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Tag: John

  • Time Beyond Years – Alpha

    Time before the beginning

    ‘I AM the alpha and the omega,” says the LORD!

    What can it mean? Can you, o man, measure the time before the beginning?

    The alpha of man’s measurement of days and years:

    Consider generations, centuries, the millennia of temporal days beginning with the creation of man. How can the created explain the ways of our Creator beyond the alpha or our temporal days? Can we know the ceasing of man’s measurable time?

    Surely the Lord will bring to completion all He has created and man’s will be marked by the omega of time.

    Revelation 1:

    The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place…

    8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

    Yet prior to the Apostle John’s interment on Patmos and prior to his revelation from the risen Christ Jesus, John had written the Good News of the place of Jesus in creation.

    John 1:

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

    2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    The logos λόγος was God θεός !

    Time of the Beginning

    Therefore He spoke all things into existence and He created life and light, shining through the darkness and void.

    You have heard it, as the story of creation unfolds as revealed by the LORD to Moses. And in the Pentateuch (five books) Moses reveals a history of man peering back beyond our own sin, even into the depths of nothingness and dark skies of chaos and emptiness void of the LORD.

    Genesis 1:

    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

    And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

    The LORD spoke the heavens and the earth into existence, then began the measurement of days – temporal, created days – for the heavens, for the earth, and finally for the creation of the first man until the last.

    And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.. – Gen. 1:26a

    The LORD creates the heavens and the earth in His unmeasured time explained in simplicity to Moses as days. Then the LORD creates ‘man’ (actually, man and woman) ‘in our image, after our likeness.’ God gives us a glimpse of time beyond our understanding, the Creator revealing what was to be measured my man as the alpha of all time and beginning of creation.

    Jesus reveals His timeless Presence

    Christ, Son of Man, born of a virgin, revealed to those with ears to hear the divinity of His own presence and relationship to God our Father.

    John 3:

    2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him,

    “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

    3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    And if you listen carefully to Jesus in the ensuing conversation you will hear with certainty the divinity of the life-giving Spirit required of all those who will receive life eternal, life with resurrection from certain death by sin.

    5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit…

    12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

    13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

    Is Jesus telling the learned Pharisee Nicodemus that He IS descended from heaven into the flesh of a son of man?

    Yes. And Jesus further confirms His eternal status before the alpha of time.

    John 8:

    12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

    Debate ensues between pharisees and the rabbi Jesus.

     14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

    19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

    The pharisees accuse Jesus of being illegitimately born to Mary, who by the Lord had born a child as a virgin. Jesus later replies:

    56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

    57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”

    58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

    Only the LORD God could have claimed to have lived before Abraham. Jesus answers with the LORD’s words to Moses’ question after the LORD appeared to him in a burning bush. 

    Exodus 3:13-14 KJV

    And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

    And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

    Jesus: He IS before David, before Moses, before Abraham; yes, even before Adam. The Lord God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, before time and before creation.

    Revelation 1:8

    “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

    If Christ Jesus IS the beginning and the end, what must you do?

    To be continued…

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Feasts: Thanksgiving to God

    Feasts: Thanksgiving to God

    “These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. – Leviticus 23:4

    Feasts, Fasts & Festivals

    Americans view Thanksgiving as a defining national holiday, complete with feasts focused on our  Utopian culture of American families. Yet a stark reality lingers as a less than an alternative truth of family feasts of the American family. In fact, as I pointed out in the preface to this Thanksgiving message for 2017, we focus almost entirely on ourselves rather than God.

    Festivals, feasts and celebrations have digressed to a holiday from work. Who do we thank, anyway? Certainly not the Lord. Though these feasts may have originated with God and governments, the LORD loses honor in all lands in our contemporary celebrations of self-accomplishment.

    Never-the-less, let’s take a brief Biblical look at the origin of feasts and fasts appointed by the LORD.

     Note: Most information shared from other sources. Check out the several links for additional study.

    Feast and Holy Days and Dates 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
    Purim Adar 14 Mar. 12 Mar. 1 Mar. 21 Mar. 10 Feb. 26
    Pesach (Passover) Aviv 14 Apr. 11 Mar. 31 Apr. 20 Apr. 9 Mar. 28
    Feast of Firstfruits Aviv ___ (varies) Apr. 16 Apr. 1 Apr. 21 Apr. 12 Apr. 11
    Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) Sivan ___ (varies) June 4 §May 31 May 20 §May 20 June 9 §June 9 May 31 §May 29 May 23 §May 17
    Rosh haShanah (Feast of Trumpets) Tishri 1 Sep. 21 Sep. 10 Sep. 30 Sep. 19 Sep. 7
    Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Tishri 10 Sep. 30 Sep. 19 Oct. 9 Sep. 28 Sep. 16
    Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Tishri 15-22 Oct. 5 Sep. 24 Oct. 14 Oct. 3 Sep. 21
    Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication) Kislev 25 Dec. 13 Dec. 3 Dec. 23 Dec. 11 Nov. 29

    Feasts of the Lord

    חָגַג – to hold a feast, hold a festival, make pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim-feast, celebrate, dance, stagger

    Contemporary Jewish Calendars include a mixture of Hebrew Festivals, some which are considered minor festivals, with others of more importance.

    Names of Hebrew festivals in other languages vary widely, without a singular reference such as ‘Thanksgiving’ for each.

    All preexilic festivals were “holy convocations”

    PRE-EXILIC Annual (Hebrew) Festivals
    1. Passover, 15th-22d Nican
    2. Pentecost, 6th Ciwan) Pilgrimage
    3. Tabernacles, 15th-22d Tishri) Festivals
    4. Shemini ‘Atsereth, 23d Tishri
    5. New Year, Feast of Trumpets, 1st Tishri
    6. Atonement, 10th Tishri

    Five festivals, in addition to the all-important weekly Sabbath [שַׁבָּת], monthly (28 days) New Moon, Sabbath Year (every 7) and Jubilee Year ( every 50) ALL honor the LORD! The Day of Atonement was the only ‘pre-exilic’ fast.

    Faithful worshipers of God included fasting, prayer and preparation for these feasts honoring the LORD. A feast was much more important than a mere family gathering, a feast followed a prescribed honoring of Almighty God.

    Leviticus 23:

    The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.

    Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement

    Yom Kippur (in Hebrew)

    More Feasts, Fasts & Festivals

    The Hebrew calendar begins with two thanksgivings (holy convocations, rather than festivals) to the LORD.

    Both commemorate events when the Lord saved Israel: Passover or Pesach the Lord saves the Hebrew people through Moses from slavery in Egypt. And  Purim celebrates the Lord using Queen Esther during the exile to save the Hebrews from holocaust at the hands of Haman the Persian.

    Post-exilic Festivals

    After the fall of Jerusalem more than a dozen new celebrations and fasts were added to the Hebrew calendar. The period of the Babylonian captivity marks a complete change, not only in the kinds of festivals instituted from time to time, but also in the manner of celebrating the old.

    God, America & Thankfulness

    What do Hebrew holidays and a uniquely American holiday of Thanksgiving have to do with you?

    (After all, most of the world is neither Hebrew or American.)

    I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations. – Psalm 57:9

    Yes, giving thanks is our most appropriate witness to the Lord.

    O, give thanks! you sons and daughters of Jacob. Yadah, yadah יָדָה the unrighteous will hear nothing of your blessings; yet we give thanks, laud and praise to your glorious Name, O Lord of Hosts!

    1 Chronicles 16:8  הֹודוּ לַֽיהוָה קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמֹו הֹודִיעוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילֹתָֽיו׃

    As the Lord has chosen but a remnant of Jacob for eternal redemption. God chooses no nation, but only a faithful remnant of those who believe.

    Israel fell. Rome fell. The U.S. spirals down toward destruction as has every earthly nation before us. The Lord will judge each man and woman for our own sin. He has prepared a remnant for His witness, praise and thanksgiving.

    εὐχαριστία – thankfulness, the giving of thanks

    Our witness is that the Messiah Jesus was, is and is to come – He is God in the flesh, the Spirit and Creator of all things.

    He will judge and condemn the evil which surrounds us.

    He will redeem those who call upon His Name; therefore give Him thanks for the covering of our sins.

    Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ

    John 1:

    16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

    John 3:

    God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

    and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

    See how evil unmasks evil. It cannot remain covered and neither will our sin, unless we are in Christ by his love and mercy and grace.

    20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

    Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
    the King of creation!
    O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy
    health and salvation!
    All ye who hear,
    Now to His temple draw near;
    Sing now in glad adoration!

    Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that
    is in me adore Him!
    All that hath life and breath, come
    now with praises before Him!

    Let the Amen
    Sound from His people again;
    Gladly for aye we adore Him.

    Psalm 103

     

  • Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 7

    Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 7

    A casual quest for wisdom’s banquet

    We have explored wisdom in this series for the most part from the Bible’s book of Proverbs.  Solomon’s fame, fortune and riches brought leaders to his court seeking ‘words of wisdom.’ 

    I suppose they would ask: What can I learn about the success of this wise King? Perhaps if I could be wise like Solomon I could replicate his riches.

    Powerful leaders point uninformed others to places which will keep them in their place. The masses of humanity for the most part have remained uneducated and therefore cared little about wisdom.  Even the faithful have not been told God’s truth. So few have have read the truth recorded in scripture.

    A thousand years after David and Solomon the Messiah Jesus came into this world and proclaimed:

    “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ – John 14:6

    Just like those who had come to Solomon for wisdom, people often asked Jesus about the Kingdom of Heaven, His Kingdom.

    An uncomfortable truth

    One day I saw a friend preparing for a great banquet for a wedding of important guests. As guests began to arrive in their tuxedos and gowns I asked a well-dressed guard at the door if I could enter briefly to greet my friend. The attendant guard of the door graciously agreed.

    I became increasingly uncomfortable as guests arrived, knowing that I had not dressed in the formal attire of arriving guests. We didn’t belong at this celebration for the bride and groom, which was about to begin.

    At the time I couldn’t help recalling  the uncomfortable ending of Jesus’ parable about the wedding feast.

    Just as the truth of wisdom makes us a little uncomfortable, so do the truths of death, judgment and eternal life.

    Until the days of Luther (and Gutenberg) most men could not read the Bible. Women rarely could read at all. Yet even now men and women who claim to seek wisdom fail to read the wisdom of the Bible.

    Perhaps a few will make brief inquiry about God in an uncomfortable place, a church. Doesn’t it make us feel like the uninvited wedding guest?

     Matthew 22

    2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast…

    As pointed out previously in this series:

    • “they would not come.”
    • Other servants invited them again, but the invited guests refused.
      • Some ignored the invitation and went back to work.
      • Others of the chosen killed the messengers!

    7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

    • He sent messengers to invite as many as they could find.
    • Other guests filled the wedding hall.

      Now the King enters the festivities. As he looks about the room with joy the King notices a man like me (not appropriately prepared for the great feast).

    11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants,

    ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness.

    The outer darkness of the fool

    Are you fearful? Here is the wise and all-powerful King and He judges you unfit for the feast. The King’s servants cast you into eternal darkness.

    Solomon and the Bible have had much to say about darkness, which is always contrasted with light and good.

    The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know over what they stumble. – Proverbs 4:19

    Surely the deep darkness of which Jesus speaks is Hell!

    In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

    14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

    Are you invited?

    Such a staggering thought that the King of Kings would judge your sin!  (And mine, as well.) Therefore we fear Hell, the place of eternal punishment so much deserved by all.

    In fact no reprieve can be bought, which was a catalyst of the Reformation.

    Are you an ‘outsider’ who is invited, OR do you just tiptoe in the door of the King to hear His wisdom?

    Because no family ties, riches or religious displays will get you into the banquet of the Lord, an invitation is required.

    Other wisdom of the Son

    Jesus IS the Son of Man and Son of God! Christ came to sinners as a sacrifice for our innumerable sins. Jesus frequently speaks wisdom to the crowds and Apostles, even explaining the meaning of parables.

    Have you read the Gospel? Find your invitation to the banquet of the King and embrace His righteous wisdom in this Good News for all.