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WHAT IF THE SABBATH IS FAR MORE THAN A DAY OF REST? -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Creation, Mark Wilson, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 21, 2026 by paulthepoke

Again, At this time, I would like to introduce Mark Wilson to the website!

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

An infographic exploring the significance of the Sabbath through biblical references, with visuals depicting creation, covenant, exile, prophecy, and the kingdom.

What if it is one of the greatest prophetic themes in all of Scripture?

What if the Sabbath is actually a window into:

  • Creation…
  • Covenant…
  • Exile…
  • The Tribulation…
  • And the coming Kingdom of Messiah?

“The Sabbath is woven into the fabric of redemption itself. To profane it was to reject God’s order. To honor it was to trust His provision, His timing, and ultimately His promised rest.” — Arnold Fruchtenbaum

Most people think of the Sabbath as merely a command about resting one day a week. But in Scripture, it becomes much bigger than that. The Sabbath is about God’s order for time itself.

~

The Sabbath was established before Sinai, before Moses, and before Israel even existed.

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” Genesis 2:2–3

Notice carefully:
God did not rest because He was tired.

The Creator of heaven and earth does not grow weary.

The Sabbath was a divine pattern.

Work.
Completion.
Rest.

Humanity was created to live under God’s rhythm, not endless striving.

The world belongs to Him.
Time belongs to Him.
History belongs to Him.

~

❖ THE SABBATH BECAME A COVENANT SIGN

When God entered covenant with Israel, the Sabbath became one of the defining signs of that relationship.

“Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations…” Exodus 31:13

The Sabbath separated Israel from the nations.

Egypt never stopped working.
Babylon never stopped striving.
Pagan empires trusted productivity, wealth, and power.

But Israel was commanded to stop.
Every seventh day they declared:
God is our provider.
That required faith.

Imagine refusing to work one full day every week in the ancient world.
Imagine letting farmland rest every seventh year.

That was not economic logic.
That was covenant trust.

~

❖ THE LAND ITSELF WAS TO KEEP SABBATH

This is where the theme becomes even more profound.

The Torah commanded Israel not only to observe weekly Sabbaths, but Sabbath years for the land itself.

“But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land…” Leviticus 25:4

Every seventh year the land was to rest.
No planting.
No harvesting for profit.
Dependence upon God.

But Israel repeatedly violated this command.

And eventually God judged the nation through exile.
“He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword… until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths.” 2 Chronicles 36:20–21

This is astonishing. The land was owed rest.

For centuries Israel ignored God’s Sabbaths, and finally the land “collected” what had been denied. Many believe the 70 years of Babylonian exile corresponded to roughly 490 years of neglected Sabbath years.

One missed Sabbath year every seven years. Seventy missed Sabbath years. Seventy years in exile.

Suddenly the prophecy of Daniel 9 becomes even more fascinating.

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❖ DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS

While reading Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 years of exile, Daniel receives a larger revelation:

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city…” Daniel 9:24

The word “weeks” literally means “sevens.”

God places Israel back onto a prophetic timetable measured in sacred sevens.

The exile was not random history. It was covenant history.

Time itself was being accounted for. And according to the futurist understanding of prophecy, one final “week” of years still remains: the future Tribulation period.

A final seven-year period connected to Israel, Jerusalem, covenant, desecration, repentance, and ultimately the return of Messiah.

~

❖ THE SABBATH WAS ALWAYS POINTING FORWARD

The Sabbath is not merely about physical rest.
It points toward restoration. Toward completion. Toward the Kingdom.

Scripture repeatedly connects future redemption with rest.
“There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…” Hebrews 4:9

The prophets describe a future age where Jerusalem is exalted, the nations stream to Zion, war ceases, and Messiah reigns from David’s throne.

That is ultimate Sabbath-rest. Creation itself longs for it. The earth has never truly rested under righteous rule since Eden. But the coming Kingdom changes that.

~

❖ EVEN THE STRUCTURE OF HISTORY REFLECTS THIS PATTERN

Many Bible students throughout history have noticed something remarkable: God often works in patterns of six plus one. Six days of labor. One day of rest.

Some early Jewish and Christian interpreters connected this pattern to human history itself: six thousand years of fallen human rule followed by a thousand-year Messianic Kingdom.

Whether one accepts that framework fully or not, the symbolism is undeniable. The Millennial Kingdom in Book of Revelation 20 looks remarkably like the fulfillment of the Sabbath principle on a global scale.

The King reigns. Creation is restored. Jerusalem is central. The nations come up to worship. The curse is restrained. The earth rests under righteous government.

~

❖ THIS TRUTH SHOULD CHANGE HOW WE LIVE

The modern world glorifies endless striving.
More work.
More noise.
More anxiety.
More control.

But the Sabbath principle reminds us that we are not sustained by frantic human effort.

We are sustained by God.
Sabbath teaches trust.
Dependence.
Worship.
Perspective.

It reminds us that our identity is not found in productivity, achievement, or exhaustion.

And spiritually, it points us to the greatest rest of all: rest in the finished work of Messiah.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

The Sabbath theme begins in Genesis.
It moves through Sinai.
It echoes through exile.
It shapes Daniel’s prophecy.
It points toward the Kingdom.

And one day, under the reign of the Messiah, the world itself will finally enter its promised rest.

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Statement of Faith

Posted in #PaulthePoke with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 22, 2026 by paulthepoke

The Bible, ALL of it, is the Word of God. ALL of it is for our benefit. God’s Word finishes us as humans and makes us whole. God is the source of knowledge and revelation.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation.

God exists in three eternal, individual personalities: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. Each is equally God. They are one essence, perfect harmony.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

~

Jesus Christ is the central figure and person in human history.

Jesus is God in human form. His Hebrew name, Yeshua, means “He saves.”

Titus 2:13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

Jesus is eternal.

1 Peter 1:20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus, born of a virgin

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).

Fulfilled in Matthew 1:22-23

Jesus is the “Good News”, the Gospel message.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

Jesus is currently alive and at the right hand of God the Father.

Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

1 Peter 3:22 Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him.

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

~

The church is not a physical building. The church is a body of believers in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. -Jesus

Romans 12:4-6a For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

~

All of humanity who has physically died, all of the bodies will ultimately be resurrected. The question is the destination.

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

1 Corinthians 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

~

Pre Tribulation Rapture: At a designated point in time before the beginning of the seven year Tribulation or the Day of the Lord, the entire body of the church of Jesus Christ will be caught up into the clouds to meet Him in the air.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-5

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 27:5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

https://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Bride-Redeemed-Paul-Lehr-ebook/dp/B073Q4Z1RL

~

The church will physically return to earth to rule and reign with Jesus Christ during the Millennial Kingdom.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us…

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

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Believers can respectfully proclaim God’s truth and love people who disagree with or live outside of God’s laws and precepts.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

~

Human life is sacred from conception to its natural end. God is the Creator of life from before time.

Psalm 139:13-16 For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Job 31:15 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?

~

God sovereignly and purposefully creates each person biologically male or biologically female.

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.

Matthew 19:4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

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Marriage is between a biological man and a biological woman.

Mark 10:6-9 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. -Jesus

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

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Humanity has inherited a sin nature from the fall of Adam. We are all in need of forgiveness and redemption from our individual sins.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned…

1 John 4:9-10 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

~

Salvation is by Faith alone apart from works. One cannot work, earn, or buy their way into eternity with God. He will not accept the fallen individual’s effort or payment.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the Law.

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Satan is a real personality and angelic being.

Jesus personally encountered Satan in Matthew 4:1-11.

1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.

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Hell is a real physical place. No one in the Bible teaches more about Hell than Jesus.

Revelation 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

~

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

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Solar Eclipse Completed, April 8, 2024

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Creation, Matt Weinreich, Signs: Sun, Moon, Stars..., Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on April 8, 2024 by paulthepoke

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

So I was going to write a post about this topic of our perception of the moon and the sun from our view point on planet Earth. My wife and I were talking about the design of our solar system and the relationship of the size, distance and space from Earth to our sun and the moon. And I found this…

“Scientists tell us that the sun is 390 times larger than the moon, but it is also 390 times father away. Every eighteen months or so they align perfectly so that the moon’s shadow passes over the earth, and those in the path of that shadow see a solar eclipse. This is often described as one of the great coincidences of our solar system.

Astronomers also tell us that there are 295 moons in our solar system. And yet ours is the only moon with the exact size and distance to perfectly match the sun and produce the amazing spectacle we see somewhere on our planet every 18 months or so. If our moon was any smaller the sky would not turn dark, and if it was any larger, we would never see that brilliant corona. For many, it is a source of wonder, that the one place where these amazing eclipses occur, is the one place where there are observers to see them.

In one of his humorous harangues about “Life Below the Beltway,” Washington Post contributor, Gene Weingarten, once admitted, “I am a devout atheist but can’t explain why the moon is exactly the right size, and gets positioned so precisely between the earth and the sun, that total solar eclipses are perfect. It bothers me.” (The Washington Post, Sunday, March 8, 2009). And so it is that this extraordinary event has been witnessed by our planet throughout history…

As a Christian educator, I am reminded that God reveals His truth to us in two ways: through the general revelation of His natural world and through the special revelation of His written word. Psalm 19 encapsulates this for us beautifully. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1). There are no words, and yet the message of God’s existence and power is heard everywhere.”

The Total Eclipse of the Sun — and the Exceptional Nature of our Planet  Stephen E. Danish, Head of School Emeritus, Immanuel Christian School

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PaulthePoke had a correspondent in the Ozarks of Missouri who provided video of the event. Video is compliments of the TrashyPrepper.

Note, Venus located in the video at about 4 o’clock or SE of the eclipse. Jupiter is noted briefly at about 10 o’clock or NW (3:15 of the video) of the eclipse.

I would also like to give a special shout out and thanks to #TheJoJo.

https://twitter.com/rami_astro

If you have had the opportunity to witness an awesome event like this, and you still don’t believe in a Creator God…

Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

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

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Great American Eclipse Part II, April 8, 2024

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Signs: Sun, Moon, Stars..., Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2024 by paulthepoke

Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years…”

The Hebrew word for “signs” is ‘owth. It means: sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning; token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof.

The eclipse is set to take place on April 8th, 2024 on our western Gregorian calendar. On a Hebrew calendar, the eclipse will usher in the Biblical New Year, Nisan 1. The year is 5784 per the secular Hebrew calendar. Per the Essenes’ calendar, the year is 5949 (note, we are getting close to the last Jubilee of this 1,000 years). Time, time, time…

Ancient Jewish rabbis have taught the moon represents Israel. The Hebrew calendar follows the cycle of the moon. The sun represents the gentile nations. Gentile calendars follow the cycle of the sun. In the case of solar eclipses, the nation experiencing the phenomenon is the nation under consideration.

So, is the United States in the crosshairs of a potential Divine judgment? Coincidence? Myth? Or, the Creator God?

As a reminder, this was the set up from seven years ago. This was the first of three solar eclipses to crisscross North America.

Teshuvah, Solar Eclipse, 2017/5777

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Then, there was a second solar eclipse. Granted the eclipse on October 14, 2023 was an annular solar eclipse.

The intersection of these three eclipses very much looks like the ancient Hebrew letter “aleph”. This is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of “aleph” according to Hebrew scholars is: origin of the universe; leader, chief. Some suggest the “oneness of God.” It is associated with the Greek letter “Alpha” or the beginning.

Observation, the three intersection points happen to coincide with a significant earthquake fault line or subduction zone.

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The solar eclipse scheduled for April 8, 2024 is the third. The first complete solar eclipse occurred on August 21st, 2017.

The intersection of these two total solar eclipses is similar to the Hebrew letter “tav”. This is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The letter means: mark, sign, omen, or seal, it is the symbol of truth, perfection, and completion.

X will mark the spot in a region of southern Illinois called “Little Egypt”.

The letters represent the “Alpha and Omega”, the beginning and the end. Who does this describe? Is this a final warning?

Revelation 22:12-13 “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” -Jesus

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Ancient Nineveh heeded the message from a solar eclipse and a prophet named Jonah. Their response, Nineveh repented from their evil ways. Judgment from God was spared.

Teshuvah, Nineveh’s Solar Eclipse

Jonah 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Here are some fun facts about the upcoming eclipse on April 8th, 2024.

  1. There are seven towns named Nineveh in the United States.
  2. Two of the seven Nineveh’s are in totality path of eclipse.
  3. Rapture, Indiana (only town named Rapture in the US) is in totality path.
  4. Jonah, Texas (only town named Jonah in the US) is in totality path.
  5. As in 2017, there will be seven cities named Salem in the totality path. This time in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and three in Texas.
  6. The eclipse occurs 70 days before Pentecost. Israel was in bondage 70 years in Babylon. The number evokes the idea of release from exile. The 16th Hebrew letter “Ayin” meaning: eyes, salvation.
  7. The eclipse path is 120 miles wide. Day/age theorists believe there are 120 jubilees or 6,000 years before the onset of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.

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Has America had a heart of repentance over the past 6 1/2 years since the last solar eclipse? Sadly, I don’t think so. Culturally, we have drifted further away from God and His word.

Are we a country deserving of judgment? Praying that difficult days and times are not on the American horizon…

April 5, 2024: The area also experienced a 4.8 magnitude earthquake.

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

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Thanksgiving 2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke with tags , , , , , on November 24, 2022 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 42:5 Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it…

As we celebrate this day of Thanksgiving, let us remember Who gave us life, that we are living, aware, breathing, and awake by the grace of God.

Life is not of ourselves. We are not responsible for our existence. God created.

By His grace, we are all here on this Earth, His creation, He created. God is beyond patient with how we steward His creation. He is beyond patient with how we as humanity treat each other, His children.

Job 34:13-14 If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.

We have life and we should be thankful for our lives.

Romans 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

On this Thanksgiving, give thanks to the Lord. Because of Him, we have this opportunity called life.

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

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The Blood Red Stain of Sin

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Freedom in Christ with tags , , , , , , on February 27, 2022 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Sin is staining and it’s color is blood red. Sin stains what is pure and clean. Without the cleansing soap of the blood of Christ, we are powerless to clean our clothing of our issues. No matter how many times we wash our clothes, no matter what we use, we cannot clear up our mess.

Job 9:30-31 If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, then You would plunge me into the pit, and my own clothes would loathe me.

~

photo: iStock

Isaiah 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Note the company of this verse, “we” and “all“. This is the Hebrew word “kol“. There are no exceptions save One. We all sin. None of us are perfect in thought or deed. We are all dirty.

…and all our righteous deeds…

What and who motivates our actions? Be careful, this is a slippery slope. Do we do “the right thing” as we see it? What is our motive for serving others? Are we doing something to look good as our fellow man sees it? Are we looking to draw attention to ourselves? Or are we doing these good works for the glory of God?

This verse could also be translated as “self righteous deeds”. The problem is we may not realize our deeds are “self righteous”. We may be blinded to our own selfishness, pride, and arrogance.

…are like a polluted garment.

Translators have done us no favor with this particular portion of the verse. The “polluted garment” happens to be menstrual flow, flux and soiling. There is an implication of deceit and treachery. Our works on our merits are like a nasty, bloody rag apart from God.

We all fade like a leaf…

Like a leaf, we lose our color. As a leaf turns color from health, lush green with moisture, our skin dries and itches. Lotions try to replenish but to no avail. As a leaf dries, crumbles and becomes mulch, our skin shrinks, wrinkles and hangs off of our bones. We bruise, tear, and break with greater ease.

…and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

We are guilty and deserving of just punishment. Because of our sin, we are blown away by the wind (Spirit?).

Of note, the translated Hebrew word for “wind” is ruach. This word is also translated as “spirit”, as in the Holy Spirit.

Authentic good works are noted below. True good works were created by God before our time.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The reality of our heart and attitude in whatever we do should be as stated by the Apostle Paul. Imagine taking the time before doing and talking and considering how speech and actions would reflect on God’s character. Are we respectfully representing the Creator?

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0463941519

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Choices and Outcomes… Christine McDonald

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Christine "Clarity" McDonald with tags , , , on August 8, 2020 by paulthepoke

My choices that day haunted me for years. After I got clean and was in college, I attempted to find information about my daughter. No luck. I had abandoned her. If her adoptive family had told her she was adopted, I might have a chance to connect with her when she was an adult. I prayed that if it was God’s will, it would happen.

Then one day it happened. I got a private message. I had been in the hospital for a number of weeks, unable to walk due to complicated medical issues. I was reviewing my dozens of messages, and there it sat: a private message introduction from the woman who had adopted my little girl.

She knew who I was. She said she had kept track of me for a while. She said that little girl knew who I was, too. I wept.

I was facing life–threatening situations, and yet a long–held prayer was being answered. I finally knew she was okay, she was safe, and, most of all, she was loved. But I had not met her and wasn’t sure if that would happen.

Then one day, in August 2015, I was preparing to speak to a room of about 200 individuals about human trafficking. A woman approached me and said, “Hello. I’m the woman who adopted your little girl.”

I paused, and my heart skipped a beat. Then I heard another voice say, “And I’m your little girl.”

“What?!” That is all I could say. I stood and asked if I could touch her. Was this real? Could it be? It was indeed.

It was time for my presentation. I told them both I wasn’t sure I could speak for 90 minutes and not share what had just happened. I asked if they were okay with my sharing about them being there. They said of course.

About four or five minutes into my speech, I could hardly talk. I was trembling. I had to share. So, to that room of strangers, in that church, I shared the blessing from God with all in attendance. We all wept together. And we all rejoiced together.

The courage that my baby’s adoptive mom, who I am proud to call friend, had to bring her that day astounds me. She gave me the chance to meet that little baby I had fallen in love with so long ago. I know today, without a doubt, that I made the best choice I ever could have for her little life.

One thing I have learned is that if I continue trying doing the best I can, God is faithful. He throws amazing situations, and gifts such as this one, to confirm His grace and presence in my life. Although mankind still judges me, holding against me the stigmas of my past, the Creator of All continues to shower me with love and grace.

We have had chances to visit a few times and to continue to grow and get to know one another. I am truly humbled that God would find me worthy of such a gift. I am excited to be a part of her life, and am continually thankful that God used this as a piece of healing for me—as well as, hopefully, for her.

Contact Information:
Christine C. McDonald
636-487-8986
Christine.CryPurple@gmail.com

“Love your neighbor, all of ’em.” -Christine Clarity McDonald

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The Greatest… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags , , , , , , , on July 7, 2020 by paulthepoke

TEXT: PSALM 19:1-6

Key verse: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1).

@beholy404

Any presentation that proclaims the Irrefutable greatness and glory of the Creator of heaven and earth must itself be great! Anything that celebrates the majesty of Jehovah and His “handiwork” is itself distinguished.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Since the world has turned into crowds of gainsayers who do not accept the fact of a galactic system put in place by a Designer, believers like David and followers of Jesus Christ cannot but constantly join “the heavens (to) declare the glory of God”. That is what the “sweet psalmist of Israel” harps on as he reveals that it is impossible to have a great design (the universe comprising heaven, our planet, the sun, moon, stars, outer space, etc.) without a Designer – God.

His works assert the matchless magnitude of the One who brought them into existence. They do not need evolutionists or scientists to tell them the creation story. They, the work of His hands, constitute enough evidence of the creative force that spoke the planetary system into existence. That knocks out all other contrary claims and renders them unacceptable by heaven. Beyond that, they serve as a perpetual pointer to God’s existence.

If these non-living works of creation would recognize and honor their Creator, He deserves infinitely greater acknowledgement from those He formed in His own image. He needs the believer’s worship in complete holiness. He wants the sinner to receive the salvation plan He worked out through the death and resurrection of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. He expects the backslider to return to the narrow path of righteousness. Above all, He wants us to obey His commandment to preach the gospel to the entire world without ceasing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Preaching salvation to the lost amounts to aligning with heaven to declare the glory of God.

The Bible IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 3 – 4  

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Bats in God’s Law & COVID 19

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2020 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 11:13-19 Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

April 2020: Recently, The Guardian posted a story on the origins of the Coronavirus. Many studies were compared from scientific experts from around the globe.

Scientists think it is “very likely” or “most likely” the COVID 19 coronavirus has its origins in a bat. But… Science is not really “sure”.

The Guardian best captured the spirit of the article with the disclaimer at the end.

Due to the unprecedented and ongoing nature of the coronavirus outbreak, this article is being regularly updated to ensure that it reflects the current situation at the date of publication. Any significant corrections made to this or previous versions of the article will continue to be footnoted in line with Guardian editorial policy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/28/how-did-the-coronavirus-start-where-did-it-come-from-how-did-it-spread-humans-was-it-really-bats-pangolins-wuhan-animal-market

Bat soup

The bat is mentioned three times in Scripture. Twice the bat is mentioned in the context of the Law. At that time, God told Moses bats were “detestable”. Another appropriate translation would be an abomination. The Jews were told not to eat certain kinds of birds.

The “bird” is ceremonially unclean. Notice, the Creator of the universe states the bat is a bird. Leviticus 11 is the first time the bat is mentioned in Scripture. The bat is included in an extensive list of birds. The bat is the last bird mentioned. God says the bat is a bird.

Science tells us bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera; with their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more maneuvrable than birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. -Wikipedia

Imagine that. God’s classification system is different than the modern day altar of Science. God’s order and humanity’s order are not the same. See multiple examples provided in the links below regarding the topic of creation.

https://paulthepoke.com/2011/09/09/genesis-120-day-5/

https://paulthepoke.com/2011/09/22/genesis-124-25-day-6-land-animals/

“…I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…it is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaw(s) and holes as sound parts.” –Charles Darwin to Asa Gray

~

From the time of Moses, fast forward to the days of the apostle Peter. Christ has died on the cross for sin. Christ has fulfilled the Law. 

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.  

Peter in Acts 11 has an encounter with the Lord regarding the Law and unclean food. Restrictions on food consumed are being lifted. Granted, the greater issue is not about food but food is used as the example. 

Acts 11:6-9 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. “I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ “But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’

Granted, we are not under the constraints of the Law. We have freedom because of Jesus Christ. But, we may want to think twice about exercising this freedom of handling, preparing, and eating bats.

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How do You DO that, Jesus? -Michael Stone

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Michael Stone with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on October 23, 2019 by paulthepoke

You are omnipresent. That means that you are everywhere at once, ever present everywhere. That’s amazing to me. You are God, so I don’t struggle understanding that.

You are omniscient. That means that you know everything. That blows me away, yet, because You are God, I have no problem understanding that.

You are omnipotent. That is almost incomprehensible, yet, because You are God, I get it. You have always existed.

You have no beginning and no ending. I don’t really understand that with the finite mind that You created me with, but by faith I believe it wholeheartedly.

You created everything out of nothing but Your Word. I’m flabbergasted, yet, You are God, so it was really not a big effort for You at all.

You spoke light into utter darkness just by saying “LIGHT”. Okay, then! That’s all it took, because You are God.

You humbled Yourself and became a man to show us that we could be sinless and full of love, then You gave Yourself as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb, taking our place so that we may live with You forever. That’s amazing love. I accept that. I receive that.

Here’s the part that baffles me, though, Jesus; when we believe on You and confess You as LORD, You forgive every single sin that we have ever committed. Not only that, but You take it a step further and You forget every single sin that we have ever committed. WOW! That is mind boggling! How do you DO that, Jesus?

I have a hard enough time just struggling to forget a single mistake, yet You easily forget every horrible thing that I’ve ever done! You separate my sins from Yourself as far as the east is from the west. That’s immeasurable! How do you DO that, Jesus? Your Word says that You cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, to never again be remembered. How do you DO that, Jesus?

Why do I continue to compare Your ability to forgive and forget with mine, or anyone else’s? That’s really not wise. You ARE God. Nothing is impossible for you. When the enemy comes to me to remind me of bad things that I have done, and I bring them back up to You, Your reply is always, “What are you talking about? I don’t recall that. You’re forgiven. It’s forgotten. Don’t look back. Keep moving forward. Trust Me.” It’s time that I stop listening to the accusations of Satan, and start listening to the truth of who You are in me. You gave us all of Your power and authority.

It’s time that I started using it. Once we as Believers, as Followers of the Way, as Christians – once we all begin walking in the authority and faith that you gave to each of us, we CAN turn the world right-side-up for You, Jesus. How do we DO that, Jesus? In Your name! THAT’S how!
Thank You, Jesus!



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