Why, when we constantly offend Him and are so unlovable, does God persist in loving us? 526-2 - 5 - 3

The following are just a few versus that speak to God’s promise to love us even when we constantly offend him.

Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Conversation figuratively has to do with deportment or character and covetousness with greed. Our character should be without greed. As born-again Christians we should be very content because we have the promise of an eternity with the Lord. “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” includes two negatives which implies a very strong statement. What a wonderful statement that we will never be forsaken by God. Family and friends may forsake us or discount us but not our heavenly father.

Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Jesus always was, always is and always will be. Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” From old to everlasting…

A few verses from Deuteronomy serve as witness to God as an oath keeper, a faithful God, who keeps His covenants.

Deuteronomy 7:8, “But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” 

Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” 

However, there is a warning, Deuteronomy 7:10, “And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” 

God values His Word above all else, we have Hebrews 13:5 as Israel had God’s Word. Not for Israeli sake, rather for “the sake of my holy name.”

Ezekiel 36:22, “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.”

Tthe eight woes of Matthew 23 are relevant today 529-2 - 16 - 2

Matthew 23:13, “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”

The Good News is so simple and available to those of us who place our faith in Jesus, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” Jesus seeks a personal relationship, not ritual.

The Roman Catholic Church “shuts up the kingdom of heaven against men” unless rituals such as confession are observed. In indulgences are sold, masses are set for the dead and holding the correct the correct icon…:

“Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular Shall not suffer eternal fire!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel to Simon Stock

July 16, 1251”

[http://www.philomena.org/scapular.asp]

By encouraging their congregants into these rituals that have nothing to do with Jesus leads one into Matthew 23:15, “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.”

And then we have the prosperity, name it and claim it tele-evangelists. Matthew 23:14, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”

These tele-evangelists use a hard-sell prosperity message if only you will support their ministries. Jesus traveled the earth for 3 1/2 years in sandals and homespun and made the comment, Matthew 8:20, “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Now we have a prosperity form of Christianity spread by televangelists who live in multi-million-dollar mansions and insist on having their private jets.

They promote false teachings, Matthew 23:16, “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!”

There are several more woes in the 23 chapter of Matthew, subject for another time. Suffice to say that the woes enumerated by Jesus nearly 2000 years ago are relevant today.

Polluting the name of God through our national misconduct, where was/ is the Church? 526-2 - 4 - 2

I first read about the concept of today and tomorrow with respect to God several years ago.  God hates the word “Tomorrow” as Satan hates the word “Today.” Tomorrow means just that, I’ll do it tomorrow. We put things like witnessing off until tomorrow and when tomorrow comes, well, tomorrow……Today is the day to act!

After decades of former presidents of the United States kicking the can down the street, President Trump has moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem. After eight years of the Obama administration poking its finger in God’s eye, finally the United States is getting on the right side of both history and the will of God.

Although some are returning to the simplicity of the gospel, there are still many hypocrites who worry more about the appearance of godliness then the actual practice of same. Jesus traveled the earth for 3 1/2 years in sandals and homespun and made the comment, Matthew 8:20, “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Now we have a prosperity form of Christianity spread by televangelists who live in multi million dollar mansions and insist on having their private jets. In fact, Kenneth Copeland has his own private airport.

“Kenneth Copeland Airport (FAA LID: 4T2) is a private airport located eighteen miles (29 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, USA.

The airport is used solely for general aviation purposes, mainly those of the airport's namesake, televangelist Kenneth Copeland (whose ministry is located near the airport).”

[http://www.airports-worldwide.com/usa/texas/kenneth_copeland_texas.php]

God had this to say about hypocrites: Matthew 23:27, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness." Jesus hated what these hypocrites were doing to the temple, Mark 11:17, “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

During the last few Presidential administrations, and primarily during the eight years of Obama, we in the United States had hit what I call the trifecta of things God hates; the growing acceptance of homosexuality with same-sex marriage, millions of babies aborted and throwing Israel under the bus. Here in the United States we’re witnessing quite a change in direction from that of Obama who lit the White House up with LGBT colors co-opted from God's rainbow and purple when Prince died.

President Trump has moved our embassy to Jerusalem and is working on draining the swamp that is Washington DC. Washington DC is set up in a very pagan architecture, a discussion for another time. Sadly, same-sex marriage is now protected by the Constitution and abortion is a very strong issue with the left.

It is my opinion, another eight years of the Obama administration by way of Hillary Clinton would have spelled the end of America as it was and could be. God raised up Donald Trump as a sort of King Cyrus/ Jehu to provide one last chance for our country to turn around.

As for Jehu, recommended reading, “The Paradigm,” by Jonathan Cahn,

“The Paradigm: The Ancient Blueprint That Holds the Mystery of Our Times is, above all, the revealing of a mystery, a blueprint, an ancient paradigm, that uncannily and amazingly has everything to do with our times. It is also the revealing of a warning to a nation and a civilization concerning its present course and the ultimate end of that course.”

As for whose responsibility it is to honor the Name of God, the Church has been far too quiet. The election of 2016 was, in my opinion, a turning point!

Do I earn wages only to put them in a purse with holes in it? 526-2 - 1 - 6

Matthew 6:19-21, “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

First things first, why work to earn wages? Is it to take care of basic needs or is it for the love of money? In economics there is the theory of diminishing returns, a situation in which less and less is achieved despite the use of increasing amounts of effort or money. Somewhere between working to take care of basic needs to the preoccupation of storing up money is the love of money.

The Parable of the Rich Fool is an example of putting his wages in “A purse with holes in it.” Jesus tells of a rich man who had such great "fruits and goods" that he had no room for them. His solution; Luke 12:18, "And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods." However, God had other plans; Luke 12:20, "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is relevant today as many people/ countries have not accomplished the first level.

Physiological Needs

Our biological needs: The need for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs due to mans need to survive.

Safety Needs

When all physiological needs are satisfied and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviors, the needs for security can become active.

Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness

When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness emerge.

Needs for Esteem

When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others.

Needs for Self-Actualization

When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do."

[http://economicrot.blogspot.com/2006/01/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-and-us.html]

Here in the United States many have reached the pinnacle of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. What self-actualization is to one person may be foreign to another. The new Ager's often speak of reaching a higher vibration and/or dimension. Another example of storing wages in a purse with holes in it. A relationship with Jesus seals our eternity in his presence.

Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 12: 21, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

What will it be? Working for the short time wages that expire with our physical death? While it is indeed necessary to be productive and take care of our families in this incarnation, what of laying up treasures in our eternal home?

In reading the example of Rich Young Ruler, why is it so difficult for a rich man to be saved? What of tithing?

Matthew 19:24, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Repeated in Mark and Luke, a major lesson to be taken literally.

1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money (G5365) is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 

G5365, love of money, fond of silver (money), that is, avaricious: - covetous.

Avaricious is also defined as greedy, rapacious, and grasping

Applicable verses are found throughout the Bible concerning the use of/ misuse of money. Many are found in the book of Proverbs including;

Proverbs 13:7, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”

One can have great riches but be a spiritual pauper, and the poorest (financially) believer is an heir to the great riches of God.

Proverbs 21:17, “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.”

Is there really satisfaction and in luxurious living, here, wine and oil. How often have we read of the poor little rich girl? Many pursue the so-called better things in life which often drains one financially and spiritually.

As for questionable use of wealth, an example would be the oil-rich Arab countries.

Meet the super-rich Arabs

“Meet the super-rich Arabs whose life includes pet Lions, Tigers, Cheetahs, Chimps, Snakes, falcons, his n' her private jets and Collection of cars. How mega-wealthy Arab men are accessorizing their super-cars and powerboats with lions and cheetahs. Meet Humaid, He Owns Many Supercars and Many Big Cats! Humaid really is unlike any other supercar owner in the world. Why? Because he also loves big cats! He owns a selection of big cats most suited to life on the African savannah including a couple of lions, a tiger and a cheetah and he loves nothing more than posing and playing with them around his expensive supercars!”

[http://phimhotnhat.net/xem-video/video-living-with-lions-pet-wild-animals-wealthy-lifestyle-of-rich-arabs.Xequ-622YC0]

Death is the great equalizer:

Proverbs 22:2, “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.”

We all come from the same Creator and will all be judged someday. There are no class distinctions that survive death.

Money itself is not an evil. It is the love of money leading to greedy and questionable acquisition and misuse of same that is the evil.

Money can be used for good and for evil. Wealthy families set up foundations that do a lot of good throughout the world. Sadly, there are those such as George Soros who use money as a weapon to destroy countries.

As for the question of the young ruler and why it is so difficult for a rich man to be saved, being wealthy can lead not only to pride but to boasting about what one has done. We could ask King Nebuchadnezzar how well that worked out for him. His pride and boasting resulted in seven years of eating grass like oxen. The good news is that this experience likely saved King Nebuchadnezzar’s soul.

As for tithing, we are really just giving back to God a portion what he has provided for us.

The prophecies of the Old Testament were documented well before the New Testament period 529-2 - 14 - 3

The Septuagint was completed nearly three centuries before the birth of Jesus. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 include Book of Isaiah from ca. 125 BC.

The Septuagint (also known as the LXX) is a translation of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek language. The name “Septuagint” comes from the Latin word for seventy. The Septuagint was translated in the third and second centuries B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt.

Here are two often quoted prophetic verses from the Septuagint:

Esaias (Isaiah) 53:5, "But he was wounded on account of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his bruises we were healed. 6 All we as sheep have gone astray; every one has gone astray in his way; and the Lord gave him up for our sins."

Michaeas (Micah) 5:2 And thou, Bethleem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Juda; yet out of thee shall one come forth to me, to be a ruler of Israel; and his goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity.

[Brenton, Sir Lancelot C. L. English Translation of the Greek Septuagint, Including the Apocrypha]

The Great Isaiah Scroll

"The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) is one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran in 1947. It is the largest (734 cm) and best preserved of all the biblical scrolls, and the only one that is almost complete. The 54 columns contain all 66 chapters of the Hebrew version of the biblical Book of Isaiah. Dating from ca. 125 BCE, it is also one of the oldest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some one thousand years older than the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible known to us before the scrolls' discovery."

[http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah]

Isaiah 53 at Qumran

"Among the Dead Sea Scrolls found in caves at the village of Qumran overlooking the Dead Sea (Hebrew, Yam haMelach, Salt Sea) were fragments or whole copies of 21 distinct scrolls of the prophet Isaiah. The best known is the Great Isaiah Scroll (designated 1QIsaa), the only complete copy of Isaiah at Qumran, measuring 24 feet long. It was among seven original scrolls found in 1947."

[http://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/qumran/isaiah-53-qumran.pdf]

2 Peter 1:19-21, “19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 

353 Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus - A good witnessing Tool

Christhttp://www.accordingtothescriptures.org/prophecy/353prophecies.html

Jesus decreed blindness on Israel (Luke 19:42) until..... 529-2 - 14 - 2

Jesus rode into Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Also, the timing was as prophesied in Daniel 9:25.

Luke 19:41-42, “41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” It is as if scales have covered their eyes and they were and are blinded to Jesus as Messiah.

Saul was spiritually blinded by the law to the point that he persecuted the believing Jews. On the road to Damascus, Saul had an encounter with the glorified Jesus and was blinded physically. Ananias was sent to Saul by Jesus, "that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." Act 9:18, “And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight , and arose, and was baptized.” Perhaps foretelling of when the fullness of the Gentiles come in and the scales drop from the eyes of the Israelis.

Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

Jesus held the Jews responsible to know the time of thy visitation. Matthew 23:38-39, “38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Romans 11:25 speaks to how long the blindness would last. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” The fullness of the Gentiles is when the Gentile bride is completed and caught up/ Raptured from the earth; then God will resume His dealings with Israel.

Ezekiel 37 and the “Valley of dry bones” is prophetic of the restoration of the unbelieving Israel that occurred in the 20th Century. Ezekiel 36:22, “Therefore say to the Israelite's, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name.” God cannot abandon Israel without breaking His Word. God will protect the Jews as prophesied in both Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83.

During the tribulation many Jews will be killed by the Antichrist and his minions, nevertheless, a remnant will escape to Petra. According to Zechariah, the remnant “shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son.” Then the scales will drop from their eyes and they will be brought into the Kingdom.

As Christians we are required to know the time in which we live, to be like the Sons of Issachar.