As a mother who screamed during labor pains, convinced my back was going to break as the baby’s head was crushing it while passing through the birth canal, who screamed at my husband in the delivery room to “Shut up or I’m going to kick you out!!, who took one glance at the overhead mirror arranged so the mothers lying on their backs could view the baby emerging, and immediately closed my eyes to avoid the bloody and grossly distorted anatomy between my straddled legs in full view of the assorted staff all intent on what would be the most private part of my body, I am astounded at the ignorance with which – must be male – pastors and teachers describe the birth experience.

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a [hu]man be born again, he cannot see / perceive the [spirit] kingdom of God…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:3-6)

Any comparison to fleshly birth must require tremendous labor and a willingness to die to self, suffer the lost of self-respect and trauma to the new life emerging.

Continue reading “162) The New Birth”

“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea…he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight…Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were 1) baptized of him in Jordan, 2) [for the purpose of] confessing their sins.” (Matthew 3:1-6)

This was not an evangelistic gimmick. John the Baptist was following the Law of Moses which required outer washing in acknowledgement of one’s inner sinful state before coming into the presence of Holy God. 

The Greek word “baptizo” was a common everyday word among Greek-speaking people, understood by the Latin word ‘immerse’, as when washing.

“the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud…Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them [a command as at Creation, not an allowance, also] wash their clothes.” (Exodus 19:9-10)

“to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office…Aaron and his sons thou shalt…wash them with water.” (Exodus 29:1-4)

“Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet…When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister…unto the LORD:” (Exodus 30:18-21)

“the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me…Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;” (Isaiah 1)

Continue reading “163) Baptized Into The Messiah”

There is a casual attitude about sin among people who trust that the New Testament letters teaching that “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8) has exempted us from being held responsible for our actions.

This is a gross misunderstanding of what it means to be “saved from sin”. Keep reading the passage in scripture.

“the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:11-14)

Continue reading “164) Saved From Damnation Is Saved From Domination”

“And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem…then sent Jesus two disciples…ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me…All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass…and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be…to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:7-10)

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers...And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them…a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And…cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest…This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”  (Matthew 21)

So far, so good, but Jesus is waiting for the rulers to cry “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Which they didn’t do.

Continue reading “165) Proof Of Life”

“Then led they [the ruler of the Jews] Jesus…unto the [Roman] hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled [with the blood they were planning on being splattered all over during the scourging]; but that they might eat the passover.”

Understand that “the Jews” who clamored for Jesus’ death were a small fraction of the entire nation, “the rulers” contrasting with “the people” who are ruled, we can avoid the mistake of calling the entire nation – who became known as Jews after the exile from the land of Judea – “Christ killers.”

“Pilate [basically the sheriff responsible for enforcing laws] then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?…Take ye him, and judge him according to your law.” [Why are you bothering me!?]

You can imagine him with a napkin in his hand, brushing toast crumbs from his mouth just like he intends to brush off this annoying interruption on a day that would develop into major turmoil with the Jewish sectarian crowds for the Passover alone, not to mention those zealots against Rome.

Continue reading “SECTION XXXI: My Kingdom Is Not Of This World”

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard...when even was come…they came that were hired about the eleventh hour…received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, thou hast made them equal unto us…

So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20)

All the people who signed on with the goodman for the means to extend their life received it. But the ones who argued that their longevity qualified them for special treatment didn’t win their argument. They represent the current rulers in Isra-El’s sacral kingdom, arguing with YHVH’s Savior’s authority.

“the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things…And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.” 

And then he immediately demonstrates his authority over them by passing judgment.

“Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots / sinners go into the kingdom of God before you.

Bestowing responsibility for the most significant role in the universe is not casually distributed like necklaces at a Mardi Gras parade. Becoming a ruler in God’s kingdom is given at the discretion of the giver to those of his choosing, only to those who prove they are entitled to it by their actions.

Isra-El / Warrior Prince of God is not a name. It is an award, a Medal of Honor, granted in recognition of a developed character trait, perfected through years of faithfulness despite adversity, proven through exemplary behavior, designating anyone who God chooses to set apart as a ruling member of his administration in his kingdom designed from the beginning for humans to take dominion over sin and death.

“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame…

• For thy Maker / the Singularity ever-present source of power is thine husband / united with you;
• the LORD of hosts / armies is his name;
• and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Isra-el/ the medal of honor awarded to those who fight to be on the side of El;
• The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” (Isaiah 54:4-6)

“The God of the whole earth” is not an afterthought put into place on the Day of Pentecost with Christianity. It was the gauntlet thrown down by Adam, Enoch, Noah and a great cloud of witnesses before and after the single Hebrew nation challenged Nimrod’s 70 nations at Babel.

Continue reading “166) Many Called To Rule, But Few Qualify”

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 / armies…he is like a refiner’s fire…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.” (Malachi 3:1-3)

Jesus spent far more time disputing with the rulers of the Jews than performing miracles. A big part of his ministry was to sift and purify the rulers – most of whom were illegitimate Hasmoneans and Herodians instead of Levites and fans of the Son of David.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)

Don’t miss the defiance and deliberate provocation as Jesus continues facing off against his declared enemy.

Continue reading “167) New Leaders, Same Israel”

The process by which the Jewish apostles were anointed leaders in the kingdom of God was absolutely consistent with Jewish culture.

“Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him…because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance…thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man…for God is with thee.” (I Samuel 10:1-7)

“Jesus…through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen...that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me…ye shall be baptized [immersed with] with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:4)

From Acts 2:

“And when the day of Pentecost [50 days after Passover, a harvest celebration like Boaz had after winnowing his grain] was fully come,..suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and…they were all filled / to the greatest extent with the Holy Ghost And began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled…

Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem…this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…and they shall prophesy…And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

As devout Jews, the crowd who gathered to watch this wild exhibition were able to believe Peter’s explanation because they believed the Jewish prophets’ predictions and recognized the standard sign of God Spirit speaking through his chosen representatives. This was the only way they were able to believe in Jesus as the Christ.

This exhibition would have meant nothing to scripturally illiterate Gentiles.

Continue reading “168) The Pentecostal Assemblies of God – Acts 2”

In the first century there was no “Christianity”, there was a minority sect of Judaism characterized by combining the confession of Jesus as Christ with continued observance of the Torah and adherence to Jewish traditions such as Sabbath observance, Jewish calendar, Jewish laws and customs, circumcision, kosher diet and synagogue attendance.

From Acts 5:

“all the church…were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch [of the temple]…And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women…There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem…they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught.

But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel…Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us…when they had called the apostles, and beaten them they commanded [as Jews, subject to Jewish religious authority] that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.“ 

Understanding the New Testament church as the Israel of God under Melchisedec YHVH’s Savior is a fundamental truth, essential for understanding the whole story.

“my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:” (Romans 9:3-6)

Continue reading “169) Other Sheep Brought Into The Fold By The Shepherd”

Herod Antipas transformed rural Galilee by building bustling urban centers of government, commerce, and recreation. The crown jewels of his building program were Tiberias and Sepphoris and within one generation – the very time of Jesus – some 8,000 to 12,000 people moved into them.

This immigration in the 1st century AD provided a massive audience for YHVH’s witnesses to proclaim the YHVH’s Christ. (Hmm, a lot like America in the 21st century AD. Just saying.)

“Zacharias [Priest and father of John the Baptist] was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied [quoting Isaiah 9:1-2]…thou, child…shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

1. to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins
2. to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.” (Luke 1)

“in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

And John gets it.

“John the son of Zacharias…came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet ALL FLESH shall see the salvation of God.

Continue reading “170) Jesus Accepted Gentiles Into The Assembly Of Faith – Acts 15”