For consistency, all verses are quoted from the Authorized King James Bible. We will continue to make every effort to aid all who are searching for the truth of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
You may find the Greek Dictionary helpful in your studies, see left hand column.
My E-mail address is: philliplaspino@outlook.com
Novel by Phillip LaSpino 10-22-27 IS AVAILABLE ON eBook at the following online retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and others) 10-22-27 may also be purchased at barnesandnoble.com — Bookshop.org — Hoopla — Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com — Epub Book- Kobo.com. Read the book if you want to know what the Lord has prepared for the world.
Posted 4/15/25
Where will Jehovah be when he returns?
We will find the answer in Zechariah 14:3-4-5, “Then shall the LORD (Jehovah) go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the mist thereof toward the east and towards the west, and there shall be a very great valley; — and you (the Jews) shall flee to the valley of the mountains; —- and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”
For the prophecy to be fulfilled, Jerusalem and Israel would have to exist. Also, the Jews would have to be back in their land. This happened on May 14, 1948. The Romans, in 135 A.D., renamed Israel Palestine. The name Palestine stood for 1813 years until May 14, 1948.
Jehovah fought for Israel against the Egyptians at the Red Sea Exodus 14-15. The LORD divided the Red Sea so the Jews could escape the armies of the Pharaoh. When he returns, Zechariah tells us that Jehovah will divide the Mount of Olives so the Jews will have a way to escape the approaching antichrist and his armies.
Now let’s compare the above with,
Acts 1:9, “And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they (the apostles) beheld, he (Jesus) was taken up: and a cloud received him out of their sight.”
Verse 11, suddenly two men appear and tell the apostles, “Why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.”
Hold on one minute: Zechariah said Jehovah is coming back, and his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. Then, 500 years later, Luke tells us it’s Jesus who shall return to the same place and in the same manner he left. And that it was Jesus, then called Jehovah, who divided the Red Sea, and in the same manner, it will be Jesus who divides the Mount of Olives, giving the Jews a way to escape.
Jesus’s ascension in Acts 1 shall be the place of His return; He will come from the east (Matthew 24:27.) He made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives on the east (Matthew 21). This was the place of his agony: so, it shall be the scene of his glory.
Ezekiel 11:32, “And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city (Jerusalem). And stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.”
Ezekiel 43:2, “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.”
Posted 4/14/25
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, “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.”
The phrase, “Lord of Glory” is a Hebraism for Glorious Lord, a title applied to the Jehovah in the Old Testament, then revealed in the New.
Isaiah 33:21, “The glorious LORD (Jehovah) will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams;”
Psalms 24:8-10, “Who is the King of glory? The LORD (Jehovah) strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”
Verse 10, “Who is this King of glory?
This is what Paul meant when he wrote, “We speak of the wisdom of God in a mystery.” Jesus was that mystery, the glorious LORD, the LORD of glory.”
Manoah, the father of Samson, asked the angel of the LORD, Judges 13:17, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Why ask you thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” An Old Testament secret, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, the “Lord of glory.”
Acts 7:2, “The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham,”
He who was crucified as to his manhood, is the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Posted 4/14/25
Can the Jehovah’s Witnesses ever win a disagreement concerning Jesus being Jehovah, or the Holy Spirit being the third person in the Godhead, or that man is composed of a body, soul and spirit, or there is a hell, or the doctrine of the Trinity without claiming that the translators of the K.J.B., N.I.V. Douay, Bishop’s Bible, Reformation Bible, Tindal, Wycliff Bibles and 100 others are all wrong in their Translations?
And that the 48 Translators of the King James, and the other 10 or so theologians that helped, and that commentators and translators like Matthew Henry, Adam Clark, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, Erasmus, Walvoord, Zuck, Dr. Sproul, Wycliff, Les Feldick, Calvin, MaCarther, Bede and I can name a thousand others were all wrong in translating the Hebrew and Greek Text? And that they all misunderstood what they were translating.
That is what the Jehovah’s Witnesses stand on; nobody has gotten it right except us. Is that possible?
The term brainwashing was first coined in the late ’50s during the Korean War. It was used to explain how totalitarian regimes were able to completely indoctrinate American soldiers through a process of propaganda.
It was right after that that the Jehovah’s Witnesses decided to go from the teachings of the King James Bible to a new Bible called the New World Translation, and that twenty or so unknown and unnamed Translators who claim to fear and love the Divine Author transmitted Jehovah’s thoughts and declarations as accurately as possible. And that these unknown translators have straightened out 2000 years of false teaching. Is this possible? Since the 1950s, and since the 1961 edition, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have had three more copyrights on a Bible they claimed to “Transmit his (Jehovah’s) thoughts and declarations as accurately as possible.” That is, until 1971, when they came out with a new copyright.
Brainwashing is the theory that a person’s core beliefs, ideas, affiliations, and values can be replaced, so much so that they cannot think critically or independently.
So, here’s the question: For the past 2000-years, has the Christian community been misled by the commentors and translators of the K.J.B., Bishop’s Bible, N.I.V., and all the other Bibles mentioned above? And that from the early 1950s when the N.W.T. came out, the Witnesses have finally straightened everyone and everything out? Is this possible?
Posted 4/9/25
John 5:17-18, “Jesus answered them (the Jews), my Father worketh hitherto, and I work. And therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.”
In order to understand the impact Jesus’ words had on the Jewish mind, we have to take ourselves back 2000 years. The Jews understood from Jesus’ words, and in their understanding that whatever was the Father’s work, the Son’s work was the same; showing and proving that He and the Father are one. Not only had Jesus broken the sabbath, but He had also made Himself equal to God. And for both crimes, according to the Jewish law, he must be put to death.
John 19:7, “The Jews answered him (Jesus), we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”
The chief priests of the temple charged Jesus with blasphemy, voting that he deserved to die. Matthew 26:65-66, “The high priest (tore) his clothes, saying, he (Jesus) has spoken blasphemy; which further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy. What think you? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.”
As far as the Jews were concerned, and according to the law, Jesus’ words were a capital offence, for saying that whatever things the Father does the Son likewise does. Jesus did his work in the same manner, with the same authority, the same energy and efficacy as the Father. And for this, he was loved by the Father and hated of men.
Posted 4/2/25
The LORD gives a stern warning to the Jews:
Leviticus 19:28, “You (the Jews) shall not make any cuttings in you flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”
Was this a request or a command from God? We may never fully understand the reason for this command, but we, as Christians, should take the warning seriously.
To mark is something graven, sculptured, as an image, and idol, stamped or signed. This is done on the flesh by tattooing, cutting, or branding.
The first time we read about a literal mark on a man’s skin is found in Genesis 4:15, “And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”
In Revelation, we find two opposing forces marking their servants.
In Revelation 7:2, “Another angel — having the seal of the living God cried out, — hurt not the sea, or trees — till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
How is it done? We don’t know; it may be by the finger of the angel God sends, but whatever method is used to seal his servants, there will be no mistaking its meaning or who ordered it.
In Revelation 13:16, we read, “And he (the second beast) causes all, both small and great — to receive a “MARK” in their right hand, or in their foreheads.”
There are over 28,000 Tattoo shops in America and 50,000 Tattoo artists. A good Tattoo artist will charge up to $1000,00 per hour. Over 65% of the gay community have Tattoos. 900 million dollars is spent yearly on Tattoo equipment, and this is expected to grow at 10% annually.
For most of those who get Tattooed, God’s word has no bearing on their decision to do so. Tattoos can range from one letter, to a single number, one butterfly to full body Tattooing. There are prison and gang member Tattoos, some as a token of recognition, others for crimes committed, others for gang punishment.
Adolph Hitler had his Storm Troopers tattooed with a black ink SS tattoo located on the underside of their left arm near the armpit. Those sent to the death camps or slave factories received a series of numbers tattooed on their lower arm.
There are Tattoo artists who are involved in the world of the occult, those imbued with power and in union with the demonic spirit world.
When pictures are added to certain symbols, particularly satanic symbols, or those used for magic or alchemy or more complex masonic symbols, can the act of drawing these symbols invoke spiritual entities? Does the Bible answer the question?
Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
God’s word is full of warnings concerning the rulers of the darkness. We must ask ourselves, will disobedience to the LORD’s command open the door to the powers of darkness?
Posted 3/30/25
Four hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament wrote concerning the Jews, “You have profaned (my name) in that you say, the table of the LORD is polluted;” “I even I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.”
“You have departed out of the way, you have caused many to stumble at the law, you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
“But unto you who fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.” This was the condition of the Jews when Jesus came to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Judas had already betrayed Jesus, and Jesus also knew beforehand that his disciples would forsake him.
In John 17:3, Jesus prayed these words to his Father, “And this is life eternal, that they (his disciples) might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Eternal life is the great end that is set before us. Eternal life lies only in the knowledge of the Father and Jesus Christ. The Son of God was to die for us so that we could be brought before the throne of his Father.
Jesus did not pray nonchalantly to his Father, but with great love. And this is how we are to begin our prayer, “Our Father!”
John 17:1-3, The time had come for the Father to glorify his Son, to return to him the glory he had set aside to become a child born and a Son given. What was it Jesus was to be given? It is “Power over all flesh,”
Matthew 11:27, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”
In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Jesus could now give eternal life to as many as the Father gave him.
When Jesus said, in verse 3, “And this is life eternal, that they (the Jews) might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
When he spoke these words, “The only true God,” Jesus was contrasting his Father with
- Polytheism: The belief there is more than one God.
- Philosophic naturalism is theidea that only natural laws and forces as opposed to supernatural ones, operate in the universe.
- Mystic pantheism, the doctrine that the universe conceived of as a whole is God and, conversely, that there is no God but the combined substance, forces, and laws that are manifested in the existing universe.
When Jesus said, “And Jesus Christ whom you have sent,” this is the only place where he gives himself this compound name. He uses the term “Jesus Christ” in the strictest of senses.
“Jesus,” because he saves his people from their sins; and “Christ” as anointed with the fulness of the Holy Ghost for the exercise of his saving offices, Matthew 1:16, “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
“Who you have sent.” Sent in the abundance of Divine Authority and Power to save.
With his words, the Lord positioned himself side by side with his Father, proving by implication his Divine nature. If Jesus were a mere creature, as many claim, eternal life with him would be impossible.
Posted 3/22/25
End-time prophesy concerning the catching away of the church followed by seven years of tribulation has always been in Scripture, but before the 18th century, these subjects were rarely the main topic in Christian churches. Why, because it wasn’t the time; people did not understand. Lack of understanding is not a new thing, it happened to both Daniel, and John.
Daniel 12:8, “And I heard, (from the Holy Spirit) but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” Daniel had heard these prophesies and wrote them, but did not understand the things he wrote. Why, because the history of the Greeks; Romans; the Christian Church, and the return of the Jews to their homeland were hundreds of years in the future. Daniel asked, “Lord what does all this mean?” The Lord replied, “Daniel, close the book, it’s not for you to know.”
Again, in Daniel 12:9 we read, “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” But now, today, many theologians think we have reached that “time of the end.”
From 400 A.D. until about the middle 1800’s there was little understanding in Christendom concerning end-time prophecy. The subject was rarely considered or discussed, so few understood the connection between the Rapture, Tribulation, and the Lord’s second coming. What confused those who studied prophesy was, until May 14, 1948, Israel did not exist as a nation, and because the Jews had been scattered to the four corners of the earth for over 1900 years, the false teaching of spiritual Israel grew. Israel is now 77 years old, 80 being one generation. Matthew wrote, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
So, for 1400 years, few Christians because of their faith in God’s promises were able to understand these Old Testament prophesies. And to those with little faith, they understood none of these things.
In the middle 1800’s, the term “Rapture” or catching away of the church first became popular in the United States through the teachings on premillennialism and dispensationalism by John Nelson Darby, an Irish evangelist. The understanding of the rapture continued to grow largely due to another preacher named William Eugene Blackstone (1841-1935). It was then Christians began to fully understand end-time prophesy, and the doctrine of the Rapture of the church.
Posted 3/13/25
In what way is Jesus the Father’s Son? Did the Father have some sort of spiritual sex with an angel? If you believe that, you’re a Mormon.
What is the Father’s spiritual makeup? Is it some form of spiritual DNA? or is it something so wonderful, no man can explain it.
Hebrews 1:3:
Jesus is said to be “The brightness of the Father’s glory.” What is the Father’s glory composed of? It’s the glowing splendor, a light from within radiating out. Jesus is said to be the Light of the World. Paul saw this splendor and fell to the earth trembling. In a moment, what Paul saw and heard, turned a murder of men into an apostle of God. I don’t know exactly what Paul saw, but it scared the pants off of him.
Jesus is said to be the express image of the Father’s person; the expressed image of the Father is to be the counterpart of the Father’s essence or being. Jesus is of the same character or impression of the Father’s substance, a substance that is essential to both the Father as God, and the Son as God. All the likeness of the Original (the Father) became manifest in his Son Jesus; therefore, Jesus is a perfect simile of the Father.
This comparison is a metaphor taken from sealing; a die or seal leaves its full impression, its every part, on the wax to which the die or seal was applied. It’s an inherent splendor.
Although the Son of God proceeded from the Father, and is of the same essence, yet he is a distinct Person from the Father. The splendor of the sun, though of the same essence, is distinct from the sun itself, though each is essential to the other.
And Jesus is said to “Uphold all things by the word of his power.” An astonishing description of the infinitely energetic and all-pervading power of God. Jesus spoke and all things came into being. He speaks and all things are sustained. The Hebrews to whom this was written, would fully understand that the apostle believed Jesus Christ is truly God.
To deny these things is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, for it is the Holy Spirit that reveals these things to us.
Posted 3/6/25
What is progressive revelation? Those who truly grasp Jehovah’s plan of salvation, will understand that the various aspects of his will and his overall plan for us are revealed in portions, and over time. Let’s call it, “God’s order of things, or his timeline for things.”
Certain truths contained throughout the Bible were revealed slowly from year to year, or from generation to generation. With that said, let’s examine the following verses. No opinions, speculation, or adding to, or diminishing of the truth.
Isaiah was written between 740 and 699 B.C. The LORD is speaking to the people of Israel
Isaiah 45:23, “I (Jehovah) have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Seven hundred years later, between 56 and 58 A.D., the book of Romans was written.
Romans 14:11, “For it is written, as I live, said the LORD (kurios = God), every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Sequel follows in Philippians.
Philippians was written in 60 A.D. Philippians 2:11, “That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (kurios, = God)”
Two years later, in 60 A.D., Philippians was written. These verses need to be closely examined so they can be fully understood. The book of Philippians was written in 60 A.D.
Philippians 2:10, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things (those) in heaven, and things (those) in earth, and things (those) under the earth;”
Far beyond man, the angels of heaven, the devil, and fallen angelic host below the earth. Jesus is the Redeemer of the World, the only Savior, and for all time our Savior. Christ’s qualifications are extraordinary, his redeeming acts so stupendous, and the results glorious to the Father, the angels, and man, therefore impossible to conceive a higher name or title than that of Jesus, the Savior of the World.
The book of Ephesians was written between 60-61 A.D. Ephesians 1:20-21, makes the statement in Philippians more emphatic: The man Christ Jesus, is exalted to the right hand of his Father. He is “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:”
How important was bowing down to Jehovah alone?
When a Jew would bend their knees, it was to worship Jehovah only. We see this in the following.
In the book of Esther, the Jews called Mordecai, a man under law, refused to bow to Haman. Mordecai’s worship was meant for Jehovah alone. But rather than punish Mordecai, Haman sought something far more perfect, a total genocide, the entire destruction of all Jews throughout the Persian Empire. What was at first personal between the two became a decree of destruction. With the King Xerxes’s (Ahasuerus’s) approval, Haman set a date for annihilation, sealing the fate of the Jewish people with the casting of lots (in Hebrew, purim). Lots remains a Jewish Holy day celebrated to this day.
So the old Jew Mordecai was willing to sacrifice millions of his people, because he would not bend his knee to a man.
Why Did Mordecai Refuse to Bow?
Bowing was a gesture of respect throughout the ancient courts, but what Haman demanded crossed the line into idolatry, making Mordecai’s resistance a necessity.
Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman was rooted in Jewish law which forbids idolatry. The Torah forbids bowing to anything or anyone in a manner that suggests worship.
Exodus 20:5, “You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God …”
Haman was making himself an object of worship, demanding divine worship. Bowing to Haman wasn’t mere etiquette for Mordecai, it was idol worship, something no Jew would do.
For a second example of Jews keeping the law, and not bowing to men or images, let’s take a look at Daniel’s three friends. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon built an image of gold, and without exceptions, everyone within hearing range of the music was to bow down and worship the king’s image. But three Jewish boys, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego refused. Nebuchadnezzar burned with rage and commanded that the three be thrown into a fiery furnace. We know the rest of the story. The King looked into the fire and saw four men walking in the fire, then said, “We cast three men bound into the midst of the Fire? I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and have not been hurt: the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
In Daniel 6, King Darius set up three presidents (overseers) of which Daniel was first, and that the princes of each province would give account to them. Because they were jealous of Daniel’s position, the Persians “consulted together to establish a royal statute that, whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, except for the King, he shall be cast into the den of lions.”
In Daniel 6:10, Daniel bowed his knees three times that day, and prayed, and gave thanks before God, as he had been doing.” When the King was told, because of his decree, he had to have Daniel cast into the den of lions.
In all three of the above cases, Jews who love the LORD and kept his commandments were willing to give up their lives and the lives of their own countrymen to worship Jehovah only.
Posted 2/28/25
Christ the Lord
The angel came to Joseph and Mary and said, Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
So John 1:1, “The Word was made flesh.”
When? “This day.”
Where? In Jerusalem, the “city of David.”
The time had come for prophecy to be fulfilled, and with faith, the Jews were to look for their Messiah. He was born a “Savior” not one who shall be a Savior, but born a Savior.
“Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 is the only place where these words come together; And there can be no other way to understand that “Lord” here corresponds to the Hebrew “Jehovah.”
The Septuagint generally translates “Yehovah” by the Greek word “Kurios.” The Hebrew word from “hayah,” he was, properly points out the eternity and self-existence of the Supreme being: “Kurios” is a proper translation or Yehovah, and comes from “I am, I exist.”
To understand and believe that Jehovah is not only Almighty, that he is not only all-sufficient, but he is God with us.
1 Timothy 3:16, “God was manifest in the flesh.”
Jesus Lordship must be understood strictly in a spiritual sense. He never set up a secular government upon the earth, neither commanded any to be established in his name: and there certainly is no spiritual government but that of Jehovah.
Jesus Christ, Jehovah in the flesh came to dwell with men in this lowly place and the commonest environment, the city called Bethlehem.
1/14/25
The Davidic Covenant
The following is further evidence that the LORD is not finished with Israel, their land, their house, and their throne.
The Covenant Jehovah made with David forms the basis for the future earthly Kingdom of the Messiah. The covenant was given to Nathan the Prophet in Jerusalem to give to David. The Covenant provides a King for the Kingdom. Four things were promised to David: Land, a Son, a House, and a Throne.
The Covenant looks forward to a future time when the Jews would be “planted” permanently and securely in the land of Israel, never again to be driven out. The Covenant was to be fulfilled through King Solomon, David’s son. Jehovah promised to preserve Solomon’s throne (representing royal authority) forever, but not Solomon’s seed.
Concerning Solomon’s seed, Mary, Jesus’ mother was not of Solomon’s lineage, she descended from Nathan, son of David. So, the Messianic bloodline bypassed Solomon.
Regarding Solomon’s throne, Joseph, Mary’s husband, but not Jesus’ biological father descended from Solomon. It was through Joseph that the royal authority of the throne legally passed to the Lord Jesus. The glitch in King Solomon’s bloodline is found in Jeremiah. He wrote that no descendant of the genealogical line of David, Solomon, and Jeconiah also called Jehoiakin would ever sit on David’s throne.
Jeremiah 22:24-30 tells the story. Verse 24, the LORD said to King Jehoiakim, “I will pluck thee thence; and give thee into the hand of them that seek your life Verse 26, “I will cast you out.”
So Jeconiah’s lineage was now forbidden, therefore no physical descendant of Joseph could be the Messiah. But Nathan’s lineage was not cursed. So, the virgin birth was required not only to assure the sinless nature of the Lord Jesus but also to fulfill the terms of the Covenant.
Jesus’ legal right to the throne came through Joseph. Jesus’ blood right came through Mary. So, Jesus now had the authority to rule the kingdom.
Luke 1:31-32, “Behold, you (Mary) shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.”
The LORD’s promise to David: Psalm 132:11, “The LORD has sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; of the fruit of your body will I set upon thy throne.” Not because of David’s merits, but because of God’s faithfulness is the Covenant fulfilled.
Psalms 89:34, the LORD said, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure, and his throne as the sun before me.”
1/8/25
The book of Hebrews was written before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. When Hebrews was written, only the Jews were acquainted with the Mosaic law, their traditions, and the oral law.
The Book of Hebrews was written to the Jews, had it been written to the Gentiles, not one in ten thousand could have comprehended it because of their unfamiliarity with the Jewish system.
Jesus of Nazareth is the True God: To convince the Jews, of the truth of this proposition, the writer of the book uses three arguments:
1. Christ is superior to the angels.
2. He is superior to Moses.
3. He is superior to Aaron.
Isaiah 52:13, “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled (lifted up), and be very high.”
Christ: King of the Jews, elevated above Abraham, Moses; and the angels, all fulfilled in the Jewish Messiah. And because Christ was greater than these, he must be greater than every created being. If understood in this light, according to Jewish phraseology, Jesus is an uncreated Being, infinitely greater than all others, whether earthly or heavenly. For as the Jews allowed the greatest eminence to angels (next to the Father) the writer concludes, “That he who is greater than the angels is truly God:
Hebrews 1:6, “And let all the angels of God worship him.” This would include Lucifer, also called the devil, or Satan.
This is the point of the writer of Hebrews, be it Paul or Luke. His epistles were clear, and his proof lies in the following.
Jesus has a more excellent name than angels, including Michael and Gabriel. Hebrews 1:4, “He has by inheritance (from his Father) obtained a more excellent name than they.”
Jesus is adored by the angels Hebrews 1:6, because he created them, verse 7, “Who made his angels spirits,”
In his human nature, he was endowed with greater gifts than they. Hebrews 1:8-9.
Because Jesus is eternal: Verses 10-11: He laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of his hands: They shall perish; but he will remain.
Jesus is more highly exalted, Hebrews 1:13, the Father said to him, “Sit at my right hand,”
Angels are the servants of God, but Jesus is the Son of God. Verse 14.
The Jews were warned not to neglect Christ. Hebrews 2:1, “Give heed to the things which we (the apostles) have heard,”
A negative argument is given by Divine Revelations.
Jesus is a man, less than the angels. Hebrew 2:6. Therefore, he cannot be superior to them.
How to answer this argument: Jesus, as a mortal, by his death and resurrection, overcame all his enemies, and subdued all things to himself; therefore, he must be greater than the angels, Hebrews 2:9, “Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor: that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
Though Jesus died as a man, and was in respect, inferior to the angels; it was necessary to take on to himself the form of a man and be of the same nature as those he was to redeem; a thing he did without prejudice to his Divinity, read Hebrews 2:10-18.
He is the author and finisher of our faith and of our salvation
1/7/25
Matthew 16:16-17-18-19, Jesus “Said to them (the disciples) But whom say you that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto you that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The Roman Catholic Church fathers were all Gentiles. Peter was a Jew, but Catholics claim Peter as their first Pope, claiming Peter is the rock Jesus spoke of in Matthew 16. But the Catholics’ fundamental teachings are based on Paul’s gospel, the apostle to the Gentiles, not Peter’s Gospel.
Question: Is the rock referring to Jesus, Peter, or something else? Peter as a metaphor means a rock or stone. Jesus is also called a “Rock,” upper case.
1 Corinthians 10:4, “For they (Jews) drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” Exodus 17:5-7. But the Greek word for rock used in Matthew 16 is not the same Greek for “Rock” found in 1 Corinthians 10:4. So, if Jesus is not the rock and Peter is not the rock, then what?
Jesus asked a question to His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter, inspired by the Father said, you are “The Son of the living God.”
Let’s compare what Jesus said before he spoke to Peter in Matthew 16. Matthew 10:32, Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me (Jesus) before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”
Ephesians 2:20-21, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “You are build upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (all Jews), Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly (being joined) framed together growth unto a holy temple in the Lord.” So, the cornerstone is Jesus, and the foundation of the church is the apostles, and prophets, not Peter only.
The coming Church was to be built on the confession that “Jesus is the Son of the Living God,” That is the confession of faith, “the rock” Jesus spoke of. More evidence!
Mark begins his gospel with, “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” That was Mark’s confession of faith!
Matthew 27:54, The centurion said at the cross, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35, The angel calls Jesus “the Son of God.”
John said, 1:34, “I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” These were all confessions of faith! So, the confession of faith that Jesus is “The Son of the Living God” is the rock on which Jesus was to build His Church.
Posted 1/2232/25
This will be a verse-by-verse comparison of the N.W.T., and the King James Bible. I am not going to give an opinion. You can compare and decide yourself which Bible verse is true to the word. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim their New World Translation is superior to the King James Bible. So, let’s put their words to the test.
N.W.T. = New World Translation
K.J.B. = King James Bible
I will be using an 1824 and 2015 King James Bibles. As for the N.W.T., I have the 1971, 1984, and 2013 editions. Their first copyright came out in 1961. Before 1961 they used a K.J.B. Okay, let’s get started.
We should all agree on this. The original language of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and a few verses were written in Chaldean. The New Testament was originally penned in Greek.
The foundation source for the K.J.B. is the Textus Receptus or Received Text. The translation of the text of all ancient known Papyrus Fragments, Uncials, Cursives, and Lectionaries, collectively are known as the “Receptus Textus” and the “Masoretic text.” Their number, 5,500 copies, plus 86,000 quotations or allusions to the Scriptures by early Church Fathers.
There are another 45 document sources for the N.W.T., although they list 94. The two main sources are the “B” Vatican manuscripts 1209, and the A. or, “Aleph Sinaiticus.”
Let’s begin with Philippians 2:8-9-10-11.
Verse 8 in K.J.B. ends with “death of the cross.”
Verse 8, N.W.T. ends with, “death on a torture stake.”
Verse 9 in the K.J.B. ends with a colon: Verse 9 in the N.W.T. ends with a comma “,”. I hope you understand the difference between the two.
The N.W.T. is the only Bible that ends verse 9 with a comma. Also note, that they have added brackets to the 1984 edition word (other), but without brackets in the 1971 or 2013 editions. Adding the word (other) gives a reader the impression that the name of Jesus is second to the name Jehovah. In their Interlinear translation, their Greek reads, “over every name” leaving out the word “other.”
Also, K.J.B. “(at) the name of Jesus” has been changed in N.W.T. to “(in) the name of Jesus.
K.J.B. “Bow a knee” has been changed to “bend” a knee, and in K.J.B. “confess” has been changed to N.W.T. to “acknowledge.“
Bend is not a New Testament word. In the O.T. bend is used strictly for “bending or stringing a bow.” To bow a knee is to pay homage or worship.
Compare with Romans 14:11, As I live, said the LORD, every knee shall bow to me,” Same word in Philippians.
In English, “bend,” means to change shape, or change someone’s will, to yield or submit. To yield or submit is not to worship. This change of words chips away at the glory of the Lord Jesus.
Compare verses below:
K.J.B.
Philippians 2: 9-10-11, “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth and things under the earth; (semi colon) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
N.W.T.
Philippians 2:9-10-11, “For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every (other) name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, (coma) and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Posted 1/19/25
Because of the Divine communication of God’s will to Moses, the prophets, and the people, we read of God’s love and plan for man’s salvation, having been revealed to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. The Scriptures express fully God’s word.
Who was commanded by God to keep and maintain His word?
Romans 3:2, “Unto them (the Jews) were committed the oracles of God.” The word “oracles” means something uttered or by Divine communication. We can have complete confidence in the Masoretic text of the King James Bible.
The word “Bible” is a Greek word that means book. The O.T. consists of 39 books, and the New Testament consists of 27 books. The body of the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, was written over approximately 1,400 years. From Moses to the end of the first century, the Holy Spirit inspired the whole of Scripture to those who penned or wrote the text.
The text has come down to us in a remarkable state of preservation. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, written as far back as the second and third centuries B.C., bears witness to this fact. The Christian church recognizes and uses this collection of books from Genesis to Revelation as the inspired record of God’s Revelation concerning Himself and His will for us.
Guidelines have been laid down and defined for us. The word speaks of great men, spirit creatures, enemies of God, friends of God, political and religious history, and future prophesy. After the last book was penned, the prophecy was closed. There will be no further announcements coming from God. Those who add or subtract from the Scriptures will answer to God, and the cost will be steep.
The idea or terms Old and New Testament have been used since the end of the second century. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the language spoken by the Hebrews in Canaan before the Babylonian Captivity, and a few sections of the Old Testament are written in Aramaic. There are no vowels (A, E, I, O, U) in the Hebrew alphabet, only consonants. The Jewish Masoretic scholars invented vowel signs or points in the sixth century.
Although the Bible has been preserved in its’ original meaning, customs, and traditions, the Hebrew language has undergone many changes. The language has gone from the golden age (Adam to Jacob) through silver (Jews in Egypt), bronze (Babylonian and Medo-Persian captivity), and iron (Greek and Roman conquest,) and like our modern English today, it is a far cry from the original.
Except for a few words and sentences, the New Testament was written in Greek, the people’s language in the time of our Lord Jesus. The Greek of the N.T. is identical to the Greek spoken in the Mediterranean in the first century. The New Testament of the K.J.V. is marked strikingly by the Jewish character and colorful language that existed in the days of our Lord. It holds to the idioms, the peculiar language of a group of people or nation. Other dialects of Greek were Aeolic, Boeotic, Doric, Ionic, and especially the dialect of Attic.
The New Testament of the K.J.B. is called the Received text or Textus Receptus. The first-century Apostolic Christian Churches, the Christian Churches in Israel, and the Christian Syrian Church all used the Received text; even a few early heretics used this text. With this history, it would be appropriate for the King James translators to use this text.
Most of the second to fourth-century Christian churches used the Textus Receptus. They were the Churches of Scotland and Ireland, the Waldensians, and the Greek Orthodox Church; the fifteenth to nineteenth-century Churches used this text. All the Churches of the Reformation, Erasmus Greek New Testament, The Complutensian Polyglot, Martin Luther’s German Bible, Tyndale’s Bible, the French version of Oliveton, the Coverdale Bible, the Matthews Bible, the Taverner’s Bible, the Great Bible, the Stephanus Greek New Testament, the Geneva Bible, The Bishop’s Bible, The Spanish version, the Beza Greek N.T. the Czech Version, The Italian Version, K.J.V. The Elziver Brothers’ Greek N.T., and the list goes on.
The Received text was not used randomly or in a few areas of the known world but totally and wholly throughout the educated religious world of every civilized nation and in every language.
Attic was the Greek language dialect used in the city of Attica, Greece. It became the literary language of the entire Greek-speaking world. This dialect was known for its elegance and pervades every Book of the N.T. Paul used this poetic dialect when he quoted verses from some Greek poets, such as,
- Acts 17:28, “For in Him (Jesus) we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your = (the Greeks) own poets have said, for we are also His offspring.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications = (evil company) corrupt good manners = (habits.)”
- Titus 1:12, “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cre-tians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies = (lazy gluttons.)”
Because the writers of the N.T. were Jews, they were acquainted with the Hebrew Idioms and the sense of the words of that particular language. When they used a Greek word as a correspondent to a Hebrew word of like meaning, they employed it as the Hebrew word was used, either in a common or appropriate sense or as required. The K.J.B. maintains this sense.
1/14/25
The word Purgatory comes from the Latin, purgo, meaning, “I cleanse.” The Catholic Church agrees that it is a place of suffering but is divided on how those in purgatory suffer. Some say fire, others say, tribulation.
Those who teach purgatory say, “That some die in grace and the friendship of God, but burdened with venial sins (minor sins) and imperfections, or before they have done suitable penance for their sins. They teach that the souls of these are cleansed in purgatory of these last hindrances to their entry into the vision of God.
Their communion with the faithful on earth is not broken. The living can bring comfort and alleviation to those in purgatory by their intercessions, Masses, prayers, almsgiving, and other pious works which, in the manner of the Church, the faithful are accustomed to doing for others of the faithful. They admit that the word purgatory is not a Biblical word, and that the doctrine is not taught in Scripture.” This is from the words found in the Catholic Catechism.
This is the teaching of the Catholic Church; Restorationists and Mormons who deny that death brings the final judgment. They maintain that millions of people will have an opportunity for salvation after they die. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe men do not have a soul or spirit, and upon a person’s death, the body goes back to dust. But, on the last day, God will create them again out of nothingness.
1/2/25
With God, nothing is impossible.
Moses wrote 3500 years ago and the writers of the New Testament 2000 years ago. Yet science appears only now to be catching up with God’s word. Following is proof that Jesus is God, the Son of God, and Son of man, and that he is without beginning.
The mother provides her unborn developing infant with the nutritive elements for building its physical body in her womb, but all the blood that forms in the unborn child is formed in the embryo itself and only as a result of the father’s contribution; therefore, not one drop of blood ever passes from the mother to the child.
And so goes the miracle of the conception of the virgin birth. Luke 1:30-35, the angel came to Mary and said — “Behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus.” — “The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that Holy One (Jesus) which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.”
This was a male sperm inserted into the womb of a virgin. Was this seed taken directly from the Father or the Son? Or was it created? If created, then it can be said Jesus was created like all men. Now, because Mary conceived by supernatural insemination of the Holy Spirit, and the seed was that of God, the child born of this seed was born without spot or blemish, and without a sinful nature.
So, Jesus was of Adam’s race according to the flesh, but he did not inherit Adam’s nature. Mary’s geology is traced back to Adam, Luke 3:38.
This provides us with the evidence, that sin is NOT transmitted through the flesh but through the blood. And though Jesus was of the “seed of David” and of the “seed of Adam” through Mary according to the flesh” He was, 1 Timothy 3:16, “God manifest in the flesh, and as Matthew 1:23 states, “God with us.” That newborn child was born perfectly human in the flesh, and yet perfectly God. And because the seed was that of God, our faith, and his precious blood gave us victory over death and hell.
Romans 5:9, “Justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath, through Him.” The phrase, to be “saved from wrath, through Him”
12/30/24
Joseph and Christ
The relationship between Joseph and Pharaoh is very similar to the relationship between the Lord Jesus and his Father.
First, let’s understand the meaning of ‘vicegerent.’ It’s when a person has been delegated power as a substitute Ruler or King in the place of another. We find several examples of this in the scriptures. Nebuchadnezzar co-ruled with his father Nabopolassar until his father’s death in 605 B.C. Tiberius co-ruled with his father Caesar Augustus for 15 years until Augustus’s death. Also, Joseph and Pharaoh co-ruled Egypt, and Jesus and his Father co-ruled the heaven and the earth.
The first few years of Joseph and Jesus’ life were difficult, to say the least. But both were well-favored, Joseph by Pharaoh who sat on the throne of Egypt, and Jesus by his Father in heaven. Both would be given viceregal powers.
Pharaoh asked, “Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” Compared with,
Matthew 3:16, “The Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, Genesis 41:40, “You shall be over my house, and according unto your word shall all my people be ruled:”
John 16:15, Jesus said, “All that the Father hath are mine:” Jesus is given the title of Messiah or Christ, King, Prophet, and High Priest, appointed and declared by the Father in heaven. Every King needs a Kingdom, and the earth shall be made Jesus’ footstool.
Here’s the interesting part, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Only in the throne will I be greater than you.”
Jesus said, John 14:28, “I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”
Like Pharaoh, the Father of our Lord is greater in the throne of heaven. Therefore, the Lord is obedient to his Father’s every word and, authority.
Pharaoh said, “I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.” So, Joseph was designated as administration over the people and the land of Egypt.
It is said of the coming Messiah, Isaiah 9:6, “The government shall be upon his shoulder:”
Matthew 11:27, Jesus said, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father,” and,
John 16:15, “All things that the Father has are mine:”
Genesis 41:42, “Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand,” So Joseph was now sealed as ruler over the house of Egypt. The signet ring sealed the deal for Joseph. The Holy Spirit whom the Father sent, sealed the Lord as King.
Proverbs 8:23, “I (the Wisdom or Word of God) was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.”
Matthew 28:18, “Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
Luke 4:18, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,” set up and anointed of the Father to rule over the creation.
Joseph was arrayed in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;”
Revelation 1:13, “In the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps (chest) with a golden girdle (band).”
Genesis 41:43, “He (Pharaoh) made him (Joseph) to ride in the second chariot.’ Pharaoh had two chariots of like kind, and Joseph was given the second, a high honor indeed.
Verse 43, The guards went before the chariots of Pharaoh and Joseph, with a trumpet and loud voice crying out to the people, “Bow the knee: and he made him (Joseph) ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
Should we as Christians bow our knees to the Lord Jesus? We are told,
Isaiah 45:21-22, “There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
Let’s compare that with the following.
Isaiah 45:23, “Unto me (God) every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Who is our Saviour?
John 4:42, “Know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”
Acts 5:31, “Him has God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour.”
We are told to worship God only. In all of the following, the word “worship” is the same Greek, “proskuneo.”
Matthew 4:10, “Jesus said unto him (the devil) thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt you serve.” The devil wanted Jesus to worship him, Jesus was telling the devil, “You worship me.”
Matthew 2:2, The wise men, said to the King (Herod), we “are come to worship him (Jesus).” Verse 11, when they found him, they “fell down, and worshipped him.”
Matthew 9:18, A certain ruler named Jairus a ruler of the synagogue he came “And worshipped him (Jesus),”
Matthew 14:33, “Then they (Jesus disciples) worshipped him,”
Luke 24:52, “And they (his disciples) worshipped him,”
Revelation 5:8, “And the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,” To fall down, is to worship.
Revelation 7:9, “A multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people and tongues (the bride of Christ), stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
Revelation 7:11, “And the angels stood round about the throne, (where Jesus and the Father sat) and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God.”
There shall be one throne in heaven, Revelation 22:3, “The throne of God (the Father) and of the Lamb”
Jesus repeats Revelation 1:8 in Revelation 22:13, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
So, according to the above, Jesus is worthy of our worship as God, all to the glory of the Father in heaven.
Clothed in the garment of heaven:
Revelation 3:17, Jesus said, “Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;” Paraphrased, (You’re not rich, but wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.)
“I (Jesus) counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, and you may be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;”
Jesus had spoken; riches, fame, power, authority, and good intentions here on earth are not qualifications for everlasting life.
Let’s compare the following with the above. Jesus is being led away by those who had arrested him in the garden, verse 50, “And they (Jesus disciples) forsook him, and fled.” At this critical moment, the disciples of Christ fled for fear had overcome them, and trust in the Lord was forsaken. Then we read,
Mark 14:51, “There followed Him (Jesus) a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him (Jesus.)”
Verse 52, “And he (the young man) left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.”
The man came to Jesus as he was being led off by the guards. The guard grabs hold of the man by his outer garment. The man flees leaving his linen garment behind. Who was this young man who ran away? Did he know the Lord? What was his status among the Jews? Why did he approach Jesus when He was being led away? And why did he run?
Our first clues may be found in the previous passage mentioned, Matthew 19 and Luke 18. It may have been the same ruler spoken of in Matthew, and the linen cloth he wore was an outward show of his wealth and status. A second clue is in the linen cloth that the man was wearing. This article of clothing was referred to as a “habit.” It is often referred to in scriptures and is still worn to this day. In the Lord’s Day, it was an outward display of wealth.
The word “naked” or “nakedness,” signifies the rich man was put to shame, and stripped of resources. In Genesis, we read of Adam and Eve becoming aware of their nakedness after they had sinned, so they covered themselves with leaves, and the young man likewise covered himself with a linen cloth.
Exodus 32:25, After the Jews had worshipped the Golden Calf, “Moses saw that the people were naked; for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies.” The Jews had been exposed to the sin of idol worship.
Job 26:6, “Hell is naked before (God).” This is a reference to the unseen state of the dead. Sinners, and all of their sins, are exposed to the eyes of God. This description best fits the man and his condition, Jesus saw his condition.
The man runs up to the Lord, is stripped naked, and then runs off leaving his garment behind. This shows him to be a slave to sin, a man governed by the law. Lot’s wife looked back on Sodom, desiring all that she had left behind; so also, this man, running back to the world he had just come from. His first love was his position in society, his authority, and his wealth; the things he loved most. He calls Jesus, “Good Master,” not for the love he had for him, but for what he thought he could gain.
In our sinful state, we have an unreasonable conceit of our superiority in knowledge and understanding, in finances, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank, or business. This manifests itself into a greater-than-thou attitude, distancing ourselves from both neighbor and God. Then one develops an attitude of contempt; insolence and rudeness, these becoming the greater part of their personalities.
Zechariah 3:3-4, “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment (rich robes) … and clothed him with garments.”
Matthew 27:59, Joseph took Jesus down from the cross and wrapped His body in a clean linen cloth.
John 20:6 tells us that the linen cloth Joseph wrapped about the body of Jesus, now lay on the empty stone where the Lord had been. Here is where we can fully understand that that which the best of men own is not worthy of the risen Christ. The linen cloth was from Joseph, a rich man, being of a fine quality, clean, and likely never used. Yet it was rejected, for it lay folded on the tombstone. Next, we read in Mark and Luke, how the Lord when seen again, clothed in glory.
Mark 16 tells us that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James entered the empty tomb and saw a young man sitting on the right side of the stone, clothed in long, white garments. Luke 24:4, further explains, That the two women saw two men standing in shining garments, the garments of heaven.
Revelation 16:15, Jesus said, “Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
The Jews set themselves against God. This young man who ran from the Lord was stripped naked. He is an anti-type. Our pride leads to destruction. This man realized his shame and ran. Christians need to be less like the man who ran away, and more like the woman that had an issue (flow) of blood. In a great crowd, she boldly touched the Lord’s garment, and power flowed from the Lord, healing her. Why! Because of her faith in the saving power of Christ Jesus.
12/16/24
Is the LORD done with Israel?
Exodus 3:2, “The angel of the LORD appeared unto (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” And so, Israel a bush burned with fire, yet not consumed.
The chosen of God, the apple of his eye, have been expelled, exposed to misery, persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered from the time of their captivity in Egypt to this very day, yet Israel lives as a nation. Have you ever asked yourself why, why have the Jews been persecuted so horribly, yet preserved as a people and nation?
The Plan:
The LORD planned to use a descendant of Noah, from the line of his firstborn son, Shem, to separate a people for himself and create a nation. And through all their corruption, and foolishness, the Jews remain the “apple of God’s eye.” Here is the LORD’s explicit declaration to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, his twelve sons, and all the generations to follow.
Genesis 12:2, “I (the LORD) will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and make your name great,” The promise of a nation assumes the existence of a national homeland.
Genesis 17:19, “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an EVERLASTING covenant, and with his seed (his descendants) after him.”
Now because of their sins against God, the ten Northern tribes were overrun by the Assyrians between 770 and 740 B.C. The Babylonians murdered tens of thousands of Jews, and in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. Around 465 B.C. the Jews escaped the ruin designed for them by Haman. They would suffer the onslaught of Ptolemy Lagus King of Egypt, the dispersion by Seleucus Nicator, the slaughter by Antiochus Epiphanes, the ravaging by Crassus the Roman General, and by Herod the Great.
After murdering the Lord Jesus, the scepter would temporally depart from Judah. But this was only the beginning of Israel’s calamities.
Deuteronomy 28:29, “And you (Israel) shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways: and you shall be only oppressed and spoiled (be plundered continually) evermore, and no man shall save you.” See Mathew 24.
Matthew 27:25, As the Lord hung from the cross, the people cried out, “Let his blood be on us and our children.” The people put a curse on their own heads and the heads of their children. Thousands would be killed at Cesarea, Damascus, Bethshan, and Alexandria, by Vespasian, and by the Roman Legions led by Titus. In Jerusalem, over a million were killed, and at Masasada a thousand more died by their own hand. Then the Roman Catholics began their persecution of Jews, this followed by the Islamic hordes, the Ottoman, and most recently Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party who took the lives of 6 million. The LORD’s judgments upon the Jews have been terrible, extending to the people, their religion, and the land. Their ceremonies essential to their religion are no longer observed, except by the Orthodox Jews: also, no longer observed is their ritual law, for they remain without a Temple, altar, and a sacrifice.
But the LORD has kept his promise, Ezekiel 37:24, “I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and all your idols, will I cleanse you.”
The time of cleansing had arrived: It began on May 14, 1948, when a generation of newborn babies came into the World. God’s promise, “This generation shall not pass away until all these things (Matthew wrote about) are fulfilled.” This generation is now 76 years of age. Israel is at war in the North, South and West. Antisemitism abounds throughout the world, and hatred against them is on the rise. There remains for them one friend, the community of Christians. We must continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
The bush of Moses, surrounded with flames, forever burns, yet it will never be consumed.
12/12/24
Jesus’ plans for his bride:
Let’s begin this article by giving you a detailed sketch of the Jewish custom of engagement and marriage. The following customs have been followed for 3000 years.
Jewish marriages center around two events, the engagement, and the wedding. It closely resembles the words Jesus spoke concerning His engagement, future bride, and marriage.
The story begins with a young Jewish man who may or may not know the family of a particular young virgin girl, a young lady he desires to have for his bride. 2 Corinthians 11:2, and Jeremiah 31:4, “A chaste virgin.”
The first thing he does is, go to her father’s home and bring with him a dowry. If the father invites him in, he will offer him a seat, and then a cup of wine. The young man picks up the cup and then places it before the father’s daughter. If she refuses to drink from his cup, she will have rejected his offer of marriage. But, if she accepts the cup and drinks from it, she has signaled to her family and her suitor that she has accepted his proposal of marriage.
Leaving all his gifts behind, the young man returns to his father’s home. He then tells his father the good news. His father now permits his son to build his own home usually adjacent to his.
Now, the father has the authority to examine his son’s new home and to tell him if it needs more work, or not. Of course, like all young men, he would be in a hurry to finish. According to Jewish custom, only when the home has been completed to the father’s satisfaction will his son be allowed to return for his new bride. John 14:2, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: — I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;”
When the father finally permits his son, the bridal party will leave at midnight. The bridegroom will be attended by friends and accompanied by musicians and singers. As they approach the bride’s home, they will ring bells and blow a trumpet, giving her notice that the wedding party is coming to pick her up. Now she will prepare herself. Revelation 21:2, “A Bride adorned for her Husband.”
By her bedside, she will have a lamp and a vessel holding oil for the lamp. When she hears them approach, she will fill her lamp with oil and then light it. Matthew 25:6-7, “At midnight there was a cry made, behold, the bridegroom comes: go you out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.”
She will then cover her face with a veil. Genesis 24:65, “She (Rebekah had said unto the servant, what man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, it is my master: therefore, she took a veil and covered herself.”
For those not prepared, they will say to the one prepared, “Give us of you oil; for our lamps are gone out.” Matthew 25:13, so we are told, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.”
After receiving his bride, and with the blessing of her parents; the bridal party returns to the groom’s home. On their way back, friends of the bride and the groom will join the party. When they arrive, there will be a feast for seven days (years). Revelation 18:23, “The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride (the raptured church) shall be heard no more at all in thee (the nations of the earth.)”
Revelation 19:9, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And for those not of Christ, Matthew 22:12, the Lord said to them, “How come you come not having a wedding garment?” These shall be Verse 13, “Cast into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
There shall be seven years of celebration in heaven and seven years of tribulation on earth. Genesis 29:27, “Fulfill her (Rachel’s) week and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.” Psalms 45:15, “With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.”
The celebration feast will be held at the groom’s home. Matthew 26:27, “And He (Jesus) took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Later that evening, the bride is escorted to the nuptial chamber, Genesis 29:23, “It came to pass in the evening, that he (Laban, Leah’s father) took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him (Jacob) and he went in unto her.”
The wedding will not include a religious ceremony, though the betrothal (engagement) has been ratified by an oath. Ezekiel 16:8, “Now when I (the LORD) passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt (wing) over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I swore (by an oath) unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and you become mine.”
Malachi 2:14, “Because the LORD (the Father) has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, —- yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.”