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Mighty To Save… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags God, Gospel, Isaiah 33, Jesus Christ, salvation, zion on April 28, 2022 by paulthepoke

TEXT: ISAIAH 33:13-24

“And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24).

Only through Christ Jesus can mankind secure the double cure for the double malady of sin and sickness.

Our passage today shows the reaction of the inhabitants of Zion to the miraculous defeat of the Assyrian army and portrays the final defeat of the antichrist and false prophets by Christ. God has used this event to call all that are near and afar to consider their ways and turn to Him. First, we see the hypocritical sinners in Zion gripped with fear at the mighty power and holiness of God.

“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning?” Throughout the ages, the response of God has always been the same to all who seek to be in His presence (Psalm 15:2; 24:4).

He is gracious and merciful to those who walk righteously, speak uprightly, avoid oppression, deceit and blood guiltiness. Those with clean hands and a pure heart will see the King in His beauty.

How then can sinful and defiled man come before the Most High God? It is only through repentance from sin and faith in Christ’s atoning work. God sent Jesus Christ to take away our sin and cleanse us from its pollutions. He came and preached repentance and new birth as a means of coming into the presence of the holy God.

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

The benefits of a right relationship with God and living according to His word are many: we enjoy safety and security from our foes, healing from diseases and the final salvation with God in eternity.

Indeed, it can rightly be said of those who make Jehovah their Lord, “Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:2).

*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:* He who saves also cleanses from all sin.

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Quakes in Various Places, Japan, March 2022

Posted in #PaulthePoke, China, Earthquakes/Volcanoes, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags china, COVID 19, Dongguan, earthquakes, Fukushima, Gospel, Hong Kong, Japan, Jesus, Jilin Province, Omicron, Shenzhen, Tsunami on March 16, 2022 by paulthepoke

Luke 21:11a There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. -Jesus

March 16, 2022: A 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture. This is roughly the same place that was hit 11 years ago. Tsunami waves were estimated at about 3 feet above normal tide. It is estimated approximately 2,000,000 people lost electricity.

March 12, 2022: China has locked down 51,000,000 people. The population of 24 million people in Jilin province has been quarantined. Jilin Province is located in the northeast of China and borders North Korea. Shenzhen’s 17.5 million residents have been locked in. And Dongguan’s 10 million are shut in. This is part of the Omicron wave. Shenzhen an Dongguan are located across from the island of Hong Kong in the southeast of China.

The lock downs are part of China’s zero COVID policy. Jilin City mayor and the head of the Changchun city health commission were fired this past weekend. They did not live up to the Chinese expectation of COVID management. China is not willing to live with the virus. China is scrambling to build hospitals. These medical facilities are being completed in approximately one week. One particular hospital is capable of treating 3,900 patients.

Shenzhen is the silicon valley of China. The city is also home to a busy port.

https://news.yahoo.com/china-orders-51-million-lockdown-124651019.html

Click on the link below for analysis and commentary…

This is our world today. There are wars, threats of more wars, kingdoms against kingdoms, plagues, famines, and earthquakes.

Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. -Jesus

Got Jesus? He wants all of us.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

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

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Who is Christ Jesus and What Does That Mean For Us Today? Part 2… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags God the Father, God's glory, Gospel, Jesus Christ on March 10, 2022 by paulthepoke

In Matthew 16:1-20, when Jesus asked Peter, “Who do men say that I am?” His answer was, “You are the Christ, Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

It was never Jesus’ job to reveal Himself. It is the Father’s job to not only draw people to Jesus (John 6:44), but also to reveal that Jesus is His Christ. Interestingly, it is Jesus’ job to reveal the Father to those He chooses. “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)

The Father was not to give His glory “to another” OTHER than the Messiah (Christ) (Isaiah 42:8), and the Messiah gave His glory to us (John 17:5,22, Colossians 1:27). Christ the Messiah was one with the Father by way of the glory. It is the glory of God that makes things one (John 17:22).

Now we are carriers of this glory-treasure that is hidden “in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7), until we discover it and activate it, hence Paul’s commands to “put on Christ” (Romans 13:14) and “stir up the gift” (2 Timothy 1:6).

It is not automatically activated upon receiving Jesus. It takes a true disciple to go deeper with God. That is a choice we make to choose Him, although He chose us first (John 15:16). Author, Larry Thompson, wrote in his book Riches of Glory, “We are born of imperishable seed, but as long as the seed remains inactive and not germinated, then nothing manifests.”

Jesus commanded “His glory into us.”

“This treasure in our earthen vessel is now, not when we get a glorified vessel. We are fellow-workers with the Father of glory, manifesting His glory wherever we go.”

Jesus “restored the glory. Now we restore the glory wherever we go, in all that we say and do.”

Thompson, Larry, Riches of Glory: Secrets of the Kingdom Series (St Helens, OR: Streams of Glory Ministries, 2019), 41.

When we speak of the person of Christ, we are speaking of a Man who operates in the fulness and brightness of the Father’s glory in exact representation of His person (Hebrews 1:3), or in the case of a man (or woman) in the process of being transformed into glory, the Holy Spirit is transfiguring us into the image of Christ from one glory level to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Jesus took off His garment of glory to put on our garment of flesh and entered our world to die, rise, and ascend to the right hand of the Father. From there He poured out His blood upon the mercy seat before the Father for the forgiveness of our sins, and He put the garment of glory back on.

He gave us the same garment to wear even in this life by pouring out His Spirit of glory into us, to be awakened more and more. To the degree that we activate the glory within us will be the degree our lives reflect Christ in this world. We do this through abiding in the word and allowing Jesus’ word to abide in us, through repentance from dead works and leaving the world of sin, through communion and fellowship with Christ and the church, through actively and daily separating the precious from the vile so we can be as God’s mouth (Jeremiah 15:19), and through speaking the words we hear the Holy Spirit declaring to us, and doing the works we see Him doing.

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Cleanse the House… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags cleansing, Ghana, Gospel, heart, Hyssop, Jesus Christ, leprosy, Leviticus 14, religion, sin on January 11, 2022 by paulthepoke

TEXT: LEVITICUS 14:33-57

Leviticus 14:52 “And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet.”

Hyssop is a protected plant in Israel. It is a small, hardy shrub from the basil family. It is said to have cleansing properties. The hyssop plant in the Bible symbolizes spiritual purification.

Certain rituals were performed to cleanse any house leprosy was found in the Old Testament. First, the house is shut up for seven days. After this period, the house is checked. If the house had signs of leprosy spreading, the entire house had to be pulled down. But if the disease did not spread, then the house was healed. The priest then performed a ceremony for cleansing the house which involved two live birds, cedar, hyssop, scarlet and running water from a river. One of the birds was killed over the basin of water and the cedar, hyssop and the living bird was dipped into the water and the house was sprinkled with it, after which the living bird was set free.

Leprosy represents sin because it has the capacity to spread from the heart into every part of the body. The heart represents the house where the leprosy originates; for from the heart proceeds all evil thoughts which the entire body is compelled to act upon. The product of this process can be found in people’s harsh speeches, immoral actions, violent behaviors, wickedness and the likes.

Cleansing has to begin from the heart. Nothing so far has been found effective in achieving total cleansing for the sinful heart of man. Religious ceremonies and rituals, together with human efforts have unfortunately yielded no results. The only solution to the ‘leprosy’ of sin lies in the precious blood of our sinless Christ who died on the cross to save humanity.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The blood of Jesus is the all-time antidote to all forms of uncleanness.

The Bible IN ONE YEAR: JOSHUA 11 – 14

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Freedom in Christ

Posted in Freedom in Christ with tags Galatians 5, Gospel, Jesus Christ, liberty, love, service, sin on January 9, 2022 by paulthepoke

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. NASB

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ESV

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. KJV

We are opening a series to start the new year. The topic is “Freedom in Christ”.

Note the three translations from the English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and the King James Version (KJV). There is purpose in understanding how translators operate. Translators are looking at the original Greek text as written by the Apostle Paul in the case of the verse from Galatians. Ultimately, the Spirit of God is the author as communicated to Paul as written in the original Koine Greek. This is the common, street language of the day in the first century.

So what is Biblical “freedom” or “liberty”? What are free from? How does one live in “freedom”? Why are we free? What does a Christian do with their newly found “freedom”? What does it mean to be free?

What is “freedom” or “liberty”? This is the Greek word ἐλευθερία/eleutheria. Multiple lexicons and dictionaries state the term as freedom or liberty. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines the term as liberty to do or to omit things having no relation to salvation; the liberty to do as one pleases.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free…

Christ’s work on the cross set us free. He paid for the consequence of humanity’s sin. The result is our freedom. We are free from sin. We are called to live in freedom apart from sin.

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Humanity and culture have perverted the notion of freedom and liberty. The world says, “Do whatever you want.” The world wants to negate the consequence of these choices. We also have choices in Christ.

We are not free to sin. Yes we will still sin, hopefully less and less as we grow in Christ. But those sins are covered too. We are forgiven. He loves us as we are. And we are called to love others in our freedom. Give and provide for others.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

At some point, this nonsense will be brought to a close. Jesus Christ will reign and there will be consequences.

Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

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Jubilee, Part 2, Jesus Offers a Clue?

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Isaiah, Jubilee, Prophecy with tags Day of Atonement, Gospel, Isaiah 61, Israel, Jesus Christ, Jubilee, Leviticus 25, Luke 4, Messiah, Moses, Sabbatical year, Shemitah, Tishri 10, Yom Kippur on October 24, 2021 by paulthepoke

Luke 4:17-21 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” -Jesus

Jesus read and spoke these words in the synagogue of His home town Nazareth (Luke 4:16). Jesus is reading Isaiah 61:1-2a. He reads verse 1 completely. Jesus then stops reading in the middle of Isaiah 61:2. By reading these words, He was claiming to be the Messiah. In other words, “Here I am!!”

The stoppage of reading in the verse has lasted close to 2,000 years. At His first coming, Jesus was a suffering servant who died for our sins. His death freed us from the bondage of sin. Christ did not come in vengeance the first time, hence the pause. And we wait for the remainder of Isaiah 61:2b-11. It describes the future conditions of the nation Israel under the leadership of the Messiah, Jesus. He returns the second time in wrath and judgment.

At this point, many have stopped their analysis. There remains another question. Who is the prophet Isaiah quoting?

…to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD…?

Isaiah is quoting Moses who received instruction from God.

Leviticus 25:10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.

The context of the verses quoted is a description of the jubilee year. Release the inhabitants and freedom for all the slaves.

Is Jesus leaving a clue about the timing of His second coming? Will He return in a year of Jubilee?

Here are some prophetic implications. The seven year peace covenant between the antichrist and Israel would likely be confirmed in God’s fall holiday season. A jubilee year is proclaimed on the Day of Atonement, Tishri 10 after the end of a set of seven years per Leviticus 25:9.

The Bible tells us a jubilee year is proclaimed after a Sabbatical or Shemitah year (Leviticus 25:8-11).

This would allow for the culmination of the seven year Tribulation to occur one year after a Sabbatical or Shemitah year, a possible jubilee year by definition.

A jubilee year has not been kept by Israel in over 2,000 years (www.chabad.org). As for the timing of the next jubilee year…

no one knows, only the Father.

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Sabbatical Year/Shemitah, Part 3

Posted in #PaulthePoke with tags banking, Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 23, Ephesians 1, forgiveness of sin, Gospel, Grace, interest free, Israel, Jesus, John 1, loaning, mercy, Revelation 21, Romans 6, Sabbatical year, Shemitah on October 3, 2021 by paulthepoke

Deuteronomy 15:1-2 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. This is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD’S remission has been proclaimed.

In today’s world, the verses above are radical financial and economic concepts. All debt, regardless of size, is forgiven at the end of every seventh year. Imagine, a clean financial slate.

Think about how these verses would influence lending and borrowing practices. Larger loans would occur early in the seven year cycle. Debt structure would not look like it does today. The 30 year mortgage would be toast. Loans would likely be much smaller. Personal savings would be promoted. People would be more inclined to live within their means.

Think of all the debt and credit offering practices: home mortgages, car loans, student loans, and credit cards just to mention a few. Debt is oppressive and restrictive to freedom. Consider how each of the above would be financed or paid if debt was forgiven at the end of every seven years. Consider the change in personal spending habits.

Creditors would be more careful how they loaned their money. There would be less loaning of money. Creditors would likely make less irresponsible loans to customers who do not have the means to pay. If implemented today, debt bubbles would be a thing of the past. At the end of every seven years, everyone would be debt free. If debt payments remained at the end of the cycle, it would be forgiven. Poverty would likely be diminished significantly.

Responsibility would be increased on both the lender and the borrower. These practices would significantly cut into corporate banking profits and affect their stock prices. We likely would not see these behemoth corporate banks that dominate our economic landscape today.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20 You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess.

Interest free lending would promote national unity and good will toward your fellow countryman. It is a matter of looking after your neighbor and brother. Financial collaboration would be an outcome. People would be more interested in the success of others.

God does not want us to take financial advantage of our fellow man. These loaning practices were built into society by God. He understands the capacity of greed demonstrated by humanity. Don’t shaft your neighbor.

These financial concepts are nowhere to be seen in today’s economic world. Most people are not aware these statutes exist. Would our lives be economically easier if this were in place today? What a concept, it is a universal blessing from God if one loans interest free to their countryman.

The ultimate example of God’s release or remission is in His Son. Jesus forgives us of our debt, sin.

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

Our transgressions are forgiven as a matter of grace and mercy. Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

He has paid our debt without charging us. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is His payment that allows us to possess eternity in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21).

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Pay Day Is Coming… Joshua of Ghana

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Joshua Ghana with tags cross, Ghana, God, Gospel, Jesus Christ, judgment on September 15, 2021 by paulthepoke

TEXT: JEREMIAH 25:15-29

Key Verse: Jeremiah 25:29 “For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.”

On December 25th, 1908, a newspaper published in Messina printed a parody against God, daring Him to make Himself known by sending an earthquake. Three days later, the city and its surrounding district were devastated by a terrible quake that killed 84,000 people! Payday is coming someday for all. It is the duty of the Christian to prepare for God’s judgment.

The passage under consideration unveils the decision of God against Babylon. Babylon would be destroyed for her wickedness and cruelty, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Jeremiah was to warn of this impending judgment. He was also assigned by God to inform people that the cup of His wrath was soon to be poured on Israel and other nations like Egypt, Edom and the Philistines.

Judgment is coming. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world for her sins. The present world system will not escape the judgment of God. All human deeds are on record and there would be no room for falsification of facts. Every action of man will be judged. Every thought (good or bad) will be brought to light. Boys and girls, and all adults of every race and in every continent will face the consequences of their professions.

The treatment we give to the word of God will determine our eternal destiny. Therefore, believers should not relax in their evangelistic outreaches because the judgment of God remains unchanging for all unrepentant souls from generation to generation.

Persecutors of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will not escape the wrath of God except they repent. The train of God’s judgment is coming slowly but surely and it is important for all and sundry to be prepared.

*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:* Judgment day is coming!

Jesus has taken judgment for those believe His death on the cross paid the price for sin. He was buried and resurrected proving He has power over death and sin.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.

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The Appointed Times of the Messiah’s Return Found in Ancient Jewish Festivals… One For Israel Ministry

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Fall Feasts, Prophecy with tags Gospel, Jesus Christ, Messiah, One For Israel, Yeshua HaMashiach on September 9, 2021 by paulthepoke

The following is from One For Israel Ministry, a Jewish and Arab ministry who believes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Established in 1990, ONE FOR ISRAEL began as a Bible college and has since expanded to a multi-faceted ministry with the express goal of reaching Israelis with the Good News of Yeshua, training and equipping the Body of Messiah in Israel, and blessing our community with Yeshua’s love.

The story and ministry of ONE FOR ISRAEL is part of something much larger – the miraculous restoration of the Jewish people and the miraculous unity between Jewish and Arab believers in Jesus.

We are seeing not only the physical restoration of Israel after a 2000-year exile, but a spiritual revolution is taking place right in front of our eyes. Jewish people are returning to their God and accepting the Messiah in numbers not seen since the early church! Not only that, but many Arab people are coming to the Lord and many Arab believers are finding a deep unity with their Jewish brothers and sisters.

ONE FOR ISRAEL exists to do ministry within this miracle.

We are Jews and Arabs, together serving Messiah Jesus, sharing the Gospel with Israel and the world, making disciples, training leaders, and blessing our communities in the name of Yeshua.

Could it be that the Fall Biblical festivals celebrated by Jewish people around the world have amazing insight into the Return of our Messiah!? Most Christians are aware that it was on the appointed day of Passover that our Messiah was crucified, some are aware that it was the Biblical feast of First fruits that He was Resurrected and the appointed day of Shavuot 50 that the Holy Spirt was poured out on the church. Dr. Erez Soref dives into the Biblical Appointed days in the fall and uncovers how they celebrate the past deliverance and our Messiah’s return to come!

Go deeper into these festivals with our articles online!

https://www.oneforisrael.org/category…

If this podcast is a blessing to you, consider supporting our work and become a One for Israel partner today!

https://www.oneforisrael.org/donate/

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Seek the Glory of God… Rodna Epley

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Rodna Epley with tags God's glory, Gospel, Heaven, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of Heaven, light, Peace on August 24, 2021 by paulthepoke

When we seek first His Kingdom as Jesus commanded, it causes us to wear this wedding garment of Christ’s glory on us every day. As the light of the world, we don’t have to worry about how our earthly needs will be provided. They will just come to us effortlessly. God sends them without us even asking. But when we ask, He gives us abundantly more than we ask for! We seek Him and His glory (John 5:44, Proverbs 25:2) in humility, and He provides all of our needs. When we are clothed in Christ it transforms the atmosphere to instantly bring His favor and wisdom.

“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:8-10)

Perfect peace is a primary indicator that we have the wedding garment of Christ on and dressed for the wedding! Joy unspeakable is another indicator, and perfect love that drives out all fear.

Holy Father, let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth and in our lives exactly as it is already in heaven!

We are the light of the world and we will not be hidden as Jesus said! Activate your glory within every person who reads this and show them how beautiful they are. Remind them that they are anchored behind the veil in Your glory! They are not anchored to the earth in sin and worldly passions. No one can take them out of Jesus and Your hand and nothing can separate them from Your love! Thank You Papa! In Jesus mighty name, yes and amen.

Jesus died to reconcile you to the Father. Jesus finished His old covenant work on the cross, and He began His new covenant work as He sat down at the right hand of the Father, made a place for us and seated us there with Him, and then poured out the Spirit of our Father’s glory within us. So, this is the perspective of the church today as the Father releases His glory in the earth through us.

So be it Papa and let it be so!