Thursday, October 13, 2011

Second Best

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Revelation 1:20

Of the seven churches Jesus addressed through John's pen five were given a rebuke.  What a loss!  Ephesus had lost their love for the LORD.  Pergamos had begun to accommodate some unbelief in their midst.  Thyatira fell into sickly compromise with worldliness even allowing false teachers to propagate their lies.  Sardis was so corrupt that the Living Christ said they were mostly dead.  His final rebuke was to the terribly apathetic Laodicean Church.  They had all fallen so far!  When our love for Christ wanes, we often begin to make accommodations for sin in our lives which leads us into lives of compromise barely clinging to anything of the Living Savior while we grow terribly apathetic.  What a wretched condition.

Many note that there is something missing in this verse from Haggai 1:8, "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD." There should be five letters in the phrase, "I will be glorified,"(grace) but there are only four (world).  The letter "hey" is missing which can mean "Behold".  "Behold, you are not walking as a son or daughter of grace but as a worldling!" 

Some teach that the reason a letter "hey" is missing from God's statement is that it points to the loss of 5 things between the first and second temples.  Like the faltering churches above, there was loss.  Scripture never mentions the Ark of the Covenant as being in the second temple.  Also missing were the holy, heavenly fire on the altar, the shekinah glory cloud, the Divine Spirit who had left in Ezekiel's vision, and the urim, thummim and breastplate.  What a wretched condition.



Can you notice the parallels?  They seem obvious.  When we accept second best in our relationship with the Lord, we are the losers.  Our lives begin to lack many of the things God wishes us to have to be the effective witness to the world.  Like Ephesus, when our love grows cold the spirit of mercy, loving kindness, and favor begins to disappear from our lives.  Like the Ark missing from the second best temple, we lose track out on the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  When Pergamos accommodated the world, they began to lose the fire of ever present prayer.  How can one pray effectively while harboring sin?  Thyatira’s compromise led to a loss similar to the missing glory of the second best temple. When we are carried away by the world,  a dead corrupt church just like the second best temple loses the gifts of the Spirit in operation.  God's Divine presence is conspicuously absent.  Apathy leads also to a very real lack of discernment--that is what the urim and thummim were used for.  Also, an apathetic church does not stand in the gap for a lost world.  Like the second best temple, they have no breastplate of a priest.  Are we not to be Kings and Priests?  

Make a change in your relationship with Jesus today.  Instead of allowing coldness to reign fall in love with Jesus all over again.  Refuse to allow the world to come in, so be obliging of the Lord's presence.  Don't compromise--walk in truth!  Rather than allowing death and corruption, return to striving for purity and holiness of life with His Divine guidance and direction.  Remove apathy.  Become zealous for the Lord once again.  If we choose to accept the best, we shall have what we desire in Him!   

Will you accept second best in your relationship with Jesus?  Or will you be one of those who allow His glorious presence to tabernacle with you.  Remember, you are the temple of God.  It is that time when Jesus wishes to dwell richly in your heart--to tabernacle with you.  "Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand, John 7:2." Don't let Ichabod, thy glory has departed, be written above your relationship with Yeshua!  Remember, HE is Soon2Come!   



  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Today's News
Maan News Agency: Shaath: Palestine has 9 votes in Security Council  This is a very serious event if it is true.  It means that the UN may soon try to remove Jerusalem from  Israeli ownership.  It would be like the UN taking Washington DC away from America.  UN, read Zechariah 12 before you make such a foolish decision!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Jesus--What a name!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6

The name of Jesus in Hebrew transliteration is Yeshua, of course. It is spelled with these letters. Yod, Shin, Vav, and Ayin. Again, using ancient Hebrew pictographic meanings, this name is very telling both forwards and backwards! No matter how you look at Jesus--you absolutely need Him for life!

Yod--(arm and hand), work, deed--ideomatic meaning (to create)
Shin--(teeth), eat, consume, destroy
Vav--(a nail) nail, peg, securing, adding
Ayin--(an Eye)knowing, experiencing, seeing



Using the ideomatic meanings we get: The one who creates and destroys (as in judgment); the one who secures (saves) you and wants to know you!

Salvation belongs to Jesus! (John 14:6)
All judgment was given to the Son! (John 5:22)
By Him you are saved and secured! (John 3:16)
He wants to know you and have a personal relationship! (John 15:14)

Look back on Jesus! Ayin, Vav, Shin, Yod.
Shin can at times be used as a stand alone for El Shaddai--the one with all power!
Look back at Yeshua! See the nail in El Shaddai's Hand! Do you clearly see Yeshua?



 The letter "yod" can mean an arm, hand, work, or power. The letter "vav" represents a nail or peg. Finally, the Hebrew letter "hey" is similar to the use in English. It is used to get attention and can mean--Behold! While the ancient practice of using these ideomatic and pictographic meanings needs to be a careful study, there are times when their meaning must have been inspired.

Y--Hand
H--Behold
W--Nail
H--Behold

Thus, the name of God, YHWH, can be formed into this sentence, "Behold the Hand; Behold the Nail!  

Have you beheld the hand?  Have you beheld the nail?  Do you see the nail in El Shaddai's hand?  Accept Jesus today!

News!  (I will be doing a lot on prophecy soon!
Human Stem Cells Created Using Cloning Technique | Fox News
Erdogan: Israel a "Nuclear Threat" to Mideast - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News
PA Seeking to Amend Paris Agreement - Inside Israel - News - Israel National News
'Abbas Advancing Israeli Plots' - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News
Dem Slams Republicans For Tripling Budget For Defense Of Gay Marriage Ban | Fox News
Israel: Palestinian UNESCO bid is 'a rejection of negotiations' - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
PA Pushes for Full UNESCO Membership
Hacker Group Anonymous Threatens To Attack Stock Exchange | Fox News
U.S. Congress officially confirms blocking Palestinian aid, explains reasoning - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
IDF boosts security around Eilat amid threats - JPost - Defense
Rice says US 'outraged' after vet... JPost - Diplomacy & Politics
Russia, China veto UN resolution ... JPost - Diplomacy & Politics
An EMP Attack on America? | FrontPage Magazine
The California boy, 11, who is undergoing hormone blocking treatment | Mail Online
PA Unshod By US Aid Freeze - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News