Death

It's two days before Christmas, so I am going to write about death. Does this seem odd? It isn't really that odd at all. On a day that we set aside as "Christmas", we celebrate a child who was born in Bethlehem. The birth of this child fulfilled prophecies of scripture, and also changed for all time the meaning and nature of death for us. This child was The Resurrection:
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?...I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish (be destroyed, die, lost); neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."   Jn. 11:25-26, 10:28
The Apostle Paul wrote that what was accomplished through this birth, The Resurrection become flesh, would fulfill a scriptural promise:
"...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory." O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"  1 Cor. 15:54-55 (Isa. 25:8)
While scripture is very emphatic about this change in the nature of death for those who are part of Christ, this can be difficult for us to understand, and believe in our hearts. However, Paul tells us above that death has been consumed by victory. Paul also tells us in another place that because of resurrection, we are not to sorrow regarding death as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Because of Christ, in whom is our hope, death has been transformed into greater life. This is the epic victory of Christ.
The Apostle Paul had an interesting quandary that he was considering, which also illustrated his personal view of his own death:
"...Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (advantage). But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose, I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you."   Phil. 1:20-24
This was a man who had no trouble with the concept of death, and did not identify it here with defeat, evil, or lack of faith. Death would not be an evil done to him, but a far greater gain for him, because death, itself, has been changed. Do we view it that way? If not, why not?
One reason that Paul was so confident in the power of Christ over death is because he experienced a death from stoning, and was later revived (Acts 14:19-20). He also was a firsthand witness of heaven. His entry into heaven was so immediate and seamless that he couldn't tell whether he was still in his body, or whether he was out of his body (2 Cor. 12:1-4).
We must also look at the following scripture and wonder over its meaning:
"Precious in the sight (ayin) of the LORD is the death of His saints (from the root word meaning "mercy")."   Ps. 116:15
The meaning of the specific word "precious", yakar, used here is "precious, costly, excellent, brightness, highly valued, splendid, glorious, prized". This Hebrew word for "precious" is used to also refer to the precious stones fit for a gift to, or for the possession of a king (2 Chron. 9:1, 9-10, 2 Chron. 32:27). The word is also used to describe the precious stones used to embellish the house of the LORD (2 Chron. 3:6). 
God's perspective regarding our death certainly seems to differ from our own.
There is an interesting picture in scripture regarding these "precious" stones of a king, and how they were transferred from one power to another. King David's army went into battle and ravaged the nation of Ammon (descendants of Lot, conceived through incest. "Ammon" means flock or people, to dim, darken, grow dark, be held dark)). David's general Joab  ("Jehovah is Father") besieged the capital city of Rabbah (meaning exceedingly great, captain, many, mighty, strong, ten thousands) and overthrew it. "Then David took their king's crown from his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. And it was set on David's ("beloved") head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance." (1 Chron. 20:1-2).The royal crown full of precious stones worn by the king of a stronghold that held the people in darkness, or death, was removed from that king and transferred to the head of King David. It is as the scripture that says that we have been brought out of darkness and into His marvelous light (Jn. 12:46, Acts 26:18, 1 Pet. 2:9). No wonder God sees the death of His saints as "precious".
This Christmas, let us remember that the child born in Bethlehem, the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, by His own blood, took the power of death out of the strong and mighty control of sin, and brought out the flock that had been held in that darkness, into the light of everlasting life. The power of death to hold us in the grave has been defeated. Death has been swallowed up in victory.

Our Father has freed us from the power of death through His beloved Son.

"The Anthem"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24apOa9CZuU

"I Am the Resurrection and the Life"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gctV5prF1og

Conspiracy

There is a conspiracy afoot. This conspiracy does not involve aliens, secret societies or cults, or who killed President Kennedy. It is a conspiracy involving scripture, and it has been in place from the beginning. The purpose of this conspiracy is to conceal truth, to put scales over people's eyes, so they cannot receive the truth. Those actually involved in the conspiracy are from among the most learned in the scriptures, and in our society, and yes, this conspiracy is ongoing, but it will not remain hidden much longer.
One of the characteristics of any conspiracy is that those "in the know" have the facts about a situation, and either conceal those facts, or lie about them, in order to keep the facts from the general population. Such is also the case here.
One of our own Presidents, Thomas Jefferson, created something called "The Jefferson Bible". With literally a razor and glue, he cut out the portions of the New Testament that he felt were not worth reading. These omitted sections contained the miracles, even the resurrection, of Christ.  He must have read them before cutting them out, but he didn't want you to read them. There is a further description of this bizarre publication at the end of this entry.
This deliberate conspiracy is directed both to the Jew and the Christian. The Church conspired for centuries to keep the scriptures out of the hands of the general population, and took extreme measures to insure that scripture was kept only in the Greek and Latin languages, so the people couldn't read them. They kept physical access to the scriptures limited to clergy only. People were labeled heretics, strangled and burnt at the stake for daring to translate and distribute the scriptures in the common languages of the people (see Wycliffe/Tyndale). Why would these men risk such terrible consequences to get the scriptures into our hands? Because they knew that there was a conspiracy by the Church to keep the truth from the people. Martin Luther discovered that salvation did not have to be controlled by, or purchased from, the Church when he read the Book of Romans (Rom. 10:9-10). When he published this information, he became a condemned fugitive. There are still Christians today who have never been taught these salvation scriptures by their church. So let the Church not get too far from repentance itself. The careful "editing" of what is taught in churches from the Bible still continues. A person can live their whole life attending church and never hear a whisper of some of the main, precious, life-giving spiritual truths freely available to them from scripture. We will see how this conspiracy has been directed to the Jewish people as well.
Jesus exposed this deliberate conspiracy, and held His most severe judgment for those who were involved in it. Let's look at some examples:
In John 3, we are told about a man who seeks Jesus out secretly at night to hear Him. He was a leader in the religious council, the Sanhedrin. His name was Nicodemus, which means "conqueror of the assembly of people", and is described as "a ruler of the Jews". In one encounter, as Nicodemus describes Jesus as a "teacher", Jesus exposes Nicodemus for what he is pretending not to know. He tells Nicodemus, "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus feigned ignorance regarding what Jesus was saying, and Jesus repeated His declaration. As Nicodemus continues to claim a lack of understanding, Jesus says, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?" Nicodemus had refused to acknowledge what Jesus declared to him because it would mean that Nicodemus would have to accept that Jesus declared it as an eyewitness of it in heaven:
"Most assuredly I say to you, We speak what we know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness....No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man who is in heaven."   Jn. 3:11, 13
Jesus knew that Nicodemus, as a teacher in Israel, contrary to what Nicodemus claimed, knew exactly what Jesus was talking about, and knew exactly who Jesus was. And if Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, was unwilling to admit his knowledge to Jesus, he certainly wasn't teaching it to others. Thankfully, there is evidence that Nicodemus, personally, was changed by the encounter. We see later in the Gospel of John, that he attempted to influence the Sanhedrin, without actually publicly supporting Jesus, before His trial, and he contributed to Jesus' burial after His death (Jn. 7:50, 19:39). We do not know, however, if Nicodemus ever taught what he knew to the people of Israel. It was in that private conversation with Nicodemus that Jesus revealed:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."  Jn. 3:16-17
The Torah, Histories, Psalms, and Prophets, or Old Testament, gives clear testimony, both directly, and within the Hebrew language originally used, of salvation, the Savior, and the specifics pertaining to Him. Even the very individual letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet, a pictographic written language, bear witness to the Son of God. This is why Jesus described Himself as the "Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 1:8, 11, 21:6, 22:13), which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew/Aramaic. Jesus would have originally said, "I am the Aleph-Tav".
Those who have studied the Hebrew language, know exactly the spiritual depth that the language contains. Do they teach this fullness of the Hebrew language to the people? 
This was again noted specifically in Jesus' ministry. He called out the scribes, the ones who copied letter by letter, word after word of the Hebrew that was used to write the scriptures.  They painstakingly wrote it out by hand, and could not be ignorant of what the Hebrew revealed, nor to what each Hebrew letter testified. Jesus said to them, "You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."  Jn. 5:39-40
About the very learned priests and scribes, Jesus called them "hypocrites". When Herod wanted to know where the Savior was to be born according to scripture, he called in the scriptural experts, the most learned, the scribes and priests, and they told him precisely of the Savior's expected birth in Bethlehem (Mt. 2:4). Though they had this expert knowledge of the scriptures, they did not teach it to the people. The people remarked at the difference between how Jesus taught the scriptures, and what they were used to hearing from the scribes (Mt. 7:29). Though Jesus could support everything He declared and taught with scripture, the scribes falsely accused Him of blasphemy (Mt. 9:3). When He opened the scriptures in truth to the people, the scribes demanded signs from Him (Mt. 12:38). Jesus condemned the scribes in this manner:
"Woe (passionate cry of grief and despair) to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites (to feign, play a part, actor, dissembler, pretender)! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses (it was financially advantageous to them to keep the truth from the people), and for a pretense (pretended cause, outward show) make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte (newcomer, stranger, gentile convert), and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."  Mt. 23:13-14
Jesus didn't pull any punches in dealing with the scribes. He did not condemn them because they were ignorant, but because they knew. Not only did they pretend not to know, but they concealed the knowledge from the people.Like Nicodemus, they also knew, and they knew that Jesus knew that they knew, if you know what I mean! Because Jesus knew this about them, He was a danger to them, and, in their view, He had to die. The scribes, among others, who knew every letter and every word of scripture, would betray Him, and condemn Him to death, as Jesus prophesied (Mt. 20:18). Jesus categorized it as a "betrayal" because they knew.
Though men, both in the temples and in the churches, have conspired for thousands of years to keep the truth of the scriptures, the Gospel, and the Christ from the people, the lid is coming off of their secret:
"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."   Mk. 4:22-23
"He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him."   Dan. 2:22
If you are a Christian, and your church does not teach you the complete scriptures, but rather chooses small selections of verse here and there, read the complete scriptures for yourself, both the Old and New Testaments.
If you are Jewish, and your temple does not read and teach all of the scriptures, but just carefully selected passages, read the complete sriptures for yourself. If you are able to read them in the original Hebrew, even better.
If you have been told that you must accept others' interpretations of passages of scripture because they are/were learned men, read the scriptures for yourself. God has written them in a manner that you are able to understand. His Spirit, which hovers over His Word, will help and guide you in revealing His Word to you. Men have died anguished deaths to provide scripture to us all so that we can read and understand them for ourselves.
If you are an individual, or an organization, that has conspired to keep the truth and the complete text of scripture out of the hands of the people in order to preserve yourself, and your system, God sees and He knows, and He will reveal.
The conspiracy still exists today. To call it anything less would mean becoming a co-conspirator. However, we don't have to have the complete truth hidden from us any longer.

Our Father has freely given us His Word of life. (Read it for yourself!)

More details on The Jefferson Bible:
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as the Jefferson Bible, refers to one of two religious works constructed by Thomas Jefferson. The first, The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today. The second, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1820 by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the New Testament as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's condensed composition is especially notable for its exclusion of all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural, including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection and most other miracles, and passages that portray Jesus as divine

Hearts

Christmas is approaching, and I don't think it is a coincidence that at this time, an incident was brought strongly to my remembrance from when I was young.
My Mom had a booth at an indoor market, something like the photo above. This market assembled together vendors who sold all sorts of food, household items, clothing, you name it. She sold there for several years, and also selling in a booth across the aisle from her was an older couple, the Newmans. Mr. and Mrs. Newman were very close to my Mom, and Mrs. Newman would often walk across the aisle to lean on my mother's counter and shoot the breeze. Finally, Mrs. Newman just kept a chair there, and spent the day sitting and talking with my mother between customers. Once I got into high school, I spent Saturdays at the market, helping Mr. and Mrs. Newman at their booth.
One day, Mrs. Newman gave us the terrible news that she had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. We were all broken hearted. For me, it was like losing a grandparent. As the weeks and months passed, Mrs. Newman had difficult days more and more often.
One day, we were standing together at my mother's booth, when Mrs. Newman, who was Jewish, asked my Mom if she believed that there really was a heaven. Even though I was only in high school at the time, I knew what Mrs. Newman was really asking her gentile Christian friend: "Is salvation really true?"
I know at this point in my story, many of you are thinking that this was the perfect opportunity to open the scriptures, and give the Gospel to this Jewish lady. I would think that also, but my Mom was not a Bible scholar by any means.  I remember when I first discovered salvation, I couldn't figure out what the Holy Spirit did! I thought I would ask my Mom, who had been raised in a Southern Baptist church until her young adulthood. When I asked her what the Holy Spirit did, she answered, "I don't know." While my Mom was never able to give "chapter and verse", she knew God and Jesus, in whom she sincerely believed.
So, when Mrs. Newman asked her whether heaven was a reality, my mother answered that she absolutely, without a doubt, believed that there was a heaven for us when we died. Mrs. Newman, just looked at my mother's face for several seconds, as if she was looking to confirm that faith that she heard. Satisfied, she nodded her head.
Yes, I know, you might disagree with my Mom's blanket statement regarding the promise of heaven. However, that day, not too long before her death, Mrs. Newman wasn't looking for a Bible lesson. She needed to look into the eyes of someone she loved and trusted, whom she could depend upon to give her an honest answer, the most important truth she could hear at that point near the end of her life. And that's exactly what she got. She got faith and truth from a friend's heart.
That very simplified expressing of the Gospel that day, put all men's great knowing to shame, because it was spoken from the treasure of my Mom's heart to her dear friend.
We can know a great deal of scripture, or not much, and however much we know of it is of great value. However, the truth we know in our hearts, and communicate from our hearts is the real treasure. Heart-held truth is powerful and convincing:
"...The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."   Rom. 10:8-13
Sincere words from our hearts convey not only our own faith and truth, but the love and care we have for the person with whom we are sharing. For God's word, and the gift of salvation that He gave us in His Son, were gifts that originated from, and were wrapped in His love for us (Jn. 3:16-17). The love and the gift cannot be separated. As we bring that same gift to others, we can't forget the wrapping of love that came with it. People can discern whether we speak from a place of genuine caring for them, or not.
I very much believe, especially because God has brought the memory so vividly and repeatedly to my mind at this time, that when I get to heaven, I will see my Mom and Mrs. Newman standing together at a counter, shooting the breeze, waiting for me to join them. At the same time, He is reminding me not to leave my heart out of His gift to all men, because the heart is the most important ingredient.

Our Father gave us His Word from His heart.

"The Father Heart of God"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGgasHvEkDc

Songs

We can all say that there are songs that have had a large impact on our lives. There are songs that have moved millions, and affected us in important ways. There are even songs that had such a deep importance to us that these songs even helped to change society. We cannot deny that songs and music can touch our souls.
In the Church and in the temple, we understand what a strong part music and song plays in our worship. Scripture directs us to worship with songs and instruments. The Book of Revelation opens a window into the musical worship that flows through heaven. We know that Jesus sang worship songs and hymns with His disciples (Mt. 26:30), even as He knew He was about to be arrested, tried, and crucified. Music and songs have a spiritual importance in our relationship with God.
There is a very touching verse from King David in the Psalms that suggests that songs are not just a one-way activity, coming from us and going to God:
"You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround (encircle, to march or walk around, to circle about, to change, transform) me with songs of deliverance. Selah."   Psalm 32:7

David is telling us that God encircles us with songs. Can you imagine God walking around you, and singing your deliverance? This is exactly what David is telling us.
Perhaps we think that God, Himself, doesn't sing. One reason that music plays such a large role in our lives, and touches us in ways we can't explain, is because it comes from God. It touches soul and spirit, and has spiritual power. Before we are too quick to doubt God's singing ability, let's look at this passage from the prophet Zephaniah:
"Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away all your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."   Zeph. 3:14, 15, 17

When you are in a dark hour, or a frightening place, God is walking around you, singing songs of your deliverance. When you are delivered from that trouble, He sings songs of rejoicing around you. He is Awesome.

Our Father sings songs for us.

"You Are My Hiding Place"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dR0H0tAYT8

"Mighty Spirit"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu4zp6xjJAk

"My God is Awesome"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YJ4vddbJJo

Inheritance

My Mom repeatedly told me over the course of many years of her concern to leave something for her kids after she was gone. She didn't have much in life, but she wanted to leave something for her children, to be divided equally. The Bible also talks about the desire to leave an inheritance:
"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous."  Prov. 13:22
When we were kids, my Mom went to church and was a participant in the church activities, and we kids went to the traditional Sunday School. After we became adults, she no longer attended church regularly, but she certainly believed in God and Jesus.
Later in her life, I would sometimes bring my Mom to church with me, and she always enjoyed it, especially the music. She loved the pastors and congregation.
One year, shortly before Mother's Day, my Mom had a brain aneurysm that ruptured. It left her in a coma, with the doctors telling me that there was no hope for life or recovery. They sometimes showed their annoyance with the family's decision to give Mom every opportunity to recover. They viewed these decisions as being unrealistic, and prolonging of my Mom's suffering. My pastors and church faithfully prayed for her, and made trips to the hospital. The rest of the family were also always very supportive of Mom throughout the situation, and were involved in the medical decisions. 
After six weeks, my Mom miraculously woke from the coma, but the doctors now informed me that all tests and scans showed that my Mom was irreversibly brain damaged. In fact, they actually used the distasteful term "vegetable" to describe her. The hospital lawyers went to court to have my father made her legal conservator, since she was mentally incompetent. Contained in the hospital's documents to the court were the doctors' sworn affidavits attesting that the extensive brain damage they had discovered in my Mom was permanent and irreversible. My Mom, by necessity, went into a nursing home, where she began to show slow improvement. The staff there, who thought she would not live long when she first came in, called her their Christmas miracle.
About three years later, my Mom appeared before the same court and judge that had established the conservatorship. Throughout her life she had always been well groomed when she went out in public, and this occasion was no exception. There she sat, with her make-up on, her hair done, wearing her jewelry, dressed immaculately, having a conversation with the judge. She told him about her daily routine, how she lived independently, and did all her own cooking, and housework. The judge listened in amazement, and asked her many questions. He said that in his career he had sadly signed many conservatorships for unfortunate people, but this would be the first time that he had the happy privilege of ending a conservatorship. He could see that my mom had recovered, and no longer needed it.
The doctors were right in one small way- my Mom did pass away, but it was twenty years later at the age of 91. She had lived to see three great-grandchildren born.
So did my Mom leave that inheritance that she had always wanted to give to her children? Well, probably not the kind of inheritance she had been picturing. It wasn't an inheritance of money and possessions, but she left an even greater inheritance. She left an inheritance of miracles. Her husband, her children, her grandchild, and her great-grandchildren, witnessed with their own eyes that God does perform miracles. Hopefully this legacy of miracles will continue to be told to many generations yet to come. It cost Mom a lot of hardship to leave us with that inheritance, but our experience that nothing is impossible with God (Lk. 1:37), and that God heals, saves, and delivers from trouble (Ps. 34:17), is an inheritance more valuable than gold or silver (Acts 3:6). Money gets spent, possessions wear out, but the first-hand knowledge of God's unlimited love and power towards us, will never fade away, and will be treasured forever:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Mt. 6:19-21
Scripture teaches this also about our special inheritance:
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

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

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

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."   Rom. 8:14-18
Like the good man spoken of in Proverbs, our Father has prepared an inheritance for us. It is the same great inheritance that He has given to His Son, because we are His children also.

"You are the God who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples." 
                                                                                                         Ps. 77:14

If you have not yet had a miracle experience, I'm sure my Mom would be happy to let you believe and be encouraged by hers, until you get a miracle of your very own.

Our inheritance from our Father is one of miracles!!


"God of Miracles"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpdGTzRXk64

Uttermost

I don't know about everyone else, but I didn't seek salvation. Salvation sought me. Salvation coaxed me along, drawing me with things that He (Salvation is a person named Jesus) knew I couldn't resist. Salvation knew me before I was even born (Ps. 139:13), and He knew what made me "tick". He used that knowledge to attract me, and to pull me to the place where He wanted me, to the place where He was waiting to finally reveal Himself to me. He didn't force me to salvation against my will, but He made the revealing so compelling, that I could not deny what was happening to me.
Salvation is not limited to a heavenly destination after death, but it is a process of transformation begun here on earth. The fullness of this transformation is the image, likeness and stature of Christ formed in each of us. It is a life-long process of "becoming" (Rom. 12:1-2). The Hebrew meaning of salvation is "save, victory, health, welfare, deliverance, prosperity, aid, preserve, defend, rescue, ample, opulent, liberty". It is also Jesus' Hebrew name.
Salvation is not a religious decision of a person, but it is a sovereign work and power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1:16, 1 Pet. 1:3-5, Rev. 12:10, Rev. 19:1). All of Their great power is directed towards salvation:
Who is this that cometh...that is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save."  Isa. 63:1
"Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy (heavy, hardened, insensible, dull), that it cannot hear..."  Isa. 59:1
"O God the LORD, the strength (power, might, force, prevailing) of my salvation..." Ps. 140:7
"...Now salvation and strength, and the kingdom of God, and the power of His Christ have come..."  Rev. 12:10
Before our Father even created the earth, He and His Son made the provision for our salvation (Rev. 13:8). It was His provision and plan for us before the beginning.
As you can see, salvation is not a weak thing. It does not come out of weakness, and it does not create weakness, but it is the great power and strength of God Himself.
The authority behind salvation is the authority of our Creator, whose authority is unchallengeable:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I (Jesus) know them, and they follow Me; And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them (to) Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand."   Jn. 10:27-29
There is no other authority in heaven or on earth that can countermand the authority with which God commands forth His salvation. There is no situation or circumstance, no distance or time, that is beyond Christ's ability to save:
"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost (entirety, completely, perfectly, to the end, purpose, aim) that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."  Heb. 7:25
Even those held captive in death before the manifestation of the Savior in the flesh and His work on the Cross, were not beyond Christ's ability to save:
"Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity (prisoner, taken away, precious stone of the priest's breastplate) captive, and gave gifts to men." (Now this, "He ascended"- what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?)"  Eph. 4:8-9 (Ps. 68:18)
"...by whom (the Spirit) also He (Jesus) went and preached to the spirits in prison."  1 Pet. 3:19
Even though it comes from the deepest part of the nature of God, which is His love (Jn. 3:16-17), and is the foundation of His plan and all of His will (Jer. 29:11), and is a miraculous mystery that can hardly be comprehended (1 Pet. 1:12), salvation does not require a complex religious ritual. Our Father makes it very easy:
"...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."   Rom. 10:9
Even just the hearing of Jesus' salvation (Rom. 10:14), creates the basic but powerful belief needed to save, mentioned above in Rom. 10:9.
Scripture assures us that His power of salvation can be accomplished in the greatest simplicity:
"For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Rom. 10:13, Joel 2:32
Another example of the ability of Jesus to save simply is shown in His statement:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  Rev. 3:20
Just the opening of a door. That is all a person has to do, and Jesus will handle the rest.
As much as we desire for others to receive salvation, Jesus desires it even more. Our heavenly Father gave everything, even His most Beloved, in order to make the way for His greatest power- the power of salvation.
If your heart is heavy with concern for the salvation of your loved ones, be encouraged. Let your heart know that Jesus hears your prayers, they are His prayers as well, and He is an expert at salvation. He will not fail. Remember how He led you to find Him. Remember how He saved you.
If you do not understand salvation, and have never experienced it, you can see that all you have to do is open the door of possibility to Him, and He will graciously deal with you personally, regardless of your circumstances, revealing Himself to you and teaching you all that you need to know- and the most incredible journey of your life will begin.

Our Father's plan is to save to the uttermost.

"One Thing Remains"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ

One

In the last entry, we considered what occurred with God's people in a particular gap. That gap involved a physical location between two mountains, but it was a spiritual gap as well, as God's people turned away from Him. It comes up again in this entry.
Ezekiel was a very unusual prophet. He was carried away into captivity from Judah, Israel to Babylon with thousands of others. He was trained as a priest, but in captivity, he was physically separated from the Temple in Jerusalem, and the service for which he, and his fathers before him, had been trained. His father's name was Buzi, meaning "contempt, despised, shame", and this was the condition of the priesthood in Israel. So, looking at Ezekiel's situation in the natural, we would think that he had lost everything. However, Ezekiel tells us that his home in captivity in Babylon was by the River Chebar (Ez. 1:1). This is important because Chebar means "far off, length of space, continuance of time, already, long ago, formerly, now, joining together, length". The very length of the river was used to express the connection between past, present, and future, and between near, and far away. The picture this river gives us is of a connection among those things, and a lack of limitation or boundary between them. Ezekiel's prophetic visions were of the same nature. He saw into places that were far in distance, and he saw into the spiritual realm in a way that few others experienced.
The elders of Judah in captivity would come to Ezekiel and ask for the word of the LORD. In chapter 8, Ezekiel is given a vision of what is occurring at the Temple in Jerusalem, many hundreds of miles away. There were bizarre idol images and worship within the Temple walls. Elders that remained in Jerusalem, including Jaazaniah ("The LORD Hears"), were burning incense, waiving their censors in front of the abominable images. They were practicing abominable things in private as well saying, "The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land" (Ez. 8:12). They were practicing sun worship from the Temple site, as they faced eastward (v. 16). The land became filled with violence as a result. Yet, here was Ezekiel, far away in the land of captivity, "seeing" everything they were doing, whether in public, or private, because the LORD did indeed see it.
As we go to chapter 22 in Ezekiel, the physical and spiritual condition of Jerusalem and Judah has continued to decline with their idolatry, presumably because they continued to think that the LORD did not see. The land was filled with violence, injustice, greed so brutal that souls are destroyed, and evil, debauched sexual behavior from the princes who govern, to the priesthood, to the prophets who prophesy falsely. They looked at other men and women as prey for their greed, use and abuse.
The description from this chapter sounds very similar to what we have become in our country. We also live as though we believe that the LORD does not see, that we also can do as we please in the secrecy of our minds, in our private chambers, and even in the open places.
Then the LORD says something pitiful:
"So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one."  Ez. 22:30
The LORD wasn't looking for thousands. All it would have taken was a single man who would stand and intercede in this spiritual gap. He couldn't find even that one.
Could it be possible that Jaazaniah, the only person Ezekiel specifically mentioned by name, whose name  means "The LORD Hears", was one of those who had been called and purposed to stand in the gap? If he had been standing in the gap, would the LORD have heard, stopped the judgment, and healed the land? We don't know for sure, but instead of standing in the gap, he was waving a burning incense censor (representing prayer) before abominable idols with the others-idols that couldn't hear, and couldn't save.
The LORD says in another place to the prophet Jeremiah:
"Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; see now and know; and seek in her open places if you can find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment (justice), who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her."  Jer. 5:1
He is looking for a person who does not just talk, but whose heart, desires and actions are to seek God. It just takes one.
The scriptures say of Moses:
"Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses, His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them."  Ps. 106:23
How did Moses make this intercession for the people? How did He move the LORD to spare hundreds of thousands from destruction after they chose to worship idols instead of God? Moses said to the LORD:
"Yet now, if You will forgive their sin-but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which you have written."   Ex. 32:32
Words are easy. Sacrifice is not. Moses interceded, stood in the gap, from a place of self-sacrifice.
In another place in scripture, we are told that in order to stand in the gap for our land, we who are called by His name must humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our own wicked ways (2 Chron. 7:14). It requires more from us in order to stand in that position. The prophet Isaiah was a tremendous prophet of God, one of the greatest in scripture, who had the devastating and humbling experience of having his spiritual uncleanness revealed to him. His cleansing took the form of a spiritual hot coal taken from the altar in heaven and touched to Isaiah's unclean lips. Only at that point, could Isaiah volunteer to fill the need and say, "Send me." (Isa. 6:1-8).
We might say, "But this is the Old Testament. Jesus already sacrificed Himself to stand in the gap for us." However, the Apostle Paul tells us to let this same mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus, being that Jesus humbled Himself, became of no reputation, leaving kingship to become a servant, obedient to death, even a humiliating death (Phil. 2:5-8). So even after Christ died for us, we are still expected to have the same mind regarding our purpose. Our purpose involves walking in His character.
I am not talking about a physical death here for us, but I think it does require more than the words that come so easily out of our mouths. This is probably why it is so difficult for the LORD to find someone who is spiritually prepared, to do it. It just takes one.
Our nation, according to the path it has rebelliously chosen while believing that God does not see, may soon come to the point of impending destruction as a result. God will look, is looking now, for someone who will make a wall, and stand in the gap. I need to develop the spiritual character necessary for that coming moment now, otherwise, I will not be ready and able to do it. 

Our Father is asking, "Is there any man who would make a wall, and stand in the gap?"


"PRAY"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC4kbteMLCg&sns=em

"Take Me Into the Holy of Holies"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfZp8ev1MD0

Gap

The LORD brings us to different physical and spiritual places. He has us ascend to high places, and descend to low places. He brings us to dry places, and to well watered places. What we learn and do in those various places changes us, and brings change to those places.
This is a story about God's people who were brought to a low place. That place was called Shittim, or the Acacia Grove (Num. 25). By its Hebrew meaning, it is a place of thorns, scourging, flogging. In that place, there were also people of idolatry, the Moabites and Midianites, and their false god, Ba'al Peor, "lord of the gap". This gap can mean a low place, or opening, between mountains. The gap of this name can also refer to a wide opened or gaping mouth, like a mouth opened wide in terror, or opened wide to swallow up.
It is at this place of thorns and scourging that God's people began to join with the women of Moab, and also joined (fastened, be bound, attach) themselves with the false god that the women worshipped, Ba'al. In Ba'al worship, when one is in difficulty and distress, one cuts himself to draw blood, and in severe situations, even offers his oldest child to be burned in fire in order to appease Ba'al, and receive a remedy to the distress. Since Israel was in the spiritual place of acacias or thorns, we can assume that in joining themselves with Ba'al, their blood and their children were offered to Ba'al at this place of distress (Ezek. 20:6). We can also assume this kind of activity was going on because the LORD became extremely angry, and a plague (judgment) of death broke out. Moses told the leaders or judges among the people to execute all who had joined themselves to Ba'al, so that the anger of the LORD would be turned away from Israel. There was great weeping in the presence of the LORD, as the resulting plague that broke out upon them took 24,000 lives.
In the middle of this ongoing plague and weeping, a young man stood in front of Moses and all of Israel with one of these women of Ba'al worship. He was the son of the leader of the tribe of Simeon. Simeon, in Hebrew, means to hear and obey. The young man's name was Zimri ("my music, sing psalms, sing praise, play instruments"). His leader father was Salu, which means "weighed in a balance". Salu had not obeyed by delivering his son for judgment. The woman was one of the Midianite ("strife, brawling, contention, discord") women who had brought Ba'al worship to the Israelites. Her name was Cozbi ("my lie, liar, vain, deceive, proven liar"). She also was the child of a ruler of the Midianites.
Phinehas, a priest of Israel, took a javelin and sent it through Zimri and Cozbi. The javelin ran through Cozbi's belly ("to malign, pierce, perforate, stab with words, to curse"). From within her came "piercing with curses" in her worship of Ba'al, and she, in turn, was pierced by the javelin. When Phinehas pierced these two people with the javelin, the plague of judgment was stopped. The name Phinehas in Hebrew means "mouth (break in pieces) of brass (serpent, snake, fleeing serpent, enchantment, divination)". He destroyed the root of the evil Leviathan spirit (Isa. 27:1) that had come into the middle of the Israelites with their worship of Ba'al Peor. As a result, the LORD promised Phinehas a covenant of peace, and for his descendants, an everlasting priesthood (Num. 25:12-13). If Phinehas hadn't come forward, all of the Israelites would have been destroyed by the plague (Num. 25:11).
Looking back a short distance of time just before this all happened, a seer, Balaam, had been brought to this very place of Peor for the purpose of cursing God's people for the Moabite King, Balak:
"So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland (wilderness, desolation, to ruin, solitary).  Num. 23:28
Sacrifices were made by Balak at this place at Peor to try to bring the curse against God's people (Num. 23:29-30). Balaam was unable to curse Israel, but he did instruct Balak how to destroy Israel by putting the women of Ba'al among them to tempt them away from their God, YHWH (Num. 31:16, Rev. 2:14).
When God's people are in the place of thorns, in the gap of Peor between high places, in the place which faces the desolate, solitary wilderness, it is a place where they are tempted by the enemy to turn to destructive, false alternatives for relief. Jesus was tempted in just such a place, and resisted the temptation with the Word of God (Lk. 4:1-13). He had not been taken to that place by the enemy, but by the Holy Spirit, and when He returned from that place, He came in the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 4:14). It is not a pleasant place to be, but it is a place where we have a purpose. Despite all the best laid plans of the enemy, evil can be rooted out and driven out, and in its place, a covenant of peace, and an everlasting priesthood can be established. Let us pray for and encourage one another.

Our Father will bring us to spiritual gaps and acacia groves.

"Embrace This Place" by Among Thorns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgQeTqvR0ic

"Come Holy Spirit" by Among Thorns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uoCoIR-1SE

"Breath of Life" by Among Thorns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ragzYfChorY

Voices

The prophet Jeremiah describes an amazing transformation that takes place to a desolate wasteland in chapter 33. The transformation is accomplished through "voices". These voices are the voice of mirth (also meaning an ointment used in a banquet), the voice of gladness (as found in a joyful banquet), the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the voices of those who will say, "Praise the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endures forever." (Jer. 33:11). The Hebrew word for voice is "qowl". It means voice, noise, sound, thunder, proclamation, send out, call aloud, bleating, cry, sing, yell, sound of a multitude, sound of water. These five voices are brought to a place that has been made desolate (laid waste, decayed, drought, destruction, parching heat, dried up, sword, knife, slay, destroyer). There is no life, not even animal life, left in this place (v. 10), however, these voices sound in the desolation.
After the voices sound, not only do inhabitants return to the land, but the LORD brings the fulfillment of a Messianic prophecy of the One who will "execute judgment and righteousness in the earth" (v. 15). In that day, Jerusalem and Judah will be called "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (v. 16). The place transforms from desolation into Messianic kingdom reign.
It might be said that the voices, including that of the bridegroom and bride, precipitated the change. It should also be noted that the voice of the Bridegroom and bride are listed together as a couple, not as separate individuals.
The opposite is also true. The removal of these voices by the LORD caused the desolation in the first place:
"Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate."  Jer. 7:34
"For thus says the LORD God of Israel:" Behold, I will cause to cease from this place, before your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride."  Jer. 16:9
"Moreover, I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones (grinding grain, or prosperity) and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment."  Jer. 25:10-11a
It is interesting that when the LORD destroys the stronghold/city of Mystery Babylon in the Book of Revelation, He also describes it in terms of removing many sounds including the sounds mentioned above: "...the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore."  Rev. 18:22b-23
The term "light of a lamp" brings to mind its connection to a wedding, and the coming of Himself as the bridegroom that Jesus teaches (Mt. 25:6-7). The voice of the bride and bridegroom play an essential role in spiritual desolation and renewal, as we see in the verses above.
As John the Baptist explained his relationship to the Messiah, he said, "I have been sent before Him. He (speaking of Messiah) who has the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled."  Jn. 3:28b-29
John is described as "a voice crying in the wilderness", or desolate, parched land  (Mt. 3:2, Mk. 1:3, Lk. 3:4, Jn. 1:23). He is crying out in order to prepare the way of the Lord, or the coming of Messiah. John also connects the hearing of the bridegroom's voice with joy. Along with the voices of the bridegroom and bride in all of the above verses, come the voices of mirth and gladness. The prophet Isaiah also connects the transformation of a wilderness place into an Eden with "joy and gladness, thanksgiving and the voice of melody (psalm, sing forth praises)" (Isa. 51:3).
The concept of bride and bridegroom have spiritual importance, as well as a Messianic connection. The word bridegroom in Hebrew is "chathan". It refers to a marriage covenant or agreement, the law, husband, and circumcision. The word for bride, "kallah" means betrothed, made perfect, completed, to crown".
As the prophet Joel called the congregation to assemble for repentance in order to intercede or change the course of the judgment of God against the land, he made sure to call forth the bride and bridegroom specifically (Joel 2:16). Joel has prophetically seen the desolation and destruction. So he calls forth prophetically, renewal and restoration through repentance, and then commands the people and the land to "be glad", and "rejoice" (2:21, 23). Not only is restoration on its way (2:25-26), but the pouring out of the Spirit of God (2:28-29), and the salvation and deliverance, or Messianic kingdom reign in Zion (2:32). As with Jeremiah's prophecies, "the captives" are also returned at this time (3:1).
As the Church, our relationship with Christ is one of Bride and Bridegroom, so we should find the bridal role involved with desolation and renewal very important to us.
At the removal of the bridegroom's and bride's voice, the destroyer ("charab"), desolation moves in. The various Hebrew words used for "destroyer" mean: violently destroy, corrupt, waster, spoiler, robber, ravenous, violent one. The destroyer has its own sound, or voice:
"Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him."  Job. 15:21
David remarked that his own words and the spoken words of the LORD (the voice of the Bridegroom), had an effect on the destroyer:
"I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer."  Ps. 17:3-4
The Apostle Paul warned the Church:
"...nor let us tempt Christ...nor complain (murmur) as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer."   1 Cor. 10:9-10
As Paul warned, if those who are to be the voice of the Bride, instead speak with the same voice and sound of the world and the destroyer, then the necessary voice of the bride has been removed from the land, and the destroyer rushes in. What is the voice of the Bride to be saying? She says the same thing as the voice of the Bridegroom. They speak as one (echad). For example, the Bridegroom says, "Behold, I am coming quickly..." (Rev. 22:12). The Bride along with the Spirit responds to Him, "Come!" (Rev. 22:17).
As Jeremiah tells us, these voices say, "Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good, for His mercy endureth for ever." The two, Bridegroom and Bride, speak with one accord.

Our Father uses the voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride.

"Hear the Song of Your Bride"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnMoiq_H1Ak

"Mystery of the Heavenly Bridegroom and the Bride-The Khatan and the Kalah"
(teaching by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrPIxFwVUNQ

"Behind the Veil"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPmJhmEIBL4

Prophets

"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven- things which angels desire to look into."   1 Pet. 1:10-12
When I read the verses above the other day, I couldn't help but consider the prophets of God.
As I consider the prophets of scripture, I wonder what it was like to see and hear by the Spirit of Prophecy, which is the living Word, the person of Jesus. Though He was not yet born in the flesh, Jesus showed the prophets things concerning Himself that caused the prophets to search and search, trying to see more deeply into what they were being shown. They searched the words of the prophets who had come before them to find out more. They were shown such an awesome mystery, that even the angels didn't know the details, though they desired to know.
Among other things, they were shown a suffering savior, who through the sufferings of His own body and soul, provided salvation, atonement, healing, redemption, restoration and resurrection to all men who would accept Him. Death itself would be defeated by the Savior. Not all who read these prophecies, including kings and religious leaders, accepted them, and that sad fact continues today. 
The prophets saw that the resulting glory of the Savior's victory would be so great, that even new heavens and a new earth would be generated from it. These prophets were told and saw incredible things by the Lord. With being shown all of these amazing things, according to the verse from 1 Peter above, they were also shown that they would not see the manifestation of these things in their own lifetime, but were to prophesy them for the sake of some generation to come, not knowing how long that might be. They saw the miracle of salvation, but it was not to be for them at that time. It could only be for them in hope and faith. Can we even imagine how the prophets felt about that? And yet the  prophets prophesied it for our sakes. When we desire something, we want to know from the Lord, "When, God, when?" How would we feel if we knew that what we were praying for, what we deeply needed and desired, would surely manifest, but not for generations to come? Would that knowledge change the enthusiasm and hope in our prayers?
We who believe God want as many eyes and ears as possible to see and hear the message we bring. One person recently told me that they knew how it felt to prophesy, but no one would hear or believe. It could be that this person spoke from a place of frustration. It's true that human ears need to hear what the prophet is saying, but the prophets were at their greatest when it was just them and God.
The prophets of scripture not only prophesied to both hearing and unhearing human ears, but were called to prophesy when there were no ears at all to hear. They prophesied from caves (1 Sam. 24:10, 1 Ki. 18:4, 1 Ki. 19:9, 13, Ps. 142:1, Jn. 11:38), from a valley of dry bones (Ez. 37:1), from pits (Jer. 18:18, 20), from inside the belly of a great fish (Jonah 1:17, 2:1), from a den of lions (Dan. 16:16), from an island of exile (Rev. 1:9), from a prison cell (Gen. 39:20, Isa. 53:8, Acts 16:23-24, 1 Pet. 3:19), from a wilderness (Mt. 4:1, 11:7), from a sheepfold (Amos 1:1), from a battle (Judges 4:8-9). They were commanded to prophesy through horrible marriages (Hos. 1:2), through the children they conceived (Isa. 8:3-4, 1 Sam. 4:20-22), through the dung they cooked over (Ez. 4:12, 15), by what side of their body they lay upon (Ez. 4:3-8), by the clothes they wore, or didn't wear (Isa. 20:2-4, Mt. 3:4), by wearing animal yokes (Jer. 27:1-2), by the strange food they ate (Mk. 1:6). Yet they continued to prophesy for our sake. I received my salvation from the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 53) spoken 750 years before the birth of Christ. Isaiah saw Him, and described Him to me in the words of his book.
Has the Church ignored, neglected and misused this precious spiritual gift of the prophet who has been sent today to equip us, and edify us with the knowledge of Jesus Christ? What about the other gifts set among us for the Lord's purpose: apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Eph. 4:11-13)? Have we had a lack of understanding regarding their divine purpose to us, the Church? It's very possible that we have consumed them on our flesh, with our fleshly needs and demands, rather than to have understood that the purpose and goal of the Lord was for us to grow in the unity of faith, and into the perfect man, with the stature of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we have become a Church of stunted growth, and disunity.
As I read the verses in 1 Pet. 1:10-12, it gave me a lot of food for thought.

Our Father has sent us prophets.

"Prophesy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG7SVAWNyg0

"Song of Ezekiel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi3R3Ork7VM

"Days of Elijah"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjxNhMV9yg8

Cups

In the previous entry, we talked about spiritual food. This time, I would like to think about spiritual cups. The imagery in the scriptures connected to spiritual cups is very deep, and heavy to contemplate. On one hand, the spiritual cups are connected to judgment for the sake of justice. On the other hand, there are also cups for the purpose of salvation and redemption. Whole nations, individuals, evil spiritual powers, and even the Savior drink from various spiritual cups in the scriptures. Let us look at some references.
"Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup."   Ps. 11:6
In the context of this psalm noted above, the "wicked" are seeking every opportunity to harm and kill God's people. The wicked are defined as those who love to do violence (v.5). As we will see, these cups of judgment are given in the face of great spiritual wickedness.
God also gives cups of judgment to His own covenant people to drink (Isa. 51:17), then says in later verses (v. 22-23):
Thus says your Lord, the LORD and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: "See, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to you, "Lie down, that we may walk over you." And you have laid your body like the ground, and as the street, for those who walk over."
When God is giving His cup of trembling to His own people to drink, it is not for other nations to take advantage of this by adding their abuse upon God's people. He has given the cup to His own people in order to bring correction and repentance to them, so that ultimately He can restore their relationship with Him. Those who see the people of God undergoing this correction, and use it as an opportunity to add to their sorrows, will also drink the cup.
The Prophet Jeremiah gives us a prophecy of whole nations and peoples that will have to drink judgment from the hands of the LORD:
"For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me: "Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them."  Jer. 25:15-16
We may wonder why God judges whole nations. Because nations have ruled, and led the people in unrighteousness, many have suffered, many have died. Nations and rulers have responsibilities before God in governing the people. The first group that will drink this cup that the LORD has commanded to Jeremiah, are the kings and princes of His own people of Jerusalem and Judah. It is a tragedy for a nation when those who know God choose to lead in the same wickedness as those who have turned their backs on righteousness and justice. They will drink the same cup as those whose ways they follow.
Then the LORD names the other nations that will drink from this cup (v. 19-26). According to the translation of the names of these nations, they are not only natural peoples and nations, but evil spiritual powers. Their names translate as follows: "siege, distress, hostility, fire of infamy, fierce, greedy and harsh, exterminate, tear up by the roots, destroy, devastate, ruin, robbers, garments stained with blood, incestuous, inbred, knife, assault, bind, lie in wait for and hunt eagerly, covetous, lust after, contempt, despised, shamed, condemned, cut in pieces, to pluck or prune off fruit, sterile dry places, darkness as a result of turning away from the light, eternal hidden dissembler and deceiver, lurk, hide, hoard", and, an idol or goddess is named at the end (Sheshach) who represents the nation of Babylon, and is worshipped with licentious behavior.
We can see, from the names by which these nations are called, that evil in all of its destructive forms, has ruled over them. The LORD also says that "all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the face of the earth" will drink from this cup (v. 26).
God tells these nations and spiritual powers that if He makes His own people, the city of His own name, drink this cup, should the nations go unpunished? (v. 29).
Nations have bowed their heads to, and consorted with, these evil powers. God's own people have mixed with these powers. By embracing these evil principalities, nations have allowed, and participated in greed, death and destruction. One of God's twelve governmental names (Gen. 34:6-8) is "Just Judge". He cannot ignore injustice forever.
We have also been given a powerful picture of how these forces of evil and destruction have corrupted themselves, and seek to corrupt all of man. It also involves the drinking of a cup:
In Rev. 17 and 18, there is an example given of a cup from which a spiritual power gets drunk for enjoyment. This power has been given the name "Babylon" (confusion). It is so huge that it covers many waters. It is called the mother of all of the abominations of the earth. In its wine cup is the blood of saints, and martyrs that have been killed. The kings and inhabitants of the earth have committed fornication with this evil power, becoming rich on its wealth, and drunk on its wine. However, by the justice of God, that very cup with which this power becomes drunk with pleasure, becomes, instead, the cup of the fury of God (Rev. 18:3), and the fate of this evil power is to be destroyed in one day. The kings of the earth actually mourn her destruction, because they gained great wealth from her. A voice from heaven warns God's people, "Come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4).
We have read above of the cups of judgment that the LORD pours for wicked powers and those who choose to follow them, so that He may establish justice for those who have been victims. Because He is the Just Judge, however, the LORD is also abounding in mercy, goodness, and truth. He provides for those who will so choose, cups of life and salvation. He is able to give us those cups, because His Son provided them for us at great cost through His own life. The prophets spoke of these cups. There is a cup of consolation (Jer. 17:7), and a cup of salvation (Ps. 116:12-13). King David spoke of a cup that the LORD gave to him that runs over with goodness and abundance (Ps. 23:5).
The Passover Seder prophesies through four cups of wine: the Kiddush cup of sanctification, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption, and the hallel cup of praise/acceptance/restoration.
Jesus fulfilled these prophetic cups as He and His disciples partook of them during Passover, including the cup of the new covenant from Jesus' own blood (Mt. 26:27). These same cups are available to all of us. How was all of this made possible? Again, it involved a cup:
In order to provide us with these cups, Jesus chose to drink another cup on our behalf. Jesus spoke of this spiritual cup that was purposed for Him to drink (Mt. 20:22). After the Passover Seder was completed, and just before He was arrested and crucified, Jesus and His disciples went out to the place called Gethsemane (wine press). The spiritual cup that Jesus drank at that time filled Him with great distress and sorrow (Mt. 26:37-38). Twice He asked His Father if the cup could pass away from Him. However, He drank it because He desired even more to fulfill His Father's will (Mt, 26:39, 42). This cup was a cup of "agony" (severe conflict and contention, a struggle for victory). So great was the spiritual struggle on our behalf, that Jesus began to sweat great drops of blood. These blood drops were of such a size and quantity that they fell to the ground (Luke 22:44). He survived this spiritual struggle because an angel strengthened Him (v. 43). He faced this struggle with no earthly help. Throughout it, His disciples were unaware, and unable to remain awake. They were not meant to fight this battle with Him, or for Him, but He had asked them to keep watch and pray during the ordeal. They were unable to do even this. However, Jesus drank the cup, and fought the battle.
All of these cups above, are of great spiritual power. They include cups of judgment to bring justice for those who are powerless, and to bring correction, and repentance to God's people. The cups may bring a last opportunity for souls to make a spiritual choice. 
Still other cups bring us comfort, forgiveness, salvation, new covenant, communion and restoration with God. Let us choose these cups of goodness and mercy that our Father has provided for us.

Our Father has prepared spiritual cups.

"Cup of Salvation"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te1OUKl1_SY

Food

We all understand how important food is to our lives. In our culture, especially, food has become a focal point. Television networks have been created around food. Even children, who used to desire to become policemen, firemen, or doctors, now may answer that their dream is to become a chef. What has caused this huge interest and focus upon food in our generation? Perhaps the answer can be found in a spiritual need. As great a role as natural food plays in our lives, the role of spiritual food is even greater. The topic is very interesting.
Jesus often described Himself as our food:
"Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."  Jn. 6:53-58
"I am the bread of life...I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."   Jn. 6:48-51
At the Passover table, which He shared with His disciples, He again said, "Take (the bread), eat; this is My body....Drink from it (the cup of wine) all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."  
                                                                                Mt. 26:26-28 (1 Cor. 11:24-25).
Jesus emphasized the point of being the food that will yield eternal life to us. He was so emphatic and graphic about it, that, at the time, many of His disciples grumbled and complained about the nature of His "strange" declaration (Jn. 6:60-61). There is still debate in the Church over the meaning of His words spoken here-are they to be taken literally, or are they meant as spiritually symbolic? Perhaps we can all agree on one general thought. When the first Adam turned his back on God, and chose to believe instead the lying evil embodied by the serpent, God then said to the serpent, "..On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life." (Gen. 3:14). The dust the serpent would eat is the dust to which Adam would return upon his death (Gen. 3:19, Ps. 104:29). Adam literally became the serpent's food. In doing what he did, Adam also doomed all of us to the same fate. God did not create us to become food for evil powers. Jesus, the second Adam, offers Himself as the spiritual food of life on behalf of all of us. We can agree that Jesus is the Bread of Life that delivered us from the power of death. He is our primary spiritual food. Eat of Him, and we will not be eaten, so to speak.
There are other interesting references to spiritual food which God has provided to us to eat:
"For God is my King from of old (before, ancient, eternal, beforetime), working (ordaining) salvation ("yeshua" salvation) in the midst (enter into, bring near, approach, draw near) of the earth. You divided (break asunder, make void, come to naught, break to bits) the sea (to roar) by your strength; You broke the heads (captains, rulers, chiefs, company) of the sea serpents (snake, hissing, whispering, dragon, enchanter, divination, fortune telling) in the waters (waters and water springs for washing, watering, and refreshing, instead become waters of danger, violence and things that pass away, rather than the eternal). You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness."  Psalm 74:12-14
Some consider the creature "Leviathan" referred to above to be a natural creature, such as a crocodile, or a whale, or even a dinosaur, and it may be. Job 41 describes it as a fierce-some creature, whether spiritual or natural, certainly too great a creature for man to force to his will, or overcome by his own strength. Isaiah gives us a picture of Leviathan as a spiritual creature:
"In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing (fugitive, escaped, departed from its place, piercing, cutting through, breaking in) serpent (same as above-snake, hissing, whispering, enchanter, divination, fortune telling), Leviathan that twisted (tortuous, bent, twisted, perverted, wrong) serpent; and He will slay the reptile (serpent) that is in the sea,"  Isa. 27:1
As the verses in Psalm 74 tell us, these evil spiritual creatures are meant to become our food. We are not meant to become their food.
David describes a table that his Shepherd, the LORD, has prepared for him:
"You prepare (furnish, ordain, direct, array, arrange, set and lay in order) a table (king's table, stretch out, let loose, cast out, send away) before me in the presence of my enemies (enemy, distress, bind up, afflict, adversary, pangs, trouble, shut up, straits, press hard upon) ; You anoint (fatten, prosperity, become fat) my head with oil (fat, fatness, a feast of fat things), my cup runs over (wealth, abundance, satiated, satisfied, saturated)."  Ps. 23:5
David ate a spiritual banquet in the face of his spiritual enemies.
The bread of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:30) that David ate (1 Sam. 21:6, Mt. 12:4, Mk. 2:26, Lk. 6:4) and the food that the Prov. 31 woman, who is a very interesting person to study in depth, provides to her household (Prov. 31:14), is not just a natural bread. It is "lechem", which is also the tabernacle shewbread. It comes from the root word, lacham, which means "to fight, make war, eat, overcome, devour, prevail). This could very well be the same Bread of Life that Jesus defined as being Himself. The Prov. 31 woman "brings" (includes the meaning "besiege") the shewbread to her table from afar (distant place, be removed, thrust away, repel). How does she obtain this spiritual food for her family? Verse 15 tells us that she rises, meaning "proven, fulfilled, persist, be fixed, stand, perform, confirm, continue", while it is yet night, providing (devote, consecrate, dedicate, yield produce, report, utter, stretch out) food (meat: prey, something torn in pieces, spoil) for her household (family, including descendants, to build, establish, make permanent), and even a portion (decree, statute, ordinance, law, bounds, commandment, prescribed limit, lawgiver, engrave, inscribe, mark out) for her servants (root: youth, overthrow, shake to and from, up and down, shake oneself, tumble).
This description from Proverbs 31, gives us a clearer idea of how we attain, are given, our spiritual food. In these verses, we can see that as we confirm and continue, as we stand fast, remain fixed, persist in our faith, and in the truth of God, spiritual food is provided for us, as God defeats His enemies. Even in darkness, we are to remain under the protective covering and shadow of the Most High. We devote and consecrate ourselves, and are not moved, nor compromised. The spiritual food that we eat, builds an eternal household, continuing to future generations. As we rely upon, and eat, this spiritual food provided by God, we become lawgivers who engrave, set and decree the commandments, limits and statutes of God to all creation, including evil spiritual adversaries. This benefits not only our own households, but also those who are depending upon us because they are vulnerable, those who are likely to be shaken, tossed, to stumble and fall.
Especially because of the times in which we live, it could very well be that the reason for our unusual interest in natural food can be found in the importance and depth of meaning in our seldom considered spiritual food.

Our Father has provided us with spiritual food.

"Bread of Heaven"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjVgm9-XTqQ

"The Body and the Blood"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzMrfzAaUk