Lift Up A Banner is proud to announce the upcoming release of a new featurette, Into The Fire: The Burning Bush – Where The Spirit Speaks. The short film is set to be released soon and I hope that you will be submersed into the Word of God as never before. While many of us consider all of the events and uncertainty in the world, le us jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.
As this may sound confusing, let us consider Daniel 3. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego while operating in great faith, trusted the LORD to deliver them from Nebuchadnezzar because they chose not to bow themselves down to worship other gods or idols. As they were thrown into the exceedingly hot furnace, we read the following, ‘Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
The following is the first three minutes of Into The Fire: The Burning Bush – Where The Spirit Speaks. I pray that as you are watching, listening, and following along, you absorb all the visuals, music, and spoken Word. May you be blessed!
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. – John 9:1-7.
Jesus tells us in Luke chapter 4, reaffirming Isaiah 61, “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,” Would you like to receive your sight? Would you like to know what the Messiah meant from those verses of the Bible? Go, walk in the way, wash, and come seeing.
Simply believe that the Word is speaking directly to you. Understand that what is being said, is exactly what it means. And, Jesus, is saying all of it to you personally. It truly is that simple. You may want to buckle up. Click the link above.
On this day, Skull and Bones day, we will look at Jeremiah 22. If you haven’t noticed by now, the whole world has gone to flying fecal matter. And, it discomforts me to see all of the “Christians” choosing sides. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2.
Jeremiah, just as every Book in the Bible, is loaded with spiritual truth. Chapter 22 is not one to let down either. It tells us about who we are, where we come from, and even what the Bible defines us all has. Simply believe what you are about to see. “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
We will begin with Hebrews 11, “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.” What does is mean to be a stranger and pilgrim on the earth. Well, it means that you aren’t from here. It means that you don’t belong here. It’s that simple. If I leave my place of residence or flee to another country, I am a stranger or pilgrim in that land. If I decide to move to another country looking for something better, the meaning is the same.
The Bible is the only thing in this world that we can count on. It is the only truth. So, if you don’t belong to the earth and you are from another “country,” where exactly are you from? Consider the prodigal son for a moment. Now, let us tie this together with Jeremiah 22. “And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return. Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.”
If your heart is beginning to pound in your chest, consider the following, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Now, click on the link above and read it.
Let us take a moment to consider, if the LORD is the one true God, who are all of the other gods? Are they all of the things that we physically make with our hands? Is it our televisions, computers, and the stuff that many of us “worship?” Or, is it something far more simple, something easier to comprehend? Yet, in a way, it is the hardest thing to believe. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:38, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
What does it mean to draw back from something or someone? Is it a refusal to believe or do what we are seeing or hearing? Could it be being told an idea with truth to back it up, yet, we still refuse to accept it? How about knowing to do something and just not doing it? In my own Christian walk of faith, I have stalled out many times in my own spiritual growth. I have fell over in disbelief, pain, and agony. Yet, I never fled from the truth. In the Book of Zechariah, we are told about the coming calamity that the world is facing in chapter 13. Let us look at a few of these verses. “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” What does it mean to be brought through the fire? Consider the words of Paul once again, “But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”
What is it about fire that can make it somewhat unpleasant? Well, it burns, quite literally. Most of us know of the story of Jacob and how he wrestled with the LORD, the one true God. At the end of it all, he came out with a limp. He is one, who pushed into the fire and didn’t draw back. In this world of around 8 billion people, picture the suffering of those in a third world country. Picture the suffering of those in Ukraine. Consider those in Russia who have no part or interest in what the government is doing. All of these levels of suffering are common to every man. Our gas prices have risen, the cost of most things have significantly increased these last couple of years. Is any of this similar to wrestling with GOD? It appears to me that it is not.
Carry Your Cross, The One True God
The problems that we see in this world leaves us with a choice to make. We can begin to get angry, bitter, or discontent over it all. Or, we can begin to ask questions such as, “None of this is making any sense?” “Why is all of this even happening?” “Why is GOD allowing this to take place?” In order for the LORD to receive us, we need to become as a little child. We need to seek Him, intimately. We need to know Him. And, it comes at a cost. We, as Jacob, will end up coming out even similar. As we push into the truth, many things that we may see or hear may be hard to believe. At those moments our response should not be such as, “no it couldn’t be.” It needs to be similar to, “Father, I trust you, lead me through this.” A little child is humble and they are ready to learn and listen. They typically don’t get angry when being taught or disciplined by their parents.
When being instructed, a child may at times stand there in fear, trembling. Why do you think that the Bible says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom?” At this point in time, seeing all that is happening, I don’t want to be a part of the two thirds that gets cut off and dies, I would rather be a part of the one third that continues to be tried and purified in the furnace of affliction. I will now backtrack to Zachariah:1-3. “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.”
What are the idols and why do they have names? “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. But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.” – Jeremiah 10:8-11.
May the LORD, the only true GOD, bless you and keep you as one tried and purified through the furnace of affliction. “Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.”
There are numbers of Scriptures on Lift Up A Banner that tie the way, the truth, and the life, together in an easy to follow format. Please take a moment to go over each lesson one by one. Return to the first post by going all the way back, to the beginning. Speaking on complete abstinence, there are more teachings on this site than any other. And the Scriptures back up this claim, if you only take the time to seek it out with a prayerful heart. Become as a child. Literally. Look over the homepage’s lessons and go through the Bible study. It starts with the truth as a foundation and afterwards, moves on to the way and the life. Take a look at the ten free Christian eBooks available. Take the time to study every one of the videos. Take a look at the other videos on the YouTube channel that aren’t available on this website. Your faith will grow, your eyes will be opened, and your hearing will be restored.
As much as I want you to believe everything you see and hear, we must each do our part with the Lord and the Spirit. You will see that what I have been saying is correct if you do so. The entirety of the Church is constructed on the words of Jesus Christ. We may not ever find everlasting life if we do not comprehend Jesus’ teachings, even all of them. How can we claim to know Him if we don’t abide in them?
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” – Luke 14:28-30.
So, Arise. Abstain from fleshly lusts. Become crucified with Him. Then, you will see Him raised in Glory.
“Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” “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.” Are you able to receive it, brothers and sisters? The Spirit is speaking to you. “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 does the LORD heal our broken hearts and bind up our wounds? Today will be something simple. All that is required on your part, is belief. We will look at the Original Hebrew meaning of a few of these words, and you will either choose to believe it, or dismiss it. If I open up the Webster dictionary to see the meaning of a word, whatever it says, is what it means. As we look at Psalm 147, I ask that you do the same. Whatever the Bible says is the truth. Whatever Jesus says is light. Will you come to the Light so that your deeds may be reproved? Or, will you continue to dwell in darkness?
“Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.” – Psalms 147:1-6. What is the Hebrew translation for wounds and stars? Remember, we learn of the simplicity that is Christ. Although, what is it? It is pretty simple. Whatever the Bible says, is what it means. The Bible doesn’t lie. The Bible is the only truth in this world. For something to be true, it has to mean what it says. If we become as a little child and let go of our preconceived notions and personal beliefs, the Word of GOD will be opened to us. Are you willing to do so? Are you willing to believe the Living Word? Are you ready to trust in the Light of Life?
OK friends, I am now handing you the Dictionary of Life. Become as a child and believe what you are looking at. The following is Psalm 147:1-5 with the original language and the KJV Bible, using a program called e-sword. It is nothing more than the King James version with the Strong’s Concordance in an easy point and click format. The two words that we will look at are “wounds,” broken down to the root. As well as the word, “stars.”
What did we just gaze upon? What understanding did you just obtain? Why does the Bible tell us that the word wounds means idols? I thought that the LORD God told us not to make any idols? Why does it say to fabricate or fashion something? How come it says, ‘displease, wound, hurt, or worship? Why does Isaiah 53 say this, “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.”
Remember, the Bible is true and in it contains no lie. Why is the translation for stars, princes? Who are the prodigal son’s who took their inheritance to go to a far away land and waste it on riotous living? What if it wasn’t a parable but the truth? What if we left our Father in Heaven, came to the earth, and wasted our eternal life by coming here? Why do we need to be redeemed? If you truly are redeemed, are you not getting something back that you had lost? What did we all do? Why did the LORD God have to come here in the likeness of sinful flesh and pay the penalty for us? How come we are all facing an eternity of eternal torment? Everything that you have been taught is a lie. All that you have been led to believe is false. “Arise O’ sleeper, wake up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life.”
Are you ready for your eyes and ears to be opened? Would you like your spiritual blindness to be cured? Would you like to read the Bible and understand it without others having to teach you? Both Jesus and John taught repentance. That truth applies to us, even today. The Gospel of Repentance is a good place to further your understanding while considering the words that you just gained the understanding of. May you continually be blessed in your spiritual growth in the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Him.
“The Kingdom of GOD is within you…” Your body is the temple of GOD. Visualize that while reading the following from 2 Chronicles 7. Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. “The Kingdom of GOD is within you.”
Remember, my friends, “Your body is the temple of GOD.” And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them. – 2 Chronicles 7.
In the Gospel Of Matthew, we learn of the 40 day fast and temptations of Jesus Christ. Were you aware of the spiritual significance behind these verses and how they apply to us? Let’s begin with Chapter 4:1. “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
We will begin with the foundation, the only One, the Chief Cornerstone. The Messiah came preaching, “He is the way, the truth and the life. And no man comes to the Father but by Him.” The first word that we can gain an understanding of is “life.” While Jesus was being tempted by the devil, He was told to turn the stones into bread. We learn in 1 Peter 2, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” Here, we have gained the understanding that our bodies represent living stones. Let us now apply it, with simplicity, to the first temptation of Christ during His 40 day fast.
We, as a believer in Jesus Christ, aren’t able to gain eternal life without knowing and understanding the Word. It’s not possible to base all of our faith in a single verse. We need every word of the LORD God to live. Otherwise, we fall short in our understanding. One verse can be misinterpreted and, without reading our Bibles and comparing what we see with other teachings, we cannot understand what is being said. We cannot understand the Epistles without knowing what Jesus was telling us. As living stones, being built up, Christ is the cornerstone of our faith. Everything needs to be built off of His Words.
Jesus Tempted In The Wilderness
During His 40 day fast, Christ is once again tempted by Satan. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” We are told in Deuteronomy 6, “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”
What if we have all already done this? Why did Jesus tell us our father here is the devil? Why did he call Peter Satan in Matthew 16:22-24? What if, just by being here, we are worshipping Satan? Have you looked around you or looked at the world today? Nearly everyone is focused on self, other than the LORD God. Also, during the time of His temptation, the Bible says, “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
We will now look at the original in Deuteronomy, “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.”
Jesus tells us He is the way, the truth, and the life. What we just looked at were these biblical principles in reverse. The life comes by knowing and understanding the Word. The truth is who we are, what we are guilty of, repentance, and conversion. To understand the way is to keep the commandments of the LORD God, and to walk in all His ways. What is the way? This is the way, walk in it.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire. – Psalms 104:1-4.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 1, “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
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. – 1 Corinthians 15:51.
Who are the angels that are made Spirits, and the ministers that are made a flaming fire? “Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.” – Isaiah 33:13-17.
What if, we are those angels, wise spirits, His ministers made a flaming fire? He is the Beginning and the End after all. The simplicity…
When Jesus Christ came preaching to the world, He came with something other than what the world teaches us. He told a group of religious zealots, “Ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do… And because I tell you to the truth, ye believe me not.” After Peter tried rebuking the LORD, He stated, “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.”
Man, that sounds pretty scary, being called Satan and that your father is the devil. Although, let’s take a moment and consider something. Why, in fact, did He say it to Peter? Why in the other verse that we looked at did He say, “Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not?” What was it that the Messiah was telling them. Or, specifically, what was He trying to tell us? Paul also teaches in 2 Corinthians, “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.” Wait just a minute. Hold on. What is it that Paul was teaching us? Who is the god of this world? Why did Jesus say what He did?
Jesus Heals The Blind Man
During Christ’s ministry, he was hated. He was mocked. He was beaten. He was crucified. What if today was no different? “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 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.”
Are you a Christian? Do you claim to know the LORD? Why does the Bible say that when we shall see him, that we will not desire what and who He is? Why is He despised and rejected of men? There are over two billion people who profess to be Christians. What if The Bible is 100% true, and our father is the devil? What if, just as he told Peter, we are all quite similar to Satan? If He was our father and we are his offspring, it most certainly makes sense. What if he is the god of this world? What if we are all blind, deaf, dumb, and captives just as the Bible tells us? What if the world is wrong? Would you put all your faith and eternal life on those who are teaching you? Or, will you seek out the answers for yourselves? If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, do you know what any of these mean? Jesus came to free the captives and restore sight to the blind. This applies to each and everyone of us, or it wouldn’t be in the Bible. Wake up my friends. You are sleeping.
The Bible Unveiled 