Living God

Only Believing Jews and Gentiles serve a LIVING GOD.

Throughout the Old Testament, Jews were reminded that God was a Living God, not a dead, dumb idol:
Deuteronomy 5:26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
Joshua 3:10 … Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you…
1 Samuel 17:26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, … that he should defy the armies of the living God?
1 Samuel 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
2 Kings 19:4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and …
2 Kings 19:16 LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
Psalm 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Isaiah 37:4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and …
Isaiah 37:17 Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
Jeremiah 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and …
Jeremiah 23:36 And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, …
Daniel 6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, …
Daniel 6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and …
Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, … Ye are the sons of the living God.
The disciples and Jewish leaders understood that they served a living God:
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter … said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Matthew 26:63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, …
John 6:69 And we believe … thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Acts 14:15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, …
Paul reminded Jews (Hebrews) of the living God:
Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, … purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion,… the city of the living God, …
Paul reminded Gentiles that they were children of the living God.
Romans 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
2 Corinthians 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God;…
2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, …
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, …
1 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us …

Only Believing Jews and Gentiles serve a LIVING GOD. All others serve false, dead gods.

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Only One Way

The Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples shortly before His crucifixion said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Only one way to Eternal Life – through the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). What did he teach about going to Heaven, Being Saved, SALVATION?
(Note: as you read and study about salvation remember it is a NOW and FUTURE event; NOW when you believe the gospel and a FUTURE event at the time of death or Rapture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 10:9)
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; …
Romans 5:9-10 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
There are 8 more verses in Romans concerning one salvation:
8:24, 9:27, 10:1, 10:9-13, 11:11, 11:14, 11:26 and 13:22
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
There are 7 more verses in 1 Corinthians concerning one salvation:
1:21, 3:15, 5:5, 7:16, 9:22, 10:33 and 15:2.
And is mentioned 4 times in 2 Corinthians 1:16, 2:15 and 7:10 with the key verse being 2 Corinthians 6:2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
There are 4 verses in Ephesians the key being it’s by the GRACE of GOD:
Ephesians 1:13, 2:5, 2:8 and 6:17.
Paul mentions salvation 3 times in Philippians 1:19, 1:28, 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (note: you cannot EARN salvation, but you should live holy)
Paul reminded worried Thessalonian believers of their salvation:
1 Thessalonians 2:16, 5:8-9, 2 Thessalonians 2:10 and in 13.
And he reminds Timothy of his salvation and calling:
1 Timothy 1:15, 2:4, 4:16 and 2 Timothy 1:9, 10 and 3:15.
And to Titus, Paul sums up the Grace of God and salvation:
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Salvation is NOW, in this life, when you believe the gospel and a FUTURE event at the time of death or Rapture.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 10:9

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What Religion?

The Apostle Paul mentions Religion three times, and all three refer to what he was/belonged to, the Jewish Religion.

Acts 26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
Galatians 1:13-14 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

James, the half brother of the Lord Jesus, writing to his Jewish brethren gives a definition of Religion, and being Religious:

James 1:26-27 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

So it remains, WHAT RELIGION?

If your goal is to live a better life and to go to heaven when you die, then to insure this please consider the following verses:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ²By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. ¹²For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. ¹³For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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Portraits of Christ

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HEAVEN – What’s it like?

There has been many a sermon, even quoting some scripture, about what Heaven looks like and what it will be! Streets of Gold, Pearly Gates, A river lined with fruit trees, Lion & Lamb laying down together, beautiful Mansions, etc. But upon closer examination we discover that these scriptures are talking about the new Jerusalem and the 1000 year kingdom reign of the Lord Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, promised to the Jew beginning with the call of Abraham.

Why do I say this?
Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
So, what will heaven be like? According to scripture, while it doesn’t tell, it does say it beyond our wildest thoughts. The apostle Paul gives us just a small glimpse:
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Though we don’t know what it’s like we can rest assured that all believer’s will be there.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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The First 2000 Years

The Bible helps us date the Earth by recording the life span of various people from the time God created Adam to Noah and the flood.

Genesis 5-9

5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: Adam lived 930 years and had many sons and daughters (5:4-5). But the one being tracked is Seth who lived 912 years (5:12).

5:6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: At 105 years Seth fathered Enos (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 905 years (5:11).

5:10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: At 70 years Cainan fathered Mahalaleel (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 910 years (5:14).

5:15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: At 65 years Mahalaleel fathered Jared (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 895 years (5:14).

5:19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: At 162 years Jared fathered Enoch (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 962 years (5:20).

5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: At 65 years Enoch fathered Methuselah (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 365 years (5:23). But Enoch never died, God took him (5:24) because he walked with God.

5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. At 187 years Methuselah fathered Lamech (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 969 years (5:27).

5:28-29 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah … At 182 years Lamech fathered Noah (and many other sons and daughters) and lived 777 years (5:31).

7:6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

Methuselah died the year the flood came. Lamech also died before the flood came. Lamech was born when Methuselah was 187 and Noah was born when Lamech was 182. 187+182=369. And the age of Noah when the flood came, 600+369 = 969 the age when Methuselah died (the same year the flood came).

Lamech died before the flood. 182 when Noah was born, plus Noah’s age 600 when the flood came 182+600=782. Lamech lived 777 years, he died 5 years before the flood.
Thus the Godly line continued thru Noah.

When did the flood occur? When the age of each above named individual is added together plus 600 years of Noah’s life, the flood came about 1656 years after Adam was created. 130+105+90+70+65+162+65+187+182+600=1656

9:29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died. And Noah died 2006 years after creation (950-600=350) (350+1656=2006).

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Feast of FirstFruits

Under the LAW, first fruits referred to offerings to God: Be it from labours, harvest, cattle, meat (food), fruit, honey, oil, wine, family etc. The Israelites were to put God first in all things.

Exodus 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

See other mentions of FIRSTFRUITS in: Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:22, Exodus 34:26, Leviticus 2:12, Leviticus 2:14, Leviticus 23:10, Leviticus 23:17, Leviticus 23:20, Numbers 18:12, Numbers 28:26 and
Deuteronomy 26:10

An example of this is found in :
2 Kings 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
Other examples are found in: 2 Chronicles 31:5, Nehemiah 10:35,
Nehemiah 10:37, Nehemiah 12:44 and Nehemiah 13:31

Proverbs 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

More Old Testament references to understand First Fruits: Jeremiah 2:3,
Ezekiel 20:40 and Ezekiel 44:30
Ezekiel 48:14 And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.

The Apostle Paul used the teaching of firstfruit to illustration the believer’s relationship to God:
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Romans 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
1 Corinthians 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1 Corinthians 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

James writing to Jewish Believer’s:
James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The 144,000 are the firstfruits during the Tribulation.
Revelation 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

The feasts given to Israel were given to teach Spiritual Truths, then and now.

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Signs of the Times

Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

The above verse is lifted out of our Lord’s discourse to his disciples on things to come (Matthew 24:3). Now he was warning them about the tribulation (Jacob’s trouble, Daniel’s week) see Matthew 24:21, the great tribulation. The world is experiencing the CORONA VIRUS right now, and things are looking bad BUT this is not the Tribulation that the Lord was speaking about. As bad as it may get (there has been worse) we will get through it.

As believers we need to heed the words of 1 Thessalonians 4 which begins with “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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“. Be sure to read the whole chapter which ends with “Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work”.

And we should be (Titus 2:13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; and (Titus 3:7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

THE END IS NOT YET

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God’s Secrets

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The Bible is God’s word to Man. And it is a progressive book. God did not reveal His secrets all at once but over many hundreds of Years.

The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2)
I would seek unto God,” Job said, “and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number (Job 5:8-9).
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3).
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:5).
…There is no searching of his understanding (Isaiah 40:28).
And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. (Luke 18:34)
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. (John 20:9)
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9).
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)
…that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; (Ephesians 3:8).

In this age of Grace, God has revealed many secrets but again, not all of them. Daniel and John (Revelation) have recorded that there are some secrets yet to come.

Daniel 12:8-9 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

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The 12th Apostle

Who was/is the 12th Apostle? Was it Matthias (Acts 1:26) or was it Paul (Romans 1:1). Did there have to be a twelfth Apostle?

The Lord called 12 men to follow and work with him during his earthly ministry:

Matthew 10:1-4 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Matthew 26:47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, …
Matthew 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, …

One of them, Judas, betrayed him and was lost, leaving 11. After the resurrection, he had to be replaced so the message of the kingdom could be fulfilled. The apostles were to rule from 12 thrones over Israel.

Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Acts 1:15-25 Peter declared (according to Scripture) that there should be a twelfth apostle named. Speaking of Judas “his bishoprick let another take”.

Then he lists the prerequisites for the selection:
⟹ had to be with them from the beginning of Jesus ministry (1:21),
⟹ from the beginning of John the Baptist unto the resurrection, must have witnessed the resurrection (1:22). (kind of disqualified Paul).

Matthias became the twelfth Apostle for Israel. Paul was a special Apostle for the Church (gentiles).
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Called by the Lord to go to the Gentiles Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

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