What Do You Know About Baptism?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BAPTISM?

To understand what baptism is all about, one must find the roots of it. When should a person be baptized? What does it mean to be baptized? What is the significance of it? Do I really have to? Shall we see what Scripture says of it?

It doesn't take long in the New Testament for the teachings of baptism to be made known. Matt. 3:1 - 17, Mark 1:1 -11, and Luke 3:1 - 22 all cover the baptism of Christ, and each give us a little more about it. In Matthew, John the Baptist preached repentance, which is a change of mind bearing fruit in a changed life. One must repent the past sinful life and accept Christ as Savior before being able to be baptized. This excludes the baptism of infants, because they are unable to verbalize or conceptualize the need to repent or accept Christ Jesus. At the time, only Jews were being baptized, and there was no church to join, so for them, they were acknowledging the truth of his message and choosing righteousness. The people in those days found it shocking that John and Jesus should preach personal repentance over the typical teaching of the day about the merits of Abraham. John taught that baptism was symbolic of an individual's need to repent in order for their sins to be forgiven. When many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were noticed by John coming to his baptism, John spoke skeptically to them, knowing them to be hypocrites, self-righteous, and they were the most persecuting of Jesus. He urged them to demonstrate repentance, and not lean on Abraham as their father, but take personal responsibility of the need to repent. Christian baptism is performed in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38) as a witness to one's faith in Christ.

Jesus had His own personal baptism to be baptized into, and He spoke of it in Luke 12:50; "But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" It can also be found in Matt. 20:22 - 23 & Mark 10:38 - 40, and the sons of Zebedee who were His apostles volunteered to be baptized in His baptism. Not the one we typically get baptized in, but rather the baptism of suffering and death. James was the first of the apostles to die, and his brother John was also martyred for Christ.

There is an instance of Christ using baptism as a problem for the chief priests, because He knew they could not admit the truth that it was from heaven; "And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, 'By what authority doest Thou these things? And who gave Thee this authority?' And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell Me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?' And they reasoned with themselves, saying, 'If we shall say, 'From heaven'; He will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe Him? But if we shall say, of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.' And they answered Jesus, and said, 'We cannot tell.' And He said unto them, 'Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.' (Matt. 21:23 - 27, Mark 11:27 - 33, Luke 20:1 - 8)

There are many among us today in the world who reject the counsel of God, who reject the need for baptism to repentance, and it was the same in John and Jesus' day. Gospel evidence is available to attest of this; "And all the people that heard Him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." (Luke 7:29 - 30)

When John was baptizing, in the first chapter of John's Gospel, he makes a distinction between his baptism with water and Jesus' baptism; "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, "After me cometh a Man which is preferred before me: for He was before me. And I knew Him not: but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water." And John bare record, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, "Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."'" (John 1:29 - 33)

Is baptism necessary for salvation? Consider this passage; "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." (1 Cor. 1:12 - 17) Paul is clearly saying here that baptism is not necessary for salvation, but this begs the question, "Then why bother?"

It is an instruction from our Savior! "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' Amen. (Matt. 28:18 - 20)

Peter explains in other words why be baptized; "Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. (Acts 1:22) "Then Peter said unto them, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.'" (Acts 2:38) Does it seem to you that if you be baptized in the name of Jesus as affirming your belief in the resurrection of Christ, this is your public demonstration not only of your repentance, but that you accept Christ Jesus as your Savior to everlasting life in His resurrection? "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, 'Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.' While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 'Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days." (Acts 10:34 - 48) Here we have biblical proof that believing in Christ is a prerequisite for baptism, and to Peter's amazement, Gentiles were included in God's plan of salvation. Since the Gentiles with Peter spoke in tongues, a gift of the Holy Ghost, he perceived they were included in the salvation plan of God, and this is the first documentation of the baptism of Gentiles.

The early church had some confusion about baptism. Acts 18:24 - 19:6 tells of an eloquent speaker named Apollos who taught of the baptism of John, and later he was corrected privately by Aquila and Priscilla. Paul found disciples on his third missionary journey who were baptised into John's baptism, and Paul baptized these into Christ's baptism, and Paul laid hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. While John's baptism was with water for repentance, it was in contrast to Jesus' baptism, which stands for eternal life and salvation because of belief in Him.

So what was the necessity of John's baptism when the more perfect baptism is that of Christ? "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:1 - 11) John's baptism was the prototype of a concept of being condemned in sin transforming to salvation in eternal life. As the body is totally immersed in water (not sprinkled water on the forehead), it signifies burying the old nature, the sinful self, the washing away of your sins, the former life of rejection of Christ, the former self that was condemned by the holy and just law of God. When the body is lifted up out of the water, no longer fully immersed, it is symbolic of our faith in Christ Jesus that like the Father raised Him from the tomb and from death, so we shall be raised to eternal life with Christ to exist eternally with God. Coming up out of the water pictures coming back to life as a new creature in Christ Jesus. Let there not be confusion about baptism concerning infants, for they are unable to express faith in Christ Jesus, and I defy anyone to show me an example in scripture of godparents speaking for infants who are unable to grasp the concept of sin or salvation. Infants and toddlers are developmentally unable to grasp the concept of faith.

Here's a little more explanation of baptism; "And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." (Col. 2:10 - 12); " The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. (1 Pet. 3:21 - 22)

Okay, I see this coming; another question: so how many times should one be baptized? If one is baptized correctly, only one baptism is necessary; for you cannot lose salvation. If you find a way, you cannot retrieve it, for Jesus only died once. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (Eph. 4:4 - 7) Let me show in another scriptural passage the irretrievability of the loss of salvation; "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." (Heb. 6:1 - 6) Arminians and others versed in Scripture rage a debate about this passage. They hold that the backslidden who've fallen into apostacy are able to lose their salvation, while others hold that these weren't genuine believers, but only professed believers. Nevertheless, it's also written here that to try to regain salvation lost is to put Christ on the cross another time, putting Him to an open shame.

I feel I have exhausted further explaining the concept of baptism. If one not understand still after all this, let we who do know pray for them, and may God bless them with enlightenment because of our supplications on their behalf!

YOUR HEART & GOD

YOUR HEART & GOD

How's your heart in relationship to God?  Do you feel it's close to Him?  Do you feel it's fervent toward Him?  Do you just give Him the minimum hour or so in church every week, then nothing?  Or maybe you only go to Him in the middle of the week for emergencies?  Maybe you know someone who doesn't even think He exists, and call themselves an atheist. There are all kinds of conditions of the heart that either offend or displease God, and others that make Him pleased. Let's see what we can find in the bible...

Gen. 6:5 - 6 has a displeasing side of man's heart. Man was so wicked with every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, continually on evil, that God was actually sorry He made man. Fortunately for us Noah found grace in His sight! As we know of the rest of the story, Noah and his family were the only ones to survive God's wrath. Even in the days of Jeremiah, the Lord spoke through His prophet in Jer. 17:9 - 10 and said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." So between the other side of the flood and the days of Jeremiah, God made note that man's condition of his heart did not change, that it was desperately wicked. But let a man or woman find control over such a heart, receive help from Him to change it, from Christ Jesus, our Mediator, and believe they will receive it. He is faithful in His time; trust Him with all your heart! For as verse 10 alludes to, better to receive the judgment of the saved, than that of one lost!

The Lord, through Moses, instructed the Israelites how to please Him in Deut. 11:13 -14, 18. He wanted them to obey His commandments, and love Him with all their hearts and souls, and told them He would reward them with rain in due season, good harvests, wine, and even to take care of their cattle's need for grass! So here we learn that God equates obedience with love, and rewards it with good things for those who comply.

Consider Hannah in 1 Sam. 2:1 - 10, 21; the woman sang a song of rejoicing in the Lord's holiness, knowledge, power, and judgment, and how did God respond?  He rewarded her that she no longer was barren, but bore three sons and two daughters, using her as an example for fervent prayer, obedience, worship, and devotion to family.  Her heart was in the right place with him, and He rewarded her well, didn't He?

Then there is to be considered the house of Eli and his sons in 1 Sam. 2:22 - 36.  The Lord God knew the heart of Eli, that he was aware of what his sons were doing dishonoring God with the women of the congregation and in other such matters, and while Eli told his sons that they were of no good report and told them to stop, he made no further moves against his sons for their behavior which dishonored the Lord, and in this he proved to God that his heart was more for his sons than the Lord, and for this sin, the punishment was foretold to Eli by the prophet who told him that his priestly family would come to destruction.  Oh, how God tries the hearts of men! (Ps. 7:9)

1 Sam. 7:3 has Samuel pleading with Israel; And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, "If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."  The bible is full of the Lord's counsel; if we are out of step with it, our punishment may be "a season long", or take up a period of time.  If our heart is not with the Lord, and we have made something a false god in His place, then our punishment is just, as the Lord is just.  However, if we return to the Lord, come to our senses, and put God back in His rightful place in our hearts, then He will forgive and may deliver us from our punishment, just as He did in this instance.  Heb. 12:5 - 8 says this of God's punishment when we let our hearts stray; "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, my son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."  So in 1 Sam. 7:4, the children of Israel put away the Canaanite fertility gods and goddesses, and wisely so.  Then the Lord kept the Philistines away from the Israelites all the days of Samuel!  So we, too, may be rewarded for repentance and returning our hearts to His rightful ownership.

Oh, the qualities and colors of the heart; Ps. 51:10 has David asking God for a clean heart.  You see, he had committed adultery with Bath-sheba, and worse, he had her husband killed to protect him and her from being found out by Uriah of her pregnancy to David, and about a year had gone by before David finally caved in and confessed to God.  Not that God didn't know already, for we know of His omniscience.  But the way it works is that our loving Father is waiting for us when we commit sins to confess to Him, to admit that we agree we made a mistake, committed a transgression, and then He displays His great mercy and forgives us our sin to His glory!  If we find ourselves in a sin we seem hardpressed to get rid of, it is good to be like David and confess it to God, and ask Jesus to help us be rid of repeating it!  Then the renewal of a right spirit will be within us.

Ps. 138:1 has David praising God with his whole heart. He challenges the reliability in false gods, pagan idols, in putting God in all his praise.  Oh, that we should always have this type of heart each and every time God answers prayer.  Consider the ten lepers of Luke 17:12 - 19: "And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.' And when He saw them, He said unto them, ‘Go shew yourselves unto the priests.’  And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.’ And He said unto him, ‘Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.'" See how the leper, and yet a Samaritan, gave his heart to God with thanks for His mercy?  I have thanked Him so much after Remy's total recovery from her brain aneurysm, and even after her first surgery, because she lived by His grace!

How different are the types of hearts that there are!  Ps. 147:3 has it, "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."  Is your heart broken, and do you go to Him for healing?  A death in the family, especially someone close, and even some friends are closer than family!  David also wrote in Ps. 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."  If one's heart is humbled by guilt, and penitent for sin(s) committed, God faithfully forgives and heals the heart, that it might fly once more in songs of praise to Him!

Ps. 3:5 has written, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Among Christians this is famous for meaning that God is in control.  Know the old "fall back and I'll catch you" game?  With Christ, that's for real!  The devil may attack you with anything, even what you see in black and white, trying to drive a wedge between you and God.  Ponder James 1:2 - 7; "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord."  The devil uses diverse temptations where our understanding doesn't make sense nor matter.  Job knew that.  He lost his children and all he owned, and on top of that, he got a bad case of the boils.  Neither his wife nor his friends knew what was happening to him, and all they could offer him was bad advice, and yet, his faith never waivered through his bad season of temptation to "curse God and die", and the Lord rewarded him in the end.  In Job's case, the devil afflicted the material things he had, but keep an open mind that the devil can attack on a mental level; only trust with all your heart indeed in Jesus!

There is a kind of heart that is very difficult to attain, but blessed is he that has it; 1 Kings 8:60 - 61 says, "That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else.  Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day."  Marvelous is the person who attains this at an early age, because the bible is a large tome, and many are His commandments, laws, policies and statutes.  Not only must the individual ambitious to attain this state memorize all His wants of us, but they must also apply all to their daily life.  It is unquestionable I have a heart for Jesus, but perfect I am not.  For I indeed stumble as to my imperfections, although I pray daily, at least once each day, if not more, that He guide me and protect me.

Jer. 29:13 - 14 also addresses a matter of the heart that applied to Israel in his day, but also still applies to us today.  "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.  And I will be found of you', saith the Lord: 'and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you', saith the Lord; 'and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive."  Often an unbeliever finds themselves captive of their worldly troubles, and they are enough that they cannot bear them.  At that time, they can call on Him, an Advocate whom they can trust, and search for Him with all their heart, and He will be found of them!

Can one imagine that the heart can be unclean more so than the hands?  Matt. 15:18 - 20 has it, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." As was written at the beginning of this message, so it remains, from the Old Testament into the New.  The heart of a wicked person is dirty down to the soul!  How good for them that we are encouraged, yea, even commanded, to pray for them, that they might find God (or is it the other way around?), and wash them clean in the blood of our Savior, Christ Jesus!

In Matt. 22:36 - 38 God made the heart with a duty to perform, according to Jesus' partial quotation of the Shema (Deut. 6:5); "...Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind...'" Luke 10:25 - 28 has a similar version of the same thing.  Those of us who are saved and know Christ as our Savior attempt this as best we can, and isn't that all He can ask, knowing our imperfections?  So many of us didn't start out this way, but blessed are they who end up this way!  As each of us come to realize this, "...Thy will be done on earth..." becomes the reality He meant it to be!

To love the Lord with all your heart is to obey Him, and He asks you to believe with all your heart to righteousness in Rom. 10:1 - 11.

What Do You Know About Demons?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DEMONS?

Demons, devils, evil spirits, unclean spirits - all are the same, aren't they? And Satan is the "head demon", isn't he? People have all kinds of concepts about the wicked of the spiritual plane of existence, but the best way to really know what these are all about is to go to the book that explains them best - the Word of God.

Angels that followed Satan in his rebellion against God are written of in Matt. 25:4; "Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" These angels that belong to the devil are demons, evil spirits, and unclean spirits.

Satan is first considered in Genesis as having spoken through a serpent to deceive Eve in the garden of Eden. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, "Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"' And the woman said unto the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, 'Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' And the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.'" (Gen. 3:1 - 5)

The first reference to devils is also found in the Pentateuch, but what is meant by devils are the goatlike gods the heathens worshipped in those days. "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations." (Lev. 17:7) Unfortunately, it eventually became common for the Israelites to be chastised by God for a whoring after false gods, but the idols at the time were goatlike devil gods.

The first reference to an evil spirit, or demon, can be found in Judg. 9:22 - 24; "When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: that the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren." It is interesting to note that the bible says God sent it, because in doing so, this seems to include demons in the will of God, since He sent it. But this is not the only evil spirit God sent; "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee." (1 Sam. 16:14-15) Let me give example of one more evil spirit included in the will of God; "And the LORD said, 'Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead?' And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 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 22:20-23) One might find it remarkable that these spirits, evil as they are, obey God! Now if anyone wonder how I can discern that this spirit in the third instance is of evil, let us recall that no liar will inherit the kingdom of heaven; "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Rev. 21:6 - 8)

The first reference to unclean spirits is found in Zech. 13:2; "'And it shall come to pass in that day', saith the LORD of hosts, 'that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.'" The term in this case, however, refers to false prophets and false teachers, their spirits not clean for their sinfulness.

There are several places in the gospel with documentation of more than one evil or unclean spirit in the same vicinity, and they were in possession of people! The first instance is found in Mark 5:2 - 13; "And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him, 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. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought Him, saying, 'Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.' And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea."

The second instance was when Jesus was driving them out of people where He had arrived; "And in that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind He gave sight." (Luke 7:21)

Jesus spoke of unclean spirits in Matt.12:43 - 45; "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." Here Jesus is teaching about demons, and how some are more wicked than others, and how they can repossess a person from whom they have been cast out.

Take note, also, that being possessed of a devil or demon can be the reason for physical problems. Consider this passage of Scripture; "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, 'It was never so seen in Israel.'" (Matt. 9:32 - 33) Note that the man was unable to speak because of a demon? Men of position and education recognized that demons caused men to do strange things, such as they accused John the Baptist, as witnessed by Jesus; "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He hath a devil.'" (Matt. 11:18)

Another example of physical ramifications caused by possession by a demon is in Matt. 12:22; "Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."

Yet another example is found again in Matthew's gospel. It doesn't tell what the physical ailment is, but there is one, nonetheless; "And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.' But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, 'Send her away; for she crieth after us.' But He answered and said, 'I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, 'Lord, help me.' But He answered and said, 'It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.' And she said, 'Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.' Then Jesus answered and said unto her, 'O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.' And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." (Matt. 15:22 - 28)

This next example is the only instance in the bible where it is written that Jesus marvelled; "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, And saying, 'Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.' And Jesus saith unto him, 'I will come and heal him.' The centurion answered and said, 'Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, "Go", and he goeth; and to another, "Come", and he cometh; and to my servant, "Do this", and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to them that followed, 'Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' And Jesus said unto the centurion, 'Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.' And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." (Matt. 8:5-13)

Now this next passage of Scripture you should find quite fascinating, because Jesus does more teaching about demons. "And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 'Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to Me.' And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, 'Why could not we cast him out?' And Jesus said unto them, 'Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.'" (Matt. 17:14 - 21) Here Jesus teaches His disciples that three things are necessary to drive out demons from anyone; belief, prayer, and fasting. Now this son had epilepsy, which they considered being a lunatic, so again, the physical affliction was caused by a demon.

Let's look at one more physical affliction in the Gospel of Luke; "And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, 'Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.' And He laid His hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, 'There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.' The Lord then answered him, and said, 'Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?'" Luke 13:11-16

There has been a reason I have made points of all these demonic physical afflictions. We have these afflictions today, and who is to say the doctors do not misdiagnose these same maladies? Would not a doctor take this woman bent over 18 years and diagnose her as having severe osteoporosis? Do we not even today have doctors routinely diagnose people as having epilepsy and palsy? And we still have people dumb and blind, just as doctors diagnose, but has there ever been one who attributed it to a demon or evil spirit? Now let me expand on this; what's to say that new afflictions such as ADHD are not a demonic result? Certainly I give you food for thought!

Paul also spoke of being able to defend yourself from the devil and his demons: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Eph. 6:10 - 18) Note that protection from these demons of varying degrees of wickedness and power for evil is made effective once again with prayer. Note also the term, "be strong in the Lord"; believe in Him!

Now with all this enlightenment from the Word in demonology, what a different view we should have of people with physical afflictions, and what praises we should have to our benevolent God, that He has blessed us with no afflictions, those of us who have none! But for those who do have afflictions, look for other believers to lay hands upon you, pray, fast, and believe in Him, and be rewarded with healing by His power for your faith!

The Resurrection Shell Game

THE RESURRECTION SHELL GAME

The resurrection was celebrated on 4 April in 2010; in 2011 it will be celebrated on the 24th. In 2012 it will be celebrated 8 April. Who created this shell game? Everyone likes to blame the Catholics, is this another instance? Or are the Jews to blame? Who? When we lay anyone else in the grave, it's on an exact date. We put on their headstones the exact date of birth and the exact date of their demise. While we believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave, we also believe that He was put in the grave on an exact date. Why is it that this shell game has come to pass, and we just blindly accept all as is and not question why His resurrection and death move around on the calendar much like chessmen on their board? Shall we investigate the history of what many call Easter, and some, Resurrection Sunday?

It is written in Matthew's gospel, " Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour (Jews during the time of Christ reckoned time from 6 AM to 6 PM, hence, the ninth hour is 3 PM). And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' That is to say, 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?' Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, 'This man calleth for Elias.' And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. The rest said, 'Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.' Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost." (Matt. 27:45 - 50) Here it gives evidence that He died shortly after the ninth hour.

Then Matthew's gospel says this: "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. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, 'Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, "After three days I will rise again." Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and steal Him away, and say unto the people, "He is risen from the dead": so the last error shall be worse than the first.' Pilate said unto them, 'Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.' So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, 'Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you." (Matt. 27:57 - 66, 28:1 - 7) This is a complicated reading, because it appears to many that He rose on Sunday by the way it was written, that an earthquake happened early Sunday morning and an angel of the Lord decended at that moment and rolled the stone away. Others will say that He had already risen on Saturday evening, at the end of the Sabbath. Let us further complicate the matter, shall we? We Gentiles view one day as from 12 Midnight to 12 Midnight = one day, but the Jews see it differently. Let's go back to Genesis, shall we? "And God said, 'Let there be light': and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Gen. 1:3 - 5) So from night to morning is one day, while we have calibrated a day to mean every 24 hours.

Our study bibles say Jesus died in 30 A.D. Is that Gregorian calendar, or Jewish calendar? For the sake of present day intervention, let us say that is Gregorian. Now we know that it was right after Jesus celebrated the Passover that we know as the Last Supper that He was taken, accused, beaten, crucified and risen, so it will be right after the Passover of 30 A.D. This is why the Gregorian calendar bounces the date of the resurrection of our Savior all over, because the Passover is the indicator of which week we celebrate His resurrection. Remember how Matt. 27:45 tells of darkness covering the land? That was a vernal equinox. Christ died on the day after the first night with a full moon following the vernal equinox day. This darkness that covered the land was a solar eclipse that occurred during crucifixion of Jesus Christ. That only could've happened, according to Romanian astronomers, the second time this combination repeated, which was April 3, 33 A.D. Since the Bible also mentions a solar eclipse that occurred during crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to astronomy records, a partial solar eclipse was registered only in 33 A.D. So, this is how the scientists determined the exact dates of Christ's death and resurrection. They have determined that His death on the cross was April 3rd, and His resurrection April 5th, 33 A.D. But if He was in the ground according to the bible 3 nights and three days, and Genesis determines a day as night and day = one day, and the night of Apr. 3rd is one day the night of Apr. 4th is the 2nd day, and the night of Apr. 5th is the 3rd day, then He had to have arose on Monday, and not Saturday or Sunday, as just about everybody says. If it is proven that the only solar eclipse coinciding with His crucifixion and resurrection after the Passover is this Friday in 33 A.D. and dark and light = one day according to Genesis, it is then irrefutable. If they had recorded His life dates on His tombstone as we do today, it would've read that He died 4.3.33. Since nobody accepts that He rose on Monday, we obviously have a defect in the Romanian calculations!

Now we still have a calendar problem. There's a Julian Calendar, Gregorian calendar, and Jewish calendar. There are lunar calendars, solar calendars... There are unChristian calendars, such as Islamic, Hindu, Chinese, Malayalam, Bahai...such confusion! Here's a chart just showing the difference between the Jewish, or Hebrew calendar, and the Gregorian calendar:



Name of Month Month Number Length of Month Gregorian Equivalent

Nissan (Abib) 1 30 days March-April

Iyar 2 29 days April-May

Sivan 3 30 days May-June

Tammuz 4 29 days June-July

Av 5 30 days July-August

Elul 6 29 days August-September

Tishrei 7 30 days September-October

Cheshvan 8 29 or 30 days October-November

Kislev 9 29 or 30 days November-December

Tevet 10 29 days December-January

Shevat 11 30 days January-February

Adar 12 29 or 30 days (30 in leap year) February-March

Adar II 13 29 days March-April

Notice that the days are fixed from the first month of Nissan to the seventh month of Tishri? The fact is, from the first major Jewish holiday to the final major Jewish holiday in the Hebrew calendar the number of days are the same, meaning that the time from Passover in the month of Nissan - the first major Jewish holiday - to the final major Jewish holiday - the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishri - is always the same, regardless of calendar calculations based on the moon.

According to the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, there was a civil Hebrew calendar from Gen. 1:1 (Creation) until Exod. 12:1. In Exod. 12:2, God said to Moses that because of the Passover event, the month that Passover occurred shall be the "head month", or first month of the Hebrew calendar, so since Passover occurred in the Springtime, the month name that was later assigned by Ezra and identified with the Passover event was the month of Nissan, which was first named Abib in Deut. 16:1. So to further complicate things, the Jewish people also have two calendars, a civil calendar that starts with October, and a religious calendar that starts with the spring.

So if we Gentiles had used the Hebrew Calendar, His death and resurrection would come on the same date every year, but because we typically use the Gregorian calendar, this is why His resurrection plays hopscotch on our calendar. This is why America accepts this annual shell game of His resurrection. And now, as Paul Harvey would say, you know the rest of the story...let us simply thank God that He came and did what He did!

HELLO? GOD CALLING...

If God was calling you, would you know what He was calling you to do? Would He be calling you to go somewhere, and would you go? Would you even realize it was Him calling? Maybe He is calling you to do something, or be someone you normally wouldn't be? Shall we see some examples in the bible?

Gen. 12:1, 4 has Abraham called out of a land of idolatry to a land of 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.' So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran." Imagine being 75 years old, and making a trip about 1,500 miles! But he recognized that God called him out of his country, and by faith, he went. Acts 7:2-4 also covers his departure from the land of the Chaldeans, as does Heb. 11:8.

God calls sinners, yea, the unsaved, to salvation and to be a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light:..." (1 Pet. 2:9) "Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day." (Deut. 10:15) "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:6) From the darkness of sinfulness to the light of God into eternity - now that's a calling!

A beautiful calling God has for us all who will listen is this one: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Gal. 5:13) When we see a beggar on the road; you know the ones, with the signs...He calls us to show them love and feed them. Not for some personal gain for doing so, but just for the love of doing so to please Him. See someone without a coat, and you have others at home? He calls us to give them our extra coat, to serve them is to serve Him! Whatever you do, do it out of love for others, and for demonstration to Him obedience and love of Him. But do not make a display of it for the public, because there is no reward in that, as Jesus taught; "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly." (Matt. 6:2 - 4)

If you want to have less turmoil in your life, God calls you to the peace He offers; "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." (Col. 3:15) As we read the bible and do it His way, we receive His peace in our obedience to the lifestyle He decrees we live by. "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace." (1 Cor. 7:15) Even in the case of marriage and divorce, if one is found to be married to an unbeliever who chooses to separate, one should be at peace with God that all was done to prevent it.

Jesus calls us from death to life; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24) And He does it in more than one place! "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) "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day...Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life." (John 6:40, 47) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death." (John 8:51) Even His disciples are witness that He calls us from death to life; "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." (John 20:31) "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." (1 John 3:14) If we hate one of our brethren, we are ignoring His call!

God also calls us where to go and not go; "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." (Isa. 30:20 - 21)

One of the hardest calls to answer is that of the call to suffer unjustly; "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:..." (1 Pet. 2:21 - 23) I tell you, this is a hard calling, because it is so hard to resist human nature to retaliate injustice realized. Is it not evil doing to retaliate for evil done to you? "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing...For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." (1 Pet. 3:9,17) "Recompense to no man evil for evil." (Rom. 12:17) Apparently Peter and Paul both thought so, and Peter states we receive a blessing!

Lastly, I want to address God's calling from an uncertain future to glory in Christ Jesus! "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Pet. 5:10) "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 1:5 - 11) " I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1 - 3)

Christ calls us for one more thing; "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:19 - 20)

Wherever one is in their walk, one should hear a calling at some time in their lives from our wonderful God; To preach, teach, baptize, suffer injustice, from death to life, from turmoil to peace, to love and serve one another, to salvation, to be a chosen generation, to be of the royal priesthood, out of idolatry to promise, to eternal glory with Christ Jesus!

I Believe In Angels

I BELIEVE IN ANGELS

There are many people who will tell you they believe in angels, and even the singing group Abba sang those very words, and titled their song thusly. But what do we know about angels? How do we understand what they're all about? Well, of course, we can go to the bible and see what the word of God has to say about them.

The word 'angel' appears 201 times in the bible, the first in Gen. 16:7-11, where it is recorded of an angel of the Lord visiting the earth. In this instance, the angel was sent to give Hagar instruction and peace of mind. The angel's words gave direction and hope, and even told her what name to give her child, born Ishmael. An angel spoke to her one more time in Gen. 21:17 to again give her hope, instruction, and peace of mind. She had the promise of a great nation made of her son!

Isn't it something that the first appearance of angels should be to take daughters of men as wives? (Gen. 6:2) Another occurrence of angels is in Gen. 18:1-33, where it is written the Lord appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, where three men stood before him. Abraham gave them food and the typical courtesies, and as they ate, he knew they were not just a vision. The Lord did all the talking of the three of them, but the two with Him are believed to be angels. In Gen. 19:1 - 22, these same two angels visit Lot, who presses hard on them to enter the protection of his house, where they again eat, but before they can even lie down, the city's wicked men want to be carnal with them. The angels blinded them, and explained to Lot their mission to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his wife and daughters were led out of the city by the same angels, and then God utterly destroyed the cities. So here we have more involvement with mankind where they interacted eating food given of men and struck men of evil blind!

One of the jobs of angels is to minister; " But to which of the angels said He at any time, 'Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?' Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:13 - 14)

Did you know that we who believe in Jesus shall judge angels? "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:3)

Angels would interact with man throughout the Old Testament and into the New. Gen. 22:11, 15 - 16 has an angel halting Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac to God and informing him of another blessing from the Lord; multiplying his seed as the stars of heaven! Angels were in the dream of Jacob in Gen. 28:12, going between heaven and earth up and down a ladder, and meeting Jacob on his way to Esau in Gen. 32:1 - 2. In the New Testament, they are referred to in Matt. 4:6 - 7, 11 by the devil himself when he was tempting Christ, saying that the angels would bear Him up, lest at any time He dash His foot against a stone; and it is written they came and ministered to Him after the temptation. They are further spoken of in Matt. 13:39 - 42 as Christ's reapers that shall "...gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity..." by Christ Himself. Also in John 20:12 - 13, two spoke to Mary at the sepulchre of Jesus. Beyond the Gospel, they are referred to by Stephen in Acts 7:53, by Paul in Rom. 8:38, and in 1 Cor. 4:9, 6:3, 11:10, 13:1, Gal. 3:19, Col. 2:18, 2 Thess. 1:7, 1 Tim. 3:16, 5:21, Heb. 1:4 - 7, 13, 2:2, 5, 7, 9, 16, 12:22, 13:2. 1 Pet. 1:12, 3:22 has also Peter speaking of angels looking into God's work, and being subject under the authority of Jesus Christ. Peter further refers to the evil ones in 2 Pet. 2:4, 11 being cast into hell for their sins, and the holy ones not bringing railing accusations against false teachers. Jude, too, made reference to angels in Jude 6, those who also went to hell and await their judgment day. Finally, angels are referred to a number of times in the Revelation of the apostle John in Rev. 1:20, 2:1,8, 12, 18, 3:1, 5, 7, 14, 5:11, 7:1 - 2, 11, 8:2, 6, 13, 9:14 - 15, 12:7, 9, 14:10, 15:1, 6 - 8, 16:1, 17:1, 21:9 & 12. The angels starting in chapter 7 begin having tasks to perform regarding the Tribulation and wrath of God, interacting with those left on the earth in those fateful days.

Jesus was referred to as an Angel of God in such parts of Scripture as Gen. 31:11 - 13, 48:16. Israel even said of the Angel in the latter verse that He "...redeemed me from all evil"! Other references to the Lord being as an Angel of the Lord appear in Scripture after Gen. 18:1 - 33 in Gen. 3:2 - 4:17, where initially it is written an Angel of the Lord, but later written as God speaking to Moses with instruction; in Exod. 14:19, as the pillar of cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians; and in Exod. 23:20 - 23, to keep them in the way. The Lord is similarly referred to as "an angel of the Lord" in Judg. 2:1 - 4, where He rebukes the people of Bochim.

Num. 22:22 - 35 has an odd story of an angel of the Lord ready to smite to death Balaam, but he was saved by his ass. because the donkey saw the angel in the way, she impeded Balaam's progress where he wanted to go to the point Balaam hit her three times. The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey so that she had a short dialogue with Balaam, after which the angel of the Lord was made visible to him by the Lord Himself. The angel explains to Balaam his fortune of having the ass keep him from being slain by the angel, and Balaam confessed his sin and expressed repentance that he should get back, but the angel told him to go with the men he was with and to speak only what the angel gave him to say. So here we have an incident of interaction between a man, his donkey, and an angel of the Lord.

Judg. 5:23 has an angel of the Lord cursing bitterly the city of Muroz for its inaction in assisting Israel against the Canaanites. Again in Judg. 6:11 - 23, the angel of God called Gideon to action against the Midianites, amazingly causing fire to consume kid flesh and cakes with the touch of his staff! Still in Judg. 13:3 - 23, another theophany occurred with the announcement of the birth of Samson to a Danite family deemed barren until the angel of the Lord visited Manoah's wife with instructions against alcoholic beverages and unclean food throughout her pregnancy and that he is to be a lifelong nazarite to God. Manoah asks God to send the angel again, and God did so, and the angel restated to Manoah that which was first stated to his wife.

While not an actual angel, king David was referred to as being like an angel in such passages of Scripture as 1 Sam. 29:9, 2 Sam. 14:17, 20, and 19:27. In 2 Sam. 24:10 - 25, however, Gad, David's seer, after David realizes his sin, comes to him with three consequences for his sin. David mentions the greatness of God's mercy, and wisely picks the third choice. An angel of the Lord destroys 70,000 people from Dan to Beer-sheba with pestilence, but the Lord halted the angel at Jerusalem. David speaks to the angel, asking that his hand be against David and his father's house rather than against the people, and Gad comes to David with instructions to build an altar to God in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. David obeys, buying the property and some oxen for 50 shekels of silver. This purchase has become the most contested piece of real estate on the face of the earth, because if you read 2 Sam. 24:16, you will realize that purchase has become...Jerusalem!

An unusual lesson is given concerning angels in 1 Kings 13:1 - 32. Two men of God are mentioned in this passage, one of Beth-el, and one of Judah. The prophet of Judah was obeying the word of the Lord up to the point until he met the prophet of Beth-el. At that point, the prophet of Beth-el lied to the other, and told him an angel of the Lord spoke to him. He said the angel instructed him to bring the prophet of Judah back to his house to eat bread and drink water, and so the prophet of Judah heeded the other prophet, because he said he received such instructions from an angel of the Lord. After eating, the prophet of Beth-el gave the prophet of Judah a prophecy of his death. After leaving, a lion met the prophet on his way, and slew him, but left his carcase uneaten, and his ass stood there, unmolested by the lion, a clear testimony of God's divine judgment against the prophet of Judah. The lesson here was obvious; believe an angel in person, not an angel in the mouth of a man or woman!

In 1 Kings 19:5, 7 an angel twice tells Isaiah to arise and eat. Apparently this angel brought him food and drink. It is the first example of an angel ministering to a human.

There are few angels named in the bible; angels' names, in general, are supposed to be a secret (see Judg. 13:18). The first is Gabriel; his name first appears in Dan. 8:16, then 9:21. His name also appears in Luke 1:19, 26, and the fourth and last time it appears is when he tells Mary about having a son, the Son of God. Another angel, and the only other good one named in the bible, is Michael. His name appears in Dan. 10:13, 21, 12:1, Jude 1:9, and Rev. 12:7. Now there are also named two evil angels, and the first one is Satan. He first is identified by the name Satan in 1 Chron. 21:1; prior to that, he is known as the serpent in Gen. 3:1, who tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. He pops up again in Job 1:6 - 9, 12, 2:1 - 4, 6 - 7, and of course we know what trouble he made for Job. He again appears in Ps. 109:6, Zech. 3:1 - 2, and Matt. 4:10. He is mentioned by Jesus in Matt 12:26 and Mark 8:33, and Jesus turns to Peter and addresses him by the name Satan in Matt. 16:23. His name also appears in Mark 1:13, 3:23, 26, 4:15 in Jesus' parable, Luke 4:8, 10:18, 11:18, 13:16, 22:3, 31, John 13:27, Acts 5:3, 26:18, Rom. 16:20, 1Cor. 5:5, 7:5, 2 Cor. 2:11, 11:14, 12:7, 1 Thess. 2:18, 2 Thess. 2:9, 1 Tim. 1:20, 5:15, Rev. 2:9, 13, 24, 3:9, 12:9, 20:2, and 7. And that's only using his name of Satan. Then there's his name Lucifer; that only appears once in Isa. 14:12; Beelzebub, which means lord of the flies, appears in Matt. 10:25, 12:24, 27, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:15, 18, and 19. Satan appears a number of ways more, such as by the name devil, serpent, dragon, etc., but for you and I it's only more of the same being. One last other angel is named, and he has two different names, actually depending on whether you speak Greek or Hebrew. It is in Rev. 9:11; "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."

So we see that the bible is saturated with both good and evil angels. For all who believe in the bible, like me, they, too, believe in angels.

Hey, Why Aren't My Prayers Being Answered?

HEY, WHY AREN'T MY PRAYERS BEING ANSWERED?

New Christians learning how to pray may look excitedly for their prayers to be answered, and wonder what's wrong when they pray for something or someone, and their prayer doesn't get answered; or at least, not in the way they expect. They may not know that every prayer they pray, God hears, but He has three ways of answering them, and two out of three are not necessarily how we want them answered, but that's God's way. God's three answers to prayer are yes, no, and wait, but often in our humanity we want the answers to always be yes, and we want His response to be immediate, but again, God doesn't work that way, and we really don't want His answer to be no, and He may try our patience with His answer of "wait". Let's look at how prayer started and evolved into what we know of it today. There is a way to pray effectively, but again, you don't always get the answer you want.

In the days of Abram, or Abraham, it was considered a blessing from God to have a son, an heir to hand down to. God promised Abram a son in Gen. 12:2, but when would God answer the prayer of Abram to have a son? Gen. 17:21 - 24 gives us that Abraham was 100 years old when his wife Sarah finally bore Isaac! It may seem an extreme answer "wait" from God to you, but imagine the joy Abraham and Sarah must've had to have their son Isaac finally born well into their old age! While "wait" tries our patience, when the answer is finally "yes", imagine the joy a person may have such as the joy Abraham and Sarah had.

When you pray, do you know it is a demonstration to God that you believe in Him? Consider 1 Sam. 12:23; "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:" Samuel actually considered it a sin against the Lord not to pray! This is not confined to the Old Testament, because in James 5:16 we are also commanded to pray for one another, that we might be healed, and it says to confess our faults to one another, that the other may pray wisely for your sake. Now consider the prayer of one of the greatest prophets of the bible, Elijah, in 1 Kings 17:20 - 23; "And he cried unto the Lord, and said, 'O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?' And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, 'O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.' And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth." Note that Elijah prayed for a good thing, the resurrection of the boy, and that the other person involved was a widow. There are a number of references to widows and the fatherless where God commends we take care in how we treat them, and here is an instance where a prayer was answered immediately "yes" by God.

Let us look upon another example of the Lord saying yes to a prayer. 2 Kings 20:1 - 6 has God changing the fate of a king due to his effective prayer; "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 'I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for Mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.'" Note how the king took a position of humility, his face to the wall as he prayed, and he cried unbridled tears, a sign of a genuinely contrite heart. Our compassionate, merciful, forgiving God answered Hezekiah's prayer with a yes, and sent the prophet Isaiah back to the king to tell him the Lord granted him 15 more years of life! Unfortunately, his son, Manasseh, did so much evil in the sight of the Lord, prophecies against Judah resulted, so some prayers should not be prayed, and we should trust God. It can be a marvel when God answers a prayer like Hezekiah's, knowing the result will be offspring highly abominable in their behavior toward God.

1 John 3:19 - 24 has this to say about prayer; "And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." We can sometimes be too strict in examining our lives, in our judgment of ourselves, and this can rob us of the confidence we should have when we pray. If we do not come confidently to the Father with our petitions, our prayers may be answered with a "no". We need to believe all that Christ is, not just for the salvation He gifted us with, but also for answered prayer, as He is our Mediator to the Father. Ask for things of the Father in Jesus' name, and believe, just as Jesus commanded, that you will receive them. If they are in His will, you will receive them. He commanded this in Matt. 18:19 - 20; "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Whereas more than one of us are gathered in fellowship praying for a good thing, believing we shall receive, Christ assures us He is with us as we pray. In Matt. 7:7 - 11 it is written that Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 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?" Again, here it is said by the Lord that if we ask, believing, for any good thing, we shall receive it. And in Mark 11:23 - 24 it says, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Once again Christ tells us strong belief that we shall receive what we pray for, that we shall have. If you pray for the recovery of some person in 4th stage cancer, and you allow the grimness of health and the sureness of the disease under ordinary circumstances to cause doubt to prevail that your prayer will be answered "no", then you will probably get the answer "no". After all, didn't you expect such an answer? However, Jesus is telling you right here in this passage of scripture that if you have faith as strong as that of Elijah's in what I have previously written, He will bring the dead back to life! In John 14:12 - 14 it is written, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it."

Now at this point I would like to show a part of the gospel where Jesus appears to explain how fasting must be combined with prayer to make it possible to expel a certain demon. If you go to Matt. 17:14 - 18, Jesus rebukes a devil, and it departs from a child. But in Matt. 19 - 21, this is written; "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, 'Why could not we cast him out?' And Jesus said unto them, 'Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.'" Apparently the apostles tried previously to expel this demon, and they couldn't do it, and also apparent is that they did not fast prior to attempting to expel it, which would account for Jesus bringing it up. Nevertheless, He also points to their lack of belief that they could do it that the devil refused to leave the child. This points again to what I said about trying to pray for someone in a final stage of cancer; any doubt can equal a "no" answer.

In 2 Kings 20:2, Hezekiah faced the wall when he prayed, and his prayer was effective. Jesus also speaks of standing when praying in Mark 11:25; "And when ye stand praying...". But kneeling is also an acceptable position, as in Dan. 6:10 - 11; "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God." The position doesn't seem to be a problem for God to find acceptable, but there do seem to be some problems with the methodology involved, which Jesus explains in Matt. 6:5 - 8; "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." If someone has it in their heart to pray in public and for the wrong reason, it is NOT condoned by God, they have their reward from people looking at them as honorable for doing so. But if you pray in private, where people do not see, this is an honorable method of prayer that the Father is guaranteed to reward openly as it is the promise of Christ in this passage of scripture. Note also that Jesus says not to say the same words over and over, or the same prayer all the time, as it hardly comes from the heart.

More instruction on prayer is found in 1 Tim. 2:1- 8; "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." Here Paul instructs that we pray for one another, including our senators and presidents and all others in authority, whether we approve of them or have a high disdain for them; note no reason for omitting praying for anyone is given. Men are to lead in public prayer, and there can be no wrath or doubting present in the mind for prayer to be acceptable.

Now there are two scripture passages that explain how prayer will not be answered by God. The first is in James 1:5 - 8; "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." If someone goes back and forth between believing and unbelief, God isn't going to give them anything they ask, for throughout this teaching, you can find passage after passage of scripture wherein it is written that you MUST believe to get a "yes" answer.

There is one more reason for God not to answer prayer, and it is found in James 4:3; "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." This means if a person asks for something of God for selfish reasons, or for an evil cause, that person is wasting their breath. These people can be people who believe that there is a God, but do not have a relationship with Him, or if they do, they do not realize what they are asking for is selfish or has an evil end to it, or it is not in God's will for you. For example, asking God to damn someone, or kill them, is against the commandment of Jesus in Matt. 5:44, wherein He commands us to love our enemies, bless them who curse us, and even to pray for them who persecute and use us! At the worst, we might ask God to put distance between us and a persecutor, but to ask harm upon them is amiss. Then there are those who ask God for a million dollars, or a Mercedes Benz, or some other thing of worldly value, and these are examples of asking amiss. Still other forms of asking amiss are petitions of a carnal nature or other perverse things.

Lastly, don't forget to thank God for answered prayer, as the Samaritan leper in Luke 17:12 - 19; "And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, "Go shew yourselves unto the priests." And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." And He said unto him, "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

So now we have seen that one of the greatest pillars of successful prayer are belief. We should pray for things in the realm of the Father's will, and not for selfish or evil things. The cornerstone, of course, is asking in Jesus' name, as Jesus instructed, believing He will do what you pray for. Pray selflessly more often than for things to your benefit, and pray both for those who love you and those who hate you. Finally, don't forget to thank Him who answered your prayer!