The Bible is centered around Jesus, the
Messiah. Many times God appeared as a man in the Word before the actual
incarnation of the virgin birth.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
After the rebellion of Lucifer, God
sought to make man in His own image. He wanted a companion that would of his
own free will, fellowship and follow God in His ways of love, goodness, truth,
humor, and creativity. God’s intent was an eternal companion that would reproduce
a multitude. This process is continuing, for God’s Word will accomplish His
will.
Gn 1:26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God here is Elohiym which is plural representing the triune God: Father, Word, and Spirit. So, man was created as a triune being as well: spirit, soul, and body. The parents of all mankind were Adam and Eve.
Satan, the name given to Lucifer after his rebellion, means the adversary. He possessed a serpent to deceive Eve into disobeying God, and Adam followed her. This gave Satan Adam’s power of dominion.
God gave this first prophecy of the
Messiah when speaking to the serpent (Satan) after the sin of Adam and Eve:
Gn 3:15 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.
This is a key in understanding the Bible and the redemption of mankind. The Messiah would be born of a woman (Virgin Mary) and would defeat Satan, while being punished Himself.
Jesus
Appearing as Man in the Old Testament
He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden during the cool of the day.
Gn 3:8
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day…
Jesus also walked with Enoch, Adam’s
great grandson X 6.
Gn 5:21 ¶ And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Adam was still alive to watch Enoch grow
up and walk with God. Adam was 622 when Enoch was born, and lived to be 930. Enoch
was the father of Methuselah, grandfather of Noah.
Abram met Jesus as the High Priest of
Jerusalem returning from the slaughter of the kings that looted the cities of
the plain. Abram took his 318 trained servants and his confederates of the
Amorites and rescued all that the 5 kings had taken from Sodom and Gomorrah and
the cities of the plain, including his nephew Lot and the women and children.
Gn 14:17 ¶ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
21 ¶ And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
Abram had a revelation of the tithe being God's and he knew that God would bless him in all that he did.
Paul says this about Melchizedek:
Heb 7: 1 ¶ For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. 8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. 9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
The Holy Spirit says this through David:
Ps 110:4
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchizedek
This no doubt was Jesus who had the first mentioned Communion with Abram. Jesus said that “Abraham saw My day” and also “Before Abraham was I AM”, Jn 8:56-58.
Jesus dined with 2 Angels at the tent of
Abraham before the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Gn 18: 1 ¶ And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
Jesus told Abraham that Sarah would have
a son the next year. Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 89. He also told Abraham that
He was going to Sodom and Gomorrah because their sin was so great. Abraham
interceded with the LORD concerning his nephew, Lot and the people of Sodom. He
asked God humbly if He would destroy the righteous with the wicked. Abraham
started with 50 and then continued down to 10. The LORD answered that He would
not destroy the cities if there were 10 righteous there. The 2 Angels went on
and only found 4 righteous: Lot, his wife, and 2 daughters and they took them
out of the city before it was consumed. Gn 18-19.
Jacob wrestled with Jesus all night on
his way home from Paddam Aram with his wives and children, and preparing to
meet his brother Esau.
Gn 32:1 ¶ And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. (2 camps or hosts) 3 ¶ And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
Jacob was afraid to see Esau, because of his taking his birthright. He divided his wives and 11 sons into two groups and sent generous gifts ahead with his servants to give to Esau. He prayed earnestly to God and reminded Him of His promises to him at Beth El on the way to his uncle Laban.
Moses struggled with Jesus before the
Exodus.
Moses knew that he would leave being a
Prince in the house of Pharaoh as in his heart he felt that God had chosen him
to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt. He jumped the gun though and killed an
Egyptian who was mistreating an Israelite. He had to flee for his life and
spent the next 40 years living in Midian at the house of his father in law
Jethro, the Priest of Midian. His wife Zipporah had 2 children; Gershom and
Eliezer. Although not specifically outlined, apparently Gershom was circumcised
as is the covenant of the Jews. But, Zipporah was horrified by this and would
not allow Eliezer to be circumcised. After the calling of Moses at the burning
bush, he obeyed God and left for Egypt with his family and Jethro’s permission.
On the way to Egypt this is recorded:
Ex 4:24 ¶ And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
Obedience is expected by God for His
leaders, especially for a job as important as delivering the children of Israel.
Eliezer was not circumcised, and God, as Jesus, confronted Moses in person. In
their struggle together, Zipporah circumcised the child to save Moses’ life,
but she was not happy about it. Moses followed God the rest of his life and led
Israel to the edge of the Promised Land. Moses wrote the first 5 books of the
Bible, called the Torah, as God told him. Moses was a great prophet, his
brother Aaron was the first High Priest, and his sister Miriam was a
prophetess. They were of the tribe of Levi. The Tabernacle and all of the
wonderful furnishings in it were made at the direction of Moses as instructed
by God.
Moses prophesied that God would send
another Prophet like himself that the people would hear, Deu 18:15. This was foretelling Jesus the Messiah.
Jesus is the image of God in a man.
2Co 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine unto them.
Col 1:15
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Jn 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Whenever you see the phrase “the Angel
of the Lord” in the Old Testament, it is usually Jesus, God as man. Amazingly enough, it was also the Angel of the
Lord that spoke to Joseph that he should take Mary as his wife when she was
pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Ghost.
When Samson’s mother was told she would
have a Nazarite, it was by the Angel of the Lord, who later appeared to her
husband, Manoah. He asked his name:
Jud 13:18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why
askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? The Angel then ascended to Heaven in the fire of Manoah's sacrifice.
Manoah said that they would surely die as they had seen God. His wife comforted him and told him that would not happen.
Ps 34:7
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them.
When Balak hired Balaam the sorcerer to
curse Israel, the Angel of the Lord, told him he could not curse what God had
blessed. When Balaam looked down on the camp of Israel, he saw the tents made
the sign of the cross. He wanted the money, but knew that he could not disobey
what God said, but he was crafty.
Nu 22:22 ¶ And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
It is something that the donkey talking did not stop Balaam from his anger. Even though he knew of Jehovah God, he did not know Him. The Angel of the Lord was there to protect Israel.
Even though Balaam blessed as God said
and did not curse Israel then, he apparantly advised Balak that the only way
for him to get to Israel was to intermarry with them and turn them away from
their God. The LORD knew this was going to happen and He hates the ways of
Balaam, Nu 23-25.
2Pe 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way
of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in
the gainsaying of Core.
When Assyria came against Jerusalem in
Judah, the Angel of the LORD destroyed their army.
2 Ki 19:20 ¶ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him;
The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel. 24 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places. 25 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps. 26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. 27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. 28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof. 30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. 32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
And so, Jesus preincarnate as the Angel of
the Lord protected God’s people from the threat of Syria.
There are many more examples of the Angel of the Lord intervening with men. Our God loves us so much that when He knew that He would become a man, He learned as much from His prized creation as He could. Even though God created man, He did not fully understand them until He became one.
1 Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Heb 9: 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Men and women of faith who believed God
and His promises have always been counted as righteous, not by their works but
because they believed in God. This is the remnant of the People of God.
2 Ki 19:31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a
remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts
shall do this.
Gn 15:6 And he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
One thing these men all had in common is they had faith in God/Jesus and not in themselves. They recognized God’s love for them, and trusted Him.
Love
in the Word
Jesus was asked what is the most important commandment in Mt 22: 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer (Scribe), asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Deu 6: 4 ¶ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Le 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Deu 7:12 ¶ Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: 13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
1Jn 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
Deu 11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
In Jesus, the requirement of the commandments is met. By God’s powerful love He fixed the sin problem by the sacrifice of His dear Son who paid the price and wrath for sin.
2Co 5:21
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.
Deu 11: 18 ¶ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. 22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
Jews still to this day bind the words to
their hands and foreheads in little boxes called phylactries. I believe that
the intent here is to put the words in your mind and that your hands will
comply with doing God’s will. However, I put mezzuzahs at all my doors, for I
want the whole realm of evil to know that Angels of God surround my house, and
protect my family. Obeying the Word in these matters is an act of faith of what
God has said is the truth. We should acknowledge and accept what God’s Word
says and believe and trust in His love. Remember the keeping of the
commandments is kept in Jesus by faith in Him.
Ps 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
God prophesied that He would make a New
Covenant, not one based on the law and works, but would be based on His loving
Grace and sacrifice of His Son, our Messiah, Jesus. Paul wrote:
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
This is a quote from Jeremiah:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
This New Covenant is the result of God sacrificing
Himself in His only begotten Son, Jesus. He is the Jewish Messiah, and the start
of the Church of Grace.
Pv 8:17
I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Pv 10:12 ¶ Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
Solomon wrote concerning the love of, and for, the Shunammite, but this in many details is a prophetic type concerning the love of Jesus for His Church:
Song 2:4
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Song 4: 7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
Paul writes about Jesus and His Church:
Eph 5:25…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Saul was a 1st century Pharisee
who knew the law well and was born a Roman Citizen. He hunted down Christians because
he saw this sect as a threat to Judaism and the law. In route to Damascus on a quest
to arrest more Christians, Jesus met him on the road. Jesus rebuked him and blinded
him…Saul found out that Jesus was God. This led to his conversion and Saul being filled with the Holy Ghost. God changed
his name to Paul, Acts 9. He wrote 14 books of the New Testament’s 27 books.
Paul’s revelation of God’s love:
Rm 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6 ¶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
“Saved from wrath” means that God
expended His wrath for sins upon Jesus. God will never be angry with you. He
will discipline you when you need it, but usually through the Word or your
conscience; never by sickness, disease or other terrible things. A loving
father would not do this to his children; how much more the loving Father of
Spirits, Lord of Hosts, the King of the Universe, in the correction of His
Children? Understand the Old Covenant required your obedience to the Law or
severe consequence. In the New Covenant, Jesus fulfilled the law and took our
sin on Himself so that we might live in His righteousness.
Rm 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph 3:14 ¶ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Paul lists 4 dimensions here. It the Spirit we can know and experience things beyond our 5 senses.
In Jesus’ and God’s love for us we are
considered righteous because of the acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice and His
Spirit moving into us, the born again experience.
The love of God for His People Israel permeates the Bible. Jeremiah writes:
Jer 31:3
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Paul tells us that as Christians we are
part of this love and are adopted into God’s people.
Gal 3:7
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham.
Ro 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye
have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Christian
Church Roots in Judaism through God’s Love
The creation of Israel was the result of God’s Covenant with Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham. This man is called the “friend of God”. It was his grandson, Jacob, who fathered 12 sons from 4 women and became the 12 tribes of Israel, the name given Jacob by God after his personal encounter with Him. Literally Israel means “contends with God” but in the scriptural encounter a “Prince of God”, Gn 32:28.
Ezekiel sees into the heart of God
concerning Israel and God’s love for her. In Hebrew poetry he refers to Israel
as his wife.
Ez 16:6 ¶ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. 7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. 8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
Many scriptures speak of how God’s heart
was broken when Israel turned away from God and played the harlot going after
other god’s. Israel was dispersed and ceased to be a nation. Yet God has called
them back into their land after 2500 years and .03 percent of the world’s
population has become a World Power because of God’s love, compassion, and
promise to Israel. All this was done with overwhelming odds against it and much resistance.
Jesus made it clear when He was rejected
by Judaism, that the door was open for the gentiles to become part of God’s
chosen. The idea that Israel has been “replaced” by the Christian Church is totally
out of touch with the truth of God’s Word, and history. The Church of Jesus Christ
will include the faithful remnant of Israel. Paul explains how all Israel will be
saved, Rm 11:13-29.
In the Mazzaroth (Zodiac) God makes it clear that Pisces is the Old Testament and New Testament Churches. Both are under the control of the Lamb of God who has control of the bands that control the fish which are symbols of the Churches. This Lamb is Aries in the heavens and He also protects His true Church from Satan or Cetus in the heavens. (see my blog Gospel in the Heavens alaymanlooksattheword.blogspot.com or my Youtube channel Gospel in the Stars/Pisces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPmanAS6wPE&t=2s).
There is and always has been the
Universal Church of God in which those of faith and belief in God enter by His
Grace. But the Bible records that when Jesus rose from the dead, He took the OT
Saints with Him. Those in today’s Christian Church wait for the Rapture.
Jesus speaks of God’s love manifest
through Him:
Jn 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
This is the Born Again experience where Jesus’ Spirit moves into your spirit, and after that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit when the Spirit of God fills you up and immerses you within Himself.
Jesus also told us to love one another,
just like He spoke of love your neighbor as yourself.
Jn 13: 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Jn 15:17
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
John, “the apostle who Jesus loved”, revealing God’s love, in Jesus conversing with Joseph of Arimathea:
Jn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 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.
1 Jn 5: 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Jesus’ commandments are summed up in
this:
1 Jn 3:23 ¶ 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.
1 Jn 3: 1 ¶ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1 Jn 4: 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 ¶ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Compassion
of God
Deu 13:17 And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; 18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
Remember in Christ you have kept all the
commandments and have forgiveness for laws you broke before you were His.
2 Ki 13:23 And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had
compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them
from his presence as yet.
It is wonderful how God’s friend Abraham received the righteousness of God because of his believing in God and what He said.
Jas 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and
it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
God blessed Abraham’s descendants, even
down the line to today. God has also blessed us who are in Christ by adopting
us into the New Covenant because of our faith in His Son, our Saviour, Jesus. Here is the compassion of God shown.
Gal 3:6 ¶ Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Abraham did not have the written Word, but he had the Word written in the stars, the Mazzaroth and constellations. In God’s compassion and love He wrote the story of the rebellion of Satan and the war and victory in Jesus in the stars of heaven. (see the Gospel in the Heavens at my blog, https://www.alaymanlooksattheword.blogspot.com ; and the Gospel in the Stars at my Youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHHmX6fx5QcOpi0zdW8jiw)
When Abraham approached God about his inheritance because he had no son in his old age, God told him that he would have a son. Abraham said how can I know this? And God answered:
Gn 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
You might say to tell the story of the stars, if you be able to number them...
Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
History has borne this out. When Judaism
rejected Jehovah and went after other gods, God took their nation away in 597 BC.
God promised that He would bring them back and make them a powerful nation
again which happened 2500 years later in 1948. The persecution of the Jews and
Christians are because of the attacks of Satan against the “seed of the woman”.
The most recent of the attacks around the
world are more severe than ever before. The sign of Rev 12 which appeared the
only time in Sept 23, 2017. Revelation 12 tells us that Satan and his demons are attacking the
“seed” with fierceness because they know their time is short.
Two years prior to that sign, the Star
of Bethlehem appeared in Leo 10-25-15. Two years in Biblical prophecy may be the 2000 years of the Church Age.
God still speaks to us in the heavens. He speaks to us in His Word. He speaks to us through our Saviour, Jesus. He speaks to us by His Holy Spirit.
Jesus demonstrated God's compassion often.
Mt 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
Mt 15:29 ¶ And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
Mt 20:29 ¶ And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Mk 1: 40 ¶ And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Mk 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
Lk 7:12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
Lk 15:11 ¶ And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Remember this; God was shown to us in man
in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the same always.
Heb 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Follow Him
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ
This is about Christ's obedience, not yours.
1Pe 1:13
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end
for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Joh 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.
