Thursday, January 24, 2013

An Interesting Breakdown Of Solomon's Wisdom In The Proverbs




An Interesting Breakdown Of Solomon's Wisdom In The Proverbs
 
Everyone who reads the Bible cover to cover goes through the proverbs and assumes Solomon was the author of this Old Testament book, but in actuality, Solomon was the author of most, but the latter was written selectios by a committee designated by decree of king Hezekiah, and Agur wrote chapter 30, while Lemuel wrote chapter 31. Nonetheless, flawless wisdom in 24 areas of behavior of man is contained in this work, and in alphabetic order, the proverbs address: Adultery, anger, borrowing and usury, bribes, chastening, death and Sheol, discipline, drunkeness, enemies, family life, fear, food, fools, gossip, love, being poor, pride, riches, sin, sleep, sluggardness, paths of behavior followed, wives, and wisdom. Let's look at some that should really be addressed in today's economy, shall we?

Adultery is rampant in today's society, and the television's soap operas have fueled the homebound housewife's boredom to believe that it is permissable, and that getting caught and divorce are not that big of a deal. Divorce is made out to look as though it isn't even as difficult and a bother as it truly is, and proverbs is timeless in its advice. "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts." (Prov. 6:20 - 35) While the woman is not the one being given advice to, yet the men are! Solomon apparently holds it that a man needs bear the brunt of moral fiber and keep his pants on, and resist the seduction in wisdom, and he also mentions how the husband will feel when he finds out!

Borrowing - "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Prov. 22:7) People appear to have lost their senses in this age. When a person borrows money, particularly from a loan shark operation out of a business front that one can find in every city, they refuse to see that they are willingly ensnaring themselves and making themselves appear desperate to the point they will enslave themselves to the lender, and the more money they borrow, the worse it is, starting with the high rate of interest! One puts themselve into servitude in that they must agree to the terms put forth in the borrowing, and the lender has the upper hand. They command the borrower on what interest they will pay, what day they must pay it, and it is normal to collect collateral, even their car's title! It is also typical that the borrower feel themselves required to borrow again, and a larger amount the next time, and the cycle eventually gets out of control to the point they bankrupt themselves! Borrowing only leads to more severe poverty than the day it starts!

"Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die." (Prov. 23:12 - 13) - Child protective services is probably the greatest function of spoilage of the American child in this age. The bible says here to whip that child's bottom with a rod, not to merely spank them with your hand. And the heathen public school system has been known to have a number of teachers tell the children that if their parents do the biblically correct thing regarding disciplining them for bad behavior, they should call this agency, as though responders to a phone call will guarantee further spoilage of them. And this to the teacher's hurt, because the children will learn they can rebel against the parents, and the teachers, too, as the parent sue the teachers for what the parents believe is wrongful interaction with their "wonderful child". No country is using wisdom when it contradicts what the bible says.

"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again." (Prov. 23:31 - 35) Drunkeness is at somewhat of a low now, particularly the drivers getting taken off the road in America, but now they're passing laws about marijuana, so there's a new inebriation problem police will have to figure out. In any case, intoxication of any kind is unwise, because judgment is perverted and impaired by imbibing in the practice, and on top of that, one who gets drunk or stoned is polluting the temple of the Holy Ghost! "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. 6:19 - 20)

While Solomon didn't greatly expound on what he meant in this next verse, it certainly makes one want to read the whole Bible to discover every way that pleases the Lord. "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Prov. 16:7) I could write a long Bible study on ways to please the Lord, don't you think? Basically, loving your neighbor as yourself, even if your neighbor is your enemy, would certainly be a key component to gaining peace with those who make themselves your enemies at the beginning.

Prov. 31:10 - 31 says much concerning how a "trophy wife" is like in her daily behavior. Rather than give a long reading, I'll just say a good wife is industrious toward the good of her family's welfare, she is charitable toward those in need, she guards what comes off her tongue, raises her children rightly, and her husband praises her for the way she is. If the husband behave in like manner, a long joyful marriage is surely in store for such a match!

You know, some proverbs do double duty in a single verse! Take this one; it speaks on fear and fools simultaneously! "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov. 1:7) Every believer has a reverent fear of the Lord and what He can do, and they are a fool who does not fear Him, demonstrating in being so blind to salvation and their need of it. An unbeliever is a fool, and stiffnecked against all His witnesses, unless the Holy Spirit remove their blindness! Jesus said this about when to wisely be afraid with fear: "
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28)

Gossip has got to be the clearest example of man's poor use of the tongue. "An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends." (Prov. 16:27 - 28) It is next to impossible to do damage control once the tongue has let loose its poison. One might as well have been bitten by a Japanese habu, known as a one-stepper. They are reputed to be able to bite a person, they take one step, and die from envenomization! If I say the wrong thing to someone, even a friend, they can take offense and I may never see them again! Gossip with any negative attributes to what is being said will always be damaging to those being spoken of when it finally gets recited back to them, and whatever reaction comes about is unknown to they who spread the gossip until they who are spoken of hear it! When thinking on this, doesn't it seem foolish and foolhardy to be a gossip?

"Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich." (Prov. 28:6) One could expound on the meaning of this single verse with many words! The poor man who earns an honest meager living has peace in his life compared to the rich man who got his wealth in a perverse or corrupt manner. The poor man will sleep well each night, while the rich man will toss and turn on occasion in worry of what he has done to achieve his wealth backfiring and bringing him to ruin for his ill-getting of gain. Who do you suppose sleeps better, an embezzler or a ditch digger?

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." (Prov. 16:18 - 19) A proud person will cut off their nose to spite their face is the clich`e I have heard since I was young. A proud old woman might let her house get dirty rather than admit to friends she needs help getting it clean, and then get sick more often because of allergens in the dust of the house. How rare is it that a scam artist be proud of their haul at the expense of their victims? And if they should brag on themselves to the wrong person in their pridefulness, they will surely come to destruction from the loosening of their tongue! Righteous godly living should always include the absence of prideful boasting.

"Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death." (Prov. 11:4) "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit." (Prov. 18:11) The rich imagine that their wealth can protect them throughout life, but then, when their life is near its end, who's wealth does it become, for they can't take it with them, nor does it save them from the wrath they deserve for unrighteous living, even the unrighteous manner in which they acquired their wealth! Nobody can buy God. Even if one found a way to bring it with them, it all belongs to God to start with; did not He create it? True riches is the wisdom found in the scriptures, and obeying God's commandments and statutes as best as one can, now these are TRUE RICHES!

Solomon went to various aspects of sin when he gave forth his wisdom surrounding it. "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people." (Prov. 14:34) "The LORD hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." (Prov. 16:4) "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" (Prov. 20:9) He wrote of localized sin, as attributed to a nation of people, whether they be righteous or sinful. Other nations, let alone God, see a people for how they are. For example, even now peoples in the Middle East look at America with disdain for their perverse entanglement with homosexuality and gay marriage, and they think the entire nation involved in the sin, and the minority righteous must often defend their personal reputation against their nation. Solomon also addressed sin on a cosmopolitan level, because every sinner, regardless of where they live and commit endless sinfulness, God will judge every one of them on His day set aside for such purpose. The last example from Proverbs I gave was an inward inspection in that Solomon provokes us to look at our lives introspectly even on a monthly basis, we will never find ourselves sinless, provided we are being honest with ourselves.

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." (Prov. 6:6 - 11) What wisdom Solomon used, in that we could take to heart the clich`e "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise", just as the ant indeed rises early to work at first light, and is found no more, except in her nest at the setting of the sun. Even more covert wisdom is here in that Solomon gives the gender of the ant "her", and indeed, worker and soldier ants are modified females - ask another entomologist if you don't believe me, as this was my job for 20 years in the military. Solomon also addresses sleep, as one who seeks it much too often misses out on important things, like keeping their job! Sluggardly living is for someone who is able to find enjoyment in poverty!

As one gets old enough, one notices that the majority are without wisdom, and in many areas where one can display wisdom, many have no facet of it. Wisdom is not only in the experiences of the elderly, nor is it only resulting in success and wealth. Wisdom is found throughout the Bible, and wise are they who heed and apply it! It is true that we should seek it early, because if we apply it from the beginning of our lives, we may be rich in more than the material sense toward our latter days! "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 'How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." (Prov. 1:20 - 31)

Then finally there's the wife; As this is lengthy already, I will just give the chapter and verses; Prov. 31:10 - 31 describes the "trophy wife", a wife whose daily life is full of wise behavior and this to her credit. She behaves with honor and dignity, and for her reward is this description!

Finally, we have covered most of facets of wise versus foolish living that can be found in this wonderful Old Testament book. One who heeds this displays much wisdom, wouldn't you say?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

30 Prophecies Concerning Jesus' Death - Irrefutable Proof Of Bible Accuracy And The One True God




30 Prophecies Concerning Jesus' Death - Irrefutable Proof Of Bible Accuracy And The One True God
You know, muslims see our many versions of the bible, and is it any wonder they find discrepancies between versions! So how does one prove irrefutably that the bible is accurate concerning Jesus, that He is not merely a prophet, but the holy Son of God, the Redeemer and Savior made flesh? The only Emmanuel? Do you think 30 prophecies of the Old Testament would do it?

"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." (Gen. 3:15) The interpretation is that Christ will give Satan's head a death blow because of His sacrifice at the cross, while Satan bruises His heel in that he causes Christ to have to suffer.

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psa. 22:1)

"O my God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent." (Psa. 22:2) This verse in Psalms from David predicts the 3 hours of darkness attested of in Matt. 27:45. David listed these two verses of Psa. 22 in the invert order of how it actually happened, but indeed, when the night season of 3 hours came upon Jesus' crucifixion, He was not silent in that He cried out the partial wording of Psa. 22:1!

"But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." (Psa. 22:6) Jesus was indeed despised by the unbelieving people who crucified Him!

"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him...They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion." (Psa. 22:7 - 8,13) Matt. 27:43 is restated strikingly similar to what David said so long before they came to be in the situation that they need say it. What were the chances that it would come to pass this way at this moment, except the Bible truly be the word of God?

"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels...For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet." (Psa. 22:14, 16) Amazing that David puts these words in the bible, since crucifixion is not known until Roman times, and David did not experience piercing of his hands and feet in his time, yet he wrote this in pure prophecy of Christ's ordeal!

"I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me." (Psa. 22:17) "In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof." (Exod. 12:46) "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken." (Psa. 34:20) The key point here is that in all 3 verses of the Old Testament, they refer to the fact none of Jesus' bones were broken during the crucifixion, and particularly accurate was the fact the Romans normally broke the leg bones to hasten death, but because Jesus died so quickly, it was not ordered by those in authority.

"They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." (Psa. 22:18) Here again, David prophesies about the day of Jesus' crucifixion, because in Matt. 27:35, it says that those who crucified Jesus did exactly that!

"Into thine hand I commit my spirit." (Psa. 31:5) As many of us know, Jesus repeated this.

"False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not." (Psa. 35:11) Mark 14:56 says this is exactly what happened to Jesus, just as prophesied by David!

"My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off." (Psa. 38:11) Luke 23:49 records this same scenery at the crucifixion of Jesus!

"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." (Psa. 41:9) Mark 14:10 and John 13:18 - 19 both record that Judas, hand picked by Jesus Himself, does indeed betray Him, the verses in John being the very words of Jesus Himself restating the words of David.

"I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." (Psa. 69:3) In John 19:28 Jesus says "
I thirst." Again, David prophesies of the thirst Jesus feels on the cross.

"Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee." (Psa. 69:19) Now fast forward to Jesus’ passion; "And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.  And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’  And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head." (Matt. 27:28 - 30) The harsh and mocking treatment Jesus received surely is indicative of the fact these people are Jesus’ enemies, and the dishonor He received at their hands with all this mocking of His sovereign person is a huge sacrilege and blasphemous treatment of the Son of God! Imagine yourself in His place, being treated like this, then being taken away to be crucified, spit drying on your face as you’re led through the crowds. Now THAT’S shame and reproach in the public eye!

"They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." (Psa. 69:21) "Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth." (John 19:29) Here is another prophecy fulfilled from David’s Psalms. Concerning Jesus’ passion and crucifixion, Is it any wonder why Bible scholars see the book of Psalms as a very important book in the Bible?

"I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads." (Psa. 109:25) "And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads" (Matt. 27:39) "And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, ‘Ah, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself, and come down from the cross." (Mark 15:29 - 30) Shaking and wagging the head is the same thing, right? Amazing how David prophesied so vividly of the scene of that day so long after he died, isn’t it? Okay, we’re going to leave the Psalms and move forward in the Old Testament for more prophecy of Jesus’ death…

"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself:" (Dan. 9:26) "Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.  And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." (John 11:50 - 52) The Messiah was indeed cut off, and not only for the nation of the Jews…are you thinking John 3:16? Let’s now look at 10 prophecies of Jesus from Isaiah…

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (Isa. 50:6) Remember Matt. 27:30 that I wrote of earlier here, where it spoke of Him being spit upon, and how they smote His face, and how they shamed Him by their treatment of Him? Here it is again in prophecy!

"As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:" (Isa. 52:14) Pilate's men mistreated Jesus so badly, He could hardly be recognized! "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head." (Matt. 27:27 - 30) As Isaiah said of Him, so it was!

"Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." (Isa. 53:1 - 3) "And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, 'Ah, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save Thyself, and come down from the cross.' Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, 'He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.' And they that were crucified with Him reviled Him." (Mark 15:29 - 32) What a comparative prophecy of what happened concerning Jesus. His own people indeed esteemed Him not at all!

"Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isa. 53:4 - 6) "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Pet. 2:24) "And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him." (Mark 15:25) Here we have the prophecy (Isa. 53:4 - 6), It takes place (Mark 15:25), and it is given recognition by Peter (1Pet. 2:24)! He was crucified for our sins, and also He was an offering for our sins. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:21) Because of the fact He took our place, and made Himself an offering, a perfect Lamb, without blemish, His sacrifice was accepted by the Father for all mankind, with the condition that we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Savior and Redeemer.

"He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." (Isa. 53:7) "Then said Pilate unto Him, 'Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against Thee?' And He answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly." (Matt. 27:13 - 14) Again we find matching prophecy and fruition of it! "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'" (John 1:29) This too ties in with Isaiah's verse, because Jesus was as a lamb to the slaughter, but more specifically, He was God's sacrificial Lamb, given for slaughter to save mankind from all our sinfulness!

"And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth." (Isa. 53:9) "Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed." (Matt. 27:56 - 60) Isaiah began his prophetic ministry in 740 B.C., and here is one more of his prophecies come true! What other religion has so many prophecies that have been fulfilled as the Christian Bible? Let the skeptics rage in unbelief, there's still more prophecies of His death to be made mention of!

"Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isa. 53:12) "Then said Jesus, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' And they parted His raiment, and cast lots." (Luke 23:34) "And with Him they crucify two thieves; the one on His right hand, and the other on His left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, 'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'" (Mark 15:27 - 28) This is the last of Isaiah's prophecies of Jesus' death, but we have one more prophet with 4 more prophecies of it. In all, we have Moses, David, Daniel, Isaiah, and Zechariah, these 5 have prophecied of Jesus death, and the circumstances thereof. Many have accused the Bible of being corrupt; CORRUPT THIS! So much fulfillment of prophecy, and what other religion has its main book proving itself in so many ways through prophecy fulfilled in the present from its past? Who can twist this perfect group of prophecies, that it not be what it is, an irrefutable work of God; the word of God, indeed!

"And I said unto them, 'If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.' So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver." (Zech. 11:12) "And said unto them, 'What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you?' And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver." (Matt. 26:15) Zechariah began prophesying 520 years before Christ was born. Over 500 years before the event, Zechariah predicted the amount of money to the exact coin! Oh, who else has a faith with a book with so much precision in its prophecy? And there's more!

"And the LORD said unto me, 'Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them.' And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD." (Zech. 11:13) "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, 'I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.' And they said, 'What is that to us? See thou to that.' And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, 'It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.' And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in." (Matt. 27:3 - 7) More precision from Zechariah; in the temple, the house of the Lord, over 500 years later, Judas indeed cast the silver down, and it was used to buy a potter's field, the very inference of Zechariah's prophecy!

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zech. 12:10) "And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him." (Luke 23:27) One more verse from Zechariah, and fulfillment written thereof in Matthew and Mark's gospels!

"'Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow', saith the LORD of hosts: 'Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones.'" (Zech. 13:7) "Then saith Jesus unto them,
'All ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, 'I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.'" (Matt. 26:31) "And Jesus saith unto them, 'All ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, 'I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered'...And they all forsook Him, and fled." (Mark 14:47, 50) True to the words of these 5 Old Testament men of God, Jesus' death was described in great detail, from circumstances to even fine details such as the amount of money bargained for Jesus' betrayal! What accuracy! Let whosoever will, doubt out of stiffnecked foolishness, but for we who believe; what a masterpiece of God!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013



SINLESS SINNER?

It surely can be confusing to tell someone that you are sinless in Christ, yet that you still commit sins on a daily basis because of your humanity. The unbeliever will certainly think you are crazy, or perhaps addled, but the fact is that this an accurate attribute of a born again Christian! But to explain it, we must use correctly interpreted bible verses to convey this concept in a manner that laymen are able to understand.
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." (1 John 3:8 - 10) Here is a passage that some may need explaining about. The first part of this passage means that those who have not accepted Christ and have not been born again are of the devil. Those not born again will not want to read the bible, they find their condemnation in it concerning what all behavior God calls sin, including a lack of faith, which is another term for belief. if one lacks belief, they likewise lack faith. If one doesn't believe in the bible, why would they read it, except out of curiosity, and probably wouldn't even finish it; it's a long book, and besides, they don't believe according to the hardness of their hearts. however, if one has had their heart circumcised by the Lord, and their eyes and hearts be opened, then they will accept Christ, accept what the bible says, and be born again, and then they will adapt their behavior to biblical precepts, instead of according to selfish lusts. A passage by James edifies this train of thought -

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:1 - 8) Be born again! If one's eyes be opened, James is explaining those who chose the world were enemies of God, and he encourages people to draw nigh unto God, or, in other words, choose God instead of the world, and this will eventually lead to elimination of asking God amiss, because one who draws nigh to God reads His word, and those who read His word to a level of understanding will learn how to ask God correctly, and not amiss, which is according to selfish lusts, even to anyone's hurt. Habitual sinners, those who have not accepted/believed on Christ, these are not sinless sinners, because they have refused or denied the promise of God through Jesus Christ. And what was that promise?

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." (John 3:16 - 21) I will say it again, that many pastors and preachers in many denominations do an injustice not preaching God's full promise. This is a loaded passage, because it's not just a promise, but it explains how God works. God requires a blood sacrifice for forgiveness of sins; therefore, He sent His Son, the only entity in existence capable of doing the task necessary to provide love to an entire human race, to provide blood sacrifice of His own Self, that we might all be saved on the sole condition of believing in Christ Jesus His Son. This being done more than 2,000 years ago, we now have the stage set for explaining the sinless sinner. First, a body accepts Christ and is born again, attaining salvation. The same body dies a saved soul, and now it's judgment time! "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Heb. 9:27) There are two judgment seats, the bemis and the white throne. Those saved by Jesus' blood are judged from the bemis seat, and according to what they did for Christ. "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (1 Cor. 3:12 - 15) But those who have rejected or denied God's gift through Jesus Christ, these are not sinless sinners, but sinners INDEED! They go to the white throne judgment seat! "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) So this is how a saved soul is a sinless sinner. When God looks at a soul for judgment, those who are saved by the blood of Christ receive Jesus in the form of a filter, and although we have sinned sins of all sorts throughout our lifetime, Jesus' sacrifice acts as a filter so that God sees us in Jesus' sinless character, thereby we are saved by Jesus. It's like a red filter on a page in the bible where Jesus speaks in places, but not on the entire page. When you use a red filter over the entire page, you can't see what Jesus said in the red letter edition, because the filter blocks out His words written in red in the bible on that page. Likewise, our sins are as the red letters of Jesus' words, and Jesus' blood is the filter that God looks through to find sins. Since He sees no sin through the filter of Jesus' sacrifice, we are accepted into heaven, forgiven all blemish due to the fact we accepted the one condition of the gift of God, and that being the belief in Christ Jesus as Savior and the sacrificial Lamb, a gift from God our Father.

"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." (1 John 5:16 - 17) Believers can sin to the point where physical death results as judgment from God; "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." (1 Cor. 11:30) "Many sleep" means that many died. "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee." (Jer. 7:16) If a person willfully sins after repeated corrections by their family member in Christ, John is saying one doesn't need to pray about it, because God will handle it!

So here we have an explanation of a sinless sinner; "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Eph. 2:5) By God's grace through Christ Jesus, we are saved to the uttermost; we are heavenly kingdom bound - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8 - 9) We who believe are God's children, and the law is no longer our schoolmaster, that we should be held accountable for our sins; we who are born again are under grace; sinless sinners! "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:24 - 26)