Tag: God

  • Gardener, Shepherd and Hunter: 4- Tragic Death of a shepherd

    Gardener, Shepherd and Hunter: 4- Tragic Death of a shepherd

    sunrise over earth from space

    I had opened my eyes (just for a moment) and thought that I saw a sunrise from long long ago.. Watching for a long time (it seemed) or maybe for just an instant (I could not tell). I then observed the sun waning beneath the surface of this paradise.

    Tragic DEATH!


    This instant of time quickly reverted into a darkness.. and my eyes (I thought) were not even closed again. I quivered and held my breath (I thought), as an eerie sense of a chaotic scene drew me down beneath the place where I thought I had just stood above the once magnificent paradise.

    So I was no longer filled with any breath of joy at what I had already seen.

    Then a scene planted my mind into a still and horrific place which pierced the ash-like fog into which I had fallen. I knew that this place emerging into the strain of my blinded eyes was not only beyond the garden, but it is beyond the fields where I had just witnessed a contentious conversation between two brothers.

    I looked deeper into the darkness.. and then, I now realize, — beneath it.

    Just then, I remembered my Guide, who I guessed had not only led me to the garden east of Paradise but also to this place. And I remembered straining to hear what the two brothers were saying: Kahyin, the gardener, and Heḇel, the shepherd whose offering had pleased the LORD.

    .. It was only then that a dark and joyless truth wounded my briefly revived heart.

    HE KILLED HIM!


    So it came about in the course of time that Cain [qayin] [Smith {like Moses’ father-in-law}] brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground.

    Bereishit (Genesis) 4:3 :: קַיִן The same as קַיִן (H7013) The KJV translates Strong’s H7013 in the following manner: spear

    Once again I wanted more knowledge from my Guide about what I had just seen.

    So CAIN, a disgruntled gardener, KILLED his brother, a shepherd?

    You have just witnessed its result, my Guide confirmed.

    So Cain was ALSO the Hunter, wasn’t he?

    No.

    I was wrong already..

    Who then, I wondered as my Guide continued His response.

    He murdered Abel, just as later in your timeline you know that Moses would murder a Hebrew brother.

    WHY? Why did the Lord allow it?

    I plead for the bloodied body I had just seen of the shepherd brother of Cain not even thinking (in my response) of the man Moses had killed.

    I reasoned with my Guide:

    This shepherd, Abel, was a righteous man. AND the LORD even accepted his offering at the same time He rejected what Cain brought Him.

    And logically I added:

    HE could have stopped Abel’s murder.

    Yes, of course the LORD could have prevented Cain from killing Abel.

    AND The Almighty could have prevented the guilty man to whom HE gave this story, Moses, from killing a Hebrew slave when he lived as a prince in Egypt.

    I had no answer..

    You asked why the LORD allowed these things to happen to Cain who mostly lived as a good man trying to please God.


    I thought of Moses (this time)..


    and Joseph in Egypt before their slavery..


    THEN I remembered what my Guide had just asked me an instant ago, “Why would it make any difference to you if one brother’s offering is better than the other’s OR if either brother knows about the offering of the other?

    And I even remembered that David was also a later shepherd, just like Abel, yet like Moses and Cain King David had murdered a man.


    Do you think it would be better for these men to have NO choice in what they do and just have God lead them here and there to do as the Lord their God pleases?

    I began thinking about Cain and Able BOTH being FREE to choose their own actions and reactions in the paradise of God.

    Each of them Slaves!!? — I thought. IF we are NOT FREE to choose wrong, it would make us like slaves of GOD..

    I’m thankful that I am free from slavery, even to GOD.

    I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud.

    Of course you are free to say whatever you would like to me.. and to God.

    And even though you may say anything to any other man you encounter on the earth the LORD does not restrain you, think of those words you cannot hear. You just witnessed the consequences of only one such encounter.

    Now look ahead to right judgment of the LORD when we freely choose to accept His Word.


    sunrise over earth from space
    IN THE BEGINNING…

    For an instant I looked back.. further to the west of the endless line..


    I thought I heard sobbing.. and “I’m so sorry I didn’t raise you right” and “We didn’t want you to know the mistakes we made..” ..and yet more wailing the way I felt over the death of Abel. Adam and Eve loudly lamented all of this.. and the separation of a father and mother from one sinful son: Cain, who had just killed the other son they loved..

    I could only imagine my own father or mother IF I had actually killed any of my siblings.. (or anyone, for that matter).

    “Not only is this tragic death of their son Abel new to them,” my guide pointed out to me, “the impact of DEATH itself has just gripped Adam and Eve — two parents who the LORD had told many years before,

    ‘You shall surely die.’”

    I thought of those times one of my brothers had been MAD at ME… What if it were my blood in that field?



    Then the LORD said to Cain,

    “Where is Abel your brother?”

    And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

    Genesis 4:9 NASB20

    Then He said, “What have you done?

    The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground.

    “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

    “When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you;

    you will be a wanderer and a drifter on the earth.”

    Genesis 4:12 NASB20

    4:16 וַיֵּצֵא קַיִן מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֶֽרֶץ־נוֹד קִדְמַת־עֵֽדֶן׃


    קַיִן [

    Once upon a time there was a man named Kahyin.. who brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground.

    I heard the Voice of my Guide in Hebrew, yet somehow I understood every word.

    I have told you about qayin and heḇel his brother for good reason.

    Now it’s time for me to introduce you to the hunter.

    3:1 וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּֽי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹֽאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּֽן׃

    Genesis 3:1 – Masoretic Text [Click this link to meet the Hunter, the first character Moses mentions here]

    The Gardener, the Shepherd and the Hunter

    Roger Harned, Christian Author

  • The Gospel of an Angel to Cornelius

    The Gospel of an Angel to Cornelius

    ACTS 10 of Cornelius – a devout Roman Centurion

    Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian [~600 man] cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

    Who do we see here?

    A Roman soldier in a navy town built by Caesar.

    A devout humble worshipper of God.

    A family man, leader of his household as well.

    A generous man who gave to the Jews subjected to Roman rule, taxes and its army.

    This is the Italian Centurion Κορνήλιος [Cornelius].


    We have already read about the Angel he will encounter in ACTS 10:3

    Learn more about angels by clicking on our previous post below.
    About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

    Answer to a Roman prayer:

    And he looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?”

    Cornelius, a Roman centurion, calls the Angel, lord; that is respectfully addressing him as “sir” and waiting for the response of a superior.

    And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

    ACTS 10:4b – the answer of an angel to the Roman Centurion Cornelius
    plain of Sharon Israel looking back from Mediterranean toward Joppa and the samarian hills

    Meanwhile, back in Joppa

    Peter stayed in Joppa for many days with a man named Simon who was a leatherworker. – CLICK HERE for Greek, English, Italian & Russian for Acts 9:43

    We have already travelled to Joppa from Jerusalem with Simon Peter in Luke's account prior to this angelic encounter in Caesarea.
    Ταβιθά – Δορκάς – Dorcas = “gazelle”
    the name of a woman Peter raised from the dead

    An Angel’s Command to a Roman Soldier in Caesarea

    piadoso y temeroso de Dios con toda su casa, y que hacía muchas limosnas al pueblo, y oraba a Dios siempre.

    Hechos 10:2 :: Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR60)

    Luke’s Greek text describes Cornelius as εὐσεβής [eusebēs]. We would not want to miss the significance of worshipers of God of any ethnicity. [Above]

    The word in Spanish resembles an English word which will put off some free-thinking evangelicals, but don’t miss it:

    AN ANGEL of GOD came to an Italian in Roman Syria.

    (NOT a Hebrew like the Apostles).

    Cornelius is NOT even a Greek like Luke, born a Greek and a Gentile in Antioch, Syria.

    The word Luke uses to describe him is Pious.

    Cornelius EXEMPLIFIES the ACT of being pious or dutiful to all – especially God.


    The Angel’s Messengers to Peter

    εὐαγγέλιον [pronounced] yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-onGospel

    • good tidings
    • same as εὐαγγελίζω (G2097)
      • to bring good news, to announce glad tidings
    • Do you recall from our look at Angels that they are messengers from God generally with a message for a man of God?

    ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΩΝ [ACTS] 10:4-8

    “Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”

    ACTS 10:5-6 [NASB20] of an Angel of God instructing Cornelius with his gospel message

    Obedient immediate response to the gospel

    7 The angel who spoke to Cornelius left.

    Then Cornelius called two of his servants and a soldier. The soldier was a religious man, one of his close helpers.

    8 Cornelius explained everything to these three men and sent them to Joppa.


    NEXT: A most unlikely lunch meeting in Joppa

    Comment on Scripture in our series from ACTS +
    Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord

    TalkofJESUS.COM + Acts of the Apostles for a 21st c. Church
  • He distinctly saw an angel of God

    He distinctly saw an angel of God

     “Cornelius!” the angel said.

    Cornelius stared at him in terror.

    “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

    ACTS 10:4 of angels

    roman centurion

    Sir, yes Sir!?!

    ACTS 10: of an angel & a Roman warrior

    What an unlikely scene in this new missionary journey of Twelve Jewish Apostles of JESUS the Messiah of Israel.

    Luke records an encounter of a Roman soldier, Cornelius, with an angel of God!

    Previously, we left Peter in Joppa, where the Apostle has just performed another resurrection.

    We will get to Cornelius and then Peter; but TODAY I would like us to consider the role of an angel of God in the mission of the Church.

    A missionary moment with a timeless messenger

    Man, even a prophet or an Apostle, is mortal – spirit adorned in flesh with beating heart tirelessly churning the blood of life from limb to limb.

    We know the nature of a fellow being of dust whom we meet in the street.

    But what of an angel?

    How would you and I react to such an encounter with that which is unlike us – an angel – a living being created of spirit without flesh and bone, an eternal messenger who may appear to mankind only once in many lifetimes?

    What do we really know about angels?

    Angels in art have blurred our view of truth, eternity and the messengers of the Lord our God.

    Roger@TalkofJESUS.com
    • What do YOU think?

    We cannot take time here for an exhaustive quest for God-sent angels or an unveiling of messengers veiled in darkness, but let’s glance at the evidence of angels in the Bible.

    What do you know about them?

    Angels in a Biblical Context

    • Question: What book of the Bible makes the most mentions of an angel (or angels)?
    If you guessed: The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John [51x in the KJV]
    you would be correct. (But that's a scene somewhat challenging for any to get a clear picture of an angel in its usual mission for the Lord.)
    • What about all the angels in Luke’s Gospel announcing Jesus’ birth?
      • Pretty good guess. [15x KJV] But it comes in fifth.
      • Two Old Testament Books come in at #3 and #4.
        • Any guesses? [hint: one is a Prophet]
        • CLICK HERE for that answer [19x]

    • TWO books of the Bible, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament, contain the most references (second only to Revelation) to an angel or angels).

    • DO YOU KNOW WHAT THESE TWO BOOKS REFERRING TO ANGELS HAVE IN COMMON?

    Answer:

    History.

    • #3 is Judges
      • & you have probably guessed..
    • #2 is ACTS of the Apostles.
    So before we proceed with our look at an angel bringing messages to Cornelius, Peter and others, let's take a brief glance at what the Bible reveals about these messengers of God.

    מַלְאָךְ

    mal’āḵ – From an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy

    1. messenger
    2. angel
    3. the theophanic angel

    a messenger; specifically, of God, i.e. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher):—ambassador, angel, king, messenger.

    Strong’s H4397 – mal’āḵ

    An angel may be a heavenly being with a message from God.

    BUT a man such as Zechariah (or the Apostle John) may also bring a commanded message and/or a prophetic message of the future from the Lord.

    We see this many times:

    • And the angel H4397 of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.
    • And Jacob went on his way, and the angels H4397 of God met him.
    • And Jacob sent messengers H4397 before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

    We needn’t debate if these angels of specific instances were men or heavenly beings; the point is that these angels bring a message of God to men and women for whom He cares.

    וַיַּעַל מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה מִן־הַגִּלְגָּל אֶל־הַבֹּכִים פ וַיֹּאמֶר אַעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם וָאֹמַר לֹֽא־אָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם לְעוֹלָֽם׃

    CLICK FOR ENGLISH TRANSLATION FROM HEBREW: Shoftim (Judges) 2:1 :: Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)
    Would you like to READ an encounter from the Old Testament between an angel and the parents of Samson?
    CLICK HERE FOR JUDGES 13 CSB with ten references to this angel.

    Angel in the New Testament

    ἄγγελος – angelos

    • The KJV translates Strong’s G32 in the following manner:
      • angel (179x),
      • messenger (7x).

    Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

    STRONGS G32:
    ἄγγελος, -ου, ὁ,

    1. a messenger, envoy, one who is sent: Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:24, 27; Luke 9:52; Mark 1:2; James 2:25. [From Homer down.]
    2. In the Scriptures, both of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, one of that host of heavenly spirits that, according alike to Jewish and Christian opinion, wait upon the monarch of the universe, and are sent by him to earth, now to execute his purposes (Matthew 4:6, 11; Matthew 28:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 16:22; Luke 22:43

    ἄγγελος θεός – angelos theos

    AN ANGEL OF GOD

    Acts 10:3 (and other passages) referenced by Thayer’s Greek Lexicon [above]

    He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

    sent by him to earth, now to execute his purposes

    hence, the frequent expressions ἄγγελος (angel, messenger of God, מַלְאָך) and ἄγγελοι κυρίου or ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ.


    They are subject not only to God but also to Christ (Hebrews 1:4ff; 1 Peter 3:22, cf. Ephesians 1:21; Galatians 4:14), who is described as hereafter to return to judgment surrounded by a multitude of them as servants and attendants: Matthew 13:41, 49; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, cf. Jude 1:14.


    Up until now, we have encountered an angel seven times in Acts of the Apostles.

    What is your COMMENT about any similarities and differences between these seven angels we have met so far in ACTS of the Apostles?


    NEXT: Cornelius and the Angel of God

    in ACTS 10: [click for NASB]