Is keeping the Sabbath a once a week thing? Or is there more to it? Let us begin with Hebrews 4 and the words of Paul. The Spiritual Significance leads us to understand that it is something continual. When we enter into His rest, every day is a Sabbath. This is something that the Spirit confirmed within me, close to the time that I was “Born again.” Jesus said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” Take a moment and consider the words of the Messiah as we continue. He also said, “The Kingdom of GOD is within you.” What if, just what if, many things within the Word of Life are things that happen at a certain place within us, or have happened to us already from a spiritual perspective?
“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” – Ephesians 2:14-19. Paul understood this principle and I go into detail about it in the free eBook Crucified At Golgotha. If you haven’t laid hold of it, I do earnestly contend that you read it before continuing.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:7-11.
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place (within you) of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again (within you), If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David (For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us), To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. – Hebrews 4:1-7.
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2. Question: What day was the LORD risen from the grave? Why does the Bible say this in Exodus 19: “And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.” “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:” – 1 Thessalonians 4:3.
The Empty Tomb
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:8-12.
In the previous post, we covered Biblical Fasting. Because fasting in the Bible and Sabbath keeping go hand in hand. “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” – Isaiah 58:11-13.
Why don’t we let Jesus break this down for us to make better sense? “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD.
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. – Ecclesiastes 12.
Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. – Matthew 12:48-50. In my own walk of faith, I have been blessed to understand many wonderful things about the Word of Life. Although, none of it came easy. The Bible tells us, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – Matthew 5:6. You may find this website, the articles, the eBooks, and the videos, and say, this guy must really have it together. I laugh at that statement. Or, the exact opposite, this guy must have completely have lost his mind. I laugh at that one too.
Growing up, I loathed reading. I crammed for exams and used cliff notes when I was supposed to be reading books for school. About the only time that I ever did read was when I got in trouble. And only when I had my outdoor and TV privilege’s taken away. I have to say though, the one book that immediately comes to mind, was quite the internal adventure. I rather enjoyed the book. But in general, I was lazy pertaining to educational experiences. That summed up most of my childhood and part of my early adulthood. Looking back, I may have changed some things.
Change for me didn’t start taking place until much later in life. As Paul says, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” I understand that one. Have I ever put someone to death or had them put to death? No. Although, knowing what I do now about the Gospel, any time that we get angry with our brother, or say something mean to them, we are in essence snuffing out a portion of their light. Now add to that having kids. Aargh. Especially teenagers these days.
In my immediate family, we are split. I believe the Bible to be true. My spouse does not. Or, so she thinks. So our kids are divided. I will now liken the battle with the Truth and the reason why most people don’t want to believe or accept it. The truth is painful. No? Most people wouldn’t think so either. We are taught to go to charismatic churches who gloss the surface, feed us with crumbs, and somehow, a bait and switch happens and we leave feeling satisfied. What does the Bible tell us? “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Herein lies the problem. And why I began with snuffing out someone’s light. We have been conditioned to push pain as far away from us as possible in order to protect ourselves. Although, this is contradictory to what we should be doing. By being angry with our brother, we are pushing them away from the light even more, instead of drawing them to it. When we aren’t facing our own difficulties, we aren’t drawing to the light either, so that we can be healed. The Lord loves a humble spirit and one who acknowledges their guilt before Him. That in essence, is it in a nutshell. The inability to acknowledge ones guilt, and ask for forgiveness.
By some happen chance, how I began this post, is not where I thought it was going to end up. Or, maybe this was exactly the way that it was supposed to go. As I began maturing and started acknowledging my own guilt, the Light of Life was finally able to begin His process with me. It took years, and it’s still in the process. I had to go through many “faiths” in order to determine whether they were true or not. “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” – John 10:5. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
Remember, I said that I used to loathe reading? And in fact, I still do. Except when it comes to the Word. The Word is something to marvel at. It is Magnificent. It is Marvelous. He is Amazing. The Lord God is Splendor. He is other worldly. As in my experience of the internal adventure I had reading a book growing up, The Bible takes you to places that are unimaginable. When you go to a church, or any ministry, they attempt to interpret what is being said to make the message sound good and to fit within their beliefs. What church have you ever gone to and felt guilt or remorse? If there are any, they are few and far between. I know of only one man. Yet, even he fell short. Once again, trying to interpret what is being said, instead of just reading it.
Nevertheless, on to perfection. As I have posted here previously about who we are, where we come from, abstinence, sanctification, and the indwelling of the Spirit by the washing of water by the Word, I feel reminded to bring up the most just cause after we have known the Lord God intimately and have been blessed to receive of His Spirit, loving our neighbors as ourselves. For if we are not doing this, how can we say that we know the Lord?
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the WORD which ye have heard from the beginning.” “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
There is a very good reason that nearly every moment that I have free, all that I am led to do is share the good news of the Gospel. That is all that I desire to do. It is all that I want to do. And it’s not burdensome. If only one comes to the knowledge of understanding and only one sinner turns to repentance, that is one brother saved from death. “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” I pray that the following video will be received well.
We are all called to service for the Lord, there is no way around it. “The old commandment is the WORD which ye have heard from the beginning.” Once you have dined, receiving the chief principal meal, after you are converted, we are told this: “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
Brethren, feed the sheep… “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
If the Lord was to call us Home, even today, how many of us would be prepared? “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” – Revelation 21:2. Let us begin by taking a look at the words of Paul when speaking to the Church at Corinth.
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Instead of attempting to interject my interpretation of what is being said, I will simply give you the Bible and the Words of Jesus Christ for you to watch, read and listen to. All that is required is for you to see and hear what is being said. The Bible and the Gospel is simple. Instead of us trying to interpret what is being said, all that we need to do is read it for what it is.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” Consume the Word of Life…
Jesus and John the Baptist were both preaching repentance to a whole bunch of religious zealots who believed that they were following the ten commandments. What was so different about Jesus that branded Him as a heretic and had Him put to death? Why did all of His followers leave Him, except the chosen few? Why were the New Testament Churches referred to as a sect? Why were their teachings so different than all the others. What has changed in the world today? “For many are called, but few are chosen.” That doesn’t exactly fit with what we see in the world today. Either the Bible is true, or the world is. I know that the Bible is true, and I believe it all. I have no doubts.
The question is, whether you will? – The Gospel Of Repentance. Please take the time to click on the link, read the article, and watch the videos. Also, read the free eBooks, watch the Bible Study with the Word on the homepage, and read all of the recent posts. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
The words that we all desire to hear from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These are the words that I personally spend the most time in thought about. As I look back on my life and my past, it seems as if it all was a lifetime ago; now learning all that I have from the Spirit and seeking out the answers within the Word. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” – Philippians 3:13.
You see, we can take the word of any man for truth and can be convinced to believe it based upon how they are teaching us. Although, if we never seek out the answers for ourselves by reading, studying, and praying over those things that we are hearing, how can we be absolutely certain? Just look at the world today and the complete division among everyone. I have been through the religions. I have been through the churches. I have tested the spirits. They all have one thing in common. The Son of Man has no where to lay His head. The profundity of understanding you attain by seeking the Lord out through His word, separated from society, brings true repentance. It brings true understanding.
I lost my life, found it in the Lord, and only through the pages of His Word. It wasn’t within one verse. It wasn’t within two. On my part, it took fully trusting the Spirit to lead me in my own journey through reading the Bible. That is the very key. Reading the Bible. We have to hunger and thirst after righteousness. We have to be willing to accept what we are seeing, and what we are hearing. We have to be willing to let go of everything that we have ever been taught. I find myself cleaning house often when seeking things out in the pages of the Bible. If something didn’t make sense to me, I would dig deeper and elsewhere until I had understood what I was reading.
Some things I had tabled. When I come across something similar later on, I would go back to it, or consider it again. The Lord loves each and everyone of us so much that He wants all of us to have a personal relationship with Him. Our relationship with the Father is contingent upon the amount of His Word that is in us. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” – John 6:63. How can we know the Father, if we don’t know His Word? The Bible bears out the same truths over, and over, and over again. It becomes painstakingly obvious that He doesn’t want any of us to perish.
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Within the pages of Lift Up A Banner are the majority of the things that the Spirit has taught me to be true. He didn’t just give me one verse or two to prove it. He led me to dozens of verses that bear the same things out so many times, if we only do as He instructs us, and become as little children, you will see it too. You will hear His voice, just as it says in the Bible, “and His disciples heard it.” Imagine that for a moment. Having your mind completely blown when you say, “oh my gosh, I heard it.” Imagine reading the parables and understanding them. “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” Consider, being able to read the Bible and understand what is on the pages, without having to dig deep for a treasure each and every time you open the cover. Consider, finding green pasture.
If you desire to know the Way, the Truth, and the Life, in a more personal way yourselves, read the free eBooks, the lessons, and the Bible Study within the pages of this website. You need not any man teach you. Only… Let go.
One question with a Biblical answer, are we fallen angels? What if… Nothing in this world is truly what it seems? What if… The words of Jesus Christ were true? He told us that His mission was to free the captives, restore sight to the blind, to open the doors to the prison, and to wake us up from the dead. What if, we were all captives? What if, we were all blind? What if, we were all in prison? What if, we were all born dead? What if, all of these things were true? If Jesus told us these things, are they not true? Did the Lord ever tell a lie? Did He tells us that we are all of our father the devil? How could these things be true? How could we not see? How could we all not understand?
What if the parable of the prodigal son wasn’t a parable at all, but Jesus was telling us exactly who we are? What if we are fallen angels? There are many confusing questions that we have when reading the Bible, yet we make an attempt to reason things out within our minds in order to make sense of it all. The Messiah told us that we need to become as little children. As we begin, that is what I am asking you all to do. Take the eraser to the chalk board of your lives, wipe the slate clean, and forget everything that you have ever thought to be true. Maybe, just maybe, you will wake up from the dead. Maybe, just maybe, you will no longer be blind. Maybe, just maybe, you will be set free. In many previous posts, we have looked at the KJV Bible using the Strong’s concordance, in order to further understand the Word of God. Today. we will take a walk on the surface and see that we don’t always need to do so.
We will begin to build off of what Jesus said, and found our temples from there. We will lay brick by brick, pour the mortar, level the surface, and continue to build. Let us start, with the prodigal son. The story of the prodigal son tells us about a young boy, who wanted to leave his Father and go and do his own thing. He told his Father, give me what is mine, I am going to make a name for myself. Although, this son, even though he may have had the best intentions, we see that the outcome faired not well for him. When he got there, he wasted all that he had on riotous living.
Jesus tells us in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods?” He was quoting Psalm 82. Let’s now look at it, together. “They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” So, are we fallen angels? We will take what Jesus is telling us and liken it to the parable of the Prodigal son. Remember, Jesus said that we are all blind, asleep, and that we need to arise from the dead. So, what is it that they won’t understand? Who are they?
What if, the prodigal son’s, were a third of the host of Heaven, who left their father and chose Lucifer as their father? “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do… and because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” What if, we just don’t remember it? What if, we all woke up in this world asleep, and truly dead, just as the Messiah told us? What if, our inheritance was our eternal life? What if, the far away land that the prodigal son went to, was the earth?
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities… But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.”
Once again, we see that these angels, are filthy dreamers that defile the flesh, They know not, and apparently they don’t understand either.” “Arise O’ sleeper, wake up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life.” “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Are you beginning to “see?” Are we fallen angels?
Is there even more in the Bible that speaks on this, or proves this even more so? Yes. And the evidence is overwhelming. Let’s see what Peter says on the matter. “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.” Here again, they don’t know, and they don’t understand what they are being told. Let us now watch this video below.
“When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when you awake, you shalt despise your image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.” – Psalm 73.
So here we all are. Yet, there is even more. “When we were all fallen to the earth.” “God comforteth those that are cast down. “When men are cast down, then there shall be a lifting up, and he shall save the humble person.” OK. So we are fallen angels? We are all the prodigal son’s. We all took our eternal life, came to the earth, and wasted our eternal life on riotous living. The Bible calls us strangers and pilgrims. We are also called aliens and sojourners. All of these imply that we are not from here. We are all residing in a foreign country.
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”
OK. If the truth isn’t frightening enough, and learning who we all are and where we all come from isn’t enough, we also have even more understanding to gain. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” -Isaiah 53. Here again, we all have gone astray. And that isn’t even the worst part.
Remember, we are angels, prodigal son’s, strangers and pilgrims, aliens and sojourners. We aren’t from here. We don’t belong here. And, once again, at one time, we all were son’s. “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are two entirely separate accounts of creation. Genesis 1 is the God of this world who hath blinded the eyes of them who believe not. Genesis 2 is the Lord God, who formed Adam from the dust of the ground and took Eve out of his side. Interesting that Jesus was pierced in His side while on the cross.
Before we get into that, the foundation is still being laid. After the first set of bricks have been leveled, we begin squaring off the corners for the second layer. In Genesis 1 we are told about the creation of man, and the image of God. For this understanding, we need to go into the original language so that we can see who God truly is and what the image of God means. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Let’s use the Strong’s Concordance and e-Sword to deepen our understanding. See who God is in Genesis 1 and pay attention to the word image in the original language.
Who is God in Genesis 1? Is the word LORD in front of God? What is the definition for image? The Bible says that God means, gods in the ordinary sense, of the Supreme God, and angels. The word image means, a shade, a phantom, an illusion, especially an idol. So man by definition alone is an idol. It says so in the Bible. “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when you awake, you shalt despise your image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.” Second layer, now complete. Let us continue.
In Exodus 20, we are given a specific set of commandments from the Lord God. Let us ponder these verses. “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” OK. Was Jesus’ mission to free the captives? “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” You may ask yourself, how can I liken Egypt to the earth? “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” – Revelation 11:8. The whole world spiritually is Egypt and Sodom. If what I am saying is true, and we made ourselves as angels, into the form of a man, bowing ourselves down to our image to serve them, would Exodus 20 tell us this? Why don’t we look deeper at Exodus 20:4. See the words walked all the way back to the roots.
The Lord God told us not to make any idols or any phantom or specifically embodiment species. I am aware of no man since the beginning of time that has had the capability to do this. Are you aware of anyone? No. Why? we all already did. “How art thou fallen (already happened) from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars (princes) of God (EL): I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” – Isaiah 14:12-14.
Lucifer creates the world, and what we will call our human host body to trap all of the angels. The confirmation is in Ezekiel 28, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the Sardis, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so.” Yep, he covered all of the angels, hid our true identity, gave us flesh to dwell in, and made us all idols. We now can be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. Not as much fun as you thought it would all be, is it? Look at the mess that we all got ourselves into. “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
The Sistine Chapel
This place is truly riddled with so much truth, that it causes you to have a headache, seeing all that there is to see. Remember, “Arise O’ sleeper, wake up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Why is there an angel holding a suit of skin? Because it it true. The simplest answer is always the most logical. And usually, it’s the 100% truth, slapping you right in the face.
Now, we know a good portion of who we all are and what we all did. Let’s get back to Isaiah 53 and go even deeper. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” What does it mean to esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted? Let’s look, together.
As we have learned, we are all angels, we are all the prodigal son’s. At one time, we were all male energy. By coming here and choosing another as our father, we plaited or interpenetrated, and weaved ourselves into something else; by choosing to lie with a woman, by choosing the forbidden fruit. “Neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” He was smitten, murdered, slayed, and slaughtered by the angels. We took our inheritance, came to the earth, and wasted it on riotous living.
“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.” As we consider this, we will now look at the meaning of the word transgressions. We will walk it all the way back to the roots and gain the full understanding of the meaning behind this word.
We all rebelled and revolted, by breaking away from just Authority, the Lord God. That is, to trespass and to apostatize, by spreading the legs. I am not sure if it could be clearer or more obvious than that.
“When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when I awake O Lord, when I awake out of my sleep, I surely will despise my image. Thus, my heart is grieved, and I am pricked in my reins. So foolish am I, and ignorant: I am as a beast before thee. FORGIVE ME FATHER.” “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”
In a general sense, that is only the beginning of the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.” We come to the understanding of who we all are and what we all did. We wake up out of our deep sleep, say oh my gosh! It is true. It is all true. We turn back to the Father, ask Him for forgiveness, and then… begin our journey back to Him. Jesus tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Now, you have the truth. Let’s learn the way. And it begins with repentance. Turning back to the beginning. The very beginning. The First Estate, when we were all angels. The answers to everything are in the very words of Jesus Christ. As we consider once again the prodigal son, we will also tie some additional words of the Messiah together for deeper meaning. We are now in the process of building your temple. A place for the Lord God to occupy.
“And when he came to himself (arise o’ sleeper), he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”
The prodigal son, or more specifically you and me; we came to ourselves, woke up from our deep sleep, realized that we are blind, deaf, dumb, captives, and prisoners, asked the Father for forgiveness and we went towards the Father, leaving it all behind. So, are we fallen angels? By now, I hope it is pretty obvious to you that we are. “He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.” “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Whether you are ready to stomach it or not, Jesus meant exactly what He said. Your father, mother, wife, children, and brethren are not what they appear to be either. We are all angels. Every last one of us. We are all equals. We are all the same. There is not one higher or better than the other.
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” We have to let go of this world with everything in it. We need to forsake it all, and leave it all behind. What happened to Lot’s wife? We are to deny ourselves through abstinence, letting go of our flesh with it’s lusts, passions, and desires, as we continue our walk back to the Father. If you want to know whether you should stop doing something, there is one very simple answer. What would Jesus do? If He wouldn’t do it, we shouldn’t either.
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” The crucifying of our flesh doesn’t happen all at once, it is something that we continually work on daily. As we let go of something, there is that much more room for the Spirit to occupy our temples. And as we are letting go of self, we begin bearing the very fruits of the Spirit. Are you asking yourselves if you can no longer have sex with your spouse? Jesus said to forsake everything and it is required for our sanctification of the Spirit. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication.” It doesn’t say to abstain from adultery.
They didn’t live in a world 2000 years ago as we do today. They didn’t have TV’s, movies, media, R rated movies, and worse. They didn’t have pornography popping up every where they turned as we do today. Yet, this was written nearly 2000 years ago. Maybe this might make some sense to you now, “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.” We are to abstain from sex with our spouse. What would Jesus do? If He came back right now, at this very moment, search deep inside and ask if you would feel ashamed? Knowing, that you are an angel. That your spouse is also an angel. That you both are male energy, and that you both are brothers. Remember, the prodigal son’s.
As we begin our walk back to the Father, He sees us afar off, comes to us, kisses us on the neck and welcomes us back. One of the most profound experiences that we could have spiritually. You are not only His son, you become, His disciple. Now, as we are letting go, we all have a task to perform while we are still here. “Feed my sheep.” “And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” As we let go, as we become more like Him, His reflection is seen in us. We have a duty. We have an obligation. “Feed my lambs.”
We need to show others the way, the truth, and the life that we found. Fret not when the whole world will despise and reject you. They did the same to Jesus. Marvel not as if some strange thing happened to you. We are no longer part of this world, we are only in it now. In His reflection, as we are beginning to see the new man, we spend more time with Him and in His Word. The Bible has become alive to us. After you found the treasure buried in the field, the field becomes a green pasture, or a great orchard. So, no matter where we look, and no matter where we turn, we hear the Word. We see the Word. We understand the Word. “And His disciples heard it.” Quite literally. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Start your path back to the Father in Jesus Christ. Begin with His words, and in the Gospels. Your temple can only be built off of His words. I pray that the foundation which was laid, the planting, watering, and the pulling of weeds, will be beneficial for your eternal salvation. May the Everlasting Father, the God of Mercy and Peace, shine brightly within your hearts. And finally brethren, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner – This is the Way, walk in it.
If you are new to this website, or potentially looking for somewhere to continue your journey, check out Bible Study With The Word. If you are looking for a deeper read and some free eBooks, immerse yourself in The Truth Revealed. Another good place to continue with this study would be Put On The New Self. You can also check out all the recent posts. Stay blessed my friends!
Are you one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness? Do you desire to be filled? Are you willing to listen to the Words of Jesus Christ and follow his teachings? Are you willing to do as He instructs us? Are you willing… To forsake it all? Are you willing to be His disciple? For all those who find their way, for all those who seek peace, for all those desiring the better, more praise worthy things, may what I have learned on one principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ bless you, as we prepare for the wedding.
Jesus, Abstinence, & The Bible
As we grow in the Lord, we learn to do as He did, and become how He was. Let us walk as Jesus walked, together. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. We should choose to become like Him through everything.
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“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
What is it that the New Testament teaches us about sex and abstinence? Many of us as Christians may have wondered about this very question. The one thing that I learned is that before we can go diving through the Epistles for understanding, we first need to understand the teachings and very words of Jesus Christ. For through Him and By Him, everything stands. So whatever the Messiah is telling us, it has to be true. We can then build our foundation off of the principles that He taught us. Finally, we can compare them to the Epistles and understand how they were saying the same thing.
We are told by Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke to deny ourselves and take up our cross. So what is one thing that the Messiah is referring to? What is so important about these words that Jesus rephrases it differently throughout the Gospels? As we will further look into this by looking at the root words, I want you to consider what Paul tells us in Romans 2:12-15.
“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.” Paul is basically telling us that most know the difference between right and wrong. Most people know that adultery is a bad thing. Although, why would the Lord be telling us to deny ourselves of something that we already know we shouldn’t be doing? Let’s now look at Luke 9:23 where Jesus says, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Below is the KJV Bible with the original Greek translated for further understanding. Take the time to read what it says, digest it, and think upon it.
Jesus just told us in the Bible to, deny utterly, abstain, and disown ourselves. He said we are to do it daily through self denial. He finally told us that we all need to accompany Him as His disciple, by being the same way He is, and by following Him. One very important Scripture that Jesus says, which very few are even knowledgeable of, is Luke 14:33, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” So, based on the words of Jesus as our original foundation, as the author and finisher of our faith, the beginning and the end, should we be having sex? The answer is no, period.
Jesus tells us, “For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” Another interesting verse to consider from Jesus is, “If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” In any of Jesus’ teachings, did He give any room for but or although? The answer once again is no. We are told by the Messiah to disown ourselves, abstain, and to forsake everything. And we are told that this isn’t a one and done deal. We are to deny ourselves daily. The Bible says, “they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
After knowing what the Lord told us, most of us should know that we are all to be Judged out of the Bible. What if we are told by an Apostle, that he himself is speaking, and not the Lord? First, and most importantly, it’s not the Lord speaking. Second to that, we need to take everything into context and look at all that is being said. Let’s now look at 1 Corinthians 7:1. “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” What does the word good mean in the original Greek?
The word for good means beautiful, valuable, virtuous, honest, meet, well, worthy, and better. Paul goes on to talk about them struggling with being able to contain themselves. He says in verse 6, he is stating this by permission, and not of commandment. His desire is for them eventually to become as he is. Let’s look at these verses here.
We have Paul telling us that he is familiar with the struggles that they are all going through because he himself, is in the flesh. And he specifies that he isn’t speaking as an authority on the matter, by a decree, or by commandment. In 1 Corinthians 3, we learn that the church at Corinth is an inferior church. “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.” In his attempt, he is trying to get them to move beyond their flesh to become as the Savior is. But in a slow manner, because of all the struggles that they are having as a body of believers.
Let’s now look further at some of the additional things that Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7. After going through a long speech about sex, he says in verse 26, “I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.” He finishes this in verse 29 with, “But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none.” Once again reaffirming that they should be moving away from this. After going again over the fleshly side of things, he summarizes with, “And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”
Why don’t we take what Paul was teaching this carnally minded church, which was still being fed with milk, and compare it to one of his teachings elsewhere. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.” Does it say to abstain form adultery? No, we all know that adultery is a sin. Below, is the definition of concupiscence, as well as some synonyms.
I will now ask you this question. Should we be abstaining from sex? What is the meaning of concupiscence? Did Jesus say, “He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple?” What else do we learn on this subject in the Bible, from Peter? “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Below is 1 Peter 2:11-12 with the translated text. Pay attention to what the words conversation, and honest mean.
We are told by Peter to be abstaining pertaining to the flesh. He left no room for a but or although either. He tells us to have our behavior better, more honest, and more virtuous than everyone else. It is the same word that Paul uses in the very beginning of 1 Corinthians 7. Why did Peter say this? Most importantly, outside of the Lord telling us this, it is required for our sanctification of the Spirit. Paul was pushing the carnally minded church at Corinth towards this very thing. As in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” You can’t be a chaste virgin to Christ if you are still having sex with your spouse, can you? Now, watch this video…
At this point, the evidence is overwhelming, and the Truth speaks for itself. Yet, there are still some that make an attempt to negate everything that Jesus said and throw this verse at you, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Paul goes in length in the book of Hebrews about the New Testament, or the new covenant, between Christ and His church. Or, I should specify, Christ and His bride. He speaks on the fulfillment of the Law, and Jesus being a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The word for bed means cohabitation and Paul is speaking upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Part of the great mystery concerning Christ and His Church. If you become married to Christ, would you even conceive of continuing to have sex with your earthly spouse? “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” – Romans 7:4.
What does the Book of Revelation say about the 144,000 which are to be redeemed from the earth, as firstfruits of Christ? Why do so many believe that the rapture is going to be millions, if not billions of people?
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” – Revelation 14:1-5.
Let’s recap and add some more. Does Jesus give us the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins? Are they virgins? Does Jesus tells us to disown and utterly deny ourselves? Are we told by the Messiah to forsake everything? Does the First Epistle of John say the same thing? We are told to walk as Jesus walked, as well as, those who are born of God, their seed remains in them. We are told By Jesus and the teachers in the New Testament to become as little children. Do little children have sex? Was Paul and Peter teaching us to abstain from sex? Yes. Every teacher in the New Testament, even Jude was teaching the exact same principle of the Gospel. The question is whether you are willing to listen, and to receive it.
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ… But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.”
And it goes on and on, over and again, once you have understood and fully believed this principle of the Gospel. May you all find that in which you seek. “He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.” – Jesus Christ. It’s time to let go of it all brethren. Stay blessed.
Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner
Check out the eBooks, a complete foundational Bible Study on the Messiah’s ministry, as well as all the recent posts. All glory goes to the Author and Finisher of my faith, The Lord God.
In the Book of Ephesians, we are told this by Paul, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Paul is telling us to walk as the Lord did. In the power of his might means, in his ability, and his strength. We know that Jesus lived a sinless life while He was here on the earth. We should be striving to do better each day than the day before. As the obstacles we face sometimes cause us to fail, we have the Lord to go to and ask for forgiveness. We are battling a spiritual war against the rulers of darkness.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”
Now, we will look at Ephesians 6:13-15, take a walk through the Bible, and see where the Spirit can take us. In a previous post, we covered where Jesus told the paralytic man to rise, take up his bed and walk. Peter also tells us in the Book of Acts, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Although, what Spiritual significance does this have? “And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed And he arose immediately.” Jesus tells us, “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Are you beginning to see a connection there yet? Let’s tie this back into the verses we just looked at. Peter also tells us, “grid up the loins of your mind, and be sober.”
Paul tells us this as well, “for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication.” Is the Bible telling us in a whole, and not just by looking at one verse here, or one verse there, that we shouldn’t be having sex? Yes. Now, we will look at these two verses even further, using the Strong’s Concordance. “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Pay close attention to the highlighted words, read the translation, consider what is being said, and think upon all of the scriptures that we just looked at.
Here, once again, we are taught about abstinence. Paul tells us, put a girdle around our procreative power. How is that done, you may ask? By no longer having sex with your spouse. As Paul continues on he says, “keep on the garments of justification, and righteousness, by being innocent, holy, and equitable. “Be ye Holy, for I am Holy…” Let us look at these words below.
Are we told elsewhere within the New Testament this same principle? Yes, in numerous places. Let’s look at a few of them. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness…” Notice how adultery and fornication are separated. “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” Once again, the word chambering means sex. So, to put it as plain as possible so that it even a child can understand it, if we are still having sex, or believe that we can still be having sex, we aren’t going to Heaven. “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Let us finish with the Triumphal entry of Jesus Christ in Mark 11. “And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.”
“Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments,” and his commandments are not burdensome. Stay in Him in all things and let your light shine before men.
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. – 2 Timothy 2:1-3
Are we spending too much time entangled with the affairs of this life? “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Will you be made whole? Jesus said to the impotent man, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” “And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.”
Jesus saith unto them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Once we have understood the foundational principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are all given one single task. It is a very simple task. Although, it comes with a price, and a burden to bare. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” We are all to carry our own crosses by walking as He walked, not after the flesh but after the Spirit. And teaching others what we have been blessed to receive.
As we strive for masteries and the command of our own vessels, we are to be sharing the Truth that we know. At whatever stage we are at. “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6-10. Now, we will build even more on these scriptures. Let’s watch this video, which takes the above verses, and expands on the original languages. It also layers additional supporting Scriptures with visual aids.
As we have seen, and have hopefully learned, the Lord wants to use us at whatever step we are at. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” If we were hit with everything all at once, as in the download of a computer program, most of us would be executing error messages within ourselves. The Spirit doesn’t operate this way. It’s like a rinse and repeat theme as we grow in our faith, casting our cares upon Him. Quite literally, being washed by water of the Word.
May the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the fulness therein, find it’s root within you.
In the Book of Colossians it says, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” How is it that we are to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, while being fruitful in every good work?
I believe that the best place to start would be by looking at the meaning behind some of these words. Let’s begin by going into the KJV Bible and look at a few of the original Greek words. We will start by looking at the word walk, and then we will see the meaning of the word worthy. Pay close attention to what is being highlighted. Consider other scriptures that may pop up in your mind while looking at the definitions. Let the Spirit guide you with the understanding that you already have. I will also add to what you may have heard, with possibly the same verses, or even different verses that come to mind.
As we see, the word walk means, “to tread all around, that is, walk at large (especially as proof of ability); figuratively to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or votary): – go, be occupied with.” Now let’s start tying some together, such as, to tread all around and to deport oneself. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” He said this as well, “He that forsaketh not all the he hath, cannot be my disciple.” By deporting ourselves, we are separating from the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life. It also means the same thing as, to tread all around.
For example, squashing a bad habit under your feet and saying good riddance. Another scripture that comes to mind is, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Hmm, ponder that for a minute. The second thing that we will tie together will be to walk, and to follow. As we consider this, let us also consider where the Bible says, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,” and the near countless times when Jesus says to “follow” Him. As we expand on this, we can also look at, as a companion and a votary. The word votary means someone who has taken a vow, such as a monk or a nun.
Here are only a couple additional verses. “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Wow, that’s seems like a lot. Although that is only a few of the many. To be occupied with, as in the above definition simply means the same thing, yet we can go even deeper. Think of it as your “temple.” The second word that we looked at for further understanding was worthy. Worthy means, “appropriately: – as becometh, after a godly sort, worthily.” Consider again, the above provided Scriptures. Consider being a Saint for the Lord and what His requirements are.
Now, many have misunderstood the word fornication within the Bible and only a very small few that I am aware of, are even teaching this. Although the fact of the matter is, the Bible is proof, Jesus’ own words are proof, and the Truth doesn’t lie. Jesus and the Apostles were teaching them to abstain from sex, period. If is required for our sanctification. Sex equals fornication. It is separate and different from adultery. They are two totally separate words. Are you ready for even more proof that only the LORD and His Spirit can reveal? Let’s go back to a verse that I just mentioned and we will break it down, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chamberingandwantonness, not in strife and envying.” What could chambering possibly mean? Why don’t we all take a look together.
Ponder, think, and consider… What is it that we just read? What specifically does it say? Is the Bible true? Does the Lord God lie? Is He the same today, yesterday, and forever? So, based on the verse, should we be abstaining from sex? “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor.” “Abstain from fleshly lusts which was against the soul.” “He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple.” And the list goes on…
The final highlighted word in Colossians, which we haven’t looked at yet, is the word work. It means, “to work; to toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act: – deed, doing, labor, work.” Below is a cropped picture to allow for easier viewing in your browser. You can also search for this online by typing, “Strong’s Concordance Greek 2041.”
What is this labor? What is this toil, as an effort or occupation? What is the act? Number one is to continue to let go of our flesh, as we allow the Spirit to fill us, abstaining from self, and becoming even better. Number two becomes very apparent after we are fully converted and we have His Life to guide us. Let us consider the word act. What is the Book of Acts about? Is it a toil, a labor, and a work, that they all as a body were performing? Were they preaching the Gospel, teaching the Word, showing the Kingdom, leading people in the way, the truth, and the life? Yes they were. We’re they being paid for it? No, they were not. “It is better to give, than receive.”
“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” – Isaiah 30:20-21. Stay blessed. All glory is the Lord’s.
The Bible Unveiled 