Archive for eternal

Gabriel: Jesus Is Coming

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 9, 2020 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

To add to Mary’s intense anxiousness and confusion, Mary is being told she is the chosen vessel for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Mary is going to be the promised sign.

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.

A couple of word studies on His name. In the Hebrew of Isaiah 7, Immanuel means: with us is God.

The New Testament Greek name is Ἰησοῦς/Iésous. The Greek name is translated from the Hebrew Yehoshua or Yeshua which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”.

In English, we call Him Jesus or Joshua.

Behold… The English translation of ἰδού/idou does not grab the intensity of the term in the Greek. This is an imperative verb. Look! See! Gabriel is attempting to further gain Mary’s attention.

…you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Gabriel is going to give Mary four points of information.

  • You are going to get pregnant.
  • You are going to give birth.
  • The child will be a boy.
  • Name Him Jesus.

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David,

Then Gabriel goes on to explain the character of her Promised Son.

He will be great or μέγας/megas. This Greek term is where we get the English prefix “mega”. For example, lottery players hope to win “mega” millions. Jesus will be great in the grandest sense.

…will be called the Son of the Most High.

Gabriel is announcing Jesus is the Son of God or Most High or Highest. The point is, there is none above Him. He is Deity.

Definitions and translations provided by Strong’s Concordance.

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And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David…

Gabriel connects the dots from Mary back to King David. The prophets foretold of a coming time when a ruler would come from the line of David. The boy to be named Jesus, who is about to be born, is the fulfillment of the promise God made to King David.

2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom.

Mary herself knew she was of the line of David. Luke points this out in his documented genealogy of Jesus from Mary back to David. See Luke 3:23-31.

Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

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Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

Gabriel makes the point two times to Mary. When your earthly son assumes the role of King, it is His non stop. His kingdom will be without end.

The eternal nature of Christ’s kingdom is promised to King David in 2 Samuel 7 and multiple places in Psalms 45 and 89. The prophet Daniel in chapters 2, 4, 6 and 7 makes multiple, definitive and emphatic statements. His kingdom will never end.

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever…

The same promise Gabriel made to Mary over 2,000 years ago is true for us today. Jesus is coming. And when He comes back the second time, He will be firmly planted as King for eternity.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

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Revelation’s Four Living Creatures

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels, Revelation with tags , , , , , , on November 17, 2019 by paulthepoke

Revelation 4:6b-8 And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Welcome to the throne room of Heaven. These are Revelation’s four creatures. They have an up close and personal view of the throne itself. These are not the four creatures mentioned in Ezekiel 1. See the details of these four faced beings below.

https://paulthepoke.com/2019/11/10/four-living-creatures/

An individual being is located on each of the four side of the throne. John observes twice that each entity is loaded with eyes all of over their bodies.

Revelation 4:6b …full of eyes in front and behind…

Revelation 4:8a,c And the four living creatures… are full of eyes all around and within…

Each creature has six wings.

Revelation 4:8a,b And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings…

Each being is distinct in its appearance. They are described as being similar to or resembling a corresponding animal. The body of the third creature is not described but its face is.

Revelation 4:7 …the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.

Their message is consistent and non stop. God is holy.

Revelation 4:8b “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Some believe the three calls for “holy” is a reference to the Trinity and recognition that each member (Father, Son, and Spirit) is indeed God.

Holy or ἅγιος/hagios in the Greek is defined as sacred, set apart, or different, distinguished, distinct unlike anything else.

The Hebrew word for holy is qodesh.

God’s holiness is foundational. God’s holiness separates Him from sin. Holiness is the most mentioned attribute of God in Scripture.

Psalm 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Psalm 9:7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; He has established his throne for justice…

Psalm 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

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These four creatures will introduce the four horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6. The lion like creature will call for the first white horse and its rider. The ox like creature will call for the red horse and rider. The man faced being will call for the black horse and rider. The eagle like creature will call for the pale horse and rider. They all make the same proclamation, “Come!“

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And these four creatures proclaim the eternal nature of God.

Revelation 4:8b …who was and is and is to come!

Revelation 4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever…

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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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Millennial Kingdom: A Just and Truthful Leader

Posted in Isaiah, Millennial Kingdom, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on August 21, 2016 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

A focus of this verse is the eternal nature of the rule of Jesus, the Messiah. His rule will increase continually in abundance and it will never end.

There will be peace or shalom in the Hebrew. As described by Strong’s Concordance, this is the idea of peace: completeness, soundness, welfare; safety; health, prosperity; quiet, tranquility, contentment; absence of war; friendship of human relationships; with God especially in covenant relationship.

There will be an abundance of peace with unlimited growth.

Isaiah 11:5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.

This would be an example where our translators have opted for political correctness. The Hebrew word for loins and waist can also be translated as testicles. This Leader owns “a pair” and He will demonstrate it when it comes to doing things the right way.

The belt is equated with righteousness and truth. This is the case in Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth… and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…The Apostle Paul is quoting Isaiah 11:5 and 59:17.

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.

Jesus will not be flying around and holding pep rallies. He is not going to give speeches on policy and hollow promises. The Messiah will be a man of action.

…act wisely…He will be the agent of change and cause. He will have insight. He will be prudent. He will be a wise teacher. Success and prosperity will be the result.

…do justice…Jesus will act as a judge. He will decide cases and execute judgment with perfection against the laws. See Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. It will be absolutely fair.

…do righteousness…The Lord will do what is morally and ethically right. This is the same word that describes the leader from the line of David, a righteous Branch. Truth will be on display.

Isaiah 42:1-2 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.”

Jesus is not going to scream and yell at us like politicians (plural) of the 2016 American Elections. He will not be seeking attention to Himself. Look at me! Look at me! Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk…

He will take care of business and just simply do it.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

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Isaiah 4:3 Jerusalem Survivors, Known Before Creation

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 4:3 It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.

Specifically, this is a list of people for those who are in Jerusalem. It is clearly for Jerusalem, there are three references alone in the sentence. Zion is a reference to Jerusalem and it means “parched place”. The survivors are holy, special and set apart.

God clearly keeps a ledger of what is taking place on planet Earth. He knows the eternal destination of all of the people (past, present, and future). This concept is encompassed from before the creation all the way through the book of Revelation. For example, look at the references to The Book of life. God is keeping track of everybody. Revelation 13:8b …everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. Known from the beginning, the book belongs to Jesus, He is the Lamb. Ownership of the book is confirmed in Revelation 21:27. This is a radical statement. God is claiming to know who would turn to Him and believe in His Lamb before the creation of the universe. God knew in eternity past what individuals would choose for their eternal destination in the 21st century.

Psalm 139:6 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. God knows the number of days we are going to live before we are born and physically on the planet.  God has seen our soul and spirit.

Exodus 32:32-33 Moses speaking “But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Nation Israel was aware of the Book of Life while wondering in the desert.

Psalm 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and may they not be recorded with the righteous. 

Psalm 87:6 The LORD will count when He registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah. He knows when and where people were born.

Revelation 20:12, 15 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  These verses point out there are many books in addition to the Book of Life. Our lives are being documented, both good and bad. There is an eternal accounting. Our actions and choices are recorded. He knows the eternal destination of individuals whether it is Heaven or Hell.

Luke 10:20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” -Jesus

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Genesis 1:1 In the Beginning…

Posted in Creation with tags , , , , on May 9, 2011 by paulthepoke

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The Hebrew word for God is “Elohim”. Elohim is a masculine, plural noun. It means divine, majestic, and great. There may be a hint of the Trinity in the plurality of the noun. He is the one, singular true God. He is the creator. He started time and space as we know it.

If one is looking for proof that God created or God exists, you are wasting your time. It is assumed. God is eternal and self-existent. God always has been and always will be. God was before the creation. In Genesis 21:33 God is called the eternal God. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. In the Hebrew, God is referred to as El Olam (Everlasting God). Olam means perpetual, forever, continuous, always, eternal.

YHWH (scholars refer to this as the Tetragrammaton, Greek for four letters) is the proper name of the Hebrew God of the Bible. The correct spelling is YHWH. Note there are no vowels in this term. Vowels from the name Adonai were substituted and the term Yahweh emerged. Jehovah is a word that has been translated to English from the Hebrew, Yahweh. The name for LORD is Jehovah. It means the existing one. This name is so sacred, Jews refuse to pronounce it. The name is first introduced in Exodus 3:14 when Moses and God are having a discussion. His name is a statement of existence. Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

All three members of the God-head (Father, Son, and Spirit) are active in the process of creation. See Psalm 104:24-31 and Isaiah 40:12-14 for general information on creation.

Malachi 2:10 indicates the Father is the creator by way of rhetorical question. “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers? In the New Testament,                1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

The Son was part of the creation process. Colossians 1:15-16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

The Holy Spirit was involved in the creative process. Genesis 1:2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.  Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

In today’s world, man frequently questions creation and how it came to be. Under the guise of science and enlightenment, the creation and Creator are explained and rationalized away. We are nothing more than mere slime, mutated monkeys, or random chance in the eyes of today’s experts. Why should we believe them? Do they really know? Psalm 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

In chapters 38 and 39 of Job (general information on creation), God is having a discussion with a man, Job. God asks the fundamental question in verse 4. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding…”

When man questions us as believers of the Bible (ultimately God) for what we believe, how do we respond? When man questions the creation and the Creator, we could borrow a line from God and ask man one simple question.

Were you there?

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