But you, (Bethlehem) Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
out of you will be born for me
the one who is to rule over Israel;
his origin goes back to the distant past,
to the days of old. - Micah 5:1-2 - Genesis 49:10 - Isaiah 9:5 -
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel. - Matthew 2:6 -
Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem? - John 7:42 -
Jesus Christ work won for Him widespread acceptance, but He refused to allow His mission of salvation to be set aside in favor of following popular messianic expectations. Due to Jesus preaching and proclamation of the "Kingdom Of God" He came increasingly under suspicion by the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. When Jesus Christ condemned Jewish legalism, the Sadducees and Pharisees rose up in anger. The local Roman ruler Herod Antipas was also becoming concerned about Christ's activities and wanted to kill Jesus.
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round him, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. They are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, 'Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?' Jesus answered, 'It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:
This people honors me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.' And he said to them, 'How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, "If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God) then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother." In this way you make God's word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.' - Mark 7:1-13 -
Just as this time some Pharisees came up. 'Go away' they said. 'Leave this place because Herod means to kill you.' Jesus replied, 'You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. - Luke 13:31-32 -
The Lord Jesus Christ was referring to the One, Holy, Universal, Apostolic Church which He is going to build through His Passion, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and the baptizing of the Holy Spirit. [Pentecost] Matters came to a head when Jesus was betrayed to the Jewish authorities by one of His disciples. The Roman authorities took part in His trail, crucifixion, and death on the cross, but His disciples were unprepared for Jesus Christ resurrection on the first Easter morning.
The Lord Jesus Christ had shown Himself alive to them after His Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days He had continued to appear to them and tell them about the Kingdom of God. When he had been at the table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. 'It is' he had said 'what you have heard me speak about: John baptized with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' - Acts 1:3-5 -
Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel?' Jesus replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.' As Jesus said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. - Acts 1:6-9 -
Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." - Matthew 28:18-21 -
With these authority from the Lord Jesus Christ: The One, Holy, Universal, Apostolic Church which came into being on this day spread across Palestine into Europe and ultimately throughout the world. At the forefront of evangelistic activity was a converted Jew, (Saul) Paul of Tarsus, whom had received an extraordinary nature of the Lord Jesus Christ revelation; in visions and words. His writings form a large part of the New Testament, Sacred Scripture.
In Palestine, Pontius Pilate was removed from office just before Tiberius died in A.D. 37. Seven years later Herod Agrippa died. In the Roman Empire, Caligula followed Tiberius. Four years later he was succeeded by Claudius. During apostle Paul's missionary journeys, Jews were expelled from Rome in A.D. 49. About A.D. 52 Felix was made procurator of Judea. Seven years later he was succeeded by Porcius Festus, before whom Paul appeared. - Acts 25:1-12 -
There were threats of persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, and these became a reality under Nero. He blamed a disastrous fire in Rome [A.D. 64] upon them to divert suspicion from himself. In A.D. 66 the first revolt against Roman power occurred in Judea. Four years later the Roman emperor Titus marched into Jerusalem, destroyed it, and brought the Jewish state to an end. Thereafter the Jews became a religious group that was scattered across Europe, Asia, and all over the world, while God's message of redemption and salvation was committed to the One, Holy, Universal, Apostolic Church, whom the Lord Jesus Christ built.
My name is John and through our union in Jesus I am your brother and share your sufferings, your kingdom, and all you endure. I was on the island of Patmos for having preached God's words and witnessed for Jesus; it was the Lord's day and the Spirit possessed me, and I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet. 'Write down all that you see in a book, and sent it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.' I turned round to see who had spoken to me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands and, surrounded by them, a figure like a Son of man, dressed in a long robe tied at the waist with a golden girdle. His head and his hair were white as white wool or as snow, his eyes like a burning flame, his feet like burnished bronze when it has been refined in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of the ocean. In his right hand he was holding seven stars, out of his mouth came a sharp sword, double-edges, and his face was like the sun shining with all its force.
When I saw him, I fell in a dead faint at his feet, but he touched me with his right hand and said, 'Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One, I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of dead and of the underworld. Now write down all that you see of present happenings and things that are still to come. The secret of the seven stars you have seen in my right hand, and of the seven golden lamp-stands is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp-stands are the seven churches themselves.
1. EPHESUS
Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who lives surrounded by the seven golden lamp-stands; I know all about you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. I know you cannot stand wicked men, and how you tested the impostors who called themselves apostles and proved they were liars. I know too, that you have patience, and have suffered for my name without growing tired. Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first, or else, if you will not repent, I shall come to you and take the lamp-stand from its place. It is in your favour, nevertheless, that you loathe as I do what the Nicolaitans are doing. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: those who prove victorious I will feed from the tree of life set in God's paradise."
2. SMYRNA
Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna and say, "Here is the message of the First and the Last, who was dead and has come to life again: I know the trails you have had, and how poor you are - though you are rich - and the slanderous accusations that have been made by the people who profess to be Jews but are really members of the synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of the sufferings that are coming to you: I tell you, the devil is going to send some of you to prison to test you, you must face an ordeal for ten days. Even if you have to die, keep faithful, and I will give you the crown of life for your prize. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: for those who prove victorious there is nothing to be afraid of in the second death."
3. PERGAMUM
Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum and say, "Here is the message of the one who has the sharp sword, double-edged: I know where you live, in the place where Satan is enthroned, and that you still hold firm to my name, and did not disown your faith in me even when my faithful witness, Antipas, was killed in your own town, where Satan lives.
Nevertheless, I have one or two complaints to make: some of you are followers of Balaam, who taught Balak to set a trap for the Israelites so that they committed adultery by eating food that had been sacrificed to idols; and among you, too, there are some as bad who accept what the Nicolaitans teach. You must repent, or I shall soon come to you and attack these people with the sword out of my mouth. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: to those who prove victorious I will give the hidden manna and a white stone - a stone with a new name written on it, known only to the man who receives it."
4. THYATIRA
Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira and say, "Here is the message of the Son of God who has eyes like a burning flame and feet like burnished bronze: I know all about you and how charitable you are; I know your faith and devotion and how much you put up with, and I know how you are still making progress. Nevertheless, I have a complaint to make: you are encouraging the woman Jezebel who claims to be a prophetess, and by her teaching she is luring my servants away to commit the adultery of eating food which has been sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to reform but she is not willing to change her adulterous life. Now I am consigning her to bed, and all her partners in adultery to troubles that will test them severely, unless they repent of their practices; and I will see that her children die, so that all the churches realize that it is I who search heart and loins and give each one of you what your behaviour deserves. But on the rest of you in Thyatira, all of you who have not accepted this teaching or learnt the secrets of Satan, as they are called, I am not laying any special duty; but hold firmly on to what you already have until I come. To those who prove victorious, and keep working for me until the end, I will give the authority over the pagans which I myself have been given by my Father, to rule them with an iron sceptre and shatter them like earthenware. And I will give him the Morning Star. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
5. SARDIS
Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know all about you: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead. Wake up; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call perfect, and yet do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the message? Hold on to that. Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without telling you at what hour to expect me. There are a few in Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied, and they are fit to come with me, dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot their names out of the book of life, but acknowledge their names in the presence of my Father and his angels. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
6. PHILADELPHIA
Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia and say, "Here is the message of the holy and faithful one who has the key of David, so that when he opens, nobody can close, and when he closes, nobody can open: I know all about you; and now I have opened in front of you a door that nobody will be able to close - and I know that though you are not very strong, you have kept my commandments and not disowned my name. Now I am going to make the synagogue of Satan - those who profess to be Jews, but are liars, because they are no such thing - I will make them come and fall at your feet and admit that you are the people that I love. Because you have kept my commandment to endure trials, I will keep you safe in the time of trial which is going to come for the whole world, to test the people of the world. Soon I shall be with you: hold firmly to what you already have, and let nobody take your prize away from you. Those who prove victorious I will make into pillars in the sanctuary of my God, and they will stay there for ever; I will inscribe on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God in heaven, and my own new name as well. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
7. LAODICEA
Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea and say, "Here is the message of the Amen, the faithful, the true witness, the ultimate source of God's creation: I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other, but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will split you out of my mouth. You say to yourself, 'I am rich, I have made a fortune, and have everything I want', never realizing that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you really rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover your shameful nakedness, and eye ointment to put your eyes so that you are able to see. I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on this throne. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches." - Revelation 1:9-20, chapter 2 & 3 -
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his throne among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone.
Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: 'Now I am making the whole of creation new' he said, 'Write this: that what I am saying is sure and will come true.' And then he said, 'It is already done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life to anybody who is thirsty; it is the rightful inheritance of the one who proves victorious; and I will be his God and he a son to me. But the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and fornicators, and for fortune-tellers, idolaters or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur.' - Revelation 21:1-8 -
In the Old Testament, this is how God's revealed His divine name: And God said to Moses, "I AM who I AM, This" he added, is what you must say to the sons of [Jacob] Israel: "I AM has sent me to you." And God also said to Moses, 'You are to say to the sons of Israel: "Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is my name for all time; by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come. - Exodus 3:14-15 -
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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