Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Passover Lamb

We had a great discussion with our son this morning. I thought I'd share what our conversation was about with you guys.

Many of us are familiar with the Passover that the Israelites observed every year to remember how God delivered them from Egypt. Thinking about this, I can understand why God wanted to preserve this event in their memory. He was preparing them for Jesus Christ.

At the last plague, God told His people to kill a lamb without blemish and paint its blood on their doorpost. In doing this, the angel of death would pass over them. Whoever was without the blood of the spotless lamb would die.

Jesus became our passover lamb. He actually died at the same time of Passover to signify this. Simply put is this, if we have the blood of Jesus (whom is the Lamb of God without blemish or spot) then death will pass over us. If we do not have His blood, then we will die.

Jesus was speaking to Martha at her brother's burial and said "..whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:26)

I used to be puzzled when I read that verse of Jesus speaking to Martha. I thought well.. we all still die regardless. How could He say that we will never die? Later, God revealed to me that He was speaking of the second, true and final death in the end. For us who are in Christ, we shall never die and this is truth.

When our flesh dies, God considers it as "sleep." The Bible always refers our physical death as sleep because it is temporary. We shall all awaken and rise.. some unto the resurrection of life, and some unto death. (John 5:29)

But when God speaks of death .. He speaks of the second death that is to come. This is the true death. The wages of sin is death. In the end, those without the lamb's blood shall surely die just as the death of the Egyptians revealed this. Did they burn alive in agony forever and ever, or did they die?

I hope that we all will be reminded of this glorious event.. seeing how God designed the plague of Moses to testify of Christ, and brought in His Son which fulfilled it all. This is the significance of Christ being the Lamb of God. Is He on your doorpost?







A Voice in the Wilderness

Monday, February 7, 2011

The "Glorified" Flesh vs the Spirit

I enjoy hearing revelations by others and was inspired by one of my friend's email. (thanks G!)

Some people may struggle continually in their walk with God. They always seem to stumble and fall, however. Often times they start with a burst, but then end up burning out and feeling hopeless and defeated. This is because so many Christians are trying to "fix" the flesh. They are trying to improve it by abstaining from evil things, make commitments, attend church regularly, be accountable, and so forth.. but those are just works and attempts done in the flesh. Unfortunately, that is a guaranteed failure.

Nothing in the flesh can please God. The Bible tells us that in Romans 8:8. A Christian can do many wonderful works in the flesh, profess godliness (you can be "Godly" and not have God), never miss a church service, and be to what the world thinks: "an excellent Christian" or a "very godly person!" But unfortunately, for the majority of them, they will face Christ and say that they have done so many wonderful things in His name, but He will turn to them and say, "depart from me, I never knew you"

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matt 7:21-23

Those people that were rejected by Christ did many wonderful things in His name.. but that doesn't mean they were IN Him. How many of us claim His name, but are not IN Him? Unfortunately, too many. They weren't doing the will of the Father in heaven although they thought they were by doing those works. What is the will of the Father? It is for us to receive the one whom He has sent. (John 6:40).The will of the Father is not for those in the flesh to earn points with Him by their dead works, but to die in the flesh and live again in the Spirit through His Son Jesus Christ.

Those who did those many wonderful works were called workers of iniquity. That is because they were still in the flesh! The flesh = iniquity. If you are in the flesh, you are in iniquity, period.

God only recognizes those in the Spirit as His. He will not accept the flesh. Just like Hagar and Ishmael had to be cast out (flesh cast out), so that Sarah and Isaac would remain and be heirs (Spirit can only remain and inherit the promise), God will cast out those in the flesh in spite of all their wonderful works, and only those in the Spirit will remain. (read Galatians 4).

My friend G also wrote that God only accepts one offering, what is pleasing to Him and rejects all other. Cain offered what he thought was sufficient, but God rejected his offering. Abraham offered his son, but God stopped Him and provided him with a ram tangled in the bushes for an offering. God doesn't want our offerings, or what we may think is sufficient to please Him. He only demands one offering- His Son.

We can try to "fix" our flesh, and wrap it in a pretty package for God, but He does not want it. It will be rejected. Just like how Cain prepared a basket of fruit that he worked hard to grow.. he was giving God what He thought was good, and was proud of. God wants what He demands. What can we do? Nothing. Only God can draw us to His Son, whose blood and Spirit transforms us after His image, and from that point on.. we are a new person in Him.

What is it to be born again? It is not a repented, fixed, glorified flesh. It is dead flesh. We must die to the flesh, die to the lineage of the first Adam, and be born again in the Spirit, but it is not by ourselves, but BY the Spirit. We have to be born into this new generation where Christ is the second Adam, and the first in this Spiritual lineage.  You are no longer this person that you were in the flesh, but have become a part of this Spiritual lineage, as a heir and a son of God. The Bible says that this must happen for us to enter the kingdom of heaven, and there is no other way.

When He looks at us, let Him see His Son in us, not our own "glorified" flesh. We need the blood of the spotless lamb without blemish over our doorpost and the angel of death will pass over us. Jesus is that passover lamb.

So.. there is absolutely nothing YOU can do to please God or to offer what you think is sufficient for God. It is not hopeless although it may sound like it.. but trust in God, realize you have failed, and will forever fail no matter how hard you try, but trust in the victory of His Son. It is not by our lives that we are saved, but by HIS alone. Know the truth and it will set you free. Humble yourself before God's sovereignty and in His Son's completed work. He will do the rest.






A Voice in the Wilderness

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Prophecy of Daniel

We have prayed before writing this article that it may be presented unto all of you in a very clear way. Let the Spirit of truth guide us into all understanding. Before reading this article, I urge you to remove from your mind whatever doctrines and teachers may have taught you about this scripture, and to look at God's Word for what it says alone. Other things that we may have come across with may disorient our minds, and let us find the simplicity that is in Christ.

Many teach that Daniel 9:27 is a tribulation and antichrist prophecy. In my personal experience, I took their word for it since they were experts, yet God has given us the minds of Christ that we may know these things. We don't need experts to tell us what it means, for God wrote this to us directly. We want to show our readers that this is not an antichrist or tribulation prophecy. Before anyone decides to shut off this website, we ask you to join us in seeking TRUTH from God's Word alone, and to hear us out.


The entire chapter 9 of Daniel is about Jerusalem. When it has become clear to Daniel what will happen to Jerusalem, He spends the chapter praying for mercy from God on their behalf. The angel Gabriel comes upon Daniel and shows him a vision from God about seventy prophetic weeks. This vision is described in Daniel 9:24-27. Let us read it together. (KJV passage below:


 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." Daniel 9:24-27



Here are our notes,

1.Seventy weeks is for- a cease to transgression, to make an end of sins, to bring a reconciliation, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal the prophecies and to anoint the most Holy.

-A cease to transgression is through the blood of Jesus, to make an end of sins is what Jesus did, to bring a reconciliation between man and God is through Jesus, to bring in everlasting righteousness is through the blood alone, to seal the prophecies and anoint the most Holy (Son of God).

2. Seven weeks is then given to restore and build Jerusalem unto "Messiah the Prince" as known as Jesus Christ.

- Seven weeks is symbolic for seven years since 1 week = 1 year. 7 weeks = 7 years.

3. In the midst of the week, Messiah is cut off (crucified and killed), not for Himself, but for us.

-Jesus' ministry lasted for 3 and a 1/2 years, exactly like the prophecy foretold ( 3 1/2 years is the middle of 7 years.) He was crucified 3 and 1/2 years after he started His ministry and was cut off in the midst of the week.. not for Himself, but for all of us.

4. "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.." Does confirm sound like destroy? or break? Confirm is to validate His covenant which is the new, spiritual covenant that Jesus Christ came to bring. It makes more sense that Jesus confirms His new covenant with us instead of an antichrist breaking some kind of agreement right? That is nowhere in the passage.

(Daniel is still writing about Messiah the Prince and no one else is ever introduced.)

5. "in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and oblations to cease.." Because of what Jesus did for us in the midst of the week when he hung on the cross and shed His blood, there was no longer any need for blood sacrifice! Jesus has taken it's place! He caused the oblation to cease too (many don't know this) but oblations are charitable offerings. Jesus has fulfilled those through His death.

6. "And for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate.." There were many transgressions, sins and abominations in the world but now that we have Christ to give us salvation and forgiveness, it stopped the overspreading of abominations and made it desolate (empty, a wasteland). Why would an antichrist want to stop abominations? He wouldn't right? This is a messianic prophecy.

7. "even until the consummation.."  What Jesus did for us on the cross, he gave us everlasting righteousness, took away our transgressions, and this is good even until the consummation which is the end when He receives us as His bride at His coming. The definition for consummation is "perfection, fulfillment, an ultimate goal to an end, a completion of a marriage."

8. "And this shall be poured upon the desolate." And all this will be given to the desolate who were the (definition: "the sad, wretched condition, lost, forsaken.") This is a gift to us. I once was lost but now I am found. I was desolate but now I am redeemed.








A Voice in the Wilderness

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Christ's Kingdom on Earth

Note: We are not associated with any affiliations, nor religion, nor labels. We are not Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventists, or anything else but those who desire truth and seek it through God's Word and His Spirit. Our teachings may not be like the majority of Christian churches, but it is from the Bible. We believe the Bible is the final authority, even above doctrine and teachings of men.


We are showing what God's Word says about His Kingdom which is yet to come, so feel free to open your Bible and check each verse to verify it. We quote from the King James Bible.


The thief on the cross hung next to Jesus and with a prickle in his heart, he pleaded to Jesus "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42

The thief asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus entered His kingdom that He shall inherit from the Father.

Daniel wrote, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13, 14


We see that Jesus shall be given his Kingdom when He comes at His second coming. Where shall this kingdom be?

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15

Jesus will be King over every kingdom in this world. He shall reign on this earth as the true and perfect King. 


More verses to ponder:

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

We pray for His kingdom to come to earth, and for His will to be done on earth just as it is done in heaven.


"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity" Matthew 13:41

Jesus will send His angels to cast the wicked out of His kingdom. If it were in heaven in the skies, what would the wicked be doing there? Jesus is casting the wicked out of His earthly kingdom.


We await for Jesus to return and he promises that  “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3)

We shall be redeemed from death and the graves. At the last trump at the last day, those in Christ shall be transformed into an immortal and incorruptible being (read 1 Corinthians 15) Then at that moment we shall be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord at last, and so we shall always be with Him in His kingdom.

And we shall inherit the kingdom with Jesus forevermore,


"Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."  Daniel 7:22


"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Daniel 7:27

What exciting and incredible things we have to look forward to!





A Voice in the Wilderness

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth part 4

Here, we will conclude our four part study on the heavenly kingdom that will be established on Earth when Jesus Christ returns. Click to see PART 1, PART 2, and PART 3 of this study!

When Jesus Christ returns at His glorious appearing, those who are dead and alive in Christ will rise to be with Him forever. The wicked will be destroyed, cut off and consumed by Him. Jesus Christ will descend upon the Mount of Olives (the same place where he ascended up to the skies), and His saints will be with Him. Jesus Christ will reign the whole earth from Mount Zion (spelled Sion in the NT). Here are more details about Mount Zion with scriptures:


From Strong's Concordance:

Mount Sion: a hill of Jerusalem.


Mount Zion: a mountain of Jerusalem (same as Sion).



This is where the Lord shall be. 

"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." Psalm 2:6

"The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy." Psalm 99: 2, 9

 "When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." Psalm 102:16

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Psalm 48:2



"For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation." Psalm 132:13
"Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." Isaiah 12:6

"The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more." Joel 3:16, 17


"Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain." Zechariah 8:3


We shall dwell there with Him.

"For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein." Psalm 69:35, 36

"They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever." Psalm 125:1, 2



What Zion shall be like!

No more war!

 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Isaiah 2: 2, 3, 4



Cloud by day,  fire by night, shade from heat, shelter from the rain

"And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain." Isaiah 4:5, 6

There will be stunning light from God that puts the moon and stars to shame!

"Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." Isaiah 24:23

The Lord shall comfort you there!

"For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee." Isaiah 30:19

"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isaiah 35:10

"For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3


"Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away." Isaiah 51:11

"But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying." Isaiah 65:25

There shall be healing there!

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. "Isaiah 35: 5,6

It will be beautiful!

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim." Joel 3: 18


No more fear!

"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it." Micah 4:4

"The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zephaniah 3:13

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD." Isaiah 65:25

There will be one pure language!

"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent." Zephaniah 3:9

You will be in the company of Angels!

"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels." Hebrews 12:22
The Lord shall rejoice over you!

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

We will have the Father's name on our foreheads!

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads." Revelation 14:1

We will have our own houses and vineyards!

"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands." Isaiah 65:21, 22


He shall speak to us and answer us even before we call!

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24


Conclusion:

After the millennial reign (1,000 years with Jesus on Earth), and the great white throne judgment which takes place after Satan is loosed to deceive the earth one last time AKA Gog and Magog), it will be complete. There will be a new heaven and new earth. There will be a New Jerusalem that descends out of Heaven down to the new earth as a gift for the bridegroom (Jesus) and the bride (us). It will be a brilliant design with streets made of gold, walls made of precious jewels, and the lamb will be the light thereof!


There will be an article about the new heaven/earth/Jerusalem soon! 

But when Jesus appears, we shall always be with Him! He shall reign over us! We as His children are eagerly awaiting the return of our King! We are pilgrims on this Earth awaiting our heavenly kingdom for it's arrival! Such glorious things are awaiting us on Zion! We are the daughters of Zion, and how glorious will the Lamb's kingdom be when He comes to rescue us from our enemies!

Let us rejoice in anticipating these things to come!


And feel free to research more about Zion! There are thousands of verses about Zion/Sion, holy hill, holy mountain, city of God, etc!






A Voice in the Wilderness

Monday, February 8, 2010

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus



"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." Matthew 14:25-33


This is an amazing story of Jesus walking on the water. When the disciples saw Him, they were terrified cause they thought He was a ghost! Peter went to Jesus and in Jesus' prescence, he was able to do what Jesus had done. Peter was able to walk on water! This shows us that we are able to do marvelous things with Jesus.

Then Peter took his eyes off Jesus and noticed the wind and the waves. It was a scary sight and immediately, he began to sink. Spiritually, we sink when we take our eyes off Jesus. When we fear our surroundings, our circumstances or our problems, we begin to sink for fear is the lack of faith. Never take your eyes off Jesus.

And any time we cry out to Jesus, we shall be saved. Jesus stretched forth His hand and reached for Peter. He then rebuked Peter for doubting in Him for God is more powerful than our circumstances!

Let this be a friendly reminder, that with God, we live above the circumstances. Our fears and doubts will only sink us. Never take your eyes off Jesus, for with Him, you can do all things!







A Voice in the Wilderness
 

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