TRUTH

      The pattern of the Sabbath readings is that once the reading portions have finished with the end of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), which is Deuteronomy 34, the readings immediately circle back to the beginning of the Torah with Genesis 1. So, we begin again this Sabbath with the Book of Genesis, which I think has a very timely message for us. I am already looking forward to what the LORD will teach us in this new cycle of Sabbath readings.

     This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled B'reshiet, meaning "In the Beginning." The "B" that is joined with the Hebrew word reshiet, or "beginning", can mean "in, at, with, when." 

     As we know, Genesis 1 begins with these words: "In the beginning (resit/ro's - beginning, firstfruits, first in place-time-order or rank, chief/head, top, beginning, captain, first, ruler, height, choicest, excellent) God created (bara'- create, creator, choose, to shape or form, transform, of miracles, of the birth of something, pare a reed for writing or a stick for an arrow, to cut, carve out, separate, break out) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-heavens (and) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light ('or - light, bright, clear, light of life, illumination, light of day, light retained, become light, shine);' and there was light. And God saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day." (Gen. 1:1-5).

     The Hebrew meanings of the words used in the description of the condition of the earth as shrouded in deep darkness, point to an earth held captive in the darkness and misery of death. The Father, God, and the Son who is present in the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega attached to the heaven and the earth and the light in written Hebrew, and the Holy Spirit, would resurrect the dead planet with the spoken Words: "Let there be light." The "light" spoken and produced is also the light of life (see Jn. 1:1-5, see also Col. 1:15-18), according to the Hebrew meaning, which is Messiah/Christ as the Word of God. 

     The creation of God continued from this first day as the earth was filled with life.

     The first unequivocal truth is that there was no other beginning factor in the creation of the heavens and the earth other than GOD - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Secondly, resurrection power and authority by the attachment of the name and rank of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Son of God played an essential part in the creation. There may be other theories and fables of men regarding creation, but none of those theories or fables have the power and authority to be able to resurrect a dead planet, as was described here in the Hebrew meanings. 

     Another principle of truth of the authority and power of God seen in creation is that although heaven and the dry land of earth are separate creations of the second and third days of Genesis 1:6-13, they are eternally connected as one in Genesis 1:1 under the name and authority of the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega, which is Messiah/Christ Jesus (see *note at the end of the entry). We know that the will of God rules over and in both heaven and earth as Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." (Mt. 6:9-10). Jesus also told His disciples: "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (Jn. 1:51, speaking of Himself as the fulfillment of the vision of "Jacob's Ladder," the connection between heaven and earth, from Gen. 28:10-15).

     Another truth laid out by God in Genesis 1 is that all that is created by God has life within itself. God has placed the seed of life in each living thing and that seed will bring forth the same form as the form of its origin. Grasses, trees and herbs have seed within them that will produce the same types of grasses, trees and herbs. All created life of the air, land and sea have seed within themselves to produce their own likeness. A tree cannot produce a bird. The seed of a plum tree cannot even produce an apple tree. A bird cannot produce a rhinoceros and so forth. Although there are mutations and variations that may occur, there are not enough billions of years contained within time, and there are not enough mutations in the universe that will result in the reproductive seed of one species producing a totally different species. (v. 11-13, 24-25). They were created and commanded by God to produce seed after their own kind. Man was created by God as a separate creation and not as coming forth from any other species. Man was formed by God after God's own likeness. As this specific and separate creation of the image of God, man would not be of the same stature as the other creatures but would have rule and dominion authority over them. (v. 26-28). This is the truth of God's creation, regardless of what man may say. The LORD unapologetically and uncompromisingly lays these truths before us for a reason, which we will see. The LORD set forth these details of His creation because it is so important for our lives and purpose on earth for us to know and to trust in the truth of God concerning the origin of all things, including man, and His absolute power and authority to redeem and resurrect His own creation (through His Son, Jesus), that God made these the first words which He had written to all mankind.

     The other reading portions for this B'reshiet Sabbath, Isaiah 42, Job 38, and Psalm 139, confirm the truth that it was God the LORD who created the heavens and the earth and all of its inhabitants, including man. The LORD even uses the truth of Himself as Creator as His identity:

     "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: 'I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;" (Isa. 44:24). And:

     "For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: 'I am the LORD, and there is no other." (Isa. 45:18).

     It is the LORD who forms man before he is born. It is the LORD who determined to give His Servant (Messiah/Christ) to His creation as a Savior and Redeemer:

     "Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it: I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light (see 'or above) to the Gentiles (also meaning "nations")." (Isa. 42:5-6).

      The truth is that God calls lies and liars abominations (see Prov. 6:16-19) worthy only to be thrown into eternal fire (Rev. 21:6-8), and we will see why later. God's Word assures us that God is not a liar, and is impossible for Him to lie. (see Num. 23:19-20, Rom. 3:3-4, Titus 1:1-2, Heb. 6:17-18).

      However, it didn't take long for man to choose to believe that God is a liar. The serpent questioned the woman about the truth of what God had said to Adam in Gen. 2:15-17: "Then the LORD God took (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Eve repeated to the serpent the command given by God to the man as she understood it or misunderstood it. Somewhere between the time that the man received the command and the woman heard of the command, an untruth was added to the command. Not only were they to not eat of that tree, but the woman told the serpent that they were also forbidden to even touch the fruit of that tree, which was not included in the original command. (see Gen. 3:2-3). The serpent immediately took advantage of this untruthful statement and said to the woman: "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4-5). The serpent told the woman, and her husband who was with her (v. 6) that God had lied to them when He warned them that they would die - that God had lied to them in order to withhold His divinity and authority from them.

     The LORD God later asked the man and then the woman what they had done. The woman answered: "The serpent beguiled/deceived me." (Gen. 3:13). Here we come to the important point concerning lies: they are connected to witchcraft and occultic powers. The word "serpent" in Hebrew is nahas which means "hissing serpent, snake, viper, enchantment, enchanter, practice divination or fortunetelling, whisper a magic spell, the whisper of a soothsayer, to use sorcery." We can see here in the Hebrew meaning, the connection between the serpent and witchcraft, including the casting of spells. This does not mean that the woman and her husband would not be held responsible for their choice, even under "beguilement," to believe the lying words of the serpent instead of the true words of God.

     It is at this point that the LORD expelled the man and woman from the Garden, and cursed the serpent, promising He would cause the woman to bring forth the Seed, referring to Messiah/Christ, that would crush the serpent's head. (see Gen. 3:14-15).

     Jesus said this to those who were offended by and refused to hear the life-saving salvation truth from Him: "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of myself, but He sent Me. ...you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your Father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him...he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me....He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." (Jn. 8:42-47).

      In a reference to the events of Genesis 3 above, Jesus often told the religious leaders of His time that they were snakes, vipers and serpents (see Hebrew meaning above) because they refused to receive the truth themselves and they withheld God's truth from the people. (see Mt. 12:33-34 and Mt. 23:33).

     As it is with the Father, it is also impossible for Jesus to lie. He came full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14), and He came to testify of the truth (Jn.18:37). He said that His Father sanctifies us with the truth, with His Word of truth (Jn. 17:16-17). The Holy Spirit of the Godhead is called by Jesus, "the Spirit of truth" who will guide us into all truth." (Jn. 16:13-14). It is the truth brought by the Son of God, Jesus that sets man free in every way. (Jn. 8:31-32). It is imperative to God that we know that He does not lie to us. He is a God Who not only tells the truth, sends the truth, but IS the truth. It is the knowledge of the truth that delivers us from the beguilement associated with the serpent/Satan.

     John 1 identifies Jesus as the Word of God, who was with God, and who was God in the beginning. Everything that was created was created through Jesus as the Word of God. Proverbs 30:5-8 tells us: "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield (magen/ganan - shield, buckler, armed, defense, ruler, protector/to defend, to cover over, surround, to hedge about, protect) to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words (see also Rev. 22:18-19), lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me..." The truth of God, who IS truth, and His Word which is the Person of truth, serves as a protective covering over and surrounding us if we will trust in Him as truth.

     It is never just a "simple" lie. Jesus told us that Satan himself is the father of lies. He is a liar, and the father of it. Satan, who deceives the whole world, (see Rev. 12:9), like the serpent in the Garden, uses his occultic powers to generate and empower the deception. We will see some more examples.

     We are given an account in Luke 4 in which Satan tried to tempt and deceive Jesus for forty days into abandoning His purpose as the Son of God, as the Savior and Redeemer. We are told that Jesus was in the wilderness. However, while attempting to deceive, seduce and tempt Jesus with improper interpretation of scripture, Satan also combined this attempt with witchcraft and sorcery (see the definition of "serpent" above). Satan supernaturally took Jesus from the wilderness to a high mountain to show Him all of the kingdoms of the earth "in a moment of time." (v. 5-7). Then, supernaturally, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem from the wilderness and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple there. (v. 9-11). Satan used these occultic arts to empower the lies and misrepresentations that he would tell. We know that Jesus resisted these attempts to lure Him from the will of His Father by using truth - the pure, correct application of scripture that overrides the twisting of scripture by men and devils to suit their own purposes. Both Peter and Paul warn believers about this practice of deception (see 2 Pet. 3:15-18, and 2 Tim. 4:2-4).

     In another example, the apostle Paul wrote the following to the church in Galatia: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched (baskaino - to bring evil, the evil eye, to charm, bewitch, to fascinate by false representations) you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?" (Gal. 3:1). The word "fascinate" is used here as part of the Greek meaning of "bewitched." The word "fascinate" in our English dictionary means: "spellbind or transfix, enchant, bewitch, cast a spell, a magical or irresistible pull, to draw another by exerting a powerful influence." Paul recognizes that something evil has exerted an occultic influence in combination with a lie being falsely represented as truth to this church.

     The Galatians had fallen away from the truth of the salvation of Christ by grace through faith and began to believe that salvation was "earned" by obeying and doing the works of the law of Moses instead. The lie and the liar were attempting to rob this church of its salvation faith. Paul countered this to this church with a repetition of the truth of God.

     We may be skeptical of such things as being beguiled, bewitched or spellbound, but Jesus warned, and it is important for us to know, that before His return mass deceptions and delusions will be very powerful. The deceptions will be so powerful that even the elect can be deceived by them. (Mt. 24:4-5, 11, 23-27). Paul also wrote of a strong delusion sent by God that will cause people to believe a lie. These people had already chosen to believe and accept lawlessness and the lawless one who comes with "the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception", and they did not believe the truth of God. However, God has chosen us to have "belief in the truth." (2 Thess. 2:7-13).

     Many are perplexed by the current mass belief in outright lies (those things that stand counter to the Word of God) that we are seeing today. Not only are lies supported with zeal, but some of the lies have been incorporated into the law of the land. Not only do masses of people believe the lies, but they also demand that all others must honor the lies as well. We often hear the bewildered words being said, "It's as if the world has gone crazy!" Even "common sense", or foundational innate human knowledge and understanding, is being removed. Are we seeing what Eve realized when she said, "The serpent beguiled me"? Are we seeing some of the mass deception and delusion about which Jesus and the apostles warned? Nevertheless, we have been provided by God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the only shield and defense against it - the truth, if we will remain in it and trust that God is true. Those who do not love and cling to the truth will be led further into the lies. (2 Thess. 2:10-12).

I invite you to join with me in this prayer:

"Heavenly Father of all truth, fill me, shield me and cover me with Your Word, Your Son, and Your Holy Spirit of Truth. Keep me from deception and delusion, from lies and the father of lies. You sent Your own Son, Jesus, to crush the head of the serpent, who beguiles, lies, and leads astray from the truth of life and salvation. Let my ears and my heart only receive Your truth. I pray this with thanks in the name of Jesus for myself and my whole household. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.