteronomy 18:21:  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deuteronomy 18:22:  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Moses is pretty clear on what we are to look for.  So has Muhammad given us a prophecy that we can see if it has come true or not? No. Muslims believe that the only sign we are given was the Koran itself.  Let’s put that thought on hold for a moment and let’s look at the other thing Moses told us to look for.  Did he tell us to do something contrary to what was given in by God?  Certainly.  God gave us the torah.  God never changes therefore God would not have changed or tossed out his own words.  Christ said: Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

2. Muslims will argue that God only preserved his word for a time that when Muhammad came he didn’t need to do it anymore.  Again God never changes.  He woudn’t have spent 40 years giving Moses the law (the way he wants things done) if he was going to toss it aside in a few years and to God a few days. (2 Peter 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).

Why is it that archaeologist have to dig up the words of ancient Egypt, Babylon and Assyria, when a text just as old has been with us the entire time?  Why is it when they discovered the dead sea scroll and a copy of Isaiah was found (one much older than we had before) and it was the same as the copy we have today (there is less than 1% difference in all the scripts of the bible).  Let’s take a script that God didn’t preserve namely the Gospel of Judas.  Back in the early 1900′ a complete copy of the Gospel of Judas was found by a grave robber.  It was sold and the next buyer tried to sell it for a lot of money and he couldn’t get it.  It eventually made it’s way to the US (selling artifacts like that in Egypt is against the law) where the owner tried to sell it for 2 million dollars.  The buyers didn’t have anything near that much so the tossed it into a bank safety deposit box for over a decade.  When it was finally rediscoverered it had crumbled to pieces.

3.  Muslims believe that muhammad was born in the wilderness or in an out of the way place away from the influences of other religions yet at the same time admit that he was born and lived in Mecca where at the time there were 390 other gods being worshiped at the time.  Not sure about you, but that sounds like a lot of influence to me.  He was also a trader, which at the time was how news traveled from city to city, thus Muhammad would have been subject to many ideas that roamed free.
4.  Muslims believe that Muhammad’s miracle was the Koran itself that he was illiterate and thus the words given to him were the unmediated words of God.  This is an interesting thought and honestly sounds kinda cool that God would do this right? Let’s not get itchy ears just yet.  Again let’s look to Moses.  When God wanted to give us the ten commandment without the conduit of man he did it quite nicely.

Exodus 34:1:  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

Remember Moses broke the ten commandments when he saw that the children of Israel had fashioned a golden calf.

5. Muhammad told his followers to turn their back on Jerusalem and look toward Kabah in Mecca. Jerusalem was founded by the jebusites and was renamed Jerusalem (the habitation of peace) when David (a symbol of christ) conquered the city.  Which is why it is said that it had an unclean birth.  It is God’s favorite place in the world and is symbolic of us.  Do we need to pray toward Jerusalem?  No, but the symbolic gesture should show you where they are looking.  So ponder in your hearts this verse given by the Savior.

Matthew 23:37:  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Matthew 23:38:  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Matthew 23:39:  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

6.  Muslims will not understand this, but I write this to you my sisters and brothers in hopes to help strengthen your faith.  Muslims are ordered not to drink wine.  Wine is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.  For you that should show what they are missing.  If you are unsure of the symbology of wine let us look upon it.  First we are to take the wine and the bread.  The body and the blood of Christ. Thus we are to take wine in remembrance of him.  Let us look deeper into this.
John chapter 2 gives us the wedding at Cana.  There Christ and the disciples find 6 empty pots.  6 a symbol of man.  Christ orders the disciples to fill those pots with water just as Christ told the disciples to and out the loaves and fishes.  Christ gives to the disciples and the disciples give to the people.  Christ then turns that water into wine.  Why?  First because no matter how much the disciples do they cannot change the heart of a man.  No matter how much seed they spread they cannot make a seed grow.  Second when Christ ascended into heaven what did he send on Pentecost day?  The Holy Spirit.  The blood washes us clean and the Holy Spirit fills us.

Topic Discussions

Why was Jesus born in the night?

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Luke 2:7:  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8:  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9:  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

We have all heard these verses before. Linus quoted them in the Charlie Brown Christmas special many years ago.  They are so familiar to us that they are easily over looked.  First we see that it is night.  Why was it night?  The answer is simple, before Christ came the world was in darkness.

John 8:12:  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Second let’s examine the shepherds.  Symbolically what are shepherds? Let’s find out.

Jeremiah 23:1:  Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

Here we see pastors over the sheep.
Jeremiah 23:2:  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

Now I want you to note the stark difference between these pastors and the shepherds in the fields when Christ was born.  Those shepherds were tending to the sheep.
Jeremiah 23:3:  And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
Jeremiah 23:4:  And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

What will the shepherds do that God will be happy with?  They shall feed them.
Jeremiah 23:5:  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Hmm sounds about like Christ doesn’t it? Let’s go back to those shepherds in the dark.

Luke 2:10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

There is the righteous branch.
Luke 2:12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luk3 2:15  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

These shepherds care.

Luke 2:16  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Luke 2:17  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

What did they do?  They made it known.  They feed the people.

Luke 2:18  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Again told by who?  The shepherds.

Luke 2:19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:20  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

These shepherds tended their flocks even in the night.  Before Christ the world was in darkness and with his birth the shepherds no longer had to tend their flocks by night.

John

John part 4- A wedding in Cana

Before we dive into chapter 2 I want to bring out that we are going to see 8 signs in this book of John.  The marriage in chapter 2 being the first.  The first and the last sign are linked.  We will cover that more when we get to the last sign.

John 2:1:  And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

This is the third day after Christ gathered his disciples making this the 7th day of the week.  Spiritually this will point to the wedding Christ will have when he returns.

John 2:2:  And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

This is important to note who is called to the wedding

John 2:3:  And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Again you have to turn on your spiritual eyes and see what it is this sign is showing us.  Israel at this time didn’t have wine.  That is to say the blood of Christ.  They had the law without grace.

John 2:4:  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

In English this sounds a bit pompous or rude, but really Christ is being respectful and it’s like saying Ma’am.

John 2:5:  His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Disciplined students.  Follow Christ.

John 2:6:  And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

These are some big stone pots.  A firkin is just under 9 gallons.  So we have each one anywhere from 18 to 27 gallons a piece.  This tells us it is a large party.

Also note the number 6 here.  Six is the number for man or the weakness of man.

John 2:7:  Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

First thing to note here is that the vessels were empty.  Just as without Christ man is empty.

Second and this is something often overlooked when reading the bible, is this took some work.  Just because it is contained in one verse didn’t mean it didn’t take time.  Imagine having to fill 6 bathtubs full of water by drawing it from a well.

Remember when Christ gave the loaves and fishes?  Well it was the disciples that handed out the loaves and fish not Christ.  Christ gave it to them and they in turn gave it to the people.  Now look at this, Christ tells the disciples to fill the pots with water.

John 2:8:  And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

Now symbolicly God is the governor of the feast or the father of the bridegroom (Christ).

John 2:9:  When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
John 2:10:  And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

See most parties gave out the good stuff at first and when everyone is liquorered up they hand out the crap.

John 2:11:  This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

So what do we have.  The disciples filling the empty pots, but it is Christ that turns it into wine and makes it acceptable.  Two things I want to call to mind.

First think about the parable of the sower, how the seed is the word of God and how it pertains to this verse: 1 Corinthians 3:6:  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  Here we see that it is our job to spread the word, but it is God that causes that seed to grow.

Second note that the wine was complete.  It wasn’t new wine.  Let’s examine the the following verses.

Matthew 9:15:  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

There is a lot here on this verse but for the time being let’s only look at the bridegroom reference.

Matthew 9:16:  No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

Clothes shrink when they are washed.  Take a pair of jeans.  If you take an old pair of jeans and put a new chunk of denim over the hole the new piece will shrink and it will pucker up.

Matthew 9:17:  Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Here is why I brought you here.  Wine bottles of the day were wine skins made from animals and new wine skins were flexible, but as they aged they lost their elasticity.

Christ is that new wine.

Wine is made from crushed grapes and yeast.  The yeast takes the sugar from the grape and converts it to carbon dioxide and alcohol.  If a wine skin wasn’t flexible it couldn’t withstand the expanding of the carbon dioxide.  The alcohol removes any foreign bactria etc.  Christ likened this to accepting his word and him working (growing) within us.

The wine at the wedding if ready.

Matthew 9:18:  While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Note Christ is still talking thus the topic has not changed.
Remember Christ does not perform side show miracles.  Let’s try to ascertain the purpose of this upcoming miracle.

We have a daughter that is dead.  Israel at this time is dead. Take note of Ezekiel 37 (the dry bones) and Jeremiah 3:8 where God divorced Israel.

Note the faith the man has at the end of the verse.

Matthew 9:19:  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
Matthew 9:20:  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

Here is another woman.  Note the 12 years and compare it to the 12 tribes of Israel.  God is reinforcing the idea that he is talking about the state of Israel and how Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel.

Matthew 9:21:  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

Again Faith.

Matthew 9:22:  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

What will save Israel?  What is it the Christ wants from us?  It isn’t bubble-gum cards.

Matthew 9:23:  And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

back to the dead girl.

Matthew 9:24:  He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Matthew 9:25:  But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

Again Ezekiel 37 when he preaches to the dry bones. READ IT!

Topic Discussions

Test your Teachers

Test your teachers. We have all heard about how we know a tree by it’s fruit. Let’s pause for a moment and look at teachers. We know that one of the functions of the body of Christ is to be a teacher. What is the function of a teacher? Is it to show how much you know so you can stand tall among your students? What good would it do a first grader if the teacher simply told their students how much they knew? The function of a teacher is to pass on information. Christ showed us how to perform this role. When the disciples (disciplined students) asked him a question he answered. Does your teacher answer your questions or simply tell you that questions mean you don’t have faith?