“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” [Read more…]
Bible Study-16 (Exodus 10-13)
In this section of the Bible we have the account of the ultimate judgment of Egypt which led to the exodus of Israel from Egypt. God demonstrated that He was able to deliver His people from the strongest world power of that day. In the process, God executed judgment of the gods of Egypt in order to demonstrate His power.
“For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments – I am the Lord.” (Exodus 12:12)
As we consider the plagues which were brought upon Egypt, we realize that each plague was aimed at one of the Egyptian deities. For example, one of the prominent gods worshipped by the Egyptians was the sun. The plague of darkness for three full days revealed the impotency of the sun as a god. Also, the Pharaoh was seen as a god. The death of the first-born of Pharaoh demonstrated the dominance of the God of the Bible over the supposed god, Pharaoh.
I maintain that one of the most important revelations given to us through Biblical revelation is that God intends to deliver the entire human community from the bondage of satanic domination. I believe that this will be accomplished at the coming of Messiah Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. The exodus account is most likely prophetic of this greater deliverance. [Read more…]
First Day Bible Class
SUNDAYS 9:15 – 10:15 AM – BUILDING 2
Join us every Sunday at 9:15 a.m. for an adult Bible class taught in our education building. The material has been designed to aid the believer and provides a foundation for a better [Read more…]
Covenant Land
As a part of the covenant that God made with Israel, the land of Israel was given to him and to his descendants forever. In the past I have considered this part of the covenant as a reward to Abraham for his participation in the covenant. This would be like a piece of property awarded to a favorite son [Read more…]
Viva La Via Dolorosa!
In songs like “Glory To the Lamb” and “Worthy Is the Lamb (seated on the throne)”, we praise Jesus for being the Lamb upon the throne. Before Jesus was the Lamb upon the throne, He was (had to be) the Lamb upon the cross.
Before Jesus became our righteousness, He had to become our sin. “He [Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [Jesus].” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
He had to walk down and endure the Via Dolorosa- the way of pain, suffering, grief, sorrows, anguish; the way to the cross. Jesus had to descend in order to ascend, decrease in order to be magnified, lose His life in order to find it. He had to take up His cross in order to take up His holy, eternal throne. He had to be crucified in order to be glorified. He had to die in the flesh in order to be resurrected in glory.
“…For the joy set before Him, [Jesus] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Jesus declares that we must do the same to be His disciples and inherit God’s kingdom. Jesus never commanded anyone to do anything that He Himself did not do.
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross (daily), and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake (and the gospel’s) shall find (save) it.”(Mat. 16:24-25, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23-24)
“And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.” (Mat. 10:38-39)
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
Just as the Via Dolorosa was the Father’s plan, purpose, calling for His Son, this “way” is also His plan, purpose and calling for us who are His chosen and beloved adopted sons and daughters. God has chosen and predestined us to eternal salvation, eternal glory and an eternal throne, but the only WAY to get there is the Via Dolorosa. THIS is what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one can approach the Father except through Me.” There is no other “way” for us to truly be His disciples, save and find our lives, and inherit our eternal crowns and thrones of glory that have been prepared for us. To the world, this way looks like destruction, disaster, ruin, and failure, but to God it is the way to life, salvation and victory!
“Viva la Via Dolorosa!”
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