Sons of God

Jesus in John chapter 5:35 "A slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever." There is an understanding of sonship to God that is as preached by the only-begotten Son of God. He preached that God makes sons by remaking people by the spirit of His teachings and by obedient following of those teachings and that the Holy Spirit would also indwell and well up within such people and their lives would then become devoid of their previous characteristics (lies, murder, other major sins characteristic of Satan) and take on characteristics of God (truthfullness, love, faithfulness and opposites to sin). When this is permanent it can be really regarded as being born of God. God treats such people as sons by disciplining without ever forsaking them, as God through prophet Nathan told King David about his future son typified by Solomon who would build the Temple. This is the kind of sonship that The Son of God came to bring about in many.
2 Samuel 7:14-15 "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you."

The Son of Man before He became flesh and after He rose from the dead

Daniel 10v5-7 "I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine goldfrom Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves."

Revelation 1v12-16 "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance."

Some think that Daniel writing centuries before Christ came saw archangel Gabriel looking like a son of man or Michael. John writing his vision from Jesus called The Book of Revelation so firmly believed Daniel had seen Jesus the Son of Man the same person he, John, had seen and knew so well that when describing Jesus he matched his description of Him to the description given by Daniel in Daniel chapter 10.  Some think and say that Daniel saw a vision of the future Jesus after Jesus became flesh but the account by Daniel proves the Son of Man he saw was not merely a vision because those men with Daniel fled in a feeling of sheer terror and this Son of Man spoke of fighting the Prince of Persia with Michael's help and touched Daniel to assure him. 

Before the Beginning

It was always enough in ages past to consider time in terms of the history of the material universe. The beginning of time is not before the beginning of nature. In going beyond this to what happened before time began there are few revelations in scripture. Only if you include the Book of Enoch do you get written prophecy speaking of holy things before time began and The Son of Man is there mentioned along with God the Lord of Spirits as it is translated from the Ge'ez sacred language of the Ethiopic Orthodox Church. It speaks of the name of the Son of Man being invoked before God even back then before time began and creation was created. "In that hour was this Son of man invoked before the Lord of spirits, and his name in the presence of the Ancient of days." "Before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were formed, his name was invoked in the presence of the Lord of spirits. A support shall he be for the righteous and the holy to lean upon, without falling; and he shall be the light of nations. He shall be the hope of those whose hearts are troubled. All, who dwell on earth, shall fall down and worship before him; shall bless and glorify him, and sing praises to the name of the Lord of spirits. Therefore the Elect and the Concealed One existed in his presence, before the world was created, and for ever. And his name before the Head of Days.Yea, before the sun and the signs were created, Before the stars of the heaven were made," So too Paul wrote "His is before all things and in Him all things hold together" speaking of the Son. Otherwise we can only deduce the things before Creation from what is inspired by the Holy Spirit. A word I heard in tongues interpreted said "Consider the trees how they bud and put out leaves; they do so by the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" and likewise I found it was written in the writing of Enoch thousands of years ago "Behold ye the earth, and give heed to the things which take place upon it from first to last, how steadfast they are, how none of the things upon earth change, but all the works of God appear to you. Behold the summer and the winter, how the whole earth is filled with water, and clouds and dew and rain lie upon it.  Observe and see how (in the winter) all the trees seem as though they had withered and shed all their leaves, except fourteen trees, which do not lose their foliage but retain the old foliage from two to three years till the new comes.  And again, observe ye the days of summer how the sun is above the earth over against it. And you seek shade and shelter by reason of the heat of the sun, and the earth also burns with growing heat, and so you cannot tread on the earth, or on a rock by reason of its heat.  Observe ye how the trees cover themselves with green leaves and bear fruit: wherefore give ye heed and know with regard to all His works, and recognize how He that liveth for ever hath made them so." So the whole works of creation operate to the authority that must have existed before creation existed.

Then You Will Realise

John 8:28 'So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.'
It is my belief that Jesus taught in this saying that He is the Son of Man and that it would be a major milestone for His hearers that they would realise this when He was crucified (by them) along with a realisation of the existence of the God He called the Father with whom the Son of Man was and is and will be always working and of the relationship that exists between Himself and the Father through all of time. They saw only Jesus as they argued with Him and plotted to kill Him and attenuate His ministry and fame. Yet as they headed unstoppably into crucifying Him, even those who believed in Him but still hated Him, they were about to see more than just Jesus at work because even with Jesus dead the Father was waiting the perfect time to step in and would resurrect His Son. Then it became apparent that Jesus did not act alone but the Father of Jesus, God, worked with Him. This is the truth He came to show the world. The ancients had understood about a son of man greater than angels whose authority held together the Universe and this authority had even been called the Logos, the Word. Yet now it would be clear to anyone believing Jesus is this Word, this Logos, this Son of Man that another greater than He is ever with Him in all He does and even in death to raise Him from the dead because only God could raise Him and only if God regarded Him as His Son and no liar.

Faith is Substance

Some say The Son of Man only existed in the mind of God as foreknowledge before He was made flesh. Faith is substance. Even if all that existed of Jesus before His birth (and I don't believe that given what is in Daniel) was foreknowledge of Him then still that knowledge was as certain as faith can ever be. As such even then it was substance - real existence having real effects not just in God's mind because God had made Him known to a chosen few, including angels and prophets. Yet that is not enough to explain conversations between the Son of Man and the Father and between the Son of Man and archangels. Those happened centuries before He came. So you would have to say they were conversing with foreknowledge - which is conceivable but pushing it because it would then be a bit of a false impression Psalmist and Daniel and Enoch were giving - leading us to believe He actually existed not just as foreknowledge. Yet there is a mystery in this that foreknowledge with certain faith is indeed existence in its own right that transcends space and time and matter and energy in such a way it hints at what God is like - in one aspect, and the Son of Man before He came, and the Holy Spirit. So to sum it up as The Word, the Logos, makes more sense considering this. After all whatever the Son of Man is over time from before time, it had to survive the chaos of creation - big bang or whatever - so could not itself be matter as we know it.

"Who do you say that I am?"

Jude wrote in his epistle (Jude 1:14-15 quoting Enoch 1:9) "Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: 'See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.'"  Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth's brothers and sisters grew up with Him and did not believe He was any different from anyone else but somewhere down the line one of them - Jude (Yehuda) - ended up quoting Enoch about Him which showed he believed at last that His brother is the Son of Man alive since before creation began since this Son of Man is the one of whom Enoch wrote so much. 

My Favourite Passage of Scripture

Enoch Chapter 48 verses 1-5

[1] In that place I beheld a fountain of righteousness, which never failed, encircled by many springs of wisdom. Of these all the thirsty drank, and were filled with wisdom, having their habitation with the righteous, the elect, and the holy.

[2] In that hour was this Son of man invoked before the Lord of spirits, and his name in the presence of the Ancient of days.

[3] Before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were formed, his name was invoked in the presence of the Lord of spirits. A support shall he be for the righteous and the holy to lean upon, without falling; and he shall be the light of nations.

[4] He shall be the hope of those whose hearts are troubled. All, who dwell on earth, shall fall down and worship before him; shall bless and glorify him, and sing praises to the name of the Lord of spirits.

[5] Therefore the Elect and the Concealed One existed in his presence, before the world was created, and for ever.

Doing the Works of Jesus

We too can do as Jesus/Yeshua did on earth. He did the raising of Lazarus by like He said in His prayer, knowing the love God had for Him was enough to give Lazarus back his life when the tomb was opened at Jesus/Yeshua's command. We might believe God enough to see answers to our prayers but in line with the Son's teaching about the Father we can go to the next level in knowing God loves us where we command something of nature like "Lazarus come forth" and God in His love for us makes it so. Then we will be doing the works of Jesus/Yeshua. He will be happy to see us do it.

What We Most Need To Know

It is written: There is one God and one mediator between God and man - the man Christ Jesus (Yeshua ha-Mashiach). Notice that was not written "the God Christ Jesus" but "the man Christ Jesus". He is proclaimed as man. He is a man. That is so important for our hope. Unless we ascribe to Jesus, Lord Jesus, that He is a man, The Son of Man, and believe it, we will die in our sins. (John 8.) We humans tend to get ourselves caught in a sin that is a sin causing deadly wrath from God so we need freedom from such sins and believing Jesus (Yeshua) is the Son of Man then holding to His teachings is our escape route. Denying such sin is no escape route. Son of Man means was and is and will be like us and has become human for us. This means able to understand our state and how we can be freed from gravely serious sin so we do not die in it. We cannot afford to die in our sins because that leaves us only to face the Judgement as grievous sinners. Plus it can be a sooner death if the sin grieves and angers God too much as serious sins tend to do. We need this Son of Man as our mediator with God. He really is human so He knows our state but He really knows God too. The truth is what He knows we need to know to be set free. Believe in this man and follow His teachings and teachings from Him the Holy Spirit brings.

Against Calling The Son of God 'God'

If the Son is truly God it would have been nonsensical to call Himself the Son and to call the Father God. He could just call Himself God and say there is another God too. The Jews killed Him for saying He is the Son of God so what would there have been to lose, if He was and is God, just to say so. Or just to proclaim a Godhead and identify Himself as part of that Godhead of equals. So it is very significant that He repeatedly called Himself the Son and proclaimed the Father as both God and Father - His God and His Father - and was crucified for doing so. He preached truth so it must simply be because this is true and what God Himself was proclaiming through Him, like He said.
In ancient prophecy the same applies - in Enoch's very ancient prophecy he did not speak of two Gods but always presented one Lord of Spirits - Ancient of Days - and one accompanying Him called the Son of Man with appearance of a human being. Daniel might have known these prophecies and he prophesied the same - an Ancient of Days and one like a Son of Man. The Son of Man was seen in visions being led into the presence of the enthroned Ancient of Days. Not the other way around. Why did they prophesy such things? Because they are the truth.

Ancient of Days and The One Like A Son Of Man

In Daniel's prophecies he saw in visions the two main exalted glorious people of heaven - the Ancient of Days and the one like a son of man. The most prominent and highest is the Ancient of Days. This is who we should call God. Daniel 3:17 - "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence." Yet to believe that the one Daniel saw like a son of man is truly Jesus is essential to being set free from sins so as not to die in them. John 8:21, 27-29 "But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” ... 'They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” ' So when He preached the essential importance to not dying in sins of believing "I am he" it was most obvious that He meant believing both 1, that He is and 2, that He is the Son of Man.

The Father and the Son

The Father is unseen spirit and certainly not flesh. The Son certainly is flesh (interestingly He said after His resurrection He is flesh and bone rather than saying flesh and blood - maybe flesh and blood is just an English expression though). The Son is flesh forever now - resurrected flesh. God is certainly not resurrected flesh. Flesh is weak. Because He is flesh, the Son is forever dependant on God's power for eternal life. Yet He has life in Himself too and can give life to whomsoever He wills so by God's power He is both flesh and life-giving spirit too. While on earth the Son was mortal until His resurrection. He even had to descend into Sheol because of His death. The Father is spirit only and is dependant on nobody. The Father cannot possibly die. The Father is greater than the Son and is God to the Son.

Only Reasonable

All things are under the authority of the Lordship of the Son of Man so surely this means He existed from before the start of creation, otherwise the whole universe would have had to have a transfer of power which clearly hasn't happened. So it must be that the Son of Man, Son of God was in authority over creation by the power of His name before creation was created. So He was begotten before creation - firstborn over all creation.

The Word of the LORD

The word of the LORD that came to me: "Israel has sinned" The eagle watching overhead has been a sign of it; the eagle of military, police and government surveillance. Surely the LORD wants His people to become His children, by putting away sin and falsehood and violence and learning to do right and speak truth and love eachother. "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind" and all your VOICE!

What Does it mean that Jesus is the Christ?

We call Jesus 'Christ' but what does that mean? Christ means God's anointed but why is anointed so significant? It means God has sealed Jesus with this anointing. The Son of Man, known historically as Jesus, is the source of true life sealed by God. Jesus said it: "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed" It also means the One God sends to save His people. Save His people from what? From their ethical failures: their sins. 

The One God has Sealed

The Son of Man is the Son of God. There are very ancient prophetic writings from times predating the Bible scriptures that show that even long before Jesus Christ came in the flesh, God already regarded and acknowledged the Son of Man as His true Son. The Book of Enoch says (chapter 105): "In those days the Lord bade (them) to summon and testify to the children of earth concerning their wisdom: Show (it) unto them; for ye are their guides, and a recompense over the whole earth. For I and My son will be united with them for ever in the paths of uprightness in their lives; and ye shall have peace: rejoice, ye children of uprightness. Amen." This person spoken of in the Book of Enoch as being called by God Himself "My son"  is usually called in these prophecies the Son of Man. Jesus Christ often spoke of The Son of Man too and He taught that the Son of Man is the Son of God. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." So the Son of Man prophetically written about in the Book of Enoch, (Jesus' brother Jude who quoted from Enoch in his own writings attesting to its authenticity and inspiration by the Holy Spirit) this Son of Man is the Son of God loved as such most dearly by God. "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" Jesus asked a man He had healed. "Who is He Lord? Tell me so I can believe in Him," replied the man. "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you," answered Jesus. The thought that this Son of Man seen with God by Enoch in ancient times is the person wickedly crucified though He did no wrong ever, this thought is encouraged by many of the sayings of Jesus. The Son of Man is the source of life to many from ancient times. "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed" and "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you". He is from heaven itself "What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before" and "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man" yet this very Son of Man is the one wicked men crucified - "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things" and "the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified" because blood of this Lamb of God had to be shed so it is painted on our lives like the blood of the Exodus Passover painted on the doorposts. "The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." "All will see the Son of Man coming in clouds of heaven." God has sealed this Son of Man. Listen to Him.

How God Confirms His Truth

With so many messages and doctrines flying around today God confirms His true message by giving the Holy Spirit and miracles to those who read or hear it and believe it.

The Truth of Jesus and His Apostles

Unless we ascribe to Jesus, Lord Jesus, that He is a man, The Son of Man, and believe it, we will die in our sins. (See John 8.) The Apostle Paul: "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." (1 Corinthians 8:6) Surely Paul, as evidenced in this sentence and others like it, believed God is one on His own and it is the Father who is God. Surely Paul, as seen in this sentence, believed that Jesus is on a par with God and is called the Lord but is not God. Surely Paul believed that God is the creator and Jesus is the creator but in a slightly different way to God, hence a difference in prepositions 'from', 'through' in 'from whom all things came' and 'through whom all things came'. The same use of difference of prepositions in relation to creation is seen elsewhere in the apostolic writings to distinguish God and Lord. So prepositions regarding creations distinguished but also title distinguished God and Lord. The Father is God. Jesus is Lord. This is consistent in apostolic writings. Jesus is made flesh forever, always a man, even now that He is resurrected, so God the Father's power is His life-source and we can live by imitating His faith and His apostles' faith.

Key Teaching of Jesus

The apostles of Jesus conveyed Jesus' teachings to the world. John has captured key teachings of Jesus in his Gospel. Chapter 8 shows that, for a life that does not end with dying in your sin, the thing is to be sure in your own heart that Jesus (The Son of Man) existed for the ages before He came and was with God who always planned for Jesus to be made completely human; then to realise too that He is going to be around forever and still human but resurrected. Why so important? So you have assurance He will be there for you eternally to transform you into the kind of person who is enough like God that God always keeps you in His household and treats you as a son, punishing sin but never destroying completely and never forsaking. Then carrying Jesus' teachings close to your heart until He replaces what is not of God with what is - and you do too in partnership with Him.

1994/95 Two Thousand Years On

1994/1995 was a time of great spiritual significance for me, besides it being about 2000 years since Christ came in flesh and blood. Some background: My grandparents were leaders in Pentecostal Church not long after the churches started with revivals. Welsh pentecostal. My parents switched to baptist and I was raised in baptist. There I was baptised. There were few believers in the Holy Spirit gifts or manifestation or miracles there and some taught cessationism (that gifts were not for now) so not much chance I would learn about the Holy Spirit. I got challenged at University. Then after years of desolation I earnestly kept seeking God asking for real knowledge of Him so I could preach properly: by 1994 I was being challenged to preach and later became a methodist lay preacher; and I asked for the Holy Spirit in my private prayers. After earnest prayer one day in 1994 I suddenly got a vision of a building sand bucket being tipped out and the words "Build the temple!". I asked for confirmation three-fold and went to a church that evening where three girls in sunday school sang a song they wrote "build build build the temple; build build build the temple" then two speakers in turn spoke about building the temple - one about David being told his son would do it and David was gobsmacked and said to God "What am I and what is my family that You would give me this honor!". Much followed this.
Later at the end of 1994, at the end of December I think, I asked to see God to preach Father and Son and Holy Spirit with real knowledge. Jesus had taught that God and He would come show themselves to those whose love for Lord Jesus makes them obey. I invoked it after checking myself that as far as my conscience could tell, I was obeying, then I asked earmestly. At night in a dream God stood in front of me and said "I am God" then gave me a task to do with a sign that would happen the next day and it happened as He said and I was so overjoyed to know it was really God I almost forgot to do what He said. Days later Jesus spoke to me and gave me proof it was Him (it was invisibly because I asked not to actually see Him because He had said to Thomas "blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe"). It was Jan 1995, I think. I was going to a river near home in a torrential rainstorm with a huge umbrella up and as I came back a voice clearly said "Put down your umbrella" and as soon as I did that torrential downpour stopped dead. I just remembered the miracle of Jesus giving a great catch of fish and how the disciples said "It is the Lord" and I said the same. I felt it must be Jesus. I asked that night that if it was indeed Jesus He would do such and such by the morning and amazingly He did and I was stunned. The way He did it showed He is my completely powerful Master: Master of my innermost being. I had such calm within. Weeks later the methodist lay preachers supervisor heard I had told people in church I wanted to see real gifts of the Spirit and he took me to the Pentecostal church and I was given interpretation when the man there gave a message in an angelic language (I didn't say it aloud but kept it quiet but the speaker said the same interpretation exactly after I received it).
It went: "Look at the trees how they bud and produce leaves; they do this it by the name of Lord Jesus Christ." It continued about planets or the like but I cannot remember that part. I'd never heard such things. Then the speaker stopped and started speaking in English and his words were the very words I had heard as a translation of the message. I'm certain this was a manifestation the Holy Spirit. A little later I saw a book, The Book of Enoch translated by R H Charles, in an SPCK bookshop and opened it and flicking through saw words almost matching the words I heard in tongues with interpretation so I knew I must accept that this book was a work of this same Holy Spirit. In reading it I might have had that faith sorely tested though were it not for the archeology I had studied. Here is the kind of thing I read in it that first look: "Observe how the trees cover themselves with green leaves and bear fruit: wherefore give ye heed with regard to all, and recognize how He that liveth for ever hath made them so. And His works go on from year to year for ever, and all the tasks they accomplish for Him, and change not, but according as hath ordained so is it done."
A little later, maybe this was still in 1995 but I'm not certain, I was having a bath preparing for church and keen to obey the heavenly vision I was given to build the church. I thought prophecy was how God taught to do it. I knew the church I was attending allowed people to speak in some services. I considered what would I say, would God give me a prophecy. Suddenly words came strongly into my mind "Israel has sinned" and I was told the sign of it would be an eagle overhead. I saw in a vision an eagle with a great white eye flying in the sky. Then there were visions of wars and generals talking. The same day a police helicopter service started and flew later over my local church. It had a search light and camera like that eagle. They called it Operation Vulture. The same day the news showed spy planes black like the eagle. The wars that followed were shown in my vision.
I had started researching the timeline of the scriptures and the copy of The Book of Enoch proved useful over the coming years. Most blessed of all it gave me, though, was its visions of The Son of Man who I understood to be Lord Jesus Christ before He came in the flesh. Believing this book to be authentic it was showing me that the Son of Man, Jesus, had been there from the time of Enoch more than two thousand years BC (before He came in flesh and blood). It made sense of the John 8 "Before Abraham was I am" words of Jesus. The interpretation of tongues about the trees growing by His authority as Lord showed me that even before Creation He is.

Living by the Spirit

I have found my life easily gets filled with worldly things even when trying to follow Christ. It seems there are two ways - two wisdoms - one appeals to our desires but is not from God - then there is another wisdom that comes into our lives at times from God that comes in the form of spirit and appeals not really to our desires but appeals to what seems to be some part of us called spirit that only wakes up when our hearts respond to the gospel that Christ died for us. This wisdom or way of living from God is such that it can get swamped by worldly wisdom not from God because our desires are strong - so we have to spend time filling ourselves with it deliberately to give it power and top spot in our lives and that means acting on it whenever we can and never letting it get forgotten. We can help eachother do this but if nobody is there to help we can still do it ourselves. There were hardly any things I could say were workings of the Spirit from God in my life but sometimes there have been so I keep focussing on them and they seem to surge back to life when I do. Scriptures are hard to understand but sometimes the Holy Spirit helps so the our hearts are sometimes opened to understand the scriptures and we can reflect on such understanding over and over whenever we can. Doing what God teaches is sometimes possible if we are ready so staying ready is important but often we have no opportunity so when one comes along we should make it count.

My Personal Testimony About Jesus

I got to know Jesus gradually throughout my life; starting when Jesus' words were read to me as a small child - from a children's Bible by my wise mother. When bullied at school I would see Jesus in my dreams come and stand in the presence of my enemies and give me peace. I got to love this Jesus who would come in dreams at night and assure me He is there for me, just by standing there without a word but in the time of need showing He knows. At university I went to a great church in London and learned the words of Jesus taught in great depth by a lovely preacher (RTK) and another great preacher visited our University Christian group and taught actual obedience to what Jesus taught. These two concepts - learning Jesus' teachings in depth of understanding and obedience to them - made me study all Jesus' words intensely in private when I finished University. I was so chuffed to find miracles were possible with the kind of faith Jesus taught. I did bigger and bigger works of faith. Especially I found I could command extremes of weather with faith in God and it obeyed me (God made it do so when it was within His will and His love for me). Jesus had taught that God and He would come show themselves to those whose love for Lord Jesus makes them obey. I invoked it and God appeared in a dream to speak to me and days later Jesus met me out in the street in a torrential rain storm and said "Put down your umbrella!" and immediately I did so and the rain stopped so quick not a drop fell on me. Jesus was showing me He too does what I had been doing and He affirmed it. I asked proof it was Him and He gave it - masterfully showing Himself to be supremely my Lord, Master of my whole being, incapable of failing for any lack of power. I was all so calm within that I felt everything was solved there and then. The Holy Spirit sealed it all later when I found His power in church undoubtably. I had asked God before all this to show me Father and Son and Holy Spirit so I know Jesus is the Son of God by this answer I was given. Hallelujah.

Heaven and Hell

The place of the dead was called Sheol in Jesus' time and Jesus confirmed it by speaking of it in His teachings - it is a place of all spirits of people while awaiting judgement at the end - the place is divided into separate places for people deemed wicked and people deemed righteous and is full of light for the righteous but places of wicked or other places are dark and some endure punishment there but all are as if in some kind of sleep but conscious - the Greeks called the place of punishment Hades and Jesus reflected this in some teachings. When Jesus died He too went to Sheol and preached in spirit there to ancient people who had been there since the time of Noah (2500 BC) and then Jesus was raised back to life but eternal immortal life so He will one day raise saints to immortal life to reign over the Earth with Him. The place of Jesus now is called Heaven but is hidden and there is not much prophecy to tell us where it is. It might be a place of light but similar to Sheol but where the throne of God is with God actually enthroned there and Jesus ruling with Him over spirits who are not human who we call angels. To say we go to Heaven when we die means we believe we will go to the Sheol place of light or even closer still to Jesus if blessed with that perhaps because of martyrdom. Those spirits of those beheaded for their faithfulness to Jesus are beneath the throne of God and Jesus. When God judges everyone through Jesus after Jesus has reigned a thousand years there will be no more Hades but instead there will be a lake of fire and a city of light whose light is God. It is not usually called Heaven in scripture but usually called the New Jerusalem.

Are You Tare or Wheat?

'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”' said The Christ Jesus in The Parable of the Tares. Are you a tare or are you wheat? What is the difference? The Prophet Enoch spoke of the righteous or Elect and the sinners or wicked. The Apostle Paul preached of the elect or saints and the unbelievers or the world. It is God who sees the difference and can foresee an entire life of a person. We might sin but later quit sinning - quit doing wrong actions - or we might never quit. We might not know ourselves or sometimes consider ourselves righteous and sometimes consider ourselves sinners. God sees all of the life of someone He regards as Elect and whether they will hold onto the faith He make cause to grow within them until that faith blossoms in repentance from wrongdoing and learning of His righteous ways. Just as in The Parable of the Tares, it may be that nobody except God with foreknowledge will be sure how each plant in the crop will turn out, whether it is a tare or wheat but by the time of harvest it will become manifest. Yet God can encourage us to believe we are elect by giving us the Holy Spirit and miraclulous signs and love in our hearts towards others He treats this way.

Times Ahead

The Book of Enoch (combined with faith and the Holy Spirit from God) assures me that these times, just as in times before The Flood, will soon be times of massive global removal of the wicked from among mankind in preparation for a time of judgement under the feet of Jesus Christ before the final judgement under God. If we are wicked we need the build-up towards this time to be gradual to give us time to repent. Once the momentum of disasters really builds up (far worse than hurricanes and forest fires) there will be no going back and more and more wicked will perish as the Earth is cleansed. We need books like The Book of Enoch for comfort and assurance and warning against remaining unrepentant as the times exponentially get worse. Dates will matter little except to confirm there is no reversal of God’s plan. Revelation warns of times being dire for the righteous too as the wicked sense their imminent irreversible demise. That means standing firm is so necessary and will be greatly challenged as rarely ever before (except in the times like those spoken of in 1 Maccabees). The end result will be few surviving of the righteous and even fewer of the most wicked so that Christ can abolish violence and wickedness completely from Earth under His rule when He comes like that Flood.
[The Book of Enoch 1:1  "The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed."]

Get to Know God

Get to genuinely know God first-hand by obeying the teachings of His Son:
Jesus taught (see Gospel of John 14:23-24) “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."

The Son of Man was always the Son of God

There are very ancient prophetic writings that show that even long before Jesus Christ came in the flesh, God already regarded and acknowledged the Son of Man as His true Son (The Book of Enoch chapter 105) "In those days the Lord bade (them) to summon and testify to the children of earth concerning their wisdom: Show (it) unto them; for ye are their guides, and a recompense over the whole earth. For I and My son will be united with them for ever in the paths of uprightness in their lives; and ye shall have peace: rejoice, ye children of uprightness. Amen."

The Power of Baptism in Christ

Baptism unites a person with Christ because by it they are identifying with Him. This is very powerful because Christ pleased God His Father: "And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power." ... "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."

The Power of the Cross of Christ

The power of the Cross of Christ makes the Law and Old Covenant look weak. Using a topical analogy from recent news, a hydrogen bomb is so much more powerful than an atomic bomb we might say there is little place left for atomic bombs now the newer hydrogen bombs are here. Atomic bombs still exist though; they just have to stand aside now hydrogen bombs are here. Why focus on such devastating power? There is a mighty weapon in God's arsenal that outweighs the power of the Law He gave to Moses on tablets of stone - it is what gives God supreme power to be both merciful and just - the power of His Son's shed blood - the blood of the Son of Man from Heaven shed for sins. It makes the Law and Old Covenant look weak. He always planned it and now it is unleashed. Thank God or else we might all die when a plague like Ebola comes along. Its power I believe halted that disease's path from going global. It makes mercy real and viable despite what humans do worldwide in hating and destroying all God has made. It has effect on delaying damnation long enough to give time for a true Church of God, People of God to grow. It can save each of us who believes from the power of sin in our lives. Thank God He brought about this power. Invoke it in intercession for everyone when terrible times threaten us all.

An Answer to Quranic teachings

Jesus said (John 3): "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever blelieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The Quran nowhere records that Isa (Jesus) is Son of Allah (God). Yet it is everywhere in the testimony of Jesus and His miracles given Him by God for Him to do. The Quran records a different version of events about the crucifixion saying Jesus did not actually die (4:157). Yet many believe that this Son of God was sacrificed in death on a cross so His blood shed as sacrificial Lamb of God would take effect in establishing a new covenant to take away sin as John the Baptist foretold. Jesus is the Lord alive today having died on that cross and been resurrected by the One True God, The Father, to whom Jesus was and is and ever will be His beloved Son - and God testifies verbally to this and testified in powerful action of love by raising Him from the dead. The Holy Spirit seals this truth.

The New Covenant

The blood of the Lamb of God made a huge impact on the way things are by creating a whole new covenant - it was so effective - yet the error of men and women who know this is to think God, The LORD, has changed - God is ever the same - past, present and eternal future and does not change - yet the efficacy of the blood shed when Jesus of Nazareth - Lamb of God - Son of Man - Son of God - now risen Lord  and Christ - the power of that blood sacrificed and the new covenant it creates does set aside the old covenant needed before God provided the Lamb - so the old covenant is indeed now old. What people who believe in the blood of the Lamb of God to create a new covenant should now do is to set aside old ways and embrace and adhere to the testimony of the apostles who told of Jesus and of what this Lamb of God accomplished by enduring the cross and to be united with this Christ, Messiah, they should be baptised into Jesus Christ's teachings and then follow the Holy Spirit sent to us by God when we believe. This is the new covenant leading to salvation from eternal damnation. And God's and Jesus' grace and peace be with you.

Jesus Did Say He is the Son of God

Jesus' statement about Himself being the Son of God is perhaps best recorded in John 3 where His words said to Nicodemus a Jewish major teacher are recorded: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." The Quran nowhere records that Isa - Jesus - Yeshua (pbuh) is Son of Allah - God - Jehovah - Yahweh (pbuh). Yet it is everywhere in testimony of Jesus and miracles given by God.

Analysing Our Traditions

It seems good to me to place the testimony of God and commands of God over and above traditions - traditions are a huge part of most denominations (take Sunday observance over Sabbath observance as an example to see how powerful traditions have become - even more so than scriptures). Some distrust traditions but find our lives dictated by them as we analyse our ways - so it is loving towards God to dig down and discover what among those influences is truly the command of God and what is influenced by traditions that do not come from God - so out of love for God and true wisdom we can shift our loyalty towards ways God commands and let our lives be built on these. Why do people do this, trying to downplay tradition if it is found to be merely human and emphasise the commands and teachings coming from God? I believe the scriptures and the Holy Spirit lead this way.

Prophet Enoch's Encouragement to do Right

(Enoch 94:1-5)

"And now I say unto you, my sons, love righteousness and walk therein; For the paths of righteousness are worthy of acceptation, But the paths of unrighteousness shall suddenly be destroyed and vanish. And to certain men of a generation shall the paths of violence and of death be revealed, And they shall hold themselves afar from them, And shall not follow them. And now I say unto you the righteous: Walk not in the paths of wickedness, nor in the paths of death, And draw not nigh to them, lest ye be destroyed. But seek and choose for yourselves righteousness and an elect life, And walk in the paths of peace, And ye shall live and prosper. And hold fast my words in the thoughts of your hearts, And suffer them not to be effaced from your hearts; For I know that sinners will tempt men to evilly-entreat wisdom, So that no place may be found for her, And no manner of temptation may minish."

Prophet Enoch's Warning to the Rich

(Enoch 94:6-11)
"Woe to those who build unrighteousness and oppression And lay deceit as a foundation; For they shall be suddenly overthrown, And they shall have no peace. Woe to those who build their houses with sin; For from all their foundations shall they be overthrown, And by the sword shall they fall. [And those who acquire gold and silver in judgement suddenly shall perish.] Woe to you, ye rich, for ye have trusted in your riches, And from your riches shall ye depart, Because ye have not remembered the Most High in the days of your riches. Ye have committed blasphemy and unrighteousness. And have become ready for the day of slaughter, And the day of darkness and the day of the great judgement. Thus I speak and declare unto you; He who hath created you will overthrow you, And for your fall there shall be no compassion, And your Creator will rejoice at your destruction. And your righteous ones in those days shall be a reproach to the sinners and the godless."