Acts 12:4And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Easter, Latin Pascha, Greek Pascha, principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection probably occurred earlier. Acts 12:4 SHOULD NOT contain the word EASTER since the earliest recorded observation was in the 2nd century. Despite its significance as a Christian holy day, many of the traditions and symbols that play a key role in Easter observances actually have roots in pagan celebrations—particularly the pagan goddess Eostre—and in the Jewish holiday of Passover. Easter is also associated with the Jewish holiday of Passover, as well as the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, as described in the Old Testament. These links are clearly seen in the Last Supper, which occurred the night before Jesus’ arrest and the sufferings Jesus endured following his arrest. The Last Supper was essentially a Passover feast.
Just what LAND is being spoken about? 2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. It would appear to be the Land of Israel. Psalm 81:13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. A Further Look at what the Scripture says about the LAND! MOSES told the Israelites … Deuteronomy 4:40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever. IT APPEARS THE LAND BELONGS TO THE LORD GOD… Judges 11:12-13And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 2 Chronicles 7:20Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. Job 31:38If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain; Isaiah 14:25That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. Jeremiah 2:7And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. Jeremiah 16:18And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things. Ezekiel 36:5Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. Ezekiel 38:16And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Joel 1:6For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. Many today cite 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a promise to the Church. Although the application is there, this is a PROMISE to Israel. Believers DO NOT have a land in this world. Our home is in HEAVEN.
God said to Isaac: Genesis 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And the LORD said unto Jacob: Genesis 31:3And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And the LORD said unto Moses: Exodus 3:12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And the LORD said unto Joshua: Deuteronomy 31:23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee. Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Joshua 3:7 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And the LORD said unto Gideon: Judges 6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And the LORD said unto Jeroboam: 1 Kings 11:38And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And the LORD said unto Israel: Isaiah 43:2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Men – Boys, this is for you. A look at special commands for MALES! Women seem to be more interested in spiritual things than men. Men seem to be content in where they are, spiritually. ADAM vs EVE Genesis 3:5-6 Adam was content with his relationship with God. Eve apparently wanted more. Some directions for Men 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Serve where you are, be content. Don’t try to be something you are not. Don’t think being a Christian entitles you to favors from this world. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Man is head of the house. 1 Timothy 2:13-14 Man was formed first. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 Rule over your house. Rules for Marriage 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 Every man has his own wife Husband, render due benevolence Marriage is a two way street, but each mate has their own responsibilities. HUSBANDS Ephesians 5:25,28-29, 30,33 Colossians 3:19 1 Peter 3:7 FATHERS – 2 commands Ephesians 6:4 Correct them, don’t punish them Teach them about God and godly things. Colossians 3:21 Build, don’t destroy SOME GUILD LINES 1 Corinthians 11:4-14 Hair styles 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Support God’s work Titus 2:2 Aged Men Titus 2:6-8 Young Men 1 Timothy 2:8 Remember to Pray, always. O MAN OF GOD 1 Timothy 6:11-16But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
MEN – Are you WHAT God wants? Are you WHERE God wants you? ⇛ checkoutList of Topics
Luke 23:28-31 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ as he was being led to the cross where he was crucified for the sins of the world.
Over the past two centuries nobody ever imagined this would happen. What woman would scorn the birth of her child much less put it to death? But today, Abortion sweeps our nation, nay it sweeps the world. Millions of unborn babies are aborted (Killed) before they are born. And now in some states babies can even be aborted (Killed) after they leave the womb. Since 1973, when Roe v. Wade was decided, over 57 million babies have been denied the right to life. This tragedy is a devastating mark upon our culture, and even more sickening is that there is an entire industry profiting from each child killed in the womb.
State after state is passing liberal Abortion laws. Some facts listed in 2014: (and they haven’t improved in the last 5 years).
• Nearly half (45%) of all pregnancies among U.S. women in 2011 were unintended, and about four in 10 of these were terminated by abortion. • Nineteen percent of pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) in 2014 ended in abortion. • Approximately 926,200 abortions were performed in 2014, down 12% from 1.06 million in 2011. In 2014, some 1.5% of women aged 15–44 had an abortion. Just under half of these women (45%) reported having a previous abortion. • The abortion rate in 2014 was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44, down 14% from 16.9 per 1,000 in 2011. This is the lowest rate ever observed in the United States; in 1973, the year abortion became legal, the rate was 16.3. • At 2014 abortion rates, one in 20 women (5%) will have an abortion by age 20, about one in five (19%) by age 30 and about one in four (24%) by age 45. Who would have ever thought this would happen! And what about worldwide? The data on abortions displayed on the Worldometers’ counter is based on the latest statistics on worldwide abortions published by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to WHO, every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day.
For more facts on Abortion just GOOGLE “abortion” and read the horrible statistics listed there. As of December 31, 2018, there have been some 41.9 million abortions performed in the course of the year, Worldometers revealed. By contrast, 8.2 million people died from cancer in 2018, 5 million from smoking, and 1.7 million died of HIV/AIDS. … It also records the total number of abortions in the world, based on the latest statistics on abortions published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, just under a quarter of all pregnancies (23 percent) were ended by abortion in 2018, and for every 33 live births, ten infants were aborted. The words of the Lord Jesus Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. We can only join with the apostle John as he concludes the book of Revelation: (22:20-21) He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Most little girls dream of a handsome prince charming coming on his white steed and sweeping them off their feet and whisking them away to live happily ever. Either because of Cinderella or perhaps the story grew because of dreams. June has developed as the wedding month, why June? There are many legends and customs. Here is one: The goddess Juno (for whom June is named) was the protector of women in all aspects of life, but especially in marriage and childbearing. There are many customs connected with weddings. Even in the Bible, we see development of weddings. Genesis 2:23-25 ADAM and Eve First mention of WIFE Genesis 3:6 HUSBAND Genesis 24:57-67 … First Ceremony Genesis 27:21 … First wedding feast What exactly does WEDDING mean? And what does all the pomp and ceremony mean? Origin of Wedding … (as a word) … The WED was the purchase money (or equivalent) which the Groom gave to the Bride’s father, either before or after she became his wife. Three basic types of marriage: Marriage by capture (usually force) Marriage by purchase Marriage by Love Religion and Marriage never really came together until after the COUNCIL OF TRENT … a valid catholic wedding had to consist of two or three witness’s and be preformed by a priest. Prior to this time (around 1500) weddings consisted of two people deciding to live together. Usually, it was the decision of the man. SOME OF THE CUSTOMES THAT DEVELOPED AND STILL REMAIN: The ENGAGEMENT … the time between betrothal and the wedding, is not today what was. One ancient custom among common people was the breaking of a piece of gold or silver, one half to the girl and the other keep by the man, thus sealing their vow of marriage. In ancient Ireland, a man gave his girl a bracelet of woven human (his) hair (pity the poor bald man). The engagement ring can be traced back to 4 BC. Engraved in one found was the Greek word equivalent to HONEY. The WEDDING RING … also traced back to ancient Egypt, symbolizes a tie for eternity. It was made out of every conceivable type of material, varying in sizes, many times to large to be worn. (Hebrews did not wear ornamental jewelry). It symbolizes for the woman … subjugation. For the man … bondage. The very finger the ring is worn on has a lot of symbolism. The left hand symbolizes Subjection…The right hand symbolizes Power, Authority. The finger chosen is thought to have a nerve or vein that runs directly to the seat of love, the heart. It \was chosen because it is guarded on both sides by other fingers and it is the finger least used. The WEDDING SHOES … also a symbol of authority. The bride’s father gave the groom one of his shoes which meant the authority for the bride passed from father to husband. His first act was to tap his bride’s head. The shoe is illustrated in the story of Ruth. RICE AT WEDDINGS … symbol of fertility or productiveness. Fruit, Nuts, Wheat, Barly have also been used. Even cooked Rice (still wet) has been used. Among primitive tribes, throwing rice was done to ward off the demons … Rice was also offered to keep the soul of the Groom from leaving the Bride … The bride has also been beaned by rice cakes. The WEDDING CAKE … a carry over from eating of special foods and the wedding feast … it’s size and shape is traced back to Northern England where many small cakes were prepared and then stacked. The Groom was to try to kiss the bride over the stack and a successful completion (not knocking any part of the stack over) meant a long and happy life together … A French baker saw a problem and developed the idea of cementing the cakes together with frosting … Hence the wedding cake. The HONEYMOON … a remanent of the days when the Groom had to capture his wife and literally hid out with her to avoid her family or tribe. The word comes from Northern Europe where the young married couple drank a kind of wine made from honey for the firth month of their marriage … thus, the Honey Month became the Honeymoon. It symbolizes the period of sweetness and delight. For more about WEDDING PRACTICES AROUND THE WORLD Continue Some Day Part 2
There are many women mentioned in the Scripture. Some by name and others just by what they did. The stories are about the good, bad, beautiful, ugly and even evil women in the Bible.
How does one know they are a True Christian? The Scripture gives us signs: 1 A New Birth: 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. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 1 Peter 1:23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 2 A Growth 2 Peter 3:18But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 2 Peter 1:5-6 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 3 A New Garment Isaiah 61:10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Zechariah 3:4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. Matthew 22:11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Revelation 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
BELIEVERS OF THE BIBLE That it is the literal and infallible word of God LED By the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the spirit HAVE The Father’s Heart for the lost, the poor, the elderly, the widow and the orphans A HOUSE Shall be called a house of prayer. Prayer is the foundation of all ministry WILL Be called the servants of the Most High God. We are here to serve Him in ministry IN EVERYTHING WE DO We glorify our Lord. It is our love for Him that compels us Standing Firm Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
A look at repentance … There is a lot taught about repentance … “I’m Sorry” SORRY, about what? What you did? Or That you got Caught? Paul says there is a difference … 2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. What is true repentance … Read Matthew 21:28-32 Parable of the two sons Luke 15:11-32 Parable of the lost Son True Repentance is Deciding to change … THEN doing it! Repentance involves more than being sorry … it involves restitution. The son repented an restored his father’s faith The lost son repented and was willing to work as a slave Restoration … the act of paying back or making right. Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-8 What does the LAW say … Exodus 22:1-4 Restitution for theft Leviticus 6:2-5 Restitution for Deceit, Lying, Perjury, Robbery Leviticus 24:14-22 Restitution for death of man or beast Who is to be restored? Numbers 5:6-7 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way[a] and so is unfaithful to the LORD is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.
Repentance, Restitution without it there is no joy in salvation.
David the example … Psalm 51:12-13Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
RESTITUTION begins with Prayer and Ends with all parties restored.
