Re-Post Friday

Do you have true comfort? Find out HERE!

Things Hidden

There are many times when I am doing my Bible study that I will stumble across something that I had never noticed before. At the time, it seems so obvious that this is what God’s word is saying that I almost feel embarrassed that I never noticed it before. Recently, I came across one of these occurrences, and I believe the passage of scripture is quite relevant.

“16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

John 12:16

This passage occurs after Jesus enters Jerusalem and completes some aspects that the Old Testament stated the Messiah would do, namely that He would enter riding a young donkey that hadn’t been ridden before. “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9. However, it is not Jesus fulfilling this that I wish to discuss today. Instead, it is the disciples’ reactions.

Verse 16 immediately points out that Jesus’s disciples did not understand what Jesus was doing, and that this understanding only occurred until after Jesus’s death and resurrection. This means that even though the disciples had grown up hearing Zechariah's words being taught, they did not understand the actions of Jesus fulfilling this prophecy until much later.

What this means for you and I is that there are times when we read the word of God, and at first, we don’t understand it. Then later on, we will reread a passage, and suddenly its meaning is clear. This is because God hides the meanings of His word until it is time to understand them. This is important for two reasons. First, as the days draw closer to the return of our Lord and Savior for His church, more of His Word will be revealed to believers. We will see prophecies be completed. Which brings me to my second point, we need to be in God’s word. Our best opportunity to share God’s grace and mercy comes with the understanding of His word. When prophecies are completed, we can show those around us how God’s word is living and us it to lead them to Christ. We must continually be in God’s Word and pray that God opens it up to us so that we can understand it!

 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”

Proverbs 25:2

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

WHY GENESIS

I love history, it is one of my favorite subjects. I find it interesting when connecting the dots of human history and the chapters of how we have progressed through the ages. If there is a single theme it is Christ’s involvement in human affairs. However, there are patterns that clearly cannot be ignored. One of those patterns is nations that reject the Lord for their own idols. God does not allow for anything to be worshipped but Him.

Isaiah 45:5-7 “I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.”

It is clear that God does not tolerate idolatry, and yet, I believe the United States is at our zenith with this sin. We have come to a point where those who claim to be believers are charismatically and passionately declaring a Jesus in their own making. We need to wake up! We need to run to God’s Word quickly! This is one of the reasons why we are doing the Genesis study to help build a foundation on who God really is, and what He has done and is planning on doing for us. This is why we call you to pray! This is why we call you to stay focused on Christ. This is why Mill House Ministries was started. To provide weekly spiritual support to those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ. It is not the unsaved that I am calling to repent, but the individuals who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus. Let us go back to His Word and seek the true Jesus who does not change. Malachi 3:6 “For I [am] the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” This characteristic of God is not just for the Israeli’s in the day of Malachi, but it is for the Church today. God has promises to Israel that He will keep. God has promises to the Church that He will keep, but in those promises are warning to those who will not keep the faith, God does not suffer those who falter and fall away. Let us encourage one another and seek the Lord in all ways. God is good and His love and mercy is renewing to us daily, but let us not make a Jesus in our own image but rather be focused on the one that He is. For Jesus said Himself, Revelation 1:11 “saying I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.” Wake up America!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

What are the six things that all Christians should understand? Find out HERE!

What is the Truth

Right now in the media, you might be hearing of reports coming out of Gaza regarding the so called treatment of those living in the Gaza Strip and what Israel is doing to them. What you most likely are not hearing about is the fact, Israel is working tirelessly to help bring food and aid to those in enemy territory. Hamas, a terrorist organization that has been holding hostages for over a year and a half is still refusing to come to peaceful terms. Reports from inside Gaza are revealing the unsettling truth that Hamas, not Israel, is keeping food from Gaza residents. However, most in the world are hypnotized by the demonic delusion which is commonly known as antisemitism. This irrational hatred is designed and bred to create the chaos and death that is the fingerprints of the very real spiritual war happening right before us.

When God chose to be the God of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob’s decedents, He was declaring to Satan and the evil forces that this was His play. Salvation would come through what He was going to do with the Jewish people. Christ has come through the Jewish people, the Bible has come through the Jewish people, and now we wait for Christ to fullfilled His promises to the Jewish people, and thus bring the conclusion to human history as we know it to a final crescendo. God has made promises to the Jewish people, and if those promises are not kept, Satan wins. Satan believes if he can make the world eradicate the Jewish people, there will be no place for God to fullfilled His promises. This is why we need to stand with the Jewish people and declare the Gospel to all in this time. Take a moment and pray for Israel and that the truth of what is really happening is brought to light. History will reflect how Israel went out of their way to help their enemy, while those who curse Israel hurt each other and refused to acknowledge God’s people with their promise.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

We now come to part two in our mini-series over Genesis chapter 14:1-17. Today, I want us to understand that God’s word is more than just perfect and accurate, but it is alive. This means that it is clearly applicable to you and I today. This might sound strange to those who just read verses 1 through 17, but I can assure you it is very touching to you and I today. Let’s begin!

There is a war between two sides. Last week we touched on part of this bad group is Nephelim and that they had returned. Many sound Biblical scholars will try to refute this argument, however I believe the scripture itself is clear and we are dealing with another incursion of angelic human off-breading. Take a brief moment and examine the post war outcome and see how Sodom and Gomorrah had succumbed to ill fate during the war and were determined to “fix” the issue. They sought to have their own angelic interbreeding. This is the reason why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, this is why they wanted the two angels and not the virgin daughters of Lot. Connecting these dots helps us understand why their fate was sealed with God taking the righteous out and leaving the rest to die. This is why it was different than with other wicked cities such as Ninovah or Babylon.

Nevertheless, we need to continue. Abram identifies what I believe to be a major applicable part to Christians today. The challenge we face today is the following, “Do we join wars that are not our own?” As always we can look at scripture and see that God has provided an answer. Abram was not part of this war. He could have told Lot that his fate was in his own hands and that he wanted to be a pacifist. Both sides were not perfect, for goodness sake, the good guys in this war included Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Abram understood the need for righteousness sake and that he needed to act. When good men fail to act, evil wins. Abram had many failures in his life, to include some we will talk about in the coming weeks. However, we can say without a shadow of doubt, Abram was a man of action. He was not going to allow the axis of evil in his day to overcome the region and slay his nephew. Instead of being a pacifist, he took up arms, rallied soldiers, and fought the needed fight.

Several places in the Old and New Testament you will see God identify it is better to ignore sacrifices and pursue righteousness and help the widow and the orphan. I would point that what Abram is doing is exactly that. Look at Verse 16 and see who comes back with him. Genesis 14:16 “So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.” Now what does this mean for you and I? We need to be active in being ambassadors for Christ, loving all and telling everyone about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And at times, be discerning and recognize the moments that we need to step into the affairs of men and be the righteous action that God has called us to be. This event shows that one man can make a difference, Abram rallied his soldiers, fought the good fight needed in his day, and brought victory and rescue for those captured. Next week we will end our small mini series, but until that time, do not forget that we have more to learn from Abram than what many dare talk about.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Have you overlooked this letter about forgiveness and reconciliation? Read it HERE!

The Feast of Tabernacles

We have now come to the last of the seven feasts. While no greater than the other feasts that we have discussed, the Feast of Tabernacles is an important feast once you understand the meaning.

This feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and after the fall harvest has been completed. This feast was a celebration as the Israelites remembered God’s provision for them during the current harvest as well as His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness. This was also one of the pilgrim feasts in which the Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem to make sacrifices to God. This feast would last for eight days, beginning and ending on a Sabbath and the Israelites would dwell in tabernacles or booths during this time.

“39 ‘On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day. 40 Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and branches of trees with thick branches and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 So you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’” 44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the Lord.”

Leviticus 23: 39-44

For the Christian’s today, the Feast of Tabernacles references an event that is yet to come, during the return of Jesus Christ. This feast is a celebration of a harvest being completed and is something that we will one day see after Jacob’s 70th week. The Feast of Tabernacles is a reminder that God provided for His people while they were living in tents and an encouragement for us to look forward to when He will dwell with us physically on earth. Next week we will dive in a little deeper and see the prophetic meaning behind what is to come.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

We now come to what I will call a three-part miniseries within our study on Genesis. Today, we begin a micro study into chapter 14 as well as the implications and applications for today. You might wonder how this historical lesson might be applicable today, but I can assure you it is very much applicable.

Read verses Genesis 14:1-17 and see that we are provided an account that should be startling to the reader. Any astute Bible student will realize that this list has Nephalim there. They are back, the flood which put them in check is no longer. In the brief years, the enemy is about bringing their armies from the spiritual into the physical. The breeding process has restarted. For more information on this, I would encourage you to go to LA Marzulli’s research and see the incredible analysis of God’s Word revealing Satan’s gene manipulation is back.

However, there is a check this time. Instead of unrestricted access to the world and its population, God has apparently placed blockers, or restrictions on what they can and cannot do. One of those is Abram coming to the rescue of his brother-n-law and the kings who allied with him. This section of scripture has two other parts that we need to recognize, Moses is writing this account down for an audience. Examine Genesis 14:14 “Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained [servants] who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.” There is concrete evidence and accounts relayed to the reader for them to go and physically observe. They went as far as Dan’s territory. For the children of Israel this would have been a place they would have known like the back of their hand. For us today, we can look at a map of the land of the tribes and see that Dan’s territory was divided into two parts. One on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean in what we would now know as Jaffa. This area was given to Israel already by God through Abram and yet Abram is helping others who lived there. He is rescuing those who are on his land from an enemy that one day would be vanquished by Abram’s descendants. For those who believe this is not their land and ignore God’s promise, just examine what Abram was doing in a time that he did not need to. This has and will always be Israel’s right.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Are you acting upon God’s Word? Find out HERE!

The Day of Atonement

We have nearly finished our study on the seven different Jewish feasts and today we will be looking at the second to last feast.

“27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.”

Leviticus 23:27-28

This feast was the most solemn of all the Israelite feasts and is to be an atonement for the nation of Israel’s sins. Leviticus 16:1-34 describes how the atonement ritual began but I will break it down here. First the high priest was to bathe and put on special garments. Then he would first sacrifice a bull as a sin offering for himself and his family before sacrificing one goat for the sin of Israel. A second goat was used as a scapegoat, the high priest would place his hands on its head, confess the sins of Israel over it before an appointed man released it into the wilderness. This was symbolic in that the goat carried on the sins of all the people, which were forgiven, for another year.

For the Christians today, we can see this feast as a reminder for mankind’s need to be cleansed of sin. This was only done when Jesus came to make the once and for all sacrifice, “27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” Hebrews 7:27. Christ’s sacrifice is good for more than a year, it is sufficient for every sin of all those who would come to confess Him as Lord and Savior. Because of Christ, there is no longer any need for another sacrifice. His sacrifice appeased God’s wrath against sin, “9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Romans 5:9. Finally, we can be reminded that once we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, there are two important promises we must recognize. First, that God has removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:11-12. Secondly, God promises to remember our sin no more, “12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12

This feast is an important one for us to remember as we sit and reflect on our salvation. Next week, we will be looking at the last of the seven feasts.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

SUMMER REMINDER

We are coming closer to the end of the summer and I thought it would be important to take a moment to reflect on something rather remarkable when it comes to the end of summer and what this means. For most, the transition from the new year through spring to the beginning of summer was a blink of an eye. Nevertheless, we now find ourselves looking at the end of summer with fall right behind, and the end of the year. 

What does this mean for you and I in the Bible? This is a not-so-subtle reminder that we are to take every moment captive and be about the Lord’s work. However, this also is a great reminder of the spring and fall feasts. If you are not aware of them, I would encourage you to see Alex’s posts on the feasts.

For me this time of the year has always brought me to thinking of the fall feasts and the expectation that God is not done yet. Let us be about His work, knowing the days are short, and our time on earth is coming ever closer. For those who study God’s Word and take seriously His commandments, we see the day fast approaching and are eager to meet the Lord in the air. Take for heart what God says, examine His word and do not let the day go astray from you. The summer is closer towards ending, let us plan for what God might be calling us to do in the very near future and be ready to love, act, and be obedient to His will. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A look back on a very important resolution. Read it HERE!

The Feast of Trumpets

Today we begin our look into the last three feasts in the Jewish calendar. What sets these fall feasts apart from the others that we have discussed is something that is very important for believers today to understand. It is the fact that Jesus has not completed these feasts as of yet, but something that He will do in the future to come. These last three feasts represent a hope that we as born-again believers have in the promises of God.

The first of these uncompleted feasts is the Feast of Trumpets. This feast gets its name from the command to blow trumpets and signal the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. “29 “‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. 2 As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, offer a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect.3 With the bull offer a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; with the ram, two-tenths; 4 and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. 5 Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. 6 These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings as specified. They are food offerings presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma.” Numbers 29:1-6. This feast commemorated the end of the agricultural and festival year. It also announced the preparation for the Day of Atonement, which we will discuss next week.

As I stated at the beginning, this is the first feast that Jesus has not fulfilled, at least not yet. However, just as the other feasts have foreshadowed events that were completed by Christ, so does the Feast of Trumpets. The Bible is full of trumpets being used to signal change, or identify something that is happening. For the Old Testament, trumpets were for an arrival of someone important, war, and even a wedding. For born-again believers in the Church age, the New Testament is clear that the rapture of the church will be accompanied by the sound of a trumpet. “16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. However, it is not just for the Church age believers that a trumpet signals an event. When you read through Revelation 8-9, you will see that each of the judgments are signaled by a trumpet. Tribulation saints will witness the Revelation trumpet events. Nevertheless, for the Feast of Trumpets, this is something that marks an event that will happen with Christ fulfilling.

While the Jewish nation celebrate the Feast of Trumpets to prepare for the Day of Atonement, there will come a day when a trumpet will be heard calling the believers to God and signaling a time of judgement on the earth for those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Take a moment and read chapter 13. This chapter has a few hidden treasures we need to dig into.

First, we come to an area of scripture that should settle an argument that we hear on a daily basis. I am not here to talk about the Roman Empire rule, the Ottoman Empire subjugation, the British Empire mandates, neither the United States international declarations. When it comes to Israel’s land, it was settled thousands of years ago. There are two unique lessons that need to be addressed. We will first start with the easier of the two. God gave the land to Abram and his children through Isaac and Jacob. Chapter 13 makes this very clear. We now enter a series of events that bring about more than just Abram but others in his family, Genesis 13:17 “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” God is not forced to listen to some unprincipled United Nations, nor is He held to any corrupt international criminal court. He is the God who makes nations and brings them down, and as for Israel, they are an eternal living example of God’s grace and mercy with you and I.

Now we come to the second aspect of the chapter that we need to study, Lot’s decision making and the historical comments made. First, let us examine what historical comments are made. Chapter 13 brings up topics to the reader with the idea that they would be very conscious of the interaction God would have had with those people and cities, Genesis 13:10 “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere--this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah--like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.” Moses, who is the author of Genesis, indicates something rather remarkable, the events of Sodom and Gomorrah were well known to the reader. This means the passive comments provide legitimacy to the upcoming accounts of what happen. This proves God’s Word is not only accurate, but in most cases literal.

Secondly, a close examination reveals the character of Abram and Lot. Abram is wanting peace, he is calling on the name of the Lord. Lot is looking at what places will make him “rich.” The decision making process is in error. Instead of shunning himself away from the sin, Lot decides to live in it. The result, as we will find out, is horrible. Examine Proverbs 7 and you can see that the foolish man is out walking in areas that the evil woman is known to be. He dances the line while not crossing into sin but entertains the idea, and with sudden stupidity he fails. This in theme/principle is what has happened to Lot. We should flee and run from sin, for it is what condemns men to an eternal separation from God.

I believe Genesis 13 helps establish something else we need to understand. Genesis 13 follows the mistakes of chapter 12. Abram had made a mistake, and was now following the Lord as he should be. Is this your story? Do you have moments that you fail and think God is done with you? Thankfully, Abram did not. In fact, when he failed he did the one thing you and I should do as well when we fail. Abram ran back to where he was with God. Genesis 13:3-4 “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” We must do the same. When we fail, run back to the Lord. His promises will endure to us as well. He does not change. This chapter reveals a redemption story in itself. God forgives Abram and then blesses him. This blessing is still valid today. This does not mean that God will protect you from learning a hard lesson. There are two saved men in chapter 13. Abram does what is right, but Lot, who is also saved, chooses wrong. I think it can be safely said that as Christians, we need to be more like Abram who was not perfect, but acting out his faith and being centered on Christ and not as Lot who would later need an angelic evacuation.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

The Feast of Weeks

We have now reached the halfway point in our study on the seven Jewish feasts and how Christ fulfills them. Today, we will be discussing the second of the “solemn feasts”, the Feast of Weeks. This feast is also called Pentecost since it takes place exactly 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits.

This feast is another that required all Jewish males to travel to Jerusalem, “16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and they are not to appear before the Lord empty-handed.” Deuteronomy 16:16. Like the Feast of Firstfruits that we discussed last week, the Jews were required to attend the feast and offer sacrifices. “16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread as a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord.” Leviticus 23:16-17. However, this feast offers something unique. It is the first feast that we see the Jewish people are required to leave some of the harvest for the poor and strangers. “22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the stranger. I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 23:22.

So how does this feast show God’s redemptive plan for all peoples through Jesus Christ? As we saw when we studied the Passover Feast, Jesus was our Passover lamb. We have also seen that He completed the Feast of Firstfruits by His resurrection. Jesus completed the Feast of Weeks when He sent the Holy Spirit to the newfound church 50 days after His resurrection. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God is creating a spiritual harvest of all those who have and will place their faith in Him.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

If Abram and Sarai’s first faith challenge was to move, their second challenge was to trust if God was going to keep them safe in a new area. Abram is living for the Lord, his life is eternally changed and he is following God, Genesis 12:8-9 “And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent [with] Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.”

Sometimes, God will use natural causes in order to help motivate/guide/and even force us to go in a certain direction. This happened with Abram and Sarai. Genesis 12:10-16 “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine [was] severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you [are] a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 “Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This [is] his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 “Please say you [are] my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she [was] very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.”

Instead of trusting the Lord, Abram believes he will be killed because of his wife’s beauty. Thus, he comes up with this idea to lie to Pharaoh. This is not the Pharaoh we see in Exodus nor is this the Pharaoh that we will see later at the end of Genesis with Joseph. Nevertheless, this Pharaoh is still a king with power. However, like any other Pharaoh, God reveals His power. Genesis 12:17-20 “17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What [is] this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she [was] your wife? 19 “Why did you say, ‘She [is] my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take [her] and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded [his] men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.”

God takes Abram’s lack of faith and shows that He as God is faithful and just to do something rather remarkable. This is a fact that we in the body of Christ need to remember. God is not done with us at salvation, but rather will continue to work in our lives and even at times use our stupid decisions for His glory. As we move forward, we will continue to see moments of faith triumphs and failures with Abram and Sarai, but the dominant lesson is who is there, it is Christ who is bigger than our victories and failures, He is God. And that should be comforting.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A lesson from the three wise men. Read it HERE!

The Feast of Firstfruits

Today we are discussing the third feast, the Feast of Firstfruits. This feast takes place after the Feast of Unleavened Bread and is designed to remind the Israelites that God rescued them from Egypt and gave them a place to live and grow crops, the Promised Land.

“When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it,2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.5 Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.”

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

As we can deduce from the name, the Feast of Firstfruits requires the Israelites to bring the first of the harvest each year to the priest, “10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.” Leviticus 23:10. The Israelites were also required to sacrifice a year-old lamb without defect as a burnt offering and give a food offering of grain, oil, and wine “11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect, 13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine.” Leviticus 23:11-13. This was to remind the Israelites that God was the source of their crops and their provision overall.

So how did Jesus complete this feast? It is through His resurrection. As the first portion of a harvest indicates a full harvest to come, Jesus’ resurrection indicates a full resurrection to come for all those who have placed their faith and acknowledged Him as Lord and Savior.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Today we talk about an issue that has been the focal point in human discussions ranging for thousands of years. It is the longest real-estate argument, the cause of wars, and countless deaths. Today, we look at who truly owns the land of Israel.

Abram is living his life and suddenly, it changes.

Genesis 12:1-7 “Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram [was] seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites [were] then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”

There are several points we need to look at. First, that the Lord is calling Abram to the land. He is not taking it over, but rather being told to go to the land. Abram was content at staying where he was, and yet the Lord had other plans. Second, we see that the Lord has good intentions with Abram. These good intentions are to orchestrate the very rescue of our souls! God is putting into place the very foundation for the nation of Israel and the coming Massiah. Without the faithfulness of Abram and Sarai, we would be doomed. What does this mean for you and I today? It means if God tells us to go and do something we should be about it. While Abram and Sarai did not see the end result, we can see the treasure of their faith.

We next see that God is setting up the international diplomatic norm that is clearly established forever. He will bless those who bless Him and He will curse those who curse Him. This promise is still active today. There is scholarly work that has been published examining the relationship with how the Jewish people are treated and what happens in the nation. This does not mean we give acceptance to everything that the Israeli government does, but rather we support and help the Jewish people. For those who disagree with this statement, I would ask them if they recognize the verse just before, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.” We are quick to recognize God’s literal ancestral birth line, but fail to follow up with the next verse and recognize the rules of how the gentile world will interact with them. Many today say Israel does not belong in the land, however this is God’s land that He gave to Abram and his descendents. Those who claim Israel should not be there are ignorant of God’s call on the land. Next week we will dig more into this declaration and see just how powerful God’s eternal word really is!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL