Worshipping the “Sun god” or the Creator God?

 Do you want to worship the “Sun god” or the God who made the sun during His 7 day creation week? Whose worship day will we choose?

Keep reading to discover the true worship day of our Creator God – a continual reminder of His goodness and love in both creation and salvation. We’ll also discover briefly the origin of the devil’s counterfeit! See the quotes of history for yourself! By God’s grace we can steer clear of the pitfalls!

THE DAY OF WORSHIP IN HONOR OF OUR CREATOR AND REDEEMER, JESUS

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Jesus said, “The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). Jesus taught that it was “lawful” to “do good upon the Sabbath days” (Mark 3:4-5), therefore instructing humanity in what things were “lawful” [i.e. right according to the law] to do upon the holy Sabbath, showing its continued importance to mankind. Furthermore, in His suffering upon Preparation day (Friday), his resting in the grave upon the Sabbath day (while his disciples also “rested…according to the commandment” Luke 23:54-56), and His resurrection early upon the “1st day of the week” (Luke 24:1), He shows us that Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, is actually SATURDAY, while “Sunday” on the other hand is only the 1st day of the week, as it even appears on the standard wall calendar today.

In the Scriptures (both New and Old Testaments) Sunday, the first day of the week is NEVER 1) blessed, 2) made holy, 3) set apart for rest, 4) ever pronounced as a day of worship in honor of the resurrection, or 5) even given instruction for observance. How strange! Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, however, has received all of God’s blessings – blessed, made holy, set apart for rest, given as a day of worship to honor THE REST we have in Jesus through His gospel, and how to observe it is taught in both Old and New Testaments by God/Jesus.

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THE ORIGIN OF SUNDAY, ON THE OTHER HAND…

First Sunday Law enacted by Emperor Constantine –
March, 321 A.D.

“On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].)”

Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1.

Pagan Festivals and Church Policy

“The Church made a sacred day of Sunday … largely because it was the weekly festival of the sun; for it was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance.”

Source: Arthur Weigall, The Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 145. Copyright 1928 by G. p. Putnam’s Sons, New York.

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The evidence is clear. Either we choose to worship the Creator on His Holy Day, the seventh-day Sabbath, on Saturday (and for 24 hours of rest from secular labor), or we choose to worship the Sun god on his day, “Sun-day.” Many sincere Christians are worshiping on the wrong day, in ignorance of these facts. God loves them still and they are His. However, God does not desire for any to remain in ignorance. And once we become aware of the light of His truth, we should make our decisions to follow His truth instead of the errors that are in existence. Search out the facts, and may God guide you in choosing to follow Him according to His truth.

You can find more information on this topic at the following sites:

• www.sabbathtruth.com
• http://biblelight.net/sunday.htm

Fundamentalism and the One World Agenda: An Enemy of the State?

 At a Glance

• The world is moving towards unity. Certain world leaders are pulling to the front, for leadership of this promised utopia (especially the Pope, among others).
• Standing in the way to a world synthesis of religion is Fundamental beliefs (particulars of faith), and those who adhere to them (especially within Christianity).
• Pope Francis and other leaders have demonized and condemned Fundamentalist movements and beliefs as being “sickness,” “illness,” dangerous, and violent, in an effort to paint them as a problem for the world to hunt down and eliminate, or to shrug off and avoid. [Major statements and video documentation are listed below – incredible comments with deleterious effects – See for yourself]
• An appeal for awareness and justice of understanding is made in concluding paragraphs.

What is fundamentalism all about – especially in a Christian context?

Fundamentalism (noun) – A word defined by dictionary.com as “a form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture. Strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline (i.e. free-market fundamentalism).”

The American Protestant fundamentalist movement arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in reaction to the challenge of modernism. Essentially, conservative Christian scholars who wanted to take the Bible seriously and literally for what it said, began banding together and expressing the clear need to do so – calling this a movement to hold onto the fundamental teachings of scripture. This was in reaction to the liberalizing trends of modern scholars who wanted to move away from a literal understanding of the Bible – in other words, who wanted to stop taking the Bible for what its words literally meant, and to begin interpreting it with some esoteric kinds of meaning that departed from the literal meaning of the text, but which suited their own agenda more. Such liberal interpretations allowed them to pretty much believe whatever they wanted to, while not taking the words of the Bible seriously in reference to their literal, clear, and explicit meanings.

Fundamentalist Christians simply want to get back to the pure and simple meaning or reading of the Bible. Taking it for what it says, they choose to believe it in faith. In so doing, they also want to keep the Christian faith doctrinally pure – adhering to the actual teaching of Scripture, rather than some kind of fanciful interpretation which does not align with the text, but merely with someone’s own personal ideas. To put it another way, the idea is to let the Bible teaching change our thinking and that of society, instead of letting our own thinking and that which is popular in the world today re-interpret the words of the Bible in a manner that would better suit our own personal pet ideas.

As the word suggests, it means getting back to the basics of truth. It means believing that there is such a thing as absolute truth (which is truth beyond our own opinions) – truth which is true because it just is true, whether we know it or not, and always will be true. It is not subjective and it is not based upon our opinions merely. It is true, and it stands alone as such. Therefore, we should make every effort to know what that absolute truth is, so that we can align with the true reality. To the fundamentalist Christian, this truth is found in the Bible, and can be understood when read to discover the text’s apparent, literal (or figurative, only if the text implies), intended meaning.

Issues – One-World Agenda and People under attack for their Beliefs

One would have to be living under a rock today if they were not aware of or noticing the movements of the world towards a “global village.” The world is fast becoming a smaller place through superior communication and travel lines. Along with this great blessing to our social relationships and understanding, comes the added challenge of government in a totally linked and connected world community. Beyond that, there is the clash of various societal ideals and also the push of various world leaders to establish a global system for world leadership and a power or whit struggle for world-wide dominance by the most ambitious of organizations and world leaders. The Bible highlights through prophecy, in particular, the movements and interplay of the European nations, the USA (yes, prophecy speaks of these powers), the Roman church-state power, and apostate Protestantism making a great cooperative effort to seize world dominance, and the Roman Church pulling to the forefront in much of this power struggle.

In a global world society where harmony of action and surrender to the dominant powers, leaders, and the majority trumps personal preference and belief, the choice to hold onto beliefs which are contrary to the popular majority begins to bring people of minority groups under attack. For example, if you hold the belief that homosexuality is a sin, because the Bible says so, but the entire world says it is perfectly okay and just a normal sport of preference for whoever wants to live that way, then you become an enemy for holding a view that is abrasive (and in their view, “divisive”) to the globalizing majority trend of thought. If you challenge the power or belief of the majority, then you will be considered “dangerous” by some or by many.

In the Catholic church, and in much of the world today, there is a shift farther and farther away from the plain teaching of God’s word. There is instead, a desire for harmonizing the Catholic church, along with many so-called Protestant churches, along with the state, and also with the popular worldview insomuch as they find it beneficial to themselves and their agenda for world prestige and power. In steering away from the specifics, and from key biblical teachings, they point people to focus on wide generalities and to pull together to accomplish mutual agendas which in the end serve the greater agenda of the most shrewd leaders for world dominance – especially that of the Catholic Church.

The specifics of truth, and the biblical fundamentalists who hold onto them, therefore become roadblocks to the success of their agenda. After all, if someone is ideologically opposed to their efforts and speaking out against their shrewd, underhand, and unbiblical teachings and movements, then they have an enemy to their progress. Hence, it behooves them to demonize anyone that would hold to fundamentalist biblical thoughts or teachings which stress purity of teaching, thought, and practice instead of compromise or surrender of truth to win out in a world-wide struggle for power, popularity, and prestige – a unity message which sacrifices truth and particulars for the sake of numeric power and a general white-washed belief or artificial unity based on extremely non-particulars.

The demonizing influence towards fundamentalists – Enemies of the State?

It is very clear from the Catholic church, the press, and even some scholastic literature that “fundamentalists” are to be labeled as an enemy to fear, berate, ridicule, demonize, and ultimately annihilate if possible. Do you suppose that statement to be a stretch? If so, consider the abundant evidence and think again. This is, in fact, the fact of the matter!

The book, “Islam, A Short History,” by Karen Armstrong states the following in regard to “Fundamentalism,” under that sub-heading within a chapter called, “The Way Forward.” She starts here by suggesting that Fundamentalism can lead to “Terrorism,” based upon the “frame of mind” which Fundamentalists “All” (according to her) can find themselves facing. After seeming to qualify her statements, that “the vast majority” don’t resort to “acts of violence,” she then suggests that their thinking distorts things and leads them into that avenue. On page 124 of her book, in this section, she also points out that Fundamentalism occurs within Judaism, Christianity (which started in recent times in America), and other faiths besides just Islam. So, make no mistake, the following statements carry a published warning against Fundamentalist Bible-believing Christians. This is an academic-based literary attack upon Christian Fundamentalism.

“All fundamentalists feel that they are fighting for survival, and because their backs are to the wall, they can believe that they have to fight their way out of the impasse. In this frame of mind, on rare occasions, some resort to terrorism. The vast majority, however, do not commit acts of violence, but simply try to revive their faith in a more conventional, lawful way.” (p.196-7)

“…a frequently desperate attempt to make spiritual values prevail in the modern world. But the desperation and fear that fuel fundamentalists also tend to distort the religious tradition, and accentuate its more aggressive aspects at the expense of those that preach toleration and reconciliation.” (p.197).

Coming from the Roman Catholic Church, we also have clear statements of attack against Fundamentalist Christians (and others), pointing them out as a danger to society. Pope Francis has made statements such as the following:

• “We have to combat it,” he said. “Religious fundamentalism is not religious, because it lacks God. It is idolatry, like the idolatry of money.” (See Lifesitenews.com, Nov. 30, 2015). The Catholic Reporter shares the same with additional context, “In the Catholic church we have some — many — who believe they possess the absolute truth and they go on sullying others through slander and defamation and this is wrong. Religious fundamentalism must be combated. It is not religious, God is lacking, it is idolatrous.” (National Catholic Reporter, Dec. 3, 2015). [We can be sure he’d say the same about any Fundamentalist group who highlighted the moral and theological ills of Catholicism, based on biblical grounds]
• Pope Francis is also quoted as saying, “Fundamentalism is a sickness that we find in all religions” (See Lifesitenews.com, June 15 2016, quoting media footage from Nov. 30, 2015 of the Pope’s statements). [Make no mistake about this, the agenda of the Papal system for world synthesis and dominance, requires that they attack Fundamentalism, and demonize it (even in their own church) for the sake of leading people to depart from Fundamental/basic/Essential Bible truths, so that more can get on board with the Papal system and a one-world movement for power that will set them over multitudes of people].  He remarks similarly, that it is a “disease of all religions,” “a sickness.”
• Huffington Post, June 14, 2014, quotes Pope Francis as saying the following: “A fundamentalist group, although it may not kill anyone, although it may not strike anyone, is violent. The mental structure of fundamentalists is violence in the name of God.” [Very clearly, the man is out to demonize all Fundamentalists to be “violent” and merely ticking time-bombs that should be attacked first by he and other powers of the world]

Others have picked up on these issues as well, and have clearly documented some of the attacks on Fundamentalism and the ramifications of such an outlook:

• A video by Forerunner Chronicles, entitled, “Pope Declares War,” brought out these very issues, even showing a BBC forum panel discussion between various religionists, where a Seventh-day Adventist Christian shared his faith in the literal coming of Jesus, as the Bible says, and then was verbally attacked/challenged by a priest, who was present, as presenting dangerous, uncouth, “Fundamentalism” (said to the cheers of the group), which, according to their view, is not proper interpretation of the Bible (in other words, to take the Bible literally, is an error, and we must figuratively re-interpret everything according to the modern day fancy of man’s popular opinion). See Pope Declares War (17 minutes in total. 6:15 to 9:55 shows the BBC interview).
• Another example, highlighting these issues, is an episode of World View by Kim Kjaer at Blue Mountain Television, a Christian station based from Washington state. He produced and ran a 30-minute program called “Surveillance and Fundamentalism.” In the second half of his program, he discussed this growing issue (about 17:23 into the program he begins the subject of the recent attacks on Fundamentalism, and the ramifications for biblical Christians). View here on Palmoni Media Site. About 19:50 into the film he shows where Pope Francis spoke on the Dangers of Fundamentalism to the US Joint Session of Congress (Sept. 2015). There’s a whole slew of important articles and issues presented beyond that. Recommend watching the clip)

What to do? A word in defense of Fundamentalists, and especially, Fundamentalist Christians

Having strong beliefs in something understood to be the truth is not wrong. It is not a crime, a sin, or even a threat by itself. It only depends on what your motives and agenda are. For example, many liberals, Catholics, and others hold strong beliefs about various things – even Evolutionists hold strong beliefs about their viewpoints. There is nothing wrong with that. And if your belief puts you out of harmony with the majority or even at opposition with the majority, there is nothing wrong with that either. If you choose to be vocal about your difference in belief, that is also NOT wrong. This has to do with the freedom of belief and the freedom of speech to be able to express your view. Onlooking people should be able to look at both viewpoints, weigh the evidence, and then decide for themselves what they will choose to believe, based on the evidence.

Demonizing as evil or even dangerous (when they are in fact not), your ideological opponents is neither kind nor safe. It puts our freedoms at risk – the freedom to stand up and speak for what you believe – and the freedom to believe what you wish to believe by the conclusion of your own mind. As someone who believes in a fundamental approach to biblical truth, I for one can speak, that holding carefully researched, biblically-specific teachings is not a danger to anyone else. It is rather a help, since the Bible teaches us to love, even our enemies, and to always “speak the truth in love” (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27; Ephesians 4:14-15).

All must be free to believe as they choose, based on the evidence presented them. Being a careful Bible student, and living by its teachings does not ever make one violent or dangerous in any sort. People with unbalanced minds and evil wills are dangerous no matter what they believe. But, following the Bible, and being in tune with God, will only serve to make one a channel of light, love, and blessing to their fellow men.

May God help the souls of those who stand in opposition to His people, the word of truth, and liberty of conscience, that many of them might be converted, seeing the light of truth, before they must inevitably face Him who Judges the Universe.

Anthony’s Story – Testimony of his Surrender to Jesus

 We recently had several baptisms from a series of gospel meetings done through the book of Revelation in April of 2016. Among those fully committed to Christ in baptism at the end of our meetings was a young man named Anthony. Coming from a church family background, he shares his story here below.

“Baptism. Baptism means: The act of giving your heart fully to Christ; forsaking all earthly ways and desires. Now, was I ready to take this major step in the Christian walk? From an early age I have wanted to be baptized. My motives? They weren’t quite clear. Maybe they were the fact that many of my friends were baptized. But I think I just didn’t understand the full meaning of baptism. Baptism meant that I would be forever changed, and I simply didn’t fully understand my beliefs. In the next few years I struggled in taking the step. But gradually things changed. Through many people who mentored me and a series of life-changing events, I started to think on the subject more. Finally though Ben’s meetings (April 2016), I learned more on the fundamentals of biblical faith and how to defend my faith, which in turn sealed my decision to give my life to Christ. I was baptized on that joyous day: June 18,2016. Even though this journey is far from being over, I continue to strive to stay close to Him in perseverance and courage for this race*. (*Hebrews 12:1-3)”

Sincerely in Christ,

Anthony Jones

Anne and Joy’s Story!

 Meet Anne and Joy, a young couple from Suji (Yongin), South Korea!  Anne and Joy were not born into Christian families. They did not have any religion before meeting Christ. A couple years before they came to study at our English school the two of them began learning of Christ. They attended a church in Seoul and were baptized. However, there were still many questions and doubts in their minds about God’s character and truth. Though Anne had been the first one to suggest attending a church to Joy, her husband, yet her own doubts and struggles became very great–even more than what her husband had originally experienced!

Anne and Joy were seeking and questioning still, and God was calling them to a higher understanding of His will for their lives! God brought them to our Language Institute in Suji, South Korea where they had the opportunity to find the real answers to all the questions they were asking! After spending many hours of personal Bible study with our teachers and director, attending our Righteousness by Faith Bible class series, et cetera, Anne and Joy experienced a growth in faith like never before! A brighter, clearer faith and hope were shining on their pathway! In July of 2012 they both decided to rededicate their lives to Christ through a re-baptism together before God and witnesses! Heaven rejoiced to witness their re-commitment to Christ! Below, you can hear parts of their story in their own words!

In Joy’s own words: “I got married to my wife Anne on December 13th, 2009 (about 3 years ago). Anne said to me, “I met God. Can you go to Seoul Baptist Church with me? Can you give two hours of a day for me? Can you give 1 week for me?“ (That was on the 1st of October 2009 before our marriage). I said, “No, I don’t like church. I believe in only myself. Don’t touch me. And suddenly, I began to worry about Anne because she was sick for one week. So I said, “I can go to your church. I believe in you 100% because I love you.” So, I came to have faith in GOD because I realized that I was a sinner through John 1:29, Isaiah 44:22, Micah 7:19, and other such verses (31.Oct.2009).

We were both baptized in 2010. I read the bible for about 6 months and I told about God to my friends and coworkers, maybe 24 people in total. Then suddenly one day, I began to desire more knowledge about the Christian life because I started to think and realize that the Seoul church members didn’t seem to live the life of a christian, which I had been reading about. At about the same time, I began to feel a need to study English more, since it is so useful for us. I feel like God made the English language more prevalent than Korean, so I wanted to know it! Anne said “I recommend SDA English Language Schools for you because I went to one in Seoul about 3 years ago and it was good.” So, I went!

I began to study and read the Bible in the English version. Oh my God!! Awesome! I realized the Korean Bible has many problems because the translation is not very good. I wanted to know the truth of the bible so I studied it with Teacher Ben and with my wife, Anne. I studied the English version of the Bible for 6 months. Ben said, “Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), study and follow God’s words.” And, “If you’re not sure about something, just pray.” So, I prayed about the Sabbath day to God (which I had recently learned about). Suddenly, God gave an answer to me–the very next day! I opened my Bible to Isaiah 56:4~7 and read (Feb. 2012). Wow! My first time of really feeling communication with God.

God showed me that we must “choose the things that please” Him (Is. 56:4). And also that all who come to Christ from any and every nation are to be blessed by keeping the Sabbath of the Lord! I began to pray all of the time, more, more, and more. I felt the love of God. I met God through Ben, in a much deeper way than ever before! …I understand now that God is our Father of LOVE. So, recently I got re-baptized with Anne (21. July. 2012). We sincerely wanted to re-give our lives to God, having learned what we now know about His amazing character and truth! Thank you very much God! Thank you very much Ben. I can’t live without God. I’m so thankful God has helped me to know Him better!”

Here’s Anne’s side of the story! “Hi everyone! I’m Anne, a 33 year old Korean housewife (as I write this). I wanted to share my past story. I hope my English is clear enough. Well, I tend to be a really hard working person. People have known me for that. Unfortunately, my health has not been that great. I’ve had to live a painful life and sometimes it’s hard to maintain just the status quo of everyday life and work. As I had to bite the bullet, I thought, “What else is there in my life?” “Life is pain in itself.” “Maybe I just have to get rid of stress…”

One day, when I was 30 years old, a friend of mine told me about the gospel. But, I wasn’t able to believe. I mean, my brain understood the gospel, but not my heart. I was so accustomed to living a painful life that I could see God’s words only through my eyes of pain. In life, I could only see painful things. Naturally, the Bible seemed that way to me. I thought, “God was a judge, unfair, and he wanted me to do so many things…” I had many work lists left undone already! I didn’t really want another one. God only seemed to add to that.

Anyway, I told about the gospel to my boyfriend (now my husband, Joy). Once Joy started attending church, he then got baptized and encouraged me to do the same. So, we both ended up getting baptized, but I felt like it was without the Spirit for me. It was just going through the motions. It only seemed like what I should do. I knew I fell short of what God wanted…too short! God was so bad, I thought. I hated Him. And I struggled like this for about two years, after having “met God.” Finally, I was so frustrated that I just gave up everything! I said to God, “Who are you?!!!! Come before me!!! [show yourself]” I had an impudent prayer. It was my first and last prayer like that, actually. And then I forgot about it.

But, little by little I would hear God’s words. It wasn’t my will, but I did. I didn’t have energy, so I didn’t go anywhere. I wanted to be alone. But strangely, I got to meet some good people, some missionaries, just for studying English. I also went to a health seminar. Many people had just told me though, doctors, etc., that my health could not improve. They said, “Not possible. Not so.” In God’s word though I began to see a “not so” to all my misunderstandings. And then I resolved my misunderstandings perfectly only through God’s words, much to my surprise. Regardless of my will. God was opening my eyes! He was bringing me out of my bondage (just like in Judges 6:8).

I was very pleased and so excited! Suddenly, my life was losing it’s painfulness. It was not a painful life anymore. I began to realize that God was my backing and strength! I know Him now! If I fall backward, I will be okay. So, recently, I was re-baptized into Christ Jesus! I became part of a new church family! (Baptized 7-21-2012). I just think, it was not a possible event for me and this testimony also. God is doing amazing things in my life. It is beyond conception! So, I surely say, it is possible, even if you think it could never happen for you…just like I never imagined! And thank you to the one who helped me to be reconciled to God, my teacher, Ben. Thank you for introducing me to your backing! I really want everyone to experience this backing! God is our strength and Savior! I pray for you to experience this!

“Allah” – The God of Christianity in North Africa? Don’t shoot!

Relations between the Islamic and Western Christian worlds have been tense to say the least, with the rise of international terrorism in the name of Islam, discussions of refugees seeking asylum or terrorists seeking to conquer. There have been Bible and Qur’an burnings as well as flag burnings on both sides. So much tension, so much hatred, so much misunderstanding, and so many “keen” observations into just how many think everything is going to play out! With such tensions, we often think of the term “Allah” as strictly the Muslim/Islamic “god” and “God” as our God and Heavenly Father, who is found in the Bible. But is that how all the world understands the name of “Allah?”

In the title of this short post I said “Don’t Shoot,” perhaps somewhat comically, but with consideration for the heated debate over who God really is and how He should be called. There are a number with weapons poised for fire [figurative, verbal, theological, and perhaps even some, real] at the slightest hint of anything that sounds as if in support of the extreme radical Islam that we see terrorizing the world from day to day. The question we must raise here is, what does the name or term of “Allah” mean? Now, some will shout that it is a demonic inspired term for an awful “god” that is nothing like the God of the Bible. Others will say that it is just a generic name for describing God – the God of Abraham. Well, which is it, really? What need we to fight, and what need we not to fight?

The answer might be surprising to some! In North Africa, the name used by the Christians there for God, in the Arabic tongue, is “Allah.” In fact, their Bibles are translated with that name when speaking of God, the Lord. Now, for some, that is an uneasy thought. If the name “Allah” has been put into their Bibles, then what are we to do? What are they up to? Are they following a different God than the rest of Christianity?

It is true that the Islamic picture or understanding of God is different from the Christian picture or understanding of God, although there are a number of similarities of Islam with Christianity and Judaism too [since Islam believes in one God, heaven and hell, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus, biblical dietary laws, God is merciful, He is the Creator of all things, etc.]. On the differences, they do not believe in the one God known as a Trinity with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They don’t believe that Jesus died for our sins, and other differences too, as we know. Despite the differences in understanding the nature of God, the fact remains that the term “Allah” is that used for God in the Arabic speaking world. How you understand Him is up to you and which views you ascribe to.

In various languages the term for God is different – “Theos” in Greek, “Hananim” in Korean, “Shin” or “ShangTi” in Chinese, “Deus” in Latin, “Dios” in Spanish,  “YHVH, YHWH, Jehovah, Adonai, El Shadai, or Elohim” in Hebrew, and “God” in English. In Arabic, it is “Allah.” Surely, God who created the various languages (Genesis 11) knows the meaning in each language.

So, should it bother us that Christian brothers and sisters in Arabic-speaking countries are calling God by the name of “Allah?” It shouldn’t bother us anymore than a Hispanic person calling God “Dios,” or a Chinese person calling God “Shin.” That is how the name or title is understood in their language, and just how we understand “God” so well in our English language [In fact, we use the same word, “God” and “god” to describe both the true and the false, though we usually distinguish by capitalization]. So, maybe it is a surprise for some of us to consider that reality, but now we know, and hopefully we can choose to be more understanding of the various cultures and names or words for God in our world.

Without a doubt, the Islamic understanding of God is different from our understanding of God, but the word “Allah” is needful in the Arabic to describe “God” and the understanding can be enlightened to understand just who God (“Allah”) really is and who His Son is. So, “don’t shoot” might be a good watchword in this matter. We must be careful with our feelings, preconceptions, and associations. Asking an Arabic Christian to give up the title of “Allah” for God would be like them asking an English person to give up the term “God” and start using “Allah.” It’s actually the same in meaning for each language. Naturally, we favor our own language. Regardless of personal favorites, God knows every language, and we can seek to be understanding of other worlds.

For further study, please check out these helpful resources:

• “Allah does not belong to Islam” – by the Christian Research Institute.
• “Can we call ‘God’ Allah?” – Christianity Today. June 26, 2014.
• “Why do many Arab Christians refer to God as “Allah?” – ChristianAnswers.Net

Jonah Completed. Starting Gospel of John!

Recently completed the book of Jonah and all the materials are added up on the website now for your listening and study! Hope you enjoy!

We will now be going through a study of the Gospel of John! Files and materials will be added to the website as they become available!

May the Lord Bless, guide, and keep you always!
May we all be faithful to Him!

Blessings,
Ben B.

Loud Cry and the Latter Rain of God’s Spirit

“(10) For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: (11)  But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: (12) A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. (13) And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, (14)  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.” -Deuteronomy 11:10-14

From the time of Israel’s journey into the Promised Land of Canaan, God gave them the promise of “the first rain and the latter rain” which was sure to be given by God, contingent upon their faithful obedience and service to Him.

We have a couple more scriptures here which point out the spiritual lesson of this phenomenon in Israel:

“My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:” -Deuteronomy 32:2

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” – James 5:7

Let’s look at the various segments of this idea in scripture and how it affects us:

The Spiritual Crop and Harvest – God wants to reap a harvest of souls at His coming!

“(37) …He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (39)The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. [The “tares” will then be gathered and burned in the end of this world, v.40-42] …(43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” – Matthew 13:37-43.

The Early Rain – God sent His Spirit, as the dew of heaven, to empower His disciples for the early growth of the church! Jesus promised this gift of His Spirit to accomplish His work! It was to be power coming from on High.

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” – Luke 24:49

“(1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:1-4

On the day of Pentecost, in AD 31, as the disciples were gathered together in the upper room (about 50 days after the day of Jesus’ resurrection), they were faithfully obeying, praying, and seeking God for right hearts, unity, and proper power to do God’s great gospel work! God answered by giving them His Spirit! He gave them “power from on High” (Luke 24:49). This was the “early rain” of God’s Spirit to begin the work of His church to cultivate the great gospel harvest!

God’s Last Day Message in the Book of Revelation – There are several elements to God’s final message, which are clearly pictured in the book of Revelation. We should understand them.

• In Revelation 14:6-12 three angels are shown, representing three distinctive and sequential parts of God’s last day message which must be given to prepare people for the final harvest and the day of reaping (either in the good or bad crop), as can be seen in verses 13-20 of Revelation 14.
• The first angel proclaims “the everlasting gospel,” calling all the world to “fear God and give glory to Him,” to worship the Creator. This work is done by God’s people, and His power (See Matthew 28:18-20; 24:14 – “even to the end of the world/age”). Notice that it is presented with a “loud voice” (Rev. 14:7).
• The second angel proclaims the message of spiritual “Babylon” being fallen (Rev. 14:8), as a warning of a corrupted system that God’s people should not be part of. If you read carefully, you’ll see that this message is not said to be given with a “loud voice.” It is given faithfully, but there is not a loud voice to it.
• The third angel then proclaims his message to not worship the beast or receive his mark, name, or number (Rev. 14:9-12). It does come with a “loud voice” (v.9). Obviously, people will be hearing this message loud and clear!
• These three messages can be summarized as (1) Connection with Christ and His Truth, (2) Recognizing there is a Counterfeit, and (3) Choosing Christ and His Truth instead of the Counterfeit, because the counterfeit just isn’t worth it at all!

The Latter Rain and the Loud Cry – God’s work will end with no less power than it began! He will send His final message of mercy to the world!

• As we can see in Revelation, the “latter rain,” in its fullest strength is reserved for God’s final call of mercy to this dying world – “the Loud Cry” (Rev. 18:1-2).
• Revelation 17 identifies just who this spiritual Babylon is, and how this system interplays with all the other corrupted and godless powers of the world in the last days to unite in rebellion against God and persecution of His people (as seen in Rev. 13. Comparing Rev. 13:1 and 17:3 you will notice that we are dealing with the same powers here. All these powers are united together in world-wide rebellion against God – Rev. 13:8, 14-17; 17:1-3, 15-18).
• In Revelation 18:1-6 God gives the final call of mercy for this rebellious world. The rest of Revelation 18 details the destruction of spiritual “Babylon [the Harlot].“
• Chapter 19 of Revelation reveals Christ’s 2nd Coming where He knocks down and destroys the opposition of all worldly powers and men who are against Him, while at the same time collecting up His faithful people. This begins the 1000 years of Revelation 20, and also leads on into final judgment of sin and the Earth made new (Revelation 21-22).

The message of the angel in Revelation 18

“(1) And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (2) And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (3)  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (4) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (5) For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (6) Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.” – Revelation 18:1-6

This is the message given under the latter rain of God’s Spirit! This loud cry, given by a strong voice and a mighty cry, which enlightens the entire world is God’s final message of mercy, which will close His work on the earth! After this point, if men have not heeded the message, they will surely be lost – this is their final chance to avoid destruction and loss, to choose righteousness, peace, and life in Jesus, or sin, death, destruction, and eternal loss! The Bible says that it comes with “great power” (Rev. 18:1), and that power is the power of God’s holy Spirit! God’s word says, “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

Just like the early disciples, who had been faithfully working with God, and seeking God, had to prayerfully seek Him and be prepared to receive His “power from on high” (Luke 24:49), to be able to launch the early church with powerful manifestations and appeals from the Spirit of God, so also, we in the last days, need to be seeking God now, doing His will, and seeking to do it more, so that we may be faithfully on His side and also fitted to do our part in that great final work which God wants to accomplish!

Conclusions

The work of the early church began with a powerful manifestation and endowment of the Spirit of God – that heavenly power, coming as the “early rain” to prepare the soil for growth! So now, we are waiting for the “latter rain” which will empower God’s final messengers to proclaim His heavenly truth with boldness and “great power” to finish this work and help with the final ripening up of the two crops for the great gospel harvest which will happen at the coming of the Lord our God!

Keep in mind that the early rain fell upon those disciples who had been working faithfully with Jesus all along and winning souls, and who had been seeking Him in prayer, and were united “in one accord” (Acts 2) – those were the ones prepared to receive so richly of His Spirit and who could be trusted to bear the message faithfully under God’s special power. It will also be the case in the last days with this final cry. The power comes upon those who have chosen to be faithful in His work. It does not come upon the careless and uncommitted to the work. We can make our decisions today which kind of Christian believers we want to be.

If faithful in that which is least today, God will impart unto us the true heavenly riches and use us in His great and final closing work once that moment comes! Meanwhile, let us keep occupied in proclaiming the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 to help people get prepared for Christ’s coming! The final cry and the day of His coming are fast approaching! Let us be prayerful, diligent, alert, and ever-ready! Watch and pray! Maranatha!

Now Faster Downloads of CCM Materials

From May 9, 2016 all of our MP3 audio materials got upgraded download speeds since they were added to a new storage site (My DropBox). They are still linked to our webpage just like before, but now they can get to you easier! Check out some new materials here (with our updated resource page).

Additionally, some of the PDF files for various series are also stored there, while some of the PDF files remain stored on our Clear Call Ministries server site. Of course, for PDFs, they will download pretty fast no matter where they are stored since their file-size is so small!

I pray that you will continue to be blessed by these resources! We plan to keep updating them and adding more as time goes by! Keep checking back for new and old materials!

God Bless You!

Blessings,
Benjamin Burkhardt
ClearCallMinistries

Should a Christian Woman wear a head covering?

In regard to 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 someone asked, “Should a Christian woman be wearing a head covering when praying or prophesying? What are these texts saying?” In this short blog, we’ll delve into that question a bit.

First, let’s quote the portion that is the primary concern:

(4) Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. (5) But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. (6) For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. (7) For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” – 1 Corinthians 11:4-7.

 

Here are some observations we can make:

• 1 Cor 11:15 says “her hair is given to her for a covering.” Her hair is proper to cover her head.
• Verses 4 to 7, I believe are discussing that matter. If her hair is too short (i.e. head uncovered) then she might as well be “shorn” or shaven completely (cut clean to the scalp, an extreme). But if that is considered a shame (and it is) then she better have her head covered (with more hair, and if there is no hair or too little then with a cloth until it grows out again).
• The man, on the other hand, does not need to worry about having his head covered with hair. Short hair will do fine for him. Nature itself teaches that a man should not have long hair, but rather, short, Paul asserts (1 Cor. 11:14).
• We can also note that the text refers to covering their heads, not covering their hair. Their heads are to be covered by their longer hair (or else with a cloth for the time being while the covering of hair is growing out).
• Praying with too short of hair is just as bad as being shaven bald, Paul insists. 1 Cor. 11:5.

This teaching is consistent with the teaching given in the Old Testament that men are to embrace masculine qualities by dressing so, while women are to embrace being feminine by dressing as a woman (not ever as a man). See Deut. 22:5.

The only exception for men having long hair was with a Nazarite vow such as with Samson. At some point if/when they finished the vow, the man would shave off his hair and offer it to God. See Num. 6:18-20.

Another man who grew longer hair in the Bible was Absalom. He cut it short once a year and then let it grow out all year. 2 Sam. 14:26. It also seemed to be a part of his demise as well. 2 Sam. 14:9,14. (And, he was anything but a righteous man – embodying the heart of evil in many regards).

Some have wanted to insist that there are two coverings – both the hair of the woman and a cloth covering – and that a woman must wear both. Let’s take a closer look at verse 15 to clarify this.

• In 1 Cor. 11:15 it says, “…her hair is given her for a covering.” This word “for” is the word “anti” (in Greek; G473). The Strong’s Greek dictionary gives the following definition: “opposite, that is, instead of or because of (rarely in addition to): for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.”
• In other words, this corroborates the point I made above, while also making a distinction to demonstrate two different possible coverings.
• It’s telling us that her hair is given to her for a sufficient covering (in place of any other type). But if that is lacking, then she ought to cover herself with a cloth or feminine hat of some form instead. Really, this just makes sense.
• Verse 15, in saying “…for a covering,” in the Greek is “anti peribolaion,” which literally means “in place of a mantle, veil or covering vesture.” In other words, longer hair solves any possible need of a head covering cloth, while shorter or shaven hair would necessitate it.

Basically, we can conclude as follows:

A woman already has a God-given covering for her head, and that is her longer hair. She should pray or prophesy with her head covered in that way. If however, she has shorter hair, Paul tells us that she might as well have it shaved off for that is about the same kind of improper situation. Therefore, if she does not have the covering hair, then she ought to put some kind of artificial covering (cloth) on her head for sake of respect and reverence. A man, on the other hand, in opposite fashion, is to wear his shorter hair, with embrace of his masculinity, and in honor to God. Granted, that even with a head covered with sufficiently long hair, a woman may also wear a cloth head covering, but that is by option, not necessity. The idea here is proper respect, and it is proper for a woman to have her head covered, especially with her natural longer hair.

———-

Q and A – “Angels” and the head covering (v.10) – What does this part mean?

Yes, that verse 10 has been a difficulty for many people. I believe the context here of “power on her head” is in reference to her humility, submission, and having her head covered with the beautiful hair that God has given her. It is a power and a blessing to her and to others. Now, for the part about the “angels.” It says “because of the angels.” We should keep in mind that the verse begins with “for this cause…” meaning, the cause previously stated in verses 7-9 that the woman was created to be “the glory of the man” and a helper to him. Now in reference to the angels – The angels take great interest in our well-being and are ministering spirits to us. We also understand that they record every act that we do in this life – “recording angels.” They witness what we do. So, I think the idea here is that these angels will see the kind of lifestyle that we live and if we are truly doing what God created us to do, or not. So, in this case, is the woman doing her part to be a glory to her man and to God, and to faithfully keep her head covered reverently and properly with her beautiful hair (or another covering)? So, she should do these things because it is right, God has ordained it, it gives proper glory to her husband, and also because the angels are watching what we do, so we need to be sure and give a faithful testimony.

Messiah’s Prophecies – Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

In the 1st Century AD it was commonly understood and taught by the Jews that the Messiah (Anointed One, Christ/Chistos, Savior) would come as a mighty King to crush down the nations around them (especially the Roman Empire). They believed that he would be the almighty King, who would come to rule the world and destroy every opposing power! What a hope they longed for, as a way to be free from the oppression of the Roman Empire towards them. However, they were deadly wrong on their understanding of prophecy. Instead, in AD 70 the Roman armies under the leadership of General Titus, came and crushed Jerusalem, their Temple, and all that the Jewish nation had held dear, and had hoped for. With incredible accuracy, Jesus of Nazareth actually foretold the destruction of the icons of the Jewish religion and nation nearly 40 years before it ever happened! (See Matthew 24:1-3, 15-20 and Luke 21:20-24; This was also foretold by Daniel the prophet nearly 600 years earlier, Daniel 9:26). How could they have miscalculated things? What did the prophecies, penned hundreds of years earlier by God’s Prophets, actually say in regard to the Messiah? In this article, we are going to discover the message of the Hebrew prophets, written from ancient times!

Did the Jewish teachers in the 1st Century AD have any basis for understanding the Messiah to come as a conquering King? Yes, absolutely! However, it was a misguided understanding that fit well the sentiments of the time. Upon closer inspection of the prophecies and the whole Jewish system of worship, it would have been discerned that their understanding and emphasis was actually quite flawed. Let’s examine first a prophecy that foretold of the coming powerful conquering King, Messiah! Then we’ll look at several other prophetic texts that would have put everything into far better perspective for us all!

For sake of convenience, the prophetic text will be placed in full below for your careful study, and annotated (in blue) to point out various key items to take notice of.

A Prophecy of the Conquering King (fierce as a Lion) (Psalm 2) – Written Cir. 1000 BC:

Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
² The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
⁵ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
⁶ “Yet I have set My King  (God’s Anointed King would rule over His people)
On My holy hill of Zion.”

⁷ “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son, (This son or King would be born into the world)
Today I have begotten You.
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You (Vs.8-12, Messiah will destroy all rebellious nations)
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
⁹ You shall break^[a] them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

¹⁰ Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
¹²  Kiss the Son,^[b] lest ^[c] He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

If Psalm 2 was all that the Jewish prophets had foretold, then the 1st Century Jewish teachers would have been fully justified in their interpretation of events in regard to the Messiah. However, Psalm 2 is NOT the only prophetic text giving us information in regard to nature of the work of the Messiah! This is where we must be careful to prayerfully study and “rightly divided the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Now we will explore just two of the many other prophetic texts which were given in regard to the mission and the work of the Messiah! That of Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, specifically.

A Prophecy of the Suffering Servant, to be Slaughtered as a Lamb (Isaiah 53) – Written Cir. 800 BC:

(Beginning at Isaiah 52:13-15)

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; (the same servant who would eventually be raised above all, as seen in Psalm 2)
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
¹⁴ Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man, (He would be hurt and insured more than all)
And His form more than the sons of men;
¹⁵ So shall He sprinkle many nations. (the report of Him would go to all the world!)
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.

(Now begins chapter 53 of Isaiah)

Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
³ He is despised and rejected by men, (He would even be rejected by His own people, the Jewish nation, because he did not meet their proud expectation)
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs (He would be punished for our sins, taking our place, vs.4-6)
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and He was afflicted, (He would die for our sins as a sacrificial lamb – this was the entire foretelling of the Jewish system of sacrificial offerings for sin, in worship, which had been practiced for nearly 4000 years, since even before Abraham. Back to the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden, Genesis 3:21; 4:1-10).
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth. (Jesus did not open his mouth, Mark 15:2-5)
⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
⁹ And they made His grave with the wicked—  (Jesus was crucified with criminals, Luke 23:32-33, and laid in a rich man’s tomb, John 19:38-42)
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin, (Messiah was to be the “Sin-offering” – He had to die as a suffering Lamb)
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, (Messiah had to die first, but He would live again, resurrect, to “see” His “seed,” and the blessing of His “labor.” Therefore, God the Father would “divide him a portion with the great,” vs.10-12, “because he poured out His soul unto death.”)
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
¹¹ He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, (It’s very clear that the conquering King first had to die as a Lamb, and then resurrect, before He could fulfill the prophecy of being the King over all nations in power – First as the Lamb, then after, as the Lion)
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

Finally, we will look at one last prophecy – the Prophecy of Psalm 22 – Written cir. 1000 BC:

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Also, these are words Jesus spoke on the cross, in remembrance of this Psalm, and agony of separation from God His Father, because of the sins of the world which had been laid upon His soul, Matthew 27:46)
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
² O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.

³ But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
⁴ Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
⁵ They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

⁶ But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people. (Even as was said in Isaiah 53:3-4)
⁷ All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, (This was said of Jesus, as He was dying on the Cross. They ridiculed Him. See Matthew 27:39-43).
⁸ “He trusted^[b] in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

⁹ But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
¹⁰ I was cast upon You from birth. (As was Jesus, Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:20-21)
From My mother’s womb
You have been My God.
¹¹ Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.

¹² Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
¹³ They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint; (as would happen upon a cross, but which NEVER happened at all to King David, the human who prophetically wrote this Psalm by the Holy Spirit, in regard to the coming Messiah)
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, (Jesus’ mouth was dry and thirsty during the crucifixion; he was brought to the point of death, Mark 15:34-36; John 19:28-30)
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.

¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet; (The VERY WAY in which Jesus died, nearly 1000 years after this was written, Luke 24:39-40, his hands and feet were pierced)
¹⁷ I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
¹⁸ They divide My garments among them, (They both divided the garments of Jesus and cast lots for them, Matthew 27:35)
And for My clothing they cast lots.

¹⁹ But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
²⁰ Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog.
²¹ Save Me from the lion’s mouth (That is, from the devil’s attacks, 1 Peter 5:8)
And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.

²² I will declare Your name to My brethren; (The Father answered Jesus, and He was resurrected from death to continue His righteous work, Matthew 28)
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
²³ You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
²⁴ For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; (Though men despised Jesus, God the Father did not! He honored and resurrected Him and has set Him above all! See Philippians 2:5-10)
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.

²⁵ My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
²⁶ The poor shall eat and be satisfied; (the “good news” of Jesus was preached to the poor – “in spirit” and in goods of this world – they ate the satisfying spiritual bread of life, Jesus (John 6:32-35, 40), and His truth, Luke 4:18; 7:22)
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
²⁸ For the kingdom is the Lord’s, (Here is the fulfillment of Psalm 2! So, first He dies as the suffering servant, as the Lamb for slaughter, and then afterwards He will come a 2nd time to rule the nations with a rod of iron, that is, to overpower all of His enemies and to crush down the rebellious nations – You can see it is very important to “rightly divide” the word of God, to compare scripture with scripture, prayerfully, to grasp it rightly!)
And He rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust (the nations will be resurrected to face God, the judge, Christ/Messiah/Jesus on His eternal throne, See John 5:28-29; Rev. 20:4-6, 11-15)
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

³⁰ A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
³¹ They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this. (the truth of His Sacrifice for us and final coming would be told to all future generations, even as it is now told to us, nearly 2000 years after his death and resurrection – He is yet to come in Power and Glory, but will soon, just as surely!)

What we hopefully realize very clearly now from these passages is that the ancient writings of the Bible prophets regarding the Messiah were perfectly fulfilled in His suffering and death on the Cross. And furthermore, that just as certainly, He will be coming again in power and glory, very soon, and we need to be ready to meet Him! We need to know Jesus, to love Him, to follow Him and to serve Him! Those who stand in rebellion to God, His righteous Son, and His righteousness will be taken out of the way by His glory and power once His Kingdom does in fact come in that power (and it is surely coming! Just as we have seen Jesus fulfill the Lamb prophecies, He will also fulfill the Lion prophecies as well). The word of God both can and should be rightly understood by careful and prayerful study. We cannot merely rely upon the fanciful interpretations and false slants that men have put upon God’s word (by neglecting the whole counsel of God), no matter how popular such ideas might be, or however prestigious and learned such men appear to be! Let us not fall into the delusions of false teachings around us (in prophecy or otherwise), but instead, let us study God’s word more deeply. And as said before, let’s get right with God and have life through Jesus, the Messiah! Will you put your faith and trust in Him and His truth, as found in the Bible?

2016 Goal - Updating Ministry Website

In 2016, I have a goal to update the ClearCallMinistries website, and to share more posts and teachings related to and regarding God's holy word! We need to get the message out there more than ever, now! May the Lord guide in all these things!

Blessings,
Ben

“Look unto Me and be Saved,” declares God!

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” – God (Isaiah 45:22)

In a world that is lost and broken, we might wonder, is there anyone greater than us who cares about us? The world has so many problems – crime of every kind, danger and uncertainty. We face the problem of death – an often uncertain and cold end to life and loves that we know. When the distractions and “band-aids” of this world are realized to be vain, empty, and unsatisfying, where do we turn? Is there real hope, love, peace, and a genuine promise of lasting bliss for eternity? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” The answer has been with humanity for a long time, though it has been often overlooked.

Don’t become a casualty – instead, take another look! GOD says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth!” This God who speaks is the true and Living God. Besides Him there is no other. All other “gods” in this world are merely counterfeits, the work of men’s minds and hands. But the Living God – the God of the Holy Bible, is the truth. He extends His love to you and to me! He invites all the ends of the earth! Will you come to Him today and be saved?

God offers what this world cannot. And His promises never fail! God says we should “look unto” Him! Seek Him! Learn of Him! In faith, take hold of His promises through Jesus Christ and He will save you from sin, death, and the brokenness and pain of this world. Why not try and see? Other things of this world will fail you, but God is real and His strength we can depend on!