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This Week in Prophecy: BRICS Currency, Cluster Bombs, The Dutch, Sound of Freedom, Blasphemy

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 11, 2023 by paulthepoke

Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of His jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end He will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Russia has announced the BRICS countries are moving forward with a gold back currency. The big announcement is officially slated for next month, August 2023, in South Africa.

https://www.benzinga.com/markets/asia/23/07/33155604/brics-gold-backed-common-currency-a-shock-to-global-fiat-money-system-says-economist-as-russia-confi

Jim Rickards has a $15,000 price target on an ounce of gold by 2025.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently made the flight to China. Her statement below was in China. Yellen downplays the role of a future gold backed currency. Yellen declared 90% of global transactions are in dollars and the dollar will continue to be the world’s reserve currency.

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Cluster bombs are going to Ukraine. President Biden has announced another military package.

This time, the tally is $800 million. Weapons are escalating. The Ukrainians are running low on ammunition. And it appears the United States has a dwindling supply of arms.

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Revelation 6:6 And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

New leadership is coming to Holland. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his government has resigned. On the surface, immigration policy is the primary consideration. The Prime Minister was also trying to confiscate about 3,000 private farms. Many think this land grab was his solution to the immigration crisis.

Keep in mind, Netherlands is the second largest food exporter in the world behind the United States. Agriculture is over a 100 billion Euro business.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12276883/Dutch-Prime-Minister-Mark-Rutte-resigns-13-years-power-government-collapses.html

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

In other Dutch news… 22-year-old Rikkie Valerie Kolle, a biological male, was crowned Miss Nederland. Rikkie will move on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.

https://www.tmz.com/2023/07/09/miss-universe-netherlands-winner-transgender-woman/

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Revelation 18:13b-14 …cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.

And they will say: “The fruit of your soul’s desire (lust) has departed from you; all your luxury (lipos in the Greek or “fat”) and splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.”

The context above is mystery Babylon faces judgment. The time frame is late in the seven year tribulation.

The main stream media is having a fit over the movie, Sound of Freedom. After all this movie was more popular than the latest installment of Indiana Jones…

Film Synopsis:

Sound of Freedom, based on the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

“God’s Children Are Not For Sale”

https://www.angel.com/press/sound-of-freedom

The press has received their marching orders and organized their message. They choose to enable evil.

https://twitter.com/DrTedGrizzly/status/1677560393424830464

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2 Timothy 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions…

Idolatry, Blasphemy… The Sparkle Creed

I shutter to give this any attention. However, this is where we are in time prior to His coming. For those who think…

2 Peter 3:4 …and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

Judgment is coming…

https://paulthepoke.com/category/gospel/

#JesusIsComing

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Four Men Tear Up a Roof… Forgiveness

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel with tags , , , , , , , , , , on February 5, 2023 by paulthepoke

Memory Verse: Mark 2:10-11 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Scripture: Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:18-26

Object Lesson: Imagine a world where if you break any traffic law that you have to pay a ten million dollar ($10,000,000) fine. If you are unable to pay the fine, you are sentenced to death. Regardless of the infraction, this is the just punishment.

Even if you run a stop sign, drive under the influence, or go two miles per hour over the speed limit, enforcement and punishment are consistent and there are no exceptions. The system is absolutely just.

If this were really the case, the roads would be empty. So you run a stop sign and the camera takes a picture of your infraction. The police come and haul you away to jail. You are waiting for trial and pending sentence. You know you did it. As you are cuffed and transferred to the judge in the court, a complete stranger comes in on your behalf and pays your fine. He plops down $10,000,000 on your behalf. Your debt has been paid.

Justice has been served in that the fine has been paid. You could not afford the fine, but the judge accepts the payment of the fine by this gentleman on your behalf. You are spared death and your life has been pardoned.

Doctrinal Emphasis: Forgiveness

Key Theme: Sin is forgiven once and for all.

The primary word for forgiveness in the New Testament is aphiemi/ἀφίημι. It means to remit or forgive debts or sins. It involves the complete removal of the cause or offence. This remission is based upon the vicarious and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ. Jesus took our place. Definition provided by Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.

Only God can forgive sins. The Pharisees and scribes of the day knew this all too well in Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:18-26, Matthew 9:2-8. This is the reason they took such offence when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic. As far as they were concerned, this was a blasphemous act and speech by Jesus. In their eyes, He was an ordinary man and not God. He was not even a member of the religious structures of the day. No mere man can forgive sins.

Jesus is not just an ordinary man. Jesus is God and He has the ability to forgive sins.

On an individual level, the forgiveness of sins is complete and distant. Psalm 103:12 states “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Nations and individuals are forgiven of their sins. Israel’s sins corporately are forgiven in Psalm 85:2, “Thou didst forgive the iniquity of Thy people; thou didst cover all their sin.” This is also stated in Jeremiah 36:3b in reference to the house of Judah, “…then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Personally, we have to be forgiven because we are all born sinners. Ephesians 2:1 tells us that we are all spiritually dead. This is part of our family tree passed down by Adam.

Fortunately, we have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of trespasses and sins, for His name’s sake (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, 1 John 2:12).

The same concept is articulated in the Old Testament on personal level in…

Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am the One who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”

The forgiveness of sins does not mean that we are free to do whatever we want without consequence.  We should not choose to abuse the work of the cross. Paul shuts down this argument in Romans 6:1b-2. “…Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

Jesus’ work on the cross is clearly an act of grace and mercy towards sinful man. Honestly, is this any way to respond to a Man who suffered and died a horrible death on our behalf because of all of our sins?

What if the roles were reversed in the sense that you had bailed someone out of deep trouble? What if that person (the one you bailed out of trouble) chose to continue the behavior that landed them in trouble? What would you think if the person you spared continued to live in a sinful manner? After all, you were willing to pay the fine with your life for the sinner.

Have some empathy, put yourself in Jesus’ sandals. Try to look at this issue from His view…

There are consequences for our bodily actions. Physically, we die. The wage of sin is death. If God did not punish sin, He would fail to be just.

Give the Man His due respect…

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Birth of Jesus: City of Bethlehem, Migdal Eder

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Christmas, Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 22, 2022 by paulthepoke

Micah 4:8 As for you, tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you it will come, even the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

Many believe this is the location and address of the birth of Jesus Christ. The address is the “tower of the flock”. In the original Hebrew, it is “migdal eder”.

Per Strong’s Concordance, migdal eder means: tower of the flock.

The following paragraph is from The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Alfred Edersheim.

At the time of the birth of Jesus, Migdal Eder was a specific place. It was the location where shepherds brought their sheep. The sheep were to be sacrificed at the Temple. These were not just any flock and herd. The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for this royal task. They were educated in what an animal that was to be sacrificed had to be and it was their job to make sure that none of the animals were hurt, damaged or blemished. During lambing season the sheep were brought to the tower from the fields, as the lower level functioned as the birthing room for sacrificial lambs. Being themselves under special rabbinical care, these priests would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean birthing place. Once birthed, the priestly shepherds would routinely place the lambs in the hewn depression of a limestone rock known as “the manger” and “wrap the newborn lambs in swaddling clothes,” preventing them from thrashing about and harming themselves “until they had calmed down” so they could be inspected for the quality of being “without spot or blemish”.

Custom of the day utilized swaddling cloths for newborn infants as well as sacrificial lambs. These cloths or bands were also used for restraining lambs prior to sacrifice. The swaddling bands held the lambs for inspection to insure they met the standard set forth in the law (Numbers 28:3, Exodus 12:1-6). The lambs were restrained to keep them from harming themselves and disqualifying them from sacrifice. Lambs had to be without blemish.

See also http://hethathasanear.com/Birth.html

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Today, the exact location of Migdal Eder is speculation.

Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

The angel had directions for the shepherds in the hills. 

Luke 2:12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Notice, the shepherds did not need guidance. Migdal Eder was a destination. Any shepherd in the area knew the exact location. Directions were not necessary. These guys knew the specific address.

Luke 2:15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

Luke 2:16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, was born in the same location as sacrificial lambs for the Temple. Jesus was wrapped “snugly” in swaddling cloth like a sacrificial lamb for inspection.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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The New Covenant

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 11, 2022 by paulthepoke

Scripture: Acts 15:1-34

Object Lesson: What is a covenant?

In today’s vernacular, loosely, a covenant is a contract, agreement or a treaty. It depends on the context. It is an agreement that one person agrees to do something, usually if some other person fulfills a condition.

This is the Old Testament word berith: a covenant, treaty, alliance, or league. Simply put, it is an agreement. From God’s perspective, a divine constitution or ordinance with signs or pledges.

As people, humanity struggles as covenant keepers. We are broken sinners.

The covenants that God made with Israel differed than the agreement described above. God made promises to Israel that were not dependent on anything that Israel did. God takes the initiative. He draws up the terms and defines the terms. God guarantees their keeping. Israel does nothing. God swears by His own Word.

Key Theme: The Power of the Blood of Christ

The New Covenant is found in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This everlasting covenant is made with nation Israel. God is the initiator and He is the one to will it to happen. A regenerated heart and mind and forgiveness of sin are promised as part of the agreement.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when 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 lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

So how does this covenant with nation Israel affect us in the Church Age? The Church and Israel are separate. Nation Israel has yet to receive the benefit of the New Covenant. It is yet future in the Millennial Kingdom. How can this arrangement apply to us? The answer is in the blood of Christ.

Jesus’ death on the cross ushers in and ratifies the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25).

It is His blood that is the covenant. The shedding of innocent blood allows for the forgiveness of sin. This is acceptable to God (Hebrews 9:14). According to the Law, all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of innocent blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:16). Christ’s blood is the bleach that removes the stain of sin. As believers, we get the spiritual benefits of the agreement when we believe that Jesus died as payment for sin. As believers, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:12-16 instructs us that we were separate from Christ and excluded from nation Israel. Translation, we were not a benefactor of the New Covenant. The text teaches us that we were without hope. Thankfully, we were brought near by the blood of Christ. It is the blood of Christ that unifies the two groups (Jew and Gentile) into one group.

Ephesians 2:12-16 …that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

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Romans 11:17 indicates that Gentiles were grafted into the root of the olive tree. We, Gentiles, were grafted because other original branches, Israel, were broken off. Gentiles get the full benefit of the root.

As we take communion and we hear the words, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” These words are a reminder that we, believers, have the spiritual benefits of the New Covenant: teaching of the Holy Spirit and forgiveness of sin. Communion is in memory of the work of Christ. He died once and for all to bear the sins of many (Hebrews 9:28). It is to be taken seriously (1 Corinthians 11:25-29).

We are to do this until He comes again.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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“The Mystery Man” of the Shroud of Turin

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Resurrection with tags , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2022 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

A fifteen year project has been completed by artists in Spain.

Based on a study of the Shroud of Turin, a sculpture has been created that matches the blood stains. The sculpture is made of latex, silicon, and real hair.

The body is 5′ 10″ and weighs 165 pounds.

The Mystery Man is on display in Salamanca Cathedral in Spain.

https://themysteryman.com/en/the-mystery-man/

John 19:2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him. See also Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:5.

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Mark 15:15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. See also Matthew 20:19, 27:26, John 19:1.

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John 19:18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

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Psalm 22:16 For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.

John 19:34 Yet one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252551/the-first-hyper-realistic-body-of-christ-based-on-the-holy-shroud-is-on-exhibit-in-spain

https://www.the-sun.com/news/6461300/incredible-model-jesus-christ-hyper-realistic-sculpture-shroud/

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John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.”

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Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Resurrection: The Atheist Always Demanding Proof

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Resurrection, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2022 by paulthepoke

The atheist, always wanting proof. The arguments are all the same. The Bible does not count as evidence so they say. Jesus is imaginary. The Bible is a fairy tale and just a book of stories. Religion is for the weak minded. Insert next cliché here…

You all spend a lot of time on “imaginary things” as you see it.

The atheist claims to have read the Bible. They usually studied the Bible at a liberal university and read it cover to cover of course. They took a class under a liberal, tenured professor. And they were brainwashed and told what to think.

Here is my challenge to the atheist. Sit down by yourself. Read. Comprehend… and think. Stop regurgitating what somebody told you. Be an independent thinker. Stop acting like the collective Borg.

As an introductory to Jesus, I recommend the book of 1 John. This will not take more than 10 minutes.

So you want proof…

Eye Witness Accounts

1 Corinthians 15:6-8 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

In the passage above, there are 512 plus eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

John 20:11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;

Luke 24:10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

Salome is included with this group in Mark 16:1 for a total of at least 4 women.

Luke 24:13-15 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

Cleopas and friend are two other witnesses.

Matthew 27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

And to close out the list, a Roman atheist and his fellow guards. Seeing was believing for these boys.

But Jesus was not the only person resurrected. He was the first but there were others.

Matthew 27:52-53 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

The events took place during Passover. Jews were required per Mosaic Law to come to Jerusalem for the holiday. Tens of thousands of people would have been in the city visiting in addition to the population.

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The evidence provided in Scripture would stand in a court of law. Harvard Law Professor Simon Greenleaf wrote A Treatise on the Law of Evidence. The document is viewed as “the greatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.” The United States judicial system functions on the rules of evidence established by Greenleaf.

Professor Greenleaf, an atheist, took up the issue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The facts changed his mind.

Professor Greenleaf’s legal standard of proof is not the issue. The case for the resurrection of Jesus is legally tight. Who cares if the facts stand in a man-made court of law??? The issue is this…

DO YOU BELIEVE THE RECORD?

Your eternal destination is in the balance.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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Temple Veil Torn… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2022 by paulthepoke

In Matthew 27:50 we read “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” The next 3 verses is all one sentence.

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves AFTER His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:51-53)

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Mark 15:37-38 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

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Luke 23:44-46 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

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The veil is symbolic of Jesus’ flesh that was broken for us, and raised for us, and ascended to the right hand of the Father for us, giving us access into the Father’s presence, which is glory.

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near…” (Hebrews 10:19-22a)

The place of the Holiest (the Holy of Holies) is at the Father’s right hand of glory, not anywhere on the earth or still hanging on the cross. The cross is a way-point to the Father, and Jesus is the way. He is also the door allowing us entry into the Father’s house (His presence).

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3)

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Jesus never meant for us to remain forever hanging on the cross that kills us. Rather we carry the dying of Christ in us which even daily puts to death the old nature, so that the life of Christ, which is the glory of the Father, might also be revealed in us. We died with Him and are raised with Him, and we are seated in Christ right now at the Father’s right hand. And Jesus gave us His garment, the glory, to wear right now, not after we die.

If someone only has Christ in them, the hope of glory, they aren’t living the new life yet and still struggling with sin, because their perspective is on the earth. We need to shift our perspective to where Christ is, coming all the way up to where we are seated in Him at the Father’s right hand. If someone can only see Jesus hanging on the cross, as if He said “I am the way to the cross” and not “I am the way… to the Father”, then they haven’t awakened the glory within them yet to shine on them. The cross is true and we were buried with Him, but it’s also true that we were raised with Him and seated in Him at the right hand of glory.

Jesus said to His disciples (including us who are also disciples), “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.” (John 16:25)

Notice how Jesus just revealed that all of His figurative speaking, parables etc., was doing one thing: telling the world about the Father—the place where He was taking us. And He was going to speak plainly to His disciples. So, if you’re a disciple Jesus will introduce you to the Father. Then notice how after Jesus told them plainly which was immediately, His disciples received revelation from the Father and understood all things.

“His disciples said to Him, ‘See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.’”

Then Jesus said, “Do you now believe?” And started telling them how they would all leave Him alone, but He wasn’t alone, because His Father was with Him.

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Once Jesus reveals the Father to us, this is how we are too. Even if everyone leaves us, we are never alone. We are strong because Christ, the glory, is the strength in our weakness, and we can endure anything because we have His joy. Joy and perfect peace are clear evidences of His glory radiating out of us—shining on us.

“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, AND the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27)

Let’s set our minds on things above where Christ is. Where is He? At the Father’s right hand. We died with Him already. Now we live in Him at the place where He is, where life is.

If we shift our focus to where Jesus is right now, the glory treasure that He deposited within us will wake up instantly! And we will know it because we will have instant joy and perfect peace.

“Wake up O sleeper! Arise from the dead! And Christ will shine (dawn) on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

“Wake up My glory! Wake up psaltery and harp! I will awaken the dawn. (Psalm 57:8)

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Passover: The Sacrificial Lamb

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , on April 10, 2022 by paulthepoke

Exodus 12:5-6 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

The lamb is without blemish or tamim in the Hebrew. The lamb is complete or sound per Strong’s Concordance.

Multiple people bear witness to the fact Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. The first example is a quote from John the Baptist in the Book of John. The identification of Christ as the Lamb of God took place in the Jordan River at the baptism of Jesus.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

A day later, John the Baptist again identified Jesus as the Lamb of God.

John 1:36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

While Philip was with the Ethiopian, he equated Jesus as the referenced lamb from the reading of Isaiah 53:7.

Acts 8:32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.”

The Apostle Peter states the blood of Jesus is as a sinless lamb.

1 Peter 1:19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

In these four cases above, Jesus is referred to as an ἀμνός/amnos in the Greek. A lamb with innocence and sacrificial considerations is the idea per Strong’s Concordance.

In the book of Revelation, John refers to Jesus as a lamb or ἀρνίον/arnion. This is a small, little, or diminutive lamb. This type of person has the purest of intentions. HELPs Word Studies indicates the essence of innocence or virgin like intentions. Twenty-nine times (29) Christ is labeled as an arnion only in the book of Revelation. The context is the throne room of Heaven in the presence of the Father, Spirit, millions of witnesses including apostles, elders, believers, martyrs, creatures, and angels.

Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Revelation 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

Jesus Christ is the sacrificial Lamb of God as foreshadowed by Moses in Exodus 12.

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Preview: God’s Spring Appointed Holidays 5782/2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2022 by paulthepoke

There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. The first three spring holidays were fulfilled on the appointed holiday by Jesus Himself. The names of the feasts are: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits.

In the Hebrew year 5782 or the Gregorian calendar year of 2022, the holidays occur as follows. Passover essentially begins at sunset on Friday, Nisan 14th (Hebrew calendar) or April 15th on a western calendar. The first day of Unleavened Bread is the next day at sunset on Saturday, Nisan 15th or April 16th. Lastly, the feast of First Fruits starts at sunset on Sunday, Nisan 16th or April 17th. The holidays culminate and end at sunset on Saturday, April 23rd. These are the mathematically calculated dates for our 21st century calendars.

According to God’s directions, the new moon has yet to be observed. As of this posting, morning of April 3rd, two witnesses have not seen the sliver of the new moon. It is likely to be seen this evening or the next. Adding to the confusion, it was cloudy and overcast in Jerusalem last evening. Nobody was able to look for the new moon because of cloud cover. At any rate, this will push back the date of the Spring Feasts a couple of days past the dates mentioned above.

As usual, there is not consensus on these dates within various studies of Judaism and Jewish Messianic believers in Yeshua or Jesus Christ. Granted, all of these folks are making good faith efforts to be accurate. Each group has good reason(s) for the dates selected. They are not all idiots. When in doubt, search for the new moon and full moon. Humanity struggles to keep time as God has directed. No one knows the day or the hour…

Creation of Time: The Calendar

The first of God’s holidays is Passover or Pesach in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 14th day of the Hebrew month Nisan (March or April on a Gregorian calendar). There is a play on words in the original Hebrew. A “pesach” is an unblemished lamb which was required for the sacrifice. After the “pesach” was sacrificed, the blood was to be smeared on the wooden posts of the house. When God saw the blood on the door posts, He passed over or “pasach” and the house was spared judgment.

The original directions for the Passover were given to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. The statute and happenings are noted in Exodus 12. God defines the purpose of the holiday to Israel. 

Exodus 12:26-27a “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’”

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The second of God’s holidays is Unleavened Bread or Chag haMatazt in the Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 15th of Nisan and runs for seven days.

The directions of Unleavened Bread are noted in Exodus 12:15-20. The focus of the week is to live a life without leaven, the symbol for sin. Leaven is not to be in the house. Leaven products are not to be consumed. Bread without yeast, matzah, is to be eaten.

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The third of God’s holidays is First Fruits or Reshit Katzir in the Hebrew. The one day holiday begins on the day after the Sabbath or Sunday on our calendar.

The directions for First Fruits are noted in Leviticus 23:9-14. The priest is to make a barley offering of the first portion of the harvest to the Lord. The priest intervenes on behalf of the people. The reality of the holiday for the people of Israel is this. The people bring their grain sheaf to the priest. They are to sacrifice a lamb without blemish. The offering is also to be presented with bread and wine.

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Accept God’s Grace… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gospel, Rodna Epley with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on December 14, 2021 by paulthepoke

There is someone out there today whom God, our Father in heaven, wants to know that He can forgive you and He wants to more than anything. He already sees and knows every detail about your life all the way back to when He created you until now, even to the end of your life if you have an end.

He still loves you, immensely, intensely, more than you may ever realize in this life. Please do not give up. He can fix anything literally, no matter how bad, no matter how hurtful, no matter how impossible it seems. What seems unbearable and unforgiveable in this moment can change in an instant. No matter how many sins you have committed, especially the ones you think passed the threshold of God being able to forgive. All can be forgiven. Nothing is too hard for Him.

If you have written yourself off, God has written you back in. He is a good Father who will do anything to bring His son or daughter back home. Your sins which are many and too hurtful to even think about. Or perhaps you have lost feeling over them and that worries you, can be forgiven, all of them instantly. The entire weight of it all, no matter how heavy or ugly, is lifted off you. You will feel it go too. The weight of it gone, just like that.

Your Father loves you more than you can imagine. He is not condemning you. He wants to heal you completely, and He is the Healer. That is why He sent Jesus. That is why the Father walked this earth through His Son Jesus and took man to his worst end so that he can bring man to his best end, forever reconciled to Him.

Though it is a mystery, Jesus gave up His life so that the old nature of sin and the propensity toward sin can be put to death in you. He rose from the dead by the glory of the Father so that His life. The new nature of His own glory can be imparted to you. This is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

But He does not leave you in a state of only hope that can be disappointed. His glory wakes up within you as He fills you with His Spirit and the new nature of His own glory begins to operate in you.

Jesus went to be with the Father, and He showed you the way to the Father, and He sat down at the Father’s right hand on the very throne of glory, so that you can be seated there with Him right now and forever.

Allow yourself to be forgiven. Dare to see just how far God’s grace and glory can reach and transform. What have you got to lose? The very moment I decided to give God a 100% chance show me who He is, is the very moment He showed up. He was always there, but He showed me that He was there. He did not wait to interact with me. He only briefly waited for me to show a genuine attempt to know Him.

If this is for you, know that you are not alone, and that I am praying for you. Your Father in heaven does love you and can fix literally anything. All suffering is meant for His glory. The greater the suffering the more His glory is about to be released. It is at the point of being released. Please give Him that chance. In fact, the more you have sinned, the more you will be able to love God, because the depth of our ability to love corresponds to the depth of His forgiveness toward us.

Luke 7:45-47 Jesus said, “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

If this is for you, pray this with me,

“Father in heaven, thank you for giving me this chance to be forgiven. My sins, which are many, I give to you. Thank you for giving your Son Jesus to die for me on the cross and take my place. Thank you for raising Him from the dead by your own glory and raising me from the dead with Him. Thank you for seating Jesus at your right hand on the throne of glory and seating me there with Him. I know I do not deserve that and there is no way I can earn that position in Christ, but I receive it by faith. Your word says that I have access into your presence through the door of Christ and through your promises to me. Thank you that you loved me so much that you died for me even while I was still a sinner. You believed this day would happen when I would come to you and finally surrender my life to you. Without Christ I know that I can do nothing, but with Christ nothing is impossible, and all things are possible. I am trusting that your word is true and that you can make something wonderful of my life. I promise that if you give me all of you then I will give you all of me to the best that I know how. Baptize me in your Spirit and fill me with your glory Father. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that Christ in me put to death the old nature in me. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead by the glory of the Father and raised me up with Him. I believe that Jesus went to be with the Father and brought me there with Him. I choose You Papa because You first chose me. I love You Father because You first loved me. Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your favor. Thank you for giving me your Spirit and making me perfect on the inside in the inner man. Thank you for the daily transformation of my mind that is to come as I make your word my home and you teach me how to be your child and to operate in your glory, which is Christ in me that I am learning to wear on me on the outside. Thank you for eternal life and for all that you will do in me from here on out. Thank you that you are strength in my weakness, that you are filling me with joy and taking away my sorrow, that you are imparting to me your vision for me so that I can know my life has meaning. I give you all of me because you gave me all of you. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, Amen.”

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