YHWH

The Restoration of Worship

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.  And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.  And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.  Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God.
Nehemiah 9:1-4

The people who are often referred to as “The Chosen People,” had been defeated by sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, and some taken into captivity, because they had neglected the right worship of the LORD their God.

They had chosen their own way while having the pretense of worshiping God on the Sabbath days they were keeping ritual, but their hearts were far from Him.  Many of them had worshiped the gods of foreign people around them; lowering their image of GOD, blaspheming their God, and shaming His name.

Now they have spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon, the king of the Medes and Persians, beginning with Cyrus released thousands of captives to return to Jerusalem to restore the city, the temple and the wall.

They are worshiping the LORD now in repentance and faith, as they should.  How did this all come about?  They had to be put through the fire.  Gold and silver is taken to a refiner, melted by fire and purified by skimming the chaff from the surface; purifying it. Thus, the people of Judah have been prepared by fire to worship the LORD God alone.

It started by the reading of the Law of Moses by Ezra.  The people stood when Ezra opened the book, they listened and heard the word of the Lord, and they were convicted that their sins were as evil as those who came before them.  They confessed and repented of their sins, and then they worshiped the LORD God with joy.

Just as GOD sent His Chosen people into the fire for cleansing;  He also sends those who follow Jesus Christ through the fire for our cleansing, and drawing us nearer to Himself.  That fire will lead us to repentance, renewing our worship, reviving us again for right living before the LORD our God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

There must be a clear teaching  and preaching of the word of God.  Giving the meaning and the understanding of the text, so that the hearer might know what this does for the listener.  Teaching how one is to live their life before God.

He Is Like A Refiners Fire

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“Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come,” saith the LORD of hosts.  “But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me,” saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1-5

The words of John the Baptist tell us of the One who was to come, and He came just as John said,

“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:10-12

Living Life In The LORD

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And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, ‘Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.  Therefore it is come to pass, that as He cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear,’ saith the LORD of hosts: ‘but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.’ ”
Zechariah 7:8-14

Before they had gone into captivity the people of Israel/Judah had turned the backs on the LORD, and served other gods which were no gods, but demons.

When they turned their backs on GOD they had no desire to love their neighbor, not even their own family.  So the prophets had warned them of their undoing.

For the follower of Jesus Christ today one way to tell that we are  right with the LORD is by the way we love our neighbor; whether it be the orphan, the widow, the stranger,  and/or the poor.

Jesus Christ, as Chief Ruler of your life is the best life to live; and that will have the above justness toward all people, and we will treat them rightly..

The LORD Fulfills His Word

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Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (He is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.  And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Ezra 1:1-4

There are millions of Christians in the world, maybe billions (I pray so), that believe the Bible, written by 40 men of God, over a period of 14 hundred years, is indeed the written word of God.  Why?  It is a book of 66 books, we believe and trust that GOD inspired by the Holy Spirit, because it is consistent in its teaching, that the LORD is God, and there is no other God, but the LORD (YHWH or Jehovah).  The Bible is also consistent in its history, and in its knowledge.

What does the above paragraph?  The fulfilling of the words which GOD spoke through His prophet Jeremiah concerning when the people of Judah would return to their homeland.  Notice how Cyrus the king of Persia is told by God to let the people go home, and he is obedient to the LORD and does so, thus fulfilling the prophecy and promise spoken by Jeremiah, and even the prophet Isaiah mentioned Cyrus 100 years or so before the events of their return to Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).

Every promise and prophecy of God has come to pass, is happening now, or will come to pass in days yet ahead of us.  Whether the promise/prophecy be positive or negative it shall come to pass.

The word of God is also profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness, for living a life that pleases God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Every word spoken of the Messiah/Christ first coming was fulfilled in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  The prophecies concerning His first coming have been fulfilled.  The prophecies/promises of the second coming of the Messiah/Christ will be fulfilled sometime in the not too distant future.

Do you know that Jesus the Christ of God, the greatest gift given to Adam kind, was sent from heaven to die for your sins and mine.  He died on the cross, becoming sin for us, He was buried, and He rose up out of that grave alive forever more.  Now when we believe  in Him, turning from our sin, we shall not perish,  but will have everlasting life (John 3:15-17).  He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God, in Him (2 Corinthians 5:2).

If you believe in God, you will also believe in His Son.  The Son came to earth to fulfill all of God’s word.  He did.

The Eastern Gate

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Thus saith the Lord GOD; “The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.  And the prince shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate without, and shall stand by the post of the gate, and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate: then he shall go forth; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening.  Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the door of this gate before the LORD in the Sabbaths and in the New Moons.”
Ezekiel 46:1-3

Ezekiel has received a vison from the LORD of the redeemed of the house of Israel/Judah in a right  relationship and fellowship with Him.  That day has not come.

It will come when the Messiah Jesus Christ comes down to earth, and after destroying all the enemies of Israel/Judah’s enemies, He will also return the earth to its pre-fall condition.  There is so much more to this.  The time this is speaking of is called the Millennium (1000) when Jesus Christ in His resurrection body rules the world from Jerusalem for one thousand years.

Christ Jesus fulfilled all the Law.  He is the  essence of the Law.  Believing in Him, trusting Him alone is our only means of salvation.

Honor The LORD’S Holy Name

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Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ” Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before Me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.  Wherefore I poured My fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned My holy name, when they said to them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.’ But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, ‘Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.  And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.’ ”
Ezekiel 36:16-23

Knowing how to honor GOD’S holy name is not hard.  Do the opposite of the evil things which the people of Israel/Judah did.

For example they reached a point in their lives that they did not need God anymore.  Many were living comfortable lives, wealth and ease of life.  We ought always remember the LORD and honor His name.

Here is the way we honor His holy name:

  1.  Fear God; and you will fear nothing else;
  2.  Give Him thanks, praise, and worship all through each day beginning when you are getting out of bed in the morning;
  3.  Read, study, hear and do the  word of God, not living a hypocrites life;
  4.  Always remember you are always a witness for the LORD’S goodness, love, mercy and grace, and that others are watching you.

To know God’s grace through the cross of Jesus Christ is the first way of honoring the name of the LORD.

Knowing The Promise Keeping GOD

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.  Thus saith the Lord GOD; “When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to My servant Jacob.  And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.”
Ezekiel 28:24-28

When men and false gods make promises they often forget them, failing to keep them, because something happened to prevent it, or perhaps never intended to keep the promise in the first place.  The promises of men and women fail.

The promises of the  LORD God never fail.  Notice the LORD’S promises of to the people in captivity (Israel in Babylon).  The promise is that the Lord GOD will bring them back, and they will have the security for the LORD.

Knowing the LORD God is believing he keeps His promises.  We do realize too, that includes the ones for judgment as well as the ones for good.  One of the promises He has gave Israel/Judah is the promise of the Messiah who will see to it that they are dwelling in the city of Jerusalem is perfect security. That Messiah is Jesus Christ or Jesus Messiah of GOD.  He is the LORD who made the heavens and the earth from nothing.  He  even made the materials men make into false deities.

He is the Lord GOD who sent His Son, the Messiah, to die for the sins of all Adam’s kind (humanity), so that we might believe in Him and be saved.  He conquered sin and death, by his horrible death on a wooden cross, He was buried, and then rose up from the grave alive.  Because He lives forever we can by the grace of God also live forever with Him.  All who come to Him, He in no wise will put him out.

Do you want real security which gives you peace with God and people? Do you want peace with your financial condition? Do you want peace for your marriage and home?  Then you need to know the Promise keeping GOD, and that is by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.  Call on His  name.  He will hear you, and He will give you peace.

 

 

 

 

The Lord GOD Says,

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Therefore say, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.  Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.   And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:  that they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.  But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads,” saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 11:16-21

The Lord GOD says  what He is going to do with His people Israel when the time of their captivity is over.  He also tells us what will happen to people who walk for their own “truth” which is lie, and they will receive the recompense of the Lord GOD.

Israel will return to the land the LORD has promised to Abraham in the beginning of the nation of this people.  They put away all the “detestable things” all the abominations within the land.  God will also give them a new heart; He will  turn their heart of stone (hard heart) to a heart of flesh (moldable) so that they might see their sins and iniquities as God does.  Then He will be their God, and they will be His people.

Those who walk after those detestable things, if their heart seeks evil rather than God’s love, mercy and grace, then, they can only look for a reckoning from the LORD.  It will not be pleasant, and it will be eternal.

Getting a new heart requires God’s work alone.  It is certainly possible for the hard hearted to change his own heart, from a stone heart to a heart of flesh.  How can a murderer, child molester, a thief, a rapist, and adulterer get a soft heart?  There is only one way and that is through the One who is the way, and His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Do you desire to have a new heart, a heart for God, His word, His Spirit and be holy before the Lord GOD?  Jesus died so that we might come to God, and have eternal life.  He died on the cross, He was buried, and then, He rose again.  In repentance confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and believe that God has raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.

Perpetual Covenant

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The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
“Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.’  For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
“In those days, and in that time,” saith the LORD, “the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, ‘Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.’
“My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.  All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, ‘We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’ ”
Jeremiah 50:1-7

Israel and Judah are once again joined together as one people.   Israel is back in the Land of God’s promise to them.  The only covenant that will work for them is the covenant made with their Messiah – the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many Messianic Jews,  They are Jewish people who worship Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Jesus did not come to earth to only call Israel to repentance, faith, and salvation;  He also came to the whole world.  He came because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.”

Jesus Christ is our forever covenant.  Through Him, and through Him alone is there eternal salvation – salvation from sin and is bondage; salvation from death, and He makes us alive.  This is an everlasting life.

They Would Not Hear

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“For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; ‘As mMne anger and My fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall My fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.’  “The LORD hath said concerning you, ‘O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt:’ know certainly that I have admonished you this day.  For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying,” ‘Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.’   “And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which He hath sent me unto you.  Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.”
Jeremiah 42:18-22

These were a remnant of the people of Judah, that were left in Jerusalem to keep it for the Babylon.  They were the poor that that did not go into captivity, but could have had freedom.  They knew all of God’s words spoken by the prophet had come to  pass just as they had been spoken.

The prophet accepted their request for prayer “to seek the will of the LORD,” probably expecting that they,  had already been instructed to stay in Jerusalem, and nearby towns, and cities.  It seems they had made up their minds even before asking Jeremiah to pray to find the will of God.

If you follow up by reading the 43rd and 44th chapter you will find out more of what happens.  Jeremiah prays for ten days, gets an answer from God; and God says, “Stay in this land.”  The tell Jeremiah is lying, and that God did not say, “Stay in Jerusalem.”

Christian, have you ever went to God trying to get approval for doing something you wanted to that you knew, within your heart that it was out of His will; for one example consider a Christian business man that wants to take on a partner, but the person he has in mind is not a Christian.  So he prays to seek God’s will, then he is searches in the Scriptures and finds the verse that says, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” but he goes ahead with his plan any way.  Then, he starts having all kinds of trouble with fraud, and other crimes, and he wonders, “Why God allowed it to happen.,”

When God says to not do something, then, it is up to us to not do that thing.  When God has given us His word to do something, then, it is good to do that thing, and it will be quite a blessing and rewarding.

May we as Christians hear and do the word, and the will of God.  There are somethings we should not need to ask what God’s will is.  We need not ask if it is His will for us to pray, to read and study and apply His word in our lives.  Do not in pretense ask for prayer when you have already made up your own mind.  The end result will be  a disaster.

Believe what God says, and do it.

 

 

A King Who Would Not Hear the Word of the LORD

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Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, “I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.”  Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, “If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? And if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?” So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.”  Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah,
“Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: but if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.”  And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”  But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.  But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me: and, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, ‘Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.’  So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.”
Jeremiah 38:14-23

The word  of God should be heard, believed, and practiced in and on any day that we live.  Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings, and Governors need  to hear and take heed to the word of the LORD, so that they can learn  they are to be servants of the people, and do good to and for the people.

Zedekiah called Jeremiah asking counsel of what he was to do.  The prophet told him to go out to the king of Babylon, and surrender to him.  Had Zedekiah obeyed the LORD the king of Babylon would leave him alive, as well as his family and he would not destroy Jerusalem

Zedekiah does not hear and heed the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, and the word of God comes to pass just as He has spoken.  O, how we the people of God need to take heed to the word of the LORD.  The word of the LORD is good for living all of life; with it’s troubles and trials.

Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God is the Living Word of God, and God His Father, says to us “Hear Him” (Matthew 17:5) and the Father also says, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” You cannot get it any clearer than that.  If God says He is well pleased by His Son we need to ask “Why?” and that is because the Father knew that He was the only perfect Propitiate  for the sins of Adam  kind.  Jesus had no sin, and became sin in our place and took all the wrath of God on Himself on the cross, dying for our sins, being buried; carrying our sins away, and then on the third day He rose from that grave alive.

Today, there  is a Man in heaven, seated at the right hand of God, and He is our Mediator with the Father (1 Timothy 2:5).

Repenting of your sins turn to Jesus believing Him, putting all your trust in Him.  He will hear you when you call on His name.

…Return To The Land…

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The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, “Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, ‘Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.  For, lo, the days come,’ saith the LORD, “that I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel and Judah,” saith the LORD: “and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”
Jeremiah 30:1-3

You can believe,  you can trust,  you can be confident that the LORD will fulfill all His word.  There will not be one single word He has spoken that fails to come to pass

Because of their rebellious and evil against the LORD, they had been scattered over the face of the earth, into Babylon and other nations.  They would not believe God concerning their exile, according to Jeremiah’s prophecy received from the LORD Himself.

Since the word of the LORD God are sure to come to pass, the negatives and the positives, then we need to take heed to them all.  GOD said of His Son Jesus, “This is My Son, Hear HIm.”

Jesus spoke, and tell us that if we know the Father we would know the Son; and if we know the Son, we know the Father.  He also tells us “If you have seen me you have seen My Father”  (John 14:9-10).  So if Jesus tells us “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” then it will be very beneficial, and miraculous for us to believe Him, then lives completely to Him.

There are many promises/prophecies of GOD that have yet to come to pass.  They will come to pass, just as He has told us, and what a joy, what wonder it will cause in the hearts of those who love Him as we see them come to pass.

Judgment and Justice

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“Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; that saith, ‘I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows;’ and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.  Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?  He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know Me?” saith the LORD.  “But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.”
Jeremiah 22:13-17

Part of the reason for God’s  wrath on Judah and Israel is that they were dividing the people by showing favor to one over another.  Someone with wealth could pay a price (a bribe) and be found “Innocent  of a crime.  Another thing the courts were stacked in favor of the wealthy over the poor.

Let us consider a possible situation –   a man,  a man with a wife and children, rent a spot from a wealthy land owner, the poor man and family have a crisis come into their home which causes them to fail to pay their debt(s).  They have a landlord who is tight with his wealth, and because of the poor man’s debt to him, the land owner takes to man to court, and sues him, sues the poor man, or makes a bond slave of him.  He has come came into the court trusting that there could be a merciful judgment.  Instead there is no mercy because the judge has received some money under the table.  Or the judge renders a verdict in favor of the landowner,

That is not justice.  Justice is to do the right thing. It is judgment, but a  false and evil, rule of corruption.  The Lord GOD, hates this kind of thing among His people.

Our God loves the poor, and He will not long tolerate His people hoarding money and ignoring those whom He loves.  I am not espousing any kind of organization, nor am I starting a new ministry, but I am as simply as I know how, that God cares for the poor, and He will not ignore or forget the ones who come to aid the poor.

Who are the poorest of the poor?  The man or woman without Jesus Christ is a very poor individual  – the poorest of the poor.  The poor person, who has Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives, has all that they need.

Jesus was raised in a poor family.  They were rich though. with love, mercy and grace.  He came from the glory and splendor of Heaven a very wealthy place, to become poor that we who believe Him, and become rich in Him.

Do You Desire To Have Peace With GOD?

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Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit; “Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.  And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.  And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘The LORD liveth;’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of My people.  But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 12:14-17

No one person, group, or nation can have peace with the LORD, unless and until they believe His word and obey His law.

What about mercy?  What about grace?

Reading the history of Israel/Judah they were disobedient to the LORD, again and again.  Yet, He had mercy on them and would free them from bondage to their enemies.  Sending the back to their land the LORD has given them.  What have they deserved?  To be forsaken by God, and leave them in bondage to their enemy.  What do they receive from God?  Grace.

The ones who will believe what God says about His Son Jesus, believing His who counsel of the word will at least have desire to live a life surrendered to the LORD as our Master.  If you do not desire to live a surrendered life to Him,  then you are apart from Him.

People Need The LORD

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“Therefore also now,” saith the LORD, “turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.  Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.  Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, ‘Spare Thy people, O LORD, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?’ ”
Joel 2:12-17

Our own nation (United States of America) needs the LORD now just as much as any other time.  Why?  Because even here lines are hard to see and confusing.  Even professing Christians are turning their backs on the LORD, not their face.  When you turn your backs on God’s word, no longer believing it is the holy, inspired of God, and infallible word of God; they have turned their backs on God.

When you have more confidence in science of men, or more confidence in your own abilities, than in God then You have shunned the LORD.

It is time for the LORD to work a work like Adam’s race has never seen.  We must be ready. Return to the LORD.

I need the LORD to continue to work in me.  You need the LORD as well.  All the people on earth need the LORD.

Come to the One who died on that old rugged cross, judged by His Father for our sins.  He was buried.  He rose up again, from the grave in which  He had been laid.  His return is imminent,  Are you ready.

The LORD Hates Hypocrisy…

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sI will also stretch out Mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; and them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for Him.
Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.  In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
Zephaniah 1:4-9

The LORD hates hypocrisy as it shows in the above verses.  He hates it, especially among His own people.

You can see that they were worshiping idols made by men, false gods, which are inspired by demons (Leviticus 17:7;  Deuteronomy 32:17; 2 Chronicles 11:15; and Psalm 106:37) for example.  You could also read Psalms 115 and 135 to see what the value and worth is of any idol.  It can do nothing for you, but keep you in the darkness of evil.

Judah was worshiping the heavenlies – the stars, sun and moon and other idols; and at the same time worship the LORD,  The worshiping of idols, and then in pretense worshiping the LORD on the Sabbath is hypocrisy.

You might say to me, “No one worships idols in our country,” but we do.  Power, prestige, money (a big bank accounts), science, government, etc..  I hope you get the point.

May we who are Christians come the conclusion that only GOD is to be worshiped, honored and feared (I do not want to offend Him in any way).  I want to live for Him; and the only way I can do that is through the gift of grace through Jesus Christ who paid my sin debt on the cross, was buried – carrying my sins away, leaving them there in the grave, then, He came out of that grave alive.  Because He did that for me, He alone deserves my allegiance completely; not partial, but wholly.

When Truth Fails

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And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.  Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.  And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him.  For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompence to His enemies; to the islands He will repay recompence.  So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.  And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 59:14-20

Judgment is not what a lot of people think it is.  If you go to court charged with a crime nobody really wants judgment.  They need mercy.  Judgment is receiving what one deserves.

Truth is a precious item.  It is very much needed in every age, every millennium, every century, decade, year and every day.  Truth is truth.  It is not whatever you think it is.  I do not  have my truth, and you do not have your own truth.  Truth is what God says is truth.  Jesus Christ Himself said, “I am … the Truth…” (John 14:6)  The truth is much needed in the twenty first century.  With shouts of death, and damnation to one another we need help, and our only help is Jesus Christ

Jesus gives us a new heart and mind.  We have His heart and mind.  When we give ourselves to Him, spending time with Him in His word, and in prayer we grow to be more like Him.  Some of us just got started.  Some of us are headed in the right direction.  We will never be complete until Jesus comes to take us Home to be with Him forever.

Do you know the Christ of Heaven?  His name is Jesus. He gave his life for you and me dying on that old cross.  He was buried.  He rose again.  Turning from your sin, call on His name and be saved today.

When truth fails the LORD puts on Righteousness as righteousness.  He sent His Son Jesus to make us righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).

One GOD of the Whole Earth

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Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.  For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
Isaiah 54:4-10

God is speaking here of being kind and merciful to His people.  His mercy and kindness.  He shows that He will do what He says He will.  Using the promise He made with Noah that he would never destroy the earth again with a flood.

Neither will His peace be removed.

The wrath which God  gave rebellious Israel/Judah was not permanent, and was for the good of their eternal destiny.

So is it with the people of God today who are called Christians.  We are disciplined by God for our good, and God’s glory and because we are His children.  It is good for us to remember that He is loving, merciful, kind and gracious.

There is only one true God, and His name is Jehovah/YHWH Elohym, and His Son’s name is Jesus, and Jesus lives in His people by the Person of the Holy Spirit.  He is love.

The LORD God Will Be Exalted In The Earth

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;  though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted.  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations He hath made in the earth.  He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Psalm 46:1-10

This Song of praise was possibly written during the time of King Hezekiah, during and after the attempt to conquer Jerusalem; possible after God had won the victory for the city of David.

Today and everyday we as God’s children need to recognize where everything comes from.  God gives all good things, and sometimes; most of the time actually bad things come into our lives due to our sin; or it may be a test from God.

Let us recognize that we must know that God is God.  He created the heavens and the earth from nothing.  Reading the Scriptures I have noticed many times 63 times in Ezekiel; that it says, “That they might know that I am the LORD.”

The LORD will be exalted through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Most people on the earth have probably heard the name of Jesus Christ; however, there are many who use His holy name in cursing and swearing, and do not know Him.  He is one who surrendered His life for us so that, we might be saved and have eternal life.

Surrender your life to Him believing in Him, casting all of our sins away, because He sets us free from sins bondage; and to that we are free to serve Him and not sin. Today, will you call on His name.

For Redemption Recipients Only

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The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.   It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, fear not:” behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.  And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.   No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:  and the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:1-10

I hope you will be one of the recipients of God’s redemption available only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Let favor be shown to the wicked…

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Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; the desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee.   With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early: for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.   Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
Isaiah 26:7-10

The LORD’S judgments are in all the earth, the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness.   If favor is shown to the wicked, if they are not judged, then they cannot and will not learn righteousness.  The righteousness of GOD through the Lord Jesus Christ is given to all who will confess Jesus as Lord, and who believe that He has risen from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Who are the wicked?  The wicked are those who believe in God, but refuse to bow to Him in surrender of their lives.  It is all those who have no heart for God, neither to hear anything from God or about Him.

It used to be myself and the whole of Adam’s race (the human race).  However, I have received the free gift of grace which was given to me by Christ Jesus who became sin for me, taking the whole wrath of God the Father on Himself, and dying, and after three days He rose again.  That I might become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21),  This gift is available to all will believe Him and call on His wonderful name.  Call on Him now, and He will hear you, and give you His righteousness, and eternal life.

Who Can Stop the Purposes of GOD?

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The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, “Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: that I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.  This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Isaiah 14:24-27

The short answer is; nothing, neither anyone, can prevent the words and purposes of the LORD of hosts.

Why do people of Adam’s race keep trying to subvert the plans and purposes of GOD?  Such a foolish endeavor.  When will we learn that God’s word is Truth, the only truth, and that every man and woman are liars when compared to God’s truth.

Jesus Christ said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me”  (John 14:6).  When an individual believes that there is God, and they refuse to believe God’s word, concerning His Son Jesus, then that is evil.

All of God’s word is true.  God’s word is inerrant, it is God breathed, and inspired by God.  His word and His purposes will not and cannot fail.

Believe the word of God and trust His Son Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

GOD’S People, and The Devil’s People

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“And it shall come to pass in that day,” saith the LORD, “that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.  And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.”
Micah 5:10-15

You may not like the title.  Many of you may not like the words of LORD God shared here today, but GOD does have His people and devil has his people.

This passage of Scripture from the prophet Micah to Judah, and also to the evil nations GOD is full of wrath toward His people as well as toward the nations (heathen).

His anger toward His people is because they have not kept their covenant with Him,  not obeying His commandments, statutes, judgments, His whole law.  They have been cruel and dishonest in their business practices.  They have charged interest to the poorer of them, taking the homes from them if they could not pay.  They were forsaking the widow and the orphan children.

Wait a minute!  Does this not in someways remind us of something?  It should remind us of some of God’s people today; one’s who call themselves, “Christian” yet are more like the heathen than we are like Christ.  If we are sons of God through Jesus Christ, the we need to be aware of His judgment when it comes, and know why it comes.  Just like with the people of Judah, GOD disciplined them, sometimes severely, He will also deliver us through their chastisement, and make us more  like the Master who is Jesus Christ.

Why would GOD judge the nations?  They have tormented the people of GOD.  They have mauled, murdered, and committed mayhem with the LORD’S people.  They have been very violent and evil in the eyes of the LORD.  The word of the LORD is true.  What He speaks will be done.  All those who reject the  word of God, His Son Jesus and refuse to believe GOD, are children of the devil.

There is still hope and promise for all who will believe Him, repenting of their sin, believing Jesus died and has risen from the dead, and confessing Him as Lord shall be saved.

The LORD Is Salvation

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Just wanted to let you know why I am jumping around seemingly without purpose in these words that I share.  I am reading a Chronological Bible and reading it through by the end of the year, and reading three daily readings most of the time.  If you have ever read the Bible chronologically then, you will know what I am saying.

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Isaiah 12:2-3

The LORD is my salvation.  I hope and pray that you who read this have experienced the joy of knowing Jesus and the heavenly Father.  If you know the Son, you know the Father.  If you know the Father, you know the Son.

The LORD Ain’t Finished With the People of Israel, Yet

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“Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto Me, O children of Israel?” saith the LORD. “Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?”
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” saith the LORD. ” For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.  All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, which say, ‘The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.’ ” es
“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by My name,” saith the LORD that doeth this. “Behold, the days come,” saith the LORD, “that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.  And I will bring again the captivity of My people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.  And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them,” saith the LORD thy God.
Amos 9:7-15

There are many people who are against today’s Israel, and denying them their God given right to the land called Israel.  The people who call themselves “Jews” are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  I do not know this to be so; but I think they have more knowledge of where they came from than most of us Gentiles do concerning their genealogy.

Present day Israel is only a small portion which the LORD has given them.  The time that Amos is speaking of in Amos 9:11-15 has never been fulfilled.    God will always fulfill the words that He speaks.  Not one jot or tittle will fail to come to pass,

If you will, note verse eight  above, where God says he is going to destroy “the sinful kingdom.”  Then He says, “I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob.”  He remembered His everlasting covenant.  He is sifting them to bring them to Himself through the Messiah to come.  The Messiah has already come, and Jewish religious leaders hated Him.   His name is Jesus.  “He came unto His own and His own received Him not” John 1:12.

The LORD, who created all things in heaven and earth does not give up.  When He begins a work he completes it and we Christians have that promise in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ…”  Philippians 1:6.  When God starts a good work He will complete it too.  That is for the Christian and the Jew, and anyone who will totally give themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, our transgressions, and iniquities.  He died on that wooden cross as my substitute for sin, and for yours.

His promises do not fail.  If Jesus tells us that “Whoso ever believes in Him (that is Jesus) shall not perish, but will have everlasting life,” then you can trust that that is true.

Know this – If “God ain’t finished with His people Israel, yet,” then because of what Jesus has done for us; we can trust and believe that He will complete what He has started.