A LESSON FROM THE LIFE OF THE CICADA

The KUMA-ZEMI or red muscle cicada (pronounced si ka da) is now singing all over Japan. The hotter it gets the louder and more spirited they will sing. These are some interesting creatures from whose skin-shedding life the Ninja technique utsusemi (cicada decoy) was created. I thought I saw one until I tried to get a picture of it and quickly realized that it was the skin of a larva that had already moulted. I was a victim of the utsusemi technique! See my picture below.

Cicada spend most of their lives (some 13 years and some 17 years) at about 1 foot underground feeding off xylem, a fluid found in the roots of plants. The larvae emerge in summer and climb the trees or plants. Some feed on tree or plant sap, shed their skins and the males do their mating calls. Once they mate, the females lay hundreds of eggs in the bark of the trees. The adults die within several weeks. The eggs eventually hatch and fall to the ground where the cycle starts all over again.

Oh, and yes, in China people do eat them deep fried, especially the females which are meatier than the males.

As usual I was looking for a message in the life of the cicada. While the cicada spends all its life under the earth and emerges to live above ground for only a few weeks, humans live all their lives above ground only for their bodies to be placed in it when they die. I know this sounds morbid.

The Apostle Paul was talking to the Corinthians about the resurrection of the dead born again believers. He used Christ as the example.

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The Apostle Paul went on to say that when we are born again, if we die and our bodies are placed in the earth, our bodies will be resurrected without corruption, in glory and in power.

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:" (1 Corinthians 15:42-43)

He said there are natural bodies like the ones we have now and there are spiritual bodies like the one that Christ has.

"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44)

He said born again believers will put on the spiritual body.

"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:49)

This is a complete transformation.

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:52-53)

The cicada fulfils its purpose and ensures the continuation of its species on earth before it dies forever and is forgotten.

For the born again believer it is not morbid and hopeless. Born again believers are not separated from God and will see the resurrection. We have hope and we expect that God who is faithful to us through Christ Jesus, will raise the bodies of those born again believers who have died and reunite them with their eternal spirits.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Praises Father! Thank God for Jesus. Amen.

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SALVATION? (Part 3)

Here is an excerpt from the August 2011 newsletter. Hope you find it refreshing.

JESUS

I. WHO WAS JESUS?
II. WHO IS JESUS?
III. WHO IS JESUS TO YOU?

All references will be taken from the Holy Bible, King James version (KJV).

I. Who Was JESUS?

Jesus was the Word
Let us go first to the book of St. John, chapter 1 verse 1. The scripture says:

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

‘Word’ (Logos, pronounced lo'-gos) refers to speech uttered by a living voice. Generally, ‘Word’ is also reason or the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning and calculating. However, in the book of St. John it denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God. Look at what verse 3 says:

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Something very interesting happens in verse 3. A personal pronoun ‘him’ is given to the Word establishing that the Word was a person. It also says that He made everything. Let us now go to the book of Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 to find Him.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Remember, we are looking for the ‘Word’ in Genesis. Since we know that He made all things, if He is to be found here, He must be one of the ‘US’ and ‘OUR’ mentioned here as Elohiym (pronounced el•ō•hēm'). The name Elohiym is a plural Hebrew word used throughout the Holy Bible and is translated as God.

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Jesus was man
All mankind became separated from God because of Adam’s disobedience. This is the reason why 'the Word' gave up Heaven temporarily to become a man. He was to become the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind to reunite us with Yehovah the father.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Prior to Jesus becoming flesh or human He was in the form of God. In Philippians 2 verse 6, the English word ‘form’ is translated from the Greek—MORPHE, pronounced mor-fā'. It refers to the external appearance or the form by which a thing strikes the vision.

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

The Word, JESUS, became a man and experienced the things that mankind experienced. He then gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind so that through Him all would have the opportunity to be reconnected to God.

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:7-8

“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26

When He died on the cross, the man Jesus was separated from God just like us. This is because He took the sin of the world upon Himself.

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Mark 15:34

The Holy Bible tells us that sin separates man from God.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2


Click THIS LINK to read, download or print the entire study.

TO KNOW OR NOT TO KNOW

I have been frustrated for weeks now because of what is happening in the world. I become thoroughly disgusted every time I read and listen to the headlines of the long list of international media houses that I follow. It has been disheartening to see people wax worse, delude themselves and pretend there is no Almighty God.

The thought "Am I making a difference with my minuscule ministry?" even crossed my mind but I quickly rebuked the adversary because I knew that that was a fiery dart from him. I am hurt, heartbroken and wounded within because of all the [still have not found a word to describe it] in the news yet I will continue to proclaim the Epignosis of the Word of God and continue to say: "Get thee behind me satan, for it is written...

In the book of 2 Peter, chapter 2:

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (v. 20-23)

The scripture says we ‘escaped’ (Greek—APOPHEUGO, pronounced ä-po-fyü'-gō) or fled from the pollutions of the world through the ‘knowledge’ (Greek—EPIGNOSIS, pronounced e-pē'-gnō-sēs), that is, through the ‘precise and correct knowledge’ of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The ‘pollutions’ (Greek—MIASMA, pronounced mē'-ä-smä) are those things which defile or contaminate us. This may happen when we walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way with sinners and sit in the seat of the scornful (Psalm 1). ‘World’ (Greek—KOSMOS, pronounced ko'-smos) refers here to the world as well as to the universe as a harmonious arrangement, constitution or order.

If we are again ‘entangled’ (Greek—EMPLEKO, pronounced em-ple'-kō) then we are involved in and woven into the pollutions. If we are ‘overcome’ (Greek—GINOMAI, pronounced gē'-no-mī, and HETTAOMAI, pronounced hāt-tä'-o-mī) in our entanglement then we become less than or inferior and are made worst or conquered by the pollutions from which we had escaped.

The scripture rightly says that it would have been better not to know, than to know and turn away. It is clearly talking about people that had accepted Christ and then rejected Him. The scripture likens them to a dog eating its own vomit and a washed hog returning to the mud.

It is also written:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Transform your PROBLEMS into PEARLS

As born-again Christians we are the center of attention because we are in the world even though we are not of the world. Our individual lives are the subject of intense scrutiny by everyone. People observe and criticize everything we do just as the religious leaders did Christ Jesus when he lived among them. Sometimes, our most severe critics are often our fellow Christians who view our actions, catch our words, analyze and take them to pieces. What does the scripture say?

John 15:18-20
King James Version (KJV)
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

When we are under the microscope like this, being dissected with the proverbial scalpel, let us remember John 15:18-20 as well as take a lesson from the Pearl Oyster.

The pearl oyster is invaded by a hurtful particle, which it cannot get rid of by itself. What does it do? The oyster secretes a precious substance from its own essence, covers the unwanted intruder with it and over time turns the intrusive particle into a splendid pearl. The particle’s hurtful power over the oyster eventually ends.

Charles H. Spurgeon said: "Oh, that we could do so with the provocations we receive from our fellow Christians, so that pearls of patience, gentleness, and forgiveness might be bred within us by that which otherwise would have harmed us."

When these provocations come, when these challenges arise, let the love of Christ Jesus within your spirit be secreted around each problem. Let the essence of Christ's love ooze from you, seize each hurtful particle and transform it into a pearl of great value for all to see.

God Bless You!

DELUDED or DELIVERED (unsaved or saved)

"Beware, I pray thee, of presuming that thou art saved. If thy heart be renewed, if thou shalt hate the things that thou didst once love, and love the things that thou didst once hate; if thou hast really repented; if there be a thorough change of mind in thee; if thou be born again, then hast thou reason to rejoice: but if there be no vital change, no inward godliness; if there be no love to God, no prayer, no work of the Holy Spirit, then thy saying “I am saved” is but thine own assertion, and it may delude, but it will not deliver thee." —Charles H. Spurgeon
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Not Saved:
There is no vital change on the inside and no inward Godliness. There is no Holy Spirit working in you or through you.There is no special love for God, no prayer-life, no desire to know more about God and no desire to tell others about Christ.

Saved:
You believe Jesus died for you, rose from the dead and is seated beside God in Heaven. You've told someone that you believe Jesus. You've felt sorry about your past life that was not according to God's Word and you've decided to stop practicing the things that are contrary to God's Word. You've started to hate some things you once loved and love some things you once hated. You've had a complete change of mind about certain things in the world as well as certain things in the Word.
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Romans 10:9-11 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Philippians 1:6 - "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

Romans 12:1-3 - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Philippians 3:8 - "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

Hebrews 10:39 - "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."

NAME 06 of 16: YEHOVAH EL-QANNA

The post The Names of God lays the foundation for 01 through 16. Please read it first, thanks.

We have heard it many times before that God is a jealous God. I searched the scriptures to see where the word ‘jealous’ is used in conjunction with God and I discovered that everywhere it is used with God it cautions mankind about worshipping something other than God Himself. Glorifying anything with greater reverence than that which is reserved for God Himself is worshipping whatever it is that we glorify.

MEN: the glory that some of us give to our degrees, our mansions, our cars, our wives, our bank accounts, the game, our swag, the club, our friends and even our free time rivals the glory we give to Yehovah. WOMEN: the glory that some of you give to your degrees, your looks, your husbands, to empowerment, your independence, your friends, your sex-appeal, your finances and your jobs rivals the glory you give to Yehovah. When this happens, we are in danger of letting these become our gods. Yehovah said:

“…I the LORD thy God am a jealous God…” Exodus 20:5 (KJV)

What does this mean? Well, it means what it says: “Yehovah thy Elohiym is El-qanna!” The Hebrew word QANNA occurs 6 times in 5 verses in the KJV and is translated as jealous. The context is that Yehovah is the most severe punisher when anyone departs from Him by worshipping anything else. He does not have a rival and will not tolerate one. His jealousy arises when we do not worship or glorify Him as we should or when we give worship or His glory to ourselves or to something other than Him.

Yes God is jealous but that is not all. The scripture tells us that His NAME IS Jealous. Yes! God is so jealous that His name is Jealous. In the Old Testament the English word ‘name’ comes from the Hebrew word SHEM, which occurs 864 times in 771 verses. It refers to ‘name’ in the sense of reputation, fame and glory as well as of memorial and monument. It refers to the present standing of a person or thing as well as to their legacy that is preserved in the memory of another. Notice how the KJV places emphasis on the word ‘Jealous’ when it says that Yehovah’s name is Jealous.

“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” Exodus 34:14 (KJV)

The scripture above is literally saying: “you shall worship no other el because Yehovah whose name is QANNA, is El Qanna.” Yehovah’s reputation, fame and glory as well as His legacy is Jealous. Since Yehovah our Elohiym is El-Qanna, we MUST take diligent care to give Him ALL worship and to not give any worship to ourselves or to any other thing. I listed a few things above in paragraph 2, which have the potential to distract us from worshipping Yehovah completely. Be conscious of worshipping Yehovah alone and of giving Him His glory always.

Worship HIM with me now and praise Him too, Hallelujah!

NAME 05 of 16: YEHOVAH-NICCIY

The post The Names of God lays the foundation for 01 through 16. Please read it first, thanks.

How did Yehovah manifest this attribute to His people?

The people were murmuring against Moses and against God. God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and they were in the wilderness on their way to their promised land. They were ungrateful and said they wished to God they had died in Egypt where they could have had bread to eat until they were full instead of starving in the wilderness (Exodus 16:3).

God decided to rain bread from Heaven (Exodus 16:4). In the morning the people ate bread from heaven and in the evening they had flesh from quail (Exodus 16:12). God did this so they would know that He was Yehovah their Elohiym. For 40 years they wandered and ate bread from heaven (Exodus 16:35).

They travelled to a place called Rephidim where they pitched their tents (Exodus 17:1). Rephidim means ‘props, supports’ or ‘resting places’ and was situated between Egypt and Sinai. The people continued to murmur. This time they wanted to know why Moses took them out of slavery in Egypt, into this wilderness to kill them, their children and their cattle with thirst (Exodus 17:3).

They wanted to know if God was with them or not (Exodus 17:7) and Moses had to talk to God who told him to use his rod to strike the rock so that water would come from the rock (Exodus 17:6). Moses gave that place two names, Massah and Meribah, meaning temptation and contention because the people tempted and contended with God.

Amalek rose up against Israel so Moses told Joshua to choose some men and go out to fight Amalek. Joshua did as he was told and went to fight Amalek while Moses went to stand on the hill with Aaron and Hur (Exodus 17:10) and with the rod of God in his hand (Exodus 17:9).

Moses lifted his hands and the battle went in favour of Israel but when his hands got tired and went down the battle went in favour of Amalek (Exodus 17:11). When Moses’ hands got tired, Aaron and Hur held them up (Exodus 17:12) and Joshua defeated Amalek and his people (Exodus 17:13).

God told Moses that He would erase the memory of Amalek from under Heaven (Exodus 17:14). Moses then built an altar and named it Yehovah-Nicciy because he said that Yahh had sworn that Yehovah will have war with Amalek for generations (Exodus 17:16).

“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:” Exodus 17:15 (KJV)

Yehovah-Nicciy literally means 'Yehovah is my banner'. The Hebrew word nicciy comes from the Hebrew root NEC, pronounced nās. It refers to something lifted up; a signal lifted up like a token and intended to be seen from afar off. It could be in the form of a flag and was placed at a high place where everyone could see it. It was a standard used to rally the people together, especially in a time of war and usually had a bearer.

Our English dictionaries define standard bearer as ‘the soldier who carries the standard of the unit in military parades or in battle’ and ‘an outstanding leader or representative of a movement.’

If Yehovah is our banner or our standard then we are all standard bearing soldiers in the army of the Lord. Yehovah-Nicciy must be raised high at all times so the enemy can see who represents us and who we represent. More importantly, our fellow soldiers must be able to see the banner and be re-assured that Yehovah stands with us in every battle.

Yehovah-Nicciy, Praise Him now. Hallelujah!

NAME 04 of 16: YEHOVAH-RAPHA

The post The Names of God lays the foundation for 01 through 16. Please read it first, thanks.

How did Yehovah come to manifest this attribute?

The scripture tells us that God had just delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army (Exodus 15:19) and that they had come into the wilderness of Shur where they traversed for three days without finding water (Exodus 15:22). Shur was a place southwest of Palestine, on or possibly within the eastern border of Egypt. The Hebrew name Shur means ‘wall’. The Israelites, by virtue of their thirst, had come to a bona fide obstacle or wall.

As they continued to travel, they came to a place called Marah where they found bitter tasting water (Exodus 15:23). Marah means bitter and the people began to murmur against Moses because they were thirsty and could not drink the water (Exodus 15:24). It seems the people may have been as bitter as the water!

Moses cried out to God and God showed him a tree which he threw into the bitter water. The bitter water became sweet water and Moses made a ‘statute’ (Hebrew—CHOQ, pronounced khōke) or a decree, and established an ‘ordinance’ (Hebrew—MISHPAT, pronounced mish•pät') or a judgment and a custom for the people (Exodus 15:25).

Let me say here that the Word of God is bitter water to sinners because it is judgment to them; however, when sinners are converted to Christ Jesus, the vine (John 15:5), the Word of God becomes sweet to the taste. It is no longer a bitter judgment but sweet life. It is by this acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour that the custom or lifestyle of righteousness is established and becomes a law or a statute to the believer.

Moses then proved the people or took them to trial. This trial that Moses brought upon the children of Israel was an ultimatum as well as a promise of divine health conditioned upon four (4) things.

“…If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26 (KJV)

God manifested one of His attributes (RAPHA) to the people here. Rapha literally means to sew together and mend to heal and make healthful. God promised the people that if they would do four things, He would keep them from getting the diseases that He had brought upon the Egyptians. He said:

1. Diligently hearken to His voice (hear and answer Him).
2. Do what is right in His sight (listen and understand Him).
3. Give ear to His commandments (hear and obey His commandments).
4. Keep all His statutes (watch, guard, preserve and reserve all His statutes).

The fact that the same Hebrew word (SHAMA) translated ‘diligently’ is also translated ‘hearken’ tells me that this is of great importance and must be done continuously. Jesus made it less complicated for us when He said if we obey two commandments we automatically line up with all (Matthew 22:37-40).

Yehovah-Rapha is the key to divine health for every believer. Yehovah is our Rapha. He is the self-existent one who sews together and mends us, heals us and makes us healthful IF we hear and answer Him, listen and understand what He says, hear and obey Him and watch, guard, preserve and reserve His commandments.

The prescription is so straightforward. Take the four conditions listed above, apply them to the two commandments in Matthew 22 and be healed in the name of Jesus Christ!

NAME 03 of 16: YEHOVAH-YIREH

The post The Names of God lays the foundation for 01 through 16. Please read it first, thanks.

Don’t forget that Yehovah is the proper name of Father God and that the name originates from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet that correspond to our English YHWH. We also said the name is shortened in Psalm 68:4 to YAHH and translated to JAH in our English Bibles.

Let us analyse the word JIREH as it is used in the scripture below.

“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” Genesis 22:14 (KJV)

LORD here refers to Yehovah Himself! Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. Let us go back to verse 1 to see what had happened, why Abraham gave the place that name and what the name meant.

The scripture tells us that God tested (not tempted) Abraham when He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Abraham set out with Isaac and some young men up to the mountain where God directed him. On the way up the mount Isaac pointed out to Abraham that they did not have a lamb to sacrifice. Abraham told Isaac that God would Himself provide a lamb. (Genesis 22:1-8)

Can you imagine what was going through Isaac’s mind? What about the young men who had gone with them? It is very likely that they were fond of Isaac and may have been wondering why there was no sacrificial lamb. Last of all what was Abraham thinking? If you recall, God had promised Abraham that all his descendants would be multiplied through Isaac (Genesis 21:12). So why was God now telling him to sacrifice the son through whom the promise would be fulfilled?

Abraham showed us that he was holding fast to the promise when he told Isaac that God would Himself provide the lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham also showed us that he intended to be completely obedient to God despite the fact that the circumstance did not line up with what God had promised. Abraham now tied up Isaac, placed him on top of the wood on the altar and was about to slay him when the angel of the Lord called to him.

There are some things to highlight here:
1. Abraham was utterly obedient to God.
2. Abraham exercised unshakeable faith in God.
3. Abraham regarded God as his ultimate provider.

The Hebrew word translated to ‘jireh’ is YIREH. It refers to seeing. Yehovah-yireh literally means the Lord sees. The word yireh originates from the root word ra’ah. The context is that God saw, inspected, perceived, considered and regarded everything about Abraham while he underwent testing. In fact, the scripture tells us that “as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” This word ‘seen’ is ra’ah in the Hebrew text. The scripture said “it” shall be seen; you may be asking what shall be seen?

Remember God’s promise in Genesis 21:12? God now confirmed it to Abraham. Abraham saw for the first time what God had been telling him and what he had previously believed without having seen. God ratified his promise that He was going to bless and multiply him. God also told him that his seed would possess the gate of his enemies and that all the nations of the earth would be blessed though them. God said this would happen “because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:18)

The message here is that Yehovah-yireh, our Lord, sees, inspects, considers and regards everything about his children. We are His children because we are born-again through Jesus Christ and because we believe with faith just like Abraham.

God looks at our obedience, our faith and our view of Him. Are we exercising our faith and expecting to see it manifested like Abraham saw it? How do we view God? Who is God to us?

He is my Yehovah-yireh! Who is Yehovah to you?

NAME 02 of 16: YEHOVIH-ADONAY

The post The Names of God lays the foundation for 01 through 16. Please read it first, thanks.

We have previously said that Yehovah is the proper name of Father God and that the name originates from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which correspond to our English YHWH. We also said the name is shortened in Psalm 68:4 to YAHH and is translated to JAH in our English Bibles.

Let us analyse the name ADONAY as it is used in the scripture below. Carefully observe that the King James Version (KJV) places emphasis on the words LORD, Lord and GOD!

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” Genesis 15:1-2, 7-8 (KJV)

LORD here refers to Yehovah Himself! We see in verse 1 that the word of Yehovah came to Abram in a vision. We also see that when Abram answered Yehovah in verse 2, he addressed Him as Lord GOD. The Hebrew words translated to Lord and GOD here are different from those of NAME 1 (LORD God) in the book of Genesis 2. Notice that they are capitalized differently in the KJV as well.

In this scripture ‘Lord’ comes from the Hebrew word ADONAY, pronounced Ad ō nōy', while ‘GOD’ comes from the Hebrew word Yĕhovih, which is pronounced Yeh hō vē' and used primarily together with Adonay. Adonay is a reverential Hebrew title used here by Abram in addition to Yehovih. When we combine the names Yehovih Adonay it is literally ‘Sovereign Lord’. Yehovah is this to us.

Our English dictionaries define sovereign as: royal, having supreme rank, power, or authority; preeminent; greatest in degree; utmost or extreme; being above all others in character, importance and excellence.

Yehovah told Abram that He was his shield and his exceeding (abundantly) great (multiplied) reward. Immediately, Abram asked Him what He was going to give him. God told Abram what He was going to do for him and Abram believed Him. Abram’s faith was counted as righteousness.

If you have been born-again through Jesus Christ you have the righteousness of Christ. God sees Christ's righteousness and not yours. Have you submitted completely to the will of your Sovereign Lord so you can receive abundantly multiplied rewards from Him?

Think on this!

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY in HARRY POTTER? NOT!

I recently read an article [CLICK HERE TO READ IT] presenting an argument that the theme of the Harry Potter series may be compatible with Christian theology.

The author created and offers a course at Yale called 'Harry Potter and Christian Theology'. Her course is supposed to provoke thought about Christian Theology in persons who were not likely to think about it. She said she had at least one success with a sophomore of hers. She said:

"Curiously, what the Harry Potter books do is to accomplish the work of Christ utilizing a whole community instead of a single person, which explains why no individual character closely resembles Jesus. This means that salvation is accomplished not by one person but by many people working together, with love (aka God) for a guide. Ethically, a theology like this has important implications because it empowers people -- both in Harry's world and our own -- to live the life compassion for which Jesus lived and died."

I disagreed and commented on the article but sadly my comment was not approved and posted. This is what I said:

"While I support intellectually provoking students to critically think about the implications of Christian theology and while I can relate to your feeling of satisfaction about your sophomore, I must disagree with your synthesis of Potter and Christian theology for the following reasons:

1. "[P]resenting God as an abstract concept" is un-Biblical and flies in the face of sound doctrine that God is a personal being. (Hebrews 1:1-3 states that Christ was the express image of God’s person or substance.) As a personal being God is love simply because God is the epitome of perfect love.

2. The thought that there is 'good' witchcraft as opposed to 'bad' witchcraft is self-defeating and does not support the assertion that "the Harry Potter books ... accomplish the work of Christ utilizing a whole community instead of a single person..." where: A. The practice of witchcraft in general is denounced by the Bible (Galatians 5:20); and, B. according to the bible a house divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:26).

3. To say that "Neville, Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny, Luna and a host of others" work "together, with love (aka God) for a guide" to defeat evil implies that God cannot defeat evil without human effort. This assertion stands to dethrone God, negate God's omnipotence and discredit the individual self-sacrifice attributed to Christ.

4. You said: “Ethically, a theology like this has important implications because it empowers people -- both in Harry's world and our own -- to live the life compassion for which Jesus lived and died.” I say that ethics and religion are relative and true theology has nothing to do with either. Christ defeated evil with one sacrificial act, once, for all time. The compassion of Christ is another matter altogether.

Theology may be viewed by each individual embarking upon the journey as a road leading to a profound relationship with creator God and not as a path to religiosity. Empowering persons to live compassionately like Christ would be subjective of the God/person relationship and not the objective.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article about your course despite the undertone that the end justifies the means. Please visit MY BLOG when time permits. Cheers."

HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, I want to know what YOU think! Are the Harry Potter stories compatible with Christian Theology?

NAME 01 of 16: YEHOVAH-ELOHIYM

The post The Names of God lays the foundation for 01 through 16. Please read it first, thanks.

To find out from scripture who Yehovah Elohiym is we have to first dissect Elohiym. Elohiym is a plural Hebrew word used throughout the Holy Bible and is translated God. My references to Elohiym will be from the book of Genesis. Elohiym is seen in Genesis 1:1 but let us go further along in scripture to a more personal visual.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26

What is interesting here is that Elohiym the plural God said: ‘let US’, ‘in OUR’ and ‘after OUR’ and then created man in the image of Elohiym (v.27). It is so clear in this scripture that Elohiym is more than one, that they existed together in the beginning and created and made everything (Genesis 2:3) including man in their image and after their (triune) likeness.

It is even more clear that Elohiym is plural when we examine the following scriptures: Genesis 1:1 says: “In the beginning God…” or Elohiym; Genesis 1:2 says: “And the Spirit of God…” that is, the Spirit of Elohiym (1 person of the 3); Genesis 1:3 says: “And God said…” that is, Elohiym uttered or the Word of Elohiym went forth (again 1 person of 3). ‘Elohiym said’ refers to a transfer of unified thought and intention to words. But which of the three spoke? Look at what the scripture says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14

The Word was in the beginning, was with God and was God. In this scripture the word ‘God’ comes from the Greek THEOS, which refers to the Godhead or the Trinity. One person of the triune Elohiym/Theos spoke and brought everything into existence. This same divine person came to earth in the form of a man to die for our sins. He was called the "WORD". We have discussed the Spirit of Elohiym and the Word of Elohiym but what about the other person of this triune divinity, who is He and what did He do?

Yehovah is the proper name of this other divine person. The name originates from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet that correspond to our English YHWH. It is shortened in Psalm 68:4 to YAHH and translated to JAH in our English Bibles. When we combine the names Yehovah Elohiym it is literally ‘God the Existing One’. This is translated as ‘LORD God’ throughout the Holy Bible. We see Him for the first time in the Genesis 2 review of the creative acts (v.4) and personally forming or making man (v.7).

The scriptures clearly tell us that Yehovah Elohiym is God Himself, our maker, our father and our friend. He desires to be re-connected to all of us so that He may personally fellowship with us again.

Are you in fellowship with Him?

Be blessed.

NEVER FORSAKEN

Dear anonymous reader,

I felt led to write to you, to tell you: YOU are never truly alone, ever!

I know you know that God is always with you especially at the times when it seems the most like He's not. I also know you know that Christ Jesus is ever-present with you and that you can talk to Him freely in the same way that others talk to you.

But did you know that the Holy Spirit lives within your spirit? Did you know that He is a person dwelling within you (John 14:17), comforting you (John 15:26), teaching you and giving you ALL truth (John 16:13)?

Let me explain how personal He is to you. Have you ever seen those little hand painted matryoshka dolls; the ones where their top half snap off to reveal another inside?

Imagine that the outer one is your body, that the other inside represents your soul and the other inside that one represents your spirit. Well, the Holy Spirit is inside your spirit but He permeates all, even out to your skin.

So anonymous reader, whenever you feel solitary, abandoned and comfortless remember this: you are NEVER forsaken (Deuteronomy 4:31).

God Bless You!

THE NAMES OF GOD

REGULAR NAMES
It is undoubtedly clear that names are of great significance to us. Our names are who we are: our attributes AND our names define who we become: our character.

Historically, many people take on names that result in either their demise or their success. Even nicknames must be chosen carefully.

One modern example of a person who lived a name that became his reality was David Koresh in Waco, Texas. He was a cult leader who believed he was Cyrus. He was born Vernon Howell but legally changed his name to David Koresh. Cyrus or KOWRESH, pronounced kō' resh in Hebrew, literally means ‘possess thou the furnace’. He and 52 adults as well as 21 children died in a great fire at the cult’s compound. You can read the full story in Time Magazine by clicking his name above.

Throughout early English history, people were known by their attributes and character. The Smiths were blacksmiths and the Carpenters were carpenters for example.

People also took the names of the places they originated from or the places took on the names of the wealthy owners. For example, one was either from Kent or a Kent by birth, from Rochester or a Rochester by marriage.

Prince Charles is currently the Prince of Wales and when (the now deceased) Lady Diana married him she became the Princess of Wales. Prince William of Wales who is Charles’ son became Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus on his wedding day, while his wife Catherine Middleton became Duchess. He took on four titles for four places familiar to him from birth.

BIBLICAL NAMES
In the Holy Bible every name has a meaning. In fact, many people who came into contact with God had to change their names because their character and the course of their lives had changed with that contact. Here are some examples:

Abram whose name meant ‘father of elevation’ became Abraham meaning ‘father of a multitude’ (Genesis 17:5). Hoshea whose name meant ‘welfare, salvation’ became Joshua meaning ‘whose help or salvation is Yehovah’ (Numbers 13:8, 16). Jacob’s name meant ‘taking hold of the heel, supplanter, layer of snares’ but he became Israel or ‘contender, soldier of God’ (Genesis 32:28). Hadassah whose name meant ‘myrtle’ became Esther meaning ‘star’ (Esther 2:7).

GOD’S NAMES
The scriptures tell us that God is unchanging. He is, has always been and will always be. But what name should we use to address God? Throughout scripture God’s attributes and character are shown through His many names.

Let us look briefly at some names of God that define Him. Context is important when using the names because some of them have been used in scripture to refer to false gods. The context of Genesis 1:1 for example is the plural creator God represented in three persons.

Here are 7 Hebrew names for God:
>>>1. Elohiym, Genesis 1:1, a plural name of the one true God.
>>>2. Yehovah, Genesis 15:2, the proper name of our Supreme God.
>>>3. El can be used as a prefix or a suffix. It means God.
>>>>>a. El-Elyown, Genesis 14:18, God the Most High.
>>>>>b. El-Shadday, Genesis 17:1, God Almighty.
>>>>>c. El-Owlam, Genesis 21:33, God Everlasting.
>>>>>d. El-'Elohey Yisra'el, Genesis 33:20, Mighty God of Israel.
>>>4. Adonay, Genesis 18:27, The LORD.
>>>5. Elowahh, Deuteronomy 32:15, God.
>>>6. Elahh, Ezra 4:24, God (generally) [This is Aramaic].
>>>7. Tsuwr, Isaiah 44:8, God depicted as a rock of refuge.

Here are 3 Greek names for God:
>>>1. Theos, Matthew 1:23; Romans 3:30, The Godhead (the trinity).
>>>2. Kurios, Mark 1:3, the Lord and master (in this case Christ).
>>>3. Pater, Matthew 7:11, Father (here it refers to God in Heaven).

TRIUNE GOD
It is interesting that the ancient Jewish Rabbi and some of the modern ones knew/know about the plural triune God who is revealed in the scripture often referred to as the foundation of Judaism. That scripture says:

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD:" Deuteronomy 6:4

Let us briefly examine the words "The LORD our God is one LORD" in this scripture so we can understand what the Rabbi knew/know.

The LORD = Yehovah - Supreme God
our God = Elohiym - plural God
is one = echad - the same, only one of its kind, together, joined in one, united
LORD = Yehovah - Supreme God

This is literally saying: SUPREME GOD, OUR PLURAL GOD, IS THE SAME AND ONLY ONE OF HIS KIND, TOGETHER, JOINED IN ONE, UNITED, SUPREME GOD. God revealed His triune nature in the Torah (Jewish Scripture). WOW!

There are 16 other names of God in the Holy Bible that are God's attributes. They are directly related to mankind in that God IS each one to us at different times in our lives. They are all Yehovah-titles. I will list them here in this post, in the order they appear in scripture but will give the details of each one in 16 upcoming posts.

Look for my 16 upcoming posts.

God Bless You!

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SALVATION (Part 2)

Here is an excerpt from my July 2011 newsletter.

We must be obedient to God’s Word because it is a fact that believers can ‘fall away.’ The Greek word is PARAPIPTO, pronounced pä-rä-pē'p-tō. This is the only place in scripture that it is used.

When a believer falls away he/she slips aside and deviates from the right path. He/she slips aside and goes to error, slips aside and falls away and turns aside from Christ.

There are believers who fall away and it is impossible to renew them to repentance because in their own minds they crucify Christ once again and shame Him openly. The scripture says they do this by doing four things:

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:4-6)

The statement “if they shall fall away,” in this scripture establishes beyond the shadow of doubt that believers can fall away. Furthermore, by saying that there are some who cannot be renewed to repentance if they fall away, the scripture implies there are some believers who fall away and can be renewed to repentance.

Falling away is slipping aside or deviating from the right path. It is something that believers choose to do therefore it is an act of their own will.

The scripture is very exhaustive here as it outlines the level of maturity of the believer who can fall away and never be renewed to repentance. According to scripture, those who cannot be renewed must have undergone four experiences:

• They must have been once enlightened.
• They must have tasted of the heavenly gift.
• They must have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
• They must have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come.

Please click THIS LINK to see the entire study, which goes into a detailed discussion about these four experiences. You will definitely be blessed.