Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Jesus Rose On The Third Day

And, on the third day, He rose again. In the Bible are many parables and teachings of Jesus Christ. Today, we will look at Luke 17:20-21. “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” This is a clue to spiritually understanding the Bible. In the free eBook, Crucified at Golgotha, we covered one prime example of this teaching, which even Paul taught. We will now build on this and see how on the third day, He rose again. Is it possible that when we awake from our sleep and rise from the dead, Jesus rises within us, even, on the third day? “The kingdom of GOD is within you.”

In Exodus 19, the LORD spoke to Moses and said, “Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.”

It goes on to say, “And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.” Now my friends and brethren, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-55.

Death where is thy sting

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. – Exodus 19:14-15. Take a moment and consider this last verse. What could it possibly mean? What is, “come not at your wives about?” Why is Moses telling the people to abstain from sex? That is what he said. What difference does that make? The Bible also tells us, “Seek ye out of the Book and read, no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate.” That is two times in the Bible where we see abstinence being spoken about. How about others? “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Are there more? “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.” “Abstain from fleshly lusts.” “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” The connections are quite endless when you walk with the LORD. “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”

Why did John the Baptist and Jesus both teach repentance to people who followed the Law? Why were the Prophets, Apostles, and Jesus persecuted and hated by nearly everyone? It is because they were teaching things that are contrary to what the world teaches us. And, it is no different today. One may claim to understand scripture by only knowing a few verses from the Bible. Or, they have been taught by their Pastors, and believe what they have been teaching them. However, the Bible tells us, “Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”

That is the problem with our watered-down version of modern Christianity. No one has any fear of GOD. Believe in any version of Jesus Christ and all will be forgiven. “Well, He died for us, didn’t he? We have been redeemed. We believe the Bible.” Even the devils believe, and they tremble. If we are all facing an eternal torment of fire and brimstone, wouldn’t you think that each one of us individually did something to warrant this kind of everlasting punishment? Why did the LORD God have to come here in the “likeness” of sinful flesh to pay for us in such a manner as He did? Why does the Bible say, “And ye shall know the truth, and the Truth shall set you free?” What truth? What are we being set free from? What is it, that we all did?

Truth in the Bible

Now, back to the Beginning and the LORD rising within us on the third day. The Bible tells us, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” We also learn, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Let us tie it all together. “Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.” “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.” Without understanding and believing the principle of complete Biblical abstinence, there is a very good chance that we haven’t been born again, and that we don’t have the Spirit within us.

For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 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: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 2:2-8. “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” How about 1 Corinthians 7? Go and read the whole chapter. Not just the first verse. The Bible also tells us to love as brethren, and to love “as” brothers. Just as we read.

We just learned together, “Seek ye out of the Book and read, no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate.” The truth bears out the Truth all day long. How about, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge?” Once again, only one verse. How many have we just looked at that say otherwise. Truly, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. However, once you begin looking at the original Greek using the Strong’s Concordance, you see that it talks about the cohabitation of the Spirit and our Marriage to the LORD. “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Glorify God

A sister who I follow on WordPress just posted on the Marriage in Canaan. For sharing these verses, I thank you. Let us read it together, and I will make the connections for you with all of the previous information. “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom.”

First, who was called to the marriage? Or, more specifically, who is called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? Jesus and His disciples. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Before our conversion, we need to be washed, or we need to be baptized. How does this happen? The Bible tells us, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.” It has nothing to do with jumping in a bathtub or a river.

After we have taken hold of Biblical abstinence, and the truth, we begin further letting go of things in this world and self. “Be ready against the third day, come not at your wives.” And on the third day, the Spirit rises within you. Jesus awakes you from the dead. It is the same as Mark 4 when there was a great storm and the waves beat against the boat. Jesus was “asleep on a pillow.” I will get into that in another post. When they wanted the “wine,” His “mother” says to the disciples, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” What did Jesus say to us? “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Through self-denial, abstinence, and daily sacrifice, we become converted.

Choose Ye This Day

After we have received His Spirit, that isn’t the end. We are told this by the Messiah, “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” – Luke 5:37-39. Here, we are presented with another choice. “If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” We are still faced with choices, daily. We have our flesh to subdue with all of its passions and desires. TV, movies, shopping, what we are doing with our time, how we are spending it, as well as, what are we doing for the LORD to further the Gospel and to share the Good News. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the “fatherless” and the “widows.”

These are all Gospel principles that have to do with teaching our brothers and sisters the way, the truth, and the life. These have to do with the acceptable fast and keeping the Sabbath, which we just covered in the past week or so. The more of the old man that we put off, the more of the new man is being put on. We will never be perfect while we are here in our present state. Although, we can strive each day to do better than the last because it is only the servants of the LORD that knew how the water was made wine.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

Get To Know The LORD God

The LORD God wants us to know more about Him. Throughout the Bible, GOD reveals more about His character and plan, as He reveals Himself over and again. As in the Garden of Eden, the One who forms us, molds us into something new. Like Abraham, He calls us to companionship. He rescues His people from Sinai and roars against sin and injustice. To Jonah, He was One who condemned sin but forgave those who repented. He is the Son of Heaven who came to this earth from Bethlehem. And on Calvary, He sacrificed Himself for you and I to live.

To know the LORD is best explained by Paul in Philippians: But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 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 3:7-11.

Reach forth unto the things which are before, my dear friends.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

Bible justice

In The Bible, Justice For All

In a way, the Bible tells us, in the name of justice, we started with a promise. It was only the beginning. Justice is the basis for all things, and without justice, there would be no existence. Hence, justice for all became our love. In spite of the darkness, this love shines brightly. Having come here to bear witness to our love, so that all may love freely, we are here for a just cause. Even though we are not complete apart, together we are whole.

He who loves unconditionally has now entered the world as our True Self and Savior. In fact, He is everywhere. Although He created the world, it does not recognize Him. In addition, while He has come for His own, those who belong to Him do not acknowledge Him. For those who do, He is all. Everyone who answers His call is reborn, regardless of their race, class, or creed.

In a recent post, we covered Who is Jesus to you? The Bible tells us in 1 John 2, “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. 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.”

Do you know the LORD Jesus Christ?

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

biblical fasting

Biblical Fasting – The Acceptable Fast

Within the pages of the Bible, we learn about Biblical fasting and what the acceptable fast is to the LORD. Jesus also teaches us about the two great commandments. We are to love the LORD God with all of our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. According to the Word, these two principles go hand in hand.

In Matthew 12, there is a question from the Messiah: “Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?” The answer is like what the Bible teaches us about fasting. “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Many of us, while reading the Bible, take at face value what others are teaching us without seeking the answers for ourselves. So, what does the Word of GOD actually say about fasting? The answer is in Isaiah 58, and there is no room for debate once you have read it. The LORD is telling us exactly what the acceptable fast is.

It begins as such, “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?” – Isaiah 58:3-5. We are being asked by the LORD, the same things that we are being taught by those around us. Is this what fasting means in the Bible? Is this a Biblical fast?

Praying while fasting

Starting in verse 6 of Isaiah 58, the LORD clarifies what we are supposed to be doing. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” That doesn’t sound like anything I have been taught. How about you? And, if those who are teaching us are wrong about something that we assume is very simple to understand, what else could they all be wrong about? The answer is pretty much everything. Because the LORD finishes with His promise to us, once we begin following these commandments.

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: 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.” – Isaiah 58:8-11. Knowing the Bible is the only truth, reading what we just did, if you aren’t doing these things, is the LORD even hearing us? Is He answering us when we go to Him in prayer? Are we being guided by Him? Then there is a very good possibility that the glory of the LORD will not be our rereward.

What is a rereward? Is it something that we once had and lost? How can it be a re-reward? What about the Parable of the Prodigal Son? Are there similarities that we can extract from this? Why does the LORD God say that He is the Beginning and the End? Are you starting to make the connections? How can we find that which was lost, if we didn’t have it to “begin” with? The bottom line is that Biblical fasting is exactly the same as the two great commandments. If we aren’t loving our neighbor as ourselves, we have absolutely no “claim” to anything.

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19-20.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

rise up and take hold of salvation

Rise, Stand Upon Thy Feet

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. – Acts 26:16-18.

In the world today, filled with violence, despair, regret, and remorse, there is only one place for us to turn, the LORD. Many are glued to the news, waiting to see what will become of the unsettling events regarding Ukraine. It now appears that things can only get worse. Many innocent people on both sides are suffering. For what reason? What is the purpose behind these things? Who is the one behind it all? And, do most even know what they are doing?

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) – Ephesians 2:1-4.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that there is a “god of this world.” Were you aware that someone else has domain here, someone else has control? “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-7.

What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? For two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. – 1 Corinthians 6:16-20. The Bible doesn’t say adultery, my dear friends.

While Jesus was suffering through his last moments before His death, He gave a very profound statement, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” As I look at those around me, the Putin’s, Biden’s, Trump’s, and all of their followers, I can only think of one thing, the same statement as given by Jesus Christ. Until you have the Spirit of GOD within you, you are walking to the tune of this world. Regardless of what you would like to believe. Now would be a good time to seek those things above, while forgetting those things which are behind. Don’t look back. Rise, Stand Upon Thy Feet…

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

I am no longer a slave

I Am No Longer A Slave

Did you know that the Bible calls up captives and slaves? A part of the Messiah’s mission included freeing the captives, according to Isaiah 61:1. Jesus read from this Book in Luke chapter 4:18-19. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” During His ministry, did He free them from the Romans? How can we all be captives? What makes us all blind? Why do we need to be set at liberty in the first place? These definitions imply we aren’t supposed to be here. These definitions are pointing out that this world is a prison. Are we captives? I am no longer a slave.

Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. – Haggai 2:3-9.

What was this first house? Why does the LORD God say that He is the Beginning and the End? Why does it ask, “how do we see it now?” What is the Biblical meaning of a house or a temple? What are our bodies? When the Heavens and the earth shake, what will become of all of us? These are all questions that we need to find the answers to. The good thing is that the Bible provides the answers to life’s most difficult questions. We just need to know how and where to begin. It all begins in the Beginning. Are we slaves? Are we captives? I am no longer a slave.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

christ in you

Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory

The hope of Glory is Christ in you. In Colossians, Paul tells us about the mystery that has been hid from the beginning which is revealed to his saints. Do you know what this mystery is? Everyone in Christianity, and possibly the world, knows who Jesus Christ is. Although, what is this great mystery? I could probably go to anyone and ask them what Christians believe. Do you know anyone who can clarify what Paul is speaking about? Why? What does Colossians say about who this is revealed to? “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written that He takes the wise in their own craftiness.” – 1 Cor 3:19. The fact remains that we probably don’t have a clue what we’re talking about unless we have His Spirit.

How do we receive His Spirit? Is it by baptism? Is it by the baptism that the world teaches, by water? Why does the Bible tell us, “That He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word?” Do your pastors or teachers even know that verse? Do you know what sanctification means? Why does Paul say, “This is the will of GOD, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication?” Why doesn’t it say adultery? Why does it say that? There is only one reason, because it is true. We are to abstain from earthly lusts and this includes sex with our spouse. How many people are teaching this Gospel principle? How many people can tell you what the mystery is? How can you have Christ in you, the hope of glory, if you aren’t doing as He did, and walking as He walked?

“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.” – 1 John 2:4-6.

According to the Bible, Jesus taught us the truth about this world. We can understand certain principles that many do not understand about the Gospel. When reading the Word, it’s easy to miss out on all the ways Jesus showed His love and commitment to His disciples and to God. But what did Jesus teach His disciples? What did they learn in which they taught others? He taught them about prayer, worshiping GOD, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, having faith, and showing them by example how they all should live. He told them that unless they did these things, they could not enter into Heaven.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus encouraged His disciples to trust God and rely on Him for help. In Matthew 14:22-32, Mark 6:45-52, and John 6:16-21, He taught them they didn’t need to worry about daily necessities because God would take care of them. Jesus stated to His disciples and His followers about denying themselves, and both Peter and Paul referenced this teaching. Without intentionally denying ourselves our desires, we aren’t able to put others first or focus on what really matters.

One of Jesus’s last teaching moments with his disciples is a lesson in self-denial. After washing his apostles’ feet, he led them to a garden on their last night together. During prayer, he went away from them and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will but as you will’ (Matthew 26:39). Denying oneself to honor God isn’t something that we like to talk about today, but for Christ and for us, it should be. Follow him in denying ourselves so that we can honor our Creator when all else fails.

It is through Christ’s own death that He defeated sin, conquered death, and liberated us from evil. But to fully experience all that God has for us, we must die in Christ just as He died for us—we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. When we do so, He promises to bring good out of every situation (Romans 8:28). Are you ready to give up your desires so that Christ May Be In You, The Hope Of Glory? Then take a moment today to reflect on your priorities and ask God to show you areas where you need to be more like Him. Now is a good time to be focused on understanding how much God loves us—and for repentance!

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

your father the devil

Your Father The Devil – What Was Jesus Telling Us?

Imagine the world as if nothing was as it seems. Imagine what would take place if Jesus Christ’s teachings were literally true. Our Lord explained to us that His primary mission was to free the captives, restore sight to the blind, show us the way, and also to raise the dead. What would happen if all these things were true? If we were all blind, what would happen? If we were all in prison, what would be the result? If we were all conceived dead, what would become of us? Consider what could happen if these things were true. Could Jesus have been right? Could they be false? Has the Lord ever lied? Did He reveal to us we are descended from Satan? “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.” Could these things be true? Can we ignore them? How are we unable to get it as a culture?


Picture a scenario where somebody was telling us precisely what our identity was. Whenever we read through the Bible, we need to ask ourselves many questions and attempt to find the answers. The Messiah showed to us we had to be like kids. That’s what I’m asking you all to do. Jesus instructs us in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods?” He was referring to Psalm eighty-two. Let’s look at it. “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, all of you are children of the Most High. But, you are going to die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” Friends, that is what the Bible says. The LORD God doesn’t lie. The Bible is true.

Where did they all fall from? Why will they now die like men? Who are they? Why does the Bible tell us, “arise o’ sleeper wake up from the dead?” Didn’t we just read that it was Jesus’ mission to restore sight to the blind? Is the Bible true? Then, all these things are true. “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.” Do you believe the Word of GOD? Do you believe in the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ? Or do you put your faith and trust in the teachings of man? In the previous post, we covered a couple of verses from Jeremiah 10. It all ties together. “But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.”

In the free eBook, Jesus, Abstinence, & the Bible, we can see what the Messiah was teaching us. As well as the importance of complete biblical abstinence. I pray you take the time to read it. We, as the Body of Christ, have been called to be Holy. We have been called to be even better.

If your hope is to know why this is true and why we are supposed to be abstaining from sex and other earthly lusts, consider the following from Peter, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Please read all of our free Christian eBooks for download. I have placed them in proper order for better understanding, as one builds upon the other. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of GOD. Jesus said that our father here was the devil. He said that He was telling us the truth. Jesus Christ is the only Truth. Why do you think that we all need to be born again?

“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. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” – Romans 7:4-6.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

blue and purple

Blue And Purple Is Their Clothing – The Work Of Cunning Men

Let us consider this verse from Jeremiah 10: “But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.” Who is it that is covered in blue and purple? How are they all a doctrine of vanities? What makes them brutish and foolish? Who are the founders? What are they all covered with? Consider the heading of this post and read it again. Now, when I read these verses, the only thing that comes to my mind is our bodies. Do you know of anything else that could be covered in? Why are we told this in 2 Peter 2, “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.”

What is it they won’t understand? Who are they? Why are they called beasts? Why did Paul say, “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.” When you read the Word of GOD, do you ask yourself questions in prayer? Do you read more than a verse here and there? “Blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.” The Bible tells us the stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. That statement alone holds more weight in understanding than obtaining many riches in life. What do you think that verse means? What if we were to compare it to Jeremiah 10? The Bible just told us that another or others found the world than the LORD God. Maybe that is why it tells us, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4.

“And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!” – John 19:2-5. Behold… Humanity. Blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. Jesus tells us in Luke 5, “No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.”

What is the reasoning for being born again if we are created in the image of the LORD God? He knows everything. He is perfect in all His ways. Why would He place His perfect creation in a world fallen in decay and ruin? Why would we all need to be redeemed? What are we being redeemed from? What did we all do in the first place? Blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.

“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.” – Daniel 10:12-15.

But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner

My Sister In Christ – Spiritual Inspiration

A Guest post of Spiritual Inspiration from my sister in Christ, while walking, even as Jesus walked. Inspiration given in September 2021.

Announce in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem and say Sound the Trumpet throughout the Land. Raise the SIGNAL to FLEE to ZION without delay! For Jesus Christ is bringing great disaster from the North, even terrible destruction. A Lion has come out of his lair, a Destroyer of Nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will be in rum without inhabitants. So put on sackcloth and ashes for the Fierce Anger Of The Lord. Tell this to the nations, Proclaim concerning Jerusalem. A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a War Cry against the cities of Judah! Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in PAIN! Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me. I cannot keep SILENT! For, I have heard the Sound Of The Trumpet. Isaiah 18!

Everyone will SEE it. Everyone will HEAR IT! The Bride Rises From the Wilderness, Song Of Solomon, Chapter 8. I have heard the BATTLE CRY. Disaster follows disaster! Jesus the Christ says, My people are fools. They do not know me. They are all senseless children. They are skilled at doing evil. They know not how to do good. Now, Jesus the Christ will pronounce His Judgements against them! A Cry! a Cry, as from a Woman in Labor, A Groan as From ONE bearing Her First Child. Groan and Lament for the News that is coming. Every heart will melt with Fear! Repent everyone! Jesus Christ, the Son Of God is Coming! He’s going to Burn the Earth with Fire. Isaiah 24. We are running out of time. Stand upon Mount Zion in the Spirit! The Ransomed Of The Lord Will Return! The Cup is Full! The Vessels are prepared! The Redeemed will Drink the Cup Of Salvation while the Wicked will Drink His WRATH! JEREMIAH 4!

Spiritual Inspiration Received September 2021 – My Sister In Christ

“Life is an arduous journey with many difficulties. Yet, the LORD God in His infinite wisdom gave us all a Way to return to Him. I pray we all find that which we seek the most: eternal life. This website, Lift Up A Banner is here for the exact purpose as witnessed in this guest post. As she had received this Spiritual Inspiration in September 2021, her decision was to make it a public proclamation to the world.” – Jonathan Heller. “Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.” – Isaiah 13:2-5.