2023

 2023: while Ukraine starts to abolish its own Orthodox Church because of links of this church to the Russian Orthodox Church (Jesus Christ is not divided, and he who destroys God’s temple, God will destroy), there are so many churches in the West claiming to support Ukraine. Israel has sinned, God says. Mushroom clouds could result. The watchful eagle is overhead, that is the sign.

The splendid Book of Enoch

 The Book of Enoch: The Lord, Jesus Christ, taught the merits of knowing this book along with other scriptures, as a means to avoid being in error and with the need to know the power of God along with it. As with any scripture, it is best to have the same faith as those who were first led by Jesus Christ, in order to maximise the benefits of knowing these scriptures. What persuasions did these early believers, especially the early apostles, have? The Book of Enoch captures this faith, this persuasion, very well; so well that many over the years have assumed it was written  by either these early believers or by groups such as Essenes who were, it was thought, close in their beliefs to the first followers of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. This was especially the view of those who translated it into English from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Ethiopian Beta Jews who preserved it in their sacred Ge'ez language. Only when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered did it become apparent that it was older than Christianity and probably older than the Essene communities. The first believers such as Jude and other earliest church leaders clearly had persuasion that it was an authentic record of the true prophetic words of an ancient prophet from before the time of the Flood and Noah, the prophet and leader of civilisation named Enoch. Jesus told his hearers in particular the Sadducees that it was scripture. He said many things which borrowed the words of the Book of Enoch, clearly showing how highly he regarded it and how he held to its contents. I believe that as Christians started to hear words uttered under the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit they were persuaded that the Book of Enoch was a work of this same Holy Spirit. I believe this too. So we can learn much from the Book of Enoch if we hold to it in this way and believe God is behind it. Then we find its passages about the Son of Man (the middle section of the book) are assuring that Jesus is this one known spiritually by Enoch thousands of years before Jesus came. The book shows that there is a man from heaven who is greater than even the prophet Moses. Moses knew God as-it-were face to face from meetings with direct contact with God. This Son of Man knew God from meetings even with God in the throne room of God in Heaven, and God, in Enoch chapter 105, calls this elect one His own Son. So we can know that if the Son of Man is given to us as leader, we have the benefits of his direct access to God Himself. Moses foretold the coming of this one with such immediate access to God, and the apostle Peter proclaimed that this one is Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, after Jesus had been crucified and rose again. The Book of Enoch passages about the Son of Man are plainly to me one of the very best scriptural descriptions of Jesus Christ and who and what he is.

Jesus Christ is not merely a prophet but is unique

 One argument against Christianity is that Jesus Christ is merely a prophet like the many prophets past, present and future who bring messages from God. Well the testimony of the first leaders of the first disciples of Jesus Christ is that Jesus Christ is a far greater than normal prophet along the lines of what was previously only seen with Moses, over a thousand years earlier, in that Moses regularly went into a tent and there met God as if face to face. Jesus attributed this to the special intimacy Jesus alone had with God, as God’s Son. Moses had been promised by God that in the future God would send one like Moses, to whom the people of God must listen. Apostle of Jesus, Peter, proclaimed that Jesus is this special prophet like Moses, foretold by Moses. So for this kind of man, the One who could have such special access to God, being Son of God, to die for each of us, you, me, everyone, as Jesus Christ did when crucified, thus providing a sacrifice for sins, this is of immense effect and procured great benefit from God to our benefit if we believe, such that it provides benefits which lead believers to eternal life. Then the raising from the dead of Jesus Christ by God brings the prospect of believers having a Moses-like leader who can represent us to God and fully represent God to us. The giving by God of the Holy Spirit since Jesus returned to God, to His right hand, means the benefits of Jesus’ incomparable endless access to God can be distributed spiritually to reach every believer in every century, until Jesus himself returns. This all makes eternal life within the reach of every believer. It is a matter of us continuing to be persuaded of these things and being united by this with Jesus Christ and keeping in unity and fellowship with him by holding fast to his teachings, living by them as God gives us understanding of these teachings. The sacrifice of Jesus continues to provide God’s favour and forgiveness and makes us clean in God’s eyes as we hold to these teachings with this persuasion and confess to each other that we sin, that we fall morally, ethically short of God’s ethical standards. We have the prayer Jesus taught. In this we learn to forgive others before God in our prayers regularly so that God will in turn forgive us too. So prospects are on a new level for us with God, which we can call a spiritual rebirth for us. We have prospects of God being the creator, through His Son Jesus Christ, of our ongoing righteous living and inner peace and persuasion and ongoing renewal of life spiritually, despite our physical mortality. When Jesus returns, he promised, he will raise such believing disciples of his teachings from the dead and for those still alive, give a state of immortality. This all brings glory to God. 

The Gospel Truth

 Moses came down from the mountain of God and of the law, with his face shining, having met with God so directly. Jesus appeared on a mountain with his face and whole body shining like lightning and Moses spiritually appeared beside him, as did Elijah. After the crucifixion then resurrection of Jesus he appeared from the sky to Paul and the light of Jesus' glory burned Paul's eyes so they became blind. Jesus is a greater one like Moses for us all. He is like Moses, seeing God in communications so direct that they would kill any of the rest of us. Jesus is even greater because he is there beside God in direct communication forever, never to die, never to fade in his glory. It is all for us. It brings us all close to God by letting us receive what God says through this ministry of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit brining it to us, forever. He intercedes with God too because he, Jesus Christ, is human like we are and has been a mortal human, weak as we are. He is given to us as master shepherd. He even raises from the dead those he saves by their discipleship. We can trust God wholeheartedly and sincerely because God has provided His Son to minister for us in this way. The crucifixion of Jesus was the perfect lamb atonement sacrifice to turn aside God's wrath, taking the heat, so-to-speak. Believe in him and believe in God who sent him, because of him. Hold to his holy, blessed, life-giving teachings. They are the words of eternal life. Let the miracles God does as a result of this message assure you of the truth of who Jesus is and be the second testimony we need as assurance beside the testimony of Jesus about himself. God, the Father, is distinct and can provide the second testimony and does so with the miracles that accompany this true gospel message.

God with us

 Having hope of God being with us? Can it be? The only way to walk in the light of God is to ever have His light at hand by His will that we have it. Who does God want to have His light forever at hand? Well God sent the Son those two thousand years ago. In the previous age He had sent prophets after first sending one greater than other prophets, one who spoke with God and heard from the mouth of God more directly than other prophets, the great leader Moses, resulting in the great law being given to the ancient Israelites. Moses was in the world several decades ministering this light. Then Moses was taken away and the light was sustained with occasional prophets for the next thousand years. These prophets after Moses did not interact with God as directly as Moses had done. They had dream visions and waking visions by which God spoke to them and they could respond to God and pass on or write down what God gave them. This is still happening today. Yet God had promised through Moses (see Deuteronomy 5, Exodus 20) to eventually send another who interacted with Him as closely as Moses. And so came Jesus Christ. Now the hope of having God’s light and leadership immediately at hand revived. Yet although this was first to Israelites as with Moses, mere months later the non-Israelites were given this light too, when the Holy Spirit was given to religious non-Israelites as they believed the message about Jesus Christ. Now this continues today. The light of Jesus is distributed far and wide by the Holy Spirit leading believers. This Holy Spirit speaks to many, spreading beyond the reach Jesus Christ had two thousand years ago, unbounded and not limited by distance and social constraints, nor limited to Jews. Believing that Jesus Christ died for you, and yes he did on that cross on which they crucified him and he became a sacrificed lamb of God sacrificed for your sins and mine, you too should hold to this message in persuasion that God is with us because of Jesus Christ, and you too will receive the Holy Spirit to lead you in the light and fellowship of Almighty God: Until Jesus Christ comes to reign, and eventually gives the kingdom over to the Father, so God is with us forever and we are given eternal life by Jesus His Son. Hold to these things and be set free from sin for which Jesus died, Jesus who God raised from the dead and is now alive forever, returning soon to raise his disciples from the dead: Those who believe Jesus is, today as thousands of years ago, and who believe Jesus is this One Son of God who is forever in direct communication with God, the Christ, our Lord, and those who believing, trust in God who sent him, and hold fast to his teachings. We belong to him as his body, united with him, no longer lying to each other or hatefully angry with each other, but telling each other the truth and lovingly forgiving each other, keeping out of immorality and adultery and living honourable lives as befits those so united with Jesus Christ, having God with us forever. 

Repurcussions

 Unknown things happen in this world which if we knew them we would scream to God from our deepest soul and He would hear and stop them. But we must have faith and a sincere heart lest we be complicit. In the meantime we are better not knowing. But we must be ready for the truth. We must have a sincere faith and a clear conscience and be like young people and meek sheep. Those who do know might do things we find strange who still do not know. Thank God He sent us a shepherd to lead those who love Him, the Lamb of God, His Son Jesus Christ, born a human who knows God as his Father and meets with God face to face so we do not have to get so close to the consuming fire. Let Jesus reveal things to us as he prepares us for the truth. God requires cooperation from us who believe: Co-operation in the grown-up work of justice among believers. When the truth comes out and we are sure of the facts, we must deal with those who share in the atrocities, no matter how high or low they are. We must hand over the murderers to the father of murderers, in the power of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, not taking it on ourselves to do evil, but letting it be settled in the spirit in the power of heaven through the ways God has ordained for believers, by the spiritual handing over to the power of darkness outside the camp, not welcoming them and thus not being complicit in their work. Ugly things happen but when it involves believers the other believers must act. A grave message but grave things are afoot and this world is on the brink of their repercussions.

To survive

If we want to belong to God, with Jesus Christ as our shepherd, we cannot allow murder to be acceptable among us, nor can we be complicit in it. We must love those who God loves, if we want to rest in the protection of God’s love. Then we can rest assured that we have a mediator with God, since Jesus Christ hears God like a man communes with his friend, face-to-face, and brings God’s things to those who have received the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the human mediator we need to survive the holy fire of God Himself. 

The mysterious authority of the name

 It is a challenge to write about such a spiritual thing, and I am probably not spiritual enough to do it justice, but there are various things revealed from Jesus and in the very ancient past, then down the ages by the mysterious Holy Spirit, which speak of such things. In the Book of Enoch, a most mysterious scripture of all scriptures, it tells how the name of the Son of Man was incorporated by arch angels into the Oath, by which all Nature is governed. So Jesus name was part of how Nature was governed even many centuries before he was manifested. So trees put out buds and leaves and planet orbit stars by the authority of Jesus’ name. Now risen from the dead the reigns are in his hands to pull the reigns of Nature as he wills and according to God his Father’s will. The very word of God which is manifested in Jesus is in charge of Nature and created it too. I ponder these things often but they are always steeped in holy mystery. Thank God the Holy Spirit makes them known to true believers. We see the manifestation of this in the churches, where there are baptisms and services in the name of Jesus today. A mystery unfolding day after day. The same mystery as is there every day in all of Nature. The authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Lord forever

 When God raised Jesus from the dead, He was making Jesus supreme Lord. Now Jesus is next to God, immediately in contact with God, like Moses who met God face to face, but Moses only lived a century or so, while Jesus lives forever in the power of God. Moses has had worldwide laws all based on the laws God gave him for three thousand years and if he were alive, present and available today the nations would have to honour him for his immediacy with God and his influence over all governments and international law for two thousand years. Now Jesus Christ actually is alive and has far more claim to such honour and is divine source for all wisdom and government that comes from the mouth of God at whose right hand he sits. The Holy Spirit spreads this counsel worldwide forever, which comes from God but almost always comes through Jesus His Son. It is now Jesus the Son of God, sent as only begotten Son by God, who has most immediate, direct access to God, to his Father, and is permanent intermediary with humans who follow God through him. He is never to die again and so this mediation is permanent and eternal.

The Son of Man - more insights

 More insight into the Book of Enoch passages about the ‘Son of Man’: The Hebrew scriptures which followed on from the original prophecies of Enoch include the accounts about Moses and the ancient Israelites and here can be found the explanation of what is meant by what Enoch called the Son of Man. Moses was one of few, perhaps one or two, people in history who God spoke to and conversed with face to face. The directness of this communication with the Most High God is unsurpassed in history, except for one person, the Son of Man. Moses was a kind of Son of Man figure himself. This is because the greatest directness of human communion with the Almighty is beyond most humans. When Israelites started to get close to this kind of immediacy with God they panicked. They realised just how terrible in shock and awe this communication could be when it started to mean face-to-face encounters with the fiery supernatural being that God is and the kinds of responsibilities this would put on them all. They had to kill animals which approached the mountain to which God was physically descending. The mountain itself became fiery like a volcano, not from any lava burst but from the supernatural fire coming upon it by God’s physical descent on its heights. Moses actually went up to God and as he returned his whole face was visibly glowing. He became too terrible to gaze at. Then came the greatest physical phenomenon of all, one of the greatest in human history, as God physically wrote commands on stone pieces which Moses took down to these people, and they realised they were in a predicament. If Moses kept up these round trips to the physical presence of God it could go further still and the writing of God on stone tablets might lead to actual immediate encounters between this topmost God and the ordinary Israelites, men, women, children. They could not see how they could possibly survive such contact, so they pleaded with Moses to not let God contact them immediately but for Moses to always act as intermediary with God. So was started the concept of human mediator with God. Moses could do it. Others could not. Moses would not always be around though. God promised the Israelites, throughout history until today, to never have to deal directly with God but eventually that God would provide a new Moses-like go-between who could meet with God face-to-face, even beyond normal prophetic encounters (usually in dreams and visions), and pass on to Israelites the word of God. This is surely what ‘Son of Man’ entails, a human mediator, messenger from God, like Moses but eternal, never to leave the people without mediation with God. In Acts in the New Testament it is recorded that Apostle Peter told the Israelites two thousand years ago that Jesus is this One. Jesus’ own proclamations of this are recorded in John’s gospel in detail and the other gospels in summary. The Epistle to the Hebrews reiterates it. The human follower of God could normally not cope with direct contact with God, being told commands by God face-to-face. Someone who can do this is needed, but someone truly human with whom people can converse easily and without fear of harm. This is surely where a Son of Man meets the need, and for this we see Jesus as this One, when God gives us faith to believe. Holding to Jesus’ teachings with this faith makes us his disciples and he gives eternal life to those who are freed from their sins this way. The Way, the Truth, the Life. The Word of God made flesh. 

The human Lord

 When God raised Lord Jesus from the dead, He provided forever a human who could know all that God chooses to reveal to us, and the commands with which God His Father wishes to command us, without faltering, and pass it all on to us, just like Moses did to the Israelites thousands of years ago. We can relate to Jesus, a human like us, yet risen from the dead, even though we would find it impossible to directly relate to God Almighty, the holy and terrible burning fiery spirit. When we believe this, we can feed on it, draw strength and comfort from it, drawing on the wondrous truth of the humanity of Lord Jesus Christ, feeding on the truth that he has flesh like us, though alive forever from the dead. We can feed on the things the Holy Spirit passes on to us from Jesus, things passed on to us in Jesus’ name. This is the beginning of eternal life. Jesus is the beginning of this eternal life and the end of it forever: the same Jesus who came two thousand years ago, same today as then, and same forever.

Do not be misled

 God did not come in the flesh. That would not help us. The Son of God came who can hear God and not die. We would hear God giving commands and our consciences and human frailty and fear would kill us. Jesus can hear his Father and not perish and then he passes on to us what he hears and the Holy Spirit makes it known to many all at once. This is how we need to hear God. This is how Jesus helps us. This Jesus who died for our sins is what we need now that he lives forever and is right there beside the Father to receive things from the Father and through the Holy Spirit make them known to us, when we believe in him and hold fast to his teachings: Jesus, the word of God who became flesh and dwelt among humans and died and lives forever. He gives eternal life and will raise from the dead those who believe in him and hold to his teachings. He has the Father as a witness by the miracles God does in the lives of those who believe these things. This makes two witnesses, because two witnesses are necessary for what is important to believe. This means the Father and the Son are not one being. Do not be misled by those who say the Father and the Son are one being. The Father and the Son are united in spirit and purpose but are distinct people. The Father provides a second testimony as required by the Law of Moses. This means he is distinct from Jesus, although at one with Jesus and lives in Jesus, as Jesus is at one with Him and lives in Him. Be sure you believe these things as the first apostles of Jesus Christ believed them. This makes the teachings a true blessing and joy. This is the way to eternal life.

Living happily with the Truth

If God came in the flesh 2000 years ago, and preached, almost everyone nearby would have died. They would have heard the Almighty like Moses did and they would not have been able to receive it in a worthy manner. Who but the rarest, like Moses, could hear God directly and not falter and die? Fortunately it is not God Himself who came. It is the One, the very Son of God, who could hear God and live, then in the flesh the Son could speak to ordinary people without them dying as a result. In this sense Jesus is like Moses. He could hear God without dying, then speak to his followers without killing them. The people around Jesus could live happily side-by-side with him and not die for it. Even if they could not believe he was the Son of God Almighty they did not die by proximity to him. Yet he can us what God Himself says. He can explain it. Now he has died for all on the cross, a sacrifice for our purification from sins, and having risen to live forever and gone to the right hand of God, the Holy Spirit has come into our world and brings to teachings of Jesus to many of us all at once, spreading out to the followers of Jesus wherever they are, comforting , leading, guiding, teaching. If we believe these things, let us hold to these teachings and the eternal life from God through His Son will be given us.

Truth that leads to Eternal Life

 There are two major errors in how people think about Jesus Christ in Christianity. Firstly there are those who think he is God the Almighty. This contradicts the truth that humans cannot have direct contact with God Almighty without almost inevitably dying in the process. Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 tell us this. So the people, the Israelites, asked God to only speak to them via Moses and God promised to send a future prophet to always do this like Moses had done, and Peter, apostle of Jesus, told the Israelites of his time that Jesus is this very one promised by God. Secondly there are those who think Jesus and God are so much united that they are one being. This contradicts the teaching of Jesus that God testified concerning him as a separate, distinct testimony constituting the Law of Moses requirement that there be two who testify. He said the miracles were a separate distinct testimony about him from God the Father. This would not be true if Jesus were one being with God the Father. Of course other erroneous thinking about Jesus exists too, especially the denial that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. God testifies concerning Jesus that Jesus is His Son and Jesus says the same. The prophesies and especially the testimony of John the Baptist and that of the apostles, John brother of James in particular, these testify that Jesus is the Christ, as did Peter by revelation from the Father. I too can testify to these things by what I have witnessed in my past, holy memories I hold dear. Jesus is not God but is the Son of God. The Father, God sent many servants down the centuries and eventually sent His One Son, Jesus. In turn, Jesus brought into sonship many sons for God and many of these he sent. Following Jesus leads to his raising these followers eventually from the dead on the last day. Following Jesus means believing the truth of who he is, the beliefs of the apostles, and holding to his teachings. It leads to eternal life from God. 

Not God but Son of God

 Jesus is Son of God. He is not God Himself. But which scripture verses tell us this conclusively, when we understand them rightly? Moses was able to speak to the ancient Israelites without killing them. Yet they were unable to hear God speak to them in person because they would die that way. They knew it. God acknowledged it. In Deuteronomy 5, Moses records how he had a discussion with the Israelites about this matter

“When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived? 27Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”.”

In Exodus 20 Moses records the same matter after the Ten Commandments were given 

 “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.””

So God made a promise, that He would make a necessarily more harmless way to speak to them forever through a prophet like Moses, not directly. This way the death they dreaded by direct interaction with God Himself would not happen. In Deuteronomy 18:5 Moses recorded telling  the Israelites this “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.“ In the time after Jesus came the apostle Peter preached to the Israelites how Jesus is the fulfilment of this promise. Acts 3 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ “ So Jesus, if he were Almighty God Himself would have meant death to the Israelites because immediate contact with God would have killed them, but rather Jesus is like Moses, a prophet, and those who were there at his time in his company could rest assured they could heed his words without dying as a result. They could live right with him among them, living safely all through his childhood and young adult days until his ministry among them and even eat and drink and have fun in his company. Now he intercedes with God for them and for those of us who believe, his having died for our sins to be our saviour and risen from the dead he is our Lord, the master of God’s house. 

Red Lines

 We all need to establish our red lines. Like perimeter defences, when these lines are triggered we know it is time to do things a little more drastic than we would normally countenance. What matters most to you? What are the most obvious red lines to set? What must be defended most? We need simple but effective courses of action that kick in once these red lines are triggered. Perhaps voting differently. Perhaps changing job. Perhaps praying a different kind of prayer. Perhaps seeking out old friends, friends you haven't wanted to bother till you really needed to. Perhaps warning those concerned that maybe they should back off. Diplomats call these 'red lines'. It has a good ring of wisdom. Like Solomon drawing a line in the sand and waring his agitator not to cross it, lest there be consequences. Above all else, guard your heart, said Solomon, for it is the wellspring of life. Have some red lines and a rough idea of what will happen when they are crossed.

The truth which is strange to many

 Jesus, despite what many Christians believe, is just the Son of God, sent by God: He is NOT Almighty God Himself. Now this is clearly what Jesus and his own disciples and apostles believed when Jesus was in charge of what was being taught. Once it all got into Roman and Greek hands there started some twisting and misrepresenting. Now we have many thinking Jesus is in some way a replacement for God who is proclaimed in the Old Testament, a new Almighty God. Well that is a misunderstanding based probably on the confusion people get from thinking Jesus is God Himself, because if you look at the Bible you find that anyone who even touched the mountain on which God descended to give the law to Moses had to be put to death. The box the law was kept in had to be carried on poles to prevent it being touched by anyone and once when a man touched it to steady it in transit he immediately dropped dead. So touching anything that closely physically linked to God or most sacred things of God was so deadly that people needed strict warnings about it; deadly, grave warnings. Now Jesus came in the flesh and grew up with kids his age and had parents and siblings and went to lessons and did household chores. Animals touched him. Maybe a few dogs even tried biting him. Perhaps donkeys kicked him a few times. If Jesus was Almighty God they would either be condemned to death or would have died instantly for getting so close so as to touch him, shout at him, annoy him, even bite or kick him if they were animals and pets. He would have had to warn friends he was close to as a child not to get near him, certainly not to touch him, not to shout at him or insult him with banter and his parents could never have rebuked him to his face. He would have had a trail of dead bodies everywhere he went. So today people try to reconcile their fearful insistence he must be God Almighty with the scriptures of the Old Testament by assuming God has somehow changed and is not scary any more. No God never changes. Dualism and Manichaeism might say there are two kinds of Almighty God, but this is not the teaching of scripture and not the teaching of Jesus. God is the same. Jesus just is not this Almighty God, shocking as that might sound to some. God sent many servants before He sent Jesus Christ His One Son. Then Jesus brought many into becoming sons for God and sent many of these. This is what we find in scripture and what Jesus taught and what we must believe to be saved from dying in our sins. God is still God and Jesus is the Son of God. If we believe these things we should become disciples of Jesus himself by holding to his teachings. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. For disciples there is this promise: eternal life from Jesus and resurrection on the last day. Thanks be to the One True God who is the Father to Jesus and to all who believe. 

The biblical name of Israel

 Prophecy of God: "Israel has sinned" How are we to understand prophetically the name 'Israel' today? We daily seem to hear news of the risk of escalation of world conflict. We see the eagle overhead. Where is this sin that causes this risk and ongoing crisis? The name given originally to biblical Patriarch Jacob after he wrestled with a physical manifestation of God, 'Israel' has two parts: 'Isra' similar to 'Sarah' or 'Sarai', and ;'El' which of course means God. The first part Isra has a fairly clear meaning of a prince or great person or master, someone who overcomes others and rises to greatness among peers. Combined with 'El' we see the way Jacob received this name, this epithet or title or badge of honour from God, like a great medal of honour, to say that he had overcome all peers around him and gained the respect even of God because his success in contending with peers had even given him some success in wrestling with God.  So to say 'Israel' it means we are recognising that the bearers of this title, this name, are so successful in rising in power that they have even come up against God Himself and achieved some success. This seems to me to be targeted at the victors after WW2 who mastered the Axis powers and eventually helped to create a State of Israel and became principle powers in the world, the whole world, even to rising in power to attempt to contend with God, and have gained respect from God in this regard. But the sins of such people cannot be disregarded by God. They are on God's radar. They are in God's plain sight. The results could be hugely catastrophic.

Heavenly assurance

 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

— Revelation

“The angel of the LORD encompasses those who fear Him.”

— Psalms

“ And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

— 2 Kings

When God encompasses the servants who fear Him and they have a very dangerous bodyguard detail from Heaven itself, the other godfearers who are with them do not need to be caught in the cross fire because they can share the protection if they call on God in prayer.

The One

God sent many servants. Then He sent One Son. Then His Son sent many sons. If you believe it, hold to Jesus’ teachings, being fully persuaded that Jesus is this One Son.

Gospel for Today

 Jesus Christ came, a baby born to be the One sent by the Father. The testimony of Apostle John was that this Jesus is the Lord he saw alive from the dead after seeing Jesus certainly die on the cross. Some of us know John’s gospel testimony is true because promises of Jesus recorded by John are fulfilled for us as we take the words of Jesus to our hearts to obey them when we can. So we know Jesus died on the cross for us. We see what Jesus does today and from it we know it is true that this Lord we see today is the same Jesus who John wrote about thousands of years ago. Jesus is the same now as he was back then. When the season is a gospel season and even when it isn’t, know for sure that some us know it is all true. This is how the Father is at work in us as He worked in Jesus and as Jesus works in us. Jesus and the Father work in harmony and we see the Father there in this Jesus alive today. Believe and hold fast to Jesus’ teachings and to our testimony so that you too will know this same Jesus and testify of him to others. The promise he brings is a truly great promise of eternal life. The Father wills this eternal life for all who follow His Son, holding to his teachings and believing in him. Then we all receive the Holy Spirit and the miracles of God in Lord Jesus Christ’s name, the name by which all Nature does the will of God its creator, except the fallen human race, who need to be turned back to God from sin, and receive His forgiveness and right way of living.