Contemplations of An Israelite

Thy Kingdom Come

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:46:00 +0000

Is the kingdom of God already in existence or it is yet to come? This podcast addresses this question.

Gospel of The Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:33:00 +0000

An insight into the gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached all the time.

You can play by hitting the 'play' button next to the title above or the control below. To download, right click on the title and select "save__as".

Shalom

Submission

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:41:00 +0000

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (I Thes 5:18)

If there is one virtue most sublime and yet most scarce amongst those who profess the faith, it is submission. Submission to the will of God. The recognition and deference to the will of God. It begins with an acknowledgment that God has as much a will and opinion in every matter as may be of concern to us. That the intelligence which ordered the cosmos also has a design for the commonest details of our existence.

The elect-those predestinated by God's mercy to inherit eternal life- should be aware that whatever happens to them in their sojourn on earth is by the design of YHWH. It is therefore unprofitable to unforgivingly regret past mistakes or worry about presents trials. If the finger that created all the elements is pledged to direct our paths, what better can we do than to be ready with thanksgiving for every new day.

What greater peace can we have than walking in the realization of God's design and approval whether in pain or in pleasure. The sweetest of pleasures would be passed without guilt and the most horrid experiences would be endured without bitterness when we realize that ' YHWH has a hand in this! '

The saints of old lived in such a way that neither pain nor pleasure was material; In his letter to the church in Phillipi, Paul wrote(4:11-12): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Oh what a stability of mind, mood and manners is bestowed by an attitude of submission! I have often been the least person in world to submit to God and the result has been sleepless nights and unpleasant manners. Oh how much we lose when we refuse to heed the glorious invitation of the King: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)

Three things I have identified that keeps most of us incapable of submission:

1. Overdependence on our abilities: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (prov. 3:5) The sooner we realize that we are don't have what it takes to succeed perfectly, the earlier we would allow God to bring us into His own definition of success.

2. Love of the World: This is altogether dangerous. He that loves the world would also love the praise of men. He that seeks the praise of men, would care less about the praise of God. Such a greedy heart would seek not to fulfill the wishes of the creator but to satisfy the expectation of mortals. Such a pursuit leads to a vicious cycle because the expectations of men cannot be satisfied. Greedy men would always think that submission would bring failure but continuance in greed is the surest path to an unhappy ending.

3. Ignorance of God's knowledge: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (Matt 6:31-32) He knows, He knows, He knows...He knows what is best for me per time, He knows what is to come next, He is denying me certain things and providing me with others to ensure I end up the way He knows I will end up!!

The Mystery of Election

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:37:00 +0000

Genesis 4:3-5 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Here we see the first demonstration of the mystery of election. If the story would be taken chronologically, then it was Cain who took the initiative to make God an offering. He had no way of knowing what God liked so he just took the product of his work. Abel probably followed Cain�??s example and also offered. All of a sudden the mysterious nature of God becomes clear when He, for no reason accepts the offering of one and rejects that of the other. This is the mystery of election which is God preferring one person over the other for no fault or merit of either. This mystery proves that not every offering or service to YHWH is acceptable. From the Roman Catholic Pope to the Pentecostal preacher, from the wealthy philanthropist to the sacrificing missionary; only the offering of the chosen are acceptable. Another trend we�??ll see through out the bible is: it is not who is first that matters; it is who is preferred. It does not matter the quantity of the offering; what matters is whether or not the giver is a chosen one!
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (Romans 9:15-16 )

Eternal Beings Don't Reproduce

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:53:00 +0000

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived Gen 4:1 I am inclined to think that copulation only became necessary when man realized his life was not eternal. Adam never slept with Eve while he lived the eternal life. Imagine if the fall never happened and man kept reproducing! By now, Adam, Pharaoh, Abraham Lincoln and every one who ever lived would still have been alive and reproducing and their children would be reproducing as well. How would humanity have coped with earth�??s limited resources? The maximum space available to each person would only have been 1 square meter- it would be an impossible existence. This in itself is a logical proof that in a deathless state of life, there would be no reproduction. Some may cite Gen 1:28 where it is written ' Be fruitful, and multiply...'. This does not in any way refer to biological reproduction; when considered in context the meaning becomes clear [see my previous post] Other arguments can be drawn from the purpose for which Eve was created [Gen 2:18-22]-Eve was not meant to be a sex partner or reproduction agent. More light can be gleaned from the punishment meted to Eve after the transgression Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. The desire to have sex, man�??s dominance and also child bearing all seem to be part of the curse women must live with. There would not have been any of these, had the transgression not happened. The natural question to ask next is: how would the human race have multiplied in that deathless state if sexual intercourse was not God�??s original idea? It is not likely that God would have kept creating other people for Adam�??s company. My first guess is that Adam and Eve would have been all there is of the human race. God�??s plan has never been for multitudes to inhabit the earth. The transgression of Adam brought God an opportunity to increase the number of humans that would later dominate the earth- but even then, it would be the chosen few. Now I understand why Jesus said: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Luke 20:34-36

Created For an Endless Life

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:49:00 +0000

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Gen 3:3

What was lost to man in Eden was not just God�??s presence nor the beautiful garden. The great loss was the power to live forever. What would have happened if Adam and Eve obeyed and never ate the forbidden fruit? They would have lived and lived and never died. If there is ever to be a restoration to the original glory, it would not be getting back to Eden nor being with God in heaven�?�the restoration worth seeking is inheriting eternal life. This was God�??s original intent for man. Death was and still is the price to be paid for sin. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Rom 6:23)

The ultimate hope the bible seeks to communicate is the hope to live forever- not as a ghost in heaven but as a fleshly human right here on earth.

One Day To Live

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:09:00 +0000

But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die�?? (Gen 2:17)

It is needful that we understand the nature of this curse because God said �??In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die�??. We all know that Adam did not die within 24 hours of eating the forbidden fruit. Did the word of God fail? Why then did God say �??In the day that thou eatest�?��??? Many have said in ignorance that what God meant was spiritual death. Deeper studies will lead you to see that YHWH meant mortality and physical death. Apostle Paul wrote in Rom 5:2 �??wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men�??. The word translated death in this scripture, is in Greek, �??thanatos�?? which is natural or temporal death. Also it is written �??for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead�?? (I Cor. 15:21). It is obvious that the �??death�?? being spoken of in this scripture is not spiritual but physical. Therefore we conclude that the basic consequence of Adam�??s transgression was natural death (mortality). If this is so, why then did Adam not die on the same day according to God's declaration? It is needful for you to understand that the �??day�?? God spoke about is not the day of sunrise and sunset because God had His own kind of �??day�?? even before the sun and moon were created. �??be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day�?? (II Pet. 3:8) [see also Psalm 90:4]. It should be understood that when God said �??In the day�??, this to man is a 1000 years and of a truth, Adam died in that day (within the space of 1000 years) for when he was 930 years, he went to his grave. Methuselah who has the record of oldest man ever, could not still live up to 1 day (i.e. 1000 years) for when he had lived for 969 years, he also died. This is the portion of every offspring of Adam: we all must die in the day we are born and none has ever lived up to 1000 years of age because God whose word CANNOT fail has said �??in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die�??.

Knowledge of Good and Evil

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:44:00 +0000

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil..Gen 3:22

Without the ability to discern between good and evil, man would not be liable. The angels were programmed to be liable to judgment and thus God said to them �??the man is become as one of us�??. Had Adam not eaten of that fruit, men would have still transgressed in other things but without consequence of judgment or death. The knowledge of good and evil brought to man the realization of reward and punishment. It introduced the sense of glory and shame; pride and want. Trying to escape shame and want, men wrong others; being full and proud often breeds oppression of others. All man�??s problem is linked to these opposite dualities to which we continually rebound.

You Are Your Body

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:58:00 +0000

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

The tripartite nature of man is a fallacy that began with Socrates and other ancient greek philosophers. Today it is taken for granted by most world religions. The theory states: Man is a spirit; he has a soul and lives in a body. Going by this argument, the real �??you�?? is something others cannot see. Many preachers can be heard saying �??your body is only the casing; it is not the real �??you�??�??. Is this the Truth? To find truth we must listen to the Creator rather than to the created Greek philosophers. In the above passage, God does not say: your body is dust. No. He says �??you are dust�??. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Man is the one that returns to dust- not just man�??s body. Putting these bits together, we could declare �??YOU ARE YOUR BODY�?? and �??YOU ARE NOT A SPIRIT THAT CANNOT DIE�??; �??YOU ARE DUST AND WILL RETURN TO THE EARTH�??.

A passage often quoted in defense of the philosophers is Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. It does not say man was formed by some �??invisible spirit�?? breathed from God; it is the man himself and not just the body of man that was formed of the dust of the ground. Take note that the breath is not referred to as the man; neither does it constitute the man. The breath is however a necessary ancillary to life because it is the force that energizes the blood in our veins and arteries. Some preachers would want us to believe that the �??breath�?? mentioned here is the soul that Adam received which is the real man that never dies. The passage however does not say �??man received a soul�?? but �??man became a living soul�??. It is the same entity that was formed from dust that became a living soul. The living soul is NOT something lurking within us. The talking, moving and visible person is the soul [Gen 12:5; 46:18]. We may thus conclude that the �??breath�?? is merely an energizing and life-sustaining force from God and it is not the possession of the man. No man gets more of it than others. It is neither good nor bad and has no personal attributes. It is a force from God and you could call it �??the essence of human life without which we would be dead men�??. It is not part of man�??s make-up; neither is it the man himself. The departure of the breath that came from God is the death of man. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (breath) shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

Realisation of Nakedness

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:54:00 +0000

Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The �??opening of man�??s eyes�?? began the age of discontent and pride. Man suddenly noticed his body and disliked it. He felt he deserved to possess a better body or cover up the ugly parts of the body which he now possessed. Genesis 3:9-10 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. The first couple did not go into hiding because of guilt but because there were naked. They just felt they needed something to come between them and God and they were right. It was not appropriate for them to stand before God as they were and it still is not for us. The age of man�??s isolation from God had begun. Up to this present time, much of man�??s effort and achievements have been to further isolate him from God. The more technologically we advance, the less we can see the power of God. Two things characterize the human race at present: Dissatisfaction and Isolation. Our dissatisfaction leads us to invent means to improve ourselves but the results is further isolation from God and happiness; the realization of this isolation leads us to more efforts at improving our lot which only deepens our isolation. We will remain locked in this vicious cycle until The King arrives.

Don't Place The Gift Above The Word

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:47:00 +0000

She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Gen 3:6). It�??s intriguing that Adam did not question Eve when she offered him the forbidden fruit. My guess is that Adam believed that whatever comes from God is good and cannot harm. He took the fruit without question because Eve was a gift from God. That is the presumption that many people in history have erred upon.

In defense of his transgression, Adam said: The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. As far as he was concerned, what God has provided could not produce corruption. He took no thought of the word of God; basing his faith only on the work and gift of God. It�??s common to hear people say �??Abuse of substance [and alcohol] cannot be a sin since it was God who made it�??. That�??s the Adam mentality. About preachers whose teachings and practices are contrary to the bible, I have heard people say �??Just see the miracles he is doing, that�??s enough proof that we should accept him as a man of God�??. This is again a case of people placing the gift of God above the word of God. As was the case with Adam, such an attitude produces transgression and results in grave consequences.

The Nature of Temptation

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:42:00 +0000

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat...

The nature of temptation is demonstrated in this passage; first, a negative information. Then affixing attention on the object of the information. When someone comes this far, there�??s hardly anything to prevent him from falling into that temptation. A closer look at these. Negative information is not scarce and is usually uninvited. There is little we can do not to receive negative information and suggestions. I remember growing up and hearing from other kids how easy and correct it is to steal a little change from your parents. According to them, it was not stealing �?? you were only claiming what belonged to you. Sooner or later if you decide to start thinking about the information, in my case seeing what the other kids were buying with their parent�??s change, I wound up acting on that information. You could imagine how strong this could be in our age of information proliferation. Just browsing the internet, unsolicited porn could pop up in your face. This first stage of temptation would not be potent enough unless you stare on or give thought to what you just saw.

Imagine when you hear something negative or false being said about you. There are two possible reactions: you could meditate about the pain that person is causing you, or you could ignore the fact. Thinking about people�??s offensive behaviors would leave you boiling over in rage and this would naturally result in retaliation. Thus the objective of the temptation.

Devil or Snake (3)

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 10:37:00 +0000

Please see the prequel in previous post.

Seeing that the serpent in Genesis 3 was afterwards condemned to go upon its belly as a part of its punishment, it is probable it was a winged-serpent in the beginning; but afterwards deprived of the power of flight and made to move as at present.

Its subtlety, or quickness of perception by eye and ear, and skillfulness in the use of them (2 Cor. 11:3) was a part of the goodness of its nature and not a result of the devil's influence. It was not an evil quality by any means; for Jesus exhorts his disciples to "be wise as the serpents; and unsophisticated as the doves". This quality of shrewdness, or instinctive wisdom, is that which principally strikes us in all that is said about it. It was an observant spectator of what was passing around it in the garden, since the Lord God had planted it eastward in Eden. It had seen the Lord God He had heard their discourse. He was acquainted with the existence of the Tree of Knowledge, and the Tree of Lives; and knew that the Lord God had forbidden Adam and his wife to eat of the good and evil fruit; or so much as to touch the tree. He was aware from what he had heard, that the Elohim knew what good and evil were experimentally; and that in this particular, Adam and Eve were not so wise as they. But, all this knowledge was shut up in his own cranium, from which it could never have made its exit, had not the Lord God bestowed upon it the power of expressing its thoughts in speech.

And what use should we naturally expect such a creature would make of this faculty? It was an intellectual, but not a moral, creature. It had no "moral sentiments". No part of its brain was appropriated to the exercise of benevolence, veneration, conscientiousness, and so forth. Moral, or spiritual, ideas would make no impression upon its mental constitution; for it was incapable, from its formation, of responding to them. It would be physically impossible for it to reason in harmony with the mind of God; or with the mind of man, whose reasoning was regulated by divinely enlightened moral sentiments. We should expect that, if the faculty of speech were bestowed upon it, it would make just such a use of it, as Moses narrates of the serpent in the garden of Eden. When it undertook to converse upon things too high for him; to speak of what it had seen and heard; and to comment upon the law of the Lord, it lost itself in its dialogisms, and became the inventor of a lie.

Devil or Snake (2)

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 04:55:00 +0000

Please see the Prequel in previous post.

Agreed there are places in the book of Revelation where reference is made to Satan as the old dragon/serpent which decieveth the world (Rev 12:9). This is not sufficient proof that the serpent in the garden of Eden was satan himself or under the influence of satan. We believe that garden of Eden was literal as was Adam and Eve; the serpent that tempted Eve was also literal. However when satan is referred to as a serpent, this is only in symbolic terms. People are often tagged as certain animals when they display the characteristic of the same. It was common for Jesus to call the Pharisees �??a brood of vipers�?? and to refer to Herod as �??that fox�??. This does not permit us to fix Herod into every reference we see to �??fox�??. Satan has been labeled serpent because he has demonstrated his ability to deceive and tempt humans just as the literal serpent tempted Eve in Eden. If it was not a literal serpent in Eden, then there would not be a basis for Satan to be subsequently labeled in that manner since that characteristic of serpents would remain unknown.
There are some who argue that it was a literal serpent but was under the influence of Satan. The truth is manifest when you observe the basis and the blame for the serpent�??s actions. The basis: the serpent�??s subtlety and not any external influence. The blame has is outlined Gen 3:14-15 and is not at all linked to Satan. Adam transferred blame to Eve, Eve to the serpent, but the serpent kept mute because he wasn�??t prompted by another. God, the all-knowing did not make any link to the Devil either. The snake acted on its own and was thus liable.

Devil or Snake(1)

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:17:00 +0000

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
I grew up believing that this passage referred to Satan arranging and executing the fall of man. But a closer look reveals something else. The �??bad guy�?? here is classified as a beast of the field. In more contemporary terms, an animal. When God was expressing his wrath, He had this to say to the serpent: Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The following are apparent: 1) God classifies this culprit among cattle and similar life forms 2) the serpent being referred to, has a belly and thus, a body. 3) It is able to eat and part of its recipe would be dust. 4) It has a head which is liable to being smashed by humans 5) It would also be able to bring injury to humans. Not much revelation is needed to see that all these references are to a literal organic snake. The Hebrew word for serpent in the original text is �??nachash�?? and it is used at least 35 other times in the bible- all referring to a snake.

The Image of God

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:59:00 +0000

Genesis 1
26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

A colon (:) partitions v.26 into subject and explanation. The portion that comes after the colon expounds on the statement made before the colon. Thus the image of God in which man was made is the image of dominion. In popular theology, the image of God referred to is the erect figure of man with swaying arms and long legs. Little meditation should reveal that this cannot be the case. It is inappropriate for us to associate God with a physical figure and that's why God commanded: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Ex.20:4).
I may safely conclude that man�??s frame is not after God�??s image for YHWH does not have genitals and is not in need of a digestive or respiratory system. If the image God referred to was the physical figure, the man does not have the exclusivity of it; because the gorillas and orangutans could very well be said to posses the same 'image'.

What distinguishes man from beast since we all are born of a female, eat and pass out waste, sleep and copulate? Man is not distinguished by his passion because lions and hyenas would also fight over food, territories and females. Man is not even distinguished by his intelligence because dogs and dolphins have demonstrated significant ability to learn and remember. Talking about a sense of duty, the termites and bees almost beat us to it. The essential difference between man and beast is man's ability to manipulate the resources of nature and sub-create the environment. The only personal comment I have really not heard people make about the lower form of animals is: �??Oh see how creative that monkey is�??. Men have been able to exist without any threat or competition from the animal kingdom because they are not inventing anything. Imagine if rabbits had thier own industrial revolution or invented special weapons with which to attack rats and snakes. I'm sure men would have really united to quell such revolution and insurrection. Horses love to eat hay but they are without the capability to grow the grasses they need. Simply put, only man can find new ways of doing things with the resources of nature. Only man can recreate his environment. We've been able to fathom subatomic particles and transmit information wirelessly by the waves; we've been able to transport men and metals into space; we've been able to create developed societies that are well supplied with water and electricity; we now can genetically modify crops to increase yield and feed more people. That is the image of God at work! When some folks cite man's technological growth as a reason why God is not necessary, they fail to see where man got his unique ability from. When we realize this, then we know that our ability to design new products is an object of God's design. He designed us in his own image.

This also means that man's creativity is a proof that a Creator exists and that Gen 1:26 is true. If the universe was made by a chance big bang, then there would be no reason why man unlike other animals should be able to invent automobiles and build skyscrapers. Every life form would then have to be the same and our existence and progression would all be an uncontrolled matter of chance. This is contrary to the human experience as we know it today. On the other hand, because a supreme force was able to invent and form a universe that formerly didn't exist, we have an explanation for man's proven ability to invent new things.

Another lesson I can't resist to share from this scripture is the fact that we are all encouraged to dominate the earth and its resources. Go ahead and invent something because you've been endowed with the nature!

Shalom

How Should I Get Married?

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:29:00 +0000

The more I view marriage as necessary the more I think about the question WHAT MUST I DO TO BE MARRIED? What is the main condition that must be satisfied before two people can be validly married? Is it payment of a dowry(bride price)? A private pledge before God? A public pledge before a priest/pastor? Vows before witnesses? Registration with civil authorities? A private personal commitment between the man and the lady?

In the marriage of Isaac and Jacob the trend we notice is that a gift was given or a price was paid to the family of the desired girl. In Isaac's case, the consent of Rebekah was recorded; In Jacob's case, the girl's consent didn't seem to matter much. Once the requirement of the father was satisfied , you could have his daughter(s). This clearly cannot apply to our modern world where women are financially independent and fathers can't claim any payment on their behalf. In cities like New york and London, it's easy to come across ladies that have lost touch with their families and are striving for a living amidst friends. If I want to marry one of such girls who am I to pay the dowry to? In the Netherlands, the payment of dowry is non-existent. While this procedure may still exist is some more traditional societies, it is clearly not the universal rule for validating a marriage.

A reader might be thinking: 'this topic is trivial; just get a priest to join you'.
The ceremony or process of marriage has never been in the domain of the church. We don't see marriages taking place in the synagogues or temples in the former times. God gave the priest a lot of ritual services to perform but marrying couples was not included. For example according to the law, when a child was born, it had to be brought to the temple on the eight day with a sacrifice; but we see no such religious obligations pertaining to marriage !

The only reference we can make to Jesus in this discussion is that he attended a marriage ceremony in Galilee. Note that he wasn't the officiating priest/minister and we have no record that there was any. The mood at that ceremony does not strike me as sacred.

Who then invented the act of joining couples in religious buildings with a 'sacred oath'? It certainly is not Moses, neither is it any of the prophets nor apostles. The saints should know this and free themselves of the unnecessary responsibilities that religious leaders have created.

The validity of a marriage rests on the definition of the society and civil authorities. In the Netherlands, no matter how many witnesses attended your church wedding, if you have not registered the marriage and passed the interviews with the department concerned, you are not recognised as married and you do not enjoy the tax benefits of married couple neither can you have joint ownership of any property. If for instance you were already married in Nigeria and want to come to the Netherlands with your spouse, you must be able to prove that you are married. How would you do this? By bringing out your wedding pictures? No! You will have to present a certificate of marriage with the seal of the Federal Government of Nigeria. In this present evil age, God has ordained that the saints should be subject to the political authorities (Rom 13:1-2). This means that what they define as marriage is what we should accept.

Marriage resides in the domain of civil society and is no business of religion. God would not intefere in what belongs in the domain of the civil society. Take the example of the Benjamites. Some men from this tribe raped and killed a travelling woman from the tribe of Levi; in revenge all the other tribes came against Benjamin and utterly destroyed all their cities including children, women and animals. Only a few fighting men escaped. (Judges 21:15-23). How this relates to our discussion is that the elders of Isreal were concerned for the benjamites so that their tribes would not be wiped out. But they had previously made an oath not to give any of their daughters in marriage to a Benjamite. The only solution they could find around this was giving the benjamites permission to kidnap the girls of Israel. Any girl you kidnapped, automatically became your wife. Take note that this decision was by 'the elders of the people' which in our days would point to the legislators or senators. No matter how awkward the civil requirement is, that is the acceptable standard for a valid marriage.

What of an extreme case where there are no civil societies? For example, Adam and Eve. We could also imagine a scenario where war had destroyed a certain village and the only two survivors are a 19 year old boy and a 17 year old girl. What should they do if they feel the need to procreate to make sure that their tribe does not perish? Should they start looking for a priest in all the neighouring villages who would 'join them'- the same villages that destroyed their own village? What would you advice them to do? The reality is they would not even need my advice. Just like a newborn baby does not need to be taught where food passes into the body, Adam did not need to be told what to do with a woman with whom he was all alone.

Marriage is a natural and civil issue and we should not try to spiritualize it.

I welcome your comments on this. Good luck.

Is Drinking a Sin?

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 10:49:00 +0000

Many believe drinking alcohol is a sin. Is this what the Bible teaches? To be absolutely sure, on this or any other subject, we must abandon all preconceived ideas and be willing to carefully examine the Bible.

Do you know why you believe what you do? Have you examined the source of your beliefs? Have you proven whether the Bible is the basis for your understanding in all matters?

Much of what Jesus taught came from the Old Testament. For instance, He stated, in Matthew 4:4, �??It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.�?? He was actually quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, which states, �??And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna�?�that He might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live.�??

When studying the Bible, on any subject, all scriptures relating to that subject must be examined together. Then, we can �??prove all things�?? (I Thes. 5:21).

Abstinence or Moderation

On most issues, it seems that there are two ditches�??two extremes�??people fall into. This is true with drinking. One ditch is the belief that the Bible states that all drinking is wrong�??sinful. Alcohol abuse and drunkenness is the other ditch. But is all use of alcohol wrong? Or does the Bible teach that its misuse is wrong?

People have ignored what God�??s Word teaches about this. For example, the Women�??s Temperance movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s played a large role in the legal prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. This organization was considered the �??moral watchdog�?? of the nation. The name of the organization is misleading. It should have more appropriately been called, �??The Women�??s Prohibition�?? or �??Abolition�?? Movement. They did not believe in temperance�??but rather total abstinence. This organization believed that the problem was any use of alcohol, rather than its abuse.

The period of prohibition in the U.S. was short-lived. Smugglers brought vast quantities of illegal alcohol across lakes and up rivers, or on trucks, concealed in ingenious ways to bypass the authorities. Soon the government realized that private demand for alcohol outweighed public demand to ban it. This era in history strongly influenced the labelling of alcohol as 'sinful' by the Pentecostal and Protestant movements. It is revealing to note that the Father of the Protestant Movement all the others that led the revolution out of the catholic church, did not see alcohol consumption as sinful. Martin Luther is known to have always drank before giving sermons and his wife Katherine had a brewery in her kitchen. John Calvin believed that Holy communion must always be taken with alcoholic wine which represents the invigorating power of the Holy Spirit.

Wine or Grape Juice?

Before discussing the Bible�??s view on alcohol, let�??s remove the misconceptions. A common one is that the meaning of the word translated in the New Testament as �??wine�?? is actually grape juice or possibly even molasses.

Actually, there are fifteen words from the Hebrew and Greek translated �??wine�?? in the Bible. Let�??s compare these words in the context in which they are used. This will help in better understanding their scriptural meanings.

Genesis 9:21 is the first scripture in which wine is mentioned. The Hebrew word used there is yayin. It always means �??fermented wine, primarily from grapes.�?? Notice: �??And he [Noah] drank of the wine [yayin], and was drunken.�?? If Noah became drunk, then he could not have been drinking grape juice. This could not have been anything other than an alcoholic beverage.

Now notice verse 24: �??And Noah awoke from his wine.�?? This indicates it was the wine that made him sleep or that had caused him to pass out. Grape juice or molasses does not cause people to pass out.

Further, I Samuel 25:36 states, �??Nabal held a feast�?�and Nabal�??s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken.�?? This is another proof that wine was an intoxicating drink.

One more Old Testament example is found in Isaiah 28: �??Woe to the drunkardsvs. 1). of Ephraim�?�that are overcome with wine [yayin]�?? (

Next, notice Genesis 14:18. One identified as Melchizedek, King of Salem, served wine to Abraham. This wine (yayin) was the same liquid that had made Noah drunk! Hebrews 7:2-3 states that Melchizedek was �??king of peace�?�without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.�??

This Person is none other than Jesus Christ! God brought Abraham wine because He approved of the modest use of alcohol.

Another Hebrew word, shekar, means �??an inebriating drink.�?? This is wine prepared or distilled either from honey, dates or barley. The Bible describes it as �??strong drink.�?? This is definitely an intoxicating drink�??one containing alcohol.

The Feast of Tabernacles

God says that it is not improper to desire wine or strong drink during His annual Feast of Tabernacles, which He commands His people to keep: �??And you shall bestow that money for whatsoever your soul lusts after [desires], for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever your soul desires: and you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you, and your household�?? (Deut. 14:26).

The Feast of Tabernacles (occurring in the fall) is one of seven annual Holy Days, or feasts, which God commands His people to observe.

Wine can also be used to help you relax and rejoice. King Solomon wrote, �??A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry�?? (Ecc. 10:19). There are several places in the Bible where God emphasizes the importance of having a merry heart and enjoying hearty laughter. Modest amounts of wine or other kinds of alcohol can help promote this.

Many additional scriptures could be cited to show God�??s servants using wine in a responsible way, and with God�??s approval.

New Testament Word for Wine

The New Testament word translated �??wine�?? is usually the Greek word oinos. The story of the Good Samaritan shows that wine (fermented alcohol) can be used as an antiseptic to treat wounds. A small amount of oil (usually olive oil) would be poured on the wound to soften it, and then a little wine used to cleanse it (Luke 10:30-37). Today, rubbing alcohol is still commonly used as an antiseptic. Let us also note that the technology that preserves juice from fermenting did not yet exist in the time of the Bible so all sugar-drinks would naturally go to alcohol in matter of hours or days under the action of yeasts.

Water Into Wine

Jesus�?? first recorded miracle was changing water into wine. Take note that His miracle was not the other way around! He did not change wine into water. Not only did Christ approve of drinking wine, but His miracle was actually for the purpose of providing alcohol for everyone in attendance! The �??governor�?? at the wedding even commented that it was �??good wine�?? (John 2:1-12).

If this had merely been grape juice, he would not have said, �??but You have kept the good wine until now.�?? The point is that better wine would normally be consumed at the start of a feast, and the inferior quality should be saved for later, when the taste is not quite as important. This principle certainly does not apply to grape juice.

It can be seen that the wine Jesus made by his miracle must have been of the same sort as the wine they originally served [only better]. What sort of wine do you imagine people serving in a traditional wedding? Remember that those people did not have your idea of 'born again'. If they originally served alcohol, it is only reasonable that Jesus supplied better alcohol.

A Friend of Sinners

(Matt 11:18-19)

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."

(Luke 12:29-31)

29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

The critical questions from the above passages is: What were the sinners drinking? Grape wine or strong wine? It is remarkable that Jesus drank with them and yet was not called a sinner but only 'a friend of sinners'; meaning that those tax collectors were called sinners not for their drinking but for other things.

Paul�??s Instruction to Timothy

I Timothy 5:23 contains a remarkable statement in the form of instruction from the apostle Paul to Timothy. He wrote, �??Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach�??s sake and thine often infirmities.�?? Wine has inherent properties, which are beneficial for the human body.

Consider the following quote: �??�??Numerous well designed studies have concluded that moderate drinking is associated with improved cardiovascular health,�?? wrote the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in 1966. The Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association also reported in 1966, �??The lowest mortality occurs in those who consume one or two drinks per day.�??�??

Though these statements were written in 1966, they have stood the test of time and are just as relevant today. Red wine has been proven to contain elements that lower cholesterol and fight cancer.

Understanding its value when used in moderation, certain cultures even permit the modest use of alcohol by minors, under close adult supervision, resulting in measurable health benefits.

A Warning from Proverbs

There are some scriptures, which, if not read carefully, do seem to condemn the use of wine. We will see that they do not condemn its right use but rather its wrong use. Nowhere in the Bible does God condemn the use of wine, as long as it is not abused. In fact, as stated above, He encourages the modest use of wine and other strong drink during the Feast of Tabernacles. The moment that over-drinking begins is the moment that sin begins.

Let�??s now consider Proverbs 23:29-35 (NKJV): �??Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: they have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?�??

This is a description of someone who has consumed way too much alcohol. A drunken man is belligerent, combative, seemingly always ready for a fight�??and always complaining about this or that injustice because his senses are in a stupor. Those in this condition commonly seem to imagine themselves as having been wronged. Overuse of alcohol blurs judgment and perception.

This verse paints the familiar picture of a drunk stumbling and falling, and perhaps bruising himself, without knowing it at the time. His �??bloodshot�?? eyes (redness) come from excessive drinking. Later, such a person may sober up and wonder where and how he had acquired his injuries. Yet, he may already be looking for his next drink.

Yes, one who is a winebibber or an alcoholic is in sad shape. He cannot function properly, is often anti-social, and, in the end, is usually concerned only for himself. He disregards the needs of others.

Does any part of this picture resemble you? Could this be a picture of your weekends�??or even a typical weeknight out? Are you one who goes to the local tavern or bar for �??just one�?? and does not know when to quit? Drunkenness and alcoholism are clear violations of God�??s Law.

Galatians 5:21 contains a warning about conduct that will keep people out of the coming kingdom of God. It states that, �??Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.�??

In a similar instruction to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that no thieves, idolators, adulterers, extortioners or drunkards, etc., �??shall inherit the kingdom of God�?? (I Cor. 6:9-10).

God has standards�??and they are described in His Word. This includes the right and wrong use of alcohol. God prescribes neither abstinence nor overuse of alcoholic beverages.

What Does God Expect?

Is the drinking of wine and other alcohol sinful pleasure, or a healthful life-improving habit? We saw that Christ approved of drinking wine. His actions and words set the example by which the saints are to live.

What does God expect of you? He expects you to use alcohol wisely. Jesus has not changed. Hebrews 13:8 states that He is �??the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.�?? We are to �??follow His steps�?? (I Pet. 2:21-24). This principle is clear. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not wrong or sinful! The misuse of alcoholic beverages is sinful! It is not the bottle that is the problem�??it is the person holding the bottle!

As with food, money, or anything that has the potential for misuse, moderation is the Bible standard for all true disciples. Paul wrote, �??Everyone that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things�?? (I Cor. 9:25) and �??Let your moderation be known unto all men�?? (Phil. 4:5).

Shalom Israel.

'Born Again' Re-explained

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:49:00 +0000

Paul wrote that Jesus, after His resurrection, became �??the firstborn from the dead�?? (Col. 1:18), and �??that He might be the FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN�?? (Rom. 8:29). When connected, these two verses show that Christ is the firstborn from the dead, and that many others will follow later. But when�??and into what�??will these others be born?
In John 3:3, Christ said to Nicodemus, �??Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.�?? In verse 6, He continues, �??That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.�??
Believe this plain verse. One must become spirit to see the kingdom of God!
Paul also wrote, �??flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God�?? (I Cor. 15:50). The following two verses there explain that the resurrection will occur at the Seventh (�??last�??) Trumpet, when �??the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.�??
The resurrection of the dead will occur when Christ returns. There must be no misunderstanding this great event. People who were once fleshly human beings will be changed into spirit�??will be BORN AGAIN�??and enter into the kingdom of God.
John 4:24 states that �??God is a Spirit.�?? Under the Father, Christ will lead His kingdom, to be composed of resurrected spirit beings. At His Return, Christ, as a member of the Family of God, will have many younger �??brothers and sisters,�?? who will have qualified to rule with Him in His kingdom.
There is a plant kingdom, an animal kingdom, human kingdoms and an angelic kingdom. There is also the kingdom of God.
The first time that God will add more to His Family is at the time Christ�??s kingdom is established.
At that time, �??many sons shall be brought unto glory�?? through the work of the �??Captain of our salvation�?? (Heb. 2:10). Verse 11 says that Christ �??is not ashamed to call them brethren�??�??those of whom Christ is called the �??firstborn.�??
Do you see what is described here? A true Disciple�??s goal�??his destiny�??is to be BORN into the coming kingdom (government) of God as a SPIRIT BEING who will rule under Christ. What could be more wonderful�??more GLORIOUS�??for a Disciple to look forward to?

The Resurrection of the Jews

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 14:45:00 +0000

As the entire Christian world celebrates Easter, I feel a compelling urge to write about the significance of the resurrection of Jesus which is ostensibly the reason for the Public holiday being observed in many nations of the earth. Debates still abound in several quaters about whether Jesus actually resurrected or not. A certain school of thought is that bodily resurrection is something that had always been present in history for example Osiris in Egyption mythology; Castor and Pollux in Greek mythologhy. If these have been dismissed as mere inventions of ignorant minds in the dark history of the earth, why shouldn't ressurection of Jesus be dismissed also as the formulation of the Apostles? The truth has a way of propating itself and for that reason, Jesus has been set apart in that several thousands have defended their faith in Him to the point of death, How many believe in the resurrection of Osiris? Though truth is not a game of numbers, the fact is that such a faith which spread around the world like wild fire, is certainly not based on something as flimsy as greek and egyptian mythology. My aim is not to discuss the various theories of survival, miplacement of the body and theft which had been proposed by scholars. The truth which I hold is that none can believe except Faith is given to him. My objective here is to assertain if those who accept the resurrection actually believe it. There can be no faith until there is enlightenment "and how shall they believe [on him] of whom they did not hear? and how shall they hear apart from one preaching? " (Rom 10:14) . The resurrection of Jesus was not a religious event. It was a Promise. The promise to the true Jews that on the 3rd day, there will be a resurrection of the Jews even as was prophesied in the sixth chapter of Hosea:
1`Come, and we turn back unto Jehovah, For He hath torn, and He doth heal us, He doth smite, and He bindeth us up.
2He doth revive us after two days, In the third day He doth raise us up, And we live before Him.
If there was not sufficient historical foretelling, I would have called the resurrection a sudden act of God; but nay, it was ordained from the foundation of the world. Hosea and so many others told of the resurrection and the Glorification.

The first reason for His resurrection is that He must reign over his people. Jesus while he walked the streets of Judea and Galilee, never ceased to speak about His suffering and Glorification. The very earth that He suffered is the earth upon which He must also be glorified. Let no one think that the triumphant entry into Jerusalem was the glorification which was meant for Jesus. He is not yet glorified and for that reason He needed to be raised from the dead and preserved for a while until the time appointed of the Father when He would be glorified and exalted. He was born king but did not reign until he died. That would have been a contradiction if not there wasn't a resurrection and second life in which the promise was to be fulfilled. What thrills me most is that even on the Cross the Romans wrote ,without pre-meditation, the following words : THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Let it be clear to all that this words were written in no spiritual sense for this man was ordained from the beginning to Reign over the whole earth from Jerusalem. I mean the literal Jerusalem which is situated around 31°47�?�N, 35°13�?�E. How can it be that a man who died around 1,974 ago is still to reign ? This question is at the present level of science, inexpicable. This is where faith comes in. But not blind faith because existence itself poses several questions which can only be answered by the truths which comes to light by the resurrection of Jesus. Paul had this to say in 2Tim 1:8-10: But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life�??not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

This is the second reason Jesus died. To make this previously hidden truth evident to all men that there shall be a resurrection of the dead. Since the history of the world, it seemed that men had nothing to live for since each man had only a very limited time to spend on the earth. It seemed that if there was a creator, he must have been purposeless- why should men be born only to die after a short while. Why is the universe so unfair to the human element? The sun, moon , and stars seem to go on for endless ages but men though undoubtedly the most important entity in space, cannot survive long. He is frail and at the mercy of the other elements. What is the meaning of existence? This dark cloud was dispelled by the gospel of the Resurrection which gives men something to live for. It prescribes to all that the only worthwhile goal to strive for is a second life. All else is vanity. The works of genius can be wiped out in one day as we saw during the second world war. The whole of human civilisation can collapse in one week of Geological tremors and Tsunamis. All is vanity. If only we could live with the goal of the saints of old who "were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection." (Heb 11:35). You who reads this, make this thy goal : to live in such a way that you can live again.
The resurrection of Jesus is a token to the Jews that the prophesy of old by Hosea is indeed worthy of belief: There shall be a resurrection of the dead.

WE SHALL ALL RESURRECT

noreply@blogger.com (aluma) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 07:45:00 +0000

�??There is a time to be born and a time to die�??. The reality of death is one that stares each of us in the face yet only few ever live with a consciousness of their mortality and impermanence. There is no man on earth today who was here 150 years ago and none of us that is alive today shall be on the earth in A.D. 2150; yet the earth continues and does not die like men do. The same sun that we see today, is the sun that Abraham saw while he walked this earth 4000 years ago. Indeed the moon has seen many generations of men arise and fade away from the earth. �??For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away�?? (I Pet. 1:24). To those who take delight in pleasures and who trust in riches, I ask: �??what man is he that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?�?? (Ps 89:48). Men generally take pride in the works of their hands and in the advances of science and technology but there is one thing that no man since the beginning of the world has been able to do- none [however rich or intelligent] has been able to conquer mortality. Herein is the weakness and emptiness of science made manifest-for science can never defeat or annul death.

There is however another reality which is of even greater significance than the reality of death yet this latter reality is obscure to the eyes of philosophers, scientist, idolaters, and a greater portion of men that come into this world. It is a mystery which God has hid from the foundation of the world but He is at this time revealing it to His saints. Verily, everyone that ever died or will die on this earth, shall again resurrect in this same earth from their very graves or wherever their constituent particles may be resting. They shall resurrect not as fleshless spirits but they shall have bodies such as we now have.

Let us begin this discourse by understanding the origin of death- this phenomenon over which man has no power.

�??And the Lord God took Adam and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die�?? (Gen 2:15-17).

Elohim spoke these words of cursing on man in the day that Adam was created. Seeing that Adam and Eve soon transgressed this commandment, the curse of a surety came on Adam and on all his posterity which as yet were in his loins. It is needful that we understand the nature of this curse for God said �??In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die�??. We all know that Adam did not die within 24 hours of eating the forbidden fruit. Did the word of God fail? Why then did God say �??In the day that thou eatest�?��??? Many have said in ignorance that what God meant was spiritual death. But I now know that He meant mortality and physical death; for as the Apostle Paul wrote in Rom 5:2 �??wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men�??. The word translated death in this scripture, is in Greek, �??thanatos�?? which is natural or temporal death. Also it is written �??for since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead�?? (I Cor. 15:21). It is obvious that the �??death�?? being spoken of in this scripture is not spiritual but physical. Therefore we conclude that the basic consequence of Adam�??s transgression was natural death (mortality). If this is so, why then did Adam not die on the same day according as God spoke? It is needful for you to understand that the �??day�?? God spoke about is not the day of sunrise and sunset for God had His own kind of �??day�?? even before the sun and moon were created. �??be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day�?? (II Pet. 3:8). We now understand that when God said �??In the day�??, this to man is a 1000 years and of a truth, Adam died in that day (within the space of 1000 years) for when he was 930 years, he went to his grave. Methuselah who has the record of having lived longest on the earth, could not still live up to 1 day (i.e. 1000 years) for when he had lived for 969 years, he also died. This is the portion of every seed of Adam: we all must die in the day we are born and none has ever lived up to 1000 years of age for God whose word CANNOT fail has said �??in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die�??. Let all that read this understand the Almightiness of God and perceive the immutability of His counsel. Though ignorant scientists and arrogant atheist may refute the existence of God, yet none of them can defy or defeat this decree of death which the Most High issued from the beginning. Once spake He, yet to this day, no man has been able to resist or escape that decree. Though men rebel against their creator and live as though He doesn�??t exist, yet all men must die within one day, according to the word of the LORD. �??For who hath resisted His will�??? (Rom 9:19). In the same way that men must die even though it is against their own wills, even so, men would one day be dragged against their own wills to the judgment seat of the Ancient of days. The will of man is to be utterly despised in the light of God�??s will. God spoke once and the sun came into being and to this day, the sun has not deviated from the circuit that God had appointed for it. Indeed all the weapons of the nations put together, cannot prevail against the Word of God. �??And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou?�?? (Dan 4:35).

Though God made this decree of death, which Adam brought upon himself by transgression, mortality was not the ultimate intent for man. God thus willed within Himself even from the beginning that death should be abolished and that a chosen portion of mankind should be delivered from death by resurrection unto endless life. Even as Apostle Paul wrote �??In hope of eternal life (immortality) which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began�?? (Titus 1:2). It is thus clear that even from the beginning, God had began to speak to some men and to give them hope that there shall be a resurrection of the dead. This is a mystery that is hid from the eyes of the world and the wicked cannot hope for this. But in every generation, this has been the hope of the saints even as we see in Romans 2:7 �??To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life�?? Again scripture records in another place that �??Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection�??(Heb. 11:35). Didn�??t Paul also express his hope when said in Philippians 3:11 �??If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead�??. This also was the crux of the Gospel of the kingdom which Paul preached for he spoke about �??Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel�?? (II Tim 1:10). The gospel which Paul preached, brought life and immortality to light. Paul preached that there shall be a resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:14-15). How different this is from the gospel which is being preached on the earth today!

I will heretofore, endeavor to present to you one of the main elements of the True Gospel of the Kingdom, which is: there shall be a resurrection of the dead.

While Abraham sojourned in cannan, the LORD said unto him �??Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give, and to thy seed forever�?? (Gen 13:15). This was the gospel which as Paul said, was preached unto Abraham by God Himself (Gal 3:8).

The promise made to Abraham was for the whole earth (Rom 4:13) of which the land of cannan was a figure, for the patriarch sojourned in that land as in a strange land though he was the heir of it (Heb 11:8-9). It is important we understand that God�??s promise to Abraham was not just for that land in the Middle East which we now call Israel. That was a token of the promise. God has avouched to give the whole earth to Abraham and to his seed as an eternal inheritance.

Though God had said to him: �??to thee will I give it�??, we understand that in the days of his flesh i.e. while he yet lived, �??God gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on�?? (Acts 7:5). It is therefore manifest that the promise was for an appointed time, God spoke of a latter time when He would give the whole earth to Abraham and to his seed. Since God said �??I will give it to thee and to thy seed forever! He implied that the land which Abraham was to inherit was going to be a kingdom having no end; also, it was going to be a land from which they will never perish and in which they will dwell forever. Abraham understood and believed this gospel that God preached to him and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Thus the patriarch �??looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God�?? (Heb 11:10).

It is important we note that the promise was not to his seed alone but also to Abraham himself. By this, God preached eternal life unto Abraham that though he dies, he shall resurrect again in this same earth and all his seed shall resurrect with him. As the Apostle wrote �??these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth�?? (Heb 11:13). Seeing that all these patriarchs didn�??t receive the promise in their life time, we know that since God cannot lie, Abraham and all his seed in all generations shall resurrect again in this same earth to inherit it for an eternal possession and Christ shall be the King amongst them. Thus shall the promise be fulfilled when �??the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever! Rev 11:15.

It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit does not omit from the sacred scriptures, the manner in which the patriarchs buried their dead for even this rite of burial was performed in faith for they believed that there shall be a resurrection of the dead. Abraham with great care purchased a sepulcher (Gen 23) and did not lightly esteem the corpse of Sarah for he knew within himself that God would one day raise her up to inherit the earth with the rest of the saints.

We also read that �??by faith Joseph when he died�?� gave a commandment concerning his bones�?? (Heb 11:22). Why would he do this-if not for the faith he had that God shall cloth his bone with flesh and he shall again walk upon this earth in immortality.

Job also being imparted with the faith of Abraham, was righteous in the sight of God in that he also lived with the hope of the resurrection of the dead for he testified thus: �??And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,�?? (Job 19:26-27). Job also knew that at the end of ages, Jesus Christ shall again walk and reign in this very earth over His resurrected saints. Thus he said �??for I know that my Redeemer liveth and he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth�?? (Job 19:25). Job did not hope to see God as a spirit, he hoped to see God in the flesh and verily, that righteous man shall resurrect again to this earth and all the saints with him and God shall walk amongst them. It is vivid that Job did not hold the hope that today�??s �??believers�?? hold; for the latter believe that at death they will go to heaven and be with God forevermore. But we the disciples of Jesus know that it is in the flesh that we shall see God. Some may want to cavil against this by referring to the story of Lazarus and the rich man. We only need to remember that it is a parable and even at that, it is not recorded that Lazarus went to heaven neither is God mentioned in the whole scenario. Today�??s �??believers�?? are indeed in error as touching their hope of going to heaven when they die for Jesus Christ said �??no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven�?? (Jhn 3:13). Peter in preaching on the day of Pentecost, said: For David is not ascended into the heavens�?� (Ac 2:34). The Beloved Apostle also wrote: �??No man hath seen God at any time�?? (1Jhn 2:12). Christ said that �??the pure in heart shall see God�?? but we know that all the beatitudes He spoke in Matt 5 refer to the time when the kingdom of God shall come; for then, the saints will see God in the flesh. Up to this time, Isaac, David and Paul have not yet seen God; but when they resurrect, they shall see God for He shall be amongst us and Immanuel shall be King.

Let�??s also hear the testimony of David which he spake by the Spirit of Faith that was in him: �??as for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.�?? (Ps. 17:15). This saint was speaking of a time when he shall resurrect with a glorious body that shall be like that of the Glorious Christ and only then shall he behold the Holy One. This accords with the testimony that Paul gave in Phil 3:20-21 �??for our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself�??. Now let us come to the crux of the gospel.

About 2004 years ago, He that is to be king over Israel was born in Bethlehem. He came not by the sperm of man; therefore, He was not subject to mortality. He could have as well lived forever without tasting death for He was not conceived in iniquity like the rest of humanity and therefore there was no sin in him. Seeing that He was without blemish, the sentence of death did not abide upon him. We could therefore say that Christ was born immortal. But wherefore did He die? How was it possible that He should taste death when He was born sinless and immortal? Since we know that death came into the human race by sin, we also conclude that the sentence of death also came upon Christ because of sin; for if He had no sin, it wouldn�??t have been possible for Him to have tasted death. But for whose sin did Christ die- His own? Certainly not; for one of the Apostles wrote in Heb 4:15 that Jesus �??was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin�??. We then conclude that it wasn�??t for His own transgression that the sentence of death came upon Him. The prophet Isaiah spoke this truth of the gospel when He said �??All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Is 53:6). Who does the �??us�?? and �??we�?? in this scripture refer to? It refers to the whole house of Israel (the seed of Abraham) of which Isaiah was a part. It is needful we understand that Isaiah realized that he was one of those for whom Christ died. Contrary to what most �??believers�?? hold, we now understand that Christ not only died for those that lived as from His time. He actually died for all the saints from Abel to Abraham and down to all ages. Again the prophet wrote about Jesus: �??for the transgression of my people was He stricken�?? (Is. 53:8). This accords with the testimony of Jesus Himself when He said �??I am not sent but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel�?? (matt. 15:24) and also with the message given to Joseph by the Angel �??And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins (matt. 1:21). Paul also, in setting forth the mystery behind Christ�??s death, said to the saints at Corinth that God �??hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him�?? (II Cor. 5:21). Thus we conclude that God laid on Jesus, all the transgressions of the seed of Abraham and for this sake, He that was born sinless and immortal, also received the sentence of death upon Himself and thus, He became subject to death even the death of the cross. Peter also testifying to these things, wrote to the pilgrims (the elect) that were scattered abroad (around the world) and reassured them about Jesus �??who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree�?? (I peter 2:24). Since Jesus bore and died on account of the sins of the elect, we then conclude that the saints are purged and cleansed from all their sins and they are blameless before God (Eph.1:4-7) and as Paul said, the saints have become the righteousness of God by the sacrifice of Jesus. Concerning these chosen ones, it is written: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; ( Ephesians 1:4-7) So we see that in the whole wide world, it is only these elect few that are blameless in the sight of God; and this not by their works of righteousness, but on the grounds of God�??s sovereign will. �??Even as David also describeth the blessedness of man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin�?? (Rom 4:6-8). Upon whom cometh this blessedness? Upon the seed of Abraham-not the seed according to the flesh but the seed according to the promise and calling of God which is after the purpose of His own will.

To what end is this righteousness imputed to the saints? To the intent that, they might be able to gain an entrance into and abide in God�??s righteous kingdom. No unrighteous man shall be found on the earth when the kingdom of God comes-He shall first of all cut off the wicked from the earth before He begins to reign over Israel. Paul wrote that �??Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church�?? (Eph. 5:25-27). Three things are evident from here. Firstly that Christ didn�??t die for every human being but only for the Church i.e. �??the congregation (nation) of the called�??. Secondly, that those for whom He died are sanctified and clean. Thirdly, the purpose for which they were washed, is that they might be able to gain an entrance into His kingdom and to stand before Him. We therefore conclude that Jesus did not purify the saints for the sake of this world; rather, He cleansed them to make them worthy to inherit His Kingdom. They whose sins were not remitted, would not be able to resurrect into that kingdom for it is only the righteous that shall be in the earth when the kingdom of God comes. The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth. (Pr 10:30) Sinners shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous and no heathen shall inherit the kingdom of God.

I like to put us to remembrance that death entered into this world by sin; but sin haven been blotted, we know that death shall also be taken away and all those whose sins have been purged, shall come back to life. The man whose sin was not purged, hath no part in the resurrection to Life. Death no longer has a right to hold the saints for there is no cause for death in them any longer. Seeing that Christ died for some, those for whom He died would have to resurrect back to life. �??And this is the Father�??s will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.(Jhn 6:39-40, 44). Thus we conclude that by the death of Jesus and by the remission of our sins, all the saints [i.e. those who the Father draw to knowledge], shall awake to life eternal in the kingdom of God which would be on the earth in the later days.

Haven understood the mystery behind the death of Christ; it�??s even more needful that we understand the mystery behind His resurrection.

�??Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: for if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised: but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive�?? (I Cor 15:12-13, 16, 20-22).

God by His power raised up Jesus back to immortality and by this operation, He abolished death and brought immortality to light (II Tim 1:10). After Jesus resurrected, He appeared by the space of 40 days to those whom He chose to be Apostles and He revealed to them His immortal flesh and those men haven beheld immortality with their very eyes, became witnesses to His resurrection and they preached all over the world that there shall be a resurrection of the dead (Acts 4:2; 17:32). Seeing that God had raised up Jesus, it became evident that all that ever died will resurrect. The resurrection of Jesus was thus, to be a token of the resurrection of all; even as Paul wrote that �??as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive�??. The resurrection of Christ was to bring immortality to light and to show to all that death is not permanent but temporal. This is the hope of the saints. The resurrection of Jesus was a pledge to all the saints that God would also raise them up. Paul attests to this when he said �??God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power.�?? (I Cor 6:14) and again he wrote that �??He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you! (II Cor 4:14). Why else would scriptures record that the saints �??loved not their lives unto death�??? Was it not that they had hope that they shall resurrect again? And what gave them this hope if not that they were witnesses and had heard that God raised up Jesus from the dead (I Pet 1:3).

By the disobedience of Adam, death entered into the human race and verily all shall die; but by the obedience of Christ, death was abolished and verily all shall resurrect back to life. The Apostle wrote that Christ is the first fruit from the dead (I Cor 15:20; Col 1:18) and we know that if the first fruit be harvested, then of a surety, the rest of the crop shall also be harvested. Seeing that Christ is raised, they that are Christ�??s shall also be raised; and the wicked shall also be raised.

Daniel foresaw these things when he wrote that �??them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt! (Dan 12:2). Jesus also spoke like words in Jhn 5:28-29: �??marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation�??. Paul also testified of these things for he said �??that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust�?? (Acts 24:15). It is obvious that everyone you know that ever died shall again resurrect and you also shall die but you shall be raised up again. We could therefore conclude that death is a thing to be despised for no one dies permanently. We must however understand that there would be two kinds of resurrection. Some will be resurrected unto eternal life and glory while others will be resurrected unto everlasting shame and damnation. All shall not be resurrected at the same time for Apostle Paul writes that the resurrection would be in this order: �??Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ�??s at His coming. Then the end when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God�?? (I Cor 15: 23-24). It is clear that the disciples of Jesus shall first of all resurrect before the rest of the world resurrects. The rest of the world shall resurrect after Christ has reigned with His saints on this earth for an appointed period of time. After this, death shall be totally defeated, the rest of humanity shall resurrect and be judged; the kingdom shall then be delivered up to God. From Revelations 20:4-6, we understand that the period between the first resurrection and the second resurrection shall be 1000 years.

At the first resurrection, the saints that are to reign over the nations with Christ, shall be crowned and rewarded and they shall ever more live in the glorious presence of Immanuel even as the scripture saith �??for since the beginning of the world man have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him�?? (Is 64:4). It is going to be impossible to describe what peace and glory would be on earth in those days when the sons of God manifest up on it. �??Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priest of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years! (Rev 20:6). To whom does the first resurrection pertain? To the saints in Christ i.e. the disciples of Jesus who Peter refer to as a �??royal priesthood�??, the whole earth shall be delivered to the saints of the Most High at that time (Dan 7:27) and they shall rule over the gentiles.

Woe unto those living in this dispensation that hath no part in the first resurrection for such shall partake of the second death. Let no one think that God would forget any human being in his grave. He that knows the number of hairs on your head, shall He not know where the bones and dust of all His creatures are? At the second resurrection, even the sea shall give up the dead that are in them (Rev 20:13). It would have been better if a man were not born at all than for his name not to be found written in the book of life which shall be opened at the second resurrection. The second resurrection is to take place on the day of judgment. All the righteous and wicked of all previous and future generations shall resurrect unto the judgment. They that are found written in the book of life shall be granted endless life and together with the [already immortal] disciples of Jesus, they shall all inherit the everlasting kingdom over which God would directly rule here on earth. They that are not found written in the book of life, shall not inherit everlasting life but shall be cast into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone. This is the second death. This fire which was kindled by the breath of God will burn for all eternity even as God Himself is eternal. If God had an ending, only then would the death of the wicked have an ending. But we know there shall be no ending to their death. Worms which dieth not shall devour their corpse for as long as God is eternal. The after judgment scenario is clearly depicted in Isa 66:23-24 :And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. It is thus manifest that while the righteous are dwelling immortally on the earth in the presence of YHWH, the wicked shall be in everlasting death- never again to breath or see the light of life.

Many have thought over the ages that it is the soul of human beings that shall face judgment but we know that all shall resurrect and shall stand with great awe and fear before the Judgment throne of Jesus not as souls but in the flesh. Even as Jesus said �??fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy the soul and body in Gehenna�?? It is clear that men who previously died will resurrect with flesh again before they are cast into the lake of fire. It is in the body that men sin; it is those same bodies that shall bear the punishment of their sins. The very flesh that committed the fornications will be the flesh that will be putrefied by worms forever: for there shall be a resurrection of the unjust.

Should any one still think it is impossible for God to raise the dead; I reply that even in this matter, God has not left Himself without a witness; For He has left many things in nature to teach some, and to witness against others that there shall be a resurrection of the dead. The seed which farmers sow, they sow it in death but by the operation of God the same dead seed [that had no characteristics of a living thing] sprouts up out of the soil with life again. From whence did its life come? From God. Even so, every dead man that is planted into the soil today shall eventually sprout up to life again.

What man is there that does not sleep? What man is there that does not awake after he sleeps? Do ye not know that sleep is a similitude of death? How come you did not realize that even when men sleep the sleep of death, at the appointed time they shall yet awake-some to eternal glory and others to everlasting damnation.