The Hiss of the Serpent.

 

There have been times in history when the Church has compromised the Word of God. There has been, and continues to be, opinion that the word of the world can be accepted about worldly things, and the Word of God consulted for spiritual things, and never the two need to meet. The Church ends up serving two masters, and serving neither one well. Some of the Church has stayed silent, or been on the shameful side, on the issues of slavery, treatment of Native Americans, segregation, abortion, the meaning of marriage, and other issues of the past and present. Even "spiritual" issues such as sin, resurrection, and the  Son, the only way of salvation, have been compromised in order to "fit" into the acceptable world view.

If we, the Church, do not value and keep the Word of God, what effect will that have on the Word itself? What spiritual doors are opened by our neglect, compromise, and disregard toward the Word of God? We may say that the Word will always be there as we know it now, for those who value it. However, that may well not be the case, and we may be seeing evidence of it even now. We will explore this point further later.

Scripture issues several warnings regarding the adding to, and taking away from, the Word of God:

"Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."    Deut. 4:1-2

"...for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it."           Deut. 12:32

"Every word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Do not add to His words,

lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.       Prov. 30:5-6

"Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."        Rev. 22:7, 18-19

The Apostle Peter talked about the untaught and unstable people who twist teachings that the Apostle Paul had written, to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16).

Why would God warn repeatedly about the changing and twisting of scripture, unless it was a possibility?

We have an example in scripture of the serpent in Eden, mis-stating, and twisting God's command to Adam. The word "serpent" in Hebrew refers to the hissing sound it makes, and means "enchanter, to practice divination and fortunetelling, a spell, a whisper, a hiss". He is described by one word: subtil (KJV). This word means "subtle (not obvious), shrewd, crafty, sly, cunning, (seeming to be) of good sense, smoothness". This word "subtil" has a root meaning "to make naked, to uncover, impudent, spiteful (manifesting one's malevolent mind)".
Satan, the Devil, called in Revelation 12:9 "that old serpent", twisted the Word of God to test and tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1-11). Jesus didn't allow him to do it. Jesus, who was and is the Word, kept the Word in Spirit and in Truth, saying, "It is written...".
Do we think that this spiritual creature is no longer in the world to use enchantment and hissing whispers against the Word of God in order to change and twist its meaning?

Even those who are not expert in the scriptures have heard the parable of Jesus teaching of not putting new wine into old wineskins, but putting it instead into new wineskins. This parable is found in Mt. 9:17, Mk. 2:22, and Lk. 5:37-38. Look in your KJV Bible that you have owned and read for years. You will find that your Bible no longer says "wineskins", but now says "bottles". No, it is not a new translation, or a new edition. This is your old Bible. You are correct to say that you know this same Bible previously said "wineskins". You have read it so many times. The scripture has been changed by something.

You also know the scripture in KJV that says "Judge not lest ye be judged." It is found in Mt. 7:1. You have read it many times. Look in the KJV Bible that you have owned for years and see what this scripture now says: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."
These are two examples of very subtle changes. Perhaps you think they are not important changes, but how did the changes happen in the Bible that you have read many times?



In the case of the wineskin parable, a precious meaning is lost when the word is changed to "bottle". The wineskin was the skin from the whole body of a goat (see photo above). The goat is also the animal used as a sin offering according to the Law (Lev. 4:24, 9:15, 16:9). The wineskin is changed as the fermentation process occurs within. The skin is stretched and its properties are changed on the inside. It can only be used that once, and never re-used. Jesus is talking about the difference between the spiritual work of the New Covenant in His blood, as opposed to the Old Covenant.
Whether we can explain the changes taking place in our old, familiar Bibles or not, the words seeming to change supernaturally, we must make an effort to know the Word, to memorize the Word, to have that Word written upon our hearts, to be living epistles of the Word, to care about what the Word says, before we lose it.
If we listen carefully, we can hear the subtle hissing of the serpent saying, "Yea, Hath God said...?"

 



Learning From Imperfect Fathers

 

 

"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters."

                                 George Herbert, Clergyman, 1593-1633

 

All human fathers are imperfect; there is only one perfect Father. That perfect Father has something to say in scripture about fathers.

The Hebrew word for father, "ab", is, alphabetically speaking, the first word found in scripture. The LORD created that word "father" at the beginning of all words. The Father/son relationship is the first relationship spoken of in scripture, as Adam is called the son of God (Lk. 3:38). God is described as "our Father" in both the Old and New Testaments (Isa. 63:16, 64:8, Mt. 6:9). Though some religions say that God cannot be a Father, and there can therefore be no Son, nor sons, the Word of Truth says differently in every way.

The LORD wrote the following in a heart-felt manner to His people from His position as Father:



 "A son honors his father,

and a servant his master.

If then I am the Father,

where is My honor?

And if I am a master,

where is My reverence?"

says the LORD of hosts

to you priests who despise My name.

Yet you say, "In what way have

we despised Your name?"

You offer defiled food on My altar...

saying, "The table of the LORD is contemptible."

  Mal. 1:6-7 (excerpt)

Whether man views God as Father, or Master, he has failed to honor the relationship. Even the priests of God did not reverence Him properly according to Malachi, above. We New Testament believers, also have been called to a priesthood. Is God also asking us, "Where is My honor?", and "Where is My reverence?"

Father God gives us many examples in His Word of loyal reverence and honor given to earthly fathers. One example that He brings forth is of the children of Jonadab. Jonadab's name means "The LORD who is willing to freely offer Himself".

The LORD had commanded the Prophet Jeremiah to offer wine to the sons of Jonadab, and this was their response"

..."We will drink no wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab ("Carried by the Father"), our father, commanded us, saying, "You shall drink no wine, you, nor your sons, forever. You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.."

"Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters...But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us."                                                    Jer. 35:1-10 (excerpt)
 

This lesson from God is not about drinking wine. The LORD is castigating the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah for their disobedience to Him, and to His prophets, contrasting their disobedience to their heavenly Father, with the obedience and honor Jonadab's children offered to their earthly father:

"Surely the sons of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them, but this people has not obeyed Me."     v. 16
 

Because of the example of obedience of the Rechabites, God makes them a prophetic promise:

..."Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab, your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever."                                                                     v. 18-19 (excerpt)

Sadly, in both cases, in Malachi and Jeremiah, the LORD is talking to His own people, and trying to teach His own people, to respect and obey Him as Father.

Though earthly fathers are not, and can never be, perfect, our heavenly Father blesses us as we honor and learn from those fathers. By doing so, we learn and live out the related principle of honoring our perfect heavenly Father with love, obedience and reverence, as He deserves.

From Abraham, to Enoch, to Noah, and others, the LORD has brought us examples of faithful, though imperfect men, who taught their children, and us, the importance of learning valuable spiritual lessons from a father.

 



Pentecost: Unity With A Purpose

 

On the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2:16-21, the disciples were in one place, in one accord, when the Holy Spirit was poured out in tongues of fire upon each one. As those who were in Jerusalem at the tomb of David, including foreign visitors, witnessed this remarkable sight, they were unsure of what they were seeing. Peter began to tell them that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. A portion of this prophetic passage reads:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh...

before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."

Peter goes on to urge the crowd of onlookers to "repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, ... and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  (Acts 2:38)

This remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit is directly connected with the "last days", and the terrible day of the LORD, according to the verse above. If we look at the Book of Joel, we will find additional prophetic insight into these events, and our purpose regarding them:
"Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD."     Joel 1:14

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand;"         

"Now therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm."       Joel 2:1-2, 12-13
This is Joel's prophetic warning and instruction to God's own people, Jew and Gentile, from every station, circumstance, age, and walk of life (Joel 2:15-16).



 

 

"Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD,....Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?"

"Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, and pity His people."  

"...For in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls."      Joel 2:17-18, 32b

 

It is in this same chapter that we see the awesome prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is a purpose to this outpouring, as there is a purpose to the Book of Joel. It is the call to a united intercession and repentance of God's people as the last days, and the day of the LORD, approaches.

The prophet talks about a harvest that is ripe, and wickedness that is great. (Joel 3:13).

The outpouring of Pentecost is not to be consumed on our own flesh, or for our own purposes. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a last days event for last days people who will see and understand that the day of the LORD is approaching. This outpouring is associated with the harvest of souls and lives, as Pentecost is associated with the harvest of grain. This outpouring is for the united purpose of God's people, from all walks of life, to begin to cry out to Him, purely and effectively, for His great move of salvation and deliverance, and for His pity upon His people.
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision."       Joel 3:14

The word "multitudes" used here does not just mean many people in the Hebrew. It refers more to a tumult of sound and confusion, cries of mourning and rage, clamorous and troubled, to be in an uproar. The "valley" is a place of profound depth, to be unsearchable because of the depth. "Decision" is a disturbing word that means sharp, pointed, to cut, to maim, to wound, a threshing sled (used for crushing and separating grain) having sharp teeth.
This will be the terrible place and situation for many on the awesome day of the LORD.
We, who have received the Holy Spirit, and are praying for an even greater outpouring of the Spirit, must use this precious gift for the purpose of interceding with the LORD, as we see the day approach. Will the terrible shouts and cries of the multitudes in the valley on that day ring in our ears, because we did not bother to weep between the porch and the altar?
The Prophet Joel is not just celebrating a miraculous anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is calling ALL of God's people to come into the house of the LORD in the united, divine, prophetic purpose of intercession and repentance, because the last days are here, the harvest is ripe, and the awesome day of the LORD is at hand.

"Shofar Alarm Blast"
 

"Alpha and Omega-We Give You All The Glory"



Sealed by the Holy Spirit

The Feast of Pentecost is represented by the offering of two loaves of leavened bread. This offering represents the first fruits of the ripening wheat harvest. Pentecost also celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. To Christians, Pentecost is the feast that saw the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, promised by the Father, and spoken of by Jesus to His disciples.
The forty-nine days between Passover and Pentecost are called by the Jews the days of "Counting the Omer" (a measure of barley offering).

 

 

Jesus spoke about "counting the cost", and advised His disciples on several occasions that they would face tribulation and persecution because they followed Him. He told them that they would be like sheep in the midst of wolves. In fact, Jesus said He was sending them into the wolves:

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless (innocent, pure, unmixed in beliefs) as doves."    Mt. 10:16

Jesus went on the describe the wolves: persecution by religious authorities, government officials, and betrayals by close family, even unto death (v. 17-21). He said His disciples would be hated of all men for the name of Jesus, but we were to endure to the end.

While many believers in the world today are suffering death for their faith, even Christian believers in free nations are finding that they are indeed targets of unreasoning hatred and contempt. Men have become ravening wolves in many cases when dealing with believers in Jesus Christ. We know from the prophetic warnings that Jesus has given, that it will only become more intense as we live through these End Times.

The One who would be our Helper in this time, according to Jesus, is the Spirit of our Father, who would speak and give answer through us, and for us (v. 20):
"But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."   (v. 19-20)
In these trying and dangerous conditions, it is the Holy Spirit who has been provided as our Counselor. Scripture tells us about a sealing in, and by, the Holy Spirit.
Jesus received a seal that was set by God the Father, which enabled Him to bring the food that was not for the feeding of the natural body, but spiritual food which endures for everlasting life. (Jn. 6:27).
Jesus has similarly sealed us with the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee, a surety, a deposit, of all the spiritual riches and inheritance which are for us. (2Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13).
We were sealed by the Spirit of God in order to keep us for the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30). That purpose is to preserve us, and set a guard over our spirits, until we join Jesus.
This same seal sets believers apart as the judgment of God begins on the earth:
..."Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."   (Rev. 7:3)
"...only (harm) those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." (Rev. 9:4)
This sealing by the Holy Spirit is for a specific purpose. The meaning of the word "seal" is to set a mark or seal upon, to confirm, authenticate, place beyond doubt, a token of proof. It comes from a root meaning to fence, to close up. The root meaning also points to having judgment and understanding, the faculty of perceiving (spiritual truth).

 





 

 

The Prophet Ezekiel described a mark, or seal, that would indicate those who were not to be touched by the coming destructive judgment of God:

"Go...and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it (Jerusalem)...Utterly slay (all)...but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary..."  Ez. 9:4-6

The mark, or seal, referred to by Ezekiel, is the Hebrew word "tav". The letter tav, shown above, which means cross, sign of the covenant, is joined by the letter vaw, which means nail, tent peg. From these meanings, we may say that Ezekiel's mark is related to the cross and the nails. It is the same seal as the Passover. It is the same blood of the Lamb:
"Now the blood shall be a sign (a distinguishing mark) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."    Ex. 12:13
The seal or mark of the Holy Spirit may be the same. It serves the same protective purpose in the life of the believer. The seal of the Spirit may also incorporate the Name of God, as mentioned in Rev. 14:1, and 22:4.

From Ezekiel's description, this mark is specifically for those who intercede and cry out to God because their spirits are grieved by the abominations that they see around them.

It is sad to note that the abominations in Ezekiel's prophecy are even found at the very door of God's sanctuary, His House.

Many today are also profoundly grieved, and cry to the LORD because of the abominations that can be seen, and spiritually perceived in our nation, and even, in some cases, in the very House of God.

In these challenging days in which we live, the sealing of the Holy Spirit is even more vitally important for every believer, setting us apart, protecting us, keeping us, and giving us the words to speak, for the continuing work of God even in the midst of the wolves. 
Let us thank and praise God for the sealing of His Spirit, and continue to pray for that new outpouring of the Holy Spirit this Pentecost.