If one comes to me and asks me to give them something, anything I would like, then I will give them what I have got. I cannot give them what I haven't got. Right?
God gives us what He has got. And what is this? It is "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" Gal 3:22-23.
The devil gives people what he has got.
Mark 9:25, "When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."
That devil was dump and deaf so it gave those to that poor guy.
Mark 5:5, "And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."
The world has got " adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, dolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like"
When I read the Bible I am given what God has got in His possesion.
When I watch the TV or the tablet or the mobile I am given what the world have got in their possesion. It is not logical to expect to be given peace and love and joy. The world haven't got those so they can't give you those. Is it me that after I read or watch the news I feel down, feel depression? Why am I not expecting feeling those? The world haven't got anything else to give me.
So I you want to feel high go to God. He's got many good things to give you.
"My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD
In the time of sadness, we can always be glad we have GOD.
Amen!!!
Psalms 64:10
"The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory."
"Lord, help my unbelief,". Mark 9:24
This morning I heard some one say that
" honest doubt is better than fake faith.
Mark 9:24
"And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
Matthew 17:20
"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Hello Shahin. If I might come straight to the point: why do you think that Christ's apostles (and of course, many many others so burdened & called) went out preaching the Gospel to all - to save sinners? As you know, not only the apostles, but also believers since those early days, have suffered much & were killed for the sake of the Gospel. Acts 21:10-13 is a good example by Paul. Why should he, and others, be willing to suffer and die so that others might hear the Good News and be saved?
I have shared Christ many times, both in my country and other lands while in ministry. If all the Bible told me was that unbelievers after death would simply perish in the earth, or even suffer for a time & disappear, then I would have no reason at all to warn others or share the Gospel. Is it because that these unfortunate ones would simply be annihilated and not have a part in Christ's Kingdom that is concerning you, or should it be of concern that the Gospel message is preached to save people from an eternal hell because of their sins?
As well, it would be wrong to think that "the idea of eternal hell fire goes back to paganism and not Christianity". Not at all, or else it could said that Jesus was also influenced by pagan beliefs. Rather, consider Matthew 13:40-42; Matthew 25:41,46; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:22-25. These were Jesus' Words and He as the Son of God would not pander to earthly thought or wisdom. If eternal hell is not preached as a necessary part of our Gospel message, we have failed to give out the pure Gospel of Christ. If eternal hell is not a reality, then there is no reason at all to share the message of Love & Hope that can only be found in the Son of God - for if man will simply die and disappear, we may as well stay smug & indifferent in our homes, caring not for the lost; after all they just die & suffer no consequence for their sins.
I am doing a study in church on prayer next Sunday evening so thought it would be helpful to share some of these concepts here to help me be more organized and comprehensive in thought and also; Lord willing help to edify those on this site.
Last night one of our elders taught on the first prayer as stated in Genesis states in chapter 4; verse 26. There are different interpretations here; some saying that any conversation with God at that time was prayer; so we could consider man as soon as he was created in that role. Today; of course God doesn't walk with us in the cool of the day in a visible form and scripture once again is particularly vague when it comes to the conversations as to when it was a visible manifestation or just a sense or knowing of God's presence and responses to prayer.
I would separate a conversation from a petition or request out of a need to some extent; especially now when we don't have God or Christ visibly with us. The paradox here is that the Apostles (12 Disciples and others) didn't pray when Christ was physically on earth; but Christ Himself both withdrew with the Disciples to pray to God and on His own and it seems strange that they had to ask how to pray; and even more odd to pray as John the Baptist did. Hadn't they been observing or overheard some of what Christ was praying in the years of following Him? We remember that it was some time that His ministry had progressed that Jesus rebuked them for now praying in Mark 9:29 (we see only prayer in Luke's rendition of the same event); and even in Gethsemene and His darkest hour they couldn't stop and pray ( Matthew 26:40). These are sobering reminders that we should be ever vigilant.
In light of this; we should examine Christ's pattern of prayer and; although we don't have specific details on much except for Gethsemene why He prayed with particular emphasis on key timing of His earthly ministry.
The beginning of this chapter describes the death of John the Baptist. I have found personal application here as to those who have died in my own family in that Christ Himself in an attempt to be isolated along with His grieving Disciples didn't have the time because of the multitudes. After healing them verse 21 shows how there was provision given for 5000 men not counting the women and children. Finally Christ took the time to be alone and in prayer; at the cost of getting any sleep that night. He then would come on the fourth watch of the night (verse 25); have Peter walk on the water with Him in the tempestuous seas (verse 29) then be in fear (verse 30) until Christ reached out and rescued him and then once on board the boat the wind ceased (verse 32). They acknowledged because of this event that He was the Son of God (verse 33); then they landed in Gennesaret where crowds once again gathered for healing (verses 35-36).
First off I was a bit hasty in neglecting further passages regarding healing after Matthew 13 yesterday; I apologize for that. I am still admittedly very ignorant in much of the Gospel passages as to specific details.
Again here we see how the Son of God was an example or "servant of all" ( Mark 9:35). It would appear that He was hardest hit with the news of John the Baptist's death; although I am sure nothing took Him by surprise in His humanity at least; He was grieving. The ministry to the crowds and interactions with the Disciples once again was at times interchangeable as was seen in this case and the feeding of the 4000 coming up in Matthew 15. He would discuss the means of provision in the case of chapter 14 with the disciples initiating the issue with a request to send the crowds away to get their own food and in chapter 15 Christ stating His compassion on them and asking what they had. Their unbelief is stunning as to provision ( Matt. 15:33); in fact that is a common theme of the whole chapter; sadly.
Matthew 17:21: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."
Matthew 18:11: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
Matthew 23:14: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
Mark 7:16: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."
Mark 9:44: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 9:46: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 11:26: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Mark 15:28: "And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors."
Luke 17:36: "Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
John 5:4: "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."
Acts 8:37: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Acts 15:34: "Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still."
Acts 24:7: "But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,"
Acts 28:29: "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves."
Romans 16:24: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
I John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
And theearthwas without form, andvoid; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The second was Noah's food.
Genesis 6:17
And, behold, I, even I, do bring afloodof waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
The third is the church age and the Rapture inwhich was revealed to Apostle Paul in a revelation and we are living in it right now.
Jesus stop reading in the middle of the verse. Did Jesus Christ keep the third Gap Theory a secret ?
Luke 4:18-19
18 The Spirit of the Lordisupon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Note: Jesus was reading Isaiah 61:1-2 , but stop in the middle of chapter 2. Jesus knew the Church of Grace was going to begin.
What Jesus said that day was important in describing the times in which he ministered, but he closed the book before he finished the sentence in Isaiah.
Equally important as what he read before he sat down, was what he purposely did not read all of the verses
The sentence inIsaiah 61:2continues:
"and the day of vengeance of our God" - Isaiah 61:2
Why did Jesus Christ keep the resurrection a secret from the Twelve Disiples ? ? ?
Mark 9:9-10
9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
Hi Fuji. There is some division in the Christian camp about the ultimate end of those who die rejecting Christ's Gospel, i.e. whether they simply go to the grave & are no more, or, that there will be a resurrection from the dead & under judgement to face God's Wrath. And like all doctrines & teachings we find throughout the Bible, we need to consider all references to the subject matter & not focus on a single verse or two to form a judgement.
Therefore, if we had only John 3:16 to understand the afterlife (whether it exists or not), then we could well believe that 'perish' clearly means a complete cessation of life, as in someone (the body) who perishes in a house fire or perishes by drowning. But in relation to the Scriptures, we know that God has given us a spirit & that spirit is identifies who we are, given life by God, with an outer covering (a body) to house it, yet the spirit can never perish (die). Genesis 2:7; Zechariah 12:1; Job 32:8; 1 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ecclesiastes 3:21; Ecclesiastes 12:7.
And then we have the Judgement of God upon all, where those who belong in God's family, living a life consecrated to Him, are eternally secure from damnation, whereas all unbelievers (and their spirits can never be destroyed), suffer under God's condemnation. If only death was our final punishment for rejecting Christ, then we all still have to die as those in sinful, corrupt bodies; none can escape. This is a defective Gospel as most would prefer to cease to exist without any punishment & live life to the full, not answerable to God. But Christ's Sacrifice was to redeem lost sinful souls, not from death, but from God's eternal Punishment. Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49,50; Matthew 25:41,46; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9.
Just a few Scriptures to show the Truth of an Eternal suffering in Hell & not simply disappearing forever in the grave. Every spirit (of man) is accountable to God.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (first part of verse; second shows resulting results for Asa's behavior).
The whole world is corrupt beyond easure; whether it is what is within men's hearts; or the world system; or the demonic principalities and powers controlling the affairs of men. We have made idols of popular foods; actors and actresses; musicians and our general way of life which we desire to maintain at all costs.
Proverbs 14:34 says Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Whether it is grandma or her apple pie that brings us comfort only the Lord and those in Him will live forever and things in this life are fleeting. All desires of the flesh of beauty also are temporal along with any material goods that we obsess over. The Kingdom of Heaven is more than eating and drinking ( Romans 14:17) and for some reason the Gospel quote I am having difficulty finding. The point is the Holy Spirit must take over our minds and control our bodies and souls and put to death the old mind; otherwise known as mortifying the flesh ( Romans 8:13). Or as the quote mentioned in church today stated when the demon possessed child was to be healed "Lord help me with my unbelief". ( Mark 9:23 and following verses with anecdote).
Or as the song "How Deep the Father's Love" states in the end of the third stanza. "Ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers."
Those TRULY in the Lord will also recognize when the enemy is falsely accusing them of not knowing the Lord whenever a believer falls into sin or having fallen beyond redemption as another accusation. In my experience I have found that is a common way the Lord reigns me in to realize the sin that I've committed and to once again trust Him so that I am protected from the enemy's strongholds. Never try to outsmart the enemy.
The purpose of the sex demons /incubus or succubus / is to cause delays, keep you stagnant and to steal your destiny. The first thing to do when you arise from sleep whether in the morning or at any other time is to say: I Renounce, Rebuke and Revoke every evil covenant formed in my sleep in YESHUA/ JESUS MIGHTY NAME. Amen. Do this every day.
This is will help you greatly. Another 5-10% of your problems will cease.
Pay attention to your dreams. Go to this guy on Youtube His biblical prayer interpretations are solid evangelist Joshua TV . He also gives good suggestions on what to do when you ve had certain dreams.
Ask GOD /YAH to help you to not eat or drink or exchange/ take anything in dreams as these are all covenants []
As you reclaim your rightful territory your neighbor will try to draw you out BUT Exchange no words , nor anything with the demon neighbors because it may seem normal to you BUT to him but he'll use it as a hook and an agreement to take back lost territory.
Make fasting and praying a regular occurence in your life [ Mark 9:29 ]
Regarding the monitoring spirits. Instantly rebuke them with fire [ Isaiah 66:15] and by the Blood of YESHUA/JESUS
Pray that your home and your self and space and everything concerning you be surrounded by an impenetrable wall of fire. [ Zechariah 2:5].
Say Psalm 91 daily.
Anoint your windows and doors [ Exodus 12:7] with olive oil and ask for angelic protection. Before you go to sleep. Say psalms of protection. And leave some of your lights on in your house.
Before you step foot outside prayer. And pay attention to your doorways and steps etc. When you go out and come back in ask for protection going in and coming out [ Deuteronomy 28:6]
Read The Word daily. Ask YAH/ GOD for Wisdom, understanding and knowledge and apply whatever HE shows you.
And go back to church especially if it is a church that does deliverance. It will be a major victory.
Mark 9:43-48 - And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (Read More...)
Matthew 13:50 - And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 20:14 - And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 - Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Revelation 20:10 - And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Psalms 145:20 - The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
Matthew 5:22 - But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Hebrews 10:26-31 - For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (Read More...)
Revelation 14:11 - And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Luke 16:19-31 - There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (Read More...)
Luke 12:5 - But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him
Mark 9:42 - And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Again, the word offend is the Greek word SCANDALON. It is where we get out word scandal from, except in Greek it had to do with a stick that was used to prop up a box. And it was used like a trap spring so that when an animal would run underneath the box, they would pull the stick and the box would fall down and they would trap it.
Whosoever shall trap one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. That is pretty serious!
Mark 9:43 - And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
This is what's called a hyperbole in literature. Jesus says that if your hand offends you to cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands and to go into hell. This would be Gehenna, the Valley of Henon.
The Valley of Henon was just to the south of Jerusalem. It was the Valley that they used to offer their children up in sacrifice in the old days. But at this time when Jesus came, they were using it as the garbage dump. People just came and dumped their garbage into the Valley and it was constantly burning. It is called "The Valley Geh of Henon," or Gehenna. It is better for him to be maimed than to go into Gehenna, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 10:7 - For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
The word cleave is the word glue in the Greek text. Interesting!
Mark 9:29 - And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
And again, just like the Matthew text, that little phrase "and fasting" is added to many manuscripts. Originally it was just prayer, but if you keep the fasting in there that's not a problem. But just so you know, it is not part of a formula. What is the first thing Jesus said? He said the answer is, bring him to me, and if I am not here, pray! Bring him to me!
Mark 9:34 - But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Literally in the Greek, it is "who's the greater," showing comparison. It is not who is going to be first. It is comparing themselves with the other disciples as to who is the greater of them all.
Mark 9:35 - And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
So, Jesus sat down and called the twelve, and He said to them, If any man desire to be first (that is, the chief), the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. The word for servant is the word DIAKONOS. And that is where we get our English word deacon from. In Greek, it is the Greek word for a waiter, somebody who waits on tables in a restaurant, a server, without tips.
So, He says "if you want to be the chief." You see, in the Kingdom of Heaven, the frame of mind is different than the mind of the earth. He is saying your frame of mind is totally earthly. Who's going to be the greater? Jesus says let me show you what it is like in the Kingdom of God. If you desire to be chief, you will be last of all, and you will be the servant of everybody. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who's the slave and the server of everybody!
Mark 8:38 - Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Jesus said, Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me, and the word ashamed in Greek means to withdraw. It doesn't mean you are embarrassed. It means you draw back from the things of Christ. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, I'll withdraw from you (when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels). If you don't identify with me here, when you face me on Judgment Day, I am not going to identify with you!
Mark 9:2 - And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
The word transfigure is where we get our English word metamorphosis from. Metamorphosis, METAMORPHEO, means that Jesus didn't just change His exterior appearance, but He literally changed in form. He was no longer in His physical form. He was in His glorified state or resurrected body as some people like to think of it. He was transfigured and transformed before them.
Mark 9:11 - And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
The King James says Elias. That is transliteration of the Greek word. He is talking about Elijah. Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? The prophecy comes from Malachi 4:5-6.
Mark 9:17 - And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
Somebody from the crowd answers and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; that is, the demonic spirit keeps him from speaking.
Further examination of John 16:8 as to righteousness
John 16:8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.
I have examined this verse in light of sin; but thought before I continue with the other two aspects of the verse in detail; I should mention that UNBELIEF is something that not only the world but all of us-in reality are in a state of before being regenerated; as that is the first role of the Holy Spirit. When Christ was present on earth; it was clear that after multitudes; presumably almost everyone in Israel knew of Christ's undeniable miracles ( John 11:47) and also of the Apostles ( Acts 4:16) that deliberate unbelief would be the precursor of blasphemy of the Holy Ghost; where Beelzebub was said to be the source of Christ's strength; or others such as the sons of Sceva and the sorcerer in Acts would attempt to gain this power in their own strength or attempt to get it through money. The end result; clearly didn't go too well for these individuals; and no forgiveness was offered for blasphemy of the Spirit ( Mark 3:29 said early in Christ's ministry). Christ said all things against Him or the Father could be forgiven ( Matt. 12:32) but not against the Holy Spirit-and that also is set for the future reign of the Lord on the earth as well. Let us all be as the man in Mark 9:24 and ask Jesus to help us with our unbelief!
Now as to righteousness. Jesus says because He goes to the Father and we no longer see Him that the Spirit testifies of righteousness. I would think this implies that all who truly know Christ now are as the result of the unseen work of the Spirit.
As odd as it seems; when Christ was here physically as to Him being God that had to be revealed from above.
Healing can be based on mercy, healing always requires faith, great faith produces miracles (think about Jesus how He had great faith) It takes time to be holy, if a believer does not yet have great faith to produce miracles, then continue to grow the faith that you have. Each has a measure of faith. Healing can also be a process.
Yes, the promises of healing still apply and are active. God does not change His mind concerning that He sent His only begotten son to save, HEAL and deliver. Now Jesus has rose from the dead and has all power in heaven and in earth, (not just in certain places) everywhere you believe or where ever there is faith there is healing and deliverance.
It takes time to be holy, if a believer does not yet have great faith to produce miracles, then grow the faith you have. It shows you have faith because you came to this website. Each day work and build up your most holy faith.
A large mountain is climbed one step at a time. Believe everyday, all day, commune with God in your heart, hold fast to your believeth that God loves you and is for you to be healed. Go to the doctor if you have to, but hold fast to your faith in God.
"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." Isaiah 53:5 KJV
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done." Matthew 21:21 KJV
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 KJV
"...but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." Isaiah 66:2 KJV
Faith works if you hold on to the faith. God is always standing by.
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 KJV
"And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27 KJV
As a believer, I, believe God concerning your prayer petition before God, and that,
"... 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." Isaiah 53:5 KJV
"O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah." Psalms 84:8 KJV
As a believer, I stand in agreement that God hears and answers prayers, Amen.
Transfiguration of Jesus at the mount throws up light beyond the glorious body, a building of God eternal in heavens. The disciples going to Emmaus would not have recognized the risen Jesus but they did and it had to do with the word. " Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"( Luke 24:31-32). When Jesus opened their eyes they did know it was he indeed.
Then we have the mount itself to consider. "And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them."(v.2). As with the Sermon on the mount we have the high mountain which is the testimony of God and Jesus as the rock cut not with hands, signifying we are looking at the Word become flesh.
Mark mentions Moses and Elias " and they were talking with Jesus."(v.24). When Jesus explained the word of God to Cleopas and his companion, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." ( Luke 24:27) Luke elsewhere gives an additional insight to the transfiguration."And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:/Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Moses and Elias and Jesus are the three in glory in that specific moment of transfiguration while the three disciples, Peter James and John were in their physical bodies. In short, the Transfiguration is clear illustration of two worlds of the Spirit and of the flesh and blood operating simultaneously. The word concerning him sets prophets serving outside the timescale as we know the term. For this reason Jesus speaks of Elias,"But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him." (v.13) The ministry of Elias and Moses were as a double Jesus Christ
"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us./ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me./For he that is not against us is on our part." Lucan gospel also gives this incident.( Luke 9:48-50)
Principle of Association is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth. "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;/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."(Col.1:10) The Mind of Christ is to see in his light so his name is preeminent whether persons places or events, whichever is named is subject to him. For this reason he rebuked Peter who was viewing his master as one who must be protected from all harm. "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."(7:33)
Jesus Christ was anointed the Christ above all others." Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre./Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."(Ps.45:6-7) As a Son he chose all those who were called and as the Son of man he made manifest grace and truth. So he would after transfiguring before the three disciple tell them, "And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."(v.9)
The disciples did not understand its significance. They had to go a longway in their discipleship.
Mark states the principle of Association which is in an altered from than what is presented by St Matthew. "And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them," Jesus sets a child representing the twelve and St Matthew presents the principle accordingly, before he sent them to preach, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." (Matt.10:40). Jesus taking the child in his arms is how we are set in his hands so both Gospels are referring the selfsame idea. In terms of the quality God set his name every other name because he was a child in his obedience. Putting on the mind of Christ is therefore proving your parentage. At the mount of Transfiguration he received the testimony of his Father, "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him."(v.7). The earth and the fulness thereof belong to God which makes all things in heaven and on earth by him consist. "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." therefore is not to be measured by earthly time but as set forth in the divine Will. As the Word which was from the beginning ( John 1:1) it pleased God that in him should all Fullness dwell.
"And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus."(v.4) Demonstrative of this we have Moses and Elias meeting Jesus at the mount. Before the Advent of Jesus they were sent as stand in for him and while at the mount their roles are reversed! It is how the two worlds of the Spirit and of the flesh and blood revolve about a stationary point of the Son and of the Son of man. Now we shall understand why Jesus said, in vv.38-39. His disciples did not have this 360 degree view while Jesus understood his name before which all knees should bow (Ph.2:5-9) rose above their partisan spirit. They still had a long way to go .
Here we have a saying that must prove as Euclid's Elements proposed pons asinorum for the medieval students; and here we have one as similar for those who approach the word of God by intellect and explain the meanings literally. Here are three injunctions stated by Jesus Christ: "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off" (v.43) secondly, "And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off" (v.45) and finally, And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out."(v.47). The Spirit gives the same formula after the three sayings that makes it special and to be understood as of grave importance. In v.44,v.46 and in v.48 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.". Seven messages to the churches end with the same line, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;."(Re.2:7). If the formula is specifically applied to the churches what shall we make of Jesus gives at the end of the Parable of the Sower? "And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."(4:9,23;Matt.13:9) "It is to his disciples unto whom grace is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This formula forms a hedge about, a caveat for whosoever would want to enter the kingdom of God. In this context the Spirit while presenting the 'seven days' from the everlasting covenant in Ge.Ch.1 we have this at the end of each 'day', "And the evening and the morning were...".(1:5,8,13,19,23,31). Where was these leading us to? "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." Seventh day explains that He blessed whosoever would enter therein in his Son.(Ge.2:3) The hand foot and the eye refers to the body of the church or the Bride. Hence both gospels of St Mark and Matthew sets these sayings in context of offending 'these little ones that believe in me"(9:41-42; Matt.18:6)
"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."
Salt is compared to life which could be lived to no purpose or to life abundant. The word of God warned Lot and his family to go forward but Mrs Lot would rather live in the past. "Remember Lot's wife," serves as a warning to all those who holds no vision as Abraham has had. "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." He.11:10. So living in tents as pilgrims and sojourners his vision ever led him forth so much so heaven in the Parable of Jesus is compared to Abraham's bosom.
In vv28-50 the Spirit mentions the house as separate from the world. "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?" As with parables the mysteries were not for those who had no appreciation for the saltiness of their soul. Killing time in mindless pursuits is what they call as having good time. From the edge of their lost contents they may sent postcards telling,'wish you were here!'. In the house the disciples would press their masters for answers so they did have a sound base upon which they could build up, "Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."
vv.33-34 There was oneupmanship among them. How often did they forget that they could nothing without their master? The house is a synonym for abiding life as in the Parable of the 'I am the true vine.' ( John 15:3) They were yet to understand the principle of Association. Charity of giving a glass of water is in the connection between the one in need and God in heaven. "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." False shepherds wax eloquent over 1 Co.13 and let not their Jesus talk fool anyone. Without abiding life in Christ it is for their own glory.
"And I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not./He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me."
Jesus' call,"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me," includes not only the twelve but whosoever is called, and according to the scriptures (which hinges on the blessings spelt forth in the covenant,) is expected to respond.The living soul would mean whosoever valued truth above what is seen or temporal so life of the Spirit sets the polestar for his onward voyage. "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."(Re.22:16). It is thus the inner man presents the gospel to man. Faith with works renders him hold Jesus Christ as the Captain of his salvation and run the race so the only life he seeks is beyond life of the senses. Peter merely responded to the question and answered correctly, "Thou art the Christ."(8:29) Shortly there after he shows he was still struggling to find his feet in the matter of discipleship. Rebuking him Jesus said,"for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."(8:33). Peter and the rest had a long way to go but the promise was that they lived by grace, from his fullness. Wherever they fumbled Jesus was ther as in the case of the demon possessed boy, Jesus would say, "bring him unto me".
"Let him deny himself" also meant the disciples were amenable to correction. "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."( John 3: 21). Peter had to bear his cross, and denial of Christ was in the past for Jesus forgave his lapse and placed the flock under his care. "Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."
"And how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought." (v.12)
This key verse shall explain this saying of Jesus. It also tells how vital was for the multitude that he called them as well as his disciples, so it goes to the very core of the kingdom of God. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it./For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"(8:34-36). For my sake and for the gospel's sake is distinct from the Son for whom 'this day' is decreed. (Ps.2:7) So the gospel and the Word become flesh, the Son of man fulfills the provision of 'the seven days' in the everlasting covenant.
What God has sanctified covers the body of Christ and the duration of which is 'this day'. God was from the beginning and the Word was with him. Because of Adam and his disobedience sin entered into the world so with obedience what Jesus proved was the excellence of the soul which is the earnest of divine sovereignty of soul. Life of the vile body cannot let go "I will" So when the pomp and circumstance of the king of Tyre wants to impose his will he proves to whom he holds affinity. His will worship sets him as the son of perdition. "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire./Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." (Ez.28:14-16; "I will be like the most High./Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell."-Is.14:14-15)
God made man a living soul, and the life is what the Word become flesh made manifest. Humility of Jesus set at nought his own body after the likeness of men. So redemption of one's soul has only single way into the kingdom of God. "I am the Way" Ph.2:5-9)
"That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."
St Matthew also gives this and both converge to the transfiguration of Jesus, the baseline on which whosoever enters into the kingdom of God shall have in common. Both gospels give the tag, 'After six days' is where the Son and the Son of man merges in terms of the Word. Thus when Jesus holds his disciples to secrecy it is to the spiritual body that awaits him. In short Peter James and John representing all his brethren/Associates are given a preview of this kingdom coming with power. "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."( Luke 12:32). Little flock, servants, associates are stages of development in the life of anyone who wants to follow the Son of man. By the same token Moses Elias David,Isaiah Ezekiel John serve as double for the Son of man since God had foreknown them 'according to the scriptures' so what they said or did was in obedience to the Son who was the Word. At this high mountain where Jesus transfigured was a foretaste of what was to come. Coming with power also was within the frame of reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That makes Joel also as a double. In short principle of Association is like a stone thrown in a pool causes the ripple widening to fill the whole extent. The bread from heaven cast forth in Ec.11:1-2 refers to the Son of man.
Bearing our cross and following him we enter the kingdom with power so our spiritual bodies, a building of God eternal in heavens we are to keep in sights. The same transfiguration as Jesus made manifest is our earnest as with the indwelling Spirit is our confidence."For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."(2 Co.5:4-5)
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. ( Rev. 21:8)
Unbelieving: The first verse that comes to mind here is the man with a son that had a demon possessed son who was being thrown into water; etc. That passage is Mark 9:24 and the whole incident is worth reading to understand further how there was rampant lack of faith as well as preparation for casting out the demon. REALIZING we have unbelief results from the Holy Spirit changing us; it is not what is often a false gospel of not having faith enough for a family member to be healed; or some power trip by a ministry more interested in notoriety and ultimately greedy for gain with someone given a title of "healer". We can say at the time of Christ it was indeed foolish not to believe He could work any miracles including bringing one back from death; because it was only rejecting His claim of Divinity that a person could reject Him which shows the depths of blindness of the Pharisees. The core issue which remains the same is the fact that we are all as "filthy rags" ( Isaiah 64:6) and this includes our so called "good deeds".
Abominable: Luke 16:15 shows what men hold as esteemed is an abomination before God. To esteem something shows a sort of prideful mentality; acclaim and praise is something Christ warned about in numerous passages (see Luke 6:26; another passage in this book as one example). Even calling Christ good implies that he as a mere man or prophet is good; and Christ makes it clear only God alone is good ( Mark 10:18). This is what is so dangerous about anyone who men praise; not only do they almost always practice false theology but we are convinced our own righteousness will justify us in the day of judgment.
No wonder Satan appearing as an angel of light fools lost souls ( 2 Cor. 11:14).
Today in Sunday school someone mentioned that before prayer it is good to say "Lord I don't love you; or other people (fill in the blank). Alas some with a spiritual gift of compassion would find what I am saying repulsive. We all can apply this principle to scripture reading as well "help me with my unbelief" ( Mark 9:24); or "God be merciful to me a sinner" ( Luke 18:13).
Since we are reading the "living Word" ( John 1:1) it behooves us to focus on our Lord and Savior and how much He suffered for our benefit. It also is important that we trust the Lord and also His Word as being truth and something we can lean on. Trusting in the Lord and not our own understanding ( Proverbs 3:5-6) is something we need to discuss in more detail.
Assuming we have a legitimate faith and basic understanding that the Bible is the truth and we live on that premise we could say that we trust the Lord. That of course is easier said than done; we can suddenly find ourselves overwhelmed by circumstances and allow our emotions to dictate through either a "fight or flight" mentality. This is true if we face martyrdom or serious persecution; but as with anything else the Lord usually leads us through the valleys of everyday trials and stresses to teach us to trust Him more for those big things. We can look at scripture for these examples with the 12 Apostles and their growth through Christ's earthly ministry then after Pentacost; or look at the kings of Israel with all their sins exposed for us to see.
There are a few who don't have sins mentioned; it is noteworthy that only Moses seems to be a Prophet whose sins were mentioned and the consequence of not being able to enter the Promised Land. David technically prophesied as well about the Messiah in the Psalms in particular and his personal sins and immediate consequences out the for us to see. These; of course are examples for us all ( 1 Cor. 10:11).
The Spirit refers to God as He "who maketh clouds his chariot". (Is.19:1; Ps 104:3) Singularity of the Spirit renders the clouds as visible form of the invisible aspect of God. This also serve as witnesses an in the vision of Daniel, " I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him."( Dan 7:13)
(See entry under B: Behold)
We have another instance where the clouds serve as witness. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him."(Re.1:7).
Whenever a voice from heaven testified Jesus as 'my beloved Son' symbolic presence of God was in a bright cloud. "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.(Matt.17:5) ( Mark 9:7). When the rider on the white horse finally appears in Re.19 the cloud is conspicuous by absence. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."(Re.19:11). Instead we have an army of saints in white.
2.
Cloud is the glory of God when manifested. His strength is in the clouds (Ps.68:34). Stephen "looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,"(Ac.7:55-56) This Father Son relationship is transcribed into tokens explain the spiritual significance of the clouds. Clouds a natural phenomena doubles as a sign.
Glory of the word that stretched the skies was present at the dedication of the Temple.(Is.40:22) In order to instruct us the Spirit sets the cloud as a sign there. God set His approval when King Solomon dedicated it to him.", that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,/ So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud."(1 Ki.8:10-12)
Luke 16:31 And he said unto them, if they hear not MOSES and the PROPHETS, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose
from the dead.
Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto you, that after the way they (the church) call HERESY, so worship I the God of my fathers; believing ALL THINGS written in the LAW and the PROPHETS.
Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, they came many unto him in his lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the KINGDOM of GOD, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses,and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Most don't believe ALL THINGS written in MOSES and the PROPHETS.
Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgement written, this honoru hath all his saints.
Isaiah 26:9 ... for when thy judgements (administered by the saints) are in the earth (second resurrection), the world WILL LEARN righteousness.
Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the world SHALL REMEMBER (when they are resurrected and judged by the saints) AND TURN (repent) unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Isaiah 66:24 And they (the saints) shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me, for their (the saints) WORM shall not die; neither shall their (the saints') FIRE be quenched, and they (the saints) shall be and abhorring to all flesh.
Job 25:6 And much less man, that is a worm?and the son or man WHICH IS A WORM.
Psalms 22:6 .... But I am a worm .....
Mark 9:46 Where their WORM dieth not, nor is the FIRE quenched.
Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Matthew 13:34 ... and without a parable he spake he not unto them......
The whole word of God is Christ speaking.
Psalms 78:2 I will open my mouth in a PARABLE: I will open my DARK SAYINGS of the harps (his people)
God gives us what He has got. And what is this? It is "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" Gal 3:22-23.
The devil gives people what he has got.
Mark 9:25, "When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."
That devil was dump and deaf so it gave those to that poor guy.
Mark 5:5, "And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."
The world has got " adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, dolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like"
When I read the Bible I am given what God has got in His possesion.
When I watch the TV or the tablet or the mobile I am given what the world have got in their possesion. It is not logical to expect to be given peace and love and joy. The world haven't got those so they can't give you those. Is it me that after I read or watch the news I feel down, feel depression? Why am I not expecting feeling those? The world haven't got anything else to give me.
So I you want to feel high go to God. He's got many good things to give you.
Psalms 104:34
"My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD
In the time of sadness, we can always be glad we have GOD.
Amen!!!
Psalms 64:10
"The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory."
"Lord, help my unbelief,". Mark 9:24
This morning I heard some one say that
" honest doubt is better than fake faith.
Mark 9:24
"And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
Matthew 17:20
"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Just wanted to share this thought.
Thanks for reading. Be blessed.
I have shared Christ many times, both in my country and other lands while in ministry. If all the Bible told me was that unbelievers after death would simply perish in the earth, or even suffer for a time & disappear, then I would have no reason at all to warn others or share the Gospel. Is it because that these unfortunate ones would simply be annihilated and not have a part in Christ's Kingdom that is concerning you, or should it be of concern that the Gospel message is preached to save people from an eternal hell because of their sins?
As well, it would be wrong to think that "the idea of eternal hell fire goes back to paganism and not Christianity". Not at all, or else it could said that Jesus was also influenced by pagan beliefs. Rather, consider Matthew 13:40-42; Matthew 25:41,46; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:22-25. These were Jesus' Words and He as the Son of God would not pander to earthly thought or wisdom. If eternal hell is not preached as a necessary part of our Gospel message, we have failed to give out the pure Gospel of Christ. If eternal hell is not a reality, then there is no reason at all to share the message of Love & Hope that can only be found in the Son of God - for if man will simply die and disappear, we may as well stay smug & indifferent in our homes, caring not for the lost; after all they just die & suffer no consequence for their sins.
I am doing a study in church on prayer next Sunday evening so thought it would be helpful to share some of these concepts here to help me be more organized and comprehensive in thought and also; Lord willing help to edify those on this site.
Last night one of our elders taught on the first prayer as stated in Genesis states in chapter 4; verse 26. There are different interpretations here; some saying that any conversation with God at that time was prayer; so we could consider man as soon as he was created in that role. Today; of course God doesn't walk with us in the cool of the day in a visible form and scripture once again is particularly vague when it comes to the conversations as to when it was a visible manifestation or just a sense or knowing of God's presence and responses to prayer.
I would separate a conversation from a petition or request out of a need to some extent; especially now when we don't have God or Christ visibly with us. The paradox here is that the Apostles (12 Disciples and others) didn't pray when Christ was physically on earth; but Christ Himself both withdrew with the Disciples to pray to God and on His own and it seems strange that they had to ask how to pray; and even more odd to pray as John the Baptist did. Hadn't they been observing or overheard some of what Christ was praying in the years of following Him? We remember that it was some time that His ministry had progressed that Jesus rebuked them for now praying in Mark 9:29 (we see only prayer in Luke's rendition of the same event); and even in Gethsemene and His darkest hour they couldn't stop and pray ( Matthew 26:40). These are sobering reminders that we should be ever vigilant.
In light of this; we should examine Christ's pattern of prayer and; although we don't have specific details on much except for Gethsemene why He prayed with particular emphasis on key timing of His earthly ministry.
The beginning of this chapter describes the death of John the Baptist. I have found personal application here as to those who have died in my own family in that Christ Himself in an attempt to be isolated along with His grieving Disciples didn't have the time because of the multitudes. After healing them verse 21 shows how there was provision given for 5000 men not counting the women and children. Finally Christ took the time to be alone and in prayer; at the cost of getting any sleep that night. He then would come on the fourth watch of the night (verse 25); have Peter walk on the water with Him in the tempestuous seas (verse 29) then be in fear (verse 30) until Christ reached out and rescued him and then once on board the boat the wind ceased (verse 32). They acknowledged because of this event that He was the Son of God (verse 33); then they landed in Gennesaret where crowds once again gathered for healing (verses 35-36).
First off I was a bit hasty in neglecting further passages regarding healing after Matthew 13 yesterday; I apologize for that. I am still admittedly very ignorant in much of the Gospel passages as to specific details.
Again here we see how the Son of God was an example or "servant of all" ( Mark 9:35). It would appear that He was hardest hit with the news of John the Baptist's death; although I am sure nothing took Him by surprise in His humanity at least; He was grieving. The ministry to the crowds and interactions with the Disciples once again was at times interchangeable as was seen in this case and the feeding of the 4000 coming up in Matthew 15. He would discuss the means of provision in the case of chapter 14 with the disciples initiating the issue with a request to send the crowds away to get their own food and in chapter 15 Christ stating His compassion on them and asking what they had. Their unbelief is stunning as to provision ( Matt. 15:33); in fact that is a common theme of the whole chapter; sadly.
Matthew 17:21: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."
Matthew 18:11: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
Matthew 23:14: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
Mark 7:16: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."
Mark 9:44: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 9:46: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Mark 11:26: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Mark 15:28: "And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors."
Luke 17:36: "Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
John 5:4: "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."
Acts 8:37: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Acts 15:34: "Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still."
Acts 24:7: "But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,"
Acts 28:29: "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves."
Romans 16:24: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
I John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
God does things in three's .
The first is the earth was made void.
Genesis 1:2
And theearthwas without form, andvoid; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The second was Noah's food.
Genesis 6:17
And, behold, I, even I, do bring afloodof waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
The third is the church age and the Rapture inwhich was revealed to Apostle Paul in a revelation and we are living in it right now.
Jesus stop reading in the middle of the verse. Did Jesus Christ keep the third Gap Theory a secret ?
Luke 4:18-19
18 The Spirit of the Lordisupon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Note: Jesus was reading Isaiah 61:1-2 , but stop in the middle of chapter 2. Jesus knew the Church of Grace was going to begin.
What Jesus said that day was important in describing the times in which he ministered, but he closed the book before he finished the sentence in Isaiah.
Equally important as what he read before he sat down, was what he purposely did not read all of the verses
The sentence inIsaiah 61:2continues:
"and the day of vengeance of our God" - Isaiah 61:2
Why did Jesus Christ keep the resurrection a secret from the Twelve Disiples ? ? ?
Mark 9:9-10
9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.
Ray, in Christ Jesus 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Therefore, if we had only John 3:16 to understand the afterlife (whether it exists or not), then we could well believe that 'perish' clearly means a complete cessation of life, as in someone (the body) who perishes in a house fire or perishes by drowning. But in relation to the Scriptures, we know that God has given us a spirit & that spirit is identifies who we are, given life by God, with an outer covering (a body) to house it, yet the spirit can never perish (die). Genesis 2:7; Zechariah 12:1; Job 32:8; 1 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ecclesiastes 3:21; Ecclesiastes 12:7.
And then we have the Judgement of God upon all, where those who belong in God's family, living a life consecrated to Him, are eternally secure from damnation, whereas all unbelievers (and their spirits can never be destroyed), suffer under God's condemnation. If only death was our final punishment for rejecting Christ, then we all still have to die as those in sinful, corrupt bodies; none can escape. This is a defective Gospel as most would prefer to cease to exist without any punishment & live life to the full, not answerable to God. But Christ's Sacrifice was to redeem lost sinful souls, not from death, but from God's eternal Punishment. Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:8; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49,50; Matthew 25:41,46; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9.
Just a few Scriptures to show the Truth of an Eternal suffering in Hell & not simply disappearing forever in the grave. Every spirit (of man) is accountable to God.
The whole world is corrupt beyond easure; whether it is what is within men's hearts; or the world system; or the demonic principalities and powers controlling the affairs of men. We have made idols of popular foods; actors and actresses; musicians and our general way of life which we desire to maintain at all costs.
Proverbs 14:34 says Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Whether it is grandma or her apple pie that brings us comfort only the Lord and those in Him will live forever and things in this life are fleeting. All desires of the flesh of beauty also are temporal along with any material goods that we obsess over. The Kingdom of Heaven is more than eating and drinking ( Romans 14:17) and for some reason the Gospel quote I am having difficulty finding. The point is the Holy Spirit must take over our minds and control our bodies and souls and put to death the old mind; otherwise known as mortifying the flesh ( Romans 8:13). Or as the quote mentioned in church today stated when the demon possessed child was to be healed "Lord help me with my unbelief". ( Mark 9:23 and following verses with anecdote).
Or as the song "How Deep the Father's Love" states in the end of the third stanza. "Ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers."
Those TRULY in the Lord will also recognize when the enemy is falsely accusing them of not knowing the Lord whenever a believer falls into sin or having fallen beyond redemption as another accusation. In my experience I have found that is a common way the Lord reigns me in to realize the sin that I've committed and to once again trust Him so that I am protected from the enemy's strongholds. Never try to outsmart the enemy.
Agape.
The purpose of the sex demons /incubus or succubus / is to cause delays, keep you stagnant and to steal your destiny. The first thing to do when you arise from sleep whether in the morning or at any other time is to say: I Renounce, Rebuke and Revoke every evil covenant formed in my sleep in YESHUA/ JESUS MIGHTY NAME. Amen. Do this every day.
This is will help you greatly. Another 5-10% of your problems will cease.
Pay attention to your dreams. Go to this guy on Youtube His biblical prayer interpretations are solid evangelist Joshua TV . He also gives good suggestions on what to do when you ve had certain dreams.
Ask GOD /YAH to help you to not eat or drink or exchange/ take anything in dreams as these are all covenants []
As you reclaim your rightful territory your neighbor will try to draw you out BUT Exchange no words , nor anything with the demon neighbors because it may seem normal to you BUT to him but he'll use it as a hook and an agreement to take back lost territory.
Make fasting and praying a regular occurence in your life [ Mark 9:29 ]
Regarding the monitoring spirits. Instantly rebuke them with fire [ Isaiah 66:15] and by the Blood of YESHUA/JESUS
Pray that your home and your self and space and everything concerning you be surrounded by an impenetrable wall of fire. [ Zechariah 2:5].
Say Psalm 91 daily.
Anoint your windows and doors [ Exodus 12:7] with olive oil and ask for angelic protection. Before you go to sleep. Say psalms of protection. And leave some of your lights on in your house.
Before you step foot outside prayer. And pay attention to your doorways and steps etc. When you go out and come back in ask for protection going in and coming out [ Deuteronomy 28:6]
Read The Word daily. Ask YAH/ GOD for Wisdom, understanding and knowledge and apply whatever HE shows you.
And go back to church especially if it is a church that does deliverance. It will be a major victory.
Matthew 13:50 - And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 20:14 - And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 - Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Revelation 20:10 - And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Psalms 145:20 - The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
Matthew 5:22 - But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Hebrews 10:26-31 - For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (Read More...)
Revelation 14:11 - And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Luke 16:19-31 - There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (Read More...)
Luke 12:5 - But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him
COME LORD JESUS
Mark 9:42 - And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Again, the word offend is the Greek word SCANDALON. It is where we get out word scandal from, except in Greek it had to do with a stick that was used to prop up a box. And it was used like a trap spring so that when an animal would run underneath the box, they would pull the stick and the box would fall down and they would trap it.
Whosoever shall trap one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. That is pretty serious!
Mark 9:43 - And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
This is what's called a hyperbole in literature. Jesus says that if your hand offends you to cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands and to go into hell. This would be Gehenna, the Valley of Henon.
The Valley of Henon was just to the south of Jerusalem. It was the Valley that they used to offer their children up in sacrifice in the old days. But at this time when Jesus came, they were using it as the garbage dump. People just came and dumped their garbage into the Valley and it was constantly burning. It is called "The Valley Geh of Henon," or Gehenna. It is better for him to be maimed than to go into Gehenna, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mark 10:7 - For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
The word cleave is the word glue in the Greek text. Interesting!
Mark 9:29 - And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
And again, just like the Matthew text, that little phrase "and fasting" is added to many manuscripts. Originally it was just prayer, but if you keep the fasting in there that's not a problem. But just so you know, it is not part of a formula. What is the first thing Jesus said? He said the answer is, bring him to me, and if I am not here, pray! Bring him to me!
Mark 9:34 - But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Literally in the Greek, it is "who's the greater," showing comparison. It is not who is going to be first. It is comparing themselves with the other disciples as to who is the greater of them all.
Mark 9:35 - And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
So, Jesus sat down and called the twelve, and He said to them, If any man desire to be first (that is, the chief), the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. The word for servant is the word DIAKONOS. And that is where we get our English word deacon from. In Greek, it is the Greek word for a waiter, somebody who waits on tables in a restaurant, a server, without tips.
So, He says "if you want to be the chief." You see, in the Kingdom of Heaven, the frame of mind is different than the mind of the earth. He is saying your frame of mind is totally earthly. Who's going to be the greater? Jesus says let me show you what it is like in the Kingdom of God. If you desire to be chief, you will be last of all, and you will be the servant of everybody. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who's the slave and the server of everybody!
Mark 8:38 - Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Jesus said, Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me, and the word ashamed in Greek means to withdraw. It doesn't mean you are embarrassed. It means you draw back from the things of Christ. Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, I'll withdraw from you (when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels). If you don't identify with me here, when you face me on Judgment Day, I am not going to identify with you!
Mark 9:2 - And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
The word transfigure is where we get our English word metamorphosis from. Metamorphosis, METAMORPHEO, means that Jesus didn't just change His exterior appearance, but He literally changed in form. He was no longer in His physical form. He was in His glorified state or resurrected body as some people like to think of it. He was transfigured and transformed before them.
Mark 9:11 - And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
The King James says Elias. That is transliteration of the Greek word. He is talking about Elijah. Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? The prophecy comes from Malachi 4:5-6.
Mark 9:17 - And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
Somebody from the crowd answers and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; that is, the demonic spirit keeps him from speaking.
John 16:8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.
I have examined this verse in light of sin; but thought before I continue with the other two aspects of the verse in detail; I should mention that UNBELIEF is something that not only the world but all of us-in reality are in a state of before being regenerated; as that is the first role of the Holy Spirit. When Christ was present on earth; it was clear that after multitudes; presumably almost everyone in Israel knew of Christ's undeniable miracles ( John 11:47) and also of the Apostles ( Acts 4:16) that deliberate unbelief would be the precursor of blasphemy of the Holy Ghost; where Beelzebub was said to be the source of Christ's strength; or others such as the sons of Sceva and the sorcerer in Acts would attempt to gain this power in their own strength or attempt to get it through money. The end result; clearly didn't go too well for these individuals; and no forgiveness was offered for blasphemy of the Spirit ( Mark 3:29 said early in Christ's ministry). Christ said all things against Him or the Father could be forgiven ( Matt. 12:32) but not against the Holy Spirit-and that also is set for the future reign of the Lord on the earth as well. Let us all be as the man in Mark 9:24 and ask Jesus to help us with our unbelief!
Now as to righteousness. Jesus says because He goes to the Father and we no longer see Him that the Spirit testifies of righteousness. I would think this implies that all who truly know Christ now are as the result of the unseen work of the Spirit.
As odd as it seems; when Christ was here physically as to Him being God that had to be revealed from above.
"And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27 KJV
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 KJV
I pray you receive and accept God's word concerning your request. Amen.
Yes, the promises of healing still apply and are active. God does not change His mind concerning that He sent His only begotten son to save, HEAL and deliver. Now Jesus has rose from the dead and has all power in heaven and in earth, (not just in certain places) everywhere you believe or where ever there is faith there is healing and deliverance.
It takes time to be holy, if a believer does not yet have great faith to produce miracles, then grow the faith you have. It shows you have faith because you came to this website. Each day work and build up your most holy faith.
A large mountain is climbed one step at a time. Believe everyday, all day, commune with God in your heart, hold fast to your believeth that God loves you and is for you to be healed. Go to the doctor if you have to, but hold fast to your faith in God.
"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." Isaiah 53:5 KJV
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done." Matthew 21:21 KJV
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 KJV
"...but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." Isaiah 66:2 KJV
Faith works if you hold on to the faith. God is always standing by.
"And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27 KJV
As a believer, I, believe God concerning your prayer petition before God, and that,
"... 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." Isaiah 53:5 KJV
"O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah." Psalms 84:8 KJV
As a believer, I stand in agreement that God hears and answers prayers, Amen.
Transfiguration of Jesus at the mount throws up light beyond the glorious body, a building of God eternal in heavens. The disciples going to Emmaus would not have recognized the risen Jesus but they did and it had to do with the word. " Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"( Luke 24:31-32). When Jesus opened their eyes they did know it was he indeed.
Then we have the mount itself to consider. "And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them."(v.2). As with the Sermon on the mount we have the high mountain which is the testimony of God and Jesus as the rock cut not with hands, signifying we are looking at the Word become flesh.
Mark mentions Moses and Elias " and they were talking with Jesus."(v.24). When Jesus explained the word of God to Cleopas and his companion, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." ( Luke 24:27) Luke elsewhere gives an additional insight to the transfiguration."And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:/Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Moses and Elias and Jesus are the three in glory in that specific moment of transfiguration while the three disciples, Peter James and John were in their physical bodies. In short, the Transfiguration is clear illustration of two worlds of the Spirit and of the flesh and blood operating simultaneously. The word concerning him sets prophets serving outside the timescale as we know the term. For this reason Jesus speaks of Elias,"But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him." (v.13) The ministry of Elias and Moses were as a double Jesus Christ
"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us./ But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me./For he that is not against us is on our part." Lucan gospel also gives this incident.( Luke 9:48-50)
Principle of Association is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth. "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;/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."(Col.1:10) The Mind of Christ is to see in his light so his name is preeminent whether persons places or events, whichever is named is subject to him. For this reason he rebuked Peter who was viewing his master as one who must be protected from all harm. "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."(7:33)
Jesus Christ was anointed the Christ above all others." Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre./Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."(Ps.45:6-7) As a Son he chose all those who were called and as the Son of man he made manifest grace and truth. So he would after transfiguring before the three disciple tell them, "And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."(v.9)
The disciples did not understand its significance. They had to go a longway in their discipleship.
Mark states the principle of Association which is in an altered from than what is presented by St Matthew. "And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them," Jesus sets a child representing the twelve and St Matthew presents the principle accordingly, before he sent them to preach, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." (Matt.10:40). Jesus taking the child in his arms is how we are set in his hands so both Gospels are referring the selfsame idea. In terms of the quality God set his name every other name because he was a child in his obedience. Putting on the mind of Christ is therefore proving your parentage. At the mount of Transfiguration he received the testimony of his Father, "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him."(v.7). The earth and the fulness thereof belong to God which makes all things in heaven and on earth by him consist. "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." therefore is not to be measured by earthly time but as set forth in the divine Will. As the Word which was from the beginning ( John 1:1) it pleased God that in him should all Fullness dwell.
"And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus."(v.4) Demonstrative of this we have Moses and Elias meeting Jesus at the mount. Before the Advent of Jesus they were sent as stand in for him and while at the mount their roles are reversed! It is how the two worlds of the Spirit and of the flesh and blood revolve about a stationary point of the Son and of the Son of man. Now we shall understand why Jesus said, in vv.38-39. His disciples did not have this 360 degree view while Jesus understood his name before which all knees should bow (Ph.2:5-9) rose above their partisan spirit. They still had a long way to go .
Here we have a saying that must prove as Euclid's Elements proposed pons asinorum for the medieval students; and here we have one as similar for those who approach the word of God by intellect and explain the meanings literally. Here are three injunctions stated by Jesus Christ: "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off" (v.43) secondly, "And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off" (v.45) and finally, And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out."(v.47). The Spirit gives the same formula after the three sayings that makes it special and to be understood as of grave importance. In v.44,v.46 and in v.48 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.". Seven messages to the churches end with the same line, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;."(Re.2:7). If the formula is specifically applied to the churches what shall we make of Jesus gives at the end of the Parable of the Sower? "And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."(4:9,23;Matt.13:9) "It is to his disciples unto whom grace is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This formula forms a hedge about, a caveat for whosoever would want to enter the kingdom of God. In this context the Spirit while presenting the 'seven days' from the everlasting covenant in Ge.Ch.1 we have this at the end of each 'day', "And the evening and the morning were...".(1:5,8,13,19,23,31). Where was these leading us to? "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." Seventh day explains that He blessed whosoever would enter therein in his Son.(Ge.2:3) The hand foot and the eye refers to the body of the church or the Bride. Hence both gospels of St Mark and Matthew sets these sayings in context of offending 'these little ones that believe in me"(9:41-42; Matt.18:6)
"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."
Salt is compared to life which could be lived to no purpose or to life abundant. The word of God warned Lot and his family to go forward but Mrs Lot would rather live in the past. "Remember Lot's wife," serves as a warning to all those who holds no vision as Abraham has had. "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." He.11:10. So living in tents as pilgrims and sojourners his vision ever led him forth so much so heaven in the Parable of Jesus is compared to Abraham's bosom.
In vv28-50 the Spirit mentions the house as separate from the world. "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?" As with parables the mysteries were not for those who had no appreciation for the saltiness of their soul. Killing time in mindless pursuits is what they call as having good time. From the edge of their lost contents they may sent postcards telling,'wish you were here!'. In the house the disciples would press their masters for answers so they did have a sound base upon which they could build up, "Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."
vv.33-34 There was oneupmanship among them. How often did they forget that they could nothing without their master? The house is a synonym for abiding life as in the Parable of the 'I am the true vine.' ( John 15:3) They were yet to understand the principle of Association. Charity of giving a glass of water is in the connection between the one in need and God in heaven. "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." False shepherds wax eloquent over 1 Co.13 and let not their Jesus talk fool anyone. Without abiding life in Christ it is for their own glory.
"And I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not./He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me."
Jesus' call,"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me," includes not only the twelve but whosoever is called, and according to the scriptures (which hinges on the blessings spelt forth in the covenant,) is expected to respond.The living soul would mean whosoever valued truth above what is seen or temporal so life of the Spirit sets the polestar for his onward voyage. "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."(Re.22:16). It is thus the inner man presents the gospel to man. Faith with works renders him hold Jesus Christ as the Captain of his salvation and run the race so the only life he seeks is beyond life of the senses. Peter merely responded to the question and answered correctly, "Thou art the Christ."(8:29) Shortly there after he shows he was still struggling to find his feet in the matter of discipleship. Rebuking him Jesus said,"for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."(8:33). Peter and the rest had a long way to go but the promise was that they lived by grace, from his fullness. Wherever they fumbled Jesus was ther as in the case of the demon possessed boy, Jesus would say, "bring him unto me".
"Let him deny himself" also meant the disciples were amenable to correction. "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."( John 3: 21). Peter had to bear his cross, and denial of Christ was in the past for Jesus forgave his lapse and placed the flock under his care. "Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."
"And how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought." (v.12)
This key verse shall explain this saying of Jesus. It also tells how vital was for the multitude that he called them as well as his disciples, so it goes to the very core of the kingdom of God. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it./For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"(8:34-36). For my sake and for the gospel's sake is distinct from the Son for whom 'this day' is decreed. (Ps.2:7) So the gospel and the Word become flesh, the Son of man fulfills the provision of 'the seven days' in the everlasting covenant.
What God has sanctified covers the body of Christ and the duration of which is 'this day'. God was from the beginning and the Word was with him. Because of Adam and his disobedience sin entered into the world so with obedience what Jesus proved was the excellence of the soul which is the earnest of divine sovereignty of soul. Life of the vile body cannot let go "I will" So when the pomp and circumstance of the king of Tyre wants to impose his will he proves to whom he holds affinity. His will worship sets him as the son of perdition. "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire./Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." (Ez.28:14-16; "I will be like the most High./Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell."-Is.14:14-15)
God made man a living soul, and the life is what the Word become flesh made manifest. Humility of Jesus set at nought his own body after the likeness of men. So redemption of one's soul has only single way into the kingdom of God. "I am the Way" Ph.2:5-9)
"That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."
St Matthew also gives this and both converge to the transfiguration of Jesus, the baseline on which whosoever enters into the kingdom of God shall have in common. Both gospels give the tag, 'After six days' is where the Son and the Son of man merges in terms of the Word. Thus when Jesus holds his disciples to secrecy it is to the spiritual body that awaits him. In short Peter James and John representing all his brethren/Associates are given a preview of this kingdom coming with power. "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."( Luke 12:32). Little flock, servants, associates are stages of development in the life of anyone who wants to follow the Son of man. By the same token Moses Elias David,Isaiah Ezekiel John serve as double for the Son of man since God had foreknown them 'according to the scriptures' so what they said or did was in obedience to the Son who was the Word. At this high mountain where Jesus transfigured was a foretaste of what was to come. Coming with power also was within the frame of reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That makes Joel also as a double. In short principle of Association is like a stone thrown in a pool causes the ripple widening to fill the whole extent. The bread from heaven cast forth in Ec.11:1-2 refers to the Son of man.
Bearing our cross and following him we enter the kingdom with power so our spiritual bodies, a building of God eternal in heavens we are to keep in sights. The same transfiguration as Jesus made manifest is our earnest as with the indwelling Spirit is our confidence."For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."(2 Co.5:4-5)
Unbelieving: The first verse that comes to mind here is the man with a son that had a demon possessed son who was being thrown into water; etc. That passage is Mark 9:24 and the whole incident is worth reading to understand further how there was rampant lack of faith as well as preparation for casting out the demon. REALIZING we have unbelief results from the Holy Spirit changing us; it is not what is often a false gospel of not having faith enough for a family member to be healed; or some power trip by a ministry more interested in notoriety and ultimately greedy for gain with someone given a title of "healer". We can say at the time of Christ it was indeed foolish not to believe He could work any miracles including bringing one back from death; because it was only rejecting His claim of Divinity that a person could reject Him which shows the depths of blindness of the Pharisees. The core issue which remains the same is the fact that we are all as "filthy rags" ( Isaiah 64:6) and this includes our so called "good deeds".
Abominable: Luke 16:15 shows what men hold as esteemed is an abomination before God. To esteem something shows a sort of prideful mentality; acclaim and praise is something Christ warned about in numerous passages (see Luke 6:26; another passage in this book as one example). Even calling Christ good implies that he as a mere man or prophet is good; and Christ makes it clear only God alone is good ( Mark 10:18). This is what is so dangerous about anyone who men praise; not only do they almost always practice false theology but we are convinced our own righteousness will justify us in the day of judgment.
No wonder Satan appearing as an angel of light fools lost souls ( 2 Cor. 11:14).
Today in Sunday school someone mentioned that before prayer it is good to say "Lord I don't love you; or other people (fill in the blank). Alas some with a spiritual gift of compassion would find what I am saying repulsive. We all can apply this principle to scripture reading as well "help me with my unbelief" ( Mark 9:24); or "God be merciful to me a sinner" ( Luke 18:13).
Since we are reading the "living Word" ( John 1:1) it behooves us to focus on our Lord and Savior and how much He suffered for our benefit. It also is important that we trust the Lord and also His Word as being truth and something we can lean on. Trusting in the Lord and not our own understanding ( Proverbs 3:5-6) is something we need to discuss in more detail.
Assuming we have a legitimate faith and basic understanding that the Bible is the truth and we live on that premise we could say that we trust the Lord. That of course is easier said than done; we can suddenly find ourselves overwhelmed by circumstances and allow our emotions to dictate through either a "fight or flight" mentality. This is true if we face martyrdom or serious persecution; but as with anything else the Lord usually leads us through the valleys of everyday trials and stresses to teach us to trust Him more for those big things. We can look at scripture for these examples with the 12 Apostles and their growth through Christ's earthly ministry then after Pentacost; or look at the kings of Israel with all their sins exposed for us to see.
There are a few who don't have sins mentioned; it is noteworthy that only Moses seems to be a Prophet whose sins were mentioned and the consequence of not being able to enter the Promised Land. David technically prophesied as well about the Messiah in the Psalms in particular and his personal sins and immediate consequences out the for us to see. These; of course are examples for us all ( 1 Cor. 10:11).
Having a healthy fear of God (to come part 3
The Spirit refers to God as He "who maketh clouds his chariot". (Is.19:1; Ps 104:3) Singularity of the Spirit renders the clouds as visible form of the invisible aspect of God. This also serve as witnesses an in the vision of Daniel, " I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him."( Dan 7:13)
(See entry under B: Behold)
We have another instance where the clouds serve as witness. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him."(Re.1:7).
Whenever a voice from heaven testified Jesus as 'my beloved Son' symbolic presence of God was in a bright cloud. "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.(Matt.17:5) ( Mark 9:7). When the rider on the white horse finally appears in Re.19 the cloud is conspicuous by absence. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."(Re.19:11). Instead we have an army of saints in white.
2.
Cloud is the glory of God when manifested. His strength is in the clouds (Ps.68:34). Stephen "looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,"(Ac.7:55-56) This Father Son relationship is transcribed into tokens explain the spiritual significance of the clouds. Clouds a natural phenomena doubles as a sign.
Glory of the word that stretched the skies was present at the dedication of the Temple.(Is.40:22) In order to instruct us the Spirit sets the cloud as a sign there. God set His approval when King Solomon dedicated it to him.", that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,/ So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud."(1 Ki.8:10-12)
Luke 16:31 And he said unto them, if they hear not MOSES and the PROPHETS, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose
from the dead.
Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto you, that after the way they (the church) call HERESY, so worship I the God of my fathers; believing ALL THINGS written in the LAW and the PROPHETS.
Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, they came many unto him in his lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the KINGDOM of GOD, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses,and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Most don't believe ALL THINGS written in MOSES and the PROPHETS.
Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgement written, this honoru hath all his saints.
Isaiah 26:9 ... for when thy judgements (administered by the saints) are in the earth (second resurrection), the world WILL LEARN righteousness.
Psalms 22:27 All the ends of the world SHALL REMEMBER (when they are resurrected and judged by the saints) AND TURN (repent) unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Isaiah 66:24 And they (the saints) shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me, for their (the saints) WORM shall not die; neither shall their (the saints') FIRE be quenched, and they (the saints) shall be and abhorring to all flesh.
Job 25:6 And much less man, that is a worm?and the son or man WHICH IS A WORM.
Psalms 22:6 .... But I am a worm .....
Mark 9:46 Where their WORM dieth not, nor is the FIRE quenched.
Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Matthew 13:34 ... and without a parable he spake he not unto them......
The whole word of God is Christ speaking.
Psalms 78:2 I will open my mouth in a PARABLE: I will open my DARK SAYINGS of the harps (his people)
God Bless you