Saturday, January 28, 2012

Evil By Any Other Name...

EVIL BY ANY OTHER NAME...
You know, the devil has been around a really long time.  He was first mentioned in Genesis, and he is mentioned all the way to Revelation, and that's a really long time, but also, while he's been aging through time, he's picked up some other names that he goes by, and I'd like to share them with you, and let you know where you can find them, chapter and verse.  We'll start with his most popular names, and then get to his more obscure ones toward the end.
Satan - This is his most reknowned name, which means adversary.  "Then saith Jesus unto him,
'Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'" (Matt. 4:10)  "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." (1 Chron. 21:1)

Devil - This is another very popular name for him, and the meaning for this name is "slanderer".  "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.  Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!  For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Rev. 12:12)  "Neither give place to the devil." (Eph. 4:27)

Lucifer - Meaning "the bright one", this name is only given to him one time in the entire bible, by Isaiah: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" (Isa. 14:12) Interestingly enough, you would be hard-pressed to find a number of Christians in one place who do not know him by this name!

Beelzebub - "Lord of the flies", this name was brought up when certain Pharisees were committing the unforgivable sin: "
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges." (Matt. 12:27)

Prince of the Power of the Air - This name means "Control of Unbelievers", and it, too, is only found once in the entire bible, used by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.  "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" (Eph. 2:2)

Great Red Dragon - The name given here means "Destructive Creature", and indeed, he seeks to destroy all souls and have them end up in hell with him.  "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads." (Rev. 12:3)  Again, this is the only reference in the bible using the exact name "Great Red Dragon".

God of This World - Since those who know not the glorious gospel compared to the philosophies of this world are blinded by the devil, so this name means "Controls Philosophy of World".  " In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Cor. 4:4)  God's gospel in the New Testament is for holy, orderly, obedient living, as opposed to the devil's philosophies that offer chaos, disobedience, and riotous living.

Old Serpent - This name means "Deceiver in Eden", and rightly so, as this was where his first deception took place.  As he was created before the beginning of the human race, it became right to add "old" to his title of "serpent".  "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Rev. 12:9)  "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years," (Rev. 20:2)

Abaddon - Many of his names pop up in Revelation; this one means "Destruction", and he is indeed responsible for much destruction!  "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." (Rev. 9:11)  Note that he has another of his names mentioned here, "Apollyon", which means "Destroyer".

Roaring Lion - Meaning "Opponent", he made himself God's opponent, and the opponent of all mankind, created in God's image as we are, since his mind corrupted and God found him in iniquity!  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: " (1 Pet. 5:8)

Belial - This word means "Worthless", and comes up in the Old testament not only attributed to Satan, but to wicked men as well.  "Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; " (Deut. 13:13)  "And what concord hath Christ with Belial?  Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor. 6:15)

Prince of This World - It means just what it sounds like it means, "Rules World System".  "Jesus answered and said,
'This voice came not because of Me, but for your sakes.  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.'" (John 12:30 - 31)

Enemy - Has the same meaning as "Roaring Lion" - "Opponent".  "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. " (Matt. 13:25)

Tempter - Quite naturally, it means "Entices People To Sin".  We are never tempted by God, "Let no man say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted of God': for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" (James 1:13).  But the devil wants us to sin, because he knows it displeases God!  "And when the tempter came to him, he said, 'If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.'" (Matt. 4:3)  "For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain." (1 Thess. 3:5)  "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:14 - 15)

Murderer - Now this one draws out a bit in meaning, but is quite logical: "Solicits People To Eternal Death".  The devil wants you to end up where he will, the lake of fire!  "
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44).   The devil's other name is in this same verse; Liar - Meaning "Perverts The Truth".

Accuser - "This name is associated for the activity he is involved in when believers pass from this life in the material world. It means "Accuses Believers Before God".  "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.'" (Rev. 12:10)

And so here we have some names you can rightfully call the devil.  He has earned them by his behavior, and what he is all about.  We will know of him for quite some time, until God's appointed day in which He renders him a memory, and nothing more, and that appointed day is the one in which Jesus has him thrown in the lake of fire!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

8 Scriptural Covenants

8 SCRIPTURAL COVENANTS
Now many Christians are not aware that there are this many covenants, and I can imagine a number of pastors couldn't name them all at a moment's notice.  So I think the average Christian, and new ones, too, might find this interesting.  The most important for all Christians is written in the New Testament, and I will cover it first, and all the rest are in biblical order in the Old Testament, the last having some New Testament affirmations as well as in the Old Testament.  Shall we find them?

The first is the Eternal Covenant, and it is found in Heb. 13:20 - 21: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen."  As Jesus has everlasting life, so His shed blood will bring everlasting life to every believer who hopes on His name, partaking in this covenant He offers. This is the Eternal Covenant, that we who believe on Jesus will be with Him eternally.

I would think you would find it most logical that the next covenant would be with the first man, and it is; the Adamic Covenant can be found in Gen. 3:14 - 19, and it does not bode well for mankind!  "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, 'Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.'  Unto the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.'  And unto Adam He said, 'Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, 'Thou shalt not eat of it': cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.'"  This says a lot!  First, the entire animal kingdom was affected!  Rom. 8:20 - 21 gives more on the matter, but only the serpent was altered in form because of the involvement in this original sin.  Additionally, there will be enmity between godly and ungodly people from generation to generation, and while Christ will deal a death blow to the head of Satan at the cross, Satan's bruising of Christ's heel was all the suffering Christ went through.  Women were also condemned to suffer in childbirth, and to be ruled over by their husbands.  This precept also is the first why it is not biblically correct for women to be pastors, because it would make them equal or greater than their husbands, and thus biblically incorrect.  Finally, the last of the Adamic Covenant is the cursing of the ground, and that man should work exhausting days of labor for food, eating herbs from a plot of land where weeds must be removed so that farming be possible.  Here God promises physical death, and return to dust.

The next is pretty familiar to Christians, it's the Noahic Covenant of Gen. 8:20 - 9:6.  "And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart, 'I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.'  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.  And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.  Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.  And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.  And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 'And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.  And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.'  And God said, 'This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.  And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.'  And God said unto Noah, 'This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.'"  So God made some changes after the flood: He established predictable seasons, animal fear and dread of man, an animal diet for man, provided it is not eaten with blood, capital punishment is justified herein, and finally, abrand new phenomenon to the atmosphere of earth, a rainbow, to signify God's covenant between Noah, every living creature, and Him.

The next covenant is the Abrahamic Covenant, and it is found in Gen. 12:1 - 3, 13:14 - 17, 15:1 - 7, and 17:1 - 14.  This is a covenant of blessing, seed, and promise.  "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.'"  "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, 'Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.  And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.  Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.'"  "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.'  And Abram said, 'Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?'  And Abram said, 'Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.'  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 'This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.'  And He brought him forth abroad, and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:' and He said unto him, 'So shall thy seed be.'  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.  And He said unto him, 'I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.'"  " And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, 'I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.  And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.'  And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.  And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.'   And God said unto Abraham, 'Thou shalt keep My covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you.  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.'"  This covenant was fulfilled in the birth of Christ, the gift of the land of Canaan, unretractable, the birth of Isaac, and indeed the nations and kings that did so come out of Abraham, and on man's part, starting with Abraham, it was required circumcision to be part of the Abrahamic Covenant.

The next Covenant is the Mosaic Covenant, found in Exod. 20:1 - 31:18.  No, I'm not going to put all that into this study, but you are welcome to go to that large passage and read it!  Let's just be brief and say that it was a large legal covenant given to Israel of laws governing all aspects of life.  We use many of them today, such as not killing, not stealing, and not bearing false witness.  Our laws carry penalties for breaking some of these laws, while others have other consequences of a spiritual nature.

The fifth Covenant is the Inathering Covenant, found in Deut. 30:1 - 10. "'And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.  If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.  And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.  And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day.  And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.'"  Basically, this is an Israeli covenant with God, governing Israel's possession and enjoyment of the land of Canaan.  I would submit to you that one last time this covenant is coming to fruition, because prophecies are fulfilling for the days of the Great Tribulation, and Israelis are indeed returning to their homeland!

The seventh Covenant of Scripture is the Davidic Covenant, a unique covenant indeed, governing the temporal and eternal rule of David's posterity.  "And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, 'Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build Me an house for Me to dwell in?  Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.  In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?'  Now therefore so shalt thou say unto My servant David, 'Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.  Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies.  Also the LORD telleth thee that He will make thee an house.  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build an house for My name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.  I will be his father, and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.'  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David." (2 Sam. 7:4 - 171 Chron. 17:4 - 15 pretty much says the same thing, so I won't write it to give brevity and eliminate redundancy.  In this covenant, I'm sure you note the Messianic prophecy contained therein; Jesus, according to earthly lineage, is from the line of David!

The last covenant is the New Covenant, that one which has Millenial blessings for Israel based on Jesus' death.  There is only one Old Testament passage of Scripture concerning this covenant, and the rest are New Testament.  "'Behold, the days come', saith the LORD, 'that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them', saith the LORD: 'But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days', saith the LORD, 'I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.'" (Jer. 31:31 - 33)  This is different from the Mosaic Covenant, because it will be unconditional, and the provisions of it are fellowship with God, a change of heart, forgiveness of sins, and knowledge of Him.  "For finding fault with them, He saith, 'Behold, the days come', saith the Lord, 'When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not', saith the Lord.  'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days', saith the Lord; 'I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord': for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.'" (Heb. 8:8 - 12)  Other references to this covenant are found in Matt. 26:28, Mark 14:24, and Luke 22:20.  In the gospel, Jesus makes it plain that not just Israel, but all men who believe on Him, are saved in the blood of His death and this New Covenant.  Thank you Jesus for, as Paul wrote, this unspeakable gift!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Ghosts

GHOSTS

When we think of the topic of ghosts, what ghosts do we think about? Some people don't believe in ghosts, but those who do, they believe in ghosts of people. Then there are a number of people who are more open-minded, who believe that ghosts are not just the unseen spirits of people, but angels, and demons, too, and if God moves on the earth and we see the results of His activity, are we not seeing the work of the Spirit of God? What does the bible hold about ghosts?

Let's start with an example of ghosts of people; "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people." (Gen. 25:8) Here we have an example of the ghost of a person who believed in God. When he died, he gave up his ghost, or spirit, and most Christians believe in this type of ghost. Giving up the ghost is the only example of the word ghost throughout the entire Old Testament. But there is a new use of the word Ghost in the New Testament!

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." (Matt. 1:18) Now we're talking about the Ghost of God, the Holy Ghost. This Godhead figure, though unseen, caused Mary to become pregnant without knowing man. By godly means, the Holy Ghost's activity resulted in the only woman in biblical history to become pregnant without any interaction of man that is normally associated with the remote possibllity of becoming pregnant, and of course, we know they didn't have fertility clinics in that day of any sort.

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For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." (Luke 12:12) Here again is the Holy Ghost, unseen by human eyes, affecting human bodies in teaching them what to say in the hour they need to speak something. and this is where fear in man of ghosts and spirits is manifested, in that they can make people do and say things they otherwise wouldn't do. It is good if the Holy Ghost makes you say something, but think not that other spirits cannot have an effect on your tongue, too! "And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' And the LORD said unto him, 'Wherewith?' And he said, 'I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And He said, 'Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.' Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee." (1 Kings 22:21-23) Now here note that while Ahab made a responsible choice on the truth warned to him by Micaiah, whom he had imprisoned, as for the rest of king Ahab's prophets, the Lord allowed a lying spirit to control the tongues of the whole group of men! It wasn't just one spirit per man, it was a group of men whose tongues were controlled by one spirit! Considering Ahab died after the activity of this spirit, it wasn't good for Ahab!

Now let's see an example of the opposite: I will give you an example of many ghosts, or spirits, inhabiting one man. "And cried with a loud voice, and said, 'What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure Thee by God, that Thou torment me not.' For He said unto him, 'Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.' And He asked him, 'What is thy name?' And he answered, saying, 'My name is Legion: for we are many.' And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country." (Mark 5:7 - 10) Note too that these ghostly demons that inhabited the man recognized that they were at the mercy of the Son of God! Nonetheless, these spirits made the mortal man do whatever they wanted!

Except for the references to Ananias and his wife Sapphira giving up their ghosts in the book of Acts, every reference using the word "Ghost" in the New Testament after the gospels refers to the Holy Ghost. But there are many references throughout the bible using the word "spirit" that is meant to be interpreted as a ghost, and then there are angels who are initially invisible to men, or are only visible to select men.

Num. 22:22 - 33 has the story of an incident where an angel was invisible as a spirit, but Balaam's ass saw the angel plain as day, and because the ass saw the angel, she turned away from the angel 3 times, and in so doing, saved Balaam from being killed by the angel, sword in hand! The Lord allowed the ass to talk to Balaam, and it seems remarkable that Balaam wasn't astonished that his animal could talk, but after their brief conversation, the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam in that he could suddenly see the angel he initially could not.

"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, 'Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Gen. 41:38) This is an interesting statement in that here we have a heathen leader who believes in many false gods, and yet, with Joseph, he utters that the Spirit of the true God can be within a believing man! We know that much of the New Testament has believers themselves speaking of being filled with the Holy Ghost, yet the first instance of someone being identified as having the Holy Spirit in him is uttered by a heathen Pharaoh!

In the days of Saul, following the laws of Leviticus handed down from God, people with "familiar spirits" were outlawed and removed from the Israelites, and initially, Saul had obeyed the law and had them removed. Yet, when Samuel was dead, and he had gone into rebellion against God, he sought out a woman as such, and asked her to summon the spirit of Samuel! "And the woman said unto him, 'Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?' And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, 'As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.' Then said the woman, 'Whom shall I bring up unto thee?' And he said, 'Bring me up Samuel.' And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, 'Why hast thou deceived me? For thou art Saul.' And the king said unto her, 'Be not afraid: for what sawest thou?' And the woman said unto Saul, 'I saw gods ascending out of the earth.' And he said unto her, 'What form is he of?' And she said, 'An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.' And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself." (1 Sam. 28:9 - 14) This is probably one of the beginnings of the old saw, "Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it!" Here God actually allowed the spirit of Samuel to visit this sinning duo, but unfortunately for Saul, it was so Samuel could tell Saul of his quickly coming demise! To this day, knowing Christians obediently steer clear of Palmists and seance makers!

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When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, 'I will return into my house from whence I came out'; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." (Matt. 12:43 - 45) Here Christ Himself speaks of spiritual possession, and even by more than one spirit, or demon. Here Jesus also certifies that some spirits or demons are worse than others, and can repossess someone from whom they've been cast out. They can not only possess men and animals, but promote their own system of doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1), be confined (2 Pet. 2:4), and can inflict diseases (Matt. 9:33). They seek to thwart God's purpose (Eph. 6:1 -12). and many of them are active in the world (Matt. 12:43 - 45). So evil spirits, or demons, are of great multitude and have evil intent toward humanity!

Jesus once was mistaken for a Spirit, but for good reason; He was walking on the sea! "And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a spirit'; and they cried out for fear.  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, 'Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.'" (Matt. 14:26 - 27)

So now we have read biblical proof of ghosts; good, bad, demon, angel, and even the Spirit of God! We have read what they can do, and the parameters in which they work between this plane of existence and theirs. If anyone should tell you they don't believe in ghosts, you can tell them that they are also saying that they don't believe the bible, because the bible says they exist!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Father Concept

THE FATHER CONCEPT
Whether you have a good father or bad father in your eyes here on earth, or even if you were born not knowing who your father was since you were born, or nowadays, even your mother might not be able to tell you who your father was, recognize this: you have a father figure in our Father in heaven! There is no greater model of father for us than our Father in heaven. Let me give you illustration of what I'm talking about...
 He Formed Us In Our Mothers' Wombs - Using biblical terminology, our earthly fathers "knew" our mothers, that we might be conceived, but our heavenly Father allowed it to happen, and even formed us in our mothers' wombs! Let me use Scripture to back that up: "For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife." (Gen. 20:18) - If the Lord doesn't want you born, it isn't happening! "But Thou art He that took me out of the womb: Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art my God from my mother's belly." (Psa. 22:9 - 10) David recognized that by the power of the Father Creator he came out of his mother's womb as he was.

Our Heavenly Father Is A GOOD Father! - "And He said unto him,
'Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.'" (Matt. 19:17) As Jesus affirms, our heavenly Father is indeed good! We who believe in Jesus have a good heavenly Father to look to. But just as we have a good spiritual Father, so also available is a wicked father for those who would disown the heavenly Father! "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44) So one has a good Father, and another has a wicked one, a murderer and liar, and the one obeys his heavenly Father, and the other his wicked one, and ironically, both the heavenly Father and the wicked one, who is the devil, know all men by their fruits! And the devil would rather we were dead than obey the will of the heavenly Father!

Our Heavenly Father Gives Good Things - "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matt. 7:9 - 11) "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Gen. 50:20) Whether good or bad things happen to us, our heavenly Father knows how to give good things to us. As attested by Jesus, even evil parents know how to give their children good stuff, so our Father in heaven, who is perfect, knows perfectly how to give us things that are good for us! Trust His will! Even when Joseph had so many bad things befall him that he ended up in Egypt, and even in an Egyptian prison for a time, yet he was freed in the Father's perfect plan in a timely way that though his brothers did him much evil, God used it in His plan for the good of many, using wisdom imparted to Joseph to save many people from starvation!

We Can Choose Our Father - "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16 - 17) Seems simple enough in this passage of Scripture, and yet, so many make it so hard! "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9 - 10) We can choose a Father who obviously loves us by the evidence of what is written here, or we can choose the other father, the father of lies, but there is no other choice; you MUST choose one or the other. There is NO 3rd option!

A Problem With Choosing Rightly - "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:3 - 6) If we find someone who has chosen the wrong Father, they have also chosen not to believe in His Son! And so we need to pray for them, that they might see the error of their choice, and change their choice, God willing!

The Difference Between Choices Of Father - Our choices are exact opposites; "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8) If our Father in heaven is love incarnate, then the devil is hate incarnate! Does this make sense to you? Which is your logical choice? So many have made the wrong choice all their life out of disbelief in our heavenly Father's Son; isn't this astounding? What is only logical is that they don't believe the bible in order to not believe in the Son, and therefore they make the wrong choice.

Final Disposition Of Choices - "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11 - 15) Choose the wrong father, and this is the final disposition. Choose the heavenly Father by believing in His Son whom He sent, and Jesus Himself asserted this in the Gospel; "
Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" (Matt. 25:34)

Parting Comments - For me it was a no-brainer, I chose the kingdom with its great joy and treasures unable to be taken from me; so many before me have chosen the wicked father, and the torment, gnashing fo teeth, and chaos and confusion that goes with choosing him. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." (Matt. 25:46)

Friday, January 6, 2012

Noted Women Of The Bible - 9 Good Prophetesses (And Two NOT!)


NOTED WOMEN OF THE BIBLE - 9 GOOD PROPHETESSES (AND TWO NOT!)
There are many religions out there. Some make no differential treatment between men and women, and some do. In one women may be treated as chattle, property, far from equal with men, and even as dirty through no fault of their own. Today I would like to say that while Christianity and the bible do not hold that women should be pastors (e.g., Gen. 3:16), it does not make them so demoted from humanity that they are property of men, but rather men's help meet "And the LORD God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.'" (Gen. 2:18) They are our mates, not our property! Herein I want to cover that just as God blessed men to be prophets, so also He blessed women to be prophetesses! Let's see what 9 women I found in the bible who were good prophetesses, and we'll note the false ones, too!
The first prophetess spoken of is the sister of Aaron, Miriam "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, 'Sing ye to the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.'" (Exod. 15:20 - 21) Here she speaks rightly, and leads the women in dancing and praising God; but just as prophets can make mistakes, so can prophetesses; "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, 'Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, 'Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation.' And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And He said, 'Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?' And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and He departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous." (Num. 12:1 - 10) Aaron asked Moses for mercy on Miriam from the Lord, and Moses talked with the Lord. But for flouting God's authority placed on Moses, she was to suffer 7 leprous days of public punishment for her public sinfulness. Rebuke from God!

The next prophetess was Deborah. "And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, 'Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, "Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand."" (Judg. 4:4 - 7) This is the only woman to judge Israel before the days of kings and queens. Upon Barak's success against Israel's enemies, she and Barack sang praises to God! "Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, 'Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.'" (Judg. 5:1 - 2) This women did better than most of Israel's kings, for unlike them, she did no evil in the sight of the Lord. No Scripture is there to be found saying otherwise that I know of.

The next prophetess lived in the days of king Josiah, and she was named Huldah. "So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. And she said unto them, 'Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, "Tell the man that sent you to Me, Thus saith the LORD, 'Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee," saith the LORD. "Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place." And they brought the king word again." (2 Kings 22:14 - 20),(2 Chron. 34:22 - 28) Blessed was she that God should speak to a nation and a king through a woman! In a man's world, this woman commanded respect in that the Lord used her as His mouthpeace!

There was a man named Noadiah in Ezra before the prophetess with the same name, and like her, little is written of Noadiah, and well; because Nehemiah counted her among the wicked attempting to ruin his testimony! "And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. My God, think Thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear." (Neh. 6:12 - 14)

The next prophetess goes unnamed, but bears a child of more reknown than she, since at least his name is made known; "And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, 'Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz. For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, 'My father, and my mother', the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria." (Isa. 8:2 - 4) As you can read from this Scripture, is it any wonder why the prophetess is unnamed? Her husband is one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, Isaiah!

Anna was the name of the only prophetess to look on the face of the Child Jesus. "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." (Luke 2:36 - 38) What a servant of the Lord Anna was, a widow for 84 years, and God's kindness to her was that she was blessed with looking on the face of the salvation of every believer among all of mankind! What excitement for her to see her Savior face to face before her death!

Now Philip the evangelist had 4 prophetess daughters, but no more than saying so is written of them. "And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy." (Acts 21:8 - 9) By this point it would be thought that most people have come to realize, that when a woman is a prophetess, and of good report, they are also given a position of respect among men in a man's world. But like Noadiah, false prophetesses fare no better than false prophets; such is the last one in Revelation.

There is mention of a false prophetess in Revelation by Jesus Himself, and He calls her by a name Jezebel, but it is debated whether He means that is actually her name, or that she is a counterpart of the infamous Jezebel of 1 Kings 16, 21, and 2 Kings 9. "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." (Rev. 2:20 - 23). It is easy to understand from His speech that Jesus is NOT happy with this prophetess, and He speaks of her wickedness that displeases Him.

So for women believers in Christ, and those who are looking out of a woman-hating religion for hope in another religion, here is plenty of Scripture for the Christian woman, and those women looking at the Christian faith, that God had positions of note for women, one such as a prophetess, one of respect, and even for the average, lowest woman, one of a help meet for her husband. The true God meant not for women to be property, or a beast of burden, or something to be maltreated and abused, but rather on something of an equal keel with men, and in these 9 cases, He gave God-fearing women the respectable position of - prophetess!