On Unity

There is not many faiths. Just one faith! Christians are called to live in unity. We're not to be followers of Apollos or even Paul. We are to be followers of Christ. Likewise, regardless of who we are; whatever race, gender, culture, personality, background or how sinful we're been, we are to be one in Christ:


John 17:22-24

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

We have thousands of denominations, some scriptural, some philosophical and some in apostasy. We are called to be one in Christ, but fresh and salt water are not to be mixed. Where is the boundary between unity and schism? There are many ecumenical movements around, the most prominent being the World Council of Churches (National Council in the U.S.).

We must share the “basics” in our belief and unite with those who do not ignore nor neglect God's Word. Scripture is God-breathed and written by those inspired by God. Many don't believe this. Most progressive denominations believe that the Bible is history and a guide for “right living”. Others believe that all scripture was written for that time and with the advent of modern science, needs to be updated. We know from scripture that God is unchanging. We worship the same God as did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is the same “yesterday, today and tomorrow”.

We should never unite with those denominations who do not believe the inspired scripture and its inerrancy. You are talking most of the largest denominations. However, many of us, although not of Baptist denominations, are Baptist in beliefs: Southern Baptists, General Baptists, Independent Baptists, American Baptists, Freewill Baptists, Separate Baptists, United Baptists, the Christian Church, the Church of Christ, Free Methodist, Wesleyan, Christian Alliance, Nazarene, Church of God of Anderson and some Apostolic Churches. We are called to lead the “great commission” and despite our differences, we all teach salvation by grace and through Christ alone. Many differ in method and necessity of Baptism, but most of us are baptized after regeneration.


It's not necessary to dilute one's own belief to allow others to have their own scriptural interpretation as long as we all base our beliefs on scripture, in context, without pride and and in the interest of magnifying the Lord... not ourselves, our own doctrine or doctrine peculiar to your denomination only. Our goal is to deliver souls to God in heaven... not fight doctrinal wars and alienate the unbeliever!

Ritual Offerings: A Picture of the Cross!

Offering is the “Old Testament” (OT) were commanded as a way to seek forgiveness and a way to praise God for the things he had done. Offerings were ceremonial, given in a cleansed body with cleansed utensils, on an acadia or natural stone altar, were given by the priests and were to be with utmost reverence. Any violation or offering made which differed from God's instructions were presumptuous and blasphemous. Some died because they failed to follow directions!
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There are two types of movements in making offerings in the OT, heave offerings and wave offerings:

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Leviticus 7:32 “And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.”

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Leviticus 8:26 “and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the Lord.”

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Heave offerings were made by the priests in and up/down motion. Heave offerings were a present to the Lord, obviously to please and revere Him. A heave offering is to God, ruler of Heaven. The heave offerings were the first-fruits, the right shoulder, offered in harvest time.

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Wave offerings were made by the priests in a a swinging horizontal direction back and forth. A wave offering was to God, the ruler of the earth. Wave offerings were peace offerings and consisted of the grain first-fruits Wave offerings became the property of the priest and could be eaten by them.

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If one examines the offerings taken together there is much to learn! The up/down motion (heave offering) paired with the horizontal motion (wave offering) together provide a picture of the cross of Jesus crucifixion with its vertical member crossed by the horizontal. God knew what he was doing when he delegated early man in the worship of the Savior to come! But there's more!

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The right shoulder of the animal was heaved in praise of the Lord. It was of the first-fruits (first born) and was without blemish! Jesus was the first-born of God and was without blemish. He was sin free and made the sacrifice in our place! Jesus was the present (grace) provided by God that offered the ultimate sacrifice for us. Whereas the priests made the sacrifice at harvest time, God made His sacrifice once and for all! We aren't expected to continually ask for His sacrifice over and over. Today Jesus rules in Heaven at the right hand of His Father. The heave offering celebrates his majestic position reflected by the right shoulder of the firstborn form the flock!

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Grain made into bread with pure ingredients was the wave offering. The bread represents the body of Christ and we do that in remembrance of Him even before the cross and forever thereafter! Like us, the priest was allowed to partake of the bread. Wave offerings, celebrating the ruler of the earth, was a picture of Christ incarnate! Wave offerings represented the “Son of man” nature of Christ and the heave offering the “Son of God” nature of Christ. Wave offerings were a peace offering. All mankind has sinned against God and the wave offering was to make peace with a gracious God, not unlike the death of Christ on the cross which made peace between man and God to get for us a place in Heaven. It's a thank you for His grace!

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Isn't God wise? Wasn't His plan merciful? Our forebears had a gracious God who promised them a Messiah through their ritual sacrifices by the priests in a rudimentary tabernacle. Modern man was a recipient of that promise through the dispensation of grace: Christ's death on the rudimentary cross! We no longer need the priests to make our repeated sacrifices for us. We offer our self one time and are rewarded by becoming of the royal priesthood ourselves, and Jesus mediates our thanks and requests to God. Aint God great?

Unintentional Sin

What have we always been taught? Sin is a willful transgression of God's law! The definition we use is accountable for only one of the three types of sin. The three are 1) Pesha (deliberate) – when we intentionally violate the will of God in rebellion to his authority, 2) Avon – (iniquity) – when we sin because of our emotions: lust, anger, jealousy, etc, done willfully, but not out of rebellion to God, and 4) Cheit – (unintentional) sin. When we simply miss the mark... the standard set by God. Today we'll discuss how we sin unintentionally.
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Leviticus (NKJV) 4:1 “Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.”

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Modern man can't even quit deliberate sinning! How can we expect to even contemplate restitution for sins we do unintentionally? Unintentional is without deliberation... without aforethought. We know from our legal system, which is based on “natural law”, that there are less severe penalties for crimes “without malice aforethought”. “Involuntary Manslaughter” comes to our minds first when we think of unintentional crimes. “Settled Insanity” is state where we're no longer responsible for our actions. Whereas drunkenness is not valid for an insanity defense, long-term substance abuse is. To make that more clear, we can't intentionally  get high, then murder and be found innocent; but a state of perpetual addictive use of a drug may get one off in some states!

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Deliberate sin is the willful violation of God's laws summarized in the ten commandments. If we look carefully at Leviticus 4:1 we see that “unintentional” sin is a violation of any of the same commandments. Consequently, the difference between intentional and unintentional sins are not one of magnitude, but are based solely on our own state of mind... whether we are sinning in rebellion or because we are human.

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Why do humans sin? We sin as a result of man's collective guilt because of Adam's disobedience. It is our nature to do evil, to do what God opposes. Did Adam (and Eve) sin because they were deliberately in rebellion to God? Eve ate because fruit of the tree looked good, she thought it would be good for food and that it might make her wise (Genesis 3:6). Her purpose in sinning was for pleasure! Her primary goal wasn't to rebel against God. She was tricked by Satan (Genesis 6:4). “Original Sin” seems to fall more along the lines of the definition of “iniquity”. Therefore, we are held accountable by God for all sins, not just ones we do out of rebellion. If Eve had meely eaten of the fruit to satisfy the hunger need, she would still be sinning, but without aforethought.

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Since there is no delinealization between sins done deliberately and sins as a result of our heritage, we must make it a difference in our attitudes. The “First Commandment” introduces the term “in vain”, meaning without reverence to God. Unintentional sin is certainly because of lack of reverence for God's authority. We may not want to disobey him... he's just not part of the equation: (temptation + action) = sin. If we listen to God we have (temptation + reverence) = inaction = no sin! We can now see that “reverence” for God is the key whether we sin or not. Consequently, we must be keen to what it means to be reverent.

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Revering God is to know His precepts, His love and wanting to please (obey) Him. When we blatantly (consciously) sin we are in effect saying “I love this pleasure more than I respect God, hence I'll just put God's will aside while I self-indulge”. This is self-worship and in violation of the “First Commandment”. Unintentional sin is when I am tempted and react to temptation without weighing in on God's will for us. We need an example of each of these to clarify.

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Let's use anger in both examples forthcoming. Anger is an emotion. It's cause by an action//reaction pairing. Someone or something violates us or our space. As a result of the stress created by the action, we may become angry. There are three ways to respond to the anger created by stress: 1) We can consider God's will and control our anger, 2) We can consider God's will, ignore Him and seek revenge, or 3) We can react to the stress without thought of God and respond as a reaction. Anger is a human emotion and we all get angry, sometimes rightfully so (Jesus had righteous anger when he threw the merchants out of the temple. However, we must remember, that we're to let God heap the coals, not us).

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In the first instance, we are tempted, we consider the authority and will of God, then practice self-control. We've been tempted, felt anger and unintionally sinned because we still had some anger although it was controlled as far as our human nature will allow Cheit). In the second instance, we're tempted, consider God's Word and rebel against God's will for us. The satisfaction of revenge has outweighed reverence for God. We haven't exercised self-control and, hence, have sinned intentionally (Pesha). In the third case we just failed to consider God's law, or anything for that matter, when we reacted vengefully to the stress we felt. We didn't rebel against God... we just didn't have enough reverence for Him to establish a pattern of Christlike behavior. We sinned, but not out of rebellion (Avon).

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Only God is without sin in with anger because His is righteous anger. If we have anger it is with some degree of self-interest. If we work on our love and respect of God, we will certainly have fewer unintentional sins and as a consequence, even fewer intentional ones! We become more Christlike because we've made Christ ruler of our lives.

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Many theologians believe that “unintentional sins” are those such as uncleanness due to touching the dead, nocturnal eruptions, a woman's unclean period, and such. This idea delineates and sets degrees of sins and I take issue with that approach. I base that on the the phrase “sins unintentionally against any of the commandments”. How in the world would we control our uncleanness? We are unclean because we have systems conducive to defilement. We can't quit being unclean. We can only cleanse ourselves. Conversely, we do have an obligation to know and discern God's Word so we control sins which we commit without consideration. We can place God in a position of importance in our lives and his Spirit guides us! God's grace is sufficient for all sins and His Spirit will aid us if we seek Him!

With Christian perfection the human reaction of anger ceases operation.  We'll never get there, but with patience and love we can do better!

What's Wrong with America?

Look to the Bible for an answer!
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Exodus 23:27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. 28And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. 30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. 31And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. 32Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.”

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God was surely with the Israelites as he gave them all the land from Egypt to all the way up the Mediterranean Sea over to the desert of Saudi Arabia to the Euphrates River; much more than they have yet to occupy! The land was taken from the Hivites (son of Canaan son of Ham), Canaanites, Hittites (Heth, son of Canaan). Here you see that the land was taken from the descendents of Canaan (Canaanites). The land never ever belonged to the Palestinians since that group of people only became a separate identity in the Levant (Lebanon) in the 18^th Century and became a political peoples with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Palestinians are an amorphous people (without form). They are mixed race of people formed from Christians, Jews and indigenous peoples who became Arab-speaking with the spread of Mohammedism.
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The word “Palestine” comes from the Arab word “Filistine” (Philistine) who were a sea people possibly from Crete. The Philistines defeated by David were not Palestinian (Filistines), but members of the Philistines may have resided in Canaan and are a portion of the mixed race of people called Palestinians. The Palestinians have no claim to Israel, but Israel has a divine right to even more territory than they now have.

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Should the Israelites negotiate with the Palestinians? Emphatically no! God told the Israelites not to make a treaty (covenant/agreement) with the inhabitants of the land, nor accept their gods. Palestinians are Islamic. Islam traces their Allah to the God of the Old Testament, but their Allah is a heretical god. Palestinians worship that god. The gods of the Canaanites were a disease in the land of milk and honey and their cancer has spread over the entire Mideast. The religion of Mohammed is a violent religion whose goal is to establish a world-wide caliphate using socialism as a means to an end. Sharia Law is to be be the world-wide government.

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Today, as always, Israel accepts God's warning about the inhabitants of Canaan land. Israel knows that they must not sign peace agreements with Hamas, but do so against God's will to appease the world. What's wrong with America? We've lost our way. We've abandoned our belief in God's Word. We not only make covenants with ungodly people, but we welcome those foul religions to our shores, thus corrupting our land whose soil is sanctified by our immigrant father's belief in Christ. We are getting more diseased with each day. Cancer is spreading fast. Unless we turn off the immigration of Ungodly peoples to our nation there will cease to be enough bonifide Christians to convert the immigrants.

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What can we do now? We can work hard to tell the people about Jesus. Only through the propagation of the Word can America stop the spread of cancer. Politicians will try to stop the proslytization as “politically incorrect” and intolerant. God cares little for “tolerance”. He loves truth because He is Truth! Tell a pagan about Jesus and what he's done for you! That's what Jesus commissioned you to do.

Natural Law

As human beings there exists “natural laws” from time immemorial credited to man as God-given laws. Later philosophers applied natural laws independent of God and even later natural law was distorted to merely include the need for self-preservation. The concept of God-given “natural law” is affirmed in our “Declaration of Independence” and our “U.S. Constitution”. The most famous example is from our “Declaration” is "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,-That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
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Natural Law gives us unalienable (not to be taken away) Rights (capitalized as is the Creator meaning that those rights are from the Creator). Some, but not all of those rights are the right to life, the right to freedom and the right to create our own life independent of the government. Although the “Declaration” as law is ambiguous, the Supreme Court has most often ruled that it is an “organic document” and used it to uphold rulings. Without the “Declaration” our “Constitution” would be non-existent. Therefore, all rational people understand that the rights proposed in the “Declaration” are legal and natural rights! Reasonable people understand that our Rights (Natural Law) were founded upon the precept that there is One True GOD, that of the Judeo-Christian religions. From whom is that law derived? GOD! The first five books of the Bible is called “The Law”. Exodus gives us many examples of natural law.

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God's Natural Law can be found mostly in Exodus 20-25. (Look for these rights as you read):

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• Recognize the GOD of the Jews as the basis for all law.
• Set aside a plan for work and rest so the people are not abused (fair work standards).
• Established the family as the ruling authority of individuals within it.
• Prohibits the confiscation of another's property.
• Protects the marriage institution.
• Prohibits false testimony.
• Commanded community and individual respect for each other.
• Sets up fair practices for service (work standards).
• Institutionalizes the marriage between a man and a woman.
• Sets up judgment standards between premeditated and emotional crimes.
• Standardizes fair punishments (no unusual punishments).
• Sets up responsibility for property owners liability for damages.
• Sets up standards for the treatment of animals.
• Sets up fair penalties for theft.
• Establish judgments for trespassing.
• Establishes programs of restitution.
• Prohibits infidelity and sets up obligations to meet the circumstances. (It would nice if modern man was held accountable for sexual transgressions such as marrying the woman and child support).
• Prohibits the introduction of foreign gods (Islam wasn't even considered as a rational belief in the west).
• Establishes fair treatment for strangers and aliens (first immigration policy).
• Prohibits the infliction of harm to the innocent and sets standards of punishment.
• Creates binding contracts.
• Establishes standards of morality in apparel (a dress code for civility).
• Punishes those who abuse woman.
• Dictates the punishment for abortion. (This supports the “Constitutional” inalienable Right to Life!)
• Establishes laws of inheritance.
• Establishes truthful testimony (“So help me God”).
• Prevents mob rule.
• Protects the rights of the poor.
• Provides a means of support for the poor.
• Allows freedom to celebrate hard work (freedom).
• Provides for military protection.
• Prohibits treaties with pagan nations.
• Sets boundaries for countries.
• Allows (dictates) worship.
• Sets up a method for taxation.
• Commands respect of authority and leaders. Prohibits the cursing of God.
• Establishes impartiality in judgments.
• Established a binding document for keeping the law.

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Yes, “Natural Law” supersedes “Constitutional Law” because our “Declaration” places it at a higher level. Just as slavery was wrong in Natural Law, it was legal in Constitutional Law. The “Declaration” establishes the right to abolish such governments which abuse Natural Law. With the advent of legalized abortion, euthanasia, cloning, same-sex marriage, loss of freedom and the like we are legally responsible to check our government. I would not call for revolution (although it's justified), but encourage true Christians to band together to support candidates who hold Natural Law in eminence. An immoral government will fall under it's own abuse. History shows that time and again! What caused the fall of great civilizations? Prostitution of Natural Law!

Manna: The Bread of Life

The “Old Testament” (OT) is just a book of history and fables of how the earth was created. The God of the OT is an unfair vengeful God. Jesus could not be the same as the Father because they have a different nature. “Au contrare!” I say because the God of the OT IS Jesus of the “New Testament” (NT). They are one and the same! When JHQH (GOD) was graceful in the OT it was of the same righteousness of Jesus of the NT. In fact, God was showing His people the Way.
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Looking at the Exodus (flight from Egypt) we can see that by God's grace he delivered the Israelites out of the hands of the Egyptians (sin). Not because they were “good” enough, but because their leaders were righteous, albeit imperfect. By grace God cares for those who call on Him. Here we find that the Israelites, even after seeing miracle after miracle, still didn't have faith in God enough to depend on Him for their continued existence. (We are to remember that God made a covenant with Abraham and passed it on to Isaac and Israel).

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Exodus 16:8 “And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him:” … 13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host... 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. “

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God feeding his children is a picture of Jesus! What's quail and manna got to do with Jesus?

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Luke 9:16 “Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. 18And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? … 29And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering... 35And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. “

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Quail is meat. Fish was also called meat in Scripture. Just as God provided quail to the hungry in the desert of the Wilderness of Sin, Jesus provided fish to feed the 5000 in the desert of the city of Bethsaida. God provided “Manna” (bread from heaven) for the sustenance of the Israelites on Egypt and he provided bread to the 5000 at Bethsaida. God revealed Himself to the OT fathers that He is the salvation of the people, and Jesus revealed Himself at Bethsaida that he is the Messiah, the son of God! It goes even further:

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John 6:57 “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

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Jesus is the “Bread of Life”! He that eateth (believes) in Him and lives by Him has eaten of the Bread of Life! Unlike the Israelites who were saved for a time and then died, those who eat the Manna (Jesus) shall live forever! Didn't God have a great plan? All (not just the Israelites) can eat the Manna announced at Bethsaida and glorified on Calvary. You don't have to be good first. Just as the Israelites were murmuring (doubtful) against Moses and Aaron, people today still murmur about Jesus. They don't trust Jesus, but he IS trustworthy! He'll do what he said he'll do. He'll save you in your sins. That's grace! God's grace. (The same yesterday today and forever)!

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Regulations: Passover vs. Communion

We have seen that the Passover is a picture of the salvation by the blood of Christ. Just as the firstborn of each home was saved by the blood sprinkled on the doorposts of wood, we are saved by God's firstborn's blood sprinkled on the cross of wood. The Passover Feast was done in remembrance of the saving grace of God by the shedding of sacrificial blood. Just as the Jews kept the Passover feast in remembrance we are old to take “Communion” in the same manner: 1 Corinthians 11:25”After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” This applies for the bread as well.

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Just as we have regulations for the “Passover Meal” we have regulations for the “Last Supper” (Communion). Exodus spells out the regulations for the passover:

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Exodus 12:43And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: 44But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 45A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 46In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 49One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.”

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1. Passover Feast to be done as a reminder.
2. No stranger to partake of the feast.
3. A man's household may eat at the feast.
4. A foreigner shall not eat of the feast.
5. The feast shall be eaten in one house (together).
6. The meat of the passover shall have no bone broken.
7. All Israelites shall keep the passover.
8. The feast is for the circumsized. The uncircumcised shall not take of it. The stranger in the hose must become circumcised.
9. There is one law for all.

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Now for commemoration of the last supper (numbered according to the Passover Regulations):

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1. 1 Cor 11:25 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. “ (To be done to remember Christ and his sacrifice).
2. 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (Must not be a stranger to Christ).
3. Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God...” (A man and his household can be saved and become part of the household of God with salvation. Those who are of the household of God can take Communion).
4. (Same reasoning as 3).
5. 1 Corinthians 11:20 “ “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God“ “ (Christians are to gather in one place to eat in remembrance and rightly so, but the caution here is to not come to fill oneself, but to honor God. Instead of being a feast where one eats until full, this was to be parteken as a memorial).
6. 1 Corinthians 11:24 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (Unlike the meat which could not be broken because Jesus had not yet died, the bread is to be broken signifying Christ's death).
7. 1 Corinthians 1:1 “(All men) Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 2Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” (Communion is for ALL believer's, unlike the Passover which was specifically for the Israelites).
8. 1 Cor 11:27 “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (Unworthily are those with an uncircumcised heart; those who are not saved. Before a stranger [unsaved] takes communion he must become a friend [saved] and is no longer a stranger).
9. Romans 3:27 “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism...” (There is a law, that law is faith and there is one faith. Communion is for all who have the faith and one must be faithful to observe Communion).

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So I repeat... “Look for Christ in the “Old Testament”. He's there. You just have to think a little! When God ordained the Passover Feast he was drawing a picture of Communion, the celebration of “The Last Supper”. Why do we have to be hit on the head by a rock to understand this after the fact when by faith our church father's understood before the fact? Isn't God all knowing!

Just What Is Sin?

Sin was with us (mankind) since Adam made the wrong choice. It wasn't called sin, but was disobedience to God. We see time after time that he despised murder, homosexuality, lies and idol worship as well as other transgressions of His will. However, there was no standard for man to follow. Man's heart was evil and he just followed the desires of his heart. Those desires, thanks to Adam, were not God's will for man.
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What is sin? Sin is man's defiance of God's commandments (“Britannica Concise Encyclopedia”). Before Moses there were no written commandments. Was there sin? Yes! Man was punished for disobedience to God's will. Hence, I will redefine “sin” as “man's defiance of God's will”. In Exodus Chapter 20 God sets forth the “Ten Commandments”. Hence, the commandments are written standards of God's will for mankind. (Sin was already with us, but God wrote them down so we will be without excuse). If we examine those commandments we see that they break down into two categories: Honoring God an no other and 2) dishonoring God by doing what the pagans do. Honoring God is righteous. Doing what the pagan do is “sin”.

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Sin is exponential! One sin compounds and becomes many. We all know that a “little white lie” can become “a big black lie” as we attempt to cover ourselves from discovery. Likewise, sexual experimentation becomes fornication and adultery when we dwell in it. This works the same way in all aspects of disobedience! In short, we become slaves to our self-interests; slaves to sin. We are in servitude to the pagan God! We can see in the next verses that Pharaoh (symbolically Satan) burdened (enslaved) the Israelites with worldly tasks. This servitude is symbolic of “sin”:

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Exodus 1:8 “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.”

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As Pharaoh is a picture of Satan, Egypt is a picture of sin. Whenever God or others refer to “deliverance from Egypt” the picture is “deliverance from sin”. Ezekiel shows us that Egypt is sin:

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Ezekiel 30:15”And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.” (“No” is “No-A'mon” – Southern Egypt).

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The god of “No” was “Amon”. He was the sun god “Ra”. Likewise “Sin” (meaning muddy) was a city in Egypt (sin certainly muddies the cleansing water). “Sin” likely came from Ur with Abraham's line. Sin was the name of the moon god of the people. As you can see “sin” came from the worship of other gods and is in violation of God's will. The land of Sin was in Egypt and Egypt, thus, represents “sin”. We can look further in the “New Testament”:

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1 Corinthians 10:1 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

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The Israelites were in sin (Egypt) and by the grace of God they safely crossed the Red Sea. They were all “baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea”. "Baptized" is defined as submerged in water and is the sealing of our salvation. God is a represented as a “cloud” in “Old Testament” Scripture. Above we see that the Israelites were cleansed from their sin by water as God saved them from Satan (Pharaoh). Moses is a picture of Jesus (John 5:46 “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me”.) since the baptism of water was of Moses whose name means “drawn from (water)” in Hebrew or “Royal Son” in Egyptian. Both names certainly describe not only Moses, but Jesus since water represents the blood of Jesus!

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1 Corinthians went on with the significance of the Red Sea crossing! The Word was with Moses and the Israelites. The spiritual meat (rock/land) and drink (water/sea) represented the body and blood of Jesus. In being saved from sin (Egypt) they were getting a foretaste of communion with Jesus. They drank of the ”spiritual Rock” who Paul identified as Christ. The salvation experienced in the flight from Egypt is the same deliverance from sin which was provided by Christ's blood! Somehow, the prophet Moses by divine grace by faith recognized the salvation of God from Egypt as a picture of mankind's salvation centuries later.

Justifiable Violence

Some Christian denominations such as the “Friends” and “Mennonites”eschew violence. All denominations are known by characteristics which set them apart from others. Views on violence and war is among those aspects. While any Christian denomination favors peace, most allow violence to be used as a means of self-defense, as a pre-emptive strike to avoid more violence or punishment for wrong-doers.
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One of my Mennonite friends and I were discussing violence. I asked him that if one of his family members were attacked, would he step in to protect? “No.” he said adamantly “I would depend on God to provide protection!” I then asked “What if you were God's chosen instrument?” There was no further discussion on his part. Is violence ever justifiable?

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Let's take a look at two cases.

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Cain and Abel (All KJV):

Genesis 4:8 “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” … “13” And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. “
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Moses and the Egyptian:

Exodus 2:11 “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.” … 3:15 “And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
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These are two early examples of man's killing of man and both are to set a precedent for “justified violence” versus homicide.

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Cain slew Abel, an innocent, even pious man. What was the motive for murder? Cain was both selfish and jealous. He short-changed God in his offering (stealing) and was jealous of his own brother who received favor in God's eyes (covetousness). “Thou shalt not steal”, “Thou Shalt not covet” and “Thou shalt not kill” became three of the “Ten Commandments”. Cain also broke the first commandment because he valued “things” over God! Cain was an evil-doer. His murder of Abel was one of self-interest and unjustified violence. It was wrongful and sinful!

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In the second case Moses saw an Egyptian striking a fellow Hebrew. Hebrews were slaves and the Egyptians their taskmasters. The God of the Hebrews was the One True God “I AM”, whereas Egyptians, at that time, had a pantheon of Gods, all who were false. The Hebrews were used by force to provide sustenance and items of pleasure to the Egyptians, even build temples to honor Ramses. When they were tired, sick and hungry they were abused and even killed by their masters. (Please note from “Philemon” that slavery was an accepted form of managing an economy, but masters were to be fair, humane and just). Moses killed the Egyptian.

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Was Moses killing justifiable? I say yes. God rewarded Moses for his tender heart and principle to what's right! Whereas Cain became a slave to his toil, Moses became the tool of God who freed the Hebrews from slavery. He was chosen by God and is a picture of the coming Messiah! As Moses freed the Hebrew from Egypt (sin) Jesus freed mankind from sin. What an honor Moses had bestowed upon him!

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If we look at war many declare our country of executing “unjust wars”: Korea, Viet-nam, Cambodia, Bosnia, Iraq and some even Nazi Germany! Our country has a history of defending those living oppressed and enslaved by evil ideologies. Our defense of the defenseless, based on Scripture, is honorable and justified. War, although driven by the forces of evil, is divinely ordained. If one examines “Old Testament” incidences, God was always there to protect His people from the pagan nations, even in wars of offense. Likewise, in the Apocalyptic Wars, God will support His people against the forces of evil and we will win!

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On a personal level this reasoning also applies. Sgt. Alvin York was a Christian pacifist who didn't believe in violence or war. He was drafted (WWI) and after prayer, he went to the Europe and became a ferocious aggressor against evil, single-handedly killing and capturing hundreds of soldiers and tens of artillery. His actions, by taking lives, saved thousands, maybe millions, by helping to end a war against an evil aggressor. If only individual Christians had been as demonstrative twenty-five years later under the evil of National Socialism, Adolph Hitler, millions would have been saved! Hopefully, we'll protect ourselves against the evils of global socialism at the time of the Apocalypse.

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I've got my gun and will never use it for wrong. I will cerainly use it to protect self, loved ones, neighbors and the oppressed. The first privilege authoritarian governments usurp is the right to bear arms. Without arms we're defenseless and dictatorial regimes enslave. I thank God for the freedom to defend!

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

 I'm a Christian, but I've had many “bad” things happen to me. Bad is in quotes because it's subjective. At the time I selfishly look at my despair without wondering why. Perhaps you've also had a bad experience and wonder why, as a Christian, God has “let you down”. God never lets us down. We fail him sometimes and suffer the consequences, but at other times “good” people are the tools for God to work His plan.
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Genesis (All KJV) 37:28 “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they (Joseph's Brothers) drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

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Joseph was sold into slavery. It was bad news for him and by all accounts, Joseph was a righteous boy. In fact God gave Joseph a prophetic dream. Can you imagine the isolation Joseph felt when he was betrayed by his own brothers? How about having to live in servitude in a strange land? What's more he was falsely accused of assault and thrown in prison an innocent man. How could his brothers have done such an evil deed? “Why me Oh Lord?” he probably wondered. Most people would have blamed God for the bad.

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George Constanza in an episode of “Seinfeld” blamed God for a bad event in his life. When Jerry said “I thought you didn't believe in God?” George responded “Just for the bad things that happen!” Although George blasphemed outright many feel the same way. God is never given credit for any good, but gets the blame for bad. People blaspheme, but subtlely so.!

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43.Genesis 41:41 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42

And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
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Throughout all the turmoil Joseph kept his faith in God and relied on Him for deliverance. God followed through as you can see. Joseph became second only to Pharaoh. He was blessed. Who would have ever thought it?

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Joseph's brothers, at the bidding of Jacob their father, came to Egypt in time of drought in Canaan. There they were met by their brother, Joseph, who they failed to recognize and in the time of tribulation they were saved by their brother who they had desired to kill, but sold into slavery. Joseph could have been vengeful and let them starve. Revenge is our human nature. However, Joseph nourished them. It was God's will!

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Genesis 45:4 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

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If you remember, God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised that by Abraham's seed the world would become populated. If Jacob had stayed in Canaan the famine would have starved the people and God's promise would have been null. God doesn't work that way. He keeps His promises! God used the brothers of Joseph to make His promise come about. The bad which happened to Joseph was for the good of God and mankind.

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Furthermore, there's a hidden story here. Joseph is a “picture” of the coming Messiah. Just as Joseph's brothers betrayed him, Jesus' earthly brothers did the same. As Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, Jesus was sold for thirty. Joseph never blamed his betrayers and neither did Jesus. Whereas, Joseph's despair brought salvation to his people by providing bread, Jesus's despair, His sacrifice, saved all mankind. Jesus is the Bread of Life.

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Reread the account of Joseph. Ask yourself while reading “What's this got to do with Jesus?” Do you realize that if the seed of Jacob (Israel) had died out we would never have had the promised Messiah and we would be living without hope... if at all! We're all of the line of Abraham and we literally wouldn't be here either.

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When times are bad aint God good? Think of your own perils and how God delivers. Call on Him and you will be delivered from peril... eternal peril.

Sodom and Gomorrah: “Political Correctness” corrected

Truth most often fails to be “politically correct” because political correctness is founded on “social justice”. This term refers to over concern because of perceived historical injustices in terms of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. Ironically, many people who rightfully deserve justice are excluded, such as middle class hard-working Christians who help the needy, obey the law and make our economy grow. Such people are of all races and social classes.

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What is truth? In general truth is when any aspect of life conforms to the facts. It's reality! Who wants to live in a world based on fiction? George Orwell described a society in his book “1984” where truth was distorted to match ideology. So as to avoid certain groups from facing the truth society created a false reality. In “1984” power was the motivation. In 2012 false reality is being created to provide power to those who previously had none. Some political parties are made up of a spectrum of people out of the mainstream whose combined numbers make those parties very powerful. Rather than being concern based on love, it's a tool to use people to further the goals of people in power.

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As an example, a “woman's right to choose” abortion is a way for the uppity to control “undesirables” . Those undesirables were Negroes in the eyes of Margaret Sanger, the founder of “Planned Parenthood”. Today, undesirables include any group which causes population growth, especially Downs Syndrome babies, inner-city babies and children from families of poverty. “Planned Parenthood” is ultimately the most “politically incorrect” group out there, but their liberal proponents covet the organization.
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A “true” people who suffered historical oppression are those who are in a group due to little “fault” of their own. Such groups include the genetically “flawed”, races who've suffered because of who they are, religious people's who're ostracized because of their beliefs and the people who are stuck in a cycle of poverty because of where they live and the times in which they live. Not included are groups of people whose behavior is not the historical normative, specifically I'm referring to homosexuality.

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I know. You're going to say that scientists have determined that they are born that way! It's reinforced by Gaga, Madonna and Brad Pitt. I mean if they say it, it must be true! Entertainers are tools of those who distort fact. They are believers of the lie. First off, there is zero, 0, none, nada credible evidence with proper methodology which proves homosexuality is inborn. In fact, life demonstrates that people choose to be “that way” because of various reasons including seeking something more exciting, childhood sexual experimentation, dysfunctional families and broken homes. While most of these aspects are unfortunately, how we handle life is in our hands. Many choose the wrong approach to health.

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Are homosexuals born that way? We need to look at Scripture to see if that's the case! We are all born with original sin due to bad choices by Adam. Original sin commences here: Genesis (ESV) 2:17

“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.” “ This is man's spiritual death. Since that time all mankind has had a propensity for wrong. Psalm 53:3” Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” and Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”. We all have our inborn sin.
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The way to wipe out our sin and control our desires is through acceptance of Jesus. Many who rationalize their sins already know that Jesus can save them, but have rejected his sacrifice so as to continue in their wrongful behaviors. Sin is pleasurable and people never want to give up pleasure. However, pleasure doesn't bring happiness. Joy is a gift of God and if anyone has no joy, they are missing a true pleasure... a pleasure in truth.

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After salvation God has left us a comforter... the Holy Spirit. John (KJV) 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” The Comforter doesn't change FOR YOU, but aids you while YOU WORK on being holy. You're to use self-control in all your life. Romans (ESV) 13:13 “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. “ It's obvious that we're the only ones who can practice self-control. Nobody else can do it for us. It's our responsibility!

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Before the homosexual can change, the person must admit that they are sinful, just as we all must do. There is no special provision for those who enjoy their sin. God doesn't recognize political correctness. In fact God is the least politically incorrect of us all! Leviticus (KJV) 18:22 “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” An “abomination” means that homosexuality is disgusting to the Lord. He didn't create you that way. He finds your sin disgusting. Don't blame me of being politically incorrect. Those are God's words! What's more, God destroyed the entire cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their homosexuality. It was rampant there... just like San Francisco and South Miami.

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Romans (KJV) 1:27 “And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Lust is an overwhelming desire. It is sinful to even lust, let alone perform the act! What you've done in your heart is as bad as what you've done. Practice self-control! “Unseemly” means deviant. It is out of accord with righteousness. So what is “homosexuality”? It's a disgusting deviant behavior according to God. Without salvation you are a disgusting deviant sinner. However, there is a Way! Jesus loves everyone. He doesn't want anyone to spiritually die.

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John (KJV) 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

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God will save you because of his love and mercy for you a sinner the same as I am. Just as you should never rationalize sinful behavior as a homosexual, I also had to admit my sins and seek forgiveness. The blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover all sins. You're special to God, but your sin is nothing special. Jesus stands at your door and knocks. All you have to do is answer his knock.

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Now for the “P.C. Police”. I care less about what you think about me. I speak truth and truth will set you free. Others may elect bondage, but I prefer freedom. God calls Christians to admonish and that's what I'm doing. It's your choice... turn a deaf ear or accept truth.

Circumcision

Genesis 17:10 “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” “
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Circumcision was instituted by God to “seal” the covenant between him and the righteous Jews with whom he made the covenant. The covenant between God and the Jews was for corporate righteousness. As long as the people were circumcised God honored the covenant. Along with circumcision was obedience to God. Circumcision without obedience invalidated the covenant for each individual and if the people ceased with circumcision they were to no longer be a people of the covenant.

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Circumcision is a sacred ritual where the foreskin of the male organ is severed. It can easily be detected and from a medical standpoint was to provide better hygiene in days of old where utilities were scarce and disease more easily passed. Not only was circumcision an ordinance, but it implied a clean sacrifice of self and the bonus was that the Jews were protected from disease and death to allow propagation of the race. God is wise!

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Our Savior, who was a Jew by the way, was circumcised. He honored Scripture because Scripture was His own Word. Jesus did not come to replace the law, but to fulfill it! He said that.

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As circumcision symbolized the sealing of the old covenant, Baptism symbolizes the sealing of the New Covenant... the Covenant of Grace, unlike the Old Covenant which was one of works. Isn't it great that we are saved by faith just because God has mercy; rather than having to strive to be good enough to make it to heaven, an impossible feat since one sin is as bad as breaking them all? Ephesians (below) tells us that covenant of works, represented by circumcision, has been replaced by the “blood of Christ” as our means of redemption. We are sealed by God in our salvation and Baptism is a public display of a changed heart. Instead of only a slither of skin being the difference, the entire man has changed. A Baptized person is dipped to signify our old nature, has the dirtiness (sins) symbolically washed away, and a person is raised cleansed. Our whole body has become clean, not just the foreskin!

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Ephesians 2:11 “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

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Since circumcision a a picture of Baptism many denomination still practice pedobaptism (infant) and the child is baptized at eight days. Pedobaptism is simply a tradition and is not efficacious. Adult “believer's baptism” is the scriptural requirement, and since we are entirely cleansed by the water, that means immersion.

Are Christians yet required to be circumcised? No! That requirement was invalidated at the Council of Jerusalem. Gentiles are not required to be circumcised. However, we are all to make a public confession and to are be baptized. Does the water save us? No again! We are saved by the blood... water is the symbol of the grace of Jesus shedding His own blood so that we didn't have to shed our own.

The Truth Shall Set You Free!

I was talking to a fine Christian man today. We were of course discussing the Bible. He is a Missionary Baptist and gave a great testimony of his salvation. In addition to his belief in Christ he not only believed that it was important in being a Baptist, but that Baptist succession was also important. (Such belief is called “Landmarkism”).
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I pointed out that there was no scripture on which to base his claim and that history does not bear out Baptist succession (from John the Baptist to the present). His response was that he believed based on faith and that no one can change his mind. I reminded the gentleman that Catholics make the same claim for Catholicism (Papal Succession from St. Peter) and that we not only criticize them for that, but it also has no scriptural significance!

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My position is that I seek “truth” and I told him that. He responded “That is truth!”. When I reminded him that he had no scripture nor tradition which supports his claim that “It is no more than wishful thinking! (“Trail of Blood” which is Landmarkism's source of information implies that a Baptist is any people who were not Christians. That's far from what Baptists claim to be). Upon seeing tension arising I relinquished my pride and let it lie. We then had a very productive conversation.

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John (ESV) 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” “

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Jesus is the Truth and we find that in scripture. He expects us to be truthful in our worship. Truth and the Spirit abide together. What is truth? Truth is conforming to the facts. It's what's real... not fiction. It's not wishful thinking! I have no use for beliefs which are not based on one of two things: 1) What scripture says about the subject or 2) What is based on physical evidence. Neither scripture nor the evidence supports Baptist succession. Why do people think it's so important? Pride and more pride!

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It seems that even Christians are prideful. What salvation is all about is relinquishing our pride and humbling ourselves. Our beliefs in things outside Christ cannot get us to heaven. It's wishful thinking and prideful that we just don't accept what Jesus says at face value! Jesus said “I am the Way!” Likewise, where Jesus remains silent, due to pride we put words in his mouth. “Have it your way!” as the jingle goes. We need to have it “Christ's way”! What is His way? Truth. “Truth shall set you free!”

Noah: The Baptism of the World

The deluge was more than a flood. It was a “picture” of salvation and Baptism. As the old world was washed away by plentiful waters at the deluge, so the old man (his nature) is washed away at Baptism!
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Look at the analogy:

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Genesis 6:5 “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

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Mankind in general had become so wicked that there were few left who were righteous. Mankind thoughts only upon evil and that's where their hearts (desires) were. Does that sound familiar? It should because that's our contemporary society.

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(ESV All)

1.Matthew 24:37 “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,”
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These are the last days. The “Son Of Man” is Jesus. Just as antediluvian man was sinful and devoted to pleasure, modern man is at the same spiritual level as our predecessors. Furthermore, it's not a corporate condition. Each person is accountable for their own sins. Society, nor the salvation of others, can save us. Whereas, Noah saved his family, he is a “picture” of Christ who will save you in this modern day.

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Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

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Noah was not Jesus! He was a mortal man as we are. He had a free will to sin or be righteous, just as each of us does. He chose godliness! Noah and his household were saved because of his righteousness. They not only avoided spiritual death by Baptism, but each member started anew... they were new men and women!

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Genesis 7:1 “Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.”

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Noah and his household were all saved because Noah was righteous. The fact that God saved the household was based on God's foreknowledge. He knew that once sin was removed from their eyes and they saw God work, that each would also choose righteousness. Paul reviews this event for us:

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Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

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How do we become righteous for Christ?

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Acts 16:31 “And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””

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Salvation is still personal. It's not enough that your parents believe, but you also must believe. Jesus saves each individual and by their righteousness their family will be saved. The father is the spiritual leader of the house and God gives the man the influence to build faith in the lives of his children. As Noah couldn't save his own children, God did because God knew they would respond. Likewise, when the parent is a Christian it increases the likelihood that the children will also be! Either way... one must be righteous (saved in the Covenant of Grace) in order to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Water, denoting purity, is the symbolic cleansing of the soul from sin.

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Romans 6:3 “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.“

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In the world of Noah it rained for forty days. The water was deep and as such it covered the whole earth! That's why from a symbolic standpoint Baptism by Total Immersion was God's plan! The earth was not just partially covered, it was submerged. All traces of sin were washed away. Only those save were the righteous. Likewise, when the believer (justified, made righteous) by the blood of Christ is baptized it's the same type of death suffered by the antediluvian world. As the primal evil was swept away by the flowing waters of the flood, our own sins which have been swept away by the blood of Christ are symbolically washed away by the water. Just as the earth was started anew from the flood, so are the Christian's lives!

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After the floodwaters cleared and mankind was put on a new earth, mankind was new:

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Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” “

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Noah and his household were saved from destruction, just as we are by our faith in Christ! God blessed the inhabitants of the new earth and told them to populate the earth, not with people of sin, but mankind with new hearts! After our own salvation what does God tell us to do? We are washed by water in Baptism, then we are told to go forth and tell the world. We are a new man in Christ and we're to tell others of the good news!

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As the flood cleansed the world for Noah's line and they became new men in righteousness, at our own Baptism we show the world that our desire is to put away the old sinful man and live a righteous life. As we die to the old when we're dipped, we're raised by faith in Christ's blood (symbolized by water), so that we, like Noah, “might walk in the newness of life”.

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Notice that “might walk” allows us the opportunity of walking with Christ. It's no guarantee that the individual will be Christlike, just as the salvation of Noah's household wasn't assured a sin free life. As we can see from the rest of scripture mankind was not “forced” to be righteous, but still had the freedom to decide his own destiny. Whereas many have left the faith over the ages, man is still allowed that freedom. However, we're not on our own!

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Genesis 9:11 “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

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Post-diluvian man had a promise just as we do. He didn't have to battle sin alone. God was with him and the sign of that was the rainbow. The rainbow is the sign of God's promise to man that he, not only saved mankind, but made a covenant with man. The agreement was sealed with the rainbow.

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Likewise, as a Christian, we are a covenant with Christ. God seals us! He's said that he would never leave us nor forsake us! We're not alone. God is with us! The invisible God we have with us is our comforter the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us to be righteous. He reminds us of the “Light” we have as a result of salvation. (As always with seals, only two are authorized to break the seal... the king who sends the document and the recipient himself).

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Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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Like the rainbow appearing in the light after the end of washing and the lifting of darkness, God gave us a spiritual light which is there after we're washed by the blood (signified by Baptism) and made a new man. That hope (signified in the days of old by the rainbow) is the Light which resides in us after the washing away of our sins!

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One note: As Noah wasn't saved by the water, it was by the grace of God. It's not the water which saves us, but faith in the vicarious death of Jesus! Redemption is only by the blood!

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Hebrews 9:22 “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

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Didn't God have a great plan? Do you think that the flood is just punishment for a disobedient people and that some were saved by a boat? God in his wisdom was showing mankind that we must be righteous. Noah couldn't save himself by faith only! He put his faith in action. He worked and built a boat. Likewise, God's grace saves us! However, we must do something. As Jesus stands at the door and knocks, we must open the door. The ark symbolizes that door! The ark is the saving grace of Christ. It is his gift of faith!

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Likewise, Noah sealed the ark with pitch. It wouldn't leak! Likewise, we are to put on the full armor of God so the contaminated waters of the world won't destroy us. We're to look at that rainbow (Light) and remember that the Light saved us. In doing so we are assured of our righteousness by the works we do. If we find ourselves falling into sin, the best thing to do is to remember that Jesus is the Light and we will do what Jesus would want us to do!

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(There are many other “pictures” of Jesus in the story of Noah. Look for them yourself!)

A Long Time Ago!

We study the Israelites quite often because that's the line of Jesus! Israel (Jacob before God renamed him) was the son of Isaac, the son of the man of faith, Abraham. All Abraham's descendents are Shemites (Semites) because Abraham was of the line of Noah's son, Shem. What other peoples are Semitic? The Arab nation. Most of those now affiliated with Islam. Cousins through Abraham fight to this day and it started a long time ago!
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(All ESV)

Genesis 16:11 “And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." “
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Ishmael was the first son of Abram and Haggai, the Egyptian servant to Sarai (Sarah) who became Abram's (Abraham's) concubine. Ishmael was half Egyptian and although the firstborn, lost his rights he had as the eldest heir. Isaac became the heir to Abraham and it still causes war!

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Ishmael was to be like a “wild donkey” (“ass” for you into KJV). This description is given in Job 39:5 "Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, 6 to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place? 7 He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver. 8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing. “

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This description befits the Bedouin Warrior which was Ishmael and his descendents. Bedouins herd livestock and are transient, moving with the herd and the seasons. They still make up about 10% of the Arab people. But, the Bedouin is only the prototypical descendent of Ishmael. Most Islamic peoples of today fit the “wild donkey” description. God promised Haggai that he would multiply her peoples as well, and he certainly did! Ishmael's line in early times occupied all the area east and south of the Dead Sea. The following sons of Ishmael have become Arabs of today (their history is difficult to trace):

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Genesis 25:12 “ These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.”

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Nebaioth's line was to become “Nabataeans”, an Arab group living in the southeast of Canaan. Kedarites were tent-dwelling nomads living in the Syrian area desert who were Arab war-mongers. Dumah's line were Arabian Arabs called “Adummatu” by the Assyrians. Hadad or Hadar became part of the Edomites. They were Arabs as well. They lived west of the Dead Sea in what's now Saudia Arabia. Tema is in northern Arabia. The line of Jetur lived on the west bank of the Jordan River, waged war against the Israelites and were defeated. King Saul wiped out the Naphishites who lived on the Transjordan. (God had commanded that all tribes be wiped out). The Kedemah were another Arabian Tribe. Surely the Arab nation was prophesied with the following words Job 39:6 “to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place? 7 He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver. 8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing. “

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You can see that almost all the present-day Arabs are descended from Ishmael and if we look at the Egyptian mother, that includes Egypt and the Nubians as well. These people are today the Muslims which give the world so much trouble! They are surely as “wild donkeys”!

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Why does the battle still rage? It's for that strip of land the size of Delaware which has all types of terrain: snow capped mountains to deserts from thriving waters to the Dead Sea. It's the land of milk and honey, but has no oil! It just seems that God had a plan and we know he did. Eternal ownership of that land will be decided in one great battle called the Battle of Armageddon. The forces of Christ will forever claim ownership!

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The fierce Muslim was described early on by God in Genesis 16:12b”... his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” God allowed it to happen. It's part of His plan for mankind. Two peoples, cousins, will wage war throughout history for that tiny strip of land sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Who owns it? It belonged to the descendents of Abraham Genesis 1:7 “And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." “ Unfortunately, that means Jews and Arabs, but then there's the birthright! God bestowed the birthright to the line of Isaac. It continued on through Jacob's (Israel's) line and Joshua who in later days, entered Canaan Land, defeated the squatters and took possession of the land granted to the Jews by God.

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Although Arabs were squatters, Palestine never had possession. Palestine was never a nation. Palestine is just an unfulfilled dream. Palestine was always a description applied to the various races who occupied that area of the world. It was ruled by Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Ottomans, but never Palestinians. The “Land of Milk and Honey” belongs to the rightful owners... the Jews, who've returned to their homeland and made a great nation in 1948. Now the prophecy of Revelation can be fulfilled!