11/30/2,019 God’s 9th Month, Av 2, 5.780

To: A called people with a gifted desire to be atOne with God.

Jesus’ apostles encountered those attempting to be their equals, as did Moses when Jesus was doing miracles through him, softening Pharaoh’s will for letting the Israelites go. Likened to Satan’s magic through the likes of Simon Magus who’s likely Gnosticism’s founder. Many taught demonic Gnostic theories, did demonic magic and presented themselves as teachers of righteousness through out Egypt and all over, deceiving if possible even The Elect. Satan hasn’t changed, he’s the one who led Pharaoh’s Egyptian priest and the one manifesting himself and followers as angels of light.

When God sent Moses to tell the people about His deliverance they groaned and God heard them. (Exodus 6:5- have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the LORD. I will bring you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they impose, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. (7) I will take you to Myself for a people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob — and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’ Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and hard labor. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt that he must release the Israelites from his land.”) When Pharaoh wouldn’t listen.

God told Moses, have Aaron throw his staff in front of Pharaoh, his staff became a snake. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants and it became a snake. (Exodus 7:11-13; “Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt by their secret arts did the same thing. Each man threw down his staff, and the staffs became snakes. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.”) Satan partially duplicated God’s miracles through Moses and Aaron until that Passover night when God had His death angel kill the first born of all who didn’t have saving blood on their door. Satan is still manifesting himself and his followers as angels of light. (See 2Cor 11:12-14)

Jesus’ gifted faith in believers is likened to this earth’s soaking moisture and producing.

(Heb 6:7-8; “For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God. (8) But if it ’the ground’ produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed; its fate is to be burned.) Referencing the second death. See Rev 2:11, 20:6, 20:14 and 21:8.

(Heb 6:9-12; “But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for His name, ’practices, characteristics, attributes’ in having served and continuing to serve the Saints. (11) But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.”) Consider how promise of salvation is obtained.

Salvation parallels Abraham promises.

(Heb 6:13-20; “Now when God made His promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.” (15) And so by persevering, Abraham inherited the promise.) ’By holding to his gifted faith in God unwaveringly, Abraham inherited the promises for all the faithful.”

(16) For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. (17) In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that His purpose was unchangeable, and so He intervened with an oath, so that we who have found refuge in Him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, (20) where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since He became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”)

Jesus, “our Forerunner - the Pioneer of our salvation, is our priest forever and will be “serving as King of Peace.” Remember the holy of holiness was behind the curtain where priest only went once a year: God’s purpose was and is unchangeable. Christendom has a similar problem as did the Israelites in Joshua and Samuel’s day. However through God’s imputed energizing spirit we understand the mystery of “God’s in us” knowledge the Israelites didn’t have.

Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood

(Heb 7:1-10; “Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. To Him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. (’Melchizedek’s’ name first means king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace. (3) Without father, without mother, without genealogy, He has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the Son of God, and He remains a priest for all time.”) We believe Melchizedek was Jesus presenting Himself in human form. Remember Jesus presented Himself in various ways. As a rock for example. See also Deut 8:15, 32:13-18.

(Exodus 33:19-23; And the Lord said, “I will make all My goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place by Me; you will station yourself on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you will see My back, but My face must not be seen.”) Take time to observe Job’s understanding.

Job 19:23-29; “O that my words were written down, O that they were written on a scroll, that with an iron chisel and with lead they were engraved in a rock forever! As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, whom I will see for myself, and whom my own eyes will behold, and not another. My heart grows faint within me. If you say, ‘How we will pursue Him, since the root of the trouble is found in Him!’ (29) Fear the sword yourselves, for wrath brings the punishment by the sword, so that you may know that there is judgment.”) Job believed his body would be resurrected, that he’d see God and judgment was coming.

(Hebrews 7:4-10; “But see how great He ‘Melchizedek’ must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his plunder. And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham. (6) But Melchizedek who does not share their ancestry collected a tithe from Abraham and blessed the one, ‘Abraham’ who possessed the promise. Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior, and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by Him who is affirmed to be alive. And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham. For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins when Melchizedek met him.”)

Tithing was instituted in Abraham and through Samuel’s time for people of God, “the governing authority was God as He administered through His called out ones.” Only gentile populations were taxed according to the whims of Emperor and King types. What we have here is Jesus’ revelations through Paul that fits perfectly with His prophetic Word through His prophets, apostles and His direct revelations to His apostle John as recorded in, “Revelations of Jesus to John.”

Jesus said His followers would be in the world but not of the world. However worldwide modern Christendom is very much in the world and their practices weigh much heavier toward pagan tradition than to principles Jesus and His apostles taught. To followers Jesus we must grow to the mindset David expressed.

Psalms 28:1-2; “To you, O Lord, I cry out! My protector, ’Rock’ do not ignore me! If you do not respond to me, I will join those who are descending into the grave. Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to You for help, when I lift my hands toward Your holy temple! (Hebrew: My rocky summit? David compares our Lord to a rocky summit where one can fine protection from enemies.

(Psalms 18:2; “The Lord is my high ridge, my Stronghold, my Deliverer. My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge.) Looking to Jesus as the Psalmist did, is the only way we’re able to call Him Lord.

Jesus and the Priesthood of Melchizedek

(Hebrews 7:11; “So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levite priesthood – for on that basis the people received the law – what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order?”) (Aaron’s priestly order was by appointment and looked forward to Jesus’ Melchizedek permanent order. Was a schoolmaster in comparison to the “mystery of God being in us.” Like circumcision being right for followers of Jesus but looks forward to spiritual circumcision of the heart.

(Gal 3:3:23-29; “Now before ‘Jesus’’ faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed. Thus the law had become our guardian ‘schoolmaster’ until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by ’His’ faith. (25) But now that ‘Jesus’’  faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (That is like with David, Jesus is our rocky summit - our stronghold.) There is neither Jew nor Greek, that  is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are One in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.”)

God’s gifted spirit in us “gives the desire to be obedient, so Believers IN Him don’t need the law in order to be righteous in His view. However the law still defines sin in His view.

11/29/2,019 God’s 9th Month, Av 1, 5.780

To: A called people with a gifted desire to be atOne with God.

Why would Paul want to take New Covenant believers back to when Jesus delivered the Israelites through Moses? To demonstrate the parallels in miraculous deliverance, God’s choosing, planning and purposes. Paul had previously explained to God’s church at Rome and believers everywhere; “For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.” Rom 15:4) Paul also draws parallel comparisons of physical Israel being before Mt Zion when the commandments were given to spiritual Israelites approaching God’s throne in worshipful in prayer.

(Heb 12:22-24;” But you “Christians” have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does.”)

Short sighted fleshly Israelites were rebellious, stubborn, kept looking back to how it’d been in Egypt and later looking to how other people groups served their gods to Samuel‘s day. God told Samuel, “they aren’t rejecting you, but Me.” So God gave them Saul and later David, who was a man after His own heart and through whom the Messiah would come.

(Hebrews 4:1-4; “Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering His rest remains open, none of you “Christians” may seem to have come short of it. For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in with those who heard it in faith. (The fathers) (3) For we who have believed enter that rest, as He has said, “As I swore in My anger, ‘They will never enter My rest!’” (Quote from Psalms 95:11) And yet God’s works were accomplished from the foundation of the world. (4) For He has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works,” (Quote from Genesis 2:2) but to repeat the text cited earlier: “They will never enter My rest!”)

God’s seventh day Sabbath and seventh month with four annual Sabbaths  foreshadows God rest for His people. (A rest form works, making, doing to obtain self serving gains and activities of the flesh.) A believing IN time of rest likened to father Abraham’s trusting believing IN faith.

Before God’s gifting His energizing Holy Spirit on that Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension, only His foundational chosen family of believers were gifted to believe IN as Jesus‘ followers are today. As a whole the Israelites weren’t gifted to believe IN as was Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, “whom God called and revealed Himself to.”

(Heb 4:6; “Therefore it remains for some to enter it, ’the rest’ yet those to whom it was previously proclaimed did not enter because of disobedience.”)

Faithful obedience or obedience through faith is key. Obeying and trusting in Jesus, the Pioneer of our salvations is what God desires.

(Heb 4:7; “So God again ordains, “sets aside’ a certain day, “Today” speaking through David after so long a time, as in the words quoted before, “O, that today you would listen as He speaks.”) (Greek word for ‘today‘ has the meaning; “today if you hear His voice.” Do not harden your hearts.”) Our hearts are hard when our main pursuits are “getting and “entertaining self.”

(Heb 4:8-10; “For if Joshua had given them ‘the Israelites’ rest, God would not have spoken afterward about another ‘future’ day.’ (9) Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. For the one who enters God’s rest has also rested from his works, just as God did from His own works.”) After creating God sit back and observed His work, rested from His work activity. Entering God’s rest includes repentance from dead works and  seeking His selfless nature.

(Heb 4:11-12; “Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. For the Word ‘energizing Power - Spirit’ of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.”)

(Heb 4:13; “And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we, ‘followers of Jesus’ must render an account.”) Each individual’s deeds will be judged during God’s millennial rest. Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest compares to Aaron or Leviticus Priest.

(Heb 4:14-16; “Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession, “repentance” For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. (16) Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.”)

That Throne? Not like physical Mount Zion, where they feared to the degree that Moses said ‘I exceeded fear.’ (Heb 12:18-24; “For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they ‘the Israelites’ could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” (21) In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” (22) But you (‘trusting through Jesus’ gifted faith’) have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does.”)

Abel’s shed blood still speaks in that it witnesses, cries out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11-14; 11:4).

Jesus, High Priest on the order of Melchizedek.

(Heb 5:1-4; “For every ‘Levite’ high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness, and for this reason he is obligated to make sin offerings for Himself as well as for the people. (4) And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to it by God, as in fact Aaron was.”

(Heb 5:5-6; “So also Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming high priest, but the One who glorified Him was God, who said to Him, “You are My Son! Today I have fathered You,” as also in another place God says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”) Quote from Psalms 110:4. (Greek; “I have begotten You”; see Heb 1:5, quote from Psalms 2:7.)

(Heb 5:7-10;” During His earthly life Christ offered both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from ‘eternal’ death and He was heard because of His devotion. (8) Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through the things He suffered. (9)And by being perfected in this way, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, and He was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”) The phrase in the order of Melchizedek picks up the quotation from Psalms 110:4 in Heb 5:6.

Melchizedek? If not Jesus he was an appointed angel serving Jesus. We believe Melchizedek was in fact Jesus serving as king of Salem, meaning peace. Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the pre-incarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem.

Net Bible translators think it far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek. To be without genealogy is strong indication that Jesus Himself served as king of Salem and likewise David is appointed to serve in Jesus’ millennial kingdom.

The text of Genesis 14:17-20; sounds like the Son of God’s speech.

(Gen 14:17-20; After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth. Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.”) Abraham refused to give or take anything from the king of Sodom because he said; (“I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing except compensation for what the young men have eaten. As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”) Gen 14:23-24)

Abraham’s character and faith is one to mimic.

Jerusalem out to the borders promised Abraham are perpetually Israel.

God’s calendar begins at Jerusalem, as the earth turns, sunsets begins new days over the whole earth. In an approximate 24 hours span of time the sun sets on a belted area north and south of the equator as God planned. God’s days begins and ends at sunsets ‘in the Judean area.’ His day, new moon and seasons can’t be altered. Mankind’s alternations demonstrate hostility.

Paul considered Hebrews sluggish and in need of maturity.

(Heb 5:11; On this topic we have much to say and it is difficult to explain, since you ‘Hebrews’ have become sluggish in hearing ‘understanding.’ For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.”) Next Paul teaches the elementary doctrine of Jesus’ good news doctrine with the admonishment to move on to perfection. He identifies the seven doctrines naming the seventh first.

(Heb 6:1-2; “Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and (7) move on to maturity, (1) not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and (2) faith in God, (3) teaching about baptisms, (4) laying on of hands, (5) resurrection of the dead, and (6) eternal judgment.”)

(Heb 6:3-6; “And this is what we intend to do, if God permits. For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, ‘a falling away’ to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding Him up to contempt.”) Once miraculously gifted with God’s energizing Holy Spirit, believing IN Him as He’s manifest to be; then fall back to this world’s demonic system of things; “surely it’d be difficult to regain Jesus’ imputed faith.”

11/27/2,019 God’s eighth Month, Cheshvan 29, 5.780

To: A called people with a gifted desire to be atOne with God.

Hebrews was written from Italy; seems to be the final printed letter from Jesus through His apostle Paul. It’s to God’s church “Spiritual Israelites.” His letter reveals the summation of how Jesus’ New Covenant replaces the old. The “Hebrew - Israelites” had a semblance view of Temple construction and worship as passed from their ancestors, they “could grasp and teach God’s old and new covenant parallels.” We believe Paul is the Hebrews writer, in part because of his previous Pharisee knowledge of “Levite Priest’s Temple duties” and functions pertaining to their spiritual parallels.

Seemingly Through Paul, Jesus Speaks His Word Fully and Final,

while identifying Himself.

(Hebrews 1:1-4; “After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last days He has spoken to us in a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He created the world. (3) The Son is the radiance of His ‘God the Father’s’ glory and the representation of His essence, and He ‘Jesus’ sustains all things by His powerful Word and so when He ‘Jesus’ had accomplished cleansing for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Thus He became so far better than the angels as He has inherited a name superior to theirs.”) (Note; He has accomplished cleansing for sins.)

The revelations through God’s prophets are understood in Jesus’ fleshly and spiritual life. He is our Mediator before God the Father, our coming King of Kings, Israel’s and Non-Israelites’ final Deliverer. His foot stool is the earth and its enemies, judgment is rendered and ultimately the last enemy death will be destroyed. God the Father is revealed through God the Son and through His Son, all was created and all is sustained. See also John 1”1-5 and Colossians 1:15-20.

Note Paul’s revelations and use of the Old Testament.

(Heb 1:5-6; “For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son! Today I have fathered you”? “quote from Psalms 2:7” And in another place He says, “I will be His father and He will be My Son.” “quote from 2 Sam 7:14 and Chronicles 17:13“. (6) But when He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all the angels of God worship Him!” “quotation combining themes from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7.”

(Heb 1:7-12; “And He says of the angels, “He makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire,” “quote from Ps 104:4.” but of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed You over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.” (10) And, “You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but You continue. And they will all grow old like a garment, and like a robe You will fold them up and like a garment they will be changed, but You are the same and your years will never run out.”)

You ‘Jesus’ founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Psalms 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son. (There’s no mistake when we compare John 1:1-5 and Colossians 1:15-20)

(Heb 1:13; “But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet”? “quote from Ps 110:1” Are they ‘the angels’ not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?”) (Contemplate on angels serving we followers of Jesus.) Powerful angels are sent to serve we who are inheriting salvation! That alone is reason to humbly submit to our Lord and Savior Jesus.

(Heb 2:1-4; “Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken through angels proved to be so firm that every violation or disobedience received its just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.”)

Gifts of the Holy Spirit? (1Cor 12:27-31; “Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you is a member of it. And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, and different kinds of tongues. Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they? Not all have gifts of healing, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they? Not all interpret, do they? But you should be eager for the greater gifts. And now I will show you a way that is beyond comparison.”) In chapter 13: Paul explains that Godly love is the greatest of all gift. Fleshly love has waxed cold in this latter age!

Now Paul takes from Psalms 8:

(Heb 2:5-10; “For He did not put the world to come, about which we are speaking, under the control of angels. Instead someone testified somewhere: “What is man that You think of him or the son of man that you care for Him? You made Him lower than the angels for a little while. You crowned him with glory and honor. You put all things under his control.” For when He put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control, (9) but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by God’s grace He would experience death on behalf of everyone. (10) For it was fitting for Him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”)

The Greek word translated pioneer is used of a “prince” or leader, the representative head of a family. It also carries nuances of “trailblazer,” one who breaks through to new ground for those who follow him. It is used some thirty-five times in the Greek Old Testament and four times in the New Testament, always of Christ (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb 2:10; 12:2).

(Heb 2:11-18; “For indeed He who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin and so He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” “quote from Psalms 22:22.” (13) Again He says, “I will be confident in Him,” and again, “Here I am, with the children God has given Me. “quote from Isaiah 8:17-18.” therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He ‘Jesus’ likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death He could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), (15) and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. For surely His concern is not for angels, but He is concerned for Abraham’s descendants. (17) Therefore He had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. (Atonement? Propitiation” win favor: to appease or conciliate somebody or something.) (18) For since He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted.”)

We all need the Pioneer of our salvation’s help and to rekindle His faith in us by turning to His Word for purification.

Jesus delivered Israel through Moses who was made likened to Himself.

(Hebrews 3:1-6; “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, who is faithful to the One who appointed Him, as Moses was also in God’s house. For He ‘Jesus’ has come to deserve greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves greater honor than the house itself! (4) For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken. But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. We are of His house, if in fact we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope we take pride in.”)

Referring to Psalm 95: Hearing God’s Word in Faith,

Israel’s unbelief our example.

(Heb 3:7-19; “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Oh, that today you would listen as He speaks! “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness. “There your fathers tested Me and tried Me, and they saw My works for forty years. “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering and they have not known My ways.’ (11) “As I swore in My anger, ‘They will never enter My rest!’” (12) See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God. But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. (14) For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence firm until the end. As it says, “Oh, that today you would listen as He speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (quote from Ps 95:7b-8.) (16) For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership? And against whom was God provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear they would never enter into His rest, except those who were disobedient? So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.”)

Except for those God reveals Himself to; the populations of the whole world are unbelievers. God called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name He changed to Israel. (Israel meaning: God fights for.) From Israel’s twelve sons God called Joseph. Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons with the blessings promised Abraham. Israelites were in Egypt four hundred years before Jesus called Moses to be their deliverer under Himself. Setting a deliverance parallel example between the old and new covenants.

Under Moses and as promised Abraham, only the Israelites were God’s chosen people, while He was allowed the rest go the way that seemed right to themselves. Jesus made a covenant promise between the Israelites and Himself through Moses, making Moses their deliverer and prophet. Jesus revealed to Moses before Joshua’s time, that the Israelites would turn from Him, to worldly paganism. But even long before promises were made to Abraham, God the Father and God the Son were planning the Son ’Jesus’’ ultimate blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. Through Jesus a new covenant is ratified and called out Believers in Him are being spiritually delivered from sin similar to Israel’s physical deliverance from Egypt. Watch these truths unfold as we study Hebrews.

11/26/2,019, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 28/5,780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

Jesus commissioned His apostles John and Paul to identify Him as the “Re-Creator, Creator, Sustainer, One through whom there’s life, Deliverer, Healer, Protector, Mediator and coming King of Kings.” (See Col 1:15-20, John 1:1-5 and Hebrews 1:) He set aside perpetual Holy Days. He’s the Alpha and Omega Son of God and Spokesperson who said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness. He’s the Lord that made promises to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. His church family is built on His Prophets, Apostles with Himself the chief Cornerstone and Vine through whom His followers “branches” get nourishment. His is the only truth.

Jesus reveals Himself

John 4:4-26; “But He ’Jesus’ had to pass through Samaria. Now He came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since He was tired from the journey, sat right down beside the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me some water to drink.” (For His disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you – a Jew – ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews have nothing in common with us.)

(John 4:10-14; “Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give Me some water to drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said to Him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” (13) Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

(John 4:15-18; “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” He said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” The woman replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!”

(John 4:19-21; “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe Me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

(John 4:22-26; “You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming – and now is here – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers. God is spirit and the people who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); “whenever He comes, He will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I, the One speaking to you, am He.”)

Jesus’ apostle Paul explained that when people knew God they didn’t glorify Him and inspired His prophet Isaiah to pen.

(Isaiah 28:9-13; “Who is the Lord trying to teach? To whom is He explaining a message? Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother’s breast! Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, and a syllable there. (11) For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue He will speak to these people. In the past He said to them, “This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found.” But they refused to listen. (13) So the Lord’s word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured.”)

It’s why we have so many professing Christians rejecting truth and yielding to what they believe is “their truth.” A “my truth philosophy” plays into Satan’s deceptions. Each people group going the way that seems right may be the reason Jesus said to His apostles, “Leave them, they’re blind guides.” If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matt 15:14)

We can’t comprehend all God can do and control through the workings of His Holy energizing spirit. After Jesus delivered the Israelites from the sinful practices learned in Egypt, it wasn’t long before they began to grumble and desire the way of Egypt.

(Exodus 17:4-6; “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with this people? – a little more and they will stone me!” The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink. And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel.”)

The Lord had gifted Moses with knowing faith that the Lord could do through him what He promised. Remember God is all in all. See Numbers 20:8, 20:8-10 and Deut 8:15-18.

Through the same spirit God fathers people with His “Holy Spirit of truth.”

(Psalms 114:1-8; When Israel left Egypt, when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His kingdom. The sea looked and fled; the Jordan River turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. (5) Why do you flee, O sea? Why do you turn back, O Jordan River? Why do you skip like rams, O mountains, like lambs, O hills? Tremble, O earth, before the Lord – before the God of Jacob, who turned a rock into a pool of water, a hard rock into springs of water!) Who gave the spiritual inclination to write this Psalm and who gave John the mind to write; (John 3:8; “The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”)

Not only was Mary impregnated with Jesus by God the Father through His energizing Holy Spirit, He revealed to Mary that she should visit Elizabeth after saying, (Luke 1:36-38; “And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God.” So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to Your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”

(Luke 1:39-45; “In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? (44) For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”)

Elizabeth and Mary were gifted to believe IN through God’s gifting them with His Holy Spirit of truth. All believers IN are gifted to believe through Jesus’ faith and do according to spiritual guidance.

Divine Nature Gifted, then spiritual overcoming begins.

(Remember the apostle’s letters are to; “those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as the apostle’s.)

(2Pet 1:1-11.” From Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours. May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord! I can pray this because His divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the One who called us by His own glory and excellence. (4) Through these things He has bestowed on us His precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. But concerning the one who lacks such things – he is blind. That is to say, he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin. For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be richly provided for you.”)

Note the words “called” “bestowed” “divine nature” “provided” and the characteristics to be developed after conversion.

Why Parables? And what’s destructive about the cares of this world?

(Mark 4:10-20; “When Jesus was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parables. He said to them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables, so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven.”

(Mark 4:13-20; He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear, immediately Satan comes and snatches the word that was sown in them. These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy. But they have no root in themselves and do not endure. Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, but worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it produces nothing. But these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred.”)

Facts of Jesus’ deity aren’t taught by worldly religions.

(Colossians 1:15-20; He, “Jesus” is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by Him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through Him and for Him. He Himself is before all things and all things are held together “sustained” in Him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the first born from among the dead, so that He Himself may become first in all things. For God “the Father” was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in the Son and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross – through Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”) John wrote the same as recorded at John 1:1-5.

(Heb 1:1-4; “After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last days He has spoken to us in a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He created the world. The Son is the radiance of His glory and the representation of His essence, and He sustains all things by His powerful word, and so when He had accomplished cleansing for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Thus He became so far better than the angels as He has inherited a name superior to theirs.”)

The above must be revealed before people understand God’s love.

(1John 4:7-10; “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent His one and only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”) We must know God’s character personifies love and “He loved and revealed Himself, before we could love Him in kind.”

11/25/2,019, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 27/5,780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

In Acts of the Apostles is the account of “Simon the Magician” likely the Simon Magus, who founded Gnosticism among pagans throughout Egypt and around the world. He’s likely the magician who had been amazing the Samaritans with his magic when Phillip was teaching, but he believed the kingdom of God message. The Jerusalem apostles heard about the many believing so they came, lay hands on people and they received the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 8:4-8; Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and began proclaim The Christ to them. The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing. For unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. So there was great joy in that city.)

The magician who’d been amazing the Samaritans with his magic believed the kingdom of God message.

(Acts 8:17-24; Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money, saying, “Give me this power too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could acquire God’s gift with money! You have no share or part in this matter because your heart is not right before God! (22) Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin.” But Simon replied, “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”)

Gnosticism is one primary tool of Satan’s, added to and fabricated the writings of people like Thomas and others. Teaching zodiac and other pagan worship ideas promoted through Gnostics teaching.

Jesus knew people were like naïve sheep in their fleshly nature; His people the Israelites were commanded not to learn the ways of other people groups. Like sheep, people need shepherds who’ll teach truth. It’s dangerous for “even believers to contemplate, learn of and dwell on the many pagan ideas in the worldly market place.” So called schools of higher learning teach and put more emphasis on paganism than God’s Way. Those not knowing the signs of the zodiac and names of various pagan gods are considered uneducated, but God would have His people ignore it all for what it is.

Jesus foreknew the Israelites would break their covenant commitment during Samuel’s time. He knew they’d want a king, “like non-Israelites.” (He also knew His church would be polluted by impostors and that even professing Christians would reject His way soon after His ascension.) (Additionally it was preplanned that His chosen people’s rejecting would make the way for gentiles to become spiritual Israelites.) The purpose being that believing IN Israelites and believing IN non-Israelites could become “one people in Jesus.” All believers IN Jesus become spiritual Israelites.” Paul taught it.

(Galatians 3:27-29; For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.)

The God of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses is “The Re-Creator, Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer, Savior, Mediator and coming King of Kings.” He inspired Paul to write, (Colossians 2:20-23; “If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings. Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and false humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body — a wisdom with no true value — they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.”)

Rejecting God’s truth started with Adam and Eve, Satan has been the world’s god since. (Fleshly Israelites who witnessed God’s greatness could have kept their covenant promise if they had what’s available to Believers IN today. They had a hands on guiding Shepherd in Samuel, but liked Godly love of their Creator. Spiritual Israelites who’re called since Jesus’ ascension and glorification are gifted with “God’s gifted energizing Holy Spirit of truth and Godly love. Believers IN have a Shepherd ‘Jesus’ who’s likened to Moses and can withstand the devil’s temptations because Godly Love is imputed to the mind. This was God’s plan all the while, it was preplanned that Creator Jesus would come as the Son of God, be the sacrificial Lamb, die for the sins of the world, so recipients of His Holy Spirit of truth could be gifted with believing IN Godly love.”) God’s gifted Holy Spirit of truth is defined as His energizing spirit making it’s recipients atOne with Himself.

(1John 5:3-5; For this is the love of God: that we keep His commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down, because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?) (12) The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life.)

(Immortality is only through the Son of God ‘Jesus’ when we’re called and chosen to believe IN Him, we have eternal life.)

(1John 5:18-20; We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one He has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.”) (As always study the whole.)

Jesus made perpetual covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, regarding their descendents, “physical and spiritual Israelites.” (Review Galatians 3:29) Since Jesus’ ascension and glorification called out Believers IN Him are begotten children of God, “spiritual Israelites and as such have the promises as a set aside ’sanctified’ people.

God chooses and sanctifies

While the whole world was doing what seemed right to themselves, God was setting aside a people for His name and purpose. Promising Abraham borders, that his descendents numbering like the stars would inherit. Through Jacob whose name God changed to Israel, “Joseph’s sons were blessed.” Jacob saying to Joseph that God would bring their descendents back to the land of their fathers. (Jacob may not have known at the time “his prophecy included Jesus’ deliverance through Moses and an even greater deliverance during Jesus’ millennial reign.) See Isaiah 35: and Ezekiel 36: - 37: for starters.

(Genesis 48:19-22; “But his ‘Joseph’s’ father ’Jacob’ refused Joseph’s request that his right hand be placed on the older son.” And said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” So he ’Jacob’ blessed them that day, saying, “By you will Israel bless, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. (21) Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. As one who is above your brothers, I give to you the mountain slope, which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”)

God has preplanned it all” (Isaiah 14:24; “The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow: “Be sure of this: Just as I have intended, so it will be; just as I have planned, it will happen.”)

(Isaiah 46:8-13; “Remember this, so you can be brave! Think about it, you rebels! Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! Truly I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like Me, who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred, who says, ‘My plan will be realized, I will accomplish what I desire,’ who summons an eagle from the east, from a distant land, one who carries out my plan. Yes, I have decreed, yes, I will bring it to pass; I have formulated a plan, yes, I will carry it out. Listen to me, you stubborn people, you who distance yourself from doing what is right. I am bringing My deliverance near, it is not far away; I am bringing My salvation near, it does not wait. I will save Zion; I will adorn Israel with My splendor.”) All through the workings of His energizing Holy Spirit.

The New Covenant is with a spiritually called out people.

The apostles’ letters are to followers of Jesus. In large part to “in resident congregations.”

(1John 3:9-11; “Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to ’practice’ sin, because he has been fathered by God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness – the one who does not love his fellow Christian – is not of God.”)

When God’s seed resides in a person that individual God’s own begotten child. From Net Bible translators we have their play on words. (The Greek word is, σπέρμα (sperma) in this context is “male generating seed” although this is a figurative rather than a literal sense. Such imagery is bold and has seemed crudely anthropomorphic (meaning: attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman: attribution of a human form, characteristics, or human behavior to nonhuman things.) To some interpreters ’seed’ poses no more difficulty than the image of God as a male parent fathering Christians that appears in John 1:13 and is behind the use of γεννάω (gennaw) with reference to Christians in 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, and 18).

Allowing scripture to interpret scripture is to know such an imputation from God is a miraculous event. John quotes Jesus saying; (John.3:8; “The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”)

11/23/2,019, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 25/5,780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

Timothy was a young preacher, not as seasoned as Paul but spiritually gifted to understand spiritual matters. Paul knew Timothy understood “the Holy Spirit in him is in fact “the spirit of truth” energizing, teaching and leading him. Note how Paul’s letter to Timothy mimics and enforces last study’s teaching defining the Holy Spirit’s work.

(2Tim 1:6-14;”Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, a prisoner for His sake, but by God’s power accept your share of suffering for the gospel. (9) He is the One who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on His own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher. (12) Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. (Review what Ananias was instructed to tell Paul as recorded in Acts of the apostles 9:7-19) But I am not ashamed, because I know the One in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that He is able to protect what has been entrusted to me until that day. Hold to the standard of sound words that you heard from me and do so with the faith and love that is in Christ Jesus. Protect that good thing entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us.”) What does the Holy Spirit living in us make us? Christ like. Thus, like Jesus we’re gifted with His faith to overcome to the end. Think about how people are called to be Believers IN Jesus. Give all the glory and thanks to God the Father for His calling and gifting the desire.

Paul understood wisdom was from God’s gifted Spirit

(1Corinthians 2:6-16; “Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing. Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory.” (See predestination here?) None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (9) But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.” (Quote from Isaiah 64:4) (10) God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among ‘fleshly’ men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. (13) And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

(15) The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.”) (Recipients of God’s Holy spirit of truth have the mind of Christ.) To repeat this isn’t boasting among believers, but may cause problems among fleshly unbelievers.

(Ephesians 1:11-14; “In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of His glory. (13) And when you heard The Word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed IN Christ – you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”)

When words of truth penetrate minds and we believe IN this good news, “Jesus, the Pioneer of our salvation” we’re marked with the seal of His promised Holy Spirit. Know we were predestined according to God’s purpose. No one believes IN of their own accord. (Many believe that a god is, “to believe IN requires a supernaturally gifted calling.”)

(2Cor 1:20-22; “For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in Him ‘Jesus‘; therefore also through Him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.”)

Jesus revealed spiritual aspects, regarding people’s bondage to things not satisfying spiritually thru Isaiah. His promises perpetual.

(Isaiah 55:1-9; “Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! Pay attention and come to Me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. Look, I made him ’David’ a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations.” Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He bestows honor on you.”

(Isa 55:6-9; Seek the Lord while He makes Himself available; call to Him while He is nearby! The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and He will show mercy to them, and to their God, for He will freely forgive them. (8) “Indeed, My plans are not like your plans, and My deeds are not like your deeds, for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and My plans superior to your plans.”) (Are you gifted with a Godly desire to know God? Consider yourself a believer IN?)

(John 7:27-34; ‘Then Jesus, while teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You both know Me and know where I come from! And I have not come on My own initiative, but the One who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him, because I have come from Him and He sent Me. So then they tried to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come. Yet many of the crowd believed IN Him and said, “Whenever the Christ comes, He won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will He? The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things about Jesus, so the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him. (33) Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me. You will look for Me but will not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”

(John 7:35-36; “Then the Jewish leaders said to one another, “Where is He going to go that we cannot find Him? He is not going to go to the Jewish people dispersed among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is He? What did He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?”)

(While KEEPING the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus’ speech sounds like Isaiah.)

(John 7:37-39; “On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, (the seventh of seven annual holy Sabbaths.) Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me, and let the one who believes IN Me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” (Now He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed IN Him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The Holy Spirit, “that energizing force from God the Father, changes outlooks from one of lawlessness to obedience through Jesus’ gifted faith.” Jesus’ faith couldn’t be gifted until He would be glorified and that faith was planned from the beginning.

God used His Energizing Spirit when fathering Jesus in Mary’s womb. In similar fashion God caused, Isaac to be fathered by Abraham when he and Sarah were past the age for natural reproduction. Likewise with John the Baptist‘s birth. (See Luke 1:18-25) Jesus was spiritually fathered by use of the energizing Holy Spirit. Thus He was the first born person to be fathered by God. As a begotten of the spirit person, Jesus was born “Son of God.” Jesus always remembered His former position with God the Father. (Jesus told His disciples that He saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. See Luke 10:18.) Jesus’ fleshly birth, miracles, death, resurrection and ascension was preplanned.

Jesus came to His own, ‘the Israelites.” When He first sent disciples out, He told them, “Do not go to Gentile regions and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ (Matt 10:5-7) It was preplanned that Messiah, ‘Jesus’ would present Himself through His disciples “to the scattered tribes of Israel first” and later to non-Israelites through His apostles. He knew in advance that the Israelites in Samuel’s day would reject their covenant with Him, would want a king and turn to “the ways of world and that He would scatter them.”

Likewise Jesus knew His new covenant church would be scattered “by worldly religious persecutions.” Knew how Satan dominated imposters would enter, divide and scatter His congregations. That denominational minded people would persecute, teach a false narrative etc. Jesus knew Satan would deceive the whole world and “if possible, even the Elect.”

(Mark 13:22-23; “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the Elect. Be careful! I have told you everything ahead of time. Matthew wrote the same. (Matt 24:24; “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the Elect. Remember, I have told you ahead of time.”)

The whole world had rejected our Creator back before He called Moses and commissioned him to be His deliverer of Israel. Israel had been in Egypt 400 plus years and were made servants to the Egyptians, “representing sin.” Delivering His called people from Egypt is characteristic of how God delivers individuals from this world’s system of things, also “representing sin” in this latter age since Jesus’ ascension.

11/22/2,019, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 24/5,780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

Generally speaking Christendom has been erroneously sold to think “only the New Testament” is relevant for our age and modern day church tradition replaces the law. From a Christian perspective the foundation for such thinking began back in the apostles day: “Jesus‘ brother “Jude“ wrote about the apostate taking place.” Paul too wrote about Satan and his followers manifesting themselves as angels of light. (2Cor 11:12-15; “What I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.”)

Basically the apostate is denying Jesus’ way and revolves around a hostile view regarding God’s calling and gifting understanding. People thinking themselves equal with Jesus’ apostles were a self called bunch. Erroneously  thinking worldly education can teach spiritual understanding. It’s still the case today. These aren’t attuned to God’s spiritually calling a chosen people and that spiritual understanding is gifted. It’s gifted “spirit of truth” Jesus and His apostles referred to, likening it to “an energizing helper that’d be with its recipient forever.” English words that describe are, “advocate, comforter or helper” gifted to a chosen, called out people; “believers IN.” Only these recipients can obey through a God gifted desire. Obeying out of a love of His Way spirit. Jesus said it and John recorded.

(John 14:16-17; “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments. Then I will ask the Father, and He will give you another (Advocate to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth) whom the world cannot accept, because it ‘the world’ does not see it ‘that one or spirit of truth’  or know it ‘that one or spirit of truth.’ But you know it “that one or spirit of truth” because it ‘that one or spirit of truth’ resides with you and will be in you.”) (Do we see scripture translating scripture here?) (The advocate, comforter or helper is “the spirit of truth.”

(Underlined words are to mimic the understanding at John 14:16, because finding an appropriate English translation for Advocate (παράκλητος) is a very difficult task. No single English word has exactly the same range of meaning as the Greek word. Advocate has the exact range of meaning as the Greek word “Comforter or Helper” used by some older English versions as appearing in “the Wycliffe translation” ’a translation more attuned to the original.’ (Advocate is adequate, but perhaps too broad.) Helper or assistant could also be used, but might suggest a subordinate rank. Advocate is chosen by the Net Bible translation, because it has stronger overtones than the Greek word.

An advocate, is ‘that gifted one’ or ’spirit of truth’ representing God’s gifted Holy Spirit; living in us, to energize and helping our whole being. Clearly the words “Holy Spirit, advocate, comforter or helper” living in us has the meaning, “God in us, making us His temples.”

(1Cor 3:16-17; “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.” See Also 2Corinthians 3:12-14.) God doesn’t consider recipients of His spirit as fleshly, but spirit beings.

Rom 8:8-11; “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, ‘followers of Jesus’ however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive ‘immortal’ through His Spirit who lives in you.”)

Satan knew God would make The Way for His chosen people to be gifted with immortality through ‘belief IN Jesus’ so he twisted the truth saying, “for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.” (See Genesis 3:)

May we each seek our Creator and learn to rely on Him.

Creating from nothing is a God attribute and Jesus re-creates, creates and energizes through His, “ Holy Spirit - the spirit of truth.” (Whether matter, objects or persons, Jesus can re-create.) He made aged wine from water, re-created bread and fish to feed thousands, re-created “resurrecting Lazarus after he was dead four days” and through Peter Jesus re-created - “resurrected Tabatha” who’d been dead several days. See Acts 9:36-42. (The Holy Spirit is defined as God‘s Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, God’s revealing power, breath and wind.) The Holy Spirit is God’s energizing force. There’s more evidence.

(1Cor 2:9-12; But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” (Quote from Isaiah 64:4) God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we ‘Believers IN Jesus’ have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.”)

Through God’s indwelling spirit, “God’s Holy Spirit, we may know things.” Believers IN glean from the above text (1) “people’s minds can’t imagine the things God has prepared for people gifted to love Him.” (2) “Through His Holy Spirit God reveals.” (3) “God’s Spirit energizes people’s minds to know spiritual things.” (4) “This so we may know the things God freely gives.” Now, only God’s Holy Spirit in us puts us in God’s Family.

Demonstrating the power and authority gifted to Jesus’ disciples ’God’s church’ the Holy Spirit was often, but not always, gifted through the church.

(Acts 8:14-17; “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. These two went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. (For the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans they received the Holy Spirit.”)

Accepting the Word of God as truth, is to demonstrate submissiveness to Jesus. (See Luke 6:46.) Paul was submissive and Ananias was sent after Jesus revealed Himself.

(Acts 9:10-19; “Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, Lord.” Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your Saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call on Your name!” But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of My name.” (17) So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized and after taking some food, his strength returned.”)

Much like Christendom people today, was Paul’s state of mind before Jesus revealed Himself? In the vernacular of our day, Paul was a denominationalist, a Pharisee believing in the Synagogue ‘church’ and the law. Because he was deceptively ingrained, Paul did the Synagogue’s bidding to punish followers of Jesus. After the imputation of the Holy Spirit of truth, Paul was a new person and put in God’s family, “His church.” Much later during Paul’ ministry he found some disciples in Corinth who had believed John’s message and were baptized in John’s baptism. Paul asks “did you receive the Holy Spirit? They said “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:3-7; Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the One who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” (5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.” (Now there were about twelve men in all.)

After being immersed in the teaching of Jesus, the people believed IN and submitted to Him through Paul. The Holy Spirit was gifted, making them members of God’s family, “His church.” (Their nature was changed, making them new persons, reflecting the characteristics of Jesus.) The fruit “result” of God’s Holy Spirit was manifesting itself.

(Gal 5:22-26; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (24) Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.”)

The indwelling Spirit of truth gives the desire to be at one with God the Father and God the Son. Desire to be obedient becomes natural. Makes us desire an intimate family relationship. See Phil 2:13; “for the One bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of His good pleasure – is God.” (Note that God does it all, “so no one can boast except in the Lord.”)

11/19/19, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 21/5780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

Believers IN are joyful regarding the fact that Jesus has ascended and now our Mediator before God our Father. Having lived in the flesh and experienced temptation without sin, He’s the Pioneer of our salvation, one to mimic, whose ways we need to be immersed in and clothed with. His apostles understood none of these things until after His resurrection and gifted with the spirit of truth. When we understand, remember it’s gifted. No room for boasting of education, heritage or good deed works.

(John 16:19-23; “Jesus could see that they wanted to ask Him about these things, so He said to them, “Are you asking each other about this – that I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me; again after a little while, you will see Me’? I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. (21) When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy away from you. (23) At that time you will ask Me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, whatever you ask the Father in My name ‘in My nature’ He will give you. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. ‘nature’ Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete.”) (They couldn’t ask in Jesus’ nature until they were “born from above.”)

To ask in Jesus’ name is to ask as one of His called out ambassadors, in His gifted nature, characteristics and attributes. Some of what Jesus taught was in parables, but to His apostles privately He explained.

(John 16:25-28; “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; a time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you plainly about the Father. At that time you will ask in My name, and I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered into the world, but in turn, I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

(Review why Jesus spoke to the multitudes in Parables.)

(John 16:29-30; His disciples said, “Look, now you are speaking plainly and not in obscure figures of speech! Now we know that you know everything and do not need anyone to ask you anything. Because of this we believe that You have come from God.”

(John 16:31-33; Jesus replied, “Do you now believe? Look, a time is coming – and has come – when you will be scattered, each one to his own home, and I will be left alone. Yet I am not alone, because My Father is with Me. I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage – I have conquered the world.”)

Believing and practicing certain lies has blinding effects and hardens the heart against truth. It’s the reason Jesus’ apostle Paul explained at Romans 2:2-8; “Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the wealth of His kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. He will reward each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition, not obeying the truth but following unrighteousness.”)

Satan desires the whole world be deceived. He has dutifully and diligently continued to deceive since he sold Eve, then Adam on being disobedient to their Creator. His harmful lies include, (calling God a liar” saying; “Surely you will not die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.” Gen 3:4-5) The three lies? (1) “You’re going to live forever someplace.” (2) “By disobeying your eyes will be opened.” (3) “As divine beings, you’ll know good and evil.”

Believing, “surely you will not die” is to believe you’re born immortal. That each person lives forever in “a good or bad place.” Because of Satan’s lies, all major religions believe in some form of, “people having a component called “soul” that keeps living after death.” Even most modern translations of the holy scriptures have yielded to Satan’s agenda, erroneously translating the Hebrew word for “breath” and the Greek word for “spirit” to ”soul.” Is the truth obtainable, even without spiritual guidance? Should be.

(Genesis 2:7; “The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils “the breath of life” and the man became a living being.”) Not a living soul in the context of how the world has been deceived to think.) See Revelations 21:8, about the second death that’ll burn up unbelievers.

The Hebrew word (mishmash) is “breath”) used by God, meaning ‘life imparted to.” Its usage in the Hebrew conveys more than “a breathing living organism” (Hebrew -נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה, nefesh khayyah). People given this “breath of life” becomes animated with life from God, having a functioning conscience. (See Job 32:8 & Proverbs 20:27) Human life is described in Genesis 2:7 “as consisting of a body (made from soil - from the ground) and breath” (given by God) Both animals and humans are called “living beings” (נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה) but humankind becomes “a living being” in a different and more significant way. The Hebrew term “נֶפֶשׁ nefesh” is “being”) often translated “soul,” usually refers to the whole person. The phrase “נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה - nefesh khayyah, “living being”) is used of both animals and human beings (see Genesis 1:20, 24, 30; 2:19).

Even our English dictionary allows various opinions: (Soul - spirit surviving death” in some systems of religious belief, the spiritual part of a human being that is believed to continue to exist after the body dies. The soul is sometimes regarded as subject to future reward and punishment, and sometimes able to take a form that allows it to remain on or return to earth. All worldly religions subscribe to some form of this definition.

The Hebrew word, “breath” makes a person “a living being” not the same as “the spirit of God that gives eternal life through Jesus.” God’s divine spirit empowers and energizes individuals. Let’s start with the beginning of God’s re-Creation.

Genesis 1:2; “Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.” “Spirit of God” is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like “wind for/breath of God” or mighty wind.” The word “God” represents the superlative. (Elsewhere in the Old Testament the phrase “Spirit of God” refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Genesis 41:38; Exodus 31:3; and 35:31; Num 24:2; 1Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:20, 23; Ezekiel 11:24; 2Chr 15:1; 24:20).

Not a third person, “but a power God uses to energize, gift understanding and knowledge to.” (Here’s an example.)

(Exodus 31:1-3; The Lord spoke to Moses: “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,) (Spirit of God likened to wind when Ezekiel was lifted up.)

(Ezekiel 11:24; “Then a wind lifted me up and carried me to the exiles in Babylonia, in the vision given to me by the Spirit of God.”)

Wind Or spirit. Elsewhere in Ezekiel the Lord’s Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit of the Lord” (11:5; 37:1) “the Spirit of God” or “My Spirit. (That is, the Lord’s) (36:27; 37:14; 39:29). The Hebrew word often refers to a wind as in Ezekiel (1:4; 5:10, 12; 12:4; 13:11, 13; 17:10, 21; 19:12; 27:26; 37:9). In Ezekiel 37:5-10 “a breath originates in the four winds” and is associated with the Lord’s “life-giving breath.” (See v 14) This breath enters into the dry bones and gives them life. In a similar fashion the breath of (Ezekiel 11:24 and 3:24) energizes - paralyzed Ezekiel. Breath and wind are related. (On the one hand it is a more normal picture to think of breath rather than wind entering someone, but since wind represents an external force, it seems more likely for wind rather than breath to stand someone up.) (Unless we should understand it as a disposition.) It may be that one should envision the breath of the speaker moving like a wind to revive Ezekiel, helping him to regain his breath and invigorating him to stand. A wind also transports the prophet ‘Ezekiel’ from one place to another (3:12, 14; 8:3; 11:1, 24; 43:5).Remember too Paul experienced “a taking up to the third heaven.”

So it is with everyone born of the spirit.

(John 3:5-8; Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”) The same Greek word, “πνεύματος” (pneumatos - the English), may be translated “wind” or “spirit.” The physical illustrates the spiritual, although the force is heightened by the word-play here on wind-spirit. (At the end of the verse, the final usage of “πνεύματος” (pneumatos in English) refers to the Holy Spirit.”) (When God supernaturally begets or fathers, we don’t know the reality of how understanding comes about, “only that things are revealed that were previously not understood.” No amount of theological training can replace revelations.

On that Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension and the miracle of God’s Spirit gifted to many, the people ask, “what must we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized “immersed” in the name “nature - likeness” of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39.)

Now we should understand that the Holy Spirit isn’t a third person, “but God’s energizing force likened to the wind.” (Review John 14: from our last study.) The Holy Spirit is gifted to “Believing IN people” giving a Godly desire to be obedience to Jesus because they’re given to understand that He loved us first.

11/18/19, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 20/5780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

If we were created with the capacity to choose what’s right, wrong, good and evil for ourselves there’d be no unity and no need for instruction. When independent minded folks trust their own intellect they come down on self serving issues and become argumentative. Such deficiency in our inherited sin nature is one reason Jesus came and His faith gifted to Believers IN “so there’d be unity among His chosen.” It’s why Jesus’ brother “James” was inspired to write to thoughtful persons being called for Jesus’ purpose.

(James 4:1-8; “Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions. (4) Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning”? But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.” So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.”)

When people decide for themselves what’s right, wrong, good and evil, they’re being gods to themselves. Their higher power isn’t the Creator God. Isn’t the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. Be aware that many false apostles assuming themselves smart are led by a demonic spirit. Some assume they’ve seen visions that don’t square with Jesus’ teaching through His prophets and the twelve. The divided devil originates many beliefs among those desiring to choose for themselves “which is spiritual idolatry.” In spite of wise council, such as, (Proverbs 14:12; “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death” and God giving Samuel a prophetic message regarding Israel’s turning to the world, wanting to be like other nations and have a fleshy king they could see and look up to.”)

(1Samuel 8:10-18; So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot. He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment. He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers. He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants. He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators and his servants. (16) He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants. In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.”)

Today every nation and every individual chooses leaders to oversee them. Or a dictator to rule by use of military power. All such leaders look to their own fleshly intellect, “rather than to the God of creation.” If we look back to world history we have to admit James knew human nature’s pitfalls. A divided world, nations and families. Today we have “demonic forces against demonic forces.”

Jesus said it; “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand. So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” Matt 12:26.

Note that demonically led nations whose people are singular due to dictatorial power often grow stronger than divided democracies, “unless the God of creation deems otherwise.”

(Divider “Satan” desires nations to be about the business of destroying one another, “but God has a plan for His people and the world will look to them for guidance during His millennial reign,” Satan will then be bound and God’s Way instituted. It’s the only governmental hope for this earth.)

Ezekiel 37:21-23; Then tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from roundabout and bring them to their land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms. They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness by which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become My people and I will become their God.

(Ezek 37:24-28; “‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one Shepherd for all of them. They will follow My regulations and carefully observe My statutes. They will live in the land I gave to My servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it – they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David My servant will be prince over them forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. I will establish them, increase their numbers, and place My sanctuary among them forever. (27) My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. Then, when My sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’”) Study this whole chapter to know and believe God can and will re-create His people; “then study Isaiah 35:”

The same Lord, John the Baptist introduces is He, that spoke through Ezekiel. Jesus’ deity was revealed to His apostles.

(John 1:6-13; A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about The Light, so that everyone might believe through Him. He ’John’ himself was not the light, but he came to testify about The Light. The True Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (10) He was in the world, and the world was created by Him, but the world did not recognize Him. He came to what was His own, but His own people did not receive Him. But to all who have received Him – those who believe IN His name – He has given the right to become God’s children – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.”) (A re-birth.)

Believers IN Jesus are spiritual Israelites and heirs accordingly. Jesus’ apostle Paul explains; “For all of you who were baptized ’immersed’ into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:27-29)

(John 1:14-18; “Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw His glory – the glory of the One and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. (15) John testified about Him and shouted out, “This One was the One about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because He existed before me.’” For we have all received from His fullness one gracious gift after another. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only One, ’Jesus’ Himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God ‘the Father’ known.”)

Jesus knew His apostles could not understand the spiritual significance of His coming, “shedding His blood, death, resurrection and ascension until He’d give them supernatural understanding.

(John 16:1-11; “I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. (In this age it’s mostly Moslems, in previous ages, others were persecuting and killing thinking to do God service.) They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me. But I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them. “I did not tell you these things from the beginning because I was with you. But now I am going to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking Me, ‘Where are you going?’ Instead your hearts are filled with sadness because I have said these things to you. But I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate ‘spirit of truth’ will not come to you, but if I go, I will send it to you. And when that one ’it’ comes, that one will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment – concerning sin, because they ‘the world’ do not believe in Me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see Me no longer; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world ’Satan’ has been condemned.”)

(John 16:12-16; “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when that one, the Spirit of truth, comes, it will guide you into all truth. For that one ‘it’ will not speak on its own authority, but will speak whatever it hears, and will tell you what is to come. That one ‘spirit of truth’ will glorify Me, because it will receive from Me what is mine and will tell it to you. (15) Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what is mine and will tell it to you. In a little while you will see Me no longer; again after a little while, you will see Me.”)

SPIRIT guide to all truth? Sometimes translator helps are good and sometimes not. We must allow scripture to translate scripture. The assumption that the Holy Spirit is one of three Gods or “is God in three persons” isn’t verified in scripture, no apostle ever wrote, “from God the Father, Jesus and the holy spirit.”

(The Net Bible Translators attempt to explain that “Spirit” can be translated, “that one.” It will guide His disciples into all truth. What Jesus had said in John 8:31-32, (1) “If you continue to follow My teaching you are really My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” will ultimately be realized in the ongoing ministry of that one to the disciples after Jesus’ departure. (2) The things that one speaks to them will not be things which originate from himself or itself. (that one’ will not speak on ‘its’ own authority) but things it has heard. The point here concerns the source of the things that one will say to the disciples and does not specifically exclude originality of content. (3) The Spirit is not the source or originator of these things – Jesus is the source, and He will continue to speak to His disciples through that Spirit who has come to dwell in them.

(If the Holy Spirit were an equal with God the Father and God the Son, then it could speak as such equally.) This does not answer the question completely, however whether these words are addressed to all followers of Jesus, or only to His apostles. Different modern commentators will answer this question differently.

Since in the context of the Farewell Discourse Jesus is preparing the twelve to carry on His ministry after His departure, it is probably best to take these statements as specifically related only to the twelve. Some of this seems to be directed to all believers; other parts of this statement are fulfilled through the apostles (Example; in giving the Book of Revelation Jesus speaks through the apostles to the church today, of things to come.) One of the implications of this is “a doctrine doesn’t have to be traced back to an explicit teaching of Jesus to be authentic; all that is required is apostolic authority.”) Jesus did speak to and through John. Net Bible commentary speculative was no help to me, but may help some.) Now back to John 16:

(John 16:17-18; Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what He is saying, ‘In a little while you will not see Me; again after a little while, you will see Me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they kept on repeating, “What is the meaning of what He says, ‘In a little while’? We do not understand what He is talking about.”)

They only began to understand after Jesus’ resurrection, when He fed them on the beach and after He came and breathed on, gifting the Holy Spirit .

11/17/19, God’s 8th month, Cheshvan 19/5780. 

To: Called out people living Jesus’ faith, “in the world but not of the world.”

God’s third holy season foreshadows end of demonic rule,

judgment, the resurrection, a thousand reign with King Jesus,

and New Jerusalem’s coming down.

(Matt 24:29-31; “Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. (30) Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather His Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”)

The third holy season is in God’s seventh month, including four of seven annual Sabbaths, “Trumpets, Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and The Last Great Day.” Jesus’ prophet Daniel prophesied, “many will be resurrected to be atOne with and serve Jesus.” His return will be triumphant, a thousand year millennia will begin, then final judgment and New Jerusalem‘s coming down. There’s no reason to assume God’s plan will conclude there. (See Daniel 12: and Matthew 24:)

Sabbaths are set aside, “people aren’t for Sabbaths, but Sabbaths are for God’s people.” (See Mark 2:27-28)

Only called out “believing IN people” are gifted to understand the true significance of Jesus’ miraculous birth, His re-creations, creation, sustaining powers, death, resurrection, ascension, set aside times foreshowing His righteous ways and planning.

God’s way includes gifted humility that submits to His ordained authority, a love balanced with humility that’s practically nonexistent in this latter day. As Jesus predicted, “Godly love has indeed waxed cold.” Spiritual growth includes overcoming our inherited from Adam nature and yielding to God’s Way. Jesus made it clear ‘He came to do The Father’s will’ emphasizing “not My own.” Jesus’ apostle Paul taught Believers ‘you should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.’ (See Philippians 2:5) (The King James Translation reads; “let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” From His View there should be no division among His followers. So let’s look closer at this text and pray for spiritual guidance.

(Phil 2:1-6; “Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. (That’s Godly humility) Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. (5) You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.”)

Jesus shared human nature yet resisted lawlessness, “sin.” As the Pioneer of our salvation, He never questioned His Father’s authority. If each follower of Jesus prayerfully submitted there’d be no division. We’d each submit to His and governmental authorities to the degree that didn’t disobey Him.

(Phil 2:7-11; Jesus humbled Himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! As a result God ’the Father’ exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”)

Before gifting the Holy Spirit, ‘God’s family consisted of two,’ “God the Father and God the Son.” (Review John 1:1-5, Colossians 1:15-20 and Hebrews 1: to discern Jesus’ deity long before His miraculous birth to the human family. After Jesus’ assigned work in human form was completed He returned to His former position with His Father and remains submissive. Recipients’ of God’s spirit are “individually fathered by God” born to His family, “put in His church.” Paul taught it to God’s church at Corinth and the whole family of Believers.

(“Do you not know that you ‘followers of Jesus’ are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you ‘followers of Jesus’ are.”)

(“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.”)

Paul’s subject in this chapter six has to do with physical and spiritual adultery. So let’s consider these verses from Jesus’ view as revealed to Paul. “There is no coalition between one being controlled and one being submissive.

(1Cor 6:12-19; “All things are lawful for me” – but not everything is beneficial. “All things are lawful for me” – but I will not be controlled by anything. “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both.” The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (14) Now God indeed raised the Lord and He will raise us by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” (17-18; But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body” – but the immoral person sins against his own body.”)

Believes IN, look forward to our being resurrected and inheriting a body like Jesus’. Thus, “we’ll have no need for physical food.” In principle? “partnering with unbelievers” is as “committing to spiritual adultery.” Paul’s second letter to God’s church at Corinth addresses the same subject.

(2Cor 6:14-18; “Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we ’followers of Jesus’ are the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (17) Therefore “come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters,” says the All-Powerful Lord.”)

Unbelievers yield to what seems right to their fleshly inherited from Adam nature, ‘minds.’ Adam and Eve yielded to the pleasures of sin, “what looked good to the eye.” The same with worldly Evangelic mentality, “you practice your faith and I’ll practice mine.” Believers IN yield to Jesus as the Pioneer of their gifted faith, which is “Jesus’ faith imputed to the mind” as was to His.

Through John, Jesus revealed His message to His Philadelphia church.

(Rev 3:12-13; “Because you have kept My admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away your crown. (12) The one who conquers ’overcomes to the end -(King James Translation) I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and He will never depart from it. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God (the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name as well. The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’)

When considering Godly submissiveness in relation to the seven churches in the providence of Asia “Revelations 2: and 3:” with Daniel’s prophecy “Dan 12:” regarding increased knowledge in the latter days, it appears God’s church of Philadelphia demonstrates God’s values more than others. Let’s consider the Lord’s compliments and corrective words to each in relationship to being submissive.

We discover their characteristics likened to professing believers.

God’s church in Ephesus was complimented for steadfast endurance, not tolerating evil - putting to the test those claiming to be apostles, but were not and hating the practices of the Nicolaitans as the Lord did and chastised for having left their first love.

God’s church in Smyrna was complimented for their suffering poverty, standing against those calling themselves Jews ’Christian’ but really were not. Promised the crown of life itself for their obedience and would not be harmed by the second death. (See second death referred to in three other Revelations passages; 20:6, 20:14 and 21:8.)

God’s church in Pergamum was complimented for clinging to Jesus’ name, not denying their faith in Him, even though living where Satan lives and promises those conquering a new name and chastising some for following the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolatians.

God’s church in Thyatira was complimented for their love, faith, service, steadfast endurance, recent deeds, for not learning the deep secrets of Satan. Promising ruling authority over the nations. Chastises for tolerating Jezebel and prophesied against her.

God’s church in Sardis was complimented for having a few individuals whose clothes were not stained, who walked with Jesus. “For walking with Me dressed in white you are worthy and your names written in the book of life.” Chastised for presenting a false reputation, claiming to be alive, but in reality dead.

God’s church in Philadelphia was complimented for obeying Jesus’ word, not denying His name, for having kept Jesus’ admonition, enduring steadfastly. Promised to keep them from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world, to make a pillar in the temple of God the Father, they will never depart from, write on them the name of God and the name of the city of My God (the New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and His new name as well.

God’s church in Laodicea was not complimented. Jesus introduces Himself, “the Amen, the faithful true witness, the originator of God’s creation. Chastised for neither being cold or hot, but lukewarm and promises to vomit them out because they say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Saying, “buy from Me white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness will not be exposed, and buy eye salve to put on your eyes so you can see!” All those I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent! Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears My voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him.

To each of the seven churches Jesus promises a similar outcomes if they did not conquer or overcome to the end. “I will grant the one who conquers permission to sit with Me on My throne, just as I too conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.) As always study the whole text to each church. Jesus’ corrective words revolves around people doing what seemed right rather than submitting to what He lovingly commands