A Heartbeat Away From Eternity

**Warning** Fire and Brimstone preaching dead ahead....

FIDOCKAVE213 - SEVENTHVIAL213 -
A HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM ETERNITY.......
Unless Jesus Christ returns soon Death is inevitable. All of humanity will face it at some stage, however death is not the end but merely the beginning.....
what actions you take now in this life will ultimately set your eternal future.

Joshua 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

CREDIT - PREACHER CHARLES LAWSON - TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH - www.youtube.com/user/zion4131

To be saved, seek Jesus Christ with your whole heart, believe on him in faith, that he is the only Son of God, that he came to earth in the flesh and died for the sins of humanity, and rose again.
Seek him daily, repent of your sins and turn away from your old lifestyle and you will be saved. John 3:16 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.

Daniel 7 - A Blueprint To Identify The Antichrist: Chris White

I have found that Chris does an excellent job of comparing scripture to scripture, rather than comparing scripture to modern viewpoints put out there by popular pastors of the day.  This is fascinating stuff, but you may have to stop and go back a few times to catch all that he's saying.  I also recommend his book "False Christ", by Chris White, as an excellent biblical study on the topic.

 Daniel 7 is considered by some to be the most important chapter in the book of Daniel, others even consider it the most important chapter in the entire Old Testament for reasons which we will get into later, but certainly one of those reasons is because of its prophetic significance.

In Daniel Chapter 7 Daniel has a vision of 4 beasts: a lion, bear, leopard and a "diverse beast". These beasts are identified as kings and/or kingdoms by the angel who interprets Daniel's dream starting in verse 17.

The question is which kingdoms are being referred to with these beasts.

Most conservatives believe that Daniel 7 is simply a retelling of Daniel 2. In other words the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had in Daniel 2 of a multi-metal statue which represented the four kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome are again described here in Daniel 7.

I don't agree with that view, but I do agree with them that the fourth beast in Daniel 7 is the kingdom of Antichrist, however because of their insistence that this chapter is simply a mirror image of Daniel 2, they are forced to defend the position that the Antichrist must somehow come from something they call the Revived Roman Empire (RRE) because in Daniel chapter 2 the last section of the statue is clearly talking about Rome, so if this chapter is the same as that one then the fourth beast is Rome.

But as I will demonstrate not only is that not necessary it could cause many people to miss the signs of the Antichrists kingdom. For more information on why the belief of the RRE is based on a bad exegesis of Daniel chapter 2, please see my video or audio on Daniel 2, which should be linked in the notes, that study should be considered a companion study to this one.

I would also recommend a 4 part paper by Charles Cooper who is a former professor of Hermeneutics at Moody Bible Institute called "Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 Equal or not Equal."

Video by Chris White

Do Children Who Die Go to Heaven?

This is an often asked question among all people, especially those who are not Christians.  I can't give any other answer that is worthy of being relied upon except the answer in scripture.  But before that, if you know the character of the Lord through Jesus Christ His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3, John 17:3), then you know the Lord, and you know this answer before we even begin.

But Jesus said "Let the little children alone,and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of Heaven belongs."

Matthew 19:14

As parents, we love our children fiercely and do everything within our power to protect them. As Christians, we know that God created each one of us as unique individuals, and according to the Bible, has a plan for each of our lives.

Psalm 139:13-17 (David is speaking to God)

"It was you who created my inmost self, and put me together in my mother’s womb; for all these mysteries I thank you; for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works. You know me through and through, from having watched my bones take shape when I was being formed in secret, knitted together in the limbo of the womb. You have scrutinized my every action, all were recorded in your book, my days listed and determined, even before the first of them occurred. God, how hard it is to grasp your thoughts! How impossible to count them!

God makes it clear that He is in control and makes no mistakes. He is the powerful one, not us.

Job 40:6-9 (God is speaking to Job)

God gave Job His answer from the heart of the tempest. He said: "Brace yourself like a fighter, now it is my turn to ask questions and yours to inform me. Do you really want to reverse my Judgment, and put me in the wrong to put yourself in the right? Has your arm the strength of God’s, can your voice thunder as loud?"

When the life of a child is taken, parents not only want to know why, but they also want to know where the child has gone. Many questions will not be answered until we meet the Lord face to face. In the meantime, He has given us His Word with some answers, as well as comforts. I’ve provided some scriptures that offer hope that children (who have died before the age where they might reason between right and wrong) are waiting for us in Heaven. 

The following are scripture that support evidence of a "Book of Life". These scripture indicate that all names are written in the "Book of Life", blotted out when we sin, and reconciled for life when Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for us, and we confess that we are sinners and believe Jesus is our one and only Savior.

 

Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

The encouragement in this verse is that all names are written in the "book" of life when we are born. Those who willfully sin against God then find their names blotted out of the book. It is clear that young children may not willfully commit sin, as their minds are unable to reason yet what is right and what is wrong.

Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.

Deu 29:20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.

Psa 69:27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.

Psa 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Rom 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Rom 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Rom 7:10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

Rom 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

In the above verses, Paul points out that he was alive (verse 9) before he knew about his sin. When he realized that he had coveted, "when the commandment came", sin was made alive in him and spiritually he died. This is in keeping with the other scriptures which indicate we are born with spiritual life (names written in the Book of Life). We lose that life when "sin comes", or we are aware of our sins. We regain that life again only through accepting Jesus Christ’ blood as payment for our sins.

 

Rev 3:5 He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

All of the above verses support the views that there is a Book of Life, that all names of every living person are written in this book at birth, that the names are then blotted out when they willfully understand what is right and wrong and chooses to commit sin. They may then be written again in the Book of Life by accepting the blood of the Lamb as payment for their sin. While there is some room for discussion regarding what is the age of accountability (if there is one), when one is old enough to understand right from wrong, etc., the basic premise above seems well supported from the scriptures.

In these verses Christ is speaking to His followers:

Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Phi 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

2 Sam. 12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

In this last verse, David had been fasting in the hopes of seeing his sick infant son healed by the Lord. When he was told by his servant that his child was dead, David arose, washed himself, and ate. The servants were surprised by his behavior. He responded in verse 23 that knowing his child was now dead, there was no more reason to fast. He knew he could not bring the child back to life. He then states that "I shall go to him". This means that David knew he would see his child when he died. David in no way believed he was going to the place of the wicked dead, and did not believe his infant son was their either. 

These verses indicate that sin is what causes death.

Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

These verses indicates that when we sin, we are dead in Christ, but if we except God’s gift of Jesus Christ, we can have eternal life.

1Jo 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1Jo 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

1Jo 5:13 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.

 

Ephesians 2:10 - Your Life is a Poem, and YAHWEH is the Author

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  (Eph. 2:10) 

Need a little encouragement?  Take this verse to heart.  Paul is telling us here that those who follow Jesus Christ are (God’s) workmanship.  The Greek word used here for workmanship is poiema, and might look familiar.  It’s the origin of the English word poem.  Therefore, we are God’s poem.  Now considering that God is perfect in all His ways, any work of art He creates is, well, pretty amazing to say the least.  Our lives are poems being written by God.  That’s good stuff! 

But it gets better.  We are created in Christ Jesus for good works.  Now these aren’t just your everyday good works that you or I might come up with.  These are good works that are pre-ordained.  Now if something was ordained before we were born, then God must be the One ordaining these works.  So we are created (God’s poem) for good works that God has pre-ordained!   

If you are feeling the stress of these times, take this precious verse to heart.  You are a specific work of art, created by none other than the Creator God of the Universe.  And you are more than an inanimate writing or painting, you are a living work of art, created for good works that God has pre-ordained for you.  So when you pray to the Lord today, give Him thanks and praise, because He has loved us and blessed us so richly.  Rejoice!

How To Know the Will of God For My Life

by George Muller and A.W.Tozer 

George Muller (1805-1898) was a man of prayer and a man of faith. He believed that His God would supply all his needs even without telling any man what his needs were. He started his first orphanage with no money of his own but with child-like faith in a great God. By the end of his life more than ten thousand orphans had been cared for in the orphanage homes which were built by faith. To understand what God’s Word meant to this man see George Muller and the Scriptures. For one of the best biographies of this man of God, see George Muller of Bristol by A.T.Pierson. The following is from Muller’s pen on the subject of knowing God’s will: 

1. I seek to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in a given matter. When we are ready to do the Lord's will—whatever it may be—nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome.  

2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions.  

3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, God's Word. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Spirit guides us, He will do it according to the Scriptures, never contrary to them.  

4. Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and Spirit.  

5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me.  

6. Thus, through prayer, the study of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge. If my mind is thus at peace and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. I have found this method always effective in trivial or important issues.  

A.W. Tozer was a man of great spiritual insight. His penetrating writings have been profitable to many believers in exposing sin and directing them to a closer walk with Christ. James Snyder in the book, In Pursuit of God: The Life Of A. W. Tozer writes: "Tozer's sermons were never shallow. There was hard thinking behind them, and [he] forced his hearers to think with him. He had the ability to make his listeners face themselves in the light of what God was saying to them. The flippant did not like Tozer; the serious who wanted to know what God was saying to them loved him." He realized early in his ministry that Christ was calling him to a different type of devotion—one that required an emptying of self and a hunger to be filled to overflowing with God's Spirit. It was a devotion that consumed him throughout his life. Leonard Ravenhill once said of Tozer, "I fear that we shall never see another Tozer. Men like him are not college bred but Spirit taught." Tozer’s insight into knowing the will of God is found below: 

            First, it is essential that we be completely dedicated to God's high honor and surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. God will not lead us except for His own glory and He cannot lead us if we resist His will. The shepherd cannot lead a stubborn sheep. The evil practice of using God must be abandoned. We must submit ourselves joyously to God and let Him work through us to achieve His own ends. 

            Now, granted that we are wholly committed to God with full intent to obey Him, we may expect actually to be led by Him. The Scriptures that teach this are many, such as Proverbs 3:5,6. It only remains for us to believe they mean what they say. The choices that we make from day to day involve only four kinds of things:  

● Those concerning which God has said an emphatic "no." 

● Those about which He has said an equally emphatic "yes." 

● Those concerning which He wants us to consult our own sanctified preferences. 

● Those few matters which require special guidance from the Lord to prevent us from making serious mistakes.  

            First, put this down as an unfailing rule: Never seek the leading of the Lord concerning an act that is forbidden in God's Word. To do so is to convict ourselves of insincerity.  

            Again, prophet, psalmist, apostle and our blessed Lord point out the way of positive obedience. His yoke is easy, His burden is light, so let this be the second rule: Never seek the leading of the Lord concerning an act commanded in the Scriptures.  

            Now, a happy truth too often overlooked in our anxious search for God's will is that in the majority of decisions touching our lives God expresses no choice but allows us to choose our preference. Some Christians walk uncertainly, worrying about which profession they should enter, which car they should drive, which school they should attend, where they should live and other such matters. The Lord has set Christians to follow their own personal bent, guided only by their love for Him and their fellow men.  

            It appears more spiritual to seek God's leading than to do the obvious thing. But it is not. If God gave you a watch would you honor Him more by asking Him for the time of day or by consulting the watch?  

            Except for those things that are specifically commanded or forbidden, it is God's will that we be free to choose. The shepherd leads the sheep but he does not decide which tuft of grass the sheep shall nibble. Touching our life on earth God is pleased when we are pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our Maker's praise without anxiety. God's choice for us may be any one of a score of possible choices. The Christian who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ cannot make a wrong choice.  

            But what about those times when much is at stake and we can discover no clear scriptural instruction and yet are forced to choose between two possible courses? We have God's faithful promise to guide us aright. Here are two among many passages from God's Word:  

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:5,6).  

"Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go" (Isaiah 48:17).  

            Take your problem to the Lord. Remind Him of these promises. If you are dedicated to God's purpose, He will not permit you to make a mistake.

 

The Lord's Supper and the New Covenant

What is a covenant? 

A covenant is a treaty or binding agreement between two parties.  The Hebrew word berith which is translated covenant literally means cutting, implying the fact that a covenant was confirmed with the shedding of the blood of a sacrifice.  This meant that a covenant was a blood oath. 

The New Covenant is primarily stated in contrast to the Old (Mosaic) Covenant.  These two covenants are the only conditional covenants God makes in the scriptures.  God’s promises in the covenants are eternal, but the agreement itself depends upon men accepting the terms of agreement. 

What are some of the differences between the New and Old Covenants? 

- The Old Covenants terms/rules had to be learned  (Exodus 24:12)

- The Old Covenant had to be obeyed according to the ability of men (Romans 7:5)

- The Old Covenant was confirmed with the blood of animals (Exodus 24:8)

- The Old Covenant had severe consequences for failure to obey (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) 

- The New Covenant is Holy Spirit taught (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

- The ability to obey the New Covenant is empowered by the Holy Spirit of God (Hebrews 9:14)

- The New Covenant is confirmed by the blood of the Son of God  (Matthew 26:28)

- The New Covenant is crowned with God’s mercy and forgiveness for those times men fail to obey (Hebrews 8:12) 

The first Lord’s Supper was a Passover observance by Jesus and His disciples.  (Matthew 26:19-20)  It was also the institution of the New Covenant.  It makes sense for us to honor the New Covenant on Passover.

During the Passover observance, it was customary for the head of the feast (Jesus in this case) to lead the table in remembrance of the four great “I WILLS”, promises of God to Israel as stated in Exodus 6:6-7.  These were memorialized by the taking of a cup of wine for each declaration.  The four promises and cups were: 

- I WILL bring you out (the cup of sanctification)

- I WILL bring you out of bondage (cup of deliverance/praise)

- I WILL redeem you (the cup of redemption)

- I WILL take you to me for a people (cup of acceptance/praise) 

On the night of the first Lord’s Supper, Jesus took the first three cups with His disciples.  The last cup, the one in which He said “this is my blood of the new testament (covenant) which is shed for many for the redemption of sins” (Matthew 26:28) was the cup of redemption.  Redemption (Hebrew gaal) means to be purchased out of slavery, or to pay a ransom and free.  It had to be done by someone who was a kinsman (family).  Jesus paid the purchase price (His blood) to redeem us from slavery to sin (Romans 6:12-16).  Jesus refused to take the fourth cup (the cup of acceptance) because Israel had not yet accepted Him as Messiah. (Matthew 27:20-25, Zechariah 12:10).  The next time that He takes the cup will be with all believers and redeemed Israel at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9). 

Some notes on the Lord’s Supper taken from the early church -  

- Important passages for meditation before taking the Lords Supper include Matthew 26:26-28, John 6:22-71 and 1 Corinthians 11:20-34.

- The Lord’s Supper was done weekly, sometimes with every meal

- The Lord’s Supper is a spiritual and physical blessing to all who take it worthily

- The Lord’s Supper brought sickness and death to believers who took it unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:20-34)

- Unleavened bread (symbolizing purity) and red wine sometimes mixed with water were normally used

- Because the Lord’s supper was normally done in small groups, personal confession was often practiced before taking it, to cleanse the conscience and help the believer take it in a worthy manner

- The point of the Lords Supper is to remember what Jesus did for us (Crucifixion) and to remember our commitment to the New Covenant with Him

 

 

Angels - A Brief Study - Part 1

This is a brief overview of angels and some of the things we may learn about them from the Bible.  This is in no way meant to be an exhaustive study, but one that should be a good start down the angelic path.

 The word used for angel in Hebrew is malawk.  It literally means messenger.  While this highlights one of the primary tasks of angels, it is only the beginning of what they do.  Let’s start with the angels the Bible tells us about by name. 

 

                             THE ANGEL OF THE LORD   

The Angel of the Lord is mentioned many times in the Old Testament.  It is apparent that this is sometimes a generic term for a messenger of God, but at other times describes the most unique of all the angels.  The features of this angel include speaking not only for God, but as God.  Some examples of this include Gen. 16:6-13, where Hagar is fleeing from Sarah.  The Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar and speaks for God in verse 9, then speaks as God in verse 10.   Again in Gen. 18:1-14 we see three angels appear as men to Abraham.  Abraham actually prepares food for them which they eat!  (vs. 10)  In verse 1 of this chapter one of the men is actually identified as Yahweh, the Lord Himself.  In Gen. 22:9-18 Abraham again encounters the Angel of the Lord as he is taking his son, Isaac, up to Mount Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice.  In verse 12 the angel speaks both for God and as God in the same verse.  Furthermore, in vs. 15-18 the Angel again speaks as God, pronouncing the great blessing upon Abraham as though the Angel Himself were God.  In Gen. 28 and 31 Jacob interacts with the Angel of the Lord in dreams.  In Gen 32:23-31, Jacob wrestles with a man (vs. 24), but this man goes on to rename and bless Jacob, giving him the new name of Israel (ruling with God or God prevails vs. 28).  In verse 30 Jacob renames the place Peniel, meaning the face of God, as Jacob had “wrestled with God” face to face and prevailed, at least to the extent of receiving the blessing of the Lord.  This is confirmed in Hosea 12:4-5.   

So we have here an example of an angel (messenger) of God speaking for God but also as God.  This is called a theophany, meaning an appearance of the Son of God before His incarnation through the Holy Spirit and Mary.  This being necessary because as we read in Jo. 1:18 and 5:37, no one can look upon God or hear Him directly.  God is holy, and we who are unholy would not survive being in His presence.  The Angel of the Lord was a necessary intermediary in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, with the incarnation of the Son of God in Jesus Christ, His appearing as the Angel of the Lord became no longer necessary.  We now have the face and voice of God available to all believers.  Jesus Christ in the flesh is now our intermediary.  We see similar encounters in Ex. 3:1-6 with Moses at the burning bush, and Josh. 5:13-15 where Joshua encounters the Angel of the Lord in the appearance of a man before the fall of Jericho.  We see the Angel again in Jud. 6:11-24, where He appears to inspire and direct Gideon in the deliverance of his people.  There are other passages referring to the angel of the LORD in the Old Testament, but it’s not certain that all of these are referring to theophanies.

                                                MICHAEL 

Michael is an archangel (chief) of God.  His name means “Who is like God”.  (Dan. 10:13, 21, 12:1, Jude 9 and Rev. 12:7.)  Michael appears in scripture to be the head of God’s armies of angelic beings (see Rev. 12:7) and has personally contended with Satan (Jude 9).    In Hebrew tradition and alluded to in Dan. 12:1, Michael is the “Prince of Israel”, or the spiritual defender of Israel.  We read of other angelic princes in Daniel 10:13 and 20, those of Persia and Greece.  We can deduce from those passages that these Princes are the spiritual authorities ruling over those areas of the world. 

It should be added here that the idea of “principalities” or angelic princes reigning governing the earth, with different angels covering different parts of the world is mentioned in scripture.  In Deut. 32:8 we are told that God set the bounds of the people on earth according to the angels of God.  While the KJV of this verse says “sons of Israel”, the Septuagint, the scriptures Jesus used, has rendered this accurately.  This tells us that spiritual governance of this world is divided amongst “principalities”, powerful angels of God.  The bad news for us in this is that most of these angels are fallen.  

Getting back to Michael, in Dan. 12:1 we are told that in the last days “shall Michael stand up”.  The word for stand up here is amad, and is used twice in verse 1.  It means to stand, or take a stand.  This is the explicit meaning the first time it’s used in verse 1, but the second time it’s used it would mean to “cease” from standing.  We are told in the second half of Daniel 12:1 that after Michael ceases from his activity which initiates the “time of Jacob’s trouble”, centered on Israel, which has never been seen before.  This verse explains “the restrainer” or the one who holds back (Satan in this case) in 2 Th. 2:6.  Michael is the only angel who has been shown to engage and eventually defeat Satan (Rev. 12:7), and he is the spiritual protector of Israel.  Dan. 12:1 indicates that when Michael ceases to restrain Satan, then the time of great tribulation or Satan’s wrath (Rev. 12:12) begins.  Michael is the one who restrains.  It has become popular for those supporting  the pre-tribulation view of prophecy to claim the Holy Spirit is the Restrainer who is removed, but there is no scriptural basis for this claim.  It should be noted that restraining humanity in not listed as a function of the Holy Spirit anywhere in scripture.
 

                                                             GABRIEL

Gabriel interestingly means “man of God”, and apparently appears and speaks like a man.  He also seems to be a herald of God, that is, one who is sent before the King to announce His coming.  (Dan. 8:16, 9:21, Lk. 1:19, 26).  He not only appears to announce prophecies relating to the coming Messiah to Daniel, but also appears to Mary to announce that she would soon be pregnant by the Holy Spirit with the Savior of the world.                                               

                                                  CHERUBIM 

The cherubim are powerful angels usually mentioned as being in the immediate presence of God.  They first appear in scripture as guardians of the way into the Garden of Eden after the fall of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:24).  In scripture they bear the throne of God (Ps. 18:10, 2 Sam. 22:11-12), and the Lord sits between them (Ps. 99:1).  God communed with Moses from between the cherubim on the Mercy Seat (Ex. 25:22).    They have four faces, those being a man, a lion, an eagle and a ox/bull.  The ox is said to be the face of the cherub in Ezek. 10:14.  Satan is called the “anointed cherub” in Ezek. 28:14.  

The cherubim are part of an amazing vision that Ezekiel relates in chapters 1 and 10.  Part of this vision mentions the ophan, or wheels.  The ophanim would be yet another class of angels if they are indeed separate from the cherubim.  These amazing “wheels within wheels” are described in Ezek. 1:15-21 and 10:9-13.  The wheels and the cherubs move in connection with the Throne of God, and we are told this is because the spirit of the living creature (cherub) was in the wheel.  We are also told these ophan are dreadful to look at and are covered with eyes! 

We have briefly mentioned the Cherubim, but there are two other classes of angels mentioned in scripture.  The Seraphim (fiery, burning ones) and the Nephilim (fallen ones).    The Seraphim are mentioned in Is. 6:2, where they are described as having six wings, two with which they cover their eyes, two with which they cover their feet, and two with which they fly.  The cry Holy, Holy, Holy in the Presence of the Lord.  These same beings appear to be described in Ezek. 1:13 as part of the moving angelic throne of God, also consisting of the cherubim and ophan.  Rabbis called this angelic combination that makes up the throne of God the “merkabah”.   

We also read of fiery chariots and horseman, the “chariot of Israel” that carries Elijah away in 2 Ki. 2:11-12.  In 2 Ki. 6:17, Elisha’s servants eyes are opened so that he may see a “mountain full of horses and chariots of fire”.  These may be a general class of angels, most likely the Lord’s attendants as it is written in Ps. 104:4.  He “makes His angels spirits, His ministers (attendants) a blazing fire”. 

There are also several verses mentioning the “saraphs” that are “fiery flying serpents” (Num. 21:7, Deut. 8:15, Is. 14:29, 30:6).  These serpents are a curse to the murmuring Israelites in the wilderness, and a prophetic warning to the areas of Palestine (Is. 14:29) and Egypt (Is. 30:6).  These verses do not make these seraphim evil, but rather instruments not only of God’s immediate service but also of judgment to the wicked.  They also appear to be of the same angelic class as the worshipping angels in Is. 6:2.

 

 

Would These People Be Allowed to Serve in Your Church Today?

Just trying to bring the eternal truths of the Bible today into our churches and even more into our way of thinking.  Ask yourself, if you had any authority over who could or could not play a role in the work of the local church, would you allow any of these people in? 

 

 

This man fell for the wife of one of his servants.  He sent his servant to the front of a battle so he would be killed, and he could take the man’s wife as his own.  This was necessary because she had become pregnant in this adulterous affair.  Could this man serve in your church?  (2 Sam. 11)

 

This man, ruler of a great kingdom that God had richly blessed, proceeded to marry hundreds of wives and concubines, and place altars for other gods on the Mount of Olives across from the Tabernacle of the Lord.  Could this man serve in your church? (1 Kin. 11)

 

This man conceived twins by his daughter-in-law, who had posed as a prostitute, and after the act admitted she had been more righteous than he.  Could this man serve in your church?  (Gen. 38)

 

This man pretended to be his brother, so that his aging father would give him the blessing over his brother, whose right it was as the firstborn.  Through deception he gained the blessing that started with Abraham and is passed down to us today.  Could he serve in your church?  (Gen. 27)

 

This man, after seeing historic miracles of God, led the anxious masses to take their gold, and fashion it into a calf and altar for the people to worship.

Could he serve in your church? (Ex. 32)

 

This man spent three years walking naked and barefoot through Egypt and Ethiopia as a sign to the peoples of those nations.  Could he serve in your church?  (Is. 20)

 

This man, after having spent three years walking with Jesus, denied knowing Him publicly three times.  Could he serve in your church?  (Matt. 26)

Blood, Life and the Soul - Acts 15 - The Jerusalem Council

Acts 15:1-6 sets the stage for the Jerusalem Council.  Certain men of Judea who were Jews but not Christians (as they did not hold to the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith – see Paul’s defense in Galatians 2) came to the Church of Antioch and began to spread the lie that the men must be circumcised, as prescribed by the Mosaic Law (Genesis 17:10-17), or they could not be saved.   After much dissension, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to settle the matter before James and the apostles who were residing there at that time.

In verses 7-12 Peter makes a defense of two key points for the early church.  First, that God had directed the gospel to be preached to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  The example of Cornelius in Acts 10 verifies this.  Secondly, the gospel of salvation by grace had removed the distinction between Jew and Gentile.  Peter adds the important point that no one in history had been able to bear the burden of the law (vs. 10). 

Once believers place themselves under any element of the Mosaic Law as relevant for their salvation, they have placed themselves under the burden of the whole law, and have made the grace offered by Jesus Christ of no effect. (See Galatians 3:10-13  and 5:1-4)   

It should be added here that the miracles God performed through Paul and Barnabas were of great encouragement and excitement to the believers in Jerusalem.  The power of God is a necessary element in His service. (1 Thessalonians 1:5, 2 Timothy 3:5)

It would be good to note the purpose of Councils had some very good reasoning behind it.  Leaders of the faith as called and appointed in their lives by God were most likely to understand not only the best way to resolve issues relating to living out the Christian faith, but their word would have great authority as the church spread into new regions.  A council of godly leaders may be of great profit to the people of God

Acts 15:13-35 is the summary reasoning and determination of James in particular and the council as a whole.  James first makes the case from scripture that the spreading of the gospel to the Gentiles is in fulfillment of prophecy.  He specifically quotes Amos 9:11-12.

Beginning in verse 19, James refutes the need for circumcision among the Gentiles.  He then asks that new Gentile believers seek to follow four admonitions.  To avoid eating food sacrificed to idols, fornication, eating the blood of animals (or the animal with the blood in it) and from eating animals strangled. 

These things seem like peculiar requests today, but the Lord had forbidden all of these things in the Old Testament for the good of His people.  Let’s be sure to make the distinction here with what James is saying.  He’s not saying these are new commandments, but these are four things that Gentile believers would do well to avoid.

-         Fornication was a problem for Gentile converts because it was often a prescribed practice of pagan worship.  It had become so engrained in Gentile culture that it was a serious problem for new believers.  (Leviticus 18:6-23, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-10, etc.)

-         Food sacrificed to idols is mentioned because it was also commonly practiced among pagan religions.  Paul voiced concern over this issue because it could cause those weaker in their faith to stumble.  (1 Corinthians 8) It also was commonly used in pagan worship with the intent of encouraging the god or goddess to possess the one submitting the sacrifice.  1 Corinthians 10:20-28 and Revelation 2:12-17 reveal the general sense of this idea.  It was important to avoid eating food sacrificed to devils for reasons of public perception and for spiritual health.

-         The blood of animals and those that had been strangled to death have a similar connection to food sacrificed to devils.  This was forbidden by God going back to Genesis 9:4.  An animal that had been strangled is by definition one that died in its own blood.  As though the creature was “smothered” by its own blood.

There are two reasons for this referring to sinister pagan practices.  One practice of pagan religions was to take the blood of an animal and put it in bowl, offering it as a sacrifice to demons while the animal was consumed.  In this way, the offering was a type of shared communal meal with devils.

Another pagan practice was the belief that by consuming the blood of an animal or man, the one who partakes of the blood gains the power of the life/soul of the animal or man.  This is still practiced today among pagan cultures, especially by those steeped in witchcraft.  The scriptures strongly support the idea that the soul of a man is in the blood.

BLOOD, LIFE AND THE SOUL

The scripture describes man as a tri-partite being.  That is, mankind consists of a body of flesh, a soul and a spirit.  (Job 7:11, Isaiah 26:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12)  It’s clear from the scriptures that spirit is separate from the flesh, yet there must exist some connection between spirit and flesh, that the spirit would remain within a man until death.  It would appear the most likely solution is that the soul is the point of intersection between body and spirit.

The term soul in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word psuche.  Modern English terms like psychology are derived from this word.  Psuche refers to the mind of man, the seat of the will.  It is the place where a person makes choices every day.  It is also the origin of emotional thought and feelings.  The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh.

If the soul is the connection between body and spirit, the soul must also have some place of connection within the human body.  While it would seem logical this place might be the brain or heart, the scriptures tell us something else. 

Leviticus 17:11 states “The life (nephesh) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls (nephesh); for it is the blood that makes an atonement for your souls (nephesh).”

It is clear from this passage that the Hebrew term nephesh is synonymous for both the life of man and the soul.  Nephesh is the result of what happened when God breathed life into Adam in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:7)

Deuteronomy 12:23 is even more specific.  “Only be sure that thou eat not the blood, for the blood is the life (nephesh), and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.”  Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:16-21 also demonstrates that life and soul are equated as being the same thing.  In the parable psuche is used to refer to the soul of the man who would forfeit his life that night, but soul and life are synonymous in this passage.

So this much is clear from the scripture.  The blood of a person is the life and the soul.  While this may be difficult to comprehend, it is stated quite plainly.  This explains why James felt it important to tell the Gentile converts not to eat the blood of an animal.  To do so was to partake of the soul of the animal that was sacrificed, a practice not just detestable to God in ideal, but one that in some way that is not fully clear to us at this time was detrimental to the souls of men. 

That it was something more than simply an undesired ceremonial issue is evident from the commands of God in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and James and Paul’s statements in the New Testament.