24: And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
25: For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
26: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27: But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
28: And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
29: And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30: And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

We must really commend the faith of this woman. Even though she was compared to little dogs by our Lord Jesus, she eventually got what she wanted from the Lord. What can we learn from this woman? One thing we can learn is persistence when we come to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. She was persistent. Her faith in Jesus made her persistent. Faith cometh by hearing and by hearing the word of God the bible says. This woman had heard about Jesus. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, for we walk by faith, not by sight." You see, faith has nothing to do with what we "see." Faith has to do with hearing God's word. That's another thing we can learn from this Syro-Phoenician woman.

One other thing we can learn from this story is why Jesus compared her to dogs (little dogs), Kunariois in the Greek. Many people have wondered why Jesus should compare a human being to dogs throughout the ages, but if we have the mind of Christ, we would really know the reason. You see,it is not only the message we should worry about when it concerns the Bible, but the heart and mind of the person trying to pass on the message. The reason Jesus compared her to dogs is as follows. Muslims ask things from God, asking by faith, and they get these things. Hindus also ask things from God without asking through the name of Jesus, and they get them from God. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him(God); for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. So it is possible for people to get things from God just by exercising faith in God.

But Jesus compares these kind of people to dogs. Jesus was not really calling the Syro-Phoenician woman to a dog, but was comparing the god she served to little dogs (her religion), as compared to children who believed in Jesus as their Lord and saviour. So what Jesus was saying by comparing her to dogs is to show us that faith in God through our Lord himself(that is, Jesus Christ) is the only true way.

Another reason why Jesus compared her to dogs by saying you do not give give what belongs to the children to little dogs is because we must as Christians know how to preach the Gospel to people of other faith with wisdom. We should not just preach the Gospel to them anyhow, but we should preach with wisdom.

The Syro-Phoenician woman told Jesus she understood all these. She told Jesus as it were, that even though her God was not the God of Israel, yet she could still receive from God by faith in Jesus. To this, she did not have to ask for healing for her daughter again. Her faith made her daughter to healed instantly without even asking Jesus again (Mark 7:29).

Faith is what makes our hearts to touch the heart of God. Faith is what makes us recieve from God. We can consider another woman in the Bible, the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34, Luke 8:43-48). It is instructive to note in these passages above of this woman with the issue of blood that though many "thronged" Jesus, Jesus said only one person "touched" him, that is, the woman with the issue of blood. So it is by faith that we touch Jesus. Faith is one essence of a christian apart from love (Agape) and hope (Elpis) as is seen from 1 Corinthians 13:13.

With faith we touch God. Another person is the father of faith, Abraham, whose faith was reckoned for righteousness. It is even by faith that we obtain righteousness in the Bible. Faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and in his shed blood gives us justification with God.

With faith in God and by faith in God like the Syro-Phoenician woman, we obtain justification with God.

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Acts 12:20-25,

20: And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country.
21: And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
22: And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
23: And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
24: But the word of God grew and multiplied.
25: And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

In this passage Herod was eaten of worms because the Bible says he did not give the glory to God. What was the glory he did not give to God in this passage? Apparently, the glory he did not give to God had to do with the excellent oration he gave to the people of Tyre and Sidon. The people said while referring to what happened when he gave the oration “It is the voice of god, and not of a man."

We all have talents given us from above and we need to use them for the glory of God, rather than pride ourselves over our abilities to use them. In the case of Herod here, it seemed it was the people that placed a stumbling block in his path, by the praise they gave to him.

Herod already had a quarrel with this people. They had sought to get the king’s favour. They even made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend. Now to be on the positive side of this king they started by praising him.

We should beware when all man say well of us and praise us. Jesus says in Matthew 6:26 “Woe unto you, when all men would speak well of you for so did their fathers to the false prophets." It is not that all men would speak well of someone as such, that everybody would be saying how great one is, but the vast majority would be doing so. Actually people have their agenda when they speak well of someone.

I have found some cases here in Nigeria where some "men of God" are adored as it they were gods. Usually after thinking about these so called “men of God”, I tend to think this real reason these people are flattering them is not because they are excellent human beings as such, but because they are envious of their material success and their prosperity. In fact the Bible says, so did they unto the false prophets. In their hearts they knew they were false prophets, yet they still spoke well of them. The same situation obtains here in Nigeria. In their heart of hearts people know these called “men of God” are false prophets.

The Bible says in the book of Romans 2:28-29
“For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh;

But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."We should rather seek the praise that comes from God and not from men. God’s praise is far better than the praise of men.

Eventually, God’s praise might entail people praising us in a sort of way also, but the praise of God is for better than the praise of men

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57: When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59: And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60: And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61: And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
62: Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63: Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64: Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
65: Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66: So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

1: In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2: And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3: His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5: And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6: He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7: And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8: And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
9: And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
10: Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

Verse 4 of Mathew 28 says: “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”

And verse five goes on to say, “And the angel answered and said unto the woman, fear not ye, for I know that ye seek Jesus, which is crucified.”

So from these two passages one should infer correctly that the Greek word translated “keepers” here in verse 4 evidently referred to the women also, that is Mary and the others. The Greek word translated keepers is Oi terountes, “the (ones) observing.”

Friends there are some people that need us to resurrect as Christians, before they themselves should be saved and delivered. Remember in verse 61 of Matthew 27, the Bible says many Mary Magdelene and the other Mary were sitting over against the sepulcher.

As it were they were watching, awaiting a miracle, perhaps eagerly desiring and expecting that Jesus would resurrect as he had promised, but when he actually did, they became as dead men. Only his resurrection brought them life again.

Death in the Bible is for removed from physical death only. We would talk about that in another essay. And life is also for removed from this physical life in the Bible. In fact the basic promise of the whole of the Bible is Eternal Life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. That is, the major promise of God to Christians in the Bible is eternal life. We are told to lay hold on eternal life in 1 Timothy 6, as Paul talking to Timothy is also talking to us.

So when Jesus died and resurrect he gave life to those who were dead in their lives. That was why when he met his disciples in were 9, he said ‘All hail.” This word is the Greek Word Chairete, “Be you rejoicing.” You do not have to die again, I have died and resurrected for you, Jesus seems to be telling them here.

As I said, there are some people that there own resurrection depends on our own resurrection also, just like in the case of Jesus, Mary and others depended on him being resurrected. Mary was like a counterpart of Jesus, what one would describe as an opposite, a Neged in the Hebrew. Remember she sat opposite the grave. Had Jesus not resurrected, they would have remained dead.

In Mathew 17:1-9, we have the story of the transfiguration of Jesus.

1: And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2: And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3: And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4: Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5: While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6: And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7: And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8: And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9: And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

In the Luke account, actually his face changed and became different in chapter 9:29.

How many faces does Jesus have? May we only be able to find grace in God through Jesus, that the face of Jesus that shines on us is the one that gives us life. When Jesus was reading from Isaiah 61 in the Synagogue, he stopped at the prophecy declaring the acceptable year of the LORD, and he did not read the other prophecy of the vengeance of God. May we always find mercy and grace, as the Apostle Paul would always pray for his converts, so that we remain in life with him, that is, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I want to see the concept of the world as a neutral place. God so loved the world the Bible says. He sent his only begotten Son to die for the world. God plants His children in the world. Satan also plants his own. Perhaps, this is why there are wicked people in the world apart from good people, something I said I did not fully understand well in one of my essays, together with the concept of the world. For the world to be saved, we have to shine as light and we have to be the salt of the earth. Ultimately, everybody’s resurrection goes back to Christ, but some people are waiting for you to be the light of the world and to resurrect with Christ.

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First of all from the passage above, let us look at the reasons why we worry, then we can look at how we can stop the habit of worry, if we have one.

(1) The first reason is that we lay up treasures upon the earth. Not that we can not have treasures on the earth, but when Jesus says where moth and rust doth corrupt, talking about these treasures, it means our hearts and minds are set on them.

(2) The second reason is because thieves would always break through and steal (these treasures) or even if they do not, we worry they would.

(3) The third reason is that we do not lay up treasures in heaven, which is far more secure (where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal).

(4) Our treasure is on the things on earth and not on the things in heaven

(5) The light of the body is not the light of God, that is, we do not follow the leading of God nor have His spirit within us. That is why the Bible says above that “therefore if thine eye be single,” that is, if we must close our eyes to all other things and just follow God blindly. If we follow the devil blindly, we would only have darkness, a consequence of “an evil eye,” greed, jealousy, pride, etc ( Matthew 6 : 23).

(6) We want to serve two masters, God and Mammon. We say we love God but we also love money at the same time, thereby in the process hating God.

(7) We take thought for our lives, what we would eat, what we would wear and so on. That is, we worry about these and we are anxious about them.

(8) We do not behold nature to see the wonderful Creation of God, for example when we look at how God feeds the birds, makes beautiful lilies to grow, etc. How did we grow in the womb for nine months? How did we grow from a single cell to a baby. Have we ever considered these?

(9) We do not consider that we are some of the most wonderful Creation of God ( Matthew 6: 26).

( 10) And as if to represent completeness as one of the most important, if really it is not the most important; We want to do the things for ourselves only what God Himself can do. We want want to do, or think we can do, only what God can do for us. What we usually go about doing is similar to the act of trying to increase our stature or lifespan, or like making a white hair black, for example. Not that we cannot succeed in a very limited way by doing this, but really it would take a long time and we would be stressed , if ever we did.

So what should we do so as not to worry?

(1) Number one, let us know our limitations. Jesus says in the in the account in Luke, if you cannot do that which is least, why do you think you can do greater things.

(2) We should remember all other things God has done in the past (e.g, the life of Solomon).

(3) We should remember the Gentiles. Sometimes, some people because they know a person has hypertension want someone to worry out of envy and undue competition. God does not say those who do not have a job should not worry. You must work like the Gentiles. It is a pity that in this part of the world, there are no safety nets for those who have no means to support themselves or are sick, even though we are swimming in petrodollars.

God wants us to live from one day to the next. A bit of stress is actually good for one’s body, but it is not good to transfer the stress from one day to the next. Scientists have found out that the stress hormone, Cortisol, is actually good for the body in small amounts. Jesus, who is the WORD of God, created everything gives us this advice we should let the day’s evil be sufficient for itself. We had better take heed to the advice.

(5) We should just not worry (Matthew 6:31 ). If you cannot get worry out of your mind at any moment, just try to get and read an interesting book, for example.

(6) we should seek the things of God first in our lives. WE can also look at Luke 16 : 1-13 and Luke 12 : 13 -59.

LUKE 16 : 1 -13,

1: And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
2: And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
3: Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
4: I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5: So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
6: And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7: Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
8: And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
9: And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
10: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11: If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12: And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
13: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

LUKE 12 : 13-59,

13: And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14: And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18: And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19: And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20: But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21: So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22: And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23: The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24: Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25: And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26: If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27: Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28: If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29: And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30: For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31: But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33: Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35: Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36: And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37: Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38: And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39: And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40: Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41: Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42: And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44: Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
45: But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46: The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47: And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48: But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
49: I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?
50: But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
51: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53: The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
54: And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
55: And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56: Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57: Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
58: When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59: I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
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GENESIS 1,

1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7: And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8: And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9: And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10: And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12: And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13: And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16: And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17: And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18: And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19: And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20: And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21: And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22: And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23: And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25: And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

GENESIS 2,

1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
4: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5: And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6: But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8: And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10: And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11: The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12: And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13: And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14: And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19: And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

GENESIS 3,

1: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10: And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12: And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13: And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18: Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20: And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21: Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22: And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24: So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

GENESIS 4,

1: And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2: And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3: And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4: And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6: And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8: And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9: And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10: And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11: And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12: When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13: And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14: Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15: And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16: And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17: And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
18: And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
19: And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20: And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21: And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22: And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23: And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24: If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
25: And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26: And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

We have talked so much about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However we need to talk about it here again as its concerns the early man such as the Neanderthal- Man or the Cromagnom- Man. The Bible says that sin was in the world at the time of 'Adam but sin is not reckoned if there is no law.There was a world in the time of 'Adam. People could commit fornication, kill and so on, and God would not judge them,the people were just like animals in their behaviour. We have seen in Genesis 4, that there were other people living on the earth at the time of 'Adam.

'Adam was not the first person, but he was the first to be in the image of God or should I say, to be in God’s image, maybe first or not. So the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought man’s awareness to sin, and from henceforth man would be judged by God. Man had developed morally and mentally, as to be judged by God for sin. This was the case of 'Adam.

In the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, good always comes first before evil. Man can know good and man can know evil, but man being now a moral agent and a soul, cannot know both good and evil mixed together. One thing that is both good and evil is fornication. God ordained sex, so it is good, but outside of marriage sex is bad. So 'Adam sinned the first time probably by committing fornication with the first 'Ishah inadvently, either by holding on to her doctrine or so (See the essay on the tree of knowledge of good and evil). He later met another 'Ishah, that is Eve, who was a representation of the mother of all living. As I said Eve ,and the mother all all the living are quite distinct people in the Bible.

Another reason for saying the first 'Ishah Adam committed sin with and Eve are different is this passage, apart from it being a personal revelation to me by God Himself. The passage is I Timothy chapter 2.

1 Timothy 2:8-15,

8: I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
9: In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
10: But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
11: Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13: For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14: And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
15: Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

We see here that Eve is different from the woman 'Adam comitted sin with. Eve is Hawah in the Hebrew. It basically means life giver. After the death brought by the first 'Ishah, Eve ended up by giving life in a sort of way back to 'Adam. And there is also no recorded account of the serpent ever biting any of Eve's Children.This curse of the serpent hurting the heel of the seed of the woman also related to Jesus Christ our saviour also.

Remember, the Bible says so shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (this is deep actually, also implying leaving Christ after we have come to him), so 'Adam had a father and a mother. That he was formed from the dust of the earth is just giving us his origin, or the origin of his existence. Scientists actually say Man developed from unicellular organisms over billions of years so it is just the process the Bible was describing when it says man was formed from the dust of the earth. The Bible account in Genesis actually skips many of the details of the creation process.

Comments

Genesis 2

1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
4: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5: And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6: But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8: And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9: And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10: And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11: The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12: And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13: And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14: And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19: And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3,

1: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10: And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12: And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13: And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14: And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18: Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20: And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21: Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22: And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24: So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil we find in the early part of the book of Genesis. What is the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What makes me sure man is a soul is the fact that man can know good and man can know evil, but man can not know both good and evil together at a go. Remember good always comes first in the term knowledge of good and evil. Man can not first know good, and then know evil at a go. Man can not survive this. Man would simply die.

So what is the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Let me use this example. Let's say God tells you in a vision you should not take a sort of wine. This sort of wine represents a type in the Bible, the one they used to take in the past, which represents someone whose sin has not been forgiven totally.(There are many words used for wine in the Bible, Yayin and Tirosh being examples of words used for wine and new wine respectively, for example, though the word Yayin is more frequently used than any other word.) This wine is represents both something physical and something spiritual. When God tells you not to take the wine you were living in your house with your friends (a pastor and his wife, and your best friend, making four of you). So the wine was in a fridge, your mother's fridge, but in the dream it was sort of owned by the pastor, and his wife.

So this wine, God in the dream tells you not to take. The wine represents the sort of power the pastor is using which might be demonic(physically), and it also represents spiritually a drink of the cup of demons as we find in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. So if you take of this cup of wine, this sort of demonic doctrine from this pastor, which is that you need deliverance from your sickness, even after Jesus had already died for your sins and redeemed you, this would be like a Tree of the knowledge of good and evil for you, because it is like committing fornication, as it were, with the devil. Their doctrine, represented by the bottle of wine represents a doctrine among the many doctrines, a Christian should never take (See the relationship between the Tree of life and the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil in my other essay about the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil) in his "Garden of Eden",(just as 'Adam should not take from one particular tree only, lest he die) lest he or she die, both physically and spiritually.

So the Tree of of the knowledge of good and evil represented something both Adam and Eve should never take. Note that Eve is not the same as 'Ishah, the wife of 'Adam. 'Ishah, the first wife (or 'Ishah, woman) of 'Adam, is like the wife of this pastor, who is also a bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh, for they both belong to the same family of Christ, spiritually, though they are not members of the same family, Physically (They were living in the same house spiritually). By partaking in the doctrine of the pastor and his wife, it is then like taking from the Tree of the knowlegde of good and evil, with this first 'Ishah. Later God brought another 'Ishah to 'Adam who represented his real wife, or should I say his real husband, that is Jesus Christ, but because the glory of God is both male and female, and 'Adam believed God in such a way, that he was born into the kingdom of God by the female part of the glory of God, this woman represented that one "That was the mother of all the living," not the father of all the living. Eve in the Bible and "the mother of all the living," are quite different entities in the account in Genesis. We should believe God in such a way, so we are born by the Son of God, represented by the Sun, rather than by a woman, represented by the moon. This we can do, by believing our sins have been completely washed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and keep from from always confessing our sins that have been washed once and for all, forever in the past by the death of our lord Jesus Christ.

Comments

We can always divide the time of our lives into three, the past, the present, and the future, though we usually move from the present into the future, even as we can only anticipate the future.

In Philippians 3: 13-14, Paul says he forgets the past so he could move forward, and in verse 15, he says those who are perfect should have the same mind. The book of Philippians is quite an epistle that addresses our mind. In verse 5 of chapter of the book of Philippians, Paul says we should have the mind of Christ, as he humbled himself unto death, by being subject to God, we too should have the same mind. In another place in the same book, we are told what ever is good, virtuous, etc, we should think on these things.

No matter how good or bad the past is, and let's face it, we all face the same things in life, though in different ways,and we should always forget the past. The past is gone, and it is only the past. Usually, I have found through experience, that no matter how good or bad or even evil the past is, I really enjoy the present by totally forgetting the past. Even if you win a Nobel prize or something very good, my advice to you is that you forget the past and press forward for more achievement, as this "good" can only hinder you more, if you do not forget the good thing.

When I say forget the past, I am not saying you should not remember the past, what I am saying is that you should forget the past, that is all things that would hinder your present and your future, and also keep you from being perfect in Christ.

The Bible says as many as are perfect (that is, mature in Christ), should forget the past. Even if you are a lady, and you have ever had an abortion, to which you are now feeling guilty, this same principle applies to you: Forget the past! Everybody has one thing or the other in their lives, they would not like others to know about. You are not the only one who feels in such a way.

Therefore in Chapter 3 verse 1, the Bible says we should rejoice in the Lord, only by doing so do we have peace of mind.

LET US GO ON TO A NEW BEGINNING.,

Comments

It is only recently that we (Humanity in general) are just discovering how scientifically accurate the Bible is. Only recently too, scientists, especially Physicists just discovered the concepts of Dark Energy and Dark Matter. This is matter in the Universe that seems to be there, but is hardly visible. We have said in the last essay (The Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil), that God does not want good to mix with evil in the same “fruit,” or should I say, that we should have the knowledge of good and evil mixed together in the same “fruit.”

So the very first “Day,” in the Creation of God, God separated the light from the darkness. On the fourth day of Creation, God created the two lights (described by the word of God as great), to divide the day from the night (Genesis 1 :14).

The Hebrew word for light in this first verse of Genesis chapter one is slightly different from the word for light for these two great lights. The word for these two great lights, starts rather with the Hebrew letter Mem. I do not know how to explain the way the letter Mem works in practice, but let me use an example. Take for example that you dig for water and that is represented by an Hebrew word. With the addition of the letter Mem to this word that represents the action of digging water, the letter Mem would change the word to the actual place where water is is dug, that is a verb or even a noun, now being represented by its “actual place.”

So the two great lights are such that they are the places where light is, such that they are dividing between the original light and the original darkness. And you can look at the Sun and the stars as concentrations of radiation, actually. That is, they are the doors, If I might call them that, between light and darkness. So to pass from Matter to Dark Matter you better just fly straight through the Sun. I hope you will not be thoroughly burnt however, while doing so. That was just a joke. Actually, the lights in the Universe divide between Matter and Dark Matter. Perhaps when we have the knowledge of Matter and Dark Matter together as it were in the "same soup ("fruit"), the Human race would die, and would only be saved by our Lord Jesus Christ who died four sins and our justification.

Comments

It is instructive to note in this passage that the Bible says the Tree of life was in the midst of the Garden. I want to look at it this way, were we to represent the garden of Eden by a house, the Tree of life would be in the Parlour, for that is where all, or everybody who comes to our house would be entertained, and which is "open to all." Though, I do not think the Bible also says here that the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil was also in the "midst" of the garden, being linked directly with the Tree of life in Genesis 2:9, it surely has something to do with the "midst" of the garden. The Tree of life and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil are directly linked.

You can see that God said in Genesis 3; 22-23,

22: And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

So you can see having reached forth to the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was easily very simple, if I can put it that way for Adam (the Bible did not say Eve), to have reached and taken from the Tree of life. However, so they would never do this in their sinful state, God had to drive them out of their "Eden."

Now what can we infer from the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil from these verses, or what is the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil? From these verses, it is that thing that makes us wise, is pleasant to the eyes, and much desirable for food. It is only wisdom that is in the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil that is not in included in the Tree of life. Wisdom, apart from God,our wisdom. I n the Book of I John, we see perhaps the same things again, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. So the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil could be summarized this way - Pride and Lust. Also, it is taken by departing from God and going our way, after listening to the serpent, here symbolic of the Devil and the Satan. So could we say the Tree of life and the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil are one and the same, only the Tree of life is that part in which we follow God, and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil is that part of it where we follow Satan and our lusts and pride.

Let us look at it this way. Sex is good and God has ordained it for marriage, between two partners, male and Female, the marriage bed being undefiled. So we can term sex here "the Tree of life." I am not saying sex is the "Tree of life," I am just using it as an example here, but actually sex is a tree of life, because it gives birth to life. This same sex is evil outside the context of marriage and could (would) actually lead to one's death spiritually. The Bible says the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not the Tree of the knowledge of good and the knowledge of evil. So, in this thing which we would think is good for us, it also contains much evil along with the good. For example God might say marry this girl, but someone would say, Oh, I prefer that finer girl. You think she is good, but after some time you would find she contains much evil ALSO.This is knowledge ! This is the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.God created good and has allowed evil, he allowed evil or perhaps even created evil. So evil might be good also when we look at it from another perspective. But God does not want good ever to be mixed with evil. God created good and has allowed evil, he allowed evil or perhaps even created evil. So evil might be good also when we look at it from another perspective. But God does not want good ever to be mixed with evil or should I say he does not want us to have the knowledge of good mixed with evil at the same, that is good and evil mixed together in a "fruit.". They should be forever separate just as he separated light from darkness the first day, the very first action God did, we are told in Genesis, apart from Him speaking. The word of God separates good from evil. They should be forever separate just as he separated light from darkness the first day, the very first action God did, we are told in Genesis, apart from Him speaking.So though sex is good in itself, perhaps that girl you slept with is the one that has brought you into this problem, or perhaps the guy. You being good and the other being bad. You can see why God also destroyed the Earth in those days when the Sons of God went to the daughters of men in the days of Noah. Children of God with the children of the devil. The two can just not mix.

The word of God is the Tree of life. Jesus Christ, the WORD OF GOD, actually came in the flesh, so that we might have life and actually return to God and our Eden again.

Comments

1: Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2: For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8: He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9: And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10: Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12: Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Verse 5 of the passage says ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM; and with HIS STRIPES we were healed.

The word stripes in the Hebrew is the word Habburah or Haburah, stripe, blow, stroke. Habber, another Hebrew word means associate, partner. Hobereth means things that joins or is joined, only of the curtain pieces of the tabernacle, as joined together. Hebron, the name of a city in Isreal In the Bible means association or league. Hebereth in the Hebrew is a word for a wife in the Bible, Malachi 2:14.

Heber, means company, association, society, house of association as the case shared with a contentions woman (house in common) in proverbs 21:9

The Bible says by his stripes, we were healed. The blow of Jesus to the enemy destroys all our sicknesses and diseases, through the blows he, himself, received from the enemy. Friends, our peace or should I say lack of peace is usually because of the enemies in our lives, who have determined that the light of God will not shine forth in our lives.

COLOSSIANS 1: 9-22,

9: For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10: That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11: Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19: For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;
20: And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21: And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22: In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Through belief in his blood, shed for us, Jesus Christ make us a sort of “mistress” of us, we having been born of God also. Therefore, he restores our health by dealing a deadly blow to the enemy, making an open show of them and leading them in captivity.

COLOSSIANS 2; 2-23, says,

2: That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3: In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4: And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
5: For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6: As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9: For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
10: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15: And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18: Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19: And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
20: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
21: (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
22: Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men?
23: Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Jesus Christ is our savior from sin. Belief in the Jesus, that he died, and he rose again, that his body was bruised for my sake, and his blood shed for my sins forever makes me totally whole. By his stripes I am healed! Jesus has delivered a wondrous blow to the enemy. Another word in the Hebrew, Heberburah, stripe, mark, is used for the stripes of a tiger or panther in Jeremiah 13:22. I was not the one that was healed.

It was Jesus that was healed. I only have to crucify myself to him, by dying to sin, to be raised up with him, healed and delivered from the power of the enemy by his blow, his stripe on the enemy.

The Bible in Luke 1:67-80 says,

67: And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69: And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70: As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72: To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73: The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74: That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75: In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76: And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77: To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78: Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79: To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80: And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

One reason Christ died is that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us. Even from these, that hate us for no apparent reason.

Comments

‘Osheru Bedereke Binah, in the Hebrew.

This word go straight on is derived from the word ‘Ashar in the Hebrew, which means go straight, go on, advance. It also means in Isaiah 1:17, set right, righten. Another meaning is to pronounce happy, call blessed, in Psalm 41:3 and Proverbs 3:18 . It is usually translated in the sense of to be made happy, blessed.

PSALM 41
1: Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
2: The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3: The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
4: I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
5: Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?
6: And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
7: All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.
8: An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
9: Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
10: But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
11: By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
12: And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.
13: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

The Bible in King James of this verse 3 says, “The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing; thou will make all his bed in his sickness.” Actually, this is the literal transliteration of this verse, “Jehovah will protect him and He will preserve has life, and he is blessed.

‘Osher another Hebrew words means happiness. A name in the Bible ‘Asher the son of Jacob and Zilpah (Genesis 30:13), means the happy one.

Another Hebrew word, 'Asher, is part of relation, which means where, as, to which ,where, to which.

Also in Job 31:7, 7-8, Ashur, a very similar word means step, going, “If my step turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;

Then let me sow, and let another eat. Yea, let my offspring be rooted out. Job 31:78

So you see, your predisposition to things and situations around you will usually determine your happiness in life. There are the righteous in this life, and there are the wicked. There is nothing we can do about that. I do not know why it is that way, or why it has to be that way, but what I do know is that there are the wicked people. ‘Abraham approached and said to the angels as they were going to destroy Sodom,

Wayiqash ‘Avraham Wayyo’mar Ha’aph tispeh tsadiq iim rasha’

Them Abraham approached him and said, will you sweep away the righteous (one) (Tsadiq) with the wicked(one) (Rasha)

There are people you do good to, and they do evil to you in return. There are some people even, you continually do good to them, yet they continually reward and you with evil.

What should be your attitude? Always maintain a path of good and a path of righteousness.It will led you to a life of happiness. Never repay evil with evil, but always repay evil with good, as the Bible advices. My brother, there is great advantage for you in doing so, and also a blessing. That is why also the word ‘Asher’ is part of relation, which means for example, “to which.” If you go in the path of righteousness and good as a Christian who believes in good works after salvation, you will be blessed. Proverbs 3:13-18 says,

13: Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14: For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15: She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16: Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17: Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18: She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

In verse 18 the word "happy" here, is, derived from ‘Asher’ to go straight on, advance, to be blessed.

Comments

1: Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
2: For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
3: I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4: His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
5: Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.
6: Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7: Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8: I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
10: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
11: To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
12: He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13: He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14: They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
15: But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
16: So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17: Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19: He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20: In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
21: Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22: At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23: For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24: And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
25: Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26: Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
27: Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

JOB 14:1,

1: Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

JOB 15:14,

14: What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

JOB 25 :4-6,

4: How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
5: Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
6: How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

MATTHEW 11:1-11,

1: And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
2: Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3: And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4: Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6: And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7: And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8: But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9: But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10: For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11: Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

GENESIS 1 ; 14-19,

14: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16: And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17: And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18: And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19: And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

GENESIS 1 :27-28,

27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

From this verse we can infer the image of God is male and female. Jesus Christ is said to be the image of God, and also he is the light of the world. So what does the moon represent, or should I say the light of the moon. The light of the moon represents that one born into the kingdom of God, but one who does not believe his or her sins have been completely washed for ever by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is my opinion on this. The Bible compares the moon to slavery and a word for the moon in the Hebrew is very similar to the one for the word for brick, brick very much symbolic of slavery in the Bible.It is very dangerous to have one leg in, and one leg out in Christ. Jesus says in Revelation, that he would prefer we were hot or cold, and never lukewarm. Those that are not Christians in Church might prosper, but those who say they are Christians and are not, hmmm. Most people are just caught in a snare because of their bad hearts, and good for them, because when Christ says they should forsake the world and riches, that he would give them his own kind, they are busy everyday talking about prosperity , money and measuring how high up spiritually they are by the number of Jeeps they own. Pity!

So shall a man leave his “father” and his “mother” and be joined to his wife. You must first come to Christ, he having taken all your sins, and then you can leave him, I do not say forsake him, to go on and be joined to your wife as an ‘Adam. John did not fully believe in Jesus, so he had to die young. He sent his disciples to Jesus, asking, are you the one who is to come or should we look for another? He was the greatest among those “born of women.”

Comments

REVELATION 1:1-17,

1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4: John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6: And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7: Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
9: I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10: I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11: Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12: And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13: And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14: His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15: And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16: And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17: And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

REVELATION 2 : 12-17,

12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13: I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14: But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15: So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16: Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

The Bible in the book of Revelation says a sharp, double edged sword came forth from the mouth of the son of man, when John saw a revelation of Jesus Christ.

The sword is symbolic of combat. The Hebrew word for sword is Herev. There are many words or should I say some words quite similar to the Hebrew word Herev, in the Hebrew Bible. Harav means waste, desolation, Horev means desolation. Other similar words mean dryness, drought, heat. Mount Horeb (Horev) where God met with Moses and later gave him His commandments means waste, desert. It is sometimes synonymous with mount Sinai in the Bible. Mount Sinai is said to come from either a word describing the plant that used to grow around the region, or the word for the moon god in that region, Sin.

Another word is Harav, which means to attack, smite down. The word of God can make desolate or it can save. In revelation, the sharp two edged sword is Rhomphaia distomos Okheia, long sword, doubled edged, sharp. However in EPHESIANS 6 : 10-20

HEBREWS 6:10-20,
10: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13: Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15: And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20: For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

In verse 16 of this passage, the Bible says, above all, take the " shield of faith." The word for shield here is the Greek word "Thureos, 'like a door' " a big shield, different from other shields in the Bible for which we have such words as the Hebrew word Maghen, small shield. So our faith in Jesus and the faith in the fact that he has washed our sins completely and for ever, opening a door into the holy of holies is the most important aspect of our weapons when we fight the wicked ones.

The sword the believer is supposed to take here in Ephesians 6 : 17 is Macharia, short sword, dagger, called here "sword of the spirit.

The Bible says in Ephesians 6:14, we should gird our loins with truth, "Aletheia." The girdle was usually where the sword hung from in ancient times among warriors, so it highly connected and linked with the word of God.

If you do not apply the word of God, you can only do so at your peril. The Bible says we wrestle not with "flesh' and "blood," but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The Ephesians were wrestling against those in high places in authority at the time, those in power, people who had given themselves completely to the Devil, to worship, and to serve him. The Ephesians thought they were wrestling with "flesh" and " blood", family relations, etc. This passage has the other side to it , the one people usually interprete with this, I also think.

So, this is like an advice to America, and also to people here in Nigeria. In America, the people have just voted in Barack Obama, an Afro-Caucasian, but he is being called "black." I see this as an insult, also an insult to the word of God., May America never suffer for it. Also, here in Nigeria, we need to take the truth and gird ourselves with the truth. Enough of the lies and falsehood on the part of our leaders, just because they want to serve their bellies. The word of God and Eternity is far more important than temporaral material gain. Material gain that would eventually vanish. Otherwise we would never get out of our economic quagmire, and we might eventually perish.

Comments

This passage has always been one of the most difficult for me to understand in the Bible. This stems from the fact that though it seems the flood of Noah is a very recent significant event or ocurrence, yet the books of first and second Peter seem to put them very long ago in the past, even in one place in 2 Peter 2:5, calling that world the "old world."

However, the Bible makes one thing clear, there are many similarities between that old world and this one. Jesus says in the Bible, that as in those days of Noah, people were eating and drinking and giving in marriage, until the end came upon them, so also will it be in this world at the end, at his coming. In my last essay I spoke about the concept of the world in the Bible. The Bible calls Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world. Let me be fully honest here, I do not fully comprehend this concept of the world in the Bible. However, the Bible clearly makes it clear ( John 3:16), that Jesus Christ is the saviour of the world.

Hebrew 9 says, noting verses 14, 17, 26, 27 and 28.

1: Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2: For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3: And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4: Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5: And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6: Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7: But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10: Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13: For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15: And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16: For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17: For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Otherwise it is no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18: Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
19: For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20: Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21: Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23: It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26: For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Brothers and sisters, as Christians we must all die. If not, the death of Christ cannot avail for us. We must all die spiritually, at least. In Hebrews 9:17, the Bible says, " For a testament is of force after men are dead : otherwise it is no strength at all while the testator liveth. In verse 26 of this same Hebrews 9, the Bible says in the latter part: but now once in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So if you as a Christian or a believer in Christ, still have sin, you really have to consider yourself, or if I might put it this way, "whether you are in the faith, and not a reprobate."

So the Bible says in I Peter 3:19-20, " By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the Ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. Though Christ died once at the end of the world, he was slain before the foundation of the world as a lamb, the lamb of God, did he go back in time to the days of Noah to also preach the Gospel to those who the Bible calls disobedient in the days of Noah, whose spirits were in bondage at the time, who would not listen to the Son of God, even as we have it now? What is the Bible saying here? Someone once said, a very knowledgeable pastor here in Nigeria, that Jesus did not have to spend three days in the grave, God could have raised him up in only one day, so why did Christ have to spend three days in the grave? Those three days he spent in the grave, were they another thirty or so years he had to go back to the days of Noah and "preach" the gospel also unto them? I would really never know except God reveals it to me. However, the Bible does say Christ rose up from the dead, literally, rose up from among the dead ones (neckroi).

However just as we have the grace of God today through our Lord Jesus Christ, they also had it in those days in the days of Noah. Noah having "found" the grace of God, moved with fear, the Bible says, constructed an ark for the salvation of his family.

In verse 21 of this I Peter 3, the Bible says, "the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us ( not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Christ;
who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Galatians 2: 20 says, " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not have to die physically through sickness or disease, I have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ, and obtained eternal life by his life.
Eternity in the Bible is the Hebrew word 'Olam or 'Ad 'Olam. A similar word is used to describe a circle or going around in a circle. There are are many words translated world in the Bible, one is Aion, or Greek word meaning ages or length or periods of time. Eternity has no end, however as one can always keep on going on in circles without end. However, ages, Aion, and world would have an end. The Bible either calls God or Jesus the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, in the book of Revelation 22 :13. Incidentally the symbol for Alpha is like that of a fish, drawn as a line that is a circle crossing itself in Greek cursive letters, and the symbol for Omega is a circle
with the bottom open in Uncial or Greek capital letters.

Comments

1: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2: Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5: For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
6: And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
7: And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8: But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9: Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
10: And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
11: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12: And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
13: But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
14: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
John 3 : 16-21,

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.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
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.
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.
20: For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21: But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

I Corinthians 15,

1: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2: By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7: After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8: And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9: For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10: But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11: Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
12: Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13: But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15: Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16: For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18: Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21: For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23: But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
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.
25: For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26: The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27: For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28: And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
30: And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31: I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32: If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
33: Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34: Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35: But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36: Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39: All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40: There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42: So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46: Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47: The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48: As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49: And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53: For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54: So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56: The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57: But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

John 1 :29,

29: The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

II Peter 3,

1: This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4: And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5: For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
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.
9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11: Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12: Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13: Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14: Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15: And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17: Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

I Peter 3,

1: Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2: While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3: Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4: But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5: For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
6: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
8: Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10: For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12: For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
13: And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14: But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17: For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
18: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20: Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21: The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

John 4:42,

42: And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

The Bible talks of the Kingdoms of this world (Matthew 4:8), the cares of this world, the children of this word, the judgment of this world (John 8:31).

John 8:31 "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."

Jesus says in the world we would have tribulation, he says he prays not for the world (John 17:9), he says his disciples are not of the world (John 17:9)

Now my question is this, to which I have no full answer. Is the world only the world of this world? if I can ask such a question in such a way. Was the first 'Adam of another world? The world that perished by water in the account in Genesis chapters 6-9, is it the same as this world? I would be encouraged by a lively debate on this topic by those who read this blog. What do you think? Note however, in II Peter 3:6-7, the Bible makes a distinction between the world, and the earth, and the earth is sometimes used to represent the people of this world in the Bible. Jesus Christ came into the world to take away the sin of the world. Sin is singular here, and not plural. Later on, the Bible says Jesus would save us from our sins, plural.

How many times has Jesus Christ come into the world? Was he the Ark by which Noah was saved in the old world, to which we have a representation of sorts by the Ark in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, though the Ark here is Aron, whereas the Ark by which Noah and his family were saved is Tevah, the same one in which Moses was saved from the river.

The Bible however says he came once, this last, at the end of the world to take away sin, and that we look forward to a world and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Comments

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.
13: The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14: Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15: Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16: And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17: It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18: I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
19: Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
20: These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
21: Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
22: Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
23: And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
24: I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
25: Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
26: I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
27: They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.
28: Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29: And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
30: As he spake these words, many believed on him.
31: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33: They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35: And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
37: I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
38: I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39: They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40: But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
41: Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42: Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43: Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45: And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
46: Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47: He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
48: Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
49: Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
50: And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
51: Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
52: Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53: Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
54: Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
55: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
56: Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
57: Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
58: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59: Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

In John 8:19, the Bible says the Pharisees at the time of Jesus told him " where is thy Father? In the same verse Jesus replied them " Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also.

The problem these people had was that they did not know Jesus. So had they known Jesus, they would have known God also. Jesus called himself the way, the truth, and the life in John 14:6, when he was speaking to Thomas, but here in John 8:12, he told the Pharisees "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Perhaps Jesus had told them that he is the way, and it is not recorded here, but what should have been the pertinent question here is "who is your father? and not where is your father?

So also many of us usually have the wrong attitude toward Jesus. What is Jesus telling us and how are we reacting? Are we reacting so we could know him more and more and therefore know God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ also.

We should want to know more of Jesus and more about God rather than where He is. Also in John 7: 45-53, when the officers came back and confessed they believed Jesus, the Pharisees responded negatively, and finally in verse 53, the Bible says "And every man went unto his own house." I sometimes wonder, why didn't the Bible say something else, like every man left Jesus, or that every man went away. Perhaps, again, this was the way they best said something in those days like this. But the LORD is trying to tell us something here. We should not try to build our own houses. God is the our builder.

The basic sin of humanity, usually is going the wrong way, though this is not usually the only sin of humanity. Look at "the sons of God' marrying "the daughters of men" because they were fair in Genesis chapter 6. I think the personalty of Jesus is unique. Just as he is able to make us sons of God now, those who "take" him the way he is, he was able to do so also in the days of Noah. As I said before, the children of men moved east toward the land of Shinar and they made slime for mortar and brick for stone. The word brick can be broken down into "son of a woman" and the word stone can be broken down into "son of a father". We are all made to be sons of God by Jesus, those who receive him, but that does not mean we should take the grace of God in vain. Or if I might ask, having found the grace of God like Noah, should we take it in vain?

Other people might choose according to their eyes, but should we as sons of God choose or do things as others do. The only thing that can result from such situations is death or perhaps eternal damnation. The "daughters of men" were those women that were hardly spiritual in their outlook, sinners by nature. So what could the "sons of God" have to do with the "daughters of men" ?

It should now be clear, when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, we should continually have the right attitude. Never go by your own way or your own thoughts. You now belong to Jesus, and therefore to God through him.

I pray those who read this essay would always have the courage and fortitude to believe and accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God always. As many as took him, he gave them power to be the sons of God, even unto those that believed on his name.. The Bible says the whole Creation waiteth and groaneth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Briefly, another way of looking at "Adam and 'Ishah, and then later Eve is this. The woman 'Ishah, was the wife of another man, to whom belonged to the spiritual house of 'Adam, so both the woman and her husband were "the bones" of 'Adam and also his "flesh." So God told 'Adam, do not take of the doctrine of both this couples, which represented fornication with the devil, rather he was to live by the word of God, which was symbolized by the tree of life. 'Adam partook of their doctrine, the doctrine of demons and dies spiritually, committing thereby fornication with the devil. Later God made Adam to marry another 'Ishah, that is another woman who was a representation of "Eve," Jesus Christ, the "mother of all living." The whole Bible is really about Jesus Christ.

Comments

20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21: Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24: Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28: So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29: For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32: This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33: Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

When we look at these verse at first it would seem that when the Bible is talking about marriage here, the Bible is really talking about Christ. Actually, the Bible is talking about the believer, and so in this case also, of Christ, for Christ is the head of the Church.

Genesis 2:21-24,

21: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

In the story of Adam in Genesis 2:21-24, we see how God built a woman for Adam. In this same story in Genesis 2: 21-24, there are two words used there for man, 'Adam and 'Ish, whereas one word is used for the woman, 'Ishah. As I said in the previous essays (see the the essay, the bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh, and also Newton's third law, laws, and the creation account recorded in Genesis), the word bones can be broken down into the words 'ets, the Hebrew word for tree and the word 'em, the word for mother. The word is also used for the division of a road or partition of a road into two in the book of Ezekiel 21:21, when the king of Babylon was divining which road he ought to take among two. So basically the word represents two options that can be taken, from which we must choose. Like the king of Babylon we can walk by our own thoughts and devices, especially when choosing a wife, or we can allow God to guide us. Another form of the word 'em is the English word if.

So if we choose the plan of God for us it would really, really be very good for us, even if we meet with obstacles on the way. As I said in the essay the bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh, there are two families which are members of, the physical family which we are born into on the earth, and we also have a spiritual family. I do not mean spiritual family in he sense of the whole church, but a family among the Church of Christ, with a very few members, just as we have families in the physical, composed of the members of Christ.

God chooses a wife, or brings a wife to every 'Adam from this two families, but essentially from the physical family, physical in the sense hat it has something to do with one's physical mother. Hence the Bible says a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined unto his wife, and the two shall become one flesh . Also when we declare the good news, Israel, the people of God, one day will accept Christ. Another word for the English word flesh, which is the Hebrew word Basar, is the word to declare good news, in the Hebrew. So a man leaves his "spiritual family," composed of God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, a symbolic mother, to go on to his physical family, and be joined to his wife, just as Christ came to world to be joined to the Church.

Among the children of men in those days, God made a woman for Adam, for she was taken from from 'Adam. This realization as just dawned on me. Adam, being the image of God, God takes his counterpart among mankind, having built her to his standard, and brings her to him. 'Adam is the image of God "Tselem." Meanwhile, the word translated "rib" is actually the Hebrew word "tsela' ," very similar to the word Tselem. She is his counterpart among mankind. Most likely 'Adam was not the first human being. Very much likely he was not. As I said in the essay Newton's third law, laws, and the creation account recorded in Genesis, he probably was not the first human being, but he was one in the image of God.The Bible says before sin entered the world through 'Adam, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed if there is no law. So there was a world at the time of Adam, and there was probably a world before he came on into the scene. Definitely, 'Adam was not the first human person. Since 'Adam said, or since it is said in the Bible so shall a man leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, this could infer he had a physical father and mother also.

Now Proverbs 5 :15-23 says,
15: Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
16: Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.
17: Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
18: Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
19: Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
20: And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
21: For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
22: His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
23: He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Jesus turned water into wine in his first sign at a marriage at Cana of Galilee.The Bible says in Ephesians 5:17-18, wine is symbolic of drunkenness in the flesh, but symbolic of the leading of the Holy Spirit spiritually, while water is symbolic of the word of God, that flows by the spirit of God. In John 17:37-39 we understand when Jesus said out of the belly shall flow rivers of living water, he was talking of the Holy Spirit, which believers should receive(those who believe their sins have been been forgiven).

In proverbs 5;15, the word used for cistern is the Hebrew word Bor, the one used for well is the Hebrew word Be'er, and the one used for fountain is the is 'ayin. The word translated fountain in verse 18 is the Hebrew word Meqor. While all these words used in this passage are sources of water,or have something to do with water, perhaps the relation is not a direct relationship with a wife in the context of the passage, but definitely, they have something to do with one's wife.

Let us look at the words briefly.
(1) Bor: It basically means pits, cistern, well. It is the word for the pit into which Joseph was thrown by his brothers. A word Bur, in Hebrew means to make clear, clear up, explain. Another Hebrew word Bar(an adjective),means pure, clean. Bar Levav, pure in heart is in psalm 24:4. It means to kiss purely in sincere homage, psalm 2:12.

Be'er: It basically means a well or a pit. A similar word is used in Jeremiah 2;13, where the Bible says me have they forsaken, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. It is related to the word B'R, to make distinct, to make plain.

(3) 'Ayin: translated here fountain, basically spring of water. The same word in the Hebrew, also is the word for eye.. Used with the word for Bow in the Hebrew it translated eyebrow in Leviticus 14:9, just as we would have in English. It is symbolic of mental qualities and enlightenment. The word "apple of the eye"is used in the Hebrew.

(4) Meqor: derived from the Hebrew word Qur which means to bore, to dig. It is figurative of purification(Zachariah 13:1). Also figurative of source of life and vigour (Hoshea 13:15). It basically means spring or fountain. It is used in the sense of menstrous blood(Leviticus 20:1). It is also used as source of flow of blood after childbirth. It somehow reminds me of the female birth canal.

You have a cistern and you have a well. You have a well in Christ and you have a well in Christ, where Christ wants you to "drink" from. This in my opinion is your sort of 'Eden, garden of delight, Gan'Eden. It is your sort of east. From this place, God wants you to pick a wife. As 'Adam, made in the image of of God, this wife is pure, derived from the word Bar, not necessarily Tam, perfect or complete. You still have work on your bride. Rather than look for someone perfect, look for someone with a pure heart, like the women of old described in the Bible who were not only pure in heart, but were also pure in body.

So you have an option. Would you allow God to choose for you and build a woman for you, or you would allow yourself to go your own way by choosing for yourself as they were doing before the flood as is described in the book of Genesis. Would you allow the eye of God to guide you or will you guide yourself. I can assure you also that God is good, your wife will be physically appealing to you in form and beauty, except you just want to deceive yourself, or really, you do not yet know what you really like in women.

You and your wife share of the same tree of life in your Gan "Eden.Also you and your wife must not take from the same "tree" of the knowledge of good and evil. There is something both of you must not touch, as a test from God for your benefit. It may be that both of you share the same sickness and must not take something in particular, such as may be for example, alcohol. This would be your Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, she is the bone of your bones and the flesh of your flesh. The word translated bones is the Hebrew word 'Etsem, which can be broken into the word 'ets, tree and the word 'em, mother, or also the word' em, patriarchal family relations, this one starting with the word 'ayin, while the previous one for mother starts with the letter aleph.

Just to reiterate here about the sin of 'Adam and Eve, though Eve was 'Ishah, when she committed the sin. I think the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents the people he should not associate with, he and his wife, among the people of his nation, by his own knowledge of good and evil. 'Adam was probably the ruler of a nation, and interacting with these people was just like committing adultery and fornication (as can also be extended to the Devil, thereby committing fornication with the Devil). See other essays also, such as the one on the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

That they hid among the trees of the garden, probably implied that they hid among the tribes of 'Adam, in their sort of nakedness. They should have lived by the word of God,symbolized by the tree of Life in his 'Eden. Hence Adam was chased out of his 'Eden both physically and spiritually, and eventually died physically, or in fact in both ways.

The word to eat is used in the sense of committing adultery in Proverbs 30:20, for those who think because they "ate" from the tree, it must mean a physical tree only. I am not doubting also, that they might have eaten from a "spiritual tree" of the knowledge of good and evil in the literal sense. In fact they must have done this also

Comments

Song of Songs chapter 6:13,

13: Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

Another similar word to the word Shulamite ,is the word Shunammite in the Bible. The word Shunammite is used to describe two people in the Bible. This is what the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary has to say on the two words.

(1) Shulamite; a title applied to a young woman in the Song of Solomon 6: 13. There is some difference of opinion as to the origin of this term. It is not unlikely that it is a feminine form of Solomon. Both the RV and RSV have more correctly spelled the word Shulamite. If this word is the same origin as "Shunammite" as the LXX rendering would imply, then it could be derived from the town of Shunem.

* Note the LXX is the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, an ancient translation of the original Hebrew version.

(2) Shunammite (1) An unnamed woman whose son Elisha raised from the dead (II Kings 4:12). This woman had made her home available to the prophet when in this area. Later on, God used Elisha to save her from impending death (II Kings 8:1-6).

(2)Abishag, the Shunammite whose name is mentioned in the Bible deserves a bit of mention here. She was a beautiful girl who nursed David in his old age ( I Kings 1: 13, 15). Adonijah's request to marry her after David's death caused Solomon to put him to death ( I Kings 2 :27ff). Abishag means "my father is a wanderer," or "my father wanders, or errs."

Also, this is what the Zondervan Bible dictionary has to say about the town Shunem.

Shunem; a place belonging to the tribe of Issacher (Josh 19:18). Here the Philistines encamped before they fought at Gilboa (1 Sam 28: 4). Here lived David's nurse, Abishag (1 Kings 1 :3). Shunem was also the home of the woman who befriended Elisha, whose son he restored (II Kings 4: 8-37). It lies in a very rich section of Palestine a short distance N of Jezreel at the fort of "little Hermon." A valuable spring of water doubtlessly attracted the Philistines to choose it as a camp site.

There are many opinions as to who or what the Shulamite is. These are just three of the so many opinions, taken from the Anchor Bible Commentary on the Song of Songs.

(1) The first relates to the name of Solomon. That is, it is a feminine form of the word Solomon. Therefore, in this context and extrapolation, one may ascribe the meanings "peaceful" and "perfect" to this word.

(2) The second is that the word Shulamite is a variant of the word Shunammite, the letter N being replaced by the letter L.

(3) The third interpretation is that the Canticle is a collection of paschal songs of Canaanitish origin describing the love of the Sun god Tammuz, called Dod or Shelem, and the the moon goddess Ishtar, under the feminine form of the name Shelem. There are other variations of this third interpretation. I would not like to go unto this third interpretation further, but only to mention that the reader of this essay can find these on pages 594- 614 of the Anchor Bible Commentary on the Songs of Songs.

However, in my opinion there is some truth in all these three interpretations of the Shulamite. As I said the third interpretation is a bit controversial, but when you consider this fact that the Bible calls us "gods," and Jesus is also the Son of God, and we are married to him, then you can can see that this Canaanite cult interpretation only points to a larger "Christian interpretation."

In my view the Shulamite and the Shunammite represent the same person. The Shulamite is one who has been converted from being a "Shunammite," has been given a new birth, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ by the shedding of his blood and has become his bride. The Hebrew word Calah meaning bride as a very similar word meaning "longing." A bride of Jesus, washed from his or her sin has a "longing" for Christ and a desire to serve him.

The Shunammite woman in II Kings 4: 12 had her son raised to life again. We must all die and be resurrected again in Christ. We must all bring forth "a new man" born in the image of Christ. Hence, the Shunammite woman also almost died (II Kings 8:1-6). So as to bring again the Son of God to birth in her life. So we can also bring up the image of the Son of God in our lives. The Bible says "put on the Lord Jesus." Elisha who saved this woman from the danger of death was a great prophet in Israel whose name means God is salvation. Jesus' name means saviour, because he has saved us from our sins. Bible scholars tell us that when the name of Jesus is turned backward, it means creator.

The Shunammite woman was a woman that had "died to self." We can see this in the way she aided Elisha. Also Abishag the nurse of David. She completely devoted her time to serving the king. Abishag as we have said means " the father errs" or "the father wanders." In the previous essay ( The bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh), I talked of Abimelech in respect of Abraham and Isaac. In both cases Abimelech erred by wanting to take another man's wife.

So also we have all erred by eating from the the forbidden fruit and departing from God, going on to marry the adversary, but God in his mercy has redeemed us. The major word for redeem or a redeemer is the Hebrew word Ga'al which is also the same word as another word for husband in the Hebrew Bible. Like Abimelech who was compared to a bramble by his half brother Jotham under the inspiration of God and who received the fire of God(Judges 9), we also have to receive the fire of God. The Hebrew word for bramble is 'Adat, which is also another word for "To be made strong." When we receive the fire of God, we are consumed and we die like Abimelech, only this time to die to the "flesh." Incidentaly, another Ga'al tried to take the kingdom from Abimilech in Judges 9, but the Ga'al, meaning loathsome, has the letter ayin (') instead of the letter aleph for the one for husband and redeemer. Abimelech was saved by Gebul (dwelling). Maybe we need to quote all of Judges 9 here, this time.

1: And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,
2: Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
3: And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
4: And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
5: And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
6: And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
7: And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8: The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9: But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
10: And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11: But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
12: Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13: And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14: Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15: And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
16: Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
17: (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18: And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother
19: If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20: But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
21: And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
22: When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
23: Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
24: That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
25: And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
26: And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27: And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
28: And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
29: And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30: And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
31: And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.
32: Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
33: And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.
34: And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
35: And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.
36: And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
37: And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
38: Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
39: And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40: And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
41: And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42: And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
43: And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
44: And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.
45: And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
46: And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
47: And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48: And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
49: And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50: Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51: But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
52: And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53: And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
54: Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
55: And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56: Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

So the Shunammite representing one who has died to the flesh and redeemed from his or her sin, is the one that becomes the "Shulamite." The letter N, Nun in the Hebrew is replaced by the letter L, letter Lamed in the Hebrew. Lamed is descriptive of one taught, for the word to teach in the Hebrew is Lamad. Lamed has the value 30. Thirty pieces of silver was the price paid on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that he would die in my place and deliver me from my sin.

Incidentally Barrabas, a murderer was released, and Jesus was crucified instead. Barrabas means son of a father. The son of the Father was delivered for the son of a father.

The word Shulamite could also be derived from the Hebrew word "Shul" which means skirt. This is the word used when Isaiah saw the glory of the LORD fill the temple, " as his train filled the temple." The word "train" is also derived from the Hebrew word Shul. John in the book of revelation saw Jesus in his glorified state with a garment down to the foot, "girt about the paps with a golden girdle." I also believe the Shulamite is descriptive of the representation of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. Jesus Christ is actually the Bride of God and we are all bride of Jesus himself and of God through him.

Finally, the dance "of two camps" (Mahanaim, plural of mahaneh, camp), just as Jacob said in Genesis when he divided his family into two camps, so that in case Esau destroyed one, the other would be saved. In the same way when this tabernacle or house of flesh is destroyed the soul will be saved. The Shulamite is also referred to as the daughter of "Aminadab," daughter of my princely/noble people, someone who has been born into nobility and a royal family, though she is probably not from a noble family.

Comments

Judges 9:1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

Judges 9:2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

Judges 9:3 And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

Judges 9:4 And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

Judges 9:5 And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

Judges 9:6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

Judges 9:7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

Judges 9:8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

Judges 9:9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Judges 9:10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

Judges 9:11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Judges 9:12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

Judges 9:13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Judges 9:14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

Judges 9:15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

Judges 9:16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

Judges 9:17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

Judges 9:18 And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother

Judges 9:19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

Judges 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

Judges 9:21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Notwithstanding Abimelech's cruelty to his father's house and his brethren in Judges chapter 9, that will not concern here. The main concern here is about the woman, God in His infinite wisdom has prepared for every man, especially for every Adam mad in His image. (I do not believe everyone is in the image of God, see the essay Newton's third law, laws, and the creation account recorded in Genesis). In verses 1 and 2 of Judges 9, the Bible says,

Judges 9:1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

Judges 9:2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

Briefly, let us look at two more passages in the Bible, the one in 2 Samuel chapter 5, verses 1 to 3, and also the story of Abraham in Genesis chapter 20, with particular emphasis on verses 10 and 11. Here, in the second passage, we see another "Abimelech". Anyone who doubts the accuracy of the Bible and His inspiration on how it was written, should be having second thoughts by now. Abimelech probably means, the father is king, or the father of a King. In Genesis 26, we see yet another Abimelech, snatching Rebekah from Isaac, just as a previous one had done for Abraham, Isaac's father, by snatching Sarah. Also both times, they quarelled over a well. What is the information God is trying to pass to us n these passages? Abimelech, actually could have been a title , just as people nowadays in some parts of the world use aliases instead of their names .

2 Samuel 5: 1-5,

2nd Samuel 5:1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

2nd Samuel 5:2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

2nd Samuel 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.

2nd Samuel 5:4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

2nd Samuel 5:5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

Genesis chapter 20,

Genesis 20:1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

Genesis 20:4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

Genesis 20:5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Genesis 20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

Genesis 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Genesis 20:8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

Genesis 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

Genesis 20:10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

Genesis 20:11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

Genesis 20:12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

Genesis 20:13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

Genesis 20:14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

Genesis 20:15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

Genesis 20:16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

Genesis 20:18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.

In genesis 20:11-12, the Bible states,

"And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife." In the previous passage in Judges 9, Abimelech went to his mother's brethren and the house of his mother's father, no mention of the house of his father, but in the case of Abraham, mention is mostly made of his father, no mention of his mother's house, when the Bible talks about his wife. This mystery is very deep. I will not lay claim to know all the facts and mysteries of the passages, but I would try.

You see, your wife is your sister. This is the fact! Your wife is your sister. She is the same species as you, she belongs to the same family, the same clan and to the same tribe (spiritually). The Hebrew word for family is Mispahah. The term includes such things as clan, nation, or species or kind. Another word mainly used for for family is Bayith, house. The Greek word for family is Patria, having the sense of clan. Inside every family, as God intends, is a father, a mother, and also the children. As I said family also includes the clan in the Bible. The word family is also related in the Hebrew to the word for servant girl. Your wife is a member of your family in Christ who is also a servant girl of Christ. Anyway, any Adam is a sort of Servant girl in relation to Christ himself.

So in the case of Abraham, mention is made of his father' house, because in this case it is the spiritual house. We are all children of Abraham by faith. In the second case of Abimelech, it is the physical house, the flesh, the desire, the house of strife. So you see, there are two houses, the physical house and the spiritual house. As Christians, being kings and priests over God's house we have a father in the faith, Abraham and also we have a father, from whom we all derive, God himself, hence we could all be called Abimlech, father of a king, for we are kings and we have a father, God Himself. Also, we have a mother spiritually, Jesus Christ the Son of God, for by him we were born into God's kingdom, and we are all the bride of Christ.

So as I said, there are two houses, the spiritual and the physical. Bayith, meaning family or house is derived from the letter Beth, represented by a house, and also having number 2. In Genesis 3:23, Adam seeing his wife said this, "And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of Man." The word flesh is the Hebrew word Baser. It is also related to the word "to declare good news, bear tidings, preach, show forth." One primary objective of every Christian is to preach the the word of God. Doing so, God will provide you with your wife. The Hebrew word for "bones" is 'etsem, derived from two words or should I say which can be broken into two words, 'ets, tree and 'em, mother. So you see the reason in Judges 9, where mention of trees was made. There is a correlation here. Actually the word for someone's kinsman on the father's side is more a fit for the word 'em here, itself starting with the letter Ayin, while the one for mother starts with the letter aleph. But you see, you cannot see the one you are married on the father's side being a representation of spiritual things and of Christ. Hence, the word 'em here starts with letter Ayin, which is represented by eyes, and which is also the word for eyes in the Hebrew, while the word for mother is represented by the letter Aleph, the staring letter for the word 'Ayin, meaning nothing. Sometimes I think the letters Ayin and Aleph have such a close connection in the Bible and sometimes pass on a message to us that we always fail to catch.

When God created Eve and presented her to Adam, Adam exclaimed: "This time, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! This one shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken from man" (Genesis 2:23). Spontaneously saying "this time," he expressed his delight and emotional arousal -- his love at first sight -- for his newfound mate. His wife was actually taken from 'adam, the children of men, that is, Adam, just to reiterate the point here again. She is not taken from the spiritual house as such, though she is a member of it.

Physically your wife is from the family or tribe or clan of your mother or the tribe or family of your mother's father. Whether we believe it or not, marriage is a thing of the flesh, no matter how spiritual we might want to be. There is no marriage in heaven, Christ says, or should I say in the resurrection people do not marry.. Apostle Paul said something in 1 Corinthians 7. He says, those who who would marry will have tribulation in the flesh. So marriage is a thing of the Flesh. Hence your wife is either from your mother's house, or from the the house of your mother's father, if you are an Adam. As I said earlier, just to repeat for emphasis because of its importance here, house includes tribe, nation or clan or the same species. Also you and your wife share in the same tree of life.

Spiritually, your wife is of the "house of Christ," if you are a Christian. She is your "best friend," hence the term " bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." Anyway, being your best friend also means she is your friend. The Bible says in Songs of Solomon chapter 6, verse 13, "Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will we see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies. Some other translations say as the "dance" of two armies or of two angels. She belongs to these two houses, your physical house, and your spiritual house. The word dance in this passage is the Hebrew word Meholah, quite similar to a Hebrew word for sickness. By the "dance" of Christ, he by his power has redeemed us from all disease and sickness. Hence, another word, very similar to 'etsem, the word for bones, is the Hebrew word 'atsam, which means to be strong, be mighty, be vast, numerous. It also means to shut the eyes, to close the eyes. You have to fall into a deep sleep like Adam, by closing your eyes to your physical desires and lusts, so that God can show you your wife. Christ being stronger than the "strongman" that bound us hitherto has released us to go on and become sons of God. By his release, we are free from sin, and we have an inheritance in Christ, which includes a physical wife.

The Bible in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 9 says, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of men, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." You cannot see Christ in this "spiritual house" to which you are married to him( His Glory would simply consume you, you still being in your sins), but you would be able to see your physical bride when you are fully washed from your sins. The Bible says the carnal man does not know the things of God, neither can he receive hem, he still being in the flesh, but the spiritual man is able to receive the things of God. Hence verse ten of the same 1 Corinthians chapter 2 says, he has revealed them to us by His spirit.We have his spirit because we are sons of God.

Comments

Matthew 19; 16-30,

16: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17: And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18: He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19: Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20: The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21: Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22: But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24: And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25: When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26: But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27: Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
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.
29: And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
30: But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Mark 10;17-31,

17: And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18: And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19: Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20: And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21: Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22: And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23: And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24: And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26: And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
27: And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
28: Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29: And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30: But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
31: But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Luke 18;18-30,

18: And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19: And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20: Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21: And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22: Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23: And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24: And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25: For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26: And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27: And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28: Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29: And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
30: Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

The Bible in mark 10:17 says “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life. Note all the words underlined in this passage. Actually in Matthew 19:16, this is this same verse 16 of Matthew 19” in Greek, “Kai idou eis proselthon auto eipen Didaskale,ti agathon poieso ina skhso zoen aionion."
Kai idou, Now look! Eis proselthon auto, one came to him, eipen Didaskale, said, Teacher, ti egathon poieso ina skhso zoen aionon, what good must I do in order to get everlasting life? So as we see in Mark 10:17 and, Luke 18:18, though he said Good master, what shall I do that I might inherit eternal life, in Matthew 18:18 of the same story (if we believe they are the same), he said “what good” must I do to inherit eternal life. Actually the stories are the same, the men came to Jesus thinking he must do something good to inherit eternal life and also he came to Jesus thinking Jesus was good.

Jesus then told him about the commandments, thou shalt not kill, thou shall not commit adultery and so on. Actually, the young man (Neaniskos) replied and said he kept these commandments from his youth up. In Matthew 18:20, the second part, he said Tauta panta ephulaxa ti eti ustero, these (things) all I guarded; what yet am I lacking? Ephulaxa, guarded. So this young man thought he could obtain eternal life by his deeds, but just to be sure and to be on the safe side, he asked Jesus, What yet am I lacking?

Actually, we have to give this young man credit for his sincerity and for his pursuit of what was “good.” Jesus had to tell him he had to redefine what he thought was “good”. Look Jesus tried to point to him, the source of all ultimate good is only God himself. Jesus is probably not saying, he himself is not good here, but he was just trying to focus the young man’s thinking and thoughts to the ultimate concept of good and goodness. The Bible says elsewhere “thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the lord.”

So this man’s concept of what is good, and goodness, seemed to impair him from inheriting eternal life. In Mark 10:17 he came running and kneeled, to Jesus. Real signs of humility and one desperate to enter the kingdom of God. But, brothers and sisters, humility or zeal will not qualify you for eternal life and God’s kingdom. We see later in these passages that Jesus linked eternal life to God’s Kingdom, essentially making them one and the same. We will talk later about this.

He came to Jesus, but he still had to go back and come again to Jesus, this time carrying a cross, and following Jesus. Why did he have to go back? Well, materialism. He had to go back because of materialism. And Jesus emphasized the point. It is not that wealth and riches are bad in themselves but usually they debar us from God and his kingdom, most of the time. There are some people who were rich in the Bible, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and these all entered into God’s kingdom. These people had learned to carry their cross and follow God, so really riches and wealth were not hindrances to them. Hence they could be rich and still enter God’s kingdom. This is what Jesus was saying, when he said with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Remember how many years it took Abraham to have a son, and still he was ready to give up on the son when it came to serving God. He had learned to carry his cross and in fact after trying to keep God’s commandment and going ahead to sacrifice Isaac, he was forbidden by God himself, and was greatly blessed by God immediately after.

What is it that will hinder you from inheriting eternal life? What will hinder you from carrying your cross and following Jesus. Though the cross is not explicitly stated in these passages, what is the cross you need to carry to inherit eternal life, which you are now refusing to carry?
To obtain eternal life or should I say “inherit” eternal life, we have to follow Jesus. In John 1:12, the Bible says talking of Jesus,“But as many as received him, to them he gave power (exousia, usually translated authority, not dunamis, power) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. In John 1:4, the Bible says “In him was life: and the life was the light of men.” The word life here is Zoe. Actually, I think there is a difference between life (Zoe) and eternal life Zoe Aionios, though both originate from God and are the life of God. I think you can have the life (Zoe) of God but you shall need to inherit eternal life (Zoe Aionios). However, the suggestion above is debatable.

So as many as ‘received” Jesus, he gave power (exousia) to become the “sons of God.” Of course if you are a “son of God”, you have the same type of life as God himself, (see some of the essays below on the Hebrew word Eben , stone, transliterated as “son of a father”, and the Hebrew word “Brick” as “son of a woman.” Proverbs 14:1, “man born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble). So we need to be the sons of God, then we can have His type of “life”. So you can now see the link between eternal life and the kingdom of God, which we said we would get to above. The kingdom of God is composed of his children, his sons, who have His type of life.

The word “received” Jesus in the verse which says as many as “received” him he gave power to be sons of God as actually not a very accurate translation of the Greek word used in the passage. The Greek word used for the word received is “Elabon”, better translated as took. As many as took him, he gave power to be sons of God. Words dekhomenos, receiving, and dekhetai, receives, actually better represents the root meaning of receiving and to receive something by a person. Elabon is from the root meaning, Lambano,I take. When Jesus talked of one taking his cross and for those who confess him publicly in Matthew 10:32-39,he used the root word lambanei (continuous of the same word, i.e. is taking).

We have to accept Jesus the way he is and take him along continually into the boat of our lives then he gives us the life of God and authority as sons of God (see the essay “Accepting Jesus into the boat of our lives, the way he is).

Comments

6: But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8: And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9: But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11: But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12: 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.

When I consider how some live I tend to wonder and to be astonished and then I usually thank the God in my life, who made me different. Had it not been for Him, perhaps I might have been like these people, or perhaps even worse.

Here in Nigeria we have people in the political class amassing great wealth at the expense of the masses. Some of these people are in their seventies, yet they keep on amassing wealth and stealing money. The question I ask myself is this, how much longer do these people have to live that they keep on amassing such great wealth at the expense of others? To what purpose? For what reason? Then, the only answer that comes to my mind is, maybe they do not want their children to suffer and they want to lay up riches for them. But then this still looks stupid to me, because if my children do not suffer how does that benefit me when I am in my grave. What benefit is there to me for all the fame I acquire in life, for all the houses I build, for all the clothes I have when I am in the the grave.

There used to be a Premier in the western Region of Nigeria when Nigeria was being ruled according to regions and not by states. This man once said he wanted to be remembered forever. I asked myself, okay, if you are remembered forever, what benefit is that to you when you are in the grave? Brothers and sisters, the inevitability of death makes everything futile and a vanity. So we must learn to have the right perspective to life as long as we are on this earth. Some live their lives as if they would never leave someday! At eighty still embezzling money and acquiring houses. That saying, a fool at forty is a fool forever is very true. Whoever it is that said so much have been very wise. After forty, for anyone who is wise, the next thing you ought to be thinking is that you are fast approaching your grave and that the coming of death is inevitable. Death should always be at the back of your mind after forty.

The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6: 7 "for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." I was born on August 8th 1964, some forty four years ago. I used to think, well, forty five years ago I had nothing in this life. Let's say I live for another forty four years making eighty eight years. At the ninety ninth year whatever I might have built, the castles, the mansions, or even whatever I might have accumulated, the cars, the clothes, or even if I want to be like the ladies and acquire jewelries, all of them, virtually all of them would be for someone else.

The Bible says we brought nothing into the world and it is evident we can carry nothing out. I am not saying we should therefore fold our hands and be complacent. We must all make our mark while here on earth and God expects us to be achievers, but we must put everything in its perspective. If I can carry nothing out of this world, why then should I live as if I will carry something out.

The Bible says, for the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Can the word of God be false? Because we are not able to see those who are rich at close range we are not able to see their sorrows but I can assure you they are many. Only this morning I heard in the news the divorce of a popular female singer much adored in the western world. Here also in Nigeria the children of the super rich usually divorce a year or two after marriage. That should go to show you that money usually cannot even buy you love. I think there was a song like that in the seventies or eighties, money can't buy you love. Its very true.

So the Bible says, Paul speaking to Timothy, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, wherewith thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12. You see , these are the important things in life which we are supposed to do. The Bible talks of eternal life and the fact that Jesus came to give us eternal life. So "laying hold" on eternal life is the most important thing. The Bible says in Job 14:1, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble." But someone born of God, symbolized by a stone, Eben, has eternal life and overcomes the world. But that born of a woman symbolized by a brick, Labenah, is under slavery. We should try to develop the image of God in us rather than build castles on the outside as when the Human race were trying to build the Tower of Babel in Genesis chapter 11, and where they made slime for mortar and brick for stone. Jesus called Peter a rock when Peter had just confessed him as the son of God, and Jesus said thou art Peter, a rock and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We should all strive to be stones Jesus himself being the chief corner stone. Then are we truly the children of God and fulfill our destinies.

Comments

Paul writing to the Galatians makes a big statement, "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Brothers, sisters and fellow companions in Christ, many of the reasons why Christians have problems is because men, or I should I say people, trouble them. But this is possible only when these Christians desire to be under the law. Paul in Galatians writing about the law and faith in Christ, finally, after concluding in the end could then say nobody should trouble him again.

Look at the previous verse in verse 16 of Galatians chapter 6. This says, "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. " Is it just the peace of mind Paul is talking about here? No, Paul is mainly talking about peace from warfare, Christian warfare. Ephesians 6:11-20 says this in recognition of the warfare that Christians face;

11: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13: Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15: And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20: For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Satan mainly uses the chief men and women of this world against Christians. Do not be surprised if those high up in society, the Presidents, the Prime Ministers, Judges and so on, are in his fold. Therefore this place in Ephesians 6:12 says though we wrestle not against "flesh and blood," we wrestle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Many Presidents, Prime Ministers, Archbishops and so on, I have found to be witches and wizards or strong occultists.

Usually, a Christian is not delivered from their power because he or she desires to be under the law by thinking they have to be "circumcised." This is the theme of all of Galatians. Paul tells the Galatians, since they want to be "circumcised," they are still under the law. The circumcision Paul is talking about is not mainly the physical circumcision. The "circumcision" Paul is talking about mainly is when Christians think they can be righteous by fulfilling the law. Look at these places in Galatians, Galatians ,1: 1-10, Galatians 2:11-18, Galatians 3, Galatians 4:19-21.

Galatians 1: 1-10,

1: Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead
2: And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3: Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4: Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9: As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10: For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Galatians 2: 11-18,
11: But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12: For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13: And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14: But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15: We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17: But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
18: For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

Galatians 3,
1: O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2: This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3: Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
4: Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
5: He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6: Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7: Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9: So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11: But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12: And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15: Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
16: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17: And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
18: For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
19: Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
20: Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
21: Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
22: But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23: But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24: Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25: But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29: And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 4:19-21,

19: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
20: I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
21: Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

Look again at the verses in Galatians 5:7-11, especially verse 11. There we see that Paul himself is not against "physical circumcision."

7: Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
8: This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
9: A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
10: I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
11: And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

Paul did not preach physical circumcision but he was not against it. What is being said in the whole of Galatians is this; You cannot please God by what you do or not do. I repeat for emphasis, you can not please God by what you do or not do. You can only please God by faith in Jesus Christ. Circumcision here is emphasized in Galatians because people believed, that was what they could do to please God. Circumcision is not wrong, but if you believe that is what you have to do to please God, then you are under the law and not under faith, and therefore under a curse. So also, some people believe they can please God by fasting or by doing deliverance. These people are under the law, and that do not believe the blood of Jesus has cleansed them from sin.The Bible is not against fasting, for 1 Corinthians 7 says the husband and the wife can seperate themselves to fasting for some time. But if you then believe this is what you will do to get salvation, you are wrong. There is nothing for salvation than the sacrifice of Christ.

Paul Talks of two covenants in Galatians 4:21-31,

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

The Bible talks of those under the law. Does the Bible then say we should not keep the commandments of God? 1 Corinthians 7:19 says " Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. We are under the law if we think we can live by dos and don'ts. We can only please God if we live by faith in Christ Jesus, hence the Bible says the Just shall live by faith. The Galatians thought they could please God by being circumcised, that is by dos and don'ts ( see the essay Newton's third law, laws, and the creation account recorded in Genesis).The Galatians thought they could first attain rigtheousness by doing and then believing, but we as Christians have first to believe then we are to do. The Galatians obeyed therefore the Law (Nomos), but we are enjoined to follow the commands (Entolas) of the Lord. There is a difference between Nomos and Entolas. This has to do with how we live our lives than what we do or not do. The sacrifice of Christ is also the theme of the book of Hebrews. There also, after the writer of the book had enunciated the things about the sacrifice of Christ he devoted a whole chapter to faith, chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews. Look at 1 John 3:19-24;

19: And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20: For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21: Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22: And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23: And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24: And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

We can only be persecuted by the bondwoman, if we want to be under the law. We as Christians have been made free from above by the Jerusalem which is above, which is free, and which is the mother of us all. My fellow Brethren, "Christians" continue to be tormented by the enemy because they refuse to fully accept all the sacrifice Jesus has paid for them. Once we are baptized into Christ, we cease to have problems from the enemy, Galatians 3:26-27,

26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Paul was mainly writing to a body of people in Galatians. So, If a nation accepts Christ truly, they are saved from the bondage of Satan and they are no longer under the law, but are under Christ. They then have the blessings of Abraham, which is like water flowing from the taps.

Finally, let me say here that witchcraft in the New Testament, is represented by the Greek word Pharmakia, from which the similarity to the English word Pharmacy is evident. Witches and Wizards mainly use drugs in their operation. They like giving people food or things one things one can eat. In fact, they can buy you such seemingly harmless things like oranges and then use their evil practice to cause sicknesses and diseases in your body. But what does the Bible say in Galatians 6: 17, " Henceforth let no man trouble me; For I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus." The word "mark " here is the Greek word Stigmata, brand marks, someone who belongs to Christ.

I believe some would say, why is this guy paying so much attention here to witchcraft. This is true especially for people of the western world who believe in reason and the application of reason, and what they can see with their physical eyes. Well my answer to them is that the Bible says there is witchcraft. We can not be wiser than God.

Comments

1: And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2: And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3: And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4: And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5: And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
6: And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7: And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
8: And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
9: But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
10: And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
11: And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
12: And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
13: And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
14: And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15: And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16: And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17: And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
18: Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
19: And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
20: And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
21: Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
22: So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.
23: And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.
24: And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
25: Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.
26: And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27: And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

Why onewould ask did David do such a thing? Someone who the Bible refered to as a "man after God's heart." A person who at all times in his life sought God, but at this time, we see him going after the thoughts of "his own heart."

The answer is not far fetched. There are two types of people of the same person in the Bible, one is the man of sin and another is the regenerated person, one who has been redeemed by Christ. That this is also true in everyday life is evident in such illnesses as Bipolar Affective Disorder, which doctors do not have a clue to its origin, but which I believe is caused by this nature in man. We will get to this later.

At this the time that David committed this sin, he was totally following his own thoughts. Had he been following the thoughts of God, he would not have committed this sin. There are two words in Hebrew, Bala' and Ba'al. Bala' means swallow down, swallow up, engulf, usually with the sense of calamity and destruction in the Bible. For example Korah, Datan and Abiram were "swallowed up" by the earth in Numbers 16. Ba'al on its own means to marry or rule over, and has the sense of lordship. Jesus Christ is the Lord of every Christian but he is married to only a few. Before I continue about the story of David and Bath-sheba, let us look at this place in 1 Corinthian.
1 Corinthians 10,

1: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2: And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3: And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4: And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5: But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6: Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7: Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8: Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9: Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10: Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11: Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
14: Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
15: I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
16: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
17: For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18: Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the alter?
19: What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20: But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21: Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
22: Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
23: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
24: Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
25: Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
26: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
27: If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
28: But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
29: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
30: For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
31: Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
32: Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
33: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

We find written in 1 Corinthians 10: 21 these words " ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils: Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." When we "drink" from the cup of demons, we can only be destroyed as we are saying the blood of Jesus does not avail for us and that he has not bought us with his blood, or that he is not our lord.

This calls to mind those who say in this country they do "deliverance sessions" for people, even Christians. What are they "delivering" people from? Jesus has already done all the delivering there is need to do. There can be no other need for deliverance, though this people say they are doing this "deliverance" in the name of Jesus. There are also people who say they have a Ministry for "prosperity" or they have a Ministry for holiness and so on. The only Ministry we have as Christians is the Ministry of reconciliation and this includes prosperity and holiness, and even much more.

Now back to the story of David and Bath-sheba, we can now see that when we go after our own thoughts and we refuse to acknowledge, or should I say, have the thoughts of God, we are destroyed. 'Adam was taken from the soil 'Adamah. When we refuse the thoughts of God, we are consumed by the evil one and we return to our 'Adamah, the ground, because we refuse to acknowledge the one who gave birth to us in God, Jesus Christ himself, our spiritual 'Adamah.

Anyone who has a bedroom relationship with Jesus Christ is an 'Adam ( see the essay Newton's third law, laws, and the Creation Account in Genesis). Therefore for someone to pass into the bedroom relationship with Christ he must first have acknowledged that all his sins have been taken away. Then, he is in the image of God, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1: 7-8 says,

7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8: Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Also Hebrews 10: 19-39 says,

19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21: And having an high priest over the house of God;
22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised
24: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28: He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30: For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32: But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
33: Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
34: For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
35: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36: For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37: For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39: But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Those who drink of the cup of demons bring damnation unto themselves and despise the Lord over them, Ba'al. This is therfore represented by Bala', the disorganised arrangement of Ba'al. Their Lord is Satan and they are the image of Satan, the serpent.. Thinking of going ahead in this essay, the story of the molten calf made by Aaron is of note in Exodus 32.

Exodus 32,
1: And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2: And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3: And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4: And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5: And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
6: And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9: And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
10: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
11: And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12: Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13: Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14: And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
15: And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
16: And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17: And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
18: And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
19: And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
20: And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
21: And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22: And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
23: For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
24: And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
25: And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies
26: Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
27: And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
28: And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
29: For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
30: And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31: And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32: Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -- ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33: And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34: Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
35: And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

The Hebrew word for the molten calf is "Egel Masecah." The word for the curtain of the courtyard of the tabernacle in the wilderness is Masaq. Meanwhile, a word for mixed wine is Meseq. We can note that even when Moses killed about 3000 people in the story above, he still had to go and see if he could make atonement for the people. Only the blood of Jesus can make us leave the courtyard and enter the Holy of holies, freeing us from all sin. Deliverance and effort such as fasting will not deliver us from sin. All these are symbolized by the killing of those 3000 or so people. We do not have to mix the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The Butler did not mix the wine he gave to Pharaoh and he was saved, but the Baker, trying to add "all sorts of pastery," when he wanted to present these to Pharaoh was destroyed in the story in Genesis.

I think therefore, that illnesses such as schizophrenia and Bipolar Affective Disorder are due in part to these two images in a person, that image of of Satan and the Image of God. And it is this conflict and "misunderstanding" between them that causes the illnesses. When someone learns to hear from the WORD, Jesus Christ he or she then speaks the same language as the Son of God and ends up being healed.

Comments

The letter Sin is the same as the letter Shin, only Shin has a point mark on the right at the top, while Sin as a point on the left. I believe these three letters represent what the word of God wants us to know about Satan. You might ask, is Satan an influence or a person? I believe Satan is both an influence and a person. The Bible, though not expressly talking of Satan directly, talks of the "Prince of the power of the air," the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, that is in the Greek- "kata ton archonta tes exousias tou aeros, tou pneumatos tou nun energountes en tes uiois tes apethias."

Ton archonta tes exousias tou aeros literally means the ruler of the authority of the air and uiois tes apethias is sons of the disobedience. One literal translation of energountes is "operating within." Satan is that which operates within man to distabilize and seperate man from God. The symbol for man (that is, the letter in the word 'Ish), has a point mark on the right. I believe this symbolizes Christ. The Bible says in Ephesians 1: 15-23,

15: Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16: Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19: And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20: Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21: Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23: Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

Satan is that which opposes the name of God in every individual, the name YHWH, that is, the name revealed to Moses on the mount. Therefore the beginning of his name is letter Sin with a mark on the left, rather letter Shin of the same numerical value. As I said Satan is both an influence and a person. This, I believe again is an attribute of spirits. A spirit can both be a person and an influence. The word for spirit in Hebrew is Ruach which also means "wind." When the sons of YHWH appeared to the LORD, Satan also appeared among them in Job 1:6, Job 2:1. So it appears Satan is also a person there. But the word energountes which can be translated "operating within" has the sense that Satan primarily operates within man, in the cosmos internal to man and deters man from bringing Christ to birth in one, the name YHWH. Jesus calls himself in the gospels many times, the Son of man more than the Son of God.

Satan defeats us achieving the will of God in our lives by detouring us from our "east" and the tree of life. The garden was planted east (Qedem in Hebrew) of Eden. Also when the men were building a tower to reach heaven in Genesis they were moving from the east. So the east is significant in the Bible. The Bible talks of the "east wind." This I think is the power of God to overcome the evil principality in our lives.

The second letter is the letter Teth. This is the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabetic system and also has a numeral nine. Though our present day numeral system has nothing to do with the Hebrew as far as I know, God has permitted it for a purpose. Nine in our present day numeric system is the inverse of six, the figure for man, since man was created the sixth day. It cannot be over said, Satan is all that opposes God in man, hence the basic meaning of Satan is adversary. The symbol for the last letter Nun is a fish. You can just imagine. The word for fish in the Greek is Ikthus. This is mainly formed from the initials of the words Iesous Kristos O Uios tou Theou, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Satan wants to enthrone himself where the Son of God should be in our lives.

The Hebrew name of God revealed to Moses is YHWH, which spartakus Freeman describes in the website www. kaballeenlingne as follows, quoting a passage from him from french, he says;

"Ari (Isaac Louria) tells us of Tselem in in putting this word in parallel with the tree of life and the word Tetragrammaton, YHWH: The image of God is the tree. Traversing the word 'etz one discovers that the name YHWH is found dissimulated inside the tree of life (Y*H +H*Y) + (W*H +H*W) =160, or 'etz = Ayin(70) + Tsadde(90) =160. It is worth nothing that the Torah is equally called a tree and that man is equally an image of a tree in that he is created betselem ( in the image of God), or Tselem (Tsadde, Lamed, Mem) which also equals 160."

Tselem is the Hebrew word for image and 'etz is the Hebrew word for tree..... Let's look at the prodigal soon, or the person usually refered to as the prodigal son in the Bible in Luke 15.

Luke 15,
1: Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2: And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3: And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4: What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5: And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6: And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7: I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8: Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9: And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
11: And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13: And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14: And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15: And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16: And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17: And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18: I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19: And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20: And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21: And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
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:
23: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25: Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26: And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27: And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28: And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29: And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31: And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32: It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The prodigal son son represents someone who moves away from his east represented by the tree of life. This is someone with is own thoughts rather than the thoughts of God. This person believes his own thoughts rather than the thoughts of God, therefore he or she is married to Satan.

When such a person returns to God by having the thoughts of God, the sacrifice of Christ represented by the fatted calf is able to make that "dead" person alive again. Then there is no more condemnation for such a one. Abraham should have been the one condemned in the story in Genesis. Rather, it was Abimelech that was condemned. God did not condemn Abraham for lying or giving the impression Sarah was not his wife. So also those who return to YHWH by having His own thoughts have again a portion in the tree of life.

Comments

But does the bible say we should judge others like this? Did Jesus not say we should not judge? It is useful to look at the whole of 1 Corinthians chapter two to see why the bother was wrong in judging his brother. The Bible, the word of God, does not say we should judge. The Bible does not say we should judge other people's intentions. We might be able to judge and say he did so and so, but we might not be able to judge why he did so. Only God can see the hearts of men and the word of God can reveal it by God's Son, Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians Chapter 2

1: And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2: For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3: And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6: Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
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.
10: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11: For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15: But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

There are some things we can can judge. There are some things we have been given by God even before the foundation of the world. I come from a a tribe in Nigeria. I find that I do not get along well with certain other tribes within my tribe. Also from the tribes in Nigeria, I only get on well with certain of them. These tribes I get on with are the I have been given by God before the creation of the world and these tribes are also the one which belong to Christ, I also being a Christian.

So the things the Bible says a Christian can judge are "those things he has been freely given in Christ." All the things he has been "freely given" in Christ through the wisdom of God. He is able to know his friends in Christ, his wife that is his, his East, his West, his South and his North. His East is essential for a man to know how he can return back to "his Eden." However, there are usually problems in the East. Remember, when God planted a garden east in Eden, Adam was able to find his wife, the tree of life was situated there, but also the serpent was lurking close by.

Comments

2. FORESIGHT: Moses (Our example of typical leader from the Bible) had foresight from the way he asked God questions in the wilderness, on the Mountain of God in Horeb. Exodus 3 and 4.

3. INQUISITIVENESS: Moses was inquisitive in the way he said "let me now turn aside and see this great sight. why the thorn-bush is not burnt." Exodus 3:3. Also Moses was the first recorded person in the Bible who specifically asked God that he would like to see the Glory of God.

4. HUMILITY: Moses was very humble and the signs he showed were a measure of his humility. The Story of Moses and Pharaoh can somehow be likened to pride Vs humidity. Pharaoh was proud; Moses was humble. Even the Bible says Moses was the meekest man on the earth, far above all others living on the face of the earth. Number 12;3. Meekness includes humility and gentleness.

5. FEAR OF GOD: Moses feared God. We can see this from Exodus 3:6. Also there are other numerous examples in the Bible where the fear of God was made manifest to us in the life of Moses.

6. INTERCESSOR: Moses was an intercessor. He used to plead to God on behalf of his kinsmen (countrymen). We can readily see this quality from Numbers 14: 11-21.

It can also be seen readily here that Moses sought for God's glory, not his own.

7A GOOD NATURE: This can readily be seen from the way he helped others. He usually did not like seeing wrong.

We can see this from one of some examples in the Bible in Exodus 2; 15-19

8 A FORGIVING SPIRIT: This can be seen from the way he pleaded for his sister when she and Aaron his brother murmured against him for his foreign wife. Numbers 12

9 NOT WANTING TO LEAD: This is another example of Moses's qualities. After God had convinced him that he would be with him in the land of Egypt, he told God to look for another person to go to Egypt. Exodus 4; 10-13.

10 KNOWING HOW TO USE GOOD MEN: This can be seen in the way he urged his brother in law (Hobab) to follow them to the promised land, Numbers 10; 29-32. We should note the clever way in which Moses urged him to follow the Isrealites, not first telling Hobab his experience and knowledge in the wilderness would be useful.

11.DOING GOOD TO OTHERS: We see this readily in the way he treated his father in law when he came over to see him in the wilderness. It can also readily be seen in his efforts to help his fellow Israelites and the way in which he helped Reuel's daughter in Exodus 2.

12. BEING A NATIONALIST BY NATURE: We readily see this in the way in which he helped his fellow Israelites, the way he pleaded for people and from Hebrews Numbers 11; 3-7

13 FAITH IN GOD : This is readily seen in Numbers 12:7 where God himself spoke to Aaron and Miriam about Moses's faithfulness and from Hebrews 11; 23-29

14. REVERENCE FOR GOD: Moses Always called enemies of Israel or his enemies enemies of God. We can see this in his prayer to God "Rise up Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thy face.

15. REALISM, BEING REALISTIC: We can see this from Numbers 11; 10-15. Here Moses readily agreed that he alone could not bear the burden of leadership and that he needed others to assist him.

16A COURAGEOUS SPIRIT: We see this quality in Exodus 3, where he turned to see a strange thing in the remote wilderness where even many courageous people would have fled; and also we see this qualities in numerous other examples (for example Numbers 11; 15) when we asked that he should be killed if his request were not met.

17. GETTING ANGRY SOMETIMES: We see this quality readily many times in Moses in the first five books of the Bible. Sometimes he took this quality to the extreme by getting angry unrighteously. Exodus 32;19.

18 SELFLESSNESS: We see this quality many times in the Bible in the way he cared for others and in the way in which he did not seek his personal glory.

19 PRUDENCE: We see this quality easily in the prudent way in which he told his father in law that he was going to Egypt to see this Brethren and not to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Exodus 4; 18.

20NOT ENVYING BY NATURE: We see this in his advice to Joshua in Numbers 11; 1-29. He even wished others were prophets too!!

21LISTENING TO SOUND ADVICE AND GIVING SOUND ADVICE: We can see this in the advice he gave to Joshua about envying others, and generally to his fellow Israelites. He also listened to the good advice of his father-in-law.

23 FAITHFULNESS TO ONE'S WIFE: There was no evidence in the Bible that Moses was unfaithful to his wife.

Finally, Moses probably feared and hated serpents, signifying a hatred for evil and anything bad in general. He fled when the rod (or staff) was changed to a serpent and it was only a way of probably conquering this fear that God asked him what he held (God, we must remember, saw his sandals and definitely saw his staff) and later turned it into a serpent,so that Moses would know that his God was more than dependable

Comments

If we think about the account given in this passage above and about the story of Noah, somehow mythical, we could see that humanity in general is in a state of exile, symbolized by the deluge (maboul) – thoughtlessness, violence, destructions tragedies which sterilizes the seed of God and leads to death.

At the heart of this drama, the patriarch Noah, a righteous man, hears the divine voice of God and comes out of this deluge which we see for him is the womb of water rather than a grave to the end that he might construct his “Ark,” Tebah in Hebrew; very close to the name Thebes, holy city according to the Greeks. The Ark, Tebah is the new space interior of the patriarch which will be for him a furnace of fire or womb of fire if he will accomplish and become the promised fruit of his seed, the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

This fruit symbolized in this myth by that of the vine makes of Noah someone drunk and naked: drunkenness and jubilation at the knowledge acquired by his work in the ark; and nakedness, the stripping of his wisdom and knowledge that the world has made him put on. It is symbolic to note here that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil can also connote the achieved and the unachieved, the subconscious and the subconscious. The story in the bible basically talks about the internal man. The Bible says though the outward man perish, the internal man is renewed day by day. For example the Hebrew word R’a traditionally translated by the word evil could also be translated by the unconscious or the in accomplished if it is pronounced by Re’a, the “neighbour.” Remember there were no vowels in the original Hebrew. The Bible says love your neighbor as yourself, being as yourself.

So Noah advances towards his “tent,” Ohel in the Hebrew, where he meets with his God. Symbolized by the ultimate testing furnace or womb, that of the “head” or “brain”. The dynamics of the God implies the presence of these three “wombs” or “furnace” in our being.

Inside the tent Noah becomes the glory of God, spreading and diffusing a light unsustainable to the eyes of those who have not attained to this quality of being. Two of his sons, Shem and Japhet, follow him, they march backwards and recloth their father. But Ham, the third son, looks at the tent where Noah had penetrated. He looks, and what he sees he goes to tell his brothers at the exterior.

There are always in the world these two types of knowledge. That of Ham the peeping Tom, whose name signifies heat, warmth and also strength, one who erects his concepts, makes them certainty, which becomes idols and objects of strength; his interpretation of the mysterious is for him the truth and this at the level of the exile (being driven from the garden of Eden, Gan Eden, Eden meaning delight, enjoyment) constructs a sterilizing dogma. These people are usually under a curse.

Those of Shem, the Hebrew meaning name, and Japhet, paragon of beauty, are those who know that they do not know, not believing in their own strength, because it is a way that is negative, by going to the tent with their backs facing this tent, these attain at a truth where they know that yet there is another truth beyond that (he that thinks he knows does not yet know as he ought to know says the Bible). They move close to the ultimate truth inside the mystery of the tent, also they search, interrogate, contemplate in a loving search, a search which includes a search inwards. These move upward, they are able to achieve a name (Shem) and give a fruit resplending in beauty (Japhet). They are able to attain to the name “I am” YHWH, the divine name. Remember Jesus says “you are gods”. They are able to attain to the glory of God (Isaiah 60:1, Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee).

Inside the secret, which at the outlet is the divine seed, only one tree grows, whose fruit is Shem, YHWH. The Rabbi Dov Baer, a great saint of the 17th century, well known under the name maggid of Meze-rit, says this.
“Noah and the patriarchs had the revelation in its essence, without the robe of the law inside which it adapts and presents to the world, and for which for good reasons changes it and makes it relative. At the time of Noah and the patriarchs, the essence of the law (Torah) was still totally naked; it had not been dressed with the clothes of the world. It had not put on the robe of judge and had not been clocked with the baton of a policeman.

The laws of Moses form a protective girdle of the Torah whose original light is too strong for the world, it risks to make blind and to burn, but the tradition teaches us that at the time of the messiah, praise be he, he will release the sun from its girdle, that is to say the Torah (the law and the prophets) will shine with all its strength, that one will be able to perceive it in its essence, without covering for the world and society, that is to say without the law of Moses which are actually necessary, for without them the world could not sustain the natural light of the Torah, which is too strong for most souls.”

We should endeavour to be like Shem and Japhet who put not trust in themselves. They only trust in God who is able to make them enter the tent and thereby they are initiated into divine secrets.

Most of this essay was taken from the site of Annick de Souzenelle, le baiser de Dieu but the ideas are generally common.

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25. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,

27. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkled, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.

30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32. This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

In the passage of the Bible above we see that the word of God states categorically that a man’s wife is himself. The Bible also states or should I say put it, that a man’s wife is his body, just as the church is the body of Christ.

The Hebrew word used for “man” is ’ish and the one for woman is ’ishah. We have said before that there are four main words used for man in the Bible. ’Adam, the generic name for man, ’Ish, man itself, that is as a male, Gever, a strong man and ’Enosh, connoting or implying weakness or a weak man.
Some theologians have postulated that there are three ’Ishahs. The first one is the internal ’Ishah, which I term should be the soul, the second one is the external ’Ishah which is one’s wife, in this case mirroring the internal ’Ishah, the soul, and the last ’ishah, is mankind itself, the ’Ishah of God, ’Adam. I think there is the fourth ’Ishah. Mankind is the ’Ishah of Christ and Christ himself is the ’Ishah of God (1 Corinthian 11:3)

The wife is also said to be the body of the man, Soma in the Greek, and the flesh of man.
The word flesh in the Hebrew is Basar and is similar to the Hebrew word Besar which implies information (remember, there were no vowels in the original Hebrew). We all know that the body is covered with skin. The word “skin” is the Hebrew word ’Or which is very similar to the Hebrew word for light 'Or, and according to some theologians, the word for skin, rather starting with the letter Ayin(‘) rather then Aleph(‘) means absence of light. A Hebrew word for blindness is also very similar to the one used for skin.

So the flesh being covered by skin is information enshrouded by darkness which needs the light of God to bring it to bear. A person first has to marry himself, has to understand himself before he can understand who his wife is. Remember, ‘Adam said this is now the bone of my bones and the flesh of my flesh. He understood himself before he understood who it was that was meant for him. He had first married himself in that he understood his hidden nature, that is he spoke the same language with his hidden nature. The virtuous woman in proverbs 31:10-31 is written with all the Hebrew alphabets at the beginning of every verse. Comparing with English, it is just like writing all the succeeding verses with A,B,C, etc.

So one cannot find a perfect bride. Just as Jesus Christ had to present to himself a glorious church, that is, something having glory (symbolized by light), so also a man has to present to himself his wife. She, definitely, like the church which has spots and wrinkles, has to be “washed” to bring out the light out of darkness being like the body of Christ. It is impossible to find a perfectly perfect wife. The Bible says the will of God is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:3) but you will find out your wife is not perfectly perfect. That is what proverbs 31:10 means when it says “who can find a virtuous women? For her price is far above rubies.”

Yes all have sinned. It took the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord to redeem us from sin, a price far higher than rubies. The virtuous woman represents a perfect bride of Jesus Christ or God, one that “speaks” the same language as Christ or God. So also a man must eventually speak the same “language” as his bride.

Literally proverbs 31:10 says a woman of virtue who he can find? As long as 'Adam tried to look for a mate in the story in Genesis, he did not succeed ( there was no mate for him among the beasts of the field and fowls of the air, they being symbols of women he did not understand or speak the same "language" with.- See Newtons' third law, laws and the creation account in Genesis). God had to make him fall into a deep sleep before he could recognize his 'Ishah. This sleep is symbolic of a state free from worries. That is, one cannot recognise the 'Ishah meant for the person in a state of worry. Also the skin condition in the Bible, normally refered to as leprosy by some, was a symbol used for the sin. condition in man.

Also the Bible says this in 1Corithians 2,

1: And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2: For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3: And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6: Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
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.
10: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11: For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15: But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

If we look more closely at verse 5 of the above chapter, the Bible says our faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. If you think, by your wisdom, you will be able to find and know your mate, you are very wrong. The Bible talks of the Natural man and the Spiritual man in these verses above. The natural man is someone, who, though he is a Christian, thinks he can know the things of God by human wisdom, whereas the spiritual man is someone who totally relies on the power of God and the Spirit of God. This is why the Bible says above concerning the natural man, in verse 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."

You can never know your wife by Human wisdom or even Spiritual Wisdom. Only God can show you your wife, as he did to Adam. Try as you may with all your knowledge, you will only get as far as Adam. It is only when you rest in the power of God as Adam did, that you will be able to know your wife. This is also true for any revelation given to man by God, not only for a wife. You cannot know what is revealed to you by God, by your knowledge, or by your Biblical wisdom. Only God can show you His revelation. Joseph knew this well, when he told Pharaoh concerning the dreams of Pharaoh, that he could not give Pharaoh an interpretation, but God would. He eventually, by the spirit of God, gave Pharaoh the desired interpretation.

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Justification is a very important concept in the Bible, especially in the new Testament. Reading through the Bible one finds that there are two major ways that can lead to being justified with God.

One is justification by faith, the other is the justification that comes by obeying the law. The Bible makes us to understand that only the justification by faith is the one accepted by God.

The law is only meant to lead us to Christ, to be a schoolmaster, leading us to the justification by faith, and to make us conscious of sin. We can ask the question, what is justification? The word “justified,” “will justify” are all similar and derived from the same root words as the words righteousness in the Greek, the Greek word Dikaiosune , righteousness, and the word righteous, Dikaious. So in the context of the Bible, being justified is being righteous in the sight of God, or having righteousness in the things that pertains to God.

When the Bible talks of the two possible means of justification, the law and faith, we also have to understand what they mean in their entirety so that we know what it means to be justified by faith.

The law was given so that through the law, there would be the knowledge of sin and this would lead us to Christ, who has come to redeem us from sin. But the justification of faith works like this. Abraham was justified by faith, God promised him he would have a son, an heir even when he had no son or had only Ishmael. God said Abraham would have a son through Sarah who was his wife and who was barren at the time. God told him he would be a father of many nations, and that his descendants would be as the stars of the heaven. God brought him out to see the sky. Abraham believed God and God reckoned this on his account as righteousness.

So also, if a person believes God on the promise of the sacrifice of the Son of God Jesus Christ, and the person accepts Christ, God reckons the person as righteous. So who is righteous in the sight of God? This one is the one that has accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God and believes on him as the Saviour. He also accepts God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and believes on Him as the only true God. Anyone that does this has eternal life. John 17:1-13. So in Romans 3:30, why were the different prepositions used. The Bible says in this verse, “Since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

The Greek preposition for the one, by, underlined here is Ek. The one for the proposition through is the Greek preposition, Dia.They have their uses and the ways they are used in the Greek manuscripts tell us a lot about the underlining messages the scriptures pass on to us. Imagine you have a box through which arrows can pass. The greek preposition Dia can be represented by a continous arrow comming from one side of the box, passing through and coming out at the other end, whereas, the preposition Ek can be represented by an arrow having its origin inside the box and passing through to only one side of the box.

So the preposition Dia represents something that is initially outside, passes inside (through) and comes out at the other side. The preposition Ek in its own case represents something inside that then comes out. For those who are circumcised, they already have a platform they are coming from. Though circumcision could have been in existence before God used the symbol as a sign of Abraham’s faith. It was used in the Bible in the case of Abraham and his household.

This “PLATFORM” is that they ascribe themselves to the faith of Abraham in that they are Jews and descendants of Abraham and they are under the law. But those who are uncircumcised come to God only based on the faith in Christ. They have nothing else. Both the uncircumcised and the circumcised however are only justified in the sight of God by their faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. All have to come to God based on their faith in Christ.

However, Paul in the Epistles to the churches usually encouraged that those that were uncircumcised needed not to be circumcised (see also the book of Romans). Circumcision, in the sight of God, is not what makes a person righteous. It is faith that makes a person righteous, faith in Christ. Circumcision was only instituted as a sign or a mark of faith or I even say, a symbol.

However, medically it has been found that being circumcised is also beneficial, so God had His reasons for also instituting as a sign to Abraham and his descendants.

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