Peter's Public Rebuke

What Is Hypocrisy  Under The New Covenant?  

Galatians 2:11
11"But when Peter was come to Antioch, I (Paul) withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, {senior pastor of the Church of Jerusalem} he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come,he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. {other Jews} 13 And the other Jews dissembled (withdrew) likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. (hypocrisy) 14 But when I saw that they WALKED NOT UPRIGHTLY ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL, I (Paul) said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

(Peter preaching to the Gentiles.)

Peter had been feasting and fellowshipping with the Gentiles, having a grand ol’ time with his new brethren in Christ.  Suddenly, however, he withdrew himself from their company when word reached him that men from the Church in Jerusalem, sent by their senior pastor, James (the brother of Jesus) were coming to town.  “They” were those of “the CIRCUMCISION,” the text says, meaning fellow Jews.

According to the Law of  Moses you see, Jews were forbidden from fraternizing with Gentiles, from eating certain foods; and they were to obey the Ten Commandments.

None of those things are forbidden under the New Covenant, of course.

Now, these Jerusalem Jews were born again believers but, like many Christians today, were still adhering to the law of Moses.  Trying to obey the laws of the Ten, under the New Covenant is “NOT WALKING UPRIGHTYLY,” as Paul declares in no uncertain terms.

The Apostle Paul had been keenly observing all of Peter’s hypocritical behavior and finally called him out in a very PUBLIC way.  Ouch!

As if that weren’t bad enough, the Holy Spirit recorded his misconduct in scripture so that 2,000 years-worth of believers, like you and me, would be able to read the story.  You see, whenever there is behavior that perverts the Gospel and causes God’s people to WALK NOT UPRIGHTLY, the Holy Spirit wants to make sure that every believer understands exactly what that means.

This is the very same Peter who walked with Jesus, talked with Him, ate and slept with Him, heard him preach and observed Him up close and personal for three and a half years.  He saw miracles too numerous to count, not to mention, incredible.  He saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain, glorified before his wondering eyes.  He even walked on water with Him and became a Christian when Paul was, well, NOWHERE.

Isn’t it curious that it wasn’t to Peter that the full-up revelation of the Gospel of grace was given?  No. It was given to the Apostle Paul, someone who had never met Jesus in person.  Someone, in fact, who had persecuted the Church, had believers imprisoned and even had some killed.  He even stood by, guarding the coats of those who stoned righteous Stephen, thus consenting to his death!

This Paul had some VERY STONG WORDS to say about Peter’s behavior.
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, THEN CHRIST IS DEAD IN VAIN.” (Galatians 2:21)

(Paul reasons with Gentiles.)

So what, then, is “truth of the Gospel?”  “Not by works of righteousness,” (Titus 3:5) our law-keeping, are we justified but by faith in the sacrifice of THE ONE, Jesus Christ.  Our right doing is a fruit of our right knowing that we are forevermade righteous by Jesus.   We love BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.  (1 John 4:19)  We are MADE righteous.  It is done TO us.  We do not do it TO ourselves.

Our holy living is a grateful, effortless, loving response to the love of The One Who first loved us.  If we could “DO” good enough then Christ didn’t have to come and die for us.   If we act as if we can become acceptable to God by our “DOING GOOD” we are, in effect, TRAMPLING UNDERFOOT THE BLOOD OF JESUS and saying He never died, or His death was in vain.

AS IF!!!

Many, (dare I say “most) today, though they believe we are saved by grace through faith, are still looking at what they are doing to make sure they measure up to some standard of right conduct.

NEWS FLASH:  GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION; HE IS AFTER HEART TRANSFORMATION.

Correct me if I’m wrong but if we are transformed by beholding Jesus, then beholding ourselves and our performance is LOOKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.  Of ourselves, we can do NOTHING.  But if all you ever hear in church is how you need to “live holy” by doing this or doing that, not doing this or not doing that and Jesus’ Name is hardly even mentioned, the Holy Spirit has no material with which to work.

WE ARE TRANSFORMED BY BEHOLDING, NOT SCOLDING.

It is by seeing Jesus in His beauty, His Glory, His love for us and our right standing with Him that transforms!

HOW CAN YOU BE TRANSFORMED IF YOU ARE NOT SEEING JESUS??
YOU CAN’T.

Galatians 2:20

“20 I have been crucified with Christ;IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Just as we are not sinners by the act of “sinning” but because of Adam’s sin, we are not righteous by “doing right” but by the righteousness of THE ONE:  JESUS CHRIST.
Adam incurred the debt;  Jesus Christ OVERpaid it…..BY A LONG SHOT.
HALLELUIA!!!!!

(The Law has been fulfilled and replaced by the New Covenant.)

As Peter was so publicly told:  TRYING TO OBEY THE LAW IS HYPOCRISY UNDER THE NEW COVENANT.

And that, Church, is the meaning of Peter’s public rebuke.

 

Why Do We Have Four Gospels? Tabernacle Series Part 5

Revelation 4:6-7
6 "Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were FOUR living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
7 The first living creature was like a LION, the second living creature like a CALF, the third living creature had a face like a MAN, and the fourth living creature was like a flying EAGLE."

Wouldn't it be so awesome to be able to see what John saw on the island of Patmos?  But alas, we really don't know what he actually saw with his physical eyes because Revelation is a book of symbols.  How do we know that?  It says so right here in the very first verse:

"1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and SIGNIFIED IT by His angel to His servant John,"

"SIGNIFIED" means "SYMBOLS,".....unless you really believe that Jesus is literally a young lamb with seven horns and seven eyes.  How ridiculous!  Of course He doesn't really look like that.  The symbols do, however, tell us a lot about Jesus.  When you know what the simbols mean you can consistently decode the whole Book, and I'm not just referring to the book of Revelation. 

1) Horn speaks of authority.

2) Seven horns means "full authority." 

3) Eyes typify discernment.

4) Seven eyes means "full discernment."

Jesus has FULL authority, FULL discernment and is FULL of the Holy Spirit.

"Hey...wait a minute: What does all this have to do with why we have four gospels?" you ask.  My question is, "Why are there only four gospels? Why do we need four?  Why not one.....or more? After all, there were more than four apostles, right?  Oh yeah, and one more thing:  How does the above scripture from Revelation fit in with the subject at hand?

I'm glad you asked.

Paul told the Christians of Corinth in II Corinthians 3:18, "...we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

We are transformed by beholding Jesus.  So, the better, clearer picture we have of Him, the more like Him we become; the better for us! The four gospels are Holy Spirit's very creative way of giving us that crystal clear picture. 

The four creatures mentioned here are also found in other places in scripture.  I'm sure you've run across them and wondered what they meant.  They are mentioned in the exact same order in all those other passages as they are in Revelation.  It is always LION, CALF or ox, the face of a MAN and a FLYING EAGLE.  

John saw these creatures in the "midst of the throne."  THEY ARE THE FOUR FACES OF JESUS, hence the four pictures on the veil of the tabernacle. Each picture represents one of the four gospels.  

The first living creature was "like a "LION," representing the Gospel of Matthew.  The lion is the king of the beasts, a typology of Jesus as The King of Kings; King of the Jews.  The Lion also depicts "boldness."

The LION represents Matthew because Jesus is portrayed most often here in His role as "King of the Jews," though his Kingliness appears throughout all four gospels. 

Chapter one begins with Jesus' genealogy this one begins with Abraham.  Ever wonder why it starts with him instead of with Adam as in the gospel of Luke?  Because it's important to establish the lineage of a KING; to trace his pedigree and prove His legitimate claim to the throne.

This is the very first verse of Matthew 1:  “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."  Notice anything strange?  He calls Jesus the Son of "David, the Son of Abraham."  Isn't that backwards? Abraham lived long before David.  Shouldn't their names be listed the other way around?  Actually, no.  You see, David was the Royal line to which Jesus laid claim.  He was a king of Israel.  Abraham was not.

The nation of Israel, however, began with Abraham.  He was the first one through whom God promised that out of his loins would come forth kings and to whom He promised lands and property.  Our King's lineage came through him.  

Not only does Jesus have a legitimate right to the throne, He has a double claim! Both Mary AND Joseph can trace their lineage back to King David, even though his earthly father did not contribute to his DNA.  Joseph descended from Solomon; Mary from David's son, Nathan.

This gospel was written TO the Jewish people specifically.  That's why you see the phrase "Kingdom of heaven" everywhere.  For one thing, the Jewish people don't like to say "God" or "Yahweh," for fear of blaspheming His Name.   Instead they say "Kingdom of Heaven," or refer to Him as "haShem: the Name."  Matthew wrote his gospel this way out of respect for their reverence of the  Name of God. 

Secondly, they were waiting for the literal, physical Kingdom to be established with a conquering King ruling from Jerusalem.  If they had recognized and accepted Jesus as their Messiah back then, that would have happened.  But because they rejected Him, that Kingdom will now have to wait until after the seven years of tribulation just prior to the second coming of Christ.  

That's a rather simplistic explanation because there's a bit more to it than that.  But, since there is too much to cover here, please follow the link below for more on this topic:  

http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-6-of-16rightly-dividing-word-of.html

In other gospels, a similar passage would not hesitate to use God's name because Christians are not afraid to say God, Yahweh, or Jesus.  We are not under any religious bondage or slavish fear about His Name.  We are Sons, not servants.  Because we are sons, we also get to call God, "Daddy!"

The gospel we preach today is not the one Jesus preached.  He went about proclaiming,  "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  That's because He would have set up His millenial kingdom and ruled the whole world from Jerusalem, seated on the throne of a His father, David, if the Jews had recognized and accepted their Messiah.  But they didn’t.  (Refer to the link above for more information.)

This also clears up the confusion regarding the parable of the ten virgins.  This story is about Israel, NOT THE CHURCH.  You see, we are not the only group the Bible calls "virgin."  Israel is also called the "Virgin daughter of God" in several Old Testament references.  Those of natural Israel who are not ready, i.e. born again, when the Bridegroom comes to call for His Bride at the time of the rapture will be left behind.  When it takes place only half the nation of Israel will be ready to go.

This passage of scripture is so often misunderstood and misapplied to the Church. However, those who think it does must be consistent and say that only half of those who are honest-to-goodness, born again believers are going up in the rapture.  The other half will be left behind.  That is not only cruel and doesn't make ANY sense at all, IT ISN'T TRUE. 

(For more in depth information on this topic follow this link:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/11/part-3-of-16-rightly-dividing-word-of.html

(The Raptrue:  We will suddenly disappear in the blink of an eye.)

Most people, being a bit more on the negative side, will fear they are going to be in the "left-behind group."  No doubt the ones who self-righteously hold this erroneous view believe themselves to be in the "going up group" if asked.    

The truth is, Church, that EVERYONE WHO IS BORN AGAIN, regardless of their level of faithfulness, IS IN THE GOING-UP GROUP whether they believe in the rapture or not.  They just may be a "bit" surprised. The only qualification is that you be alive and remain.  (See 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

The next living creature was "like a calf or ox". This represents the Gospel of Mark.
A calf is an untiring servant; a laboring worker.  You don't see a genealogy written here because one doesn't inquire about the pedigree of a servant.

Jesus is portrayed throughout Mark's gospel as our Divine Servant.  He went about "doing good;" ministering, healing, providing, saving, restoring, everywhere He went, always on the lookout for anyone who had needs for Him to meet.  He has eyes full of compassion!  He is our Servant King.

Mark opens with the word "Immediately," a word that  is used repeatedly throughout this gospel.  Why?  Because a servant does his master's bidding "immediately."  Jesus Himself said He did not come to "be served" but "to serve," a rather difficult concept for us to grasp.

In the book of Revelation John saw Jesus with a "golden girdle."  This is the garb of a servant.  In Biblical times, servants wore flowing robes which had to be tied up with what they called "a girdle" around their waist so they didn't get in the way while they worked.  John saw Jesus in heaven with a golden girdle around His "breast," not His waist because breast speaks of love; His love for us!

I know, we all prefer to think in terms of us serving Jesus but the truth is, we are bankrupt. We have nothing to give Him. The humblest thing we can do is to allow Him to serve us. That's why he defended Mary when Martha complained about her.  Mary was allowing Jesus to serve her.  He gained strength as a result because she allowed Him to be God to her.  

Martha, who was worried about serving Jesus was in essence, "pouring out of an empty vessel."  The essence of true ministry is pouring out of ourselves what Jesus has first poured in. Then, and only then, can it flow out effortlessly.
Attempting to serve without first being filled caused Martha to be angry and bitter, blaming both Jesus and Mary in one shot.  She was more worried about the "many things" instead of "the ONE thing;" humbling herself to let Jesus to serve her.

Because Mary allowed herself to be served, who was it that appeared at the foot of the cross, ready to minister to Jesus when He was most greatly in need? It was Mary.  Martha was nowhere to be found.    

The next living creature was like a MAN. This is the Gospel of Luke where we see Jesus as the Son of Man.  Man speaks of intelligence; of human sympathy and emotion.

Why portray him as a man?  Because we can get so caught up in the deity, Lordship and majesty of Jesus that we completely forget He is also 100% man.  He has feelings and emotions just like us.  He's been through the same things.  He doesn't merely understand what we go through; HE FEELS WHAT WE FEEL and is full of compassion for us.  There is an honest to goodness, real, live, beating human heart in heaven today, a perfect Man, seated at the right hand of our Father, interceding for us.  That's the kind of Great High Priest we have!

The genealogy listed in Luke goes all the way back to Adam because it's important to show that Jesus sprang from the human race.  He didn't just take on human form like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."  NOPE!  He physically descended from Adam and, thus, is FULLY QUALIFIED to be our "Goel;" our "Kinsman Redeemer." 

A " Goel" must be a close relative, very wealthy and be both able to buy back the inheritance that was forfeited and restore it to the one who lost it freely, without charge.  Without a doubt:  JESUS IS QUALIFIED!

The last living creature is like a FLYING EAGLE.  There is genealogy is listed in this gospel either.  Jesus is portrayed most often throughout the gospel of John as the "Son of God" Who came directly from heaven.  God has "no beginning and no end, hence NO GENEALOGY.

When you think of an eagle what comes to mind?  Sharp vision, flying far above in the heavens.  Our Eagle can see far and wide.  Eagle is descriptive of discernment and prophetic insight.
John begins by saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God........and the Word became flesh and dwelled among us..."

Jesus was born of a human, yes, but also came straight from God. He has a dual nature being both God and Man.  Like His Father, He is eternal.  Like the eagle who soars effortlessly in the heavens, Jesus is from heaven.  His divinity is seen about most often in this gospel.

It is in John's gospel where you see Him saying amazing things like, "Before Abraham was, I AM."
"I AM the Good Shepherd;"
"I AM the resurrection."
"I AM the life."

When Walking on the stormy sea toward His disciples who were foundering in the boat He cried out to them, "Don't be afraid; I AM."  The word, "He" in your Bible is not in the original text.  It was added by translators.  THAT'S MY GOD!  Even the wind and the waves obey Him!

In the garden, big, strong, strapping soldiers came along with Judas to arrest Jesus. He stepped forward and said to them, " I AM."' THEY ALL FELL TO THE GROUND BEFORE HIM!  He stood there, patiently waiting for them to recover, pick themselves back up from the ground, dust themselves off so that He could allow them to arrest Him.  I'm sure He patiently held out His hands to be shackled.  Divinity through and through!  Again, the word, "He," is not in the original text.

These four accounts give us the most complete picture of Jesus:

Our King:  Matthew

Our suffering Servant:  Mark

The Son of man:  Luke

The Son of God:  John

He IS the Lion, He IS the Calf {ox}, He IS the Man, He IS the Flying Eagle!

The more we study Jesus in all His fullness in the gospels THE MORE WE BECOME LIKE HIM.  You and I become leaders wherever we go.  We become bold as a lion and as strong and as healthy as an ox, regardless of our chronological age.  In order to serve tirelessly, you need to be in good health.  Though it is not impossible, it is hard to serve if you are flat on your back all the time. 

We will also have the human feelings, intelligence and sympathies of the Perfect Man and the discernment, prophetic insight and keen vision of the flying eagle.

We become like Jesus as we behold Him in all His beauty and fullness....and that, Church, is why we have FOUR GOSPELS.

God's Formula For Successful Relationships

Genesis 3:17-20

“Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” And Adam called his wife’s name Eve (Havah), because she was the mother of all living.”

This has to be one of the saddest portions of scripture in the entire Bible where God had to inform them of all the curses as a result of their fall.  We incurred a debt of sin that was so great, no one could repay it. No one, that is, but Jesus!

Notwithstanding, there is a clue here for having successful relationships.

Now, if you're wondering what does this scripture have to do with the subject at hand, my answer is, "EVERYTHING!"  But first, we need to do a little background study.  

In the previous chapter, God brought all the animals to Adam and he gave them names. Unfortunately, there was not found among them a suitable partner for him.  So God made him one.  Let's follow the story.

Genesis 2:18-23

“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 

"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 

One of the secrets to having a good relationship is hidden in the Hebrew words for man and woman.  It is PROOF POSITIVE that Jesus holds ALL THINGS together, just as the scriptures say.

The word for man in this passage is the word, "Ish."  It also also means," husband," and it looks like this in Hebrew:  [איש]

As you know, Hebrew reads from right to left and is a form of picture writing, like Chinese.  These are the "pictures" that spell man:
[א] aleph=ox (sacrifice/Jesus)
[י]  yod= hand (power)
[ש] shin=Shaddai/Almighty God


The word for woman here is "ishah."  It also means,"wife" and looks like this in Hebrew:  [אשה]

The "pictures" that spell woman are:

[א] aleph=ox (sacrifice/Jesus)
[ש] shin=shaddai/Almighty God
[ה] hei=open window/grace

Both words share two of the same letters:  aleph- [א] and shin- [ש].  Ish--Man has the letter "yod- [י] that teeny, tiny little line which means "hand."  Ishah--Woman has the letter "hei- [ה].  Hei means "grace."  Apt descriptions!


Why "yod?"  Because men are usually more "hands-on," hence the picture of the yod/hand. Hands imply work. They also tend to be more physical and are often the bread winners, particularly when the women can't work due to pregnancy, and they are built to protect and defend their families.  It's in their nature.    

Ah, but the woman brings the "hei."   She brings a softness or grace, the "feminine touch," to her home.  Her soft answer can turn a potentially heated situation into a peaceful one.

Now let's take the "yod" from man and the "hei" from woman.  The word it spells is "Ya:[יה]" the short form of Yahweh.  Remember (יהוה) "yod hei vav hei?"  If you are not familiar with the secrets hidden in the Name of Yahweh, follow the link below:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-name-of-god-yahweh.html

[יה] Yod-hei spells "Ya".

You see this short form used in words like "Hallelu-jah, Jeremi-ah, Obadi-ah."      
    

The Holy Spirit is drawing us pictures again, showing us He wants to be included in every relationship. Take Ya--God out of the equation, and you end up with real trouble.  

Take the letter yod from man and hei from woman, and both "ish" and "isha" become this word: 

"esh-[אש] = FIRE!"

 

What happens when God is left out?  Sparks fly!   You have fireworks!  No wonder so many marriages and relationships are BURNING UP!  No wonder so many friendships and relationships end in fights and break ups.

When the "evil day," in other words, "trouble," comes, as it inevitably will, where God has been taken out of the equation there will be strife, there will be discord resulting in broken lives, broken friendships and broken marriages.

Conversely, when Jesus is in the center, you will be able not only to withstand in the "evil day" but, when "FIRE" comes, you will remain intact. You will be stronger than before!  Only He can calm the storm.  THANK YOU, JESUS!

There is one more key that demonstrates how to have a successful relationship that I think will really bless you.  It's found in the opening passage.

Notice it says that "ADAM NAMED HIS WIFE, "EVE."  Bet you though God did it, right?  Nope.  Check out this verse:

“Male and female created He (God) them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

Genesis 5:2 KJV

See?  God called them both "Adam."  So why did Adam change her name?  

Well, when man disobeyed God and He pronounced over them all those curses, Adam realized that one day death would overtake them.  But Adam loved his wife.  He didnt want her to die.  So, He gave her the name, "Eve."  In Greek it is the name, "Zoe: Life"  In Hebrew it is the name, "Havah," which also means "LIFE!"  He knew that words have power because God "SPOKE" and created everything.  He, following God's example, literally SPOKE "LIFE" to her every single day!  Every time he called her name he was telling her she was "LIFE!"

That's what you and I can do for each other to foster successful relationships:  Speak words of life, health, encouragement and grace.  

These two had so much of the life of God in them, in fact, that Adam lived to be 930 years old.  We don't know how old Eve was when she died but I have no doubt she lived a longer, healthier and more fruitful life because Adam spoke LIFE to her every time he said her name!

Where do we find the words of LIFE today?  IN THE WORDS OF JESUS!  The Bible calls Him, "The WORD made flesh."  It also says,  “For by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Colossians 1:16-17 KJV
 

The word translated "consist" is the word, "sunistémi." in Greek.  It also means "cohere."  It is in the Perfect, Indicative tense, Active voice, meaning the action was accomplished in the past and is ongoing: Continuous in nature!

You see?  It's true!  Jesus really does hold all things together!  Without Him, THEY FALL APART.  He does it by the WORD of His power!  

So make God the center of your marriage and relationships.  And when His words of grace come from our lips, those things are the secrets to having successful relationships!

The Cities Of Refuge

Numbers 35:6-7 

“Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities. So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land.”    

In ancient Israel it was a law that if one man killed another accidentally, he had a safe place to go where the relative, the kinsman redeemer, of the slain person could not enter to take the man's life in revenge for the accidental death.

The city was populated totally by Levites, the priestly tribe, whose job it was to protect the man.  As long as he remained within the walls of the city, he was completely safe.  But he had to remain there with the Levites until the man who was high priest at the time of the incident, died.  Then he was free to return to his own city without fear of reprisal. 

This has wonderful significance for the Church today.  The Holy Spirit has hidden nuggets of truth in plain sight in the name of every person, place and thing written in the Bible. Not one tiny detail is arbitrary or recorded just for filler to pad the book.  He has put every word, every detail in the text to unveil to us more and more of our altogether lovely Jesus!  Even the order in which they are written is a message.

Here are the names of the cities of refuge in the order in which they are recorded in scripture and their meanings:

Kedesh------------Sanctuary
Shechem---------Shoulder
Hebron------------Fellowship
Bezer---------------Fortress
Ramoth-----------Highly Exalt
Golan--------------Rejoicing

Put them all together and they spell out a message to us:

"A Sanctuary is His Shoulder offered in Fellowship, a Fortress to Highly Exalt us with Rejoicing!"

There are six cities in all, three on one side of the Jordan, three on the other side.  All are well-marked and most are on top of mountains.  In Joshua 20: 7-8 it says,  “So they appointed Kedesh in Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) in the mountains of Judah. And on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness on the plain, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.”

Jesus is The Refuge for the whole world.  The way has been well-marked, plain for all to see so that they are without excuse.  The gospel is highly visible and is being broadcast on the most readily available medium of all time:  Television.  Can't get higher than a satellite, right?  TV can easily be accessed by every household everywhere so that anyone looking for help can find it.  It's like the gospel is set on mountain tops for all to see.

We, who have fled to The City of Refuge, are PERFECTLY safe.  The one who is out for our blood--the devil--CANNOT COME IN.  We stay there forever because OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST CAN NEVER DIE!!  We are safe FOREVER!  

There are six cities because six is the number of man, in Hebrew numerics and these cities are for "man's" benefit.  Six different types of cities of cities for every "type" of man, woman and child from every nation, every tribe and every tongue, scattered all over the world where ANYONE can flee for refuge. Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall not perish but have everlasting life.

It is also a picture of the local church, the place where sinners can go to find refuge;  where they can find out that Jesus took all their sins and all their shame upon Himself on the cross.

In Hebrews 6, many preachers expound on this passage:   "For it is IMPOSSILE for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

Hebrews 6:4-6 

You know what they are implying, right?  That there is something you can do something to lose your salvation.  RIDICULOUS!  If you can do something to lose it, THEN IT ISN'T ETERNAL.  

These well-meaning pastors, however, seem to know nothing about the other "IMPOSSIBLE" in the very same chapter...

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for REFUGE to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest FOREVER according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:13-14, 16-20

Paul, writing to Jewish believers, is using language they understand to drive home a point.  I discussed the cities of refuge first so you would understand what Paul said they way they did.  He was using the language of the cities of refuge to drive home the point that, once you come to faith in Christ, YOU ARE COMPLETELY, IRREVOCABLY AND FOREVER SAFE.

God swore by himself because there is no one greater by Whom to swear, not that He has to swear at all.  GOD CANNOT LIE.  So when He tells you that He will bless you, HE WILL.  You can take that to the bank!  And if you have fled to The City of Refuge, JESUS, and God says you are forever secure, then you are!

Church, Jesus is stooping down, offering His strong shoulder to anyone and everyone who is seeking refuge.  Are you tired and weary?  Has it been a long journey and you have no energy left?  You've gone through the fight of life and you are just plain tired and lost?  Jesus offers you His powerful shoulders in fellowship in a place of Sanctuary.  Come in and be forever safe!  REST IN HIM.

When you take His shoulder, He lifts you up and becomes your fortress in which you can safely hide.

He exalts you high above all your troubles; far above all principalities and powers, far above satan, far above all the powers of darkness; far above disease, far above above poverty and above EVERY curse that is named.
You don't need to do anything in your own strength.  

Simply rest on both of His strong shoulders, upheld by His Love and Strength.

That's our Jesus!  He truly is our City of Refuge!

Genesis 5 Has A Message For Us! Flood Series Part 6 of 8

Genesis 5:1-3

"1This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth."

In parts 1-5 we discussed what the world was like at the time of the flood, Who was with them "IN" the Ark (Jesus) during the flood, the changes to the Jewish calendar, some interesting things about doves and about the covenant of the rainbow!  Now, we'll look at the prophetic elements of this story, discover what it tells us about Jesus, the Church and about the 21st century. 

The opening passage is the beginning of chapter five of the book of Genesis.  It's one "begat" after another.  (Used to make me yawn.)  Did you ever wonder why God put this chapter and others like it  in the Bible?  I did, until I learned something about the meanings of names in Hebrew.  Then this chapter opened up like a flower!

Let's go through the begets as listed and find out what The Holy Spirit has to say:

Adam begot Seth.

Seth begot Enosh.

Enosh begot Cainan.

Cainan begot Mahalalel.

Mahalalel begot Jared.
Jared begot Enoch.
Enoch begot Methuselah.
Methuselah begot Lamech.
Lamech had a son and he called his name Noah.
(Are you asleep yet?ZZZZzzzzzzz)

Sounds benign enough, doesn't it?  I used to skim...ok; let me be honest...SKIP.....over these kinds of chapters and, as I said, wonder why God put it in the Bible, besides the obvious historical significance. Turns out, this is just one more example showing us that there is no such thing as a superfluous detail in the Bible.  Nope.  None.  The Holy Spirit has a reason for every single letter, every word and every phrase.  Even the order in which they are placed has meaning.  There are nuggets of truth hidden everywhere for us to dig up and meanings hidden in the names of people, places and things as well as numbers, known to the rabbis as "gematria."

The more you come to understand these things, the Bible begins to take on new and deeper meaning.  It's not just some fluff or filler to make the book thicker.

Incredibly, there are many end-time prophecies in the book of Genesis.  It's true!  It may quite possibly be the most prophetic book of them all.  In the last days the entire book of Genesis will play out again. It has already begun to happen. 

      

The Hollywood version of Noah's flood in early 2014, though not Biblically accurate by ANY stretch of the imagination, most definitely is NOT an accurate portrayal of our AWESOME GOD.  But, it at least indicates a curiosity about spiritual things, however skewed.  Perhaps it will inspire some to actually open the Book and read the real story. 

I do resent the way our awesome Daddy was portrayed.  He is not some vengeful, absentee landlord dispensing judgment from a distance. He is the Most wonderful and loving Father Who gave up His beloved Son to save us!

What the producers of this movie and, honestly, many Christians don't understand is why the human race had become so riddled with evil it was beyond repair.  We discussed what really happened in an earlier portion of this study.  Follow this link if you missed that part:  http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2014/07/noahs-ark-flood-series-part-1.html

Now let's look at the opening passage again, align each name with it's meaning translated from the Hebrew and see what the Holy Spirit has hidden for us.

Adam.............man
Seth...............appointed
Enosh.............mortal
Cainan............sorrow
Mahalalel........blessed God
Jared...............down
Enoch..............mouth
Methuselah......HIS DEATH WILL BRING
Lamech...........powerful
Noah...............rest

"Man is appointed mortal sorrow. But the blessed God will come down teaching (with his mouth).  His death will bring powerful rest."

It's a message of encouragement to us!

The 21st Century.

What does this passage have to do with the end times?  I'm sure you noticed the curious meaning of Methuselah's name.  Why do you think Enoch was so motivated to serve God with his whole heart?  Because God had spoken to him and shared with him what He was planning to do.  That's why he gave his son that name.

It's very clear from the meaning of Enoch's name that when this boy died, God was going to bring down worldwide judgment on mankind.  All of their neighbors who knew Enoch's son understood what his name meant.  I'll bet with every sneeze or hiccup his neighbors wondered, "Is this it? Is this the day God is going to send judgment?"

With every birthday, can't you just imagine all the angels, (particularly the warrior ones), asking God, "This year, God?"....and next year...."is it this year?" (Water pails in hand perhaps?).
But our God LOVES mercy, NOT judgment.  He is SLOW to anger.  This boy is the embodiment of that trait.  That's why Methuselah was the oldest living man.  God drew that boy's years out on and on and on and on until he was 969 years old; older than even Adam, who lived to be 930.  He did not want to give that order.

But at last, He had to say, "Enough!"....and the day Noah and his family were shut into the ark, some indeterminate time period after Enoch "walked into heaven," the day Methuselah died, at His command, the fountains of the deep burst open.  The windows of the heavens were opened and the greatest destruction of all time fell upon the earth.  Everything in which was the breath of life and everyone, except for the eight people in the safety of the ark, DIED.

Enoch, who never tasted death but was translated instantly by God and taken into heaven, is a picture of the RAPTURE GENERATION.  That's us, Church!  Before the worst of times hits planet earth, we who belong to Jesus will be taken out of this world in the greatest disappearance of all time!  It will cause no little confusion, without a doubt.

That's right:  When the worst tribulation hits the earth threatening to destroy all life except that God cuts short those days, BELIEVERS WILL NOT BE HERE.

Most important of all, as throughout the entire Bible, God is pointing to His Beloved Son in this account of the real-live, world-wide deluge.  

Who was it that took our place?  

JESUS.
Who endured all God's fiery indignation and wrath in our stead? 

JESUS.
Who's death brought powerful rest? JESUS!

So from now on, when you see a rainbow after a storm, don't think only of no more "physical" flood.  Those waters were waters of judgment.  That bow in the clouds also means NO MORE JUDGMENT.....NO MORE CONDEMNATION!  {see Isaiah 54.}

Then there's the word in Hebrew for bow: "qeshet." Bow, like "bow and arrow," only God's "bow," used to shoot arrows of judgment at man.  But now.....NO MORE ARROWS OF JUDGMENT!!!   HALLELUIA!!!

Nope...There are NO insignificant details; not one superfluous word, description, number or story in THE WHOLE BIBLE!...and now you know why the Holy Spirit put this (formerly boring) chapter in the Book.  You see, even if we don't always understand....and we don't.....God really does have a reason for everything.

That, Church, is why Genesis 5 is in the Bible!