James G. Owen, Author

Eternal Security: An Examen in the Doctrine of Salvation and the Wesleyan Effect

***The water of the Holy Spirit washes our soul and spirit bringing us out of the dry land of sin.***

By James G. Owen

Jesus is the author of eternal salvation having first established the kingdom of a spiritual type on earth fulfilling two covenants, namely the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant. He is the author having taught the law in his ministry to the people of moral behavior to live righteously, raised the dead, healed the sick, lame, deaf and blind. In his ministry he has set the captive spirit free of all types of bondages including demon possession. The best qualifier of his authorship is his death on the Cross as a perfect sacrifice, and his resurrection after being crucified on the Cross three days later as prophesied by the story of Joel and the whale. This not only established his authorship, but also fulfilled the promise given to Eve in Genesis.

“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.”

Genesis 3:15

This scripture tells of two seeds. One is of the serpent in the garden that we know is identified as Satan, and the other seed is the Messiah who later is revealed as Emmanuel, God is with us, prophesied by Isaiah 7:14 and revealed to Joseph in a dream to accept Mary as his wife. Jesus fulfilled this promise by overcoming Satan’s temptations of turning a stone into bread, and not accepting the kingdoms that Satan could give him thus placing enmity between Satan and Jesus began. The furtherance of the defeat of Satan would be in the miracles, and the casting out of the demons in the town of Gadarene. The ultimate fulfillment in which salvation was established permanently was the bruising of Satan’s head by Jesus being nailed to the Cross. Salvation was brought to every man present and future from the place of Golgotha.

What is salvation?

Salvation was a plan created by God before the foundation of the world and creation. He knew his creation would be defiled by sin because of man and their sin of disobedience, so a plan was put in place. That plan was to redeem man through the atoning blood of Jesus to save men from their sin through the grace of God. This enabled the relationship that was severed in the Garden of Eden by sin to be reestablished through man asking for the forgiveness of his sins and becoming “born again”, meaning the spirit of the man being changed from the old sinful man to a new creation, thus being changed from the corruption of sin to incorruption spiritually. It is through salvation that we can receive eternal life.

How does the plan of salvation work?

First, for salvation to come into our lives we must acknowledge God the Father in who he is. He is our creator, the one and only true God. We acknowledge him through believing upon him and the proof he exists is that he has placed a desire to worship in our hearts. That desire is innate. We also see proof he exists in looking all around us in the intricate design of creation, including ourselves made in his image. Secondly, we must realize that all of us, mankind, are guilty of sin, that none of us are righteous, and that sin (original sin, being inborn in man) is a curse from the disobedience of Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden. Next, in Romans 5:8 we read that God exhibited his love by extending salvation to us, a way to correct ourselves to become new again, and this is his plan for us to escape eternal death which is hell.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

It is our decision to make whether to choose God, or not. If we choose his way, then we are to confess our sins, and call up on the name of Jesus in prayer asking him to forgive us of all our sins while believing and enacting our faith that we are being changed. When we call upon the name of Jesus believing we will be saved. In this aspect of explaining salvation, we are being changed on the inside, our hearts and mind.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 10:9-10

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:13

Believe, trust, and faith, an interaction.

When we begin to believe what we have heard, read, or seen, then we trust that source as being truth. There is an interaction going on here I think between the three upon hearing the gospel. Our heart and mind tell us its truth because the Holy Spirit is working about us convicting us of our sins and speaking to us to come to repentance. Within ourselves we may be fighting the truth, we may question, but that is the flesh fighting our decision. Our flesh wants the desires of this world, but our mind says we must change. It is a war, a battle of carnality and flesh that is going on here. Once we believe then the three begins its interaction because we have made the decision to change because we have believed, trusted the source as truth, and faith has entered the decision by becoming loyal to God and his son Jesus. Belief, trust, and faith are similar, yet separate enough to understand how God has created us to think and make decisions. The result of the interaction of belief, trust, and faith is hope. We now have hope to continue living after we pass from this world to eternal life, and that hope also tells us we will be with our Heavenly Father in a restful, peaceful place. Having believed and trusted we reacted by stepping out in faith feeling secure and acting with confidence. Faith is loyalty, and that faith has become a spiritual marriage. Faith is a structure of doctrinal beliefs. Those beliefs should come from strict scriptural study being literal, historical, and cultural. Faith through doctrine is a statement of our morality and values.

This is the basics of salvation, but this is not all that we can receive from God. There is always more. We will discuss this later in the article. Next let us discuss a doctrine that many of us has heard in discussion or reading, and others may have been told at the time we were saved.

The Doctrine of Eternal Security: Unconditional Security

As I begin to examine the doctrine of Eternal Security, I will explain it in two forms. One as unconditional and secondly as conditional. The unconditional form comes to us from Calvinism in which I will address from the TULIP, which is an acronym for total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. There is an additional portion to the unconditional form, and that is the five points of Calvinism. I will not include it here, but I may choose to discuss it in another article so that I may have the time to research it fully.

Total depravity I will explain as a man in a boat fishing on a lake. The lake is sin, and the boat is man’s ark of safety. When man disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, he capsized the boat and Adam and Eve fell into the lake being totally submerged. Sin had caused a separation of God and man by placing the veil of sin between them, and it made all of creation imperfect and impure. We were totally soaked in sin from the outside to the inside. From skin to the mind and heart of man. There was no way out in our perspective and ability, but God the Father had a plan of salvation to defeat sin and depravity.

Unconditional election is a doctrine of works, that our salvation is based on good deeds. It furthers itself by stating that God had determined who would be saved and who would receive damnation, and who would be in a relationship with him and this was known before the foundation of the world.

Limited atonement is explained that atonement would be for some, but not for all. That some would be excluded. The unconditional election and limited atonement cause me to think of the interpretation of predestination by some to mean that God had predestined an elect to be his Church and those would serve in his kingdom.

Irresistible grace is the calling of people he had chosen to come to repentance and extended grace to them.

The perseverance of the saints is explained by the adage, “once saved, always saved”, that once a person is in God’s saving grace they will always stay within the hand of God until the person achieves eternal life. In my understanding, this is the unconditional part of this Calvinist doctrine, along with unconditional election, meaning no matter what action is taken in life after accepting Jesus, even sinning while claiming salvation one will go to heaven regardless of how they have lived their life.

The Doctrine of Eternal Security: Conditional Eternal Security

Simply, salvation is provided for all mankind and is given freely by the grace of God because he loved us all enough to give us the chance and make the decision for ourselves whether to choose him, or to choose eternal damnation. Whether to be in a loving, free relationship with God the Father, or choose the life and the pleasures of sin. In my explanation, this form will begin in John 3:16, that God loved us so much he gave his son Jesus and believed upon him as their Savior would have eternal life. Further in my discourse it is explained in the Roman road to Salvation at the beginning of this article. That we have all sinned and must come to that knowledge of being born into sin and acknowledging that we have a God that we must answer to for how we are living our lives. We must confess our sin and live a righteous and holy life to enter heaven. Also, know that God calls us to repentance, and he does so by the drawing of the person by the Holy Spirit. In Pentecostal terminology we call it conviction. He draws us by convicting us of our sins. Scripture tells us he must draw us by his Spirit, and I think that is what Calvin failed to bring out in his irresistible grace doctrine. In differing with unconditional security, I would state God calls all men, and gives us all the chance to repent and have eternal life, not an elect populace.

“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.”

John 6:44

The Roman Road to Salvation is the basic form of coming to the Lord for eternal security, but there is more to salvation than living the basics form of salvation. We are to live our lives without spot, or wrinkle. We must show good fruit in loving people by helping them or ministering to any kind of need. We must live a life of holiness, and it will take the Holy Spirit to help us live in holiness for we cannot make ourselves holy by living and doing good works. Living in holiness and salvation has conditions, and boundaries that we must not cross to achieve eternal life.

Losing the Eternal Security Gained

The question asked many times is can one who confessed his sin, became saved, lose their salvation? In my experience and belief is yes one can. My experience having been saved and then time passes by, I find myself not resisting the temptation that faced me, or the mocking I received when I confessed my faith. When I succumbed to the mocking and the temptations my conscience told me I had done wrong. If I had just asked God for forgiveness then, the dirt and the dust that came spiritually on my soul and conscience would not have settled.

The bible tells us that we cannot enter heaven with sin in our lives, and to be able to come into God’s presence to receive of him we cannot proceed with the sin in our lives. Yes, Christians can sin, and that sin will cause you to no longer be in the Kingdom of God if you do not take responsibility and take care of it.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 21:27

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

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.”

Galatians 5:19-21

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,”

1 Corinthians 6:9

Turning our back on God after being saved and going back into the sin we found ourselves out is called backsliding. We have slidden from God’s kingdom back into Satan’s kingdom and have found ourselves in bondage again. The turning back towards our past and committing sin is marital unfaithfulness, that our relationship between God and us is like a marriage, intimate relationship in that we confide in him about our needs, times when we need to feel safe, and just want to worship him. Sin separates us from that relationship. The sinful life will be a form of idolatry because we have our minds and hearts in sin and not on God who created us.

The story of Elisha and Elijah in 1 Kings 19:20 illustrates backsliding. Elisha is called by Elijah to go with him to minister the word of God, but Elisha wants to say goodbye to his mother and father before following him, but Elijah says go on back for I have done to you. Elijah, a prophet of God had chosen Elisha for service in God’s kingdom. His purpose was to look forward and not backward. What was before him in God’s kingdom and is wonderful and full of life, but he looks backward to what he had, and had not look forward to the riches and eternal life he would gain. Jesus teaching to the people on this subject told them what he thought of backsliding and was teaching them to move forward in life and follow him.

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

Jesus statement in Luke 9 is blunt. Sometimes bluntness is needed to get people to understand the consequences of sin. The spiritual situation can be remedied if we repent of our sin and move forward.

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Revelation 2:5

Eternal Security is continuous only if we stay within the grace of God and his boundaries. Sinning has consequences and that consequence is eternal damnation in the lake of fire, which is Satan’s kingdom headquarters. Paul, the apostle gives us words of encouragement in his letter of Philippians.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,”

Philippians 3:13

His words are to move forward, never looking backwards. Life is going to be tough, but we are to have faith, to keep the faith, and understand that God will bring us through every situation, and that we have the victory already won. The victory was won on the Cross by Jesus’s death.

So, here in this part of the examen the doctrine that I live by and I believe is the most scriptural to keep myself in holiness is the conditional eternal security. I know I cannot live life in sin, and to say I am saved, then go live a life of sin I cannot excuse that kind of life, nor will I be able to defend myself before God in his court. As I told you earlier, there is more to salvation. What should we expect next in our walk-in salvation? Let us look at what I am naming the Wesleyan Effect.

The Wesleyan Effect. What is it?

John Wesley had met the Moravians in his travels between American and Europe. He was told of a doctrine of justification (justification by faith is also Martin Luther) and what is known now as sanctification. He was intrigued with the doctrine, that was new to him, and wandered why his mentor had never told him of this doctrine. When he studied in his scriptures to see about this new knowledge he began to believe and seek a joy he had not known. As time went by, he found the joy he was seeking, and from this experience that was profound to him, he considered himself not a Christian until his new spiritual experience. In this life changing event, John Wesley had found what it meant to be truly born again. Here, he found what St. Paul was talking about in the scriptures of the peace with God through Jesus. He also found that to be justified we would not only need to believe in Jesus, but to have the fulness of faith of which our hearts can hold. To believe in Jesus with zeal. Our justification does not come by works, but by faith, even though good works is showing fruit of out testimony, it is the light of faith that shows our souls have been forgiven and that the Holy Spirit reigns within our hearts. In justification it is meant that we are not held guilty for our sins, and justification is the action in the process of salvation that is after our prayer of confession of sins, and before sanctification. Justification is the pardoning of sin, that God as the judge in his court found us not guilty and giving us grace and love forgiving us of our trespasses. Justification must occur before the action of sanctification.

Sanctification is the process of washing of the spirit of man to wash away the sin, trespasses, transgressions, iniquities, and abominations that have spotted and trashed the spirit of man. The action is done by the Holy Spirit washing us in the blood of Jesus that takes every sin away.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Romans 5:1

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Galatians 2:16

If we continue to see God after knowing we have had the experience of sanctification, we will experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit in which we will speak with tongues and fire. This is the experience of the disciples of Jesus and the people gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem in Acts 2. Some people believe that tongues has ceased, but they have not. It continues unto this day and will continue until the Last Day that the book of John speaks. How do we know that we are sanctified? John Wesley preached it as assurance, in other words by the experience you will know by faith and know without a doubt that your temple has been swept cleaned. You will know intellectually.

Sanctification, the Wesleyan Effect, is described above as the instantaneous sanctification. We are responsible for keeping our temple clean, and we do this by prayer asking God to take away any sin, spot, or wrinkle, that we may have done unknowingly. This is called purging. We must keep our souls washed every day spiritually and is called daily sanctification. What helps us to stay pure is to abstain from sin. To keep ourselves separate by not participating in other people’s activities in which we know they do not have the salvation experience. We are to witness to them to bring them to Christ, but we must not fellowship with them lest we be led astray. The purging is also explained by the transformation of our minds, that we are changed, made anew, a new creation in Christ, and being born again. We have come to a position that we are no longer separated from God, and a relationship has opened between God and us.

“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”

Ephesians 5:3-7

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Ephesians 5:11

We are to witness to them in love telling them we no longer participate in sin, and that we have found salvation in Jesus and found a new love that will lead us to eternal life. We are to disapprove of the sin and not partake of it being the light and witness to draw them into the love of God. By living our testimony in front of them we are showing them a life of holiness.

How do we become holy? We ourselves cannot make ourselves holy, but we can live righteous and by the work of the Holy Spirit he brings us into holiness. The purging of sin daily assures us that we will remain in holiness.

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

2 Corinthians 7:1

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.; Neither give place to the devil.”

Ephesians 4: 22,24, 27

The works of justification by faith, instantaneous and daily sanctification, purging and living a life in holiness is the Wesleyan Effect. I pray that you will come to know this experience after reading this article, hoping the Roman road will lead you to salvation if you do not know Jesus. I invite you to read the scriptures for yourself and then ask God for confirmation if needed. This is the path in which I was raised and taught as a youngster, and now I am older and still believe this is the scriptural path of full salvation, the conditional form of eternal security, the gift that God has given us. He wanted us to have this full gift, and the power of the Holy Spirit by coming into our body and changing our spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us boldness and anointing to stay on the path, to give us strength and knowledge in situations when we will need that knowledge and gives us the power (dunamis) to serve.

Notes:

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/faith.html

reformed.org/calvinism/tulip-an-introduction-by-jonathan-barlow/

reformed.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RLDabney5PointsofCalvinism.pdf

churchofgod.org.s3.amazonaws.com/downloads/doctrine-and-polity-papers/Martin-Repentance-English.pdf

John Wesley, by John H. Overton M.A., Methuen & Co. 18, Bury Street, London, WC, 1891.

A Dianoetic Process: Seeking an Answer That Evades a Profound Question About Healing

By James G. Owen

The question that evades or flummoxes a biblical scholar or an average person when asked. Why does God heal one person, but another person does not get healed? Can this question that bewilders the people queried be answered? In my opinion, there is an answer, but we must investigate the scriptures for the answer.

In seeking an answer for this question lets discuss healing from a scriptural point of view, and how it is received.

Healing in scripture begins in the Old Testament. The first healing experience that comes to my mind is the brazen serpent (nahash nehoshet) in Numbers 21:8-9. Here, the people were being bitten by fiery serpents. Some had died because of the bite. It was the Lord God, Jehovah that told Moses to construct a serpent on a pole. So, Moses had a fiery serpent and pole constructed and informed the people to go before the brazen serpent and look up on it and those bitten would live.

There is symbolism here of the serpent being placed on a pole. The pole is the symbolism of the cross that Jesus was sacrificed upon at his crucifixion. This portion of scripture causes me to think of the promise in the book of Genesis of a promised Messiah and his actions.

“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.”

Genesis 3:15

By placing the serpent on the pole shows the beginning of the defeat of Satan. It is the Messiah who will bruise the head of the serpent and the serpent to bruise his heel. So, when the people went before the brazen serpent and looked up on it, they were acknowledging Satan’s defeat and the presence of the Lord who heals, and a gain in salvation because they were spared from the effects of the poisonous venom of the serpent. What was the action of healing in the scripture in Numbers 21? The action of the smitten people was they “looked upon” as they went before the brazen serpent on the pole. When we go to get healing, whether we present ourselves at the altar, or in another manner, we are coming before the one who was crucified and the sacrifice that provides for our healing as prophesied in Isaiah. Here in the action of looking upon an acknowledgment of God is made known and we present ourselves to him. In this presentation of ourselves we are asking for grace.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5

Here in this prophetic scripture the provision of salvation was promised by the atoning blood of Jesus because he was the Son of God shedding his blood for our sins. He was the perfect sacrifice because he had the DNA of God the Father within him as well as the DNA of mankind. By providing for our salvation, he also provided for the healing of people so that they would be able to perform the spreading of the gospel to the world by destiny and purpose.

What happens when a person is healed? In an unbeliever coming to God for healing, two things should occur, that is the salvation of the person being forgiven of their sins after asking for forgiveness which is a witness that God work within their lives, but also a witness to others in the congregation, or gathering group of changes taken place. Changes in the spirit of the person from spiritual death to life, and the physical healing of the person’s body.

What other things will facilitate healing? First is belief in God. Healing is facilitated by believing that God is the only God and that he is all powerful, and that he provides grace sufficient for every need. How do we come to believe in God? We come to believe in God and who he is by reading the bible and encountering people who know him through the experience of his saving power, salvation, and by their own testimony. The child of God can point you to scripture of how to know God and his Son Jesus. It is through believing that God’s word is true, and that he is present in his creation, and by faith we come to believe. Second is grace. We are saved by grace through faith. After receiving salvation, it is our responsibility to keep ourselves purged of sin daily through sanctification through prayer. Living a righteous life before him our grace increases along with our faith and knowledge because we are spending time searching and reading the scriptures in the bible. We are growing and becoming greater by our increased affection for God and the blessings he has given us, the provision he brings, and by the fruits and proof of our newfound morality. Grace comes by obedience and gratitude.

Healing came to the people following Jesus because they had seen others healed. Those healed believed what Jesus taught and trusted him fully. They knew by his works that he was from God because no man could perform such miracles that they witnessed. The people believed because of the wisdom and the fruits of his life that he remained sinless. He could not be tested and fail or deceived because Jesus was part God because he was born of a virgin and his father was Almighty God, the Great I AM. To be clear he was tested by Satan after his baptism by John the Baptist, but he was victorious! So, his healing comes to us as a promise and through the fulfilling of the new covenant.

So, what is the answer to the perplexing question that people ask? Why some are healed instantly, and others are put on hold, so to speak? This is my answer while working the dianoetic process. Those who are healed instantly are ones who are needing salvation. Those who are saved have a purpose that God wants them to fulfill by working in the kingdom of God and it is his will, and desire for them to be instantly healed to continue to serve. Those who are not healed instantly should make sure they are obedient in their spiritual walk and growing in the knowledge of Jesus, and that their walk shows the fruits of the Spirit. While conducting my study for this article those who are disciples, he wants us to persist. Make sure our hearts are right and all in in order. Work your faith by believing, keeping your petition before God, and placing full trust in him. We must also realize that he may not heal because we may not remember him, and in the example of Paul may use this as a thorn to keep our minds upon him, never giving up while we are continuously working for the kingdom. It is through the pain of trials, sicknesses, tribulations, and the experiences of living that he refines us.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

1 Peter 5:10-11

“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.”

Zechariah 13:9

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

2 Peter 3:18

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

In conclusion, there may be other solutions to this profound question. I do believe that any other answer will be shown in the scriptures of the bible and by revelation through prayer or a word from the Lord. So, we must keep searching the scriptures for answers while placing our faith totally in him knowing that everything is done according to his will and mercy. He has a purpose for everything. Keep searching.

Notes

https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Nehushtan.html

https://www.biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm

Grace, the Greek definitions for grow G 837 and grace G5485. Tecarta Bible.

All scripture used is from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

The Devil, Disease, and Deliverance: Origins of Illness in New Testament Thought, CPT Press Cleveland, Tennessee, by John Christopher Thomas, 2010.

THE PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONAL CHURCHES COME TOGETHER IN UNITY

by James G. Owen

There are more denominations than choices of fishing tackle. Since the Protestant Reformation the Protestant Movement has grown in number of denominations. Churches split over various reason, but one reason is doctrine.

The denominations have different views for:

Water baptism.
Different millennial positions, such as Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism.
Pretribulation, Mid-tribulational, and Post-tribulation.
Trinitarian or non-Trinitarian
Eternal Security
Predestination differences
Dispensational vs Non-Dispensational
Belief in the Speaking of Tongues and Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

There are more differences in the denominations than the list I created I think, but we will carry on to making my point of unity. In today’s world, a bizarre year has unfolded, and there is an attack on the Christian Church—Christianity. The churches are not united in doctrine, nor united in spirit and the spiritual battle we are facing globally, and especially here in the United States must be defeated. This means that all differences in doctrine and of any kind must cease and find common ground in fighting this battle together. In numbers we will have victory, being split we are defeated.

The Protestant churches should respect one another and come to the basic of doctrines in scripture, and that is to preach Jesus born of a virgin, ministered, taught, healed, delivered, and raised the dead as spoken in the Gospels of the New Testament. We are called to make disciples of men. We are not to bicker over eschatological opinions and views, or for any other doctrine. Lay these differences down and preach Jesus as the Messiah the only way to salvation and eternal life. This is my point for unity. There may be other avenues for unity among the Protestants and Evangelicals, but we must stand together to fight the spiritual battle we are in globally. We are in a battle for the very soul of the nation of the United States of America. What happens here in this year of 2020 will determine the outcome for the whole world. In the last few months, I have seen reports of using a virus to bring global change, and that change has a name—the Great Reset. A name that I believe has changed from the original term I saw earlier in the year, and that was Tikkun Olam, meaning to fix the world.

To fix the world from the globalist view is to reconstruct the economy, set new rules for environmental issues such as climate change. I see an attack on the Christian churches of shutdown, and the outlawing of bibles. I am aware of the vaccines being produced that have been fast tracked and not taking the usual number of years to develop. For years I have been watching for a new world government to arise, and a new world religion, all set to become a One World System, and I believe I have seen the fundamentals being established using a virus to attain their goals.

So, I am making a clarion call to all Protestant Churches to assemble and to unite in a battle of good versus evil, a spiritual battle that will affect all mankind. Push back the differences and put on the Ephesians 6: 11-18 armor.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Centuries ago, there was a Dark Age and there were differences of doctrine and beliefs. Martin Luther came to the forefront of the Reformation Movement and wrote his 95 Theses. Today, we are seeing a New Dark Age coming now being called a Dark Winter, and I have heard this term from a presidential Democratic candidate. The result is the same, but I believe we are into a more difficult time, an indignation because of a political ideology that was not present in the current form we have witnessed in my lifetime.

So, concluding let all Christians who love Jesus project, teach, preach, and evangelize Jesus. Fulfill the evangelical call and go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Notes: All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

The Resurrection of Jesus: Is the Resurrection Real, or is it a Fable?

What does the word resurrection mean? It is the raising of the man, woman, or child from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is a person in the in the godhead (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) of the Father. God is a trichotomous God, yet he is One.

Is the resurrection real? In 1 Kings 17:17-24, I am reminded as I write this article of Elijah and the widow’s son. The widow’s son fell ill and died. The lady complained to Elijah saying she had to pay for her sin by her son’s death. I can imagine that Elijah was grieved by the complaint and learning of the boy’s death. He took the widow’s son to the bedroom and laid him there, and for three times he petitioned God the Father to raise up the boy. After the third time God permitted him to come to life, and the boy did live. Imagine the look on Elijah’s and the widow’s face. With Elijah it must have been the look of determination and of faith. With faith we can move mountains and in enacting our faith we have authority. Elijah’s authority at this time was with the Father, even though God’s Spirit raised the boy from the dead. Also, seeing is believing and the widow believed by sight, and by the word of God that came from Elijah which was truth.

“And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

1 Kings 17:24

In Ezekiel, we can read about the story of the dry bones coming together as an army to fight for the Lord. Many think this is a story of the Holocaust, and it could be, but as I have been thinking on my writings this week it could be the raising of an army to go forth to bring the gospel to every man on earth by those who believe in Jesus, the Church.

Also, the basis in the New Testament that the resurrection is not a fable, but truth lies in Jesus raising the body of Lazarus who was dead for four days. It is at this point in the degradation of the human body that it begins to have a stench. Jesus waited until this forth day to prove that the man was dead, I believe, for the people to believe. Jesus by the word of his mouth, just as in Elijah’s case, commanded Lazarus to come forth. Looking upon the sepulcher where Lazarus was laid the people watched as Lazarus came forth clothed in his grave clothes. Here, we see the Old Testament giving its account and the New Testament giving witness of the other.

On the third day after Jesus was crucified, he arose just like he told the disciples. On that same morning there is another account in the New Testament, and that is the saints in the graves of Jerusalem were resurrected and walked the streets. Imagine the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Father. In the Father there is all power and can do the impossible. Surely there were people who did not believe that Jesus was resurrected, but there were many who did because of his actions in his ministry prior to his death. Jesus, arose, folded the grave clothes as he came out of the grave with the gravestone having been rolled away by two angels. Was the sepulcher guarded? Yes, by Roman guards, but they fell asleep, being put to sleep by the angels.

“And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,”

Luke 24: 2-6

Imagine the scene as Mary Magdalene and others came to the grave and saw his grave empty and wondering who took him. They didn’t believe at this time, but there were two men at Jesus’s grave site and reminded those present of Jesus’s words. Even telling the apostles they did not believe but came to believe after being reminded, and in the days forward of Jesus coming to him before his ascension. He was seen by many over the land of Palestine before the feast of Pentecost. It was important for Jesus to die for us, and to be resurrected. It is by his death and resurrection that Satan was defeated, and those who choose life through Jesus, death can no longer sting or take hold.

Resurrection is real. Jesus’s resurrection is real and not a fable. Even today, we see a form of resurrection in the hospitals where people are given a shock to get their hearts beating and through resuscitation. Being Pentecostal, I have heard many stories of people being resurrected by the Holy Spirit in church services. We have been given the power through the Holy Spirit given to us, and the Holy Spirit came after Jesus’s death. Remember, Jesus said he would be with us always, and he is through the Holy Spirit.

Note: All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

The Messianic Prophecies of the Crucifixion of Jesus in the Old Testament

In previous articles I have shown you the shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament, and that throughout the Old Testament we will continue to find Jesus through messianic prophecies. I have chosen two that prophesy and depict the coming scene many years later from the time of David and Isaiah.

As many have heard, and some may not, Jesus was crucified on a cross for our sins, having been rejected as Messiah and King by the Judeans, as a shepherd in some cases in Galilee. The Judeans sought to kill Jesus from the very start of his ministry by trying to push him off a cliff of which he escaped. Next, we see his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to show himself as Messiah and King, but knowing he is coming to his death. He enters the Garden of Gethsemane and goes to the millstone where olives were pressed, and there he pressed on in prayer trying to get relief from all he was feeling. It was here he prayed so hard in preparation to his sacrifice for man that drops of blood fell to the ground as sweat. The first drops of blood on the road to the cross.

He was arrested, presented before Pontius Pilate because it was against their law to kill a man, and told Pilate they wanted him crucified on the cross, yet Pilate saw no cause to kill an innocent man. To the Judeans insistence, Jesus was taken and flogged by a whip with sharp metal shard, and other pieces of sharp material. Blood was split there, and blood was split throughout Jerusalem. There Jesus was mocked having kingly garments placed on him, and with a crown of thorns as his diadem.

On the road to the cross, Jesus faltered under the burden of the cross he had to carry, and there standing on the side of the street stood Simon of Cyrene. He was there watching, and listening at the scene before him, his name fitting because of its meaning in Hebrew to hearken or listen. As he got under the cross for Jesus to carry the cross the verse comes to mind that Jesus said, “take up my cross and follow me.” As I look upon this scene recorded in the New Testament of Matthew 27, I see a Gentile and a Jew walking together on the road to salvation. The only way to salvation is to the cross, and it is a narrow way just as the streets of Jerusalem were narrow, and so were the road to Golgotha. This scene reminds me of the promise that the Gentiles would be included in prophecy for salvation as well in the Old Testament.

“And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” Matthew 27:32

The scene of the crucifixion is seen in Psalm 22 written by King David, who was a messiah type. There he makes the cry, My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me? In the New Testament record we see it spoken by Jesus in Aramaic.

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” Psalm 22:1

As we read further, we see other pieces of the shadow of the cross prophesied. The pieces are of trouble to come, and agony, of giants he had to face, his mouth becoming dry, and the mockery he endured. His strength is almost depleted, and they have pierced his hands and feet, having placed garments on him and have rolled the Roman dice for someone to win.

In Isaiah 53, we see more of the picture of the crucifixion. It is here that Jesus’s physical description is told. He is not a comely man, a man of plain facial features. Next is best described in scripture.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:3-5

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.”

Isaiah 53: 7-9

“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Isaiah 53:11

Jesus bore all the pain, the sins of the world, and agonized on the cross. As I look through spiritual eyes imagining the scene, it would be a horrible site to see a man being treated cruelly, and innocent man, and a perfect sacrifice before the Lord. His side was pierced, and not any bones of his body was broken. He was taken off the cedar tree where he was offered vinegar, and a sign above his head that told the world for generations then and forward. The sign read, “Jesus the King of the Jews.” He was a Judean, and from the line of David, and that qualified him as King and Messiah. He came first to the world as a Shepherd, a minister to tell the world of what it would mean to be saved, just as he told Nicodemus. He told his disciples who asked what would happen in the last days on this earth, and today we are seeing his words come to pass.

Remember this man, a man who was the Son of God having been seeded into Mary by the Holy Spirit. Remember him and believe upon him as you look for love and salvation, and to be delivered of you sins. Those sins cannot be redeemed, cannot be shaken off by any other means besides going to Jesus in prayer. So, my last thought is, always remember Jesus and make a stand for him.

Other references: John 19.

Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

Gethsemane: The Stone Anointed with Oil and the Treachery of Judas

The week of Passover is about the slaying of a lamb to shed its blood for the Hebrew people so that their first born would not die in the night that the death angel passed over. It is also a time of which the Paschal Lamb’ blood was spilt to provide redemption for all the people. Also, this story tells all mankind that the blood of the Lamb that was spilt during his time in Jerusalem before his blood was fully split at the hill of Golgotha on a cedar tree by the Romans so that all men, regardless of ethnic group which one belonged could have salvation from sin. In the New Covenant, which was prophesied in Jeremiah, this covenant was fulfilled on the cross that Jesus shed his blood for us.

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Before he went to his death, Jesus prayed through the night at an old olive press among the grove of olive trees, which is located between Jerusalem and the Mount of Corruption (Mt. of Olives). He prayed in agony because he was a man. He was not afraid, had no fear, but knew his destiny was to be the sacrifice and die. His death was to come by the accusations, and the desire of the Judeans who felt threatened by his ministry and wisdom, because he confronted their sins and telling the people when asked if he was the Messiah, Jesus said, “I AM”. In parts of Palestine Jesus was rejected as he cast out demons from those possessed, and those who kept their possessions fled to their city, and those who came to meet him told him to leave. (Matthew 8:34) They would not accept him, yet even this rejection of the messiah was prophesied as well in scripture. (Isaiah 6:10)

“And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”

Luke 23:2

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

John 1:11

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

I receive not honour from men.

But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”

John 5:39-43

Isaiah’s prophecy set the stage for Jesus to be rejected by the Judeans. During his time in ministry, the gospel was given to the Judeans by John the Baptist. Jesus had very little contact with the Judeans because the sought to kill him, and he knew if they were successful then his death was to too early. So, he went among the Hebrew tribes in the rest of Palestine in Galilee, and preached, taught, healed, delivered, and raised the dead.

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

^“While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”

John 12:35-40

All the rejection, and the sins of the world was upon his shoulders and grieved his spirit because of mankind’s sin, idolatry and pagan worship, sickness, diseases, mental disorders, demon possessions, the Law of Traditions, and their evil behavior. Every sin you can think of was all over the world, all in the region of Palestine. Therefore, he grieved, prayed, and sweated blots of blood over the millstone that was anointed by oil in a place called Gethsemane.

It was during this night after he prayed that Judas came with a band of people and Judeans. Here is the setting of Juda’s betrayal for a pittance of 30 pieces of silver. Every step of Jesus’s life was prophesied, and now being fulfilled. This is what happened during the first part of Passover, Jesus preparing for his death and being the last sacrifice for man.

Notes:

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, BibleGateway.

https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/gethsemane-and-the-olive-press

The Shadow of the Cross and the Messiah in the Old Testament

Throughout the Old Testament we see Jesus in the manner of shadows and messiah types. Today, I will spend my time on an example of the shadow in Leviticus 14.

“Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:”

Leviticus 14:4 KJV

In this scripture we see the keywords cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. The cedar being the tree, the cross that Jesus was placed on to die for our sins, and scarlet depicting his blood. Upon researching the hyssop, I found that it may not be the English mint, Hyssopus officinalis, but the Origanum syriacum which is known as Zaatar. Both plants are in the mint family. A prominent feature of any mint is its square stem. The Origanum syriacum is known to us as Syrian Oregano and is thought to be the biblical hyssop. The mints are aromatic. The Hebrew word that depicts the difference is the word ezob, and the modern Hebrew is ezov, thus rendering the English word hyssop. The Syrian Oregano, Zaatar is a prized herb used in their culinary dishes.

Where does the hyssop plant apply to in this shadow? The hyssop was used as a brush to apply the blood over the lintel and door posts of the houses the Hebrews were dwelling in Egypt during the Passover (Pesach, Pasha). The blood being placed on the doors of the homes and the people told to stay inside meant that their first born would survive. The blood being applied covered the indignation that was to come. The blood in this age covered. We think of the blood as covering our sins, but in the New Covenant it delivers us from sin because Jesus died on the cross to defeat sin and death, and to crush the head of Satan.

“And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.”

Exodus 12:22 KJV

As we look in John 19:29, we see the hyssop how the hyssop was used. While writing this devotional I am looking at this scripture to see its meaning as in symbolism being used in the Old Testament. In Exodus, it is used to apply the blood. The vinegar, which is a ruined wine would mean to me as a blood that was corrupted by sin. Man’s fall into sin affected his life, corrupted everything on earth and is a curse. This curse is generational and affects the blood of men spiritually.

“Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.”

There is another keyword in Leviticus 14 that is depicts what is to come. In verse 51 says,

“And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:”

What are the additional the keywords that applies to the Cross? Here we see the words running water. Water depicts the Holy Spirit and life. It was upon the Cross that Jesus would die for our sins but would always be with us through the sending of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and fulfilling the prophecy of Joel. The Holy Spirit empowers and enables the Church to function and continue the ministry and works of Jesus. From the Crucifixion sin was defeated, yet life, strength, authority, and strength come from the Holy Spirit being with us and in us.

How do we know that Jesus was the sacrifice in the Old Testament? We see the symbolism above, and I will add another shadow keyword, that is red heifer. In Numbers 19:6 it says,

“And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.”

The red heifer, the shadow and symbolism of the blood and perfection. The red heifer in order to qualify must not have any dark hair on its body at all. All the hair must be red. The red heifer is symbolic of the messiah that comes to do the work for mankind forgiveness. The work of forgiveness only comes by confessing our sins to Jesus, the Intercessor between us and the Father.

So, in conclusion, we see the keywords, the shadows all coming together in the Numbers 19. The cedar, scarlet, hyssop, and the red heifer. In the running water, the Holy Spirit is to come later as a mighty rushing wind to fill the temples of men, women, and children. As I look upon this shadow and think on how it all came to be, I see beauty in the manner God works and how much he loves all of us. His love being shown in willing to die for mankind.

Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origanum_syriacum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za%27atar

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, Biblegateway.

How God’s Glory Interacts with Man in Man and How Man Benefits

Being a Pentecostal all my life, I have come to understand how God interacts with man within man by his Holy Spirit. Man is the temple of God in which he comes to dwell, and there is no other temple that he desires. This interaction of the Holy Spirit within the temple man is an intimate relationship enabling man to hear God’s voice and to use man’s five senses to know God’s presence. It was about two weeks ago before the churches and other public places was shut down that I was at an eldership meeting when the presence of the Holy Spirit came into the building. The fire of God was present, and people could feel the heat from the fire that an angel was dispersing through the people. I went to get in line to be prayed for and I could sense and smell the presence of the Lord. This is not a first-time experience for me as I have encountered the fragrance of God on other occasions by prayer in my own home.

Within the works of the Holy Spirit there is pleasure as God gives joy, peace, and strength to the people, and may express himself through man in the form of laughter, dancing, or just by praise from the person receiving a blessing, or a need met. Listed below are some thoughts I had while reading Psalm 111 during my studies of last fall.

“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14 KJV

^“His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.” Psalm 111:3-4 KJV

“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” Psalm 89:7 KJV

Praising God opens door to his work and his glory. His glory is pleasurable, honorable and righteous.
His works are eternal.
His works set as a memorial (altar). Man will remember the work or the miracle. His works are a witness of himself.
As God works, man can see the works of God.
His works are founded in truth.
His judgement is a result of the truth.
His word is assured, set, and never changes.
His word sent redemption, salvation, deliverance, and healing by his work on the cross.
Reverence. The fear of God knowing he has all power to do as he wishes with his creation. Reverence creates wisdom and understanding resulting from innate knowledge.
The door is opened to the fullness of understanding his word.
God never forgets his covenant to man.

In Conclusion, God also interacts with man through covenants. His interaction of man we can see as we study those covenants of the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic, and the New Covenant. All of these covenants show the glory of God in his promise of a messiah to Eve, his promise of never destroying the earth again by a global flood as we see his rainbow in the sky after a rain, the promise of a blessing to all nations through Abraham’s seed, and that seed that will bless all nations is Jesus. The interaction with man through the Davidic is the promise of a king to rule over a new Earth and Universe that is an everlasting kingdom where sin is not even known, no evil, no danger, and that the Earth is another Eden. This is the messianic era that is future after all things are set under Jesus’s feet. God’s glory is to interact with man in man by saving men, women, and children who want to be with the Lord eternally, obeying him, interacting with him through his Spirit knowing he is a good, loving, and gracious God.

Notes:

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, Biblegateway.

God’s Glory in Light

We all have seen light in different forms. As we look into the sunlight, we know its bright and our blinded eyes will feel the effect, yet that light can be filtered to soft light and by its angle in the early morning as it rises upon the horizon. God’s light I imagine is bright, so bright that man would not be able to stand in his presence because of our corruptibility, but one day we will see Jesus, and our spirits will be fixed so that we can see God in his fullness. In this devotional I have given different ways of God’s glory in Light. Read on and enjoy.

First, God’s glory and the description of his glory is vast and deep. In 1 John 1:5, we read this about God’s glory.

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

There is no darkness in him because darkness in death. In his light there is light, hope, strength, love, confidence, mercy, grace, and faith. All of these are given to man if we are in communion with the Father.

God’s glory came to three of the disciples, James, Peter, and John, who were with Jesus upon the Mount of Configuration when Jesus was being strengthened before his death on the Cross. God came to them in a bright cloud and a voice came from the cloud. In Matthew 17:5 we read this from scripture.

“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”

God’s glory came to the shepherds and encapsulated them. His glory was all around them, and they were able to see and sense his glory, the reason they were afraid. His glory came in the form of an angel. Sitting here in my chair I am thinking God’s glory was working through the angel in order to be seen. I am thinking of Moses who could not see God’s face and live in the moment, and this is the reason for my thought. In Luke 2:9 tells this:

“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.”

God’s glory was seen upon Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb, and people could hear the voice of God. They looked up and could see his fire. Deuteronomy 5;24 gives evidence of this scene.

^“And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.”

Lastly for this devotional, God’s glory is seen through his Son Jesus. Jesus is the light sent to this earth to redeem man, and to provide salvation for man’s soul. Also, Jesus is the image of God. Some of the attributes of God seen in Jesus that I will give here to furtherance his image of God are light, holiness, anointing, and perfection. In 2 Corinthians 4:4

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

Jesus, the light of the world came to us, spent time with man, and he shared his word with his disciples so that his ministry and gospel would go on so that all men may hear, many to be drawn to his presence and experience his glory. Jesus was God coming to man giving hope to all that were downtrodden. When you think of God’s glory you will be thinking of Jesus.

Notes:

All scripture used is from the King James Version, Public Domain, Biblegateway

The Glory Shield

In the year 2019 in about the early Fall I believe, my pastor prophesied over me that God wanted me to write a book on the Glory of God. Soon after this prophesy, I began the study on the glory of God. My studies went into the hundreds of scriptures seems like and I sat and listened to God’s voice. I have several pages in my diary type notebook on this subject. Since I have done the study, I have not started on a book but began on other studies. As we are currently in a pandemic, I thought I would begin to share my thoughts, what I believe God has laid on my heart. I will do my best to relate to you these thoughts and lay out my heart to you. Now more than ever this study is needed to impart to the people. As devotionals go, they are small chunks of study in scripture. Small chunks that we can chew on during the day as we work, stay at home doing chores, or whatever we want to fill our days. I will give two chunks to think on and I do suggest and invite you to investigate the scripture I will give, and to think for yourself. To think as we read scripture is vital and then stopping to meditate and reflect on what we read because during this time God may lay something on your heart that is pertinent to your personal life.

First, let’s investigate Psalm 104:1-3.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

His glory is described in these three verses as honor, majesty, and light. To expound on these three aspects of his glory would be to define them. Honor is seen has having a good name. God in his attribute’s integrity is what comes to mind, and purity. His manner and ways show perfection as well. In majesty he is sovereign, supreme, and has dominion over everything. His sovereignty is stated in his name, and that name is I AM. The I AM is described many times in the book of John and is his son Jesus. There is no other God. He is all there is, and he was at the beginning and will be at the end. He is everlasting. He is light, and this is the way glory has been taught from the pulpits. His light radiates and permeates everything, and he is everywhere at the same time. Our God is awesome and a big God. He controls everything and his glory is seen everywhere we look on earth. In this scripture his light reflects from the surface of the water. Even his light was seen through his son Jesus. His glory is everywhere!

Secondly, his glory is a shield. In Psalm 84:11 this is what he says to all men.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

In his shield of glory is light. He imparts his light through his grace, in unmerited favor to us, and he provided salvation to us through a man that was promised to us as a messiah in Genesis 3:15. This salvation came to us as a messiah for all mankind to believe upon him that he is able to forgive sin, and to conquer death. Death being the result of sin. He gave us grace and salvation because of his love for us.

He is a shield for those who know him, who know his son Jesus. A protector in time of trouble just as Psalm 3:3 says,

“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”

Through his wisdom, and glory he imparts to us knowledge of a shield of faith. It is in Ephesians 6 that we come to the knowledge of the shield of faith and the armor that we must put on everyday to fight life’s spiritual battles. During my study I looked at the Greek word for faith. Pistis which is found in Strong’s Greek lexicon as SG 4102 defining it as persuasion, to come to trust, having confidence, a guarantee, a revelation, and a reflection of the redeemed. What do you think when you read this definition? God tells us to enact our faith and that through his son Jesus’s name that we defeat the plans of Satan because we believe and have the confidence that what we spoke will come to pass. It is a demonstration that we have placed our trust in God. Sometimes when we enact our faith we will prophesy, give exhortations to encourage others, and having faith shows that we are his children.

As I studied on this last year, this is the thought that came to me on a Sunday morning. That thought is that his shield that we pick up is part of his glory. I saw this shield as a diamond shape with four points. At the top was his name, that is Jesus. To the right was power, to the bottom of the diamond I saw His light which incurs life, knowledge, wisdom, and these four aspects gave us the courage and strength to stand, to endure, knowing that the battles we face the victory has been assured because of our trust and faith in him. On the left part of the diamond I saw authority, and in my notes, I have 2 Corinthians 1:24, which is:

“Not for that we have dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.”

It is by our faith we find the courage, strength, and trust to endure anything that we will face now in the times we are living and in the future.

In conclusion, I have given you a lot to think on. Sit and read. Pray and let all this sink in and let God speak to your heart. Tell him what you need. Tell him your heart. Ask him to give you everything you need to pick up the shield of faith and glory. Ask him to protect you and walk with you. He will go before you.

Notes:

All scripture used was taken from the King James Version, Public Domain, Biblegateway.

Strong’s Lexicon of Hebrew and Greek.