The Body cannot live without the blood. If you had a perfect body and you would change the blood to clear water, the body would die. Why? The life of the Body is the Blood. The same thing applies to the body of a Christian and also, the Church as a whole. Without the Blood, the Body would die. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Lev 17:11”

What God has made He made for all. The blood of man is constant, but the heart of man is inconsistent.“And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Acts 17:26”

Who among you shall shed innocent blood? The blood of Mother, Father, Sister or Brother. The blood of strangers or servants.? This shedding of blood, of man, is a hateful thing, in the sight of God. For it was God who prepared and delivered, this blood. The Bible tells us that the blood, shed of man, pollutes the ground upon which it falls. It also turns a man into a murder and thief. “For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. Isaiah 59:3”

But what Of Blood and Sacrifice? The blood that we speak of is two different things, 1. That of sacrificial atonement and 2. The giver of life within the body.

Is there sacrifice, when one body kills another? Again two answers. 1. Yes, where there is only the intention of saving others threw the shedding of blood in love. And 2. No. Where there is blood shed in hate and so called martyrdom.

“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. Gen 9:6 ” Is this an eye for and eye, tooth for a tooth, a life for a life? No we are not under the Law but under Grace. We are, under the Law of final judgment. Where every action of man shall be brought forth into the light. But there in contrast is the shedding of innocent blood for the remission of all sin, including murder.

“For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Rev 16:6” Was Jesus a saint, prophet,Teacher, Preacher and Lord? Did not He shed His blood for all mankind?
“For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! Hab 2:11-12”
Is not this the way of mankind today? Building kingdoms and Nations on the blood of the innocent? They use the mortar of hate and the Blood of life, to make their bricks. The walls weep and cry out for revenge, and justice, for so many have, and will die to build a fortress. The Egyptians, Aztecs, and others, have tried to build with Blood. But haven’t all these kingdoms fallen? “Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. Eze 35:6” Blood for Blood, a killer by the sword shall also, be killed by the Sword.
For when you destroy, what God had created, you shall answer to Him, for what you have done. Can a man sin against His own soul? Yes.

“For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Rev 16:6 ” Who has done this thing, that all men have come to judgment before the Lord? All men. There was a representative of all Nations and Races among man at the Crucifiction of the Lamb. “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
John 19:14-15”
Shall I crucify your King? Or have you already? Have you freed Jesus within your soul, or have you desired to drink the blood of an innocent? Martyrdom is not the taking of innocent blood by murder. Martyrdom is giving of ones own life, to save and not kill. There is a misjudgment among man that says, we must take, and drink, in the blood of others. This to show their loyalty to God. This is a lie. Martyrdom is as was Stephen, Antipas, and Jesus, The disciples and the Apostle Paul.
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Heb 6:6)
Each time a man falls away from the truth they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh. The reject the blood and sacrifice that was made on their behalf. They refuse the will of God and make unto themselves a new god, way and doctrine.

Nothing is hid from the sight of God.
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Rev 2:13)
Martyrs are those that dwell within the will of God. They are those that are covered by the Blood and Sacrifice of one, who had no sin. Who among you have no sin? Who among you can offer his blood and life as a true sacrifice for all mankind? Do you only see your race of people as the only ones worthy of God? Do you say that, “We are the only ones that can interpret the word of God.” If so then how can you convert mankind? Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Mat 23:15) Without the truth any converts are, just as lost, as you are. Hell is full of proselytes, that were forced to bow to false gods and idols.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries

A. R. Smith Ministries

http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

Prophecy One
Dear Pastor

Greetings to you in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I have few prayer requests…..hope you’ll pray wih a burden heart during the 7 day fasting prayer
1.My dad is trying 4 a visa ….. he will be coming by this month……..pray that he brings the visa with him 2.He got a new opening in the government sector in that country…he has passed the interview. The medical test has been done and is waiting for the report…pray so that if its Gods will let him get a postive result
3. We hav a debt of about 2 lakhs…v hav 2 settle it by this month…otherwise there will be serious problems…pls pray
4.I want 2 be annointed in HIS sprit
5. I want to lead a victorious christian life. Like to hear frm you

Yours In Christ
Roshan

This is Martins reply.

Hi Roshan Matthew

I am sorry for taking a long time to reply

What I want to share to you:

Roman 8 :28

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose.

His Word says : All things God work for good. So you have to trust in Him even when things seem to be bad but His promise all purpose for good

Matthew 6:33

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

His word says to seek the kingdom of God first. Its mean He wants you to make Him as your priority in your life. Don’t rely to your own strength. All abilities will be fail if we dont depend on Him .Even we depend 99% to Him, its not wholy we trust. Trust Him with 100% and praise Him in all situations. Your joy and gladness does not depend on what you see and what you face. Having Him and His Heart is greatest Joy.

To become victorious christian its depends on your mind.Your mind is great battlefield. The victory is dependent on you. When you storing good things to memorized for your brains, It will be sword of the spirit to take dominion.

Roman 8:5

5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

His word says those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Its means… when you live in the spirit the habit of nature will automatically sweap away. So you don’t have to work hard to struggle. When the nature sins come counter with the verse that you memorized. (I suggest you to memorized 1 or 2 verse per week )

God Bless you
Martin

My comment

Martin is a person gifted in personal prophecy to total strangers over the Internet via email. A prophetic word is essentially a personal uplifting Biblically backed message from God in season that can address a current situtation whilst also be timeless and be helpful to us in the future like inspired scripture. Martin does not request money, he labors for free doing up to five to ten messages a week and having checked hundreds of his prophecies I have to say he is a very humble servant of the Living God.

I grew up as a Baptist who had no idea of the Gifts of the Spirit and the gift of prophecy, and yet in discussion with people from day to day we might share a problem we are facing in our life and a person might share a scripture that makes our hearts leap with the fire and hope of the Holy Spirit igniting our faith to go in our problem.

Scripture is a sword, and Martin says it’s the answer. I encourage you to write to Martin.

Prophecy two

A lady wrote this from Africa asking for a prophetic word and the only answer given to her was a scripture, the scripture a poor African might need to focus on in order to find hope in what is often a hopeless situation.

Goodday Martin

Thanks

Martin replied:

Hi

I feel the Lord want to say these:

Psalm 121 (Amplified Bible)

1[a]I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah]–From whence shall my help come?(A)

2My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber.(B)

4Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield].(C)

6The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.(D)

7The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.

8The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.(E)

God Bless you
Martin

Martin who is led to write under the inspiration was not led to write any words of his own but to simply quote the scripture the Holy Spirit wants this lady to get into her spirit. The Word of God is a sword and it will fight our battles is we have faith in it and use it in our life.

Lassi writes martin

Hello,

I would really need a word, and guidance from God! Can you pray for me? J

GBY,

Lassi

Martin sees a vision and explains it in prophecy

Hi Lassi

I see in darkness and you are kneeling down near ground seem you try to find foot step.
And the Lord says this to you:

The Lord know that your sight is not far in His work. The situations now seems dark for you no sign where to go. But The Lord says, when you humble your self before His throne, you can find footstep one by one. And you know His word is a lamp unto your feet. Yes it is hard to see in darkness more than on foot step, but you have to trust that you are not lost.

Psalm 23: 4 (NIV)

4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

God Bless you
Martin

Martin at one time came to me for a prophecy and I asked himor he asked me if he could minister on my site. He is very experienced and must know thousands of scriptures as he seems to quote heaps of different ones to different people.

Take a chance.

Step out and ask Martin if he has any scriptures that might be good for your current situation and any comment he feels the Spirit of the Lord wants you to know. If you have a mustard seed of faith you might get really blessed.

Be patient, Martin will get to your request yet he has a fulltime job and helps his pastor in his church also.

Be understanding of Martin’s limited english as it is not his first language.

You can contact Martin at the online prayer site below.

Matthew is one of two people that operate a site at http://www.escapeministries.net Escape ministries is a place where people can be ministered to over the internet, by reading articles, watching videos and receiving personal prophetic words. James and Matthew invite you to visit today to look at some of the articles they have collected and watch some of the video teachings they are setting about to produce for you. You are encouraged to sign up for our monthly newsletter or simply email James or Matthew with any of your comments. We hope that you might bookmark it and come back to visit often as we pursue our mission statement that is found on our home page.

You can visit and view their video’s live at youtube by going direct to http://www.youtube.com/EscapeMinistries

“You often see the same thing, but much more profoundly, in the eyes of people who are dying. You’ll also see it sometimes in mentally ill people – it’s almost as though, through their suffering, they acquire some kind of spiritual insight. It’s like a current of divine energy, something so strong and so beautiful, it’s impossible to even describe”

- Dr. Jack Preger.

The first impression of aliens visiting us from an advanced civilization in outer space would most likely be one of awe.

Awe at the stunning variety of landscapes, countless life forms, vast mountain ranges, valleys, deserts, rain forests, lakes, rivers, oceans, and polar ice caps. After all their interstellar travels, they may conclude that we inhabit the most beautiful planet in the Universe.

Their second impression might be of incredulity; of trying to find an interpretation for words such as: countries, nationalities, borders, foreign languages, religions, - and why these names split this relatively tiny planet into hostile, murderous, competing, often non-communicating factions. They might observe that the last word, religion, tends to be the most divisive of any other, and be quite unable to explain, or understand the strange phenomenon.

Not surprising.

Our small abode in the vastness of space is home to a bewildering number of different and sometimes conflicting beliefs, all of which were apparently passed on in some form to specially selected and enlightened human beings by an invisible Deity.

What each of us believes is often entirely influenced by inherited cultural and spiritual teachings, and ready-made, off-the-shelf family faiths. In many cases, these religions dictate our lives. They tell us when and what we can or cannot eat, and what we can or cannot wear. Some oblige us to shave our heads, others forbid us to cut our hair. Even our genital organs are subject to interference.

Once implanted and reinforced by respective societies, countless people end up having their minds imprisoned, with their behaviour, emotional responses, and happiness (or lack of it) extrinsically controlled by a powerful, often irreversible, form of spiritual brain-washing, which is inevitably passed on to their children, and perpetuated. It is endlessly fascinating, and often frightening, to imagine what a liberated mini-skirted secretary in central London might have turned out to be, born instead to poor parents in Lahore or Luanda.

No religion of course can be demonstrated to be true, and neither can we prove the existence of a benevolent Creator. Indeed, if we consider Mother Nature, where “acts of God” such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and other disasters result in countless deaths every year, and on a planet where most living creatures kill and devour each other without mercy in order to survive, it would tend to completely negate the concept of a loving God altogether.

The unpalatable truth is that every single day, millions of wild animals suffer the pain and horror of disease, starvation, or predation. Humankind’s example is even less supportive of a loving God. Countless adherents of the world’s main faiths, supposedly pious adherents of their religious teachings, have throughout history killed, tortured and raped under the banner of their so-called beliefs, and do so tragically today - even as you read this.

Today’s children learn words such as genocide and ethnic cleansing almost as soon as they can comprehend the television news. Anxious mothers warn their children of evil people who sexually molest young boys and girls, whispering that religious figures can be guilty of this too, and nobody will really know how many paedophiles carry out their evil practices hidden behind the cloth of their faith. Wise fathers counsel adolescent siblings about the dangers of being indoctrinated by convincing religious sects designed to enrich their leaders at the expense of their followers, and that astonishingly, many highly intelligent people fall for this deception every single day.

Given the tragic failings of world religions to unite us, agnosticism or aetheism become increasingly more logical to many free-thinking people, the latter now almost becoming ‘fashionable’ in publications exposing the God-paradox, such as Sam Harris’s best-selling book: “The End of Faith”.

But whatever kind of person we are, most of us at some time will feel awed by our own existence - the sheer magic of life itself, or the mysteries of the limitless expanding universe around us.

And for those of us who have faced the heartbreak of watching a loved one pass away before our eyes - the frightening finality of death - the need for a deeper understanding can become agonising. Even Sam Harris himself admits:

‘There is clearly a sacred dimension to our existence, and coming to terms with it could well be the highest purpose of human life”

And at a time when we might open our front door to hear some self-convinced souls warn us that unless we convert to the “truth” contained in the free leaflets they are distributing, we will face damnation, it tells us that something is terribly wrong. More than ever before, there is a profound need for religious tolerance, understanding - and most of all, plain, solid common sense.

One source of this understanding could be an Englishman, an-ex farmer, who calls a spade a spade, and has spent his life searching for pure spiritual truths — a down-to-earth person who has studied the major religions of the world yet adheres to none of them; instead, applying to his own life their combined and highest teachings, stripped of any dogma or doctrine.

Somebody who, like Mother Teresa, has selflessly devoted his life to the service of the poor, but who does not preach, proselytise, or even attend a place of worship. A man with an infectious laugh and a sparkling sense of humour, who is as equally at home in an English pub, as in a third world slum.

Somebody who is not perfect, but is in many ways an exceptional human being. A remarkable man who through his research, and his own profound, inexplicable spiritual experiences, might bring us closer to the universal message, and the reason why we are all here.

Read about Dr. Jack Preger, his personal experiences and recollections at: http://basilicum122.googlepages.com/fromtheauthor

####

Basil McCall is a personal friend of Dr Jack Preger, and an ex-volunteer who worked at his original ‘pavement clinic’ in Calcutta.

Today I want to show you a misconception that I believe dominates the Christian Church and has distorted our view of the truth of prosperity. In the Gospel of Luke, Christ said,

Luke 4:18: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Now, having heard this, what picture comes to mind? Most people say, “Look, it says it right there. The Gospel is to be preached to the poor. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Almost everyone has bought into it, but I say that it’s wrong. Look where it takes your thinking: - We preach the Gospel to the poor - They are the ones who need God’s Word - The rich don’t need God - The rich don’t want God - That’s why I never want to be wealthy and get to the place I don’t need God - That’s why money is bad

All this thinking is wrong and the reason is, we don’t understand the word “poor”. People think it is talking about money, but the word “poor” simply refers to lack or meager supply. Have you ever heard the term “poor health”? Does that mean that his or her health has no money? Have you ever heard a farmer say the land was “poor”? Does that mean the land had no money? In both cases it is lack-lack of health and lack of nutrients in the soil.

In verse 18 of Luke 4 it says that he was sent to heal the broken hearted-they were lacking a whole heart and thus poor. He preached deliverance to the captives-they were not free and thus poor. He helped others recover their sight both spiritually and physically-they were blind and thus poor.

It is religion that has taught us that prosperity and wealth are wrong.

Psalm 35:27: Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

As wonderful as this verse is, it takes on even more meaning when you realize that the word for “prosperity” is the word “Shalom” which means “peace”. It is a beautiful translation. When you are at peace, you are content, you don’t have any needs or lack and that is the perfect picture of prosperity.

Abundance without God is folly: you are spiritually poor so you are not prosperous. But most Christians don’t think they have the right to be wealthy or prosper. Prospering is part of being whole; if you don’t have it, you aren’t whole and that is not how God planned it. You are not whole until you are financially whole and in order to receive that wholeness you must believe that this is at least part of what God wants for your life.

How often have you heard, “You’re being spiritual so, you don’t need money or abundance-that will just distract you.” Distract you? Some of the most distracted people I know are the ones who can’t pay their bills. When my checking account is overflowing, I’m not distracted by bills at all-in fact I have more time to spend with God because I am no longer concerned about money. The fact is the only time you don’t need money is before you came into this world and when you leave it-but while you are here you will need material things and God wants you to have them in abundance.

Now, I am going to teach you something that will really open your eyes and you had better be careful about sharing it, because you could make some people very mad.

Psalm 112:1-3: Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

Here is a man whose heart is with God and God has blessed him abundantly.

Psalm 112:9: He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

In verse 9 it says that this man has given to the “poor” and here is where you might get upset. E.W. Bullinger says in his Companion Bible that the word “poor” means “working for a living; poor, not in extreme want, but simply having only what one earns, having nothing superfluous, living sparingly”.

How many Christians use their meager living on bare necessities as a badge of their Christian faith, when God says plainly that they are poor? Don’t get mad at me; I didn’t write the book. So does living meagerly represent God? Not according to this section of scripture.

Now please understand that if you are just getting by, God’s Word says you are poor because there is lack. And if you have a billion dollars, but lack health or don’t know God-you are also poor because of your lack. So to go back to our original question, “Is the gospel for the poor?” Yes it is, but just make sure you understand what poor means.

Copyright (c) 2007 Duke Clarke

Duke Clarke is a writer/teacher/coach/lecturer and minister.

He has started a new website http://www.TheThinkingChristianInstitute.com to get people to think about their lives and walk with God. He is nondenominational in background and invites anyone to visit and take a look.

Every time I stay up for a night writing articles a song comes on the radio that inspires me to write on it. Phil touches on a subject that the prophets have touched on and I would like to have something to say and add to his song. I hope it makes you think next time you’re out on the streets where these people live.

She calls out to the man on the street
sir, can you help me?
Its cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep,
Is there somewhere you can tell me?

The girl is not asking for you to take her home, though if you have room next to your car in your warm garage she would be very happy to camp there. This lady is simply asking if you know of any shelters that might take her in. There are hundreds of men in my city like this. Jesus addressed this sort of person in the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[a] and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

This is the same as this girl but let us watch what most people do.

He walks on, doesn’t look back
He pretends he can’t hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there

This is like the two men in the parable. Jesus knew they existed and today unless you are giving spare change to the homeless beggars in your city he was talking about you also.

Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

You see the Levite even crossed the road to get away from the man.

When these people on the street ask you for a dollar next time, get out a dollar and give to them. You see they have been kicked out of their home and are on the streets through no money coming in, or addictions in their life.

But Phil tells you where you are.

Oh think twice, its another day for
You and me in paradise
Oh think twice, its just another day for you,
You and me in paradise

You have a warm bed with blankets, a warm shower each day, a place to wash clothes so that your clothes don’t get dirty and you have fresh food on the table three times a day. You live in paradise with your computer, your MP3 players and DVD’s and TV’s and all the modern comforts. You have a job, you have a life, and all they have is a cardboard sign.

I was fortunate I lived in a two bedroom apartment for really cheap rent so when a nice man asked me if he could live with me from the streets I took him in. Right now as I type at 8am in the morning he is having for himself a nice warm shower and he has access to washing powder and can change into clean clothes and he has his own bedroom and now contributes half of the rent as I pay all the bills.

Not all of you can take a person in but God calls you to have compassion.

Isaiah 58:6-7
6 “ Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

This says to share your food with the hungry. That means you don’t walk down the city street past all the men with cardboard signs, it means you approach one with a fresh sandwich and a drink.

This verse says to take the girl home. That you bring to your house those that are cast out. Doesn’t this lyric speak of a lady that is cast out?

You can tell from the lines on her face
You can see that she’s been there
Probably been moved on from every place
cos she didn’t fit in there

How can we call our countries Christian nations when we allow so many people to live in dire poverty on our city streets.

I was blessed by the Lord Jesus when he allowed me to become homeless for a couple of weeks. Then the Lord led me to stay in a homeless men’s hostel for six months. On the streets with those men and the people who ate there each day I came to have a love for the homeless and to understand their plight. Now I have my won government sponsored accommodation in Sydney for life and I can have compassion on the homeless.

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

When you see a man on the street with clothes that have not had a wash in months and are black with stains. God to a cheap store and buy him a new jumper. He will appreciate the new jumper and he’ll feel clean for a while. Better still, tell him your intention and take him with you.

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
This is the man above:
He walks on, doesn’t look back
He pretends he can’t hear her,

Don’t look the other way. Don’t read the sign and toss your head and judge the person that has not got a house. Don’t be a priest of a Levite in the Good Samaritan but be the Good Samaritan and take the person home and give them a shower, change of clothes and a home cooked meal.

She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she’s been crying
She’s got blisters on the soles of her feet
Cant walk but she’s trying.

Isn’t there any compassion left in this world? Doesn’t mankind care anymore? People how can you sing praise and worship songs in church and then walk down the street and not bind up the hurting and the helpless. You want to give them a tract, give them a meal and give them your tract.
Zechariah had this to say:
Zechariah 7:9

9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:

Everyone to his brother.

You live in paradise dear reader, take some time and money and show some compassion on the poor that you know. We are all brothers and sisters, we all came of the Ark at one time, under one family. Don’t let people suffer on your streets, bring them a little joy each week.

Let me pray

Father I ask that you bless this reader and that they realise the full import of what I have had to share. I know I have a soft heart and I realise that I too was homeless for six months and so I have a cart to push in that area but Father open the eyes of the reader, that they live each day in paradise. Father teach them to have mercy as you have mercy. Teach them to be your Sons hands and your Sons mouth to the broken hearted in their city. In Jesus name I ask with thanksgiving.

Amen

Matthew is one of two people that operate a site at http://www.escapeministries.net Escape ministries is a place where people can be ministered to over the internet, by reading articles, watching videos and receiving personal prophetic words. James and Matthew invite you to visit today to look at some of the articles they have collected and watch some of the video teachings they are setting about to produce for you. You are encouraged to sign up for our monthly newsletter or simply email James or Matthew with any of your comments. We hope that you might bookmark it and come back to visit often as we pursue our mission statement that is found on our home page.

You can visit and view their video’s live at youtube by going direct to http://www.youtube.com/EscapeMinistries

The people of Isaiah’s day enquired of the LORD about fasting and the LORD answered through his prophet what the LORD requires of a fast. The people in Zechariah’s day enquired of the Lord about a fast they had done for seventy years and the LORD almost repeated what he’s said in Isaiah’s day word for word. Today let me take 3000 words to explore what these two prophets said about a correct fast.

Zechariah 7:9-10
9 “Thus says the LORD of hosts:

Against his brother.’

In the time of Zechariah after seventy years of captivity in Babylon the people asked Zechariah should they continue to fast and weep in the fifth month as they had been doing for seventy years in captivity? Zechariah brought them a little rebuke and then outlined in the above verses what a fast should be all about.
Execute true justice,

When we live in the West we assume that true justice is done in our courts but you only have to be poor and not educated as to your rights in law to find yourself a victim of justice.

I found that out as a male in Australia in a custody case for my son Brandyn. I wanted equal custody of my child, I didn’t want full custody and I didn’t want a fight, I just wanted to share the custody of my child. There was a thing called an interim agreement of custody. This interim agreement was the type of custody arrangement that we would had in between the original case presentation in legal documents and the actual court case. At the time I was not told that it was going to take more then a year before the custody case would come to court. So wanting to be co-operative I settled for an interim agreement of only seeing my son for one weekend every two weeks. What I didn’t know was the longer this was in force the more the judge when my case comes to court will not want to change what is already working so well.

So when my case came to court I was told that it would be best to keep the arrangement like the Interim agreement.

This is not a sob story, but the fact of the matter was because of my lack of knowledge of these things I lost what I wanted through all the time I put into the case and all the worry.

If we are to please the Lord we are to have justice that gives the poor and uneducated a hand up.

Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. .

We all like to be shown compassion. When we are in trouble with our teacher and are sent to the headmaster we all appreciate a headmaster that shows mercy and compassion. Because of his authority and position his compassion is not taken lightly and as a student I did not forget the words of caution my headmaster gave me.

When we have more money then another person who is poor and begging we have ample opportunity to show mercy and compassion by giving of our money. There are many ways to show mercy and compassion. When someone sins against us we can instead of be upset and angry with them we can show them grace, and mercy by forgiving them and loving them the same. We are always in a position to show mercy and compassion and we should walk with the Spirit each day always ready to act in this way.

10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,

The alien or the poor.

In my country Australia we have social security that looks after the widow and the fatherless. They don’t get a lot of money from the government and it’s hard to live, but they can live. In ancient Israel the widow needed the community to look after them as did the children without a father. This is why James exhorts the church in his letter.

James 1:27
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

The students in our country from other countries are waiters, kitchen hands washing dishes, and guys working in service stations at all hours at night. They are doing lower paid jobs, doing the jobs other people don’t want to do. In this way we oppress the alien in our country.

Of course a student does not mind doing a job to work through university yet we still give the worst jobs the people with little experience and not a good work history in our country.

Another way we oppress the alien, un invited refugees, in our country Australia, is that we put them in detention centres, run like jails in until they are processed which often takes years. This is not nice and I am sure there would be better ways to deal with this.

Let none of you plan evil in his heart

Against his brother.’

It’s a fact that every sin starts in the heart. First comes the thought, and then when it is acted upon this becomes the sin. James speaks about this too.

James 1:13-15

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

We need to conquer a sin as soon as it enters our mind and refute it with what the Word of God says.

Isaiah 58:6-7

6 “ Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

In Isaiah’s day the people asked God why wasn’t he taking notice of their fasts? Isaiah answered as a prophet of the Lord and said the above verses 6 and 7.

“ Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

Not every person has the power to loose bonds of wickedness, yet wherever you see it happening and it is in your power God wants you to act. This may be seeing someone doing a crime that is hurting people in your area and going to the police as a witness, or this may be coming alongside a lady who is getting hurt by her husband and helping her leave him until he gets help. Wickedness continues to prosper while good people do nothing.

To undo the heavy burdens,

People in this world travel this lonely planet with heavy burdens. When someone has an addiction in your area, buying them food to eat, or cooking them a meal once in a while is a great way to lift a burden and get close to a person in order to encourage them one day to leave their addiction behind.
The blood of Jesus is miraculous how it takes all the guilt away when you sin and confess your sin. Jesus took every persons burden.

We all need to reach out to others. Sometimes five hundred dollars might be a big burden to a person and yet for you it might be two weeks overtime payments and you could easily lift that burden from their shoulders. Of course you might not be able to afford five hundred dollars to give to every person but as the Holy Spirit leads you, you can easily lift burdens off people with your money. Giving people money is compassionate and merciful; even if they have an addiction you can use your money to buy them something worthwhile.

To let the oppressed go free,

We have all seen a child being picked on a school and if you were anybody like me you always liked to take the side of the person being picked on. But the picking on people goes on till all ages. People that are not loved suffer a kind of oppression. In our country the original settlers of our nation get a lot of flack and are downtrodden. I like to be nice to our Aboriginals when I meet them. It’s a shame that our Aboriginals are partial to alcohol and many of them can be quite scary but in my time in Kings Cross the infamous red light district of Sydney I came to know a few of them and was able to share the love of Christ with them.

If you are an employer a simple two dollars extra per hour for an hourly worker can be a form of letting the poorly paid go free. This is a way of saying to this person, that they are valuable to you and you are happy with them.

And that you break every yoke?

When two cattle are put together to plough a field a piece of wood was put over each of their shoulders to keep them together and is able to let them pull the weight equally.

Breaking the yoke is breaking that piece of wood over a person’s head. Capitalism can be very cruel. Hard for the poor and good for the rich. Rich people have good houses, good education and good connections for where they are going to go in their future. Poor people don’t know rich people well and get less opportunity.

Breaking the yoke is bringing the information to the poor. Breaking the yoke is bringing the connections to the poor and the education to the poor. We can break the yoke by giving Bibles to China or to the countries of Africa. Ask the Lord he’ll show you how to break the yoke over people’s lives.
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

I heard of a pastor in India that was travelling by train when a beggar ran to him on a station and asked him for money. The pastor had no money on him only his bags and some packed lunch for the journey. The pastor gave the man his sandwiches and his apple. He watched the beggar go back to his other beggar friend and open the sandwich and share it with his friend. I think that picture on a crowded hot and dusty Indian railway station in essence the very best expression of this verse.

Every single day there are hungry spouses and children of gamblers, drinkers, and drug addicts in your community. Church feeds some of these hungry souls but with a bit of research you could find your own family. I’ll bet there is a single mother in your church that could do with a nice meal at a restaurant if you could afford to take her and her children. Fifty dollars might be a lot for you, but I promise you many tears will be cried by that single mother in times of desperation when she remembers that night out with your family.

Seeing a homeless person asking them what they want to eat and going and getting it for them will make you a very happy person and will make the homeless person happy too.

There are hundreds of people you can help in a town simply by sending money to Aid agencies to buy staple foods. I guess being so nice with your money is being unspotted from the world, different to the world. When you are prepared to spend 30% of your income on the Lord you have your priorities right.

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

Last year a homeless man asked me if I had room at my house for him to stay, I said that I did and now he has been with me ten months. Not all people have room in their house for people to stay, but they can bring the poor home for a meal and a shower and give them some clothes.

Jesus taught on this. He said that when you have a party you should invite the poor and the maimed and people that could not afford to pay you back. There is nothing like a home cooked meal over a table with a family and your family can be the family. There are plenty of poor. My house mate says that America’s cities are full of homeless people, go and get a couple and take them home for a home cooked meal. Bring a couple of big men you know around for security reasons if you must, but bring to your house the poor who are cast out.

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

There are not many naked in your city, so this means something else. This means guessing the shirt size of a man on your streets and going to your local shop and buying him some new shirts. That’s going and getting him some new shoes when he has no shoes in the middle of winter. It’s pretty simple. And if you walk down the street and pretend that you don’t see that homeless man then you are hiding yourself from your own flesh

The parable of the Good Samaritan was written for the modern Christian

Luke 10:25-37

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

Many Christians do this when they see the homeless and downtrodden and beggars on the street. Few have the mercy and compassion of the Good Samaritan. These are hard words from a modern writer called Matthew Robert Payne. A man that has been given a prophetic mantle in this generation.

First Isaiah says to have mercy, then Zechariah says to have mercy, now Jesus expands on the poor man on the street and says, have mercy on your neighbour.

It’s not hard to do all of this folks, you simply have to have a new heart and come away from man’s lies and false doctrines and commandments of men that make the instructions of the prophets be ignored.

Jesus put the Good Samaritan story into context to show us who our neighbour is. If we are to love our neighbour we need to be the Good Samaritan. Most people are ignoring the poor and that is not what the Lord Jesus would have you do.

Let me write a prayer for you that you might want to pray.

Dear Father

I have heard your word today and it has pieced my heart and made me think. God give me the grace to understand this message and to apply it in my life. Help me with your Holy Spirit, prompt me to listen to your Holy Spirit and lead me to do this sort of fasting. Give me the courage to give and to reach out to the lost and hurting, give me friends to help me and lead me your ways so I might do your will.

In Jesus name I ask.

Matthew is one of two people that operate a site at http://www.escapeministries.net Escape ministries is a place where people can be ministered to over the internet, by reading articles, watching videos and receiving personal prophetic words. James and Matthew invite you to visit today to look at some of the articles they have collected and watch some of the video teachings they are setting about to produce for you. You are encouraged to sign up for our monthly newsletter or simply email James or Matthew with any of your comments. We hope that you might bookmark it and come back to visit often as we pursue our mission statement that is found on our home page.

You can visit and view their video’s live at youtube by going direct to http://www.youtube.com/EscapeMinistries

Is the Bible the Word of God? Or is it just a collection of human writings? How can we know for sure? Any google search on the inspiration of the Scriptures will bring up a surprising amount of results from people who do not believe so. These people can be convincing. However, these arguments are merely the opinions of their authors, with no evidence to back them up. In fact, the evidence stands against these convincing arguments–and evidence always speaks louder than persuasive words.

Perhaps the most compelling evidence for the inspiration of the Scriptures is the unity of the Bible, especially when one considers all the writers involved. The Bible does not have a single contradiction. Not even one. Yet several people, over the course of thousands of years wrote it! Most of these people did not know each other, and they came from a variety of backgrounds. If I asked ten people today to write down their thoughts about God, chances are, there would be some contradictions. Yet forty people wrote the Bible! The odds of forty people over thousands of years writing a book as vast as the Bible are astronomical. The only logical explanation is that all were inspired by one God to pen the words of what we now know as the Bible.

Another compelling reason to believe the Bible is the Word of God is because of its scientific and historical accuracy. The Bible mentions many scientific principles that were not known until long after it was written. For example, the earth was generally believed to be flat until the time of Columbus. Yet Isaiah 40:22 mentions “the circle of the earth.” This is but one of many examples. Keep in mind, the Bible writers were not scientists! In addition, archaeological finds continue to verify many of the historical facts mentioned in the Bible. Archeology has yet to find anything in history that contradicts Scripture.

One of the more fascinating proofs of Biblical accuracy is the fulfillment of prophecies in the Bible. Archeology has verified that the book of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before the coming of Christ, yet Isaiah accurately described the crucifixion, the promise of salvation, and many detailed aspects of Jesus’ life. Many other prophecies in the Bible have come true also. For example, the Bible predicted the rise and fall of the Persian and Roman empires in Daniel. The book of Daniel also talks about the increase of knowledge in the last days, and vast amounts of travel. And this is the tip of the iceberg. Literally, hundreds of prophecies have been fulfilled.

Some argue that the Bible isn’t inspired because man decided which books would be considered “inspired” and which wouldn’t. They also argue that some of the books that have been left out were recognized by the original disciples as Scripture. While it is true that these other books were well-known to the disciples, it is important to remember that these writings were considered Jewish literature, and the original twelve were all Jews. They were historical documents.

The men involved in the canonization of the Scriptures did not “decide” which Scriptures were inspired. They simply recognized the Scriptures that were inspired. To be considered inspired, they had to pass certain criteria. For example, any prophecies that should have come true by that time had to be fulfilled. The work had to be accepted by the church at large as inspired. The work had to be a first-hand account, or very close to it. While this sounds like man “deciding” what qualifies as Scripture, one has to remember that these men were chosen by God before they were born, to canonize Scripture, just as the Bible writers were chosen to write what would later become Scripture. Time has shown that these men correctly identified those books that were inspired, and those that were not.

In fact, the book of Isaiah foreshadowed the final Holy Bible as we know it today. Amazingly, the Bible has 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament takes place before the coming of Christ, when men were still in bondage to the law, while the New Testament begins with the birth of Christ and focuses on the freedom we now have in Christ. In Isaiah, the first 39 chapters are parallel to the Old Testament, in that they talk of judgment and captivity (bondage), while the last 27 chapters contain the messianic promises, which were fulfilled in the New Testament. One could perhaps write this off as coincidence or accuse the men who canonized the Bible of setting it up that way on purpose. However, the Bible is so full of these types of “coincidences” that the odds are against it

No one can prove the Bible is the inspired word of God. However, the evidence is compelling. In the end, we must make a decision to accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God by faith. This is necessary to live a victorious Christian life. Either the Bible is completely true or completely unreliable. If one little line is untrue, the whole Bible becomes unreliable. Throughout history, the Bible has consistently been the best-selling (and most controversial) book of all time. It has been the most enduring book, passing every test of time. Yet no one has ever been able to prove a single line or even word of the Bible to be false. For a book as vast and complex as the Bible, this seems to be far outside the powers of man to accomplish, especially the powers of forty very different men who didn’t know each other and who didn’t realize they were writing the Bible.

For more articles by Candace Marra, go to http://www.newbelieverslounge.net There, you will find articles, an estore filled with resources to enrich your Christian knowledge and growth, a community bulletin board, and a blog designed to help you interpret the current events of today from a Christian perspective.

It’s a hot topic in Christian circles whether the church, the bride will be raptured BEFORE the tribulation, DURING the tribulation or at it’s end. In these three passages I want to show that the Lord’s people may be on earth during the tribulation.

Passage 1

Revelation 12:1-6

1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The woman is the church of the last days, the Child Jesus who was caught up to God really shortly into his ministry. You can notice that the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God for 1260 days. The number 1260 days is mentioned another time in the Bible, in this book of Revelation and that is in chapter 11 when it mentions the worlds last two prophets.

Revelation 11:3

3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

I personally believe that the two witnesses will not suddenly come to POWER, but they will have a gradual rise until one day God releases an anointing on them that allows them to pronounce plagues and judge the earth. In the time that they are rising to power I am sure that the two witnesses will be dealing with nations leaders helping them to set up safe places from the Beast, safe havens in a cashless society.
The Bible calls these safe places the wilderness, and the wilderness is where the woman( church) will flee to. Of course the whole church will not flee, as many of the church are in love with their houses, lands, possessions and relationships with other people and will be seduced by false prophets. Jesus warned that a person has to be able to deny everything to follow him and in these perilous times if you were still on earth, just one bag of clothes might be all the possessions you can carry.

With real supernatural power the two witnesses will lead the last days church along with the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation. But most importantly the verse above says that God will look after his church. Of course not every country is going to have a safe haven so the people of God will have to be warned beforehand and given provision to travel and given residency in the new country when they arrive.
Of course the Dragon, Satan will not be happy and so will make war with the woman on the earth.

Revelation 12:13-17

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The woman was given two wings like a great eagle. Now doesn’t that sound like a modern day jet flying the woman to another country, a place of safe haven, the wilderness prepared by God of his people? The flood looks like it could be a tidal wave sent at the women, but God seems to be able to open the earth up to swallow the wave. Whatever this means, the woman will be protected.

The wilderness is not a hard thing for God. Once before God fed over a million Jews in the wilderness for forty years with manna and quail out of heaven. God has no problem getting water out of a rock, has no problem with a cashless society and would have no problems sinking the world’s biggest navy in the sea if they came to attack the safe place.

The idea of leaving your home, your car, your possessions and family that did not want to come might be hard for you, but nonetheless God has a plan. You can see in verse 17 that the Dragon went to war with the rest of the people that keep the commandments after he couldn’t get the woman, so there will people that are not in the wilderness and those saints will be somehow protected by God also.

Passage 2

Isaiah 26:20-21

And will no more cover her slain.

Why would the people of the Lord need to hide themselves and enter the chambers if they were safe in heaven?

People could say these verses only apply to the people of Israel. Yet I like to think that I am part of a righteous nation that keeps the truth.

Isaiah 26:2-3
2 Open the gates,

Because he trusts in You.

I am the seed of Abraham, part of the vine, grafted in, yet this passage above talks about the righteous nation that exists as the LORD judges the whole world in fury. The LORD simply says hide yourselves for a little moment.

People go to movie after movie and expect a good ending. People read novel after novel and expect a good ending and yet people assume the book of Revelation before chapter 19 is a bad ending. The Book of Revelation is written, acted in and performed by a righteous God and His saints on earth and in heaven. It is a lot more complex then people know and people sometimes are wrong in their interpretations. To live during the tribulation might be a scary time to live, but as the last world harvest takes place with all signs and wonders following it will not lack excitement.

Verse 3 above says that a person’s mind will be kept in perfect peace if they keep their mind on God. Is your mind at peace?

Passage 3

Revelation 3:7-11

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Does this sound like you?

You have little strength and have not denied Christ’s name? Have you people in the church reject you and tell you that you are wrong to be so committed to Christ?

People are looking for the last day’s church. The church of Philadelphia is this church, and this church is going to be saved out of the judgement, maybe not in heaven, but in a safe place where the viruses and plagues and judgements and the Beast do not get them.

The West by in large fellowship in the church of Laodiceans, a people who think they are rich but a poor, naked and miserable in the sight of the Lord.

The Lord is knocking at the door of your heart. Will you let Him come in? Will you let the Lord dine with you?

Let me pray

Father

I appreciate this may be hard news for a person who has been sold the idea that they are not going to be on earth during the tribulation. I pray that you still their heart and teach them how to walk in the Spirit each day and do what they need to do each day. Teach the reader how to read the Word of God, how to get personal revelation from the Word of God and bring into their lives people that are walking in your Spirit each day so that their Christian life might blossom.

In Jesus name I ask these things with thanksgiving

Matthew is one of two people that operate a site at http://www.escapeministries.net Escape ministries is a place where people can be ministered to over the internet, by reading articles, watching videos and receiving personal prophetic words. James and Matthew invite you to visit today to look at some of the articles they have collected and watch some of the video teachings they are setting about to produce for you. You are encouraged to sign up for our monthly newsletter or simply email James or Matthew with any of your comments. We hope that you might bookmark it and come back to visit often as we pursue our mission statement that is found on our home page.

You can visit and view their video’s live at youtube by going direct to http://www.youtube.com/EscapeMinistries

There are some pastors today within the Christian Church who are preaching that the Ten Commandments are no longer valid. Is this what the Word of God teaches?

Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments when He said, Mathew 22:37-40 “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

Some people have misunderstood this to be saying that these two commandments replaced the Ten Commandments, but Jesus was not giving a ‘new’ law, He was in fact quoting an Old Testament scripture about the importance of keeping the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 6:5-8 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: … And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes”.

Jesus was showing that the Ten Commandments were a law of love, the first four commandments showed us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man. This is why He said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.

Another misunderstanding on the relevance of the Ten Commandments has come from Colossians 2:16 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat (offering), or in drink (offering), or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:”. Many people who have read this verse out of context have concluded that this means that the fourth Commandment, which says “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy….” was abolished at the cross, but this is not what the verse is saying. It is speaking about the Ceremonial law, which was abolished at the cross, when Jesus’ one time perfect sacrifice, made forever null and void the need for further animal sacrifices. If the previous verses are read, it is clear that it was the handwritten ceremonial law, and not the ten commandment law, which was written by God’s own finger in stone, that was abolished. Colossians 2:14 states, “blotting out the handwriting (the only laws written by hand were the ceremonial laws, written by Moses -) of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.”

Also the ceremonial law had always been symbolically placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant, to show that it was temporary, and ‘against’ the people. The Ten Commandment law on the other hand, was written in stone by the finger of God, and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing its eternal nature.

Luke further clarifies that there is a definite distinction between the Ten Commandment and Ceremonial laws, and that they were not one and the same. Luke 1:6 “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

For more information on this topic please visit http://www.the-ten-commandments.org

Debra Lohrere is the author of Christian Prophecy and Investment books http://www.investmentpropertybooks.com/christianbooks.html

The two most important holidays that are celebrated each year are Christmas and Easter. They both are celebrated due to one Man and his effect on all mankind. This man is Jesus Christ who was born an earthly birth and as such had an earthly death. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus and Easter celebrates his Resurrection. Today we will study how the Resurrection effects all mankind and why it is an important day for Christians all over the world.

Of Course in order to have a Resurrection there had to be a death first. Lets look at the death of this man called Jesus. A man who was born by means of a natural earthly birth. A birth to a woman who was engaged to a carpenter. A woman who was not royalty nor was she in-mortal. A normal woman who was not free from sin nor was she married at the time of conception. A conception that was not of a sinful manner, rather an immaculate conception.First lets look at what the Bible says about the conception. Luke writes in the first chapter verses 26-35:

Luk 1:26-35 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. (28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. (30) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. (31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (34) Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Matthew writes in chapter 1

Mat 1:18-23 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. (19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. (20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, (23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Thus fulfilling the old testament prophecy written in Isaiah:

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

So Christians Celebrate the Birth of their saviour on Christmas day. Some dispute rather or not this is the actual day of the birth. However the celebration of his birth has the same impact on man no matter what the actual date of his birth is. The fact that he was born into this world in order to fulfill prophecy and that he will be put to death to save all mankind is the relevancy. Easter Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and the defeat of death. The Friday before Easter Sunday called good Friday is the day of his death. His death is as important to us as a Christian as his Resurrection. See with out his shed blood, we would still owe the debt of our sins. So lets discuss the death, which was his blood shed for us. In Isaiah we are told:

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

He was wounded, bruised and chastised for us. These words do not completely describe the pain and agony our Saviour suffered so as our death would not be painful. And that our death would not be an end rather a beginning.See Jesus suffered the infliction not just of the cross, but the horrific beating he took before being placed on the cross. Jesus suffered so we could have eternal life, so our sins could be forgiven and our slates wiped clean. Jesus died in order to pardon everyone of the sins they commit. Jesus was sent from the Fathers side in Heaven to suffer a human birth, life, and horrific death so man kind could be saved by Grace.

Here are two excerpts from two different writers of the story of the crucifixion and the suffering.It is just a brief portion of the final days of the life of Christ here on Earth.The story of his final days gets complexed and long so we will not go into detail here just laying a little ground work to allow you to understand the birth and death so you may more easily understand the Resurrection and importance of it.

Mat 27:28-31 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. (29) And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! (30) And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. (31) And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Mar 15:17-20 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, (18) And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! (19) And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. (20) And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

Jesus was the final blood sacrifice fulfilling all blood sacrifices forever. We no longer need to offer blood sacrifices in order to be forgiven. Now at the time of Jesus death he was taken down from the cross given to Joseph to be placed in his tomb.

Luk 23:50-53 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (51) (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. (52) This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. (53) And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

Two accounts of the burial and Resurrection written in Matthew and Luke.

Luk 24:1-15 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (2) And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. (3) And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: (5) And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? (6) He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (7) Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. (8) And they remembered his words, (9) And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. (10) It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. (11) And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. (12) Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. (13) And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. (14) And they talked together of all these things which had happened. (15) And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
Mat 27:60-66 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (61) And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. (62) Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, (63) Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. (64) Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. (65) Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. (66) So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

So lets break this all down. First of course Jesus had to shed his blood in order for us to have forgiveness of our sins. Then he was placed in a tomb with a stone placed in front of the tomb to keep any one from entering the tomb there was also two Guards placed to watch over the tomb. Then on the first morning of the week Mary Magdelene and Mary went to the tomb and they found it empty.

The empty tomb meant that prophecy was fulfilled and that Jesus had risen and is alive. Because Jesus rose and is alive reigning on his rightful throne all mankind can also have eternal life in the presence of Jesus. That though death will still come to all man it is no longer an end. Instead it is only a temporary time until we are also called from the grave into our rightful place to be forever in the presence of the Lord.

1Th 4:13-17 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We will all be in a sleepful; state until the time as come and the Lord will call us unto him where we shall be forever with him. According to John the only man that has ascended to heaven is the one who come from heaven.

Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

We have to remember that through the blood we are saved by Grace. There was no way any one person could pay their own debt for the wrongs they would do while walking the earth.Salvation could not be earned, it is not a reward that one gets. Instead it is a gift freely given to us by God through the shed blood of his son whom he sent to earth.How wonderful that God is not like man, how wonderful it is that God did not judge and condemn only. Instead he judged the world unfit, condemned us all to death, then gave us all a pardon through the shedding of the Blood. He allows all mankind to receive this gift freely through faith.

God did not send his son to condemn us.

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

God gave true justice. Not just judgement, he also provided a way to be rehabilitated from the old self. He provided a true justice, one that could not be corrupted because man is in charge. God is incorruptible,perfect and fair he doesn’t have personal gains or conflicts in his judgement. He judges based on the heart of the person, not based on what that person may have done in the past or may do in the future. He holds no personal grudge and doesn’t hold prior sins against you. He allows all mankind to get equal justice based on faith through grace. He doesn’t require one to continue to suffer through unjust punishment of a corruptible system that you have no possibility of ever truly being finished with the punishment.

The importance of Easter to Christians is more then Easter eggs and Chocolate. It is to celebrate the fact that Jesus is alive and that the tomb where he was placed is empty.

Pastor David Azbell

4/14/07

David Azbell
http://www.davidazbell.org