It seems reasonable to me that the Son would come forth out of God in some way, before Creation, such that He was first part of God then became an individual being - so at first actually being God then as God produced Him from Himself He becomes the Son.
Tuesday 31 October 2017
Who He is
I feel sure that as recorded in John 8, when Jesus said several times in different ways "I am" He is alluding to the authority He came with to speak to Israel being like that of Moses, except in this case God did not just send Him but was in Him. And as Jesus sends any of us, or simply as we experientially know Him, in turn He is in us. And as we know Jesus experientially, so by proxy we are knowing God because He know God fully. So when Jesus says 'I am' it is because He is full of the experiential knowledge of God, of who God is.
Monday 30 October 2017
Compare these two scriptures
Compare these two passages of scripture, one (Daniel 10) from centuries BC, the other (Revelation 1) from first century AD.
Daniel 10v5-7 "I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from 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."
Daniel 10v5-7 "I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from 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."
Jesus is Lord
Some say Jesus is God. That can be confusing or a sign of confusion. He is Lord. Only God is greater. All Nature obeys Him. He is Lord in the very nature of what He is. He has complete mastery over our innermost being and all the atoms in our bodies and the processes of our minds and physical nature. Yet God is greater than He is.
Sunday 29 October 2017
We Have Testimony
We have testimony from Jesus that disciples can have Him speaking and acting through them so we can believe He Himself was in John as John revealed truths about Jesus so Jesus was revealing truths about Himself through John. Two great truths are revealed by Jesus about Himself through John. Firstly that He is the incarnation of the Logos and here through John Jesus uses a clear reference back to sayings of Heraclitus about the Logos that is effectively the objective truth about all things that might or might not be known or acknowledged by humans but even so is nevertheless true. This is of course found in the prologue of John's gospel. Secondly, Jesus showed John Himself at the start of His revelation recorded in the Book of Revelation as identical with the one like a son of man seen by Daniel and through John, Jesus had it recorded how He looked such that the description is a match with the description Daniel gave of this mysterious being. So Jesus identified Himself through John as a mysterious being who interacted caringly with Daniel hundreds of years before Jesus was born. So we can put these two together and in these verses Jesus is showing Himself to be a mysterious and seldom seen being like a human but angelic who was with God in times long before His birth on earth and was the actual truth about all things manifested as a human-like being. This Jesus still is even though He was born a real actual human and died and rose again to live forever. It is Jesus who reveals all this about Himself through John His beloved disciple.
Saturday 28 October 2017
The Righteous Plant
It is remarkable that Abraham was chosen, foreknown and predestined to be the 'root of the plant of righteousness' when you would expect that Noah had already been that. It seems possible but still problematic that it required a particular course of life which Noah had not taken but Abraham took. There was something about Abraham that was not true of Noah, but I know not what. Mysterious. Abraham was born to a more pagan father perhaps than Noah had been - Terah maybe had a more idolatrous past from which Abraham would make a clean break by the power of pure faith alone. Lamech had not walked in the righteous ways of Enoch like his father Methuselah had done but he is not recorded in history as a pagan idolater. Maybe this clean break from parental pagan tradition is what made Abraham special in God's plan. Establishing the example of righteousness started by faith alone.
Ain't that the truth?!
There is a philosophical insight by an ancient Greek sage named Heraclitus which described a common truth awareness existing in the Universe that is manifest to each of us as a flash inspirational realisation of background truth from time to time that can be transitory in our minds then disappear like a forgotten dream as our thoughts take over - he called it the Logos. Later it was compared to something like a ledger of the universe - a tangible existence of common truth. We could nowadays call it objective truth. Later after Jesus of Nazareth appeared preaching in Galilee and Judea the disciple John seems to have identified Jesus as the physical incarnation in flesh of the Logos. So it seems that irrespective of whether people exist who know a truth, it is still true - because one being always exists who knows all things who strangely enough has created a person in which to embody all He knows - the Logos. Stranger still is that this Logos came in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth.
Monday 23 October 2017
The Ties that Bind
Our lives are bound together by faith not dogma. It is faith that in each of us finds unity with others as we hold to what we believe - faith and not some organised religious hierarchy and creed. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe064.htm This faith is given by God in specific measures to each of us and is what the Apostle Paul meant by the one who prophesies speaking according to the measure of faith we have each received. Faith is living and edifies the church of God as each one does their work.
The Transfiguration
Who stood with Jesus as He was transfigured - Moses and Elijah. Moses was the one man who had met with God repeatedy such that it made his face shine. Elijah had been with God in heaven in the flesh for centuries (like Enoch too) after he ascended without ever dying. These showed a tremandous potential there is for being with God in the flesh. Jesus had been a kind of angelic human being before becoming flesh and had been like that with God since before time began (pre-existent) long before becoming a flesh and blood normal human by virgin birth. These three show the potential that exists for human fellowship with God and a shining appearance is a sign of it. Nowadays some saintly believers after death can become like angels by God making them that way such that they can do things angels do but yet they are still human - "spirits of just men made perfect". That could be us one day. Then there will be resurrection like Jesus' resurrection too but we haven't got to that bit.
Sunday 22 October 2017
Christ Really Did Die and Rise from the Dead
Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, preached "Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life".
Christ is no hypocrite - His mesage could never be "Be faithful unto death" if He Himself had not done that very thing.
Christ has said "Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life" so believing this and believing He is no hypocrite is to believe He has died and risen.
Jesus Christ came out to meet me (on Blackswarth Road in Bristol, UK in January 1995) on the basis He died for my sins and yours and I would preach it for Him.
Saturday 21 October 2017
Decades away - or less
From the Book of Enoch chapter 93: "And Enoch began to recount from the books and said: 'I was born the seventh in the first week, While judgement and righteousness still endured. And after me there shall arise in the second week great wickedness, And deceit shall have sprung up; And in it there shall be the first end. ...'"
Enoch was born around 620 Anno Mundi (AM, years from the creation of Adam) - 'seventh in the first week' - can be understood as being born in the seventh part of the first week so a 'week ' = 700 yrs. The account of subsequent week is consistent with this where the close of a 'week' is around 50 years into the last century of the week of seven centuries. Later in the chapter:
"And after this, in the tenth week in the seventh part, There shall be the great eternal judgement, In which He will execute vengeance amongst the angels. And the first heaven shall depart and pass away, And a new heaven shall appear, And all the powers of the heavens shall give sevenfold light. And after that there will be many weeks without number for ever, And all shall be in goodness and righteousness, And sin shall no more be mentioned for ever."
So the Final Judgement at close of tenth week will be around 6950 AM. This means the final Millennium starts around 5900 - 5950 AM. Reckonings of how this translates into years AD vary but it could be as little as one or two decades away or more or less.
Enoch was born around 620 Anno Mundi (AM, years from the creation of Adam) - 'seventh in the first week' - can be understood as being born in the seventh part of the first week so a 'week ' = 700 yrs. The account of subsequent week is consistent with this where the close of a 'week' is around 50 years into the last century of the week of seven centuries. Later in the chapter:
"And after this, in the tenth week in the seventh part, There shall be the great eternal judgement, In which He will execute vengeance amongst the angels. And the first heaven shall depart and pass away, And a new heaven shall appear, And all the powers of the heavens shall give sevenfold light. And after that there will be many weeks without number for ever, And all shall be in goodness and righteousness, And sin shall no more be mentioned for ever."
So the Final Judgement at close of tenth week will be around 6950 AM. This means the final Millennium starts around 5900 - 5950 AM. Reckonings of how this translates into years AD vary but it could be as little as one or two decades away or more or less.
Pre-existence of the Christ
Why and how do I believe that the Son of God existed before His birth? I know with certainty that it is given by the Holy Spirit (who never lies) that "the trees put forth their buds and leaves by the authority of the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ". These words from the Holy Spirit came by tongues and interpretation. I take these words on board because the Holy Spirit does not lie and shuns lies, I know. I therefore cannot think of any reasonable alternative to the name of Lord Jesus Christ preceding the trees as long as there have been trees. Obviously this utterance of the mystery does not only apply to trees but to Nature in general and the utterance went on to include stars and planets in their orbits. So the name of Lord Jesus Christ clearly preceded all of Nature because always it worked by this name's power. So for the name of the Son of God always to have existed in such power the Son of God Himself must have existed since before any Nature existed. This is clear to me.
Who was Enoch?
The Book of Enoch starts: "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." So who was Enoch? Sumerians recorded in their Sumerian King Lists that the seventh king in succession from the first man (who we call Adam) was called Enmenduranki also known as En-men-dur-ana (meaning 'ruler bridging between heaven and earth) and was first king of Sippar in Mesopotamia and was taken into heaven to be taught by angels. In historic terms he ruled Sumeria in what archaeologists call the Early Dynastic Period; more specifically just before the start of the Fara Period (perhaps around 2700 BC). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/En-men-dur-ana
Suffering
Suffering is important in teachings Enoch received from holy angels. (Enoch 108 R H Charles translation) "... those who have afflicted their bodies, and been recompensed by God; and of those who have been put to shame by wicked men: Who love God and loved neither gold nor silver nor any of the good things which are in the world, but gave over their bodies to torture. Who, since they came into being, longed not after earthly food, but regarded everything as a passing breath, and lived accordingly, and the Lord tried them much, and their spirits were found pure so that they should bless His name. And all the blessings destined for them I have recounted in the books. And he hath assigned them their recompense, because they have been found to be such as loved heaven more than their life in the world, and though they were trodden under foot of wicked men, and experienced abuse and reviling from them and were put to shame, yet they blessed Me."
Keep it Real
How real is our well-doing? Looking at Jesus' teachings (Luke 12) we should feel convicted and in the future take steps to keep it real: 'One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’ Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”'
A Holy Book for Our Time
Chapter 104 of the Book of Enoch (R H Charles translation) shows how important it will be as the tribulation approaches to keep these words of Enoch
"And now I show unto you that light and darkness, day and night, see all your sins. Be not godless in your hearts, and lie not and alter not the words of uprightness, nor charge with lying the words of the Holy Great One, nor take account of your idols; for all your lying and all your godlessness issue not in righteousness but in great sin. And now I know this mystery, that sinners will alter and pervert the words of righteousness in many ways, and will speak wicked words, and lie, and practice great deceits, and write books concerning their words. But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or minish ought from my words but write them all down truthfully--all that I first testified concerning them. Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. And to them shall the books be given, and they shall believe in them and rejoice over them, and then shall all the righteous who have learnt therefrom all the paths of uprightness be recompensed."
and the next chapter promises those who take these words to others this blessing of fellowship with God and His Son
"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."
"And now I show unto you that light and darkness, day and night, see all your sins. Be not godless in your hearts, and lie not and alter not the words of uprightness, nor charge with lying the words of the Holy Great One, nor take account of your idols; for all your lying and all your godlessness issue not in righteousness but in great sin. And now I know this mystery, that sinners will alter and pervert the words of righteousness in many ways, and will speak wicked words, and lie, and practice great deceits, and write books concerning their words. But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages, and do not change or minish ought from my words but write them all down truthfully--all that I first testified concerning them. Then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. And to them shall the books be given, and they shall believe in them and rejoice over them, and then shall all the righteous who have learnt therefrom all the paths of uprightness be recompensed."
and the next chapter promises those who take these words to others this blessing of fellowship with God and His Son
"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."
Thursday 19 October 2017
Why does the Bible exclude the Book of Enoch?
Why is the Book of Enoch not included in the English Bible? Book of Enoch 1:1 reads: "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." So presumably those who put together the list of scriptures that decided which are in the Bible did not get blessing from the Book of Enoch so maybe that was because they either didn't know about it or never read it or simply were not its intended audience: Maybe they were neither righteous nor elect.
Tuesday 17 October 2017
The Nature of the Holy Spirit
John 16:12-15 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
The Holy Spirit takes from what is the Son's and gives it to believers. All that the Father has is the Son's too. So the Holy Spirit takes from what is the Father's but indirectly by taking it from the Son. Identifying Him only as the Spirit of the Father as if He is simply part of the Father is wrong because makes a nonsense of these words and these words are a light of truth we need to receive about the Spirit of truth.
The Holy Spirit takes from what is the Son's and gives it to believers. All that the Father has is the Son's too. So the Holy Spirit takes from what is the Father's but indirectly by taking it from the Son. Identifying Him only as the Spirit of the Father as if He is simply part of the Father is wrong because makes a nonsense of these words and these words are a light of truth we need to receive about the Spirit of truth.
The Nature of the Unity
In what sense is God one with the Son of God? John 17:20-23 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." In what sense are believers to be one? Philippians 2:2 "... make my joy complete by being of one mind, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose" The unity is a unity in spirit and purpose - the same kind of unity as there is between the Father and the Son - not unity of entity and identity - not unity of substance. What did those verses do mean in the minds of the apostles? The apostles considered unity to be about spirit and purpose. Believers should imitate that faith. Believers can have unity with God too as well as with each other - and clearly such unity with God is not a unity of equals.
Monday 16 October 2017
The Lord Jesus' Sonship
"During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5). I think the writer of Hebrews describing Jesus learning obedience through experience was possibly applying the 2 Samuel 7 description of sonship God declared to King David, immediately about Solomon but applicable to Jesus too. The application to Jesus requires an issue be handled - that Jesus did not sin. "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. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me ; your throne will be established forever.’ "
Saturday 14 October 2017
The God I Know
In 1994 I was told by the Spirit to preach. Preach what? I asked earnestly God to show me Father and Son and Holy Spirit, after searching my soul to be sure I was loving Jesus enough to be obeying Him as far as I could, considering the promise of Jesus of He and the Father showing themselves to the obedient. The answer came quickly over the space of weeks. A dream of God Himself came first where the appearance of God stood there before me saying "I am God" then telling me a sign for the next day and what to do. Weeks or days later, in January 1995 I was learning from scripture that the Lord presides over the floods and these floods come as judgements in the last days and there was a local severe flood in progress and torrential rain was falling. I read "Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has wrought" so I went to a footbridge over the river nearby to see it in flood, standing in awe of God, and on the way back it rained in torrents without relenting. Cars drove past on the road and my huge umbrella kept me dry. A voice came clearly "Put down your umbrella!". I did not hesitate and as soon as I put it down that torrential rain stopped dead and not a spot touched me. "It is the Lord!" I told myself certain it was Jesus. (He came like that on the lake shore to see His disciples after His resurrection.) Later before sleeping I asked for a certain unlikely thing to happen by the morning to show me it was indeed Jesus. Halfway through the night He made it happen and unspeakable peace came over me. Days or weeks later a local preaching leader heard I had asked about any churches where the Holy Spirit was manifested like in the scriptures with gifts of the Spirit. He told me to come with him to an out of town church where I would certainly witness this. The leader there spoke a message in tongues that sounded angelic in beautiful sentences and each sentence became English in my head as I heard it. "Consider the trees how they put forth buds and leaves - they do this by the authority of the name of Lord Jesus Christ" was what I heard. There followed more about planets but I cannot remember it. Then the speaker himself said those very words in English. So now God had shown me Father and Son and Holy Spirit so I can speak to others confidently about what I have seen and heard. Praise God.
The Holy Spirit
Who or what is the Holy Spirit?
Acts 2 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesa as the Spirit enabled them."
Confusion comes from oversimplification. The facts are known. How we put them together is our weakest point of failure. We know that the Holy Spirit can divide up so that many many individuals all receive His manifestations simultaneously. We know that He comes to each one of many simultaneously as a person in some cases speaking to them with real words and real personality. If that were God directly speaking then God would speak to one at a time. Yet all hear the person of the Holy Spirit at once. If it were the Son of God then again many, many would have to wait their turn. Yet the Holy Spirit means tens or hundreds of millions of believers can be fed at once by His manifestations.
Acts 2 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesa as the Spirit enabled them."
Confusion comes from oversimplification. The facts are known. How we put them together is our weakest point of failure. We know that the Holy Spirit can divide up so that many many individuals all receive His manifestations simultaneously. We know that He comes to each one of many simultaneously as a person in some cases speaking to them with real words and real personality. If that were God directly speaking then God would speak to one at a time. Yet all hear the person of the Holy Spirit at once. If it were the Son of God then again many, many would have to wait their turn. Yet the Holy Spirit means tens or hundreds of millions of believers can be fed at once by His manifestations.
Friday 13 October 2017
All you need is God
Love is all you need.
"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. "" John 8:42-43
If we cannot understand Jesus it is probably because we do not love Him. If we do not love Him it is because we do not love His Father. If we do not love His Father it is because His Father is not truly our God. All we need is love. All we need is God.
"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. "" John 8:42-43
If we cannot understand Jesus it is probably because we do not love Him. If we do not love Him it is because we do not love His Father. If we do not love His Father it is because His Father is not truly our God. All we need is love. All we need is God.
Jesus and the Law
The Law of Moses commanded tithing. How did Jesus' teaching relate to this?
Mark 12:41-44 - 'Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on.”'
... So in saying this, Jesus was putting the spirit of the Law above the letter of the Law.
Taking this approach - spirit of giving and contributing to temple upkeep according to means and out of love for God (which might exceed what is required and max out your ability) - the Apostle Paul continued in this approach by preaching that each should give to the church according to their income and means without specifying a proportion percent.
The Law of the Spirit.
Mark 12:41-44 - 'Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on.”'
... So in saying this, Jesus was putting the spirit of the Law above the letter of the Law.
Taking this approach - spirit of giving and contributing to temple upkeep according to means and out of love for God (which might exceed what is required and max out your ability) - the Apostle Paul continued in this approach by preaching that each should give to the church according to their income and means without specifying a proportion percent.
The Law of the Spirit.
The Bible
Some believers only believe in scriptures. Narrower than that: Only scriptures from the canon they are familiar with - so for many that would be the Bible. There are some of these who only accept quotes from the Bible in discussion of religious topics or Bible teaching. What if every scriptural book in the Bible that quoted or mirrored sources outside the Bible were removed? Then they would have a more consistent canon for their beliefs. But what would it contain?
Thursday 12 October 2017
"Unless you believe that I am ..."
We can have an anointing from God such that God works in us - but the level of sustained working of God in the only-begotten Son of God is such that He can say of Himself 'I am' and we have to believe both the words and their connotations.
The Lamb Slain
"the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:8b)
The plan of the love of God meant from the foundation of the world setting His Heavenly Son on a path to birth as a mortal and death. Then resurrection and eternal life in the power of God. This love meant the Son would one day be flesh and bone and would suffer and die and this would have to be. This Son of Man, as the Son of God in the bosom of God's grace and love would ever be known and, in Heaven among the God's angels, had always been known before time began or stars were born, this Son would be slain one day. This had to be because God so loved the world - even before He made it through His Only-Begotten Son.
The plan of the love of God meant from the foundation of the world setting His Heavenly Son on a path to birth as a mortal and death. Then resurrection and eternal life in the power of God. This love meant the Son would one day be flesh and bone and would suffer and die and this would have to be. This Son of Man, as the Son of God in the bosom of God's grace and love would ever be known and, in Heaven among the God's angels, had always been known before time began or stars were born, this Son would be slain one day. This had to be because God so loved the world - even before He made it through His Only-Begotten Son.
The Apostle Paul and the Law of Moses
When speaking or writing to Jews the Apostles Paul was as a Jew. He persuaded Jews ('The Epistle to the Romans' chapters 1 and 2) that his ministry increased conformance of people to the righteousness found in the Law and did not oppose the Law. When speaking and writing to Gentiles ('The Epistle to the Galatians') he drew lessons from Genesis and historical religious aspects leading up to the Law but hardly mentioned the Law and rebuked judaisation of Gentiles in very strong terms. So he saw a divided attitude to the Law as an essential part of God's plan for salvation - Jews honouring Law and finding the righteousness it proclaims but not imposing Law on Gentiles - and Gentiles honouring the work of God in the patriarchs and Moses and giving of the Law but not trying to become adherents of it other than learning spiritual lessons from it. This is fully in line with the edict of the Jerusalem Apostles of which Paul had been a chief emissary. Peter's warning is that, by misunderstanding this, people distort it to their own agenda but in doing so bring destruction on themselves - yet still people take that risk.
Wednesday 11 October 2017
We Need the Book of Enoch
Enoch 48:10b "And there shall be no one to take them with his hands and raise them: For they have denied the Lord of Spirits and His Anointed. The name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed."
We need the Book of Enoch prophecies because although we have similar prophetic visions of the Son of Man seen by Daniel recorded in the Book of Daniel it does not have the detailed descriptions of the Son of Man given in Enoch's prophecies. Most of all Daniel does not link the Son of Man with being God's Anointed like Enoch does so from Enoch we have the clarity that the Son of Man "who is born unto righteousness" (70:14) is the Elect One, chosen by God and anointed by God (The Lord of Spirits) and this identifies Him as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.
It has to be a man to whom God gives His anointing. The Christ must do anointed things showing all the authority of God but must also bear with human weakness. This was always the plan foreseen by God. His Son would be central to His saving grace. God saves - this name was always going to be bourne by His Son. This human eternal future Jesus would ever have once risen from the dead would be there in all His past showing God's foreknowledge and predestining sovereignty. He was always the Son of Man and will be always and "they will see the Son of Man coming with the clouds of Heaven".
We need the Book of Enoch prophecies because although we have similar prophetic visions of the Son of Man seen by Daniel recorded in the Book of Daniel it does not have the detailed descriptions of the Son of Man given in Enoch's prophecies. Most of all Daniel does not link the Son of Man with being God's Anointed like Enoch does so from Enoch we have the clarity that the Son of Man "who is born unto righteousness" (70:14) is the Elect One, chosen by God and anointed by God (The Lord of Spirits) and this identifies Him as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.
It has to be a man to whom God gives His anointing. The Christ must do anointed things showing all the authority of God but must also bear with human weakness. This was always the plan foreseen by God. His Son would be central to His saving grace. God saves - this name was always going to be bourne by His Son. This human eternal future Jesus would ever have once risen from the dead would be there in all His past showing God's foreknowledge and predestining sovereignty. He was always the Son of Man and will be always and "they will see the Son of Man coming with the clouds of Heaven".
Tuesday 10 October 2017
Who the Son is
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." -- Jesus' words in Matthew's Gospel. All these groups differ on things we barely know - who the Son is as from before time: Arian Orthodox, Trinitarians, Unitarians, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims, Oneness Pentecostals, etc.. What matters is to accept the truth that Daniel saw one like a Son of Man together with God and this human being in spiritual form He saw is Son of God and came in flesh and died for our sins and reveals to some the God who is His Father. To know who this Son of Man is may well be beyond our calling as human beings and maybe that is why there are different groups seeking knowledge we cannot know; not in this life.
Solace for a Human Being
As He grew up nobody doubted for a minute Jesus is a man and over and over He emphasised He is the one Daniel called a Son of Man - the human from God - as well as the truth He emphasised that God is truly His Father. These are His main teachings about Himself so take them to heart because in love they are good teachings for us. We needed a man to be between us and God. The Son of God now is that man - yes now. When He comes it will still be the Son of Man from Heaven who comes. What is so profound then is that from before time began God has been the one who has a human Son - even before the Son became flesh it was determined He would forever be the Son of Man so that destiny was seen in Him even when Daniel personally saw Him there and then. The amazing nature of God has always had this about Him - that His Son would eternally be human.
Monday 9 October 2017
The Man
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19v10)
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." (1 Timothy 2v5-6) "And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God's right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14v62) "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. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7v13-14)
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." (1 Timothy 2v5-6) "And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God's right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14v62) "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. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7v13-14)
Sunday 8 October 2017
Now are we destroyers of worlds
Our very ancient forefathers strongly advised that there is good knowledge and bad knowledge - that not all learning is good for us or good for our survival and our planet's survival. After our more recent forefathers spent centuries since the enlightenment rejecting or suspending belief in this counsel and hoarding every kind of learning possible first from the Arab Moors then empirically then by scientific process - finally before we all get wiped out we are starting to appreciate the wisdom of questioning whether some knowledge is better never known, but too late. The pandora's box is open now and cannot be shut. Now are we destroyers of worlds. But no harm in honouring that ancient wisdom we so long ignored and relearning how Enocb looked at things.
Saturday 7 October 2017
Friday 6 October 2017
The Fara Period
There is a possibility the Fara Period in achaeology and known history was actually a direct result of the ancient prophet-king Enoch being 'translated' into Heaven and being taught syllabic writing by angels then bringing that writing back to humans in Sippar where he had been king and teaching it and what he had written about Heaven and Earth. The site that gives its name to the Fara Period starting around 2700 BC is Tel Fara in Southern Mesopotamia (Iraq) and this was where Enoch's son and successor ruled the kingdom of Sumer in Sumerian times just before the great flood. A library of books unearthed there shows humans were starting to write down their flow of thoughts using cuneiform adapted for this purpose called syllabic text. Yet an equally important site for books of writing and libraries of books is the ancient city of Sippar. Here Enoch ruled around 2800 BC before what is described as his 'translation' when legends and scripture and ancient Sumerian and Akkadian texts say he was taken into Heaven by angels and told to record what he saw in a book and bring it back to teach those on earth. The place from which this seems to have happened is according to the Sumerian King Lists a city he used as his kingdom's capital, Sippar. So to find so much syllabic text written in Sippar is hugely significant yet it was the next capital Shuruppak that gives us the name of this period in history - the Fara Period, after the modern name of the site, Tel Fara. The Book of Enoch written in many languages and translated several times between languages till this day records these events but may be the actial writings of Enoch using the first syllabic writing system to pass on those lessons from Heaven to humans. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe004.htm
Could Enoch have written scriptures?
Some are utterly wrong in thinking there was no writing in the days of Adam and Enoch. Cuneiform tablets in museums and pyramid texts in pyramids attest to the existence of writing around 3000 BC. Enoch was probably writing between 3000 and 2850 BC and Adam died around 2900 BC - writing reached quote an advanced form around 3000 BC. Enoch was one of the first to master writing and his descendants kept it going before and after the Flood. One period before the Flood was marked by a change of writing from vertical to horizontal called the Jemdet Nasr period around 3100 to 2900 BC - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jemdet_Nasr_period - around the time Enoch was king, around 2900 BC. Enoch was king under the king-name En-men-dur-anna https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/En-men-dur-ana . Adam had been king under the name Alulim and died when Enoch was around 300 years old - around 2900 BC. Enoch was translated to Heaven around 60 years after that around 2850 BC and carried on writing and much of the original content of Book of Enoch was written around that time. We have extant texts reporting themselves written by Enoch's grandson Lamech under the king name Shurappak - a city of that name where he ruled is named after him and is very important in archaeology because it still shows the Flood deposits. This writing is for his son Noah - king name Zuisudra - it is found in two museums today. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_of_Shuruppak
The Book of Jasher records that Cainan was writing on tablets of stone (clay? cuneiform) in his lifetime too - religious writings inspired by God - and he died around 2600 BC. He lived almost a thousand years so he might have started writing at the same time as Enoch around 3000 BC. Noah too was writing centuries before the Flood so around 2500 BC. He was born a couple of centuries before Cainan died and his grandfather was Methuselah to son of Enoch so of course Noah would have been well prepared to write scriptural texts (in cuneiform and on stone). The archaeology shows the main school for writing skills after the Flood was a main institution in the city from which Noah is recorded as having ruled. It was named 'city of the book' if I remember correctly - writing was a major part of these first patriarchs' lives even from within the lifetime of Adam - all attested and enlightened by archaeology in the last few centuries. And ancient historians tecord
it too like Josephus and of course the writers of Jasher. Even China has records of this time.
A good checksum to test the chronology is the Book of Jubilees which bacause of the cunning way it is written (reportedly by Moses with a angel dictating it) is very hard or impossible to corrupt with regard to its dates so an excellent verification on this chronology.
The successors of Enoch moved the kingdom capital to Shuruppak - what is Shurappak famous for - a clue is Tel Fara - this is the modern name of the archaeological site of Shuruppak city of Methuselah and Lamech and begore the Flood Noah - what do we find at Tel Fara - clue - a period of this time in history gets named after it - the Fara Period https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sumer - why give it a special name - because this is the time (around 2700 to 2600 BC) and place when writing first captured the full flow of human thought.
The successors of Enoch moved the kingdom capital to Shuruppak - what is Shurappak famous for - a clue is Tel Fara - this is the modern name of the archaeological site of Shuruppak city of Methuselah and Lamech and begore the Flood Noah - what do we find at Tel Fara - clue - a period of this time in history gets named after it - the Fara Period https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sumer - why give it a special name - because this is the time (around 2700 to 2600 BC) and place when writing first captured the full flow of human thought.
Sippar, the capital city when Enoch was king (under the name Enmendurana) is the city in two parts - probably the city mentioned in scripture from much later in its history as Sepharvaim - but see its significance in Enoch's time (Sumerian periods ED I and ED II) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sippar
So there is a possibility the Fara Period in achaeology and known history was actually a direct result of Enoch being 'translated' into Heaven and being taught syllabic writing by angels then bringing that writing back to humans in Sippar where he had been king and teaching it and what he had written about Heaven and Earth.
The oldest books known today include the Instructions of Shuruppak a copy (extant) of which is in a museum near where I work so I'd love to see it. It is a copy of earlier works and dates to around 2100 BC. An older copy still is in a museum in Chicago. This was after the Flood but the earlier work was from before the Flood and is a book of proverbs passed on father to son from Lamech to Noah (known by their Sumerian names). translation: http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr561.htm
Thursday 5 October 2017
Fulness of Divinity
I believe there are characteristics of God the Father which a human can have and these are what are called divinity. Jesus came to show this. He has these characteristics fully. We if we believe can have them too. The key three are faith and hope and love, surprisingly. You would think they would be power but power is made perfect in weakness and power exists best in faith and hope and love of which Christ is the fulness and yet forever a man. These characteristics in the Son of Man survived whatever were the forces and upheavals in creation and can survive the end of creation and the making of all things new as well. Eternal life.
Wednesday 4 October 2017
One God One Son
Jesus glorifies God in that even though Jesus has amazing qualifications and glory to not be underestimated in that He commanded nature into existence by God's will and love for Him and all nature carries out all its natural processes according to His authority and name, yet He the true Son of God has commanded us to make the Father alone our one God and worship the Father as God above all others. This is the express will of The Father, who says "I am God". Effectively God says "I am God, and this is My Son".
Who the Son of Man is
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."
Excerpts from John's Gospel
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."
"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."
'"Do you believe in the Son of Man?" Jesus asked. "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.
Daniel 7v9-10 “As I looked thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened." ... v13-14: “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. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
Excerpt from Book of Enoch "There I beheld the Ancient of days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of days. He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."
Those passages show the pre-existent Son of Man and that John believed this (see how he used the same way of describing Him in Revelation as Daniel had used to describe Him). And it shows how Godlike this Son of Man is because Enoch described Him in a similar way to how he described God. In the flesh Jesus referred to Himself in such a way as identifies Himself with this Godlike being seen by Enoch and Daniel in centuries past but still there Jesus is in flesh and blood like any other human (even His closest family did not think Him anything other than a normal family member, a normal man). "The mystery of godliness is great."
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."
Excerpts from John's Gospel
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."
"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."
'"Do you believe in the Son of Man?" Jesus asked. "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.
Daniel 7v9-10 “As I looked thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened." ... v13-14: “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. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
Excerpt from Book of Enoch "There I beheld the Ancient of days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of days. He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."
Those passages show the pre-existent Son of Man and that John believed this (see how he used the same way of describing Him in Revelation as Daniel had used to describe Him). And it shows how Godlike this Son of Man is because Enoch described Him in a similar way to how he described God. In the flesh Jesus referred to Himself in such a way as identifies Himself with this Godlike being seen by Enoch and Daniel in centuries past but still there Jesus is in flesh and blood like any other human (even His closest family did not think Him anything other than a normal family member, a normal man). "The mystery of godliness is great."
Tuesday 3 October 2017
All Born Again
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" -- Saint Peter (1 Peter 1:3)
Thanks to the work of God, the Father, there is a glorious sense in which we have all, together, been born again, because all our prospects have been improved by the work God Himself personally did (without our help or anyone's help) by raising His Son from the dead - a work of hope is worked in all of us - individually and collectively - by God Himself.
Thanks to the work of God, the Father, there is a glorious sense in which we have all, together, been born again, because all our prospects have been improved by the work God Himself personally did (without our help or anyone's help) by raising His Son from the dead - a work of hope is worked in all of us - individually and collectively - by God Himself.
Monday 2 October 2017
How I Know the Book of Enoch is True Scripture
The Holy Spirit spoke through someone in tongues and gave me to hear it in English "Consider the trees how they put forth buds and leaves; they do so by the power of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" then a little later I saw the same spirit had inspired by Book of Enoch and I knew it - I saw words so similar there to what the message in tongues had said - in Enoch chapters 1-5 "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"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)