Mary is NOT the queen of heaven

A close study of the "queen of heaven" in the Bible shows this woman was associated with false gods and pagan rituals.  A closer study shows she was the wife of King Nimrod and that she prayed to the underworld.  She was titled the queen of heaven and hell, was a pagan priestess, and was filled with evil.

The only scriptures where the queen of heaven is mentioned are in Jeremiah as he warns the people against idol worship. God tells them He will no longer protect and guide them because of this evil worship of false gods.

Jeremiah 7:18-19 (NKJV) 'The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord . “ Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?”'

Jeremiah 44:17 (NKJV) But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.

Jeremiah 44:18 (NKJV) But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

Jeremiah 44:19 (NKJV) The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”

Jeremiah 44:25 (NKJV)

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ For their obstinance and unwillingness to stop performing idol worship The Lord says to them,

Jeremiah 44:26-27 (NKJV) 'Therefore hear the word of the Lord , all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the Lord , ‘that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.'

In 1954  Pope Pius XII of the Roman Catholic church decided to officially  declare Jesus' mother the queen of heaven.  For years the Catholic church had worshiped Mary even when Jesus had specifically said to only hear the word of God and keep it when a woman called blessings upon His mother Mary.

Luke 11:27-28 (NKJV) 'And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”'

The word of God says,

Hosea 13:4 (NKJV) “Yet I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides Me.

I Corinthians 8:4 (NKJV) Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Exodus 20:3 (NKJV) “You shall have no other gods before Me.

Isaiah 45:5 (NKJV) I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,

Deuteronomy 32:39 (NKJV) ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

Isaiah 44:6 (NKJV) “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Jesus plainly stated that ONLY the Lord God is to be worshiped.

Luke 4:8 (ESV) And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

Exodus 34:13-16 (NKJV) 'But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.'

When the Pope decided to officially declare Mary to be the queen of heaven he associated Mary with the only queen of heaven mentioned in Bible scripture in Jeremiah. The queen of heaven in scripture is a pagan queen, wife of Nimrod, who prayed to the underworld. The Catholic church did Mary no favors at all by associating her to a pagan priestess of the underworld.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Heaven_(antiquity)

The Seven Churches (Revelation Chapters 2 & 3)

As Born-Again Spirit-Filled Christians we strive daily to be in the Church of Smyrna.  The last thing we ever want is to be affiliated, in any way, with the Church of Laodicea.  Those who fit into the Church of Laodecia will not be saved and will be cast into the Lake of Death. The other five churches have many issues to overcome but we can also have hope that the Lord will continue to guide us and forgive us as we choose to repent from our sins and walk with Him.   

Godly Authority Over Christians

Jesus was put and trial and crucified because the religious authorities of his time hated that he did not always obey the religious laws.  He called himself the son of God which was considered blasphemy.  He defied the Sabbath ordinances or laws set by the religious leaders. Even today if Jesus were here on earth he would say “No” to some of the requirements of the laws and would choose between obeying the laws of a nation and the commands of God.  He would follow His Father even though it may be breaking the human government law and he would still remain completely sinless.  There are times we must make the same choices.

'When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” '

Matthew 12:2-8

We find in Romans 12 Paul was speaking of love and continued on in Romans 13 assuming a government is acting within its God-appointed parameters and in love. When it does not, other choices may need to be made by the individual Christian.

'Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. '

Romans 13:1-5

'Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! '

Acts 5:29

'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” '

Daniel 3:16-18

By the discernment of the power of the Holy Spirit we will know if the government is acting in love or in power.  Adhering to government authority that tells us to do something contrary to scripture and contrary to God’s commandments is not sinful and we are not held to the authority of that government.

An evil government that persecutes and terrorizes the people has no authority in the lives of God’s people therefore honor and respect are not required.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/the-fourfold-gospel/by-sections/jesus-defends-disciples-who-pluck-grain-on-the-sabbath.html

https://www.crossway.org/articles/should-christians-always-submit-to-the-government-romans-13/

https://research.lifeway.com/2018/07/13/did-jesus-break-the-law/

Deliver

 

Our word for the month is DELIVER!

Psalms 91:14-16 says 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (ESV English Standard Version)

But......you know me and I am a word nut especially when it comes to scripture! 

I looked up the King James Version which is supposed to be the closest English Version of the Hebrew words used in the Old Testament.  The KJV version uses the word "deliver" in verse 14 and verse 15 while the above ESV version uses the word "deliver" in verse 14 and "rescue" in verse 15.

When we talked about this we assumed the words were interchangeable but they are 2 different words in Hebrew!

The first "deliver" (vs 14) is the Hebrew word "palet" meaning to slip out, cause to deliver, carry away, escape. 

The second "deliver" is the Hebrew word "chalats" meaning to pull off, to depart, strengthen, to arm, to prepare, to deliver and equip for fight.  This word "chalats" pertains to prepared and equipped armed soldiers ready for battle!  Oh wow!!

Now I don't know how each of you feel about the power of these verses of the Lord God speaking to the believer but it really hit my spirit.  These words are not the same and are not interchangeable.  The first “deliver” in verse 14, the Lord is telling us that He will help us escape, carry us away.  He says He will protect us because we love Him and He loves us.  The second “deliver” (rescue in ESV) in verse 15, He is telling us that in times of trouble He will give us the armor, ammunition, and strength as His soldiers who are in a battle.  Remember we talked about the spiritual battle going on right now.  We can see it but those who live in the world are blinded to the things of the spirit.  All they see is death and destruction which is why fear and anger are at such high levels today.  They need that “mustard seed” of faith to open their eyes and their hearts.

Here is Deb’s version of these verses:

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will “arm him, strengthen him, prepare him for battle” and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

 

P.S. We missed our sisters who were either not feeling well or out and about spreading the word of God to their families and friends! Our next meeting will be on July 10^th and if there weather is sunny and dry we should move out chairs outside!! I love you all and pray the Lord blesses you each day till we see each other!

 

A Study on Nicolaitans, Nicolas and Nicodemus

I am studying Revelation and began looking into the Nicolaitans.  I was going to start a new thread but this one popped up but with very little study information.

It seems the Nicolaitans may originally have been followers of Nicolas spoken of in Act 6:5 which makes sense to me since he is the only Nicolas in the Bible appointed to minister the word of Jesus and then something went wrong with his ministry.

Acts 6:5 - And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

Rick Renner has a very good and thorough explanation of Nicolas and the Nicolaintans and why, by the time Jesus spoke to John on Patmos, He expressed hatred for their deeds.

https://renner.org/article/who-were-the-nicolaitans-and-what-was-their-doctrine-and-deeds/

My feeling today is that the spirit of the Nicolaitans is firmly back in the churches that allow a compromise of the Word of God.  Idolatry (money,power,greed, possessions), all sexual perversions, self promotion, self centeredness, self help, self ______ (you fill in the blank), no judgement allowed from fellow believers, basically lukewarm, politically correct Christianity.  Of course a large part of the problem is the teachers and preachers at the pulpit who follow this Nicolaitan doctrine, beliefs and deeds.

Jesus did not vocalize hatred to much, but we know He hated what the Nicolaitans were doing. 

More study information from Bible Gateway

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Nicolaus

Nicolaus

NICOLAUS nĭk’ ə lā’ əs (Νικόλαος, G3775, conqueror of the people), the proselyte of Antioch chosen as one of the seven men to serve the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). The reference to a proselyte meant that he was a Gentile who had become a convert to Judaism, and subsequently to Christianity. Because his name was Gr., as well as the others among the seven men chosen to distribute the food in the dole practiced by the Jerusalem church, it has been supposed that the others were proselytes also. It seems rather that they were all Gentiles, and the designation “proselyte” applied only to Nicolaus meant that he alone had come to Christianity through Judaism, the other six having come directly from paganism, or at least not having been converted to Judaism. This, of course, raises the entire question of circumcision and its importance in the Early Church. Because of a due consideration for the importance of such Jewish practices even in the Early Church, it has been most often assumed that all seven were either proselytes or Jews using Gr. names.

Nicolaus was thought by the Church Fathers to have been the founder of the heretical sect known as the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6, 15). Irenaeus excused him from responsibility for this by indicating that it was a misunderstanding of his teaching that had produced the Nicolaitans. Nicolaus, according to Irenaeus, had taught that “the flesh must be abused.” By this he had meant that the body must be buffeted to be kept under control. The Nicolaitans changed his teaching to mean that the flesh could be treated in any fashion, that the flesh was insignificant and of no concern. Thus a man could live in any fashion that he wished; all of which led to shameless immorality. On the basis of this teaching the followers of Nicolaus practiced all kinds of wickedness.

The Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary says that the name Nicolas is the same as Nicodemus. This does not prove out completely true to me.

To me there is a huge discrepancy in the definitions Nicolas - A Christian and Nicodemus - An Israelite.

Strong's Concordance G3530

Nikodémos: Nicodemus, an Israelite

Original Word: Νικόδημος, ου, ὁ

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: Nikodémos

Phonetic Spelling: (nik-od'-ay-mos)

Definition: Nicodemus, an Israelite

Usage: Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin.

Derived From G3534 and G1218 and primary word G3529

Strong's Concordance G3534

nikos: victory

Original Word: νῖκος, ους, τό

Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter

Transliteration: nikos

Phonetic Spelling: (nee'-kos)

Definition: victory

Usage: victory.

Strong's Concordance G1218

démos: a district or country, the common people, esp. the people assembled

Original Word: δῆμος, οῦ, ὁ

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: démos

Phonetic Spelling: (day'-mos)

Definition: a district or country, the common people, the people assembled

Usage: properly: the people, especially citizens of a Greek city in popular assembly, but in NT, multitude, rabble.

Strong's Concordance G3529

niké: victory

Original Word: νίκη, ης, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: niké

Phonetic Spelling: (nee'-kay)

Definition: victory

Usage: victory, a victorious principle.

The name Nicolas in Act 6:5 is G3532 derived from G3534 and G2004.

Strong's Concordance G3532

Nikolaos: Nicolaus, a Christian, probably not connected with the sect bearing the same name (my note: this is speculation and should not be a part of this definition)

Original Word: Νικόλαος, ου, ὁ

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: Nikolaos

Phonetic Spelling: (nik-ol'-ah-os)

Definition: Nicolaus, a Christian, probably not connected with the sect bearing the same name (again my note: this is speculation and should not be a part of this definition)

Usage: Nicolaus, a proper name.

Strong's Concordance G3534 - see above definition

Strong's Concordance G2004

epitassó: to arrange upon, i.e. to command

Original Word: ἐπιτάσσω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: epitassó

Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-tas'-so)

Definition: to arrange upon, to command

Usage: I give order, command, charge.

G2004 is derived from G1909 and G5021

Strong's Concordance G1909

epi: on, upon

Original Word: ἐπί

Part of Speech: Preposition

Transliteration: epi

Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee')

Definition: on, upon

Usage: on, to, against, on the basis of, at.

Strong's Concordance G5021

tassó: to draw up in order, arrange

Original Word: τάσσω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: tassó

Phonetic Spelling: (tas'-so)

Definition: to draw up in order, arrange

Usage: (a) I assign, arrange, (b) I determine; mid: I appoint.

My Notes: 

Nicolaitans exalted and held in highest esteem the clergy over the people.  The Catholic church, with the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, etc. is an example of the Nicolaitan ideals.  Nicolaitans also had an attitude of compromise, which is associated with Balaam.  The churches today who allow homosexuality in it's pastors and members or any  church than condones any sexual immorality is an example of Nicolaitan ideals. Any church that condones or compromises sin is guilty of Nicolaitan ideals. 

Verily Verily - I Tell You The Truth

 

There are 77 times recorded in the King James Bible where Jesus begins with saying "Verily" or "Verily, verily" and this means "I tell you the truth" and then He goes on to speak of that truth. There are 30 incidents in Matthew.  There are 15 times in the book of Mark. There are 8 in Luke and there are 24 times in John.  

Over and over throughout His ministry and life He would start by telling the people; 

"This is the truth I am speaking."

"Hear this truth."

"I am telling you the truth."

"What I am about to say is the truth."

Over and over He wanted to make the truth very plain to all people.  Even the thief dying on his cross along side of Jesus received the truth from Jesus.

Luke 23:43 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, 

Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

The sinner on the cross received the truth from God the Son.  The Savior of all who call upon His name and believe He is who He said He is!  Jesus told the thief that today, this day, your body will die but your spirit will go with me into paradise, the perfect garden, Eden, the park, the place of perfection I have created for you, my chosen one.  Jesus prefaced this statement with the word "Verily" to express that it is truth! The undeniable and full truth of what He does for those who believe in who He is, those He loves and whom He has chosen to be with Him in a perfect place of life after this worldly life in this fallen world.  The gift of salvation, the saving of our souls forever!

This world is not the place the Father created for His people.  He had a perfect place planned with nothing but perfection for His people.  This place became tainted with sin  when the evil one became disobedient, fell from grace and was cast out of the place of perfection and onto this world where he enticed mankind to also sin causing death to our bodies. Here on the earth we were born into we each must make a choice to hear the Lord's words of truth and accept them or hear them and deny them.

John 6:47 (KJV)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Every single time Jesus spoke the word "Verily" He was saying Amen, So be it, this is truth, truth what I am saying, believe what I tell you, believe what I say, this is verified, this is established, this is sure, this is true.  

John 14:6 (KJV) - Jesus saith unto him, 

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

God Made Man

 'Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. '
Genesis 2:7

I love the word of God.  There is so much deep inside of the verses set before us and there are times He will lead us to search the meaning.  Today I fell on this beautiful scripture that records the first man the God created.

These words came to Moses from the Father and were recorded.  Moses would have used a Hebrew form of language and most of the words have more than one meaning.  I wanted to study the words dust and ground that the first man was formed from and see what the Holy Spirit might reveal.

The first man is whom we call Adam because the Hebrew words for man is adam, pronounced awdawm.  The meaning of awdawm is ruddy (having a redness), human, the species of mankind, person, man.  The word awdawm is derived from the other Hebrew word adam, pronounced awdam, which means to show blood, turn rosy, ruddy, red.  From these words we can understand that the verse says  "Then the Lord God made adam", a man with red blood.  

This adam, man, was made from the "dust of the ground". The Hebrew word dust is aphar, pronounced awfar, meaning dust (powder, gray) ashes, clay, earth, ground.  The word gray puzzled me.  Why would the color gray be a part of the meaning of the word dust?  Because dust is gray and has no life.  It is dry and barren of life. Ashes are the same being nothing but a gray powder. 

Moving to the word ground, it is the Hebrew word adamah, pronounced adawmaw.  Adamah means soil, earth, land, ground but is derived from a second Hebrew word adam, pronounced awdam, having the meaning of blood, red.

God the Father took some of the dry, lifeless gray dust, a pile of ashes, from the earth He had just created the week before and formed man, adam in the Hebrew language.  Then the miraculous happened. The Father breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of His man.   The soil, the earth, the ground, the gray dust He had gathered became blood red, ruddy, and the dust was gray and lifeless no longer.

When Father God breathed life into the nostrils of the adam he became a living soul.  Adam had become a living, breathing, blood red, person, body, life, a single individual man.  What was moments before, only gray lifeless dust, been changed into a red blooded soul breathing life.  The Father had made the perfect adam from His new earthly creation.  He had made this adam in His image to share all this creation with and specifically placed adam into a garden He had made to the east of where He had created adam in a place He called Eden. I love that the word Eden means fenced, delicate, delightful, pleasurable garden.  The Father had made the perfect home for His man, His Adam.

The Final Week

Easter is the season we remember the death of Jesus and celebrate his resurrection from the grave!  This year I felt the need to understand His final week, what He did and why He did it.

Being a Gentile and not a Jew I have little knowledge of the traditions of the Jews for Passover.  I know the Passover story and that the Jewish people have honored and celebrated their exile from Egypt for centuries.  I was not aware of all of the traditions and rituals performed.  This is a brief summery of the week long Passover Festival.  This year, 2022, the Jewish Passover begins today, April 14th and lasts until April 23rd. Back in the time of Jesus and with the Jewish calendar being different from the modern calendar,  when he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey colt  it has been determined by going back on the Jewish calendar that it most likely a Monday.  Christianity today calls it Palm Sunday and celebrate it the week before Easter Sunday. Regardless of the actual day of our calendar week, on the day Jesus rode into the city in April 33 AD it was the day the Jewish people would have chosen their unblemished, sacrificial Passover lamb which would be killed for the Passover meal 4 days later.  Jewish tradition was the sacrificial lamb would be seen for 4 days prior to it's killing.  Jesus came into Jerusalem on the specific day as the Jewish sacrificial lamb but they did not understand this. 

Luke 19:41-42 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

For the next 3 days after His entrance into the city He went in and cleared the temple of the money changers and taught in the temple.  He was openly showing Himself exactly the way the Jewish people were instructed to show their lamb of choice for the Passover sacrifice.  No one at the time understood the actions and timing as they aligned with Jewish Passover traditions.  Each evening He left Jerusalem and spent the night with friends outside of the city until Thursday night.  

The night of the Passover meal, the Last Supper as Christians call it, was on Thursday night and after that meal they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Him.  The arrest and trials took place during the night because the Jewish Sabbath would begin the next day, Friday, at sundown.  The Jews were not allowed to do anything during the Sabbath so the religious leaders were on a time crunch to do their evil deed of killing Jesus.  Sundown was coming so the push was on.  The crucifixion took place on Friday which is why Christians honor Good Friday.  Late Friday afternoon after His death and  before sundown they placed Him in the tomb. On the third day He rose from the grave and showed Himself to the women and apostles. 

He was alive.

Great, Greater, Greatest

This month our Power of Twelve group is focused on the word "greater" out of the scripture verse in 1 John 4:4;

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

"He who is in you", let's think about those words for just a few minutes.  As Christians we believe that when we accept Jesus as our Lord that His Spirit comes and lives in our hearts, our minds, and our souls.  He lives in us and through us as we walk with Him and learn His ways of living life here on the globe.  Think about what a miracle that truly is.  God the Father, The Creator of the Universe and everything else that existed at any point in time, comes to live in our bodies, our minds, and our spirits by way of Jesus the Son and by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  To me that is beyond my human comprehension and understanding but I know this is what true love is.  A Creator who loves His creation whom He calls His "Little Children".  I did not have a loving earthly father but I knew others who did.  Their father was their protector, their guide in leaning the lessons of life, the one who was there for the joys and the sorrows of growing up.  He was there for his child when his child needed anything.  Father God is where this example of a father comes from.  This is why he made man to rule over the earth.  He was made to be a husband to his wife and a father to his children.  He was made to be the leader of his family.  The head of the house.  Father God is our first father and an example of fatherhood in a family.  We are the family of God the Father.  And just as the genes of our earthly father are in us so are the spiritual genes of our Heavenly Father.  This is why He lives in us! He is a part of us just as our earthly father is even for those who do not believe.  Every single human being born had an earthly father.  No exceptions.  Jesus of Nazareth is the only human being who walked the earth that was born of woman and Spirit.  Joseph was Jesus' father image on earth but his true Father was God.  We are blessed with a Father who loves us and is a part of us!

As I was thinking and praying about this scripture and the word "greater" as the words great-greater-greatest came into my heart.  When something is great it is wonderful, awesome, super, special.  When something is greater it is more, more than just great.  Then the word goes to greatest which is even more than greater.  It is the greatest.  It is the most of all.

The verse in 1 John says that "He who is in you is greater" and greater than he who is in the world.  The one in the world of course is the evil one who wanders around the earth looking to kill, steal, and destroy the little children of God.  The evil one is looking to spiritually kill, steal and destroy what The Father has for His little children.  His everlasting love and life in a family of love.  The Father gives us strength for the day to defeat what the evil one tries to do in our lives to make us doubt, falter, and deny.  The evil one does not want you to know and understand that God is greater than he is but this is the truth.   Jesus beat the devil at the cross.  The price of all sin was paid for at the cross of Jesus.  Jesus was the ultimate price, the last sacrifice for sin.  It is over.  I guess the devil is not as smart as he thinks he is and did not get the message.  He has no authority over the little children of God.  Since the beginning in the Garden he has not quit trying to lead God's little children away from their Father in whatever way he can.  We always have to remember and know that not only is our God great but He is greater!  Greater than the one in the world.  It's that simple.  

The Greatest God is greater than whatever the evils in this world can dish at us.

For a visual imagery the Lord dropped this.  The Oregon Coast Range of mountains shows how great the Creator is.  If you stand up on one of the highest peaks of this range you can see thousand s of acres of forest and mountains from the valley to the ocean.  How great is our God!  But off in the distance is the Cascade Mountain Range with higher peaks!  Standing on those peaks a person can see even farther from the ocean to the eastern desert part of the state.  This range of mountains is greater than the other.  We can now move to thoughts of the Himalayan Mountains.  The highest mountains in the world are located there.  Imagine what can be seen from the tallest peak.  These represent the greatest.

We have a God who is great, greater and greatest.  He has proven it by being a Father to the fatherless and by coming to live with and in all who call out to Him and follow Him.  It's all about love.  True love.  God knows we have to live our lives here on earth with the evil one constantly trying to hinder us and lead us astray.  This verse reminds us we have a Father that is greater than the evil one and has taught us how to resist and trample into the dirt whatever the evil one tries.  

Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.  This is truth for all the little children of God.

Psalms 95:3 - the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.

John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

I Corinthians 13:13 - And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

A Proverb and A Byword

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

In my bible study of King Solomon I ran across this scripture from II Chronicles 7:20 that stopped me to search the meaning and history. These same words are repeated three times in scripture in Deuteronomy 28:37, I Kings 9:6-7, and II Chronicles 7:20 by three different writers of the Books.  Moses was the author of Deuteronomy.  Jeremiah is believed to be the author of I Kings.  Ezra is believed to be the author of II Chronicles.  Both Jeremiah and Ezra wrote God's words to King Solomon during his reign of Israel.  The repetition of these words is what struck my spirit today.  He warns the Kings and Jewish nation that if they do not follow His statutes and commandments they will become a ridiculed people.  They will be laughed at, mocked, held in low esteem, an object of horror thrown out of their Promised Land by the very God who brought them to the land of milk and honey.  Stories of their fall from favor and great demise will be told throughout the world forever.  

II Chronicles 7:20

(NKJV) then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

(NIV) then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

(NLT)  then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations.

In the context of this scripture God is speaking to King Solomon and warning him not to fall away from the statutes and commandments of God and to live a life according to the laws God gave to the Tribes of Israel through Moses.  This exact same warning had been spoken by Moses to the Israelite's almost five centuries earlier.

Deuteronomy 28:7

(NKJV) And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you. 

(NIV) You will become a thing of horror, a byword and an object of ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.

(NLT) You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends you.

I Kings 9:7

(NKJV) then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

(NIV) then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

(NLT) then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations.

As I read and studied the words "proverb and byword" I began to understand why the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, the Tribes of Judah, the Hebrews, the Chosen People of God, are ridiculed and harassed today.  God warned them not to fall away from His statues and commandments. He had set them aside as a people of His very own.  He had called them out of slavery and bondage and shown them life with Him was miraculous and worthy.  He loved them dearly but they did not love Him in return.  They loved themselves more. They wandered off into the world and the evils of the world.  After all He had done to save them and care for them, they turned their backs on Him.  Then they crucified His son, the Messiah that God sent to save the Jews and Gentiles.  The Jews did not want a passive, peaceful Messiah.  They wanted someone to come in and kill their enemies.  They wanted a ruler who would bring peace to the land after he had killed their enemies.  But as it turned out they were the Messiah's enemies.  The religious snakes and vipers, the Pharisees and Sadducee's that lead the Jewish people were far from the statutes and commandments of the law of God. They made the common people hold to all the laws yet they did not.  Greed and power for these leaders were at the top of their own selfish purposes.  When they crucified Jesus, one of their own Jewish people, they become more of a "proverb and byword" to the world.  They sealed themselves into a lifetime of ridicule and mockery before the whole world.

Today the nation of Israel is strong and powerful even while living in a land constantly torn by war and killing.  What is left of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem has been taken over by Islam and serves as a worship center for their false religion.  They mock and ridicule the Jewish people right in front of all the world by being in control of what is left of this sacred Jewish temple.  All of their neighboring nations ridicule and hate them. They mock them and torment them just as the scriptures say would happen.  The Jewish people are still looking for a killing, fighting, warrior Messiah who will never come.  When they rejected Jesus as Messiah they rejected Father God.  They are still fighting against the Father who warned them to worship and serve only Him or suffer the consequences of their unbelief. 

From my studies of Revelation I believe that only during the Tribulation years will the spirits of the Jewish people finally wake up and see Jesus as Christ.  The truth will be revealed to the Israelite's when Jesus Messiah comes back for the final battle for the souls of mankind. They will kneel before Him as will all unbelievers of the world. The final Judgement will be upon them. 

Lord have mercy.