Category: The Message

Are YOU on the Side of GOD?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Okay…You say that you’re a Christian! Do YOU study your Bible ~ God’s PLAYBOOK?

The WORD: the BIBLE is the supernatural inspiration of God and written down by 40 different writers…some are anonymous. Each reveals to us a version or a nuance of the same account: Creation, Fall and Redemption. Each account is a layer of God’s Truth woven into a tapestry that narrates history, faith and sacrifice. The Old Testament or the Tanakh informs and prepares us for the first coming of Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach; it also eludes to the 2nd coming (especially in Zachariah). The New Testament tells about HIS arrival on earth, His mission and His Sacrifice; throughout it tells us of the second coming of Jesus and lays down the rules for the final conflict between HIM and HIS followers and Satan and his followers. In the meantime, In both Testaments, we are warned throughout Scripture and especially in the New Testament about the “god of this world” who is Satan the devil!

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

If you haven’t chosen sides yet, you’re running out of time as we’re in the countdown to the end. Heavenly Father doesn’t want you or your church to be a fan club because we’re ALL Players here…NO FANS! Heavenly Father doesn’t want any bench sitters! HE doesn’t want the grandstands full! He wants to see us ALL out there sharing the Gospel of Jesus – Yeshua with everyone we meet until He comes!

Everyday, we’re all embroiled in a battle between good and evil. Every time we choose evil, we’re giving our life over to Satan and creating a rift between us and the Father. To be straight out honest, we’re choosing death instead of life.

Jesus already won the war on the cross! Now it’s a final battle for all of the souls that haven’t chosen sides yet and Satan will not admit defeat as long as there’s one person left on this earth for him to destroy; this is why when Jesus comes He awakens His dead and changes His living into Spiritual Beings. Once this has occurred, Satan can no longer hurt those who belong to Jesus .

Not only does mankind face this battle on a moment to moment basis, there’s a spiritual war that’s been going on since Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Satan and his angels have been in a non-stop spiritual battle with Michael and his angels…a battle that we can’t physically see, but it’s been going on since Lucifer (Satan the Devil) was cast out of Heaven and it’s still going on all around us!

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Is your church your social club? Is Sunday the day that you go to the refueling station to get your sermon fix and then go right back to living the life that you’ve grown comfortable with – maybe a life that is ebbing away at your salvation and robbing you of the promise? Then, in my book, it’s time to make a change, it appears to me that you’re a bench sitter or a fan! Are you too “nice” to tell you family or friends about Jesus – Yeshua? Are you so “nice” that because of your silence, you’re willing to stand by and watch them die and go to Hell?

Don’t you know that you’re in a battle for your life and the lives of everyone you come into contact with? That’s why you need to stand up today and proclaim Jesus as your savior! You need to put on the armor of God and pray like you’ve never prayed before! There’s only one way for you to present yourself to Jesus. You need to demonstrate your faith by speaking up and sharing your testimony of Jesus – Yeshua:

John 16:8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

There’s NO TIME like the present time for you to be BOLD! Look this world straight in the eye and show the world that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then repent from your sins and start living your life for Jesus! Fall and your knees in LOVE and WORSHIP and ask HIM to show you THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE!

We have to make a stand for Jesus and choose to be on God’s side in this great battle of God vs. Satan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that God is the equal of Satan, what I’m saying is that Satan represents intrinsic evil and GOD is incomparable and HIS GOODNESS is something that we cannot fathom. God is HOLY and JUST and when we make the decision to live as God has taught us to live, HE saves us from the “power of darkness” and because of HIS SON, our redeemer, HE welcomes us to be part of “the Kingdom of the Son”.

https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/05/03/the-plan-of-salvation/

Are You Walking in the “LIGHT”?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Scripture from KJV – the King James Version Bible.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

***There’s only once source of light and that is Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach who came to this earth as the “living WORD” as the “LIFE”!

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

***When Jesus – Yeshua gave His life on the cross for us, He was covered in our filthy, hideous sin so much so that the world became totally dark for about 3 hours. In this world, even a self proclaimed Christian sometimes tend to be selfish, lustful, angry, prideful, self-seeking, lazy, or any other combination of sinfulness every day of your life. Now that I’ve said this, if you you see these traits dominating you life, I have to ask you: how do you plan to give these up? With will power? Spiritual resolve? Sheer force? I’m here to tell you that there’s only one way to give it up and that’s to believe in Jesus – Yeshua and when you truly believe, He will send the Holy Spirit to guide you…you CAN NOT do it without the “POWER of GOD”!

Armor of God: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/06/01/spiritual-warfare/

Prayer: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/03/01/power-of-prayer/

People who claim to “be good” in their own eyes, when pressed, have to admit that they sometimes, lie, cheat, steal and lust…etc… So on this basis alone, how can anyone claim to be good? There’s only ONE GOOD and that’s GOD!

1 John 1: 3-10

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

***Until Jesus the Messiah – Yeshua Hamaschiach came to this earth and died for our sins, mankind had been unable to walk with God since our fall from Grace in the Garden of Eden. Because of this, before Jesus came to save us, there was no hope for peace or salvation for mankind.

4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

***Because God so loved the world that He gave His own Begotten son for us, we can now have the choice to experience total Joy in and through Christ!

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

***When we ask Jesus into our lives, believe that he is the son of God and repent from our sins, He becomes our light. The darkness referred to is sin and Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God who was SINLESS! Therefore His sacrifice on the cross washed clean all those who follow Him.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

***When we walk with Jesus in His Light, we know and recognize the truth, we understand that He is the Truth, the Way and the Life and only through Him will we have a relationship with our Father in Heaven.

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

***The longer and the more that we walk in His light, we will develop His attributes: Love, Forgiveness, Kindness, Patience and the other fruits of His Spirit, therefore making us more in the image of Christ with each passing moment.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

***Confessing our sins to God and asking forgiveness, shows our Father in Heaven that we don’t want a rift with Him, that we realize and acknowledge our transgression and that with all of our heart, we’re going to do our best to never repeat that sin again. Sin causes division with God because He can’t stand sin and although He is a GOD of LOVE, He’s also Holy and a God of Righteousness. Once you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, you are saved and the only thing that can destroy your Salvation is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but we can cause a division in our relationship with Heavenly Father.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

***Think of when you did things that upset your parents on this earth…until you made up for it in some fashion, there was an uncomfortable uneasiness when you were in their presence. Admitting to God that we sinned is being totally honest with Him and removing the shame that we should and would feel in His presence.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

***Jesus is the WORD and Jesus is the Light of the World and His light will expose any sin (darkness) that’s in us. When our conscience is pricked, we know that we sinned…at that very moment, we need to ask forgiveness, don’t put it off, for tomorrow isn’t promised!

Your strength is in the Lord – you can’t do it without HIM! Focus on growing closer to Him through HIS WORD…study the Scriptures daily and know that you need to lay down your plans for your life and open your heart and mind to HIS plans for your life. Recognize that He is truly the “LIFE” and the “LIGHT”!

Is Belief in Billions of Years & Evolution Atheism?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

The Creation: I’m going to make my case as a “YOUNG EARTH” Christian, because I believe that GOD literally created the earth in 6 days exactly like He says He does in Genesis. Therefore, I absolutely reject the biological concept referred to as evolution. I also believe that you can’t honestly claim God the Father of Jesus and the giver of the Holy Spirit as the basis of your belief system and then continue to embrace the atheistic view of billions of years and evolution. Christianity and the Atheistic beliefs of billions of years and evolution conflict with the plan of Salvation which is the 1st verse of Genesis.

This is early Hebrew Pictographs of the 1st 3 words of Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning”. In Hebrew it’s actually translated “In Beginning”. When you read pictographically, the death of Jesus – Yeshua on the cross was planned before creation!

There are some who claim that their belief lies in God as well as in the billions of years and evolution… The “Old Earth” Christian thought is that the earth is billions of years old and there’s a gap in the scriptures that leaves room for the billions of years between verses 1 & 2 of Genesis Chapter 1. By accepting the gap, verse 2 picks up after the billions of years. There’s also the Christian view known as “Theistic Evolutionist” that the earth is billions of years old and that God has created the earth and what lives on it today using initiated or guided processes of evolution.

This brings to light another problem! DEATH! If the Dinosaurs died 65 million years ago or more…if you’re a Christian, I ask you how? The curse of sin which brought on death didn’t happen until Adam and Eve accepted the lie of Satan Genesis 3:4 No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. Satan called God a liar and Eve believed him. WHY do we continue down this same vein of thought all these thousands of years later?

Scriptures from HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible

Romans 1:20 For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Is it possible that people who believe in billions of years and evolution, yet claim Christianity are sitting on the fence? Do they believe that it’s okay for them to call God a Liar? If they don’t believe Scriptures about Creation, how can they reconcile Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach rising from the dead? How can they believe in all the miracles performed by Jesus? If the entire BIBLE – THE WORD isn’t 100% true, why would anyone believe any of it?

Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

Is it possible that when we accept a lie, that God just says okay, go ahead, you’ve made your bed, now lie in it? After all, we do have the freedom to choose! That’s one of the attributes and gifts that make Him such an AWESOME God! He doesn’t force us to believe anything…but He does give us proof if we’re willing to take off the blinders.

1 Peter 3:3-7 First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, 4 saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 5 They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. 6 Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. 7 But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

When you deny Creation, aren’t you a Scoffer? Are you saying then that it’s okay to live your life anyway that you please because God’s plan doesn’t fit your timeline? Aren’t you saying by your disbelief of what what God has done in the past makes it likely that what God says about our future also isn’t true?

Genesis 1-31

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: At a particular instant roughly 15 billion years ago, all the matter and energy we can observe, concentrated in a region smaller than a dime, began to expand and cool at an incredibly rapid rate. By the time the temperature had dropped to 100 million times that of the sun’s core, the forces of nature assumed their present properties.

*Scientists claim: In science we adopt the plodding route: we accept only what is tested by experiment or observation.

MY QUESTION: When, How and where did they test the theory of billions of years? How can they experiment and observe billions of years?

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: It was five billion years ago. A giant cloud of matter in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, condensed under its gravity, exploding in nuclear fusion. This fusion released what we call sunshine. Very, very, very hot sunshine. And the newly formed star was our Sun.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: Though Earth was neatly orbiting the Sun as a rocky mass four and a half billion years ago, no organism could survive there. Radiation from the recent supernova kept the planet extremely hot, its surface molten, and oxygen was non-existent. Plus, incredibly massive meteorites and asteroids frequently slammed onto the surface — creating even more heat. The Earth got so hot, it began melting. Heavier material sank to the bottom, lighter stuff rose to the top. Some elements evaporated. This transformation created the Earth’s layered core and mantle, crust, and atmosphere.

MY COMMENT***The Bible clearly says that the earth was formless and empty and then God created light…this is entirely opposite of what science teaches us. Science teaches that light came before earth was formed.

My QUESTION: Using the scientific method and claim, how is this scenario anything more than a theory? How did they experiment and observe?

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW:

1. Earth’s original atmosphere was probably just hydrogen and helium, because these were the main gases in the dusty, gassy disk around the Sun from which the planets formed. The Earth and its atmosphere were very hot. Molecules of hydrogen and helium move really fast, especially when warm. Actually, they moved so fast they eventually all escaped Earth’s gravity and drifted off into space.

MY QUESTION: And how many billion years ago did this all happen? We still have hydrogen and helium today…why hasn’t it all left?

My Comment***Please notice how what they know about hydrogen and helium moving fast is somehow lending credibility to their hypothesis. We have so much abundant helium today that we can use it in party balloons and we fuel rockets with liquid hydrogen!

2. Earth’s “second atmosphere” came from Earth itself. There were lots of volcanoes, many more than today, because Earth’s crust was still forming. The volcanoes released steam (H2O, with two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom), carbon dioxide (CO2, with one carbon atoms and two oxygen atoms), ammonia (NH3, with one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms).

MY QUESTION: How and where did the water ( H2O ) come from when there isn’t a mechanism to generate the oxygen yet? All there was was the hydrogen and Helium. Today we get Oxygen from the Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) that the plants on earth need to grow…their bi-product is oxygen.

***it’s not exactly true that this is what Volcanoes spew today and HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT the VOLCANOES SPEWED supposedly Billions of years ago? This is what I found out about today’s volcanoes: The most common volcanic gas is water vapor, followed by carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide can cause breathing problems in both healthy people and people with asthma and other respiratory problems. Other volcanic gases include hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen fluoride. Therefore we can’t use today’s information as a key to the past…today’s information can “ONLY” be a key to the present.

3. Much of the CO2 dissolved into the oceans. Eventually, a simple form of bacteria developed that could live on energy from the Sun and carbon dioxide in the water, producing oxygen as a waste product. Thus, oxygen began to build up in the atmosphere, while the carbon dioxide levels continued to drop. Meanwhile, the ammonia molecules in the atmosphere were broken apart by sunlight, leaving nitrogen and hydrogen. The hydrogen, being the lightest element, rose to the top of the atmosphere and much of it eventually drifted off into space

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: Now we have Earth’s “third atmosphere,” the one we all know and love—an atmosphere containing enough oxygen for animals, including ourselves, to evolve.

MY COMMENT***PLEASE READ CAREFULLY the “third atmosphere” CONCLUSION.

MY QUESTION: WHERE is there any proof of these steps? Where is the model from billions of years ago that they were able make their experimentation and observation? Was it once again, another guess?

MY COMMENT*** Notice the language used as the conclusion…“the one we all know and love“, followed by the word evolve. Talk about brainwashing the reader!

9 Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and He called the gathering of the water “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 Evening came and then morning: the third day.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: According to this theory, the ocean formed from the escape of water vapor and other gases from the molten rocks of the Earth to the atmosphere surrounding the cooling planet. After the Earth’s surface had cooled to a temperature below the boiling point of water, rain began to fall—and continued to fall for centuries.

MY QUESTION: Does this scientific view clearly say it’s a “Theory”?

MY COMMENT***So once again, it’s a hypothesis without experimentation and observation.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years. 15 They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night—as well as the stars. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18 to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: Like the other planets, Earth formed from the leftover cloud of dust and gas orbiting the young sun. … Gravity bound the ejected particles together, creating a moon that is the largest in the solar system in relation to its host planet. The young protostar (our sun) was a ball of hydrogen and helium not yet powered by fusion. Over tens of millions of years, the temperature and pressure of the material inside increased, jump starting the fusion of hydrogen that drives the sun today. “A star the size of our sun requires about 50 million years to mature from the beginning of the collapse to adulthood,”according to NASA. “Our sun will stay in this mature phase … for approximately 10 billion years.” The first stars did not appear until perhaps 100 million years after the big bang, and nearly a billion years passed before galaxies proliferated across the cosmos. Astronomers have long wondered: How did this dramatic transition from darkness to light come about?

MY QUESTION: Even after they have made all of their guesses, they’re still guessing! Yes, they use computer simulations, etc, but they can only guess what to put into the computer to perpetuate the simulation! Remember the old computer adage: Junk in – junk out? Once again I ask: Where’s the experiment and observation?

MY COMMENT***How can anyone’s guess be taken as Gospel? Because if you believe in these theories, that’s what you’re doing! Essentially, you’re saying that God is a liar! That Jesus who is the WORD…didn’t tell us the truth!

20 Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 So God blessed them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: All evidence suggests that the Earth was inhospitable to life for the first 700 million years, largely because it was so hot. However, the Earth gradually cooled, and 4 billion years ago it became more hospitable. Within little more than 100 million years, the first single-cell life forms appeared.3 Where did these organisms come from? And what were their capabilities?

MY QUESTION: Why do scientists continue to make guesses and then publish them as fact?

MY COMMENT*** There’s no evidence that minerals can create life code (DNA). To have life, you must have DNA. To recreate DNA, you NEED DNA! This is an ever changing theory with many more questions than answers. The scientific community is not lacking for ideas and theories, but they are lacking facts and proof!

If you desire to be further confused, look up the origins of life on earth via the internet and be stunned by all the different theories.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: That life evolved. The earliest known mammals were the morganucodontids, tiny shrew-size creatures that lived in the shadows of the dinosaurs 210 million years ago. They were one of several different mammal lineages that emerged around that time. All living mammals today, including us, descend from the one line that survived.

MY QUESTION: How is it anyone could believe that the diversity and beauty of our planet earth is a “Happy Accident” that “Chaos” could ever be responsible for the existence of the universe, earth, humanity and all that’s on this earth?

MY COMMENT***It seems to me that science is “selective”. I mean in the sense that they choose to believe their theories and their guesses without proof.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

27 So God created man in His own image;
He created him in the image of God;
He created them male and female.

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

SCIENTIFIC VIEW: The first human ancestors appeared between five million and seven million years ago, probably when some apelike creatures in Africa began to walk habitually on two legs. They were flaking crude stone tools by 2.5 million years ago. Then some of them spread from Africa into Asia and Europe after two million years ago.

MY QUESTION: Since science uses the “missing link” theory to perpetuate the idea of evolution and billions and millions of years, why hasn’t a single missing link been found between any of the kinds of species on this earth? The fact is the fossil record says NO! There are no missing links!

MY COMMENT***I don’t have any idea of what the true numbers are of the scientist community who believe the Bible is true history. I suspect that there are many who don’t speak out for fear of losing their position or grant funding. I do know that 40 years ago when I asked my college geology teacher about the current methods of dating rocks, he refused to answer in the classroom. I invited him and his wife to dinner and he told me that it’s just a guessing game…that the dating methods, no matter how much the scientific community adheres to them, they’re inconclusive. I asked why he wouldn’t answer the question in class, he said it was because his answer would more than likely cause him to lose his job.

Since those days, the “CREATION SCIENTISTS” from the Institute for Creation Research have carbon 14 dated fossils and have even found carbon 14 in Diamonds, in Dinosaurs, in several other fossils found in the layers that are proposed by the secular scientists to be 65 million years old (Mesozoic Period). HOW CAN THIS BE? It’s believed that Carbon 14 loses half of it’s life in 5,700 years, mathematically, it totally disappears in 100,000 years…supposedly diamonds were formed 1-3.3 Billion years ago. HOW CAN THIS BE? Not to mention that they have found soft tissue that once was in animals that supposedly died 65 million years ago. HOW CAN THIS BE? This tissue was recently discovered by secular scientists (Dr. Mary Schweitzer was on 60 minutes about 7 years ago) and to her credit, they redid the tests many times and came up with the same conclusion. It seems that soft tissue in dinosaur fossils is nothing new. Since then, they’ve found blood cells and vessels, nerve cells, bone cells in many different countries including China, Mexico, Russia and the USA.

If you’d like to learn more about Creation Science :

https://www.icr.org

Home Page – Is Genesis History

Does Your Hope Lie in Jesus?

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

Biblical hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.

Scriptures from KJV – King James Version of the Bible.

From the very beginning the Word communicates to us in the language of “HOPE”! It does not communicate to us in wishful thinking as we know it to be in this carnal world. Until we accept Jesus into our lives, we are in a constant state of hoping for this or that, or hoping something will or will not happen. The carnal world of hope is about throwing the dice and getting lucky.

The “HOPE” spoken about in the Bible is promised! It’s not a verb…it’s a noun…Biblical Hope can be touched, felt, embraced and completely trusted. Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach is our only “HOPE”! “HOPE” is a blessing to those who believe in, trust and obey Jesus.

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.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11 is full of encouragement – I suggest you read the entire chapter.)

Through out ALL of our lives, we face countless trials, today we’re facing a pestilence named Covid-19 and there’s no end in sight. But Covid is just a symptom of a much more fatal disease. Jesus tells us in Mathew 10:28 not to fear him that kills our body, but fear him that will kill our body and your soul. If you have put your HOPE in Jesus, you have taken the cure for the worst disease that has plagued this Earth: SIN. All the terrible things that happen on this Earth are a direct result of the fall of the 1st Adam: disease (covid, etc), disaster (earthquakes, storms, etc), despair (loss of job and security, etc), emotional and physical pain (loss of a loved one), tears and ultimately our own physical death (the condemnation of God).

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

When you believe in the HOPE of Christ, that his death on the cross has given you the crown of eternal life, then the Holy Spirit enters in, you will be changed! You will desire change, you will allow the Spirit to guide you away from SIN!

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Consider this promise given to believers in Revelation:

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

WHO is our “HOPE” of Salvation? Our HOPE is JESUS…

The Old Testament speaks of HOPE throughout, here are a couple of Psalms.

Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Psalm 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

After reading Psalm 119:114, I went through several translations of the Bible and discovered that “word” used in this scripture was not capitalized in any of them. It seems to me that David was referencing the promise of Salvation in this verse, which of course refers to Jesus – Yeshua. If you read the following verses, you’ll see the parallel:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

So if you’re reading this and you aren’t sure about your future…Jesus is not only our only “HOPE”, He’s the only WAY!

Jesus – Yeshua not only died on the cross for our sins, but when we accept and believe in HIM, he becomes the Shepherd of our lives! He sent the Holy Spirit to show us THE WAY! To show us THE TRUTH and give us the HOPE of LIFE! How does a Good Shepherd keep “HIS” Sheep safe?

5 Qualities that Make Jesus the Good Shepherd

  • He is good. Kalos, the Greek word, translated “good,” describes that which is noble, wholesome, good, and beautiful. …
  • He protects. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” …
  • He guides. “He restores my soul. …
  • He nurtures. …
  • He lays down his life.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

Do you offer your life to Jesus in total WORSHIP and DEVOTION?

Are you waiting until tomorrow to give HIM HIS GLORY?

Like the prodigal son…are you willing to leave behind the harlots and the wine cup?

Is Jesus – Yeshua truly the LORD of your life?

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

So JESUS is our “ONLY HOPE”! HOPE is a PERSON…That Person is Jesus who left his habitation in Heaven to seek and to save us. He came to suffer and forgive us. He came to rescue us from our sins and restore us back to the Father. He came to call, draw, and love those who without HIM, there would be NO HOPE!

The Plan of Salvation

What is Evangelism?

Evangelism is the communication of the gospel message that includes a warning, an explanation, and a call to Salvation at the Cross by the blood of Jesus. Evangelism warns people about sin and it’s consequences.

John 16:8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

Acts 24:25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.”

Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.13 Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

It includes an explanation of God’s remedy for sin—the gospel

Acts 8:29-35 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”30 When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. 33 In His humiliation justice was denied Him.
Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.

God’s Righteousness through Faith

Romans 3:21-26 But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets 22 —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

And it includes the clear call to REPENT (to turn from sin and to turn toward God) and believe the gospel, by faith.

Repent or Perish

Luke 13:1-5 At that time, some people came and reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And He responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all Galileans because they suffered these things? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well! 4 Or those 18 that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!”

Acts 17:29-31 29 Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

Romans 1:17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Romans 10:9-13 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

WE PLANT THE SEEDS! GOD MAKES IT GROW!

The principle of Evangelism is to bring our fellow man to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. We must not be complacent…sometimes I think that Americans are the most complacent people on earth. We need to wake up as the day will come when His mercy will end, so we must not take His mercy for granted, share the Gospel while there’s still time!

The entire chapter of Matthew 10 tells the disciples of their commission to go out and preach, He warns them of the pitfalls…

Matthew 10:16 Jesus said…”Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves… so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Matthew 4: 17 And as ye go, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

As the a member of the body of Christ I’m blessed…I know Jesus died for me and that when I repented (turn away) from my sins and put my trust in Jesus, that by His intercession, He will save me from God’s wrath. 

Here’s the Hitch!

There are many living on this earth, in this country and even in our town that don’t know Jesus. They don’t realize that they’re dead in their sins, because they don’t recognize what sin is.  They may have heard of someone named Jesus, but they have no idea of what He did for mankind or the consequences of their thoughts and actions, because they’ve never heard the Good News. 

The Ten Commandments EXODUS 20: 1-17 (NIV)

And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

 “Now once a man has thus been humbled by the Law (10 Commandments) and brought to the knowledge of himself, then he becomes truly repentant for the true repentance begins with the fear and with the judgment of God.  He sees that he is such a great sinner that he cannot find any means to be delivered from his sin by his own strength and effort of works.” (Martin Luther)

Martin Luther, O.S.A. 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. Wikipedia

The Bible teaches that as the church, we are the body of Christ. “We are to love the people of the world.  We are here for this very purpose – to go into the nations and proclaim the Gospel to all who will hear.” (The Gospel Project, Vol 2, p.96) 

***The Gospel Project is an adult Sunday school study program with teacher’s guides and student workbooks.

Will you Share the Gospel?

The principle of Evangelism is to bring our fellow man to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior.

The Bible teaches that as the church, we are the body of Christ. “We are to love the people of the world – Jesus Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach tells us:

Matthew 5:43-48  “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We are here for this very purpose – to go into the nations and proclaim the Gospel to all who will hear.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

As the a member of the body of Christ I’m thankful that I’ve been blessed…I know Jesus – Yeshua died for me on the cross and that when I repented and turned away from my sins and put my trust in Jesus alone, that by His intercession, He will save me from Heavenly Father’s wrath. 

Here’s the hitch…there are many living on this earth, in this country and even in our town that don’t know Jesus. They don’t realize that they’re dead in their sins, because they don’t recognize what sin is.  They may have heard of someone named Jesus, but they have no idea of what He did for mankind or the consequences of their thoughts and actions, because they’ve never heard the Good News. 

 “Now once a man has thus been humbled by the Law (10 Commandments) and brought to the knowledge of himself, then he becomes truly repentant for the true repentance begins with the fear and with the judgment of God.  He sees that he is such a great sinner that he cannot find any means to be delivered from his sin by his own strength and effort of works.” (Martin Luther)

Martin Luther, O.S.A. 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk, and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. Wikipedia

The Ten Commandments EXODUS 20: 1-17 (NIV)

And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/11/18/lets-talk-the-10-commandments/

As I study the Bible I see that God’s plan for the church is much greater than man’s plans.  In the book of Revelation 2, there are 7 angels sent to convey Christ’s letters to 7 churches…when you read these letters to the churches, you realize that they all fall short in one way or another.  I’ve been told by many that these letters only pertain to the churches that existed in the early church or that they’re actually periods of time throughout history starting with the early church. Fast forward to today and I believe that these letters pertain to today’s churches too. How many of us are lukewarm? How many of us make time to read our Bibles and spend time getting to know God? How many of us honor His gifts (including waking up in the morning to have another chance to get right with Him)? How many of us stay home to watch football instead of worshiping Him with the congregation? How many of us stop to smell His roses, stop to enjoy His sunset or sunrise, gasp at the beauty of a new born baby created in His image? All glorious creations of God! Everywhere we look we are surrounded by His magnificence and wonders and the testimony of His creation is before us. When I study the 7 letters to the churches, I find myself desperately praying that as a congregation of followers, we will heed the messages in these letters and try our best to follow His plans for us and the world. 

Why is Evangelism Necessary?

Is Evangelizing a scary concept?

Scriptures from HCSB – Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Definition: Evangelism is the communication of the gospel message that includes a warning, an explanation, and a call to Salvation at the Cross by the blood of Jesus. Evangelism warns people about sin and it’s consequences.

John 16:8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

Acts 24:25  Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I find time I’ll call for you.”

People may become afraid or resistant when they hear about these things…just as Felix did when Paul preached to him. Keep in mind that the most important way to treat them is to talk to them as a friend, all the while being humble, loving and kind. Prayerfully, this approach will keep their attention while you present the subject of faith and trust in Christ. All the while remembering ultimately that they are saved by GRACE and not by anything that you can say or do can save them…that only their belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that HE did it ALL for us on the cross can save them. If someone doesn’t want to hear you or they brush you off, don’t be offended, don’t be afraid to talk to others because of what you consider to be a failure…we don’t need to know the outcome of the seeds we plant. We plant and Heavenly Father harvests.

The Plan of Salvation

Have you heard about the Great White Throne Judgment?

Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.13 Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Evangelism includes an explanation of God’s remedy for sin—the Gospel

Acts 8:29-35 The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” 30 When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth.33 In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. 34 The eunuch replied to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?” 35 So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.

God’s Righteousness through Faith

Romans 3:21-26 But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets 22 —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Evangelism includes the clear call to REPENT! (to turn from sin and to turn toward God) and believe the gospel, by faith

Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!”

Do you want to Repent or Perish?

Luke 13:1-5 At that time, some people came and reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And He responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all Galileans because they suffered these things? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well! 4 Or those 18 that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!”

Acts 17:29-31 Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

Romans 1:17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Romans 10:9-13 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

WHO’s going to tell them?

It’s so true that social media has become a major part of our lives and I see this as both a blessing and a curse! It depends on how you plan to use the social media platform…if it’s for the Glory of God, then I believe you may be headed in the right direction. If it’s for entertainment and controversial subjects such as politics, etc, if you find yourself arguing with friends, family and strangers, then maybe it’s not good for you. So, at first thought, it might seem like a good idea to have an account on all the major social media platforms, but soon you’ll find that there’s only so many hours in the day and spending your day posting and responding to comments; it may not be satisfying or productive. However, with Covid-19 being a concern, for the time being, it may be your easiest way for now… to spread the Gospel.

The principle of Evangelism is to bring our fellow man to the recognition that they are sinners just like you and me and that faith in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior is the only road to Salvation. We must not be complacent when it comes to sharing the Gospel…sometimes I think that Americans are the most complacent people on earth. We need to wake up before the Rapture as the day will come when His mercy will end and those who have not accepted Jesus – Yeshua as their Savior will face the terrible times known as Tribulation. So we must not take His mercy for granted, share the Gospel while there’s still time!

Don’t say to yourself that you’re not qualified…when Jesus – Yeshua called His disciples (the Apostles), he chose them from all walks of life; He started his ministry with 4 fisherman: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and James and John, the son’s of Zebedee.

Matthew 4:19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”

It would be a good idea to read the entire chapter of Matthew 10 as it tells the disciples of their commission to go out and preach the Gospel, He warns them of the pitfalls…

Matthew 10:16 Jesus said…”Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves… so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Matthew 4: 17 And as ye go, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand today as much as when it was spoken of by Jesus 200o years ago. Jesus is currently waiting for the Father to send Him for His Church…His Bride (the Rapture). Only the Father knows when this will occur. Then after the rapture of the Church, there will be 7 years of Tribulation for the non believers (during this time many will come to faith including a large number of Jewish people). Jesus will then return to Jerusalem to lock up Satan and set up his 1000 years Kingdom ~ His Millennial Reign on Earth. This Kingdom will precede the final destruction of Satan and this planet after which He will create a NEW Heavens and a NEW Earth.

When you’ve completed the study of Matthew, consider an in depth study of the BOOK of JOHN.

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Always praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

The Gospel Inspires Change

All Scriptures from the KJV (King James Version of the Bible).

God means what He says and says what He means! My hermeneutics are “literal”, however, that being said…study the scriptures yourself and make up your own mind! Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit…

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

From darkness to light!

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

When we consider and think about the time that Jesus the Messiah – Yeshua Ha Mashiach walked this earth, all of His miracles, His teachings about love and forgiveness; according to John 21:25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.

It’s difficult for us as Christians to comprehend that as he died on the cross for us and after all he’d done and said, that there were people on this earth still walking in darkness. Much to my sorrow, there are so many people today who walk in darkness; some of these people actually prefer the darkness. However, there are others who haven’t heard the message proclaimed to them in such a way as to wake them up and make them desire with all of their heart to walk in the “LIGHT”.

John 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Without light, the entire world would quickly die as the bitter cold would encompass us… the planet as we know it would no longer exist. If you don’t have Jesus in your heart and in your mind, you’re walking in darkness and there’s nothing truly good in your life; the new car, the new house, the growing 401K, the evening out of dining, dancing and drinking are but a futile search for what is really good and it can’t be found in things or places of this earth.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Jesus – Yeshua is that GOOD and PERFECT gift who came to this earth to die for our sins and save us because HE LOVES us…and to be honest, I ‘m not 100% certain that I fathom that kind of love. He truly is the Light, His love warms us and protects us from the evil one. The light that Jesus gives us is the light that exposes our sins and wake us up to the fact that we need a Savior. His death on the cross to attain forgiveness from Heavenly Father for our sins lit the path to our salvation. Through faith, love and repentence we walk in His light and HIS LIGHT is eternal life!

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

When you become a follower of Jesus, you walk from the darkness into the “LIGHT”. You are changed forever! Everything you do is for the “Glory of God” and every thought you have is for the “Glory of God.” 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.12 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

From death to life!

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

When we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He gave us His only begotten Son to die for us, we’re saying that we trust HIS WORD and that we know and accept that HE would never lie to us. This trust is the beginning of faith and faith brings us from death and damnation to eternal life in Jesus.

Jesus makes it perfectly clear throughout the Scriptures that HE is the ONLY WAY to eternal life, that HE is the door (the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE) and that HE is our mediator/counselor between us and our Father in Heaven. Now nothing can separate us from God because Jesus died for us!

Matthew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Luke 20:38 or he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob physically died thousands of years before Jesus Christ, but Jesus tells us that they are alive…WHY? Because they believed God’s promise of salvation.

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.

From sin to salvation!

Mark 10:45 (HCSB) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

When God created us, He created us for fellowship with Him! He walked in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He created us to not only believe what He tells us, but to LOVE, WORSHIP and PRAISE HIM for His blessing of our life as well as the blessings of all of creation! He didn’t create man last because we were an afterthought, He created everything for us and then He even gave us a day, the Sabbath, so that we can know that it’s okay for us to rest from our labors. Adam and Eve were the first ones to betray that relationship and sin against God. Cain, son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel, was the second to betray the relationship with God and sinned by killing his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy because God preferred Abel’s blood sacrifice over his fruits and vegetable sacrifice. Men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and many others understood the meaning of the blood (the representation of Christ’s sacrifice) and that the sacrifice of blood atoned for sin and that the sacrifice was a proxy for the death of the person.

Romans 5:12-15 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

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

James 1:12-15 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Jesus did not have to die for us…He’s GOD! He could have left the cross anytime HE wanted to, but HE chose to suffer and die for us because He loved us to atone for OUR SINS. For those who believe He’s the Son of God and repent from our sins, we are covered in and protected by HIS BLOOD and have been saved!

So today is the day! So in faith and trust, make a clean break from sin and confess you sins to God asking Jesus to intercede for you!

Please take a few moments and read this blog: https://jesusamazinggrace.com/2020/05/03/the-plan-of-salvation/

Our King and His Kingdom

Jesus is God! Jesus is KING!

Another Counselor Promised

John 14:15-21 “If you love Me, you will keep My commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

19 “In a little while the world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

There’s no doubt that Jesus is God and that God is in Him…because of our belief in Him, he is also in us. Thus we’ve received the gift of the Holy Spirit!

Psalm 47:7-8 Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of all the earth. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. 12 Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.

Luke 17: 20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

If you’re a Christian, you’re waiting with great anticipation for the Kingdom of God. You’re waiting for Jesus to come back to earth wearing His crown and taking up His place as King of His Kingdom. The Old Testament (66 books) and the New Testament (27 books) both proclaim the Kingdom of God! Every book, every chapter, every verse points us to Jesus as the Messiah – Yeshua Hamashiach (Hebrew translation). When Jesus walked on this earth, he preached and taught the Kingdom of God. The Gospel is the Good News that the Kingdom of God is coming soon and that He will be sitting on the throne. We are told by Jesus to preach to every nation about the Kingdom of God…with the technology that we have had for the last 20+ years, my best guess is that this has already been accomplished. When speaking about His Kingdom: John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

So now we’re in a holding pattern? So, if that’s the case, does it mean that we’re supposed to just sit back and wait? NO…we’re supposed to tell everyone we know and meet about the saving grace of Jesus and that His Kingdom is coming to earth with Him when he returns! Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19-20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus instructs us to tell them that they must repent of their sins (turn away from) and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and then obey God’s commandments. Luke 4:43 “But He said to them, I must proclaim the Good News about the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” Revelation 12:17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and have the testimony about Jesus.and Revelation 14:12 This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”

Matthew 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight!

Jesus was Baptized by John and the Holy Spirit was sent to Him from God and when He learned of John’s arrest:

Ministry in Galilee

Matthew 4:12-17 When He heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
along the sea road, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles!
16 The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the shadowland of death,
light has dawned.

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

The Pharisees had all the books in the Tanakh that foretold His coming by the prophets such as Isaiah and yet they were blind; it’s thought that they were too ingrained in the traditions of their position and authority among the people and that they saw Jesus as a threat to their authority.

What is it that Jesus is talking about in Luke 17:21? He’s telling the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is already on Earth…it’s obvious that they don’t understand that HE is the Kingdom of God and He’s right there in their midst and either they don’t fathom it or they just refuse to recognize Him.

Jesus had performed so many miracles from the feeding of the multitudes, healing the lame and the blind, to driving out demons; the Pharisees were foolish enough to think that he was possessed by demons instead of seeing that these miracles came from His Father in Heaven. They had been privy to the miracles of God through their reading of the Tanakh and still they weren’t willing to give Him the credit.

Luke 11:20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.

John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

To help you out with your studies, here are scriptures found in the Old and New Testament that you can refer to and read about the miracles.

Miracles Are There In The Old Testament:

  1. Creation – Genesis 1:1–27
  2. Enoch’s translation – Genesis 5:24
  3. The Flood – Genesis 7:17–24
  4. Confusion of tongues at Babel -Genesis 11:3–9
  5. Sodomites blinded – Genesis 19:11
  6. Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed -Genesis 19:24–25
  7. Lot’s wife turned to a pillar of salt – Genesis 19:26
  8. Ass speaking in human voice- Numbers 22:21–35
  9. Burning bush – Exodus 3:3
  10. Moses’ rod changed into a serpent – Exodus 4:3–4, 30
  11. Moses’ hand made leprous – Exodus 4:6–7, 30
  12. Aaron’s rod changed into a serpent – Exodus 7:8–10
  13. River turned to blood – Exodus 7:20–25
  14. Frogs – Exodus 8:1–15
  15. Lies – Exodus 8:16–19
  16. Flies – Exodus 8:20–24
  17. Murrain – Exodus 9:1–7
  18. Boils – Exodus 9:8–12
  19. Hail – Exodus 9:18–24
  20. Locusts – Exodus 10:1–20
  21. Darkness – Exodus 10:21–23
  22. First-born destroyed in Egypt – Exodus 12:29–30
  23. Pillar of cloud and fire – Exodus 13:21–22; 14:19–20
  24. Crossing the Red Sea – Exodus 14:21–23
  25. Bitter waters sweetened – Exodus 15:25
  26. Manna sent – Exodus 16:13–36
  27. Water from the rock in Rephidim – Exodus 17:5–8
  28. Amalek defeated – Exodus 17:9–13
  29. Strange fire on Aaron’s sacrifice – Leviticus 9:24
  30. Nadab and Abihu destroyed – Leviticus 10:1–2
  31. Israel’s judgment by fire – Numbers 11:1–3
  32. Miriam’s leprosy – Numbers 12:10–15
  33. Korah and his gang destroyed by unnatural means – Numbers 16:31–35
  34. Murmurers destroyed by a ravaging plague – Numbers 16:41–50
  35. Aaron’s rod blossoms – Numbers 17:8
  36. Water from the rock in Kadesh – Numbers 20:8–11
  37. Brazen serpent healed many bitten by fiery serpents – Numbers 21:9
  38. Jordan supernaturally divided – Joshua 3:14–17
  39. Fall of Jericho – Joshua 6:6–20
  40. Dew on Gideon’s fleece – Judges 6:37–40
  41. Sun and Moon stood still – Joshua 10:12–14
  42. Angel in flame – Judges 13:20
  43. Lion slain by Samson – Judges 14:5–6
  44. Thirty Philistines killed by Samson – Judges 14:19
  45. Water from the hollow place Lehi – Judges 15:19
  46. City gates carried away by Samson – Judges 16:3
  47. Dagon’s house pulled down by Samson – Judges 16:29–30
  48. Dagon’s fall before the Ark – 1 Samuel 5:1–12
  49. Men of Beth-shemesh destroyed – 1 Samuel 6:19–20
  50. Thunder and rain in harves-ttime – 1 Samuel 12:18
  51. Uzzah’s mysterious death – 2 Samuel 6:6–7
  52. Jeroboam’s hand withered and restored – 1 Kings 13:4–6
  53. Rending of the altar in Bethel – 1 Kings 13:5
  54. Drought ordered by Elijah – 1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17
  55. Elijah fed by ravens – 1 Kings 17:4–6
  56. Widow’s oil and meal supernaturally increased – 1 Kings 17:12–17
  57. Widow’s son raised from dead – 1 Kings 17:17–23
  58. Sacrifice consumed by fire – 1 Kings 18:38
  59. Rain in answer to prayer – 1 Kings 18:41
  60. Captains destroyed by Elijah’s command of fire – 2 Kings 1:9–12
  61. Jordan divided by Elijah’s mantle – 2 Kings 2:8
  62. Elijah translated to heavens in a chariot of fire – 2 Kings 2:11
  63. Jordan divided by Elisha with Elijah’s mantle – 2 Kings 2:14
  64. Waters of Jericho healed – 2 Kings 2:20–22
  65. Young mockers of Elisha torn by bears – 2 Kings 2:24
  66. Waters supernaturally supplied for Jehoshaphat – 2 Kings 3:16–20
  67. Widow’s supernaturally multiplied – 2 Kings 4:1–7
  68. Shunammite’s raised from dead – 2 Kings 4:19–37
  69. Piosioned pottage made harmless – 2 Kings 4:38–41
  70. Hundred fed with 20 loaves – 2 Kings 4:42–44
  71. Naaman cured of leprosy – 2 Kings 5:10–14
  72. Gehazi struck with leprosy – 2 Kings 5:27
  73. Axehead caused to float – 2 Kings 6:5–7
  74. Ben-Hadad’s plans revealed – 2 Kings 6:8–13
  75. Syrian army defeated – 2 Kings 6:18–20
  76. Resurrection by touch with Elisha’s bones – 2 Kings 13:21
  77. Sennecherib’s army destroyed by an angel – 2 Kings 19:35
  78. Hezekiah healed – 2 Kings 20:7
  79. Shadow returned to sundial – 2 Kings 20:11
  80. Uzziah afflicted with leprosy – 2 Chronicles 26:16–21
  81. Three men delivered from fiery furnace – Daniel 3:19–27
  82. Daniel delivered from y lion’s den – Daniel 6:16–23
  83. Preservation of Jonah in the belly of fish for 3 days – Jonah 2:1–10

This list is the miracles performed by Jesus and written down in the 4 Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well as the books of Acts and Corinthians.

Jesus’s Miracles in the New Testament:

  1. Water made wine in Cana – John 2:1–11
  2. Son of nobleman healed in Cana – John 4:46–54
  3. Christ passed unseen through crowd in Nazareth – Luke 4:28–30
  4. Demoniac in synagogue healed in Capernaum – Mark 1:23–26
  5. Peter’s mother- inlaw healed in Capernaum – Matthew 8:14–17
  6. Draught of fishes in lake of Galileo – Luke 5:1–11
  7. Leper cleansed in Capernaum – Matthew 8:1–4
  8. Paralytic healed in Capernaum – Matthew 9:1–8
  9. Impotent man healed in Jerusalem – John 5:1–9
  10. Withered hand restored in Galilee – Matthew 12:10–13
  11. Centurion’s servant cured of palsy in Capernaum – Matthew 8:5–13
  12. Widow’s son raised in Nain – Luke 7:11–17
  13. Demoniac healed in Galilee – Matthew 12:22–23
  14. Tempest stilled in lake Galilee – Matthew 8:23–27
  15. Two demoniac cured in Gadara – Matthew 8:28–34
  16. Jairus’ daughter raised from dead – Matthew 9:23
  17. Woman with isse of blood healed – Matthew 9:20–22
  18. Blind men cured – Matthew 9:27–31
  19. Dumb spirit cast out in Capernaum – Matthew 9:32–33
  20. Five thousand supernaturally fed – Matthew 14:15–21
  21. Walking on the sea – Matthew 14:25–33
  22. Syro-phonecian daughter healed – Matthew 15:21–28
  23. Four thousand supernaturally fed – Matthew 15:32–39
  24. Transfiguration of Christ – Matthew 17:1–6
  25. Tribute money supernaturally provided -Matthew 17:24–27
  26. Deaf and dumb man healed – Mark 7:31–37
  27. Blind man healed – Mark 8:22–26
  28. Devil cast out of boy -Mark 9:14–29
  29. Miracles by the seventy – Luke 10:17
  30. Ten lepers cleansed – Luke 17:11–19
  31. Jesus passed unseen through crowd in the temple – John 8:59
  32. Man born blind healed – John 9:1–7
  33. Lazarus raised from dead – John 11:38–44
  34. Woman with infirmity cured – Luke 13:11–17
  35. Man with dropsy cured – Luke 14:1–6
  36. Two blind men cured in Jericho – Luke 18:35–43
  37. Fig tree cursed and withered -Mark 11:12–14
  38. Malchus’ ears healed – Luke 22:50–51
  39. Second draught of fishes – John 21:1–14
  40. Resurrection of Christ – Luke 24:6
  41. Christ’s appearance to Mary Magdalene – Mark 16:9
  42. Christ’s appearance to other women -Matthew 28:9
  43. Christ’s appearance to two disciples – Luke 24:15–31
  44. Christ’s appearance to Peter -1 Corinthians 15:5
  45. Christ’s appearance to ten apostles (Thomas absent) – John 20:19–24
  46. Christ’s appearance to eleven apostles (Thomas present) – John 20:126–28
  47. Christ’s appearance to seven disciples fishing – John 21:1–24
  48. Christ’s appearance to eleven apostles in Galilee – Matthew 28:16–17
  49. Christ’s appearance to five hundred brethren – 1 Corinthians 15:6
  50. Christ’s appearance to James – 1 Corinthians 15:7
  51. Christ’s appearance to eleven apostles on day of Ascension – Acts 1:2–9
  52. Outpouring of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:1–14
  53. Christ’s appearance to Paul at his conversion – Acts 9:1–5; 1 Corinthians 15:18
  54. Lame man cured by Peter – Acts 3:6
  55. Death of Ananias and Sapphira – Acts 5:5, 10
  56. Many sick people healed by Peter – Acts 5:15
  57. Apostles freed from prison by angelic intervention – Acts 5:19; 12:7–11
  58. Stephen’s great miracles – Acts 6:8
  59. Dying Stephen’s vision of Christ – Acts 7:55–56
  60. Philip cast out unclean spirit – Acts 8:6–13
  61. Ananias’ vision – Acts 9:10
  62. Paul’s sight restored – Acts 9:17–18
  63. Aeneas healed of palsy – Acts 9:34
  64. Dorcas restored to life – Acts 9:40
  65. Cornelius’ vision – Acts 10:3–4, 30–32
  66. Peter’s vision – Acts 10:9–20
  67. Agabus’ prophecies – Acts 11:28; 21:11
  68. Peter released from prison by angelic intervention – Acts 12:7–11
  69. Elymas blinded – Acts 13:11
  70. Lame man cured by Paul – Acts 14:10
  71. Damsel delivered from evil spirit – Acts 14:10
  72. Paul’s vision on the way to Damascus – Acts 16:9
  73. Earthquake released Paul and Silas – Acts 16:25–26
  74. Gift of tongues – Acts 19:6
  75. Special miracles by Paul – Acts 19:11–12
  76. Evil spirit overpowered Sceva’s seven sons – Acts 19:13–16
  77. Eutychus restored to life – Acts 20:10
  78. Paul unharmed by viper’s bite – Acts 28:5
  79. Publius’ father healed – Acts 28:8
  80. John’s vision on Patmos – Revelation 1:9; 22:21
  81. Innumerable miracles of Christ not recorded but witnessed by the apostles – John 20:30; cf. Acts 10:38–39

***Thank you to this website for their extensive list of miracles…they saved me untold time in research:

https://www.spiritoflifeag.com/how-many-miracles-are-there-in-the-bible/