"Not Yet Able" - 19 AUG 07

Introduction to Rev Chapters 2-3

Commentary

• Consist of 7 letters to 7 churches
• Served as prophecy to entire church age that begin in 31 A.D. to present time
• Church will suffer an invasion by Satan and his forces
• The invasion will be so slick the Church won't even know its been invaded.

Rev 2:3-4

"And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."

Commentary

• The first love in the church has been taught that they lost the love for Jesus but according to verse 3, their labouring, working for Jesus couldn't be the first love they lost. The first love they lost was the word.

Rev 1:14-15

"His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire;

And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters."

Commentary

• These descriptions refute the idea that Jesus was a Black or Caucasian man.

Rev 2:09

"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan."

Commentary

• Satan has an unobstructed path to take over the Church once you leave Gods word.
• Synagogue of Satan was created in Gods Church (2nd church age)

Rev 2:13

"I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan's seat [is]: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas [was] my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."

Commentary

• Satan built a synagogue first, then he took a seat in the church by the third church age.
• Tares would have never been in the Church if Satan never took a seat.
• Tares are going to be the most disciplined, most self-righteous, legalist.
• Tares have everything but salvation.

Rev 2:20

"Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."

Commentary

• By the 4th Church age, this doctrine "one saved always saved" was spawned
• Jezebel answers to the 4th parable Jesus taught about hiding leaven in the mill.
• Satan was so effective, he literally changed all the truth in the scriptures (ex, Good Friday)

The Truth About Easter

• Good Friday (72 hrs, 12 noon) to around Easter Sunday morning is about 36hrs at best.
• Only Sun Rise worshipers were worshipers of Bail.
• God had a blueprint in the old testament
• Pick the lamb on the 10th day of Nissan
• Kill the lamb the 14th day
• On that 10th day, he didn't come in riding happy, he came in mentally depressed.
• What made him so depressed? A steady reaction of God's word.
• 10th day, shouldn't be Palm Sunday, it should be Palm Saturday.
• Only makes sense he came in on a day of rest offering peace.
• 10th day Saturday, 11th day Sunday, 12th day Monday, 13th day Tuesday 14th day Wednesday
• Killed between the evenings of 3pm and 6pm
• He was on the cross for 3hrs
• Then says in the gospel, shortly after the 9th hr, he gave the ghost, he had to die at a certain time.
• Jesus had to fulfill every law in the Old Testament.
• If he died after 3pm on Wednesday, add 72hrs.
• He should have risen around 3pm Saturday.

Rev 3:17

"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"

Commentary

• Near the end of the letter to the 7th church age. "as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten."
• Rebuke and Chastening does not fit with the current church theme "blessing and prosperity"
• Hardest church to preach to
• What does this church have to shout about?

Rev 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Commentary

• Takes place at the end of the letter. Which means sometime between 1906 when the great Pentecostal rival marked the beginning of the last church age God walked out of the Church and knocked on the door of the Church.
• Jesus has a message different from the normal church in these last days.
• TV preachers are Satan approved.
• False preachers are preaching out of his book but not his message.

Mat 20:20-23

"Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [him], and desiring a certain thing of him.

And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able."

Commentary

• The higher the seat, the greater the heat
• At this point in Jesus life he had preached for almost 20 years
• The disciples weren't able to go through what Jesus went through but we will be able.
• Every message God has given us will help us for 1 event (MB-Day)
• One day will make or break you

Rev 3:10

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

Commentary

• He calls it an hour of temptation. All of this is getting us prepared for one hour.

2 Th 2:7

"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way."

Commentary

• The spirit of Antichrist has been working since Babylon and its also working in the Church.
• HE meaning the church has been hindering the spirit of iniquity.
• The church and our presence stabilizes the world enough to prevent the spirit of iniquity of doing its works.

2 Th 2:09-10

"[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

Commentary

• Jesus worked miracles, a crowd came and then preached Christ.
• Signs are for those that believe not.
• When God uses signs, its because of unbelief.
• The world is going to receive a massive lie that will be received by the church and will have to do with creation
• How do you tell God you have something more important to do?

Mat 16:21-22

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee."

Luk 22:33

"And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death."

Commentary

• None of us are ready. We may say we are (like Peter).
• Hes getting us ready for one day or one event and our salvation will lay in the balance.

Mat 26:31-33

"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all [men] shall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended."

Commentary

• Theres always someone who thinks they're exempt and they're the closest one's to falling.

Mat 26:57-58

"And they that had laid hold on Jesus led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end."

Mat 26:69

"Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

But he denied before [them] all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

And when he was gone out into the porch, another [maid] saw him, and said unto them that were there, This [fellow] was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

And after a while came unto [him] they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art [one] of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

Then began he to curse and to swear, [saying], I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."

Commentary

• Some of us are not ready to enter Jesus' test and trials
• Peter took a seat in the back when he had professed his whole life he was with Jesus in the end
• The world knows who you are
• Theres going to be situations in which you must confess or denounce Christ when your death weighs in the balance.
• How you practice is how you play.
• ALL THE MESSAGES GOD GIVES US IS FOR THAT FINAL DAY WHEN WE WILL ENCOUNTER THE STRONG DELUSION AND THE LIE.

"Not able, yet" - 15 AUG 07

Mat 3:11

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire:"

Commentary

• Fire baptism, and blessing and prosperity, don't mix.
• Suffering with Christ, and blessing and prosperity, don't mix.
• The church has quit preaching messages about suffering with Christ, and the fire baptism has been eliminated.
• The word of God itself will bring this (ref. parable Mat 15)
• God's word is going to bring tribulation and persecution in your life, which is fire baptism.

Mat 3:12

"Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Commentary

• Don't look for the tribulation and persecution to subside.

Mat 20:17-18

"And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,"

Commentary

• This would be the final fire for Jesus (age 33).
• Because Jesus wasn't looked for where carpenters reside, he wasn't a carpenter.
• Fire started for Jesus around 12 years old.
• If you try to escape the fire now, you won't be ready when the real one comes.

Mat 20:19

"And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify [him]: and the third day he shall rise again."

Commentary

• The Roman soldiers had a field day with mocking and scourging Jesus.
• Shows how much the world really hates us.
• First opportunity people get, they'll treat you like anything but the child of God.

Mat 20:20-23

"Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [him], and desiring a certain thing of him.

And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father."

Commentary

• The higher the seat, the greater the heat.
• The longer you walk with God, the greater the fire baptism.When God puts you in the fire, he's with you.
• Jesus loved John more than the rest of the apostles because John loved Jesus more than most of the Apostles.
• Old Testament Curtains have four colors = White, Scarlett, Blue, Purple = 4 Gospels
• Blue Gospel is John's Gospel, and John writes about the deity of Jesus.

Mar 9:43-49

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt."

Heb 12:5-9

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [us], and we gave [them] reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"

Commentary

• Longer you walk with God, the longer the chastising

Mar 6:30-33

"And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him."

Commentary

• Class dismissed till next Sunday.

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I didn't know, now I know...

Zebedee

• In the Bible, Zebedee was a Hebrew fisherman, the husband of Salome, and the father of James and John, two of the Apostles of Jesus

Color Symbolism in the Bible

The color blue is used quite extensively in the Old Testament to describe the various hangings in the holy places. It is also used as a symbol of wealth and the corruptions thereof, but it should be noted that purple is used far more frequently for such distinctions. In general blue should be viewed as a heavenly color. Below is only a representation of the color's use in scripture, it occurs far more frequently than demonstrated here.

Direct Meaning:

• describing hangings, curtains, coverings (along with purple and scarlet / crimson) - Exodus 26:1;36; 27:16; 28:8, II Chronicles 3:14; etc.
• holy covering - Exodus 28:31, Numbers 4:5-7;11-12, Esther 8:15
• the Lord's commandments - Numbers 15:38-40

Opposite Meaning:

• corruption through vanity, whoredoms and idolotry - Jeremiah 10:8-9, Ezekiel 23:3-8

Color Symbolism:

• heavenly - Exodus 24:10, Ezekiel 1:26; 10:1 (sapphire)
• holy service - Exodus 28:31, Esther 8:15
• chastening - Proverbs 20:30 (KJV)

Associated Symbols:

• water(s) - spirit (John 4:13-14; 7:37-39, Revelation 21:6; 22:17, Matthew 3:11-16), people / multitudes (Revelation 17:15, Jeremiah 46:7-8; 47:1-3, Isaiah 8:7; 17:13)

"300 Straightened" - 05 AUG 07

Jdg 7:3

Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever [is] fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

Commentary

• God gets rid of anyone who is afraid.

Jdg 7:4

And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people [are] yet [too] many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, [that] of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

Commentary

• God tries us to see who will stay his.

Jdg 7:5

So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

Commentary

• The most spiritual is the one that bows on their knees.
• God is rejecting all those that look spiritual.
• To the outside church, we look like dogs.

Jdg 7:6-8,10-14

And the number of them that lapped, [putting] their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the [other] people go every man unto his place.

So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all [the rest of] Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:

And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that [were] in the host.

And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

And when Gideon was come, behold, [there was] a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

And his fellow answered and said, This [is] nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: [for] into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

Commentary

• God's saying it's not his miracles thats going to get him through, its his word.

Jdg 7:15

And it was [so], when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Commentary

• What makes you worship God? Hearing his voice/word.
• Signs and miracles are secondary.
• God would like to have people believe him on word alone.
• Message on coveteousness put us on the straight route
• We will be in this situation of being straigtened until the Lord comes

Rom 8:16-17

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.

Commentary

• We're only heirs to Christ if we suffer with him.

Rom 8:19-22

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Commentary

• The Earth and planets groaneth because of bondage from corruption.
• We should strive for the heavenly body that never groaneth.

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Gideon (Bible)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gideon (Hebrew: גִּדְעוֹן, Standard Gidʻon Tiberian Giḏʻôn), also known as Jerub-Baal, is a judge appearing in the Book of Judges, in the Bible. His story is told in chapters 6 to 8. He is also named in the Epistle to the Hebrews as an example of a man of faith. He is the son of Joash, from the clan of Abieezer in the tribe of Manasseh. The name Gideon means "Destroyer", "Mighty warrior" or "Feller (of trees)".

As is the pattern throughout the book of Judges, the Israelites again turned away from God after forty years of peace brought by Deborah's victory over Canaan and were allowed to be attacked by the neighbouring Midianites and Amalekites. God chose Gideon, a young man from an otherwise unremarkable clan from the tribe of Manasseh, to free the people of Israel and to condemn their worship of idols. Very unsure of both himself and God's command, he requested proof of God's will by a miracle:

³⁶Then Gideon said to God, "You say that you have decided to use me to rescue Israel. ³⁷Well, I am putting some wool on the ground where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, then I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel." ³⁸That is exactly what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water. ³⁹Then Gideon said to God, "Don't be angry with me; let me speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground be wet." ⁴⁰ That night God did that very thing. The next morning the wool was dry, but the ground was wet with dew. (Judges 6:36-40, Good News Bible)^[1]

On God's instruction, Gideon destroyed the town's altar to the foreign god Baal and the symbol of the goddess Asherah beside it. He went on to send out messengers to gather together men from the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, as well as his own tribe Manasseh in order to meet an armed force of the people of Midian and the Amalek that had crossed the Jordan River and were encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

God instructed Gideon that the men he had gathered were too many. With so many men, there would be reason for Gideon's army to claim the victory as their own, instead of giving the credit to God. He instructed Gideon to send home those men who were afraid. 22,000 men returned home and 10,000 remained:

⁴Then the Lord said to Gideon, "You still have too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will separate them for you there. If I tell you a man should go with you, he will go. If I tell you a man should not go with you, he will not go." ⁵Gideon took the men down to the water, and the Lord told him, "Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink." ⁶There were three hundred men who scooped up water in their hands and lapped it; all the others got down on their knees to drink. ⁷ The Lord said to Gideon, "I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites with the three hundred men who lapped the water. Tell everyone else to go home." (Judges 7:4-7, Good News Bible)

God waited until night fell before instructing Gideon to attack the Midianite camp. Gideon gave each of his men a trumpet, a torch, and a clay jar. They quietly surrounded the enemy camp, each torch hidden inside a jar. At Gideon's signal, every man blew his trumpet and broke his jar. God confused the Midianites, and made them turn on one another. The confused survivors ran and continued to retreat across Israel.

Although God did not instruct him to do so, Gideon then called for a large number of men to pursue the Midianites and cut off their retreat. He eventually caught them and subsequently killed Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite Kings, in response to their taunts, and as justice for the death of his brothers.

The Israelites pleaded with Gideon to be their king, but he refused, telling them that only God was their ruler. Interestingly, however, he carries on to make an "ephod" out of the gold won in battle, which causes the whole of Israel again to turn away from God, and marries a large but unspecified number of women. He also had a concubine who bore him a son that he named Abimelech (which means "my father is king"). There was peace in Israel for forty years during the life of Gideon.

He is regarded as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, who hold his feast day on September 26, and as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30.

29 JUL 07

*Church Dismissed. No second-half service*