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Numbers 34

Southern border of Land of Israelverses 1-5

 And the LORD spoke unto Moses

saying

Command the children of Israel

and say to them

When you come into the land of Canaan

(this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance

even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof)

THEN your SOUTH quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin

along by the coast of Edom – and your south border shall

be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward

and your border shall turn from the south

to ascent of Akrabbim

and pass on to Zin – and the going forth thereof shall be

from the south of Kadesh-barnea

and shall go on to Hazar-addar

                        and pass on to Azmon

and the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon to the

river of Egypt – and the goings out of it shall be

at the sea

Western border of Land of Israelverse 6

AND as for the WESTERN border

you shall even have the great sea for a border

this shall be your western border

Northern border of Land of Israelverses 7-9

And this shall be your north border

from the great sea you shall point out for you mount Hor

from mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto

the entrance of Hamath – and the goings

forth of the border shall be to Zedad

and the border shall go on to Ziphron

and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan

this shall be your NORTH border

Eastern border of Land of Israelverses 10-12

AND you shall point out your EAST border from Hazar-enan

to Shepham – and the coast shall go down from Shepham

to Riblah – on the east side of Ain

and the border shall descend

and shall reach unto the side of the

sea of Chinnereth eastward

and the border shall go down to Jordan

and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea

this shall be your land with

the coasts thereof round about

Nine and half tribes to divide the landverses 13-15

And Moses commanded the children of Israel – saying

            This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot

                        which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes

                                    and to the half tribe

            FOR the tribe of the children of Reuben according to

the house of their fathers – and the tribe of the children of Gad

according to the house of their fathers

have received their inheritance

And half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance

the two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance

on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward

toward the sunrising

Leaders from each tribe listedverses 16-29

And the LORD spoke to Moses

saying

These are the names of the men which shall divide the land to you

Eleazar the priest – Joshua the son of Nun

And you shall take one prince of every tribe

to divide the land by inheritance

And the names of the men are these – of the tribe of JUDAH

Caleb the son of Jephunneh

And of the tribe of the children of SIMEON

Shemuel the son of Ammihud

And of the tribe of BENJAMIN

Elidad the son of Chislon

And the prince of the tribe of the children of DAN

Bukki the son of Jogli

The prince of the children of JOSEPH

for the tribe of the children of MANASSEH

      Hanniel the son of Ephod

and the prince of the tribe of the

children of EPHRAIM

      Kemuel the son of Shiphtan

The prince of the tribe of the children of ZEBULUN

Elizaphan the son of Parnach

And the prince of the tribe of the children of ISSACHAR

Paltiel the son of Azzan

And the prince of the tribe of the children of ASHER

            Ahihud the son of Shelomi

And the prince of the tribe of the children of NAPHTALI

Pedahel the son of Ammihud

These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the

            inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 2        Command the children of Israel, and say to them, When you come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) (5159 “inheritance” [nachalah] means heritage, possession, property, domain, occupation of anything, or a lot assigned by God)

DEVOTION:   The children had lived in the land of Egypt on land that belonged to the Pharaoh of Egypt. They were slaves for most of their lives. They owned very little. In fact, they “took” more from the Egyptians than they owned themselves. They were rich when they left Egypt.

The problem was that they made false gods with the things they had borrowed from the Egyptians. One of the things they make from their borrowed wealth was the golden calf that was destroyed by Moses.

So now we have a generation that has wandered in the wilderness for forty years and still not owned anything. But they are on the edge of the Promised Land and here they are promised a large property by the LORD.
In fact, God describes the Promised Land and the possessions of each tribe of the children of Israel. Remember two and a half tribes accepted a lot assigned to them by the LORD. It was good only if they fought with the other tribes on the other side of the Jordan River.

We are promised a mansion by the LORD Jesus Christ when HE instructed the disciples to store up their treasures in heaven rather than on this earth. They were promised along with all genuine believers a mansion in heaven.

Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for every genuine believer. So we each have our own mansion in heaven. Some believers are allowed to handle wealth while they are here on this earth. These believers are the ones who support their church and different ministries now.

There are people who claim to be believers who don’t use their money for the LORD’S work and they will be judged accordingly. God’s people help God’s people who are in need.

CHALLENGE: Are you storing up your possessions or treasures on this earth or are you storing up treasures in heaven where they will have eternal value. Invest your money wisely in what will last for eternity.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 11      And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach to the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:

: 12      And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the slat sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about. (1366 “border” [gâbuwl] means coast, landmark, territory, region, or boundary)

DEVOTION: Water makes a great border for the Promised Land because in those days they didn’t have planes that could fly over and drop bombs on them. They could only travel by animal. They could only fight after they landed from boats or ships so there was warning of the enemy coming.

When you look at the borders you see the Mediterranean Sea on the west. The Nile River on the south was the border. The northern border was the mountains. And here we have the Jordan River and the Dead Sea as the border to the east.

The land was surrounded by natural borders to keep out enemies. If the children of Israel conquer all the land the LORD had given to them, they could set up defenses around their land.

However, we will learn that they were not obedient and so they had people in the land that were to be conquered and enemies outside their land to be concerned about because of their lack of obedience.

We need to have personal borders in our life. We need to establish them when we are young. This can only be done if our parents have personal borders that cannot be crossed. If children are not taught by example by their parents it causes them problems when they grow up to make their own personal borders.

If you are raising children right now keep good personal borders on your life and it will help your children to have the same borders. Remember that we are not to be too legalistic that we turn our children off to good borders and we are not to be too lenient or give too much license in our lives. We are to live in the law of LIBERTY. That is hitting a balance in our live because of our obedience to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

CHALLENGE:  This comes only through MUCH PRAYER. Watch your borders.


: 13      And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which you shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give to the nine tribes and a half tribe. (5157 “inherit” [nachal] means possession, acquire, obtain, receive hereditary possession of, bequeath, or to give)

DEVOTION:  Historical note that we should always remember is that the Jordan River was going to be a dividing line between the two and a half tribes and the nine and a half tribes throughout their history.

We have the tribe of Manasseh divided in half with half of them on one side of the Jordan and another half on this side of the Jordan. During this time period in history the lots drawn would result in only nine and half tribes living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. So this left some tribes with enemies who could get to them quicker.

Anytime there is something between believers the enemy can divide and conquer or so he thinks. Our enemy likes to see if he can divide families against one another whether they are physical families or spiritual families.

We need to be on our guard at all times for ways that the enemy is working to divide us. The children of Israel will provide us with an example in the book of Joshua on how easy it is for families to misunderstand one another.

CHALLENGE:  Don’t let the enemy put any boundary between true believers and yourself.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 17      These are the names of the men which shall divide the land to you Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun. (8034 “names” [shem] means reputation, fame, glory or renown)

DEVOTION:  A parent in the Old Testament picked a name whose meaning represented the family. Sometimes there was a name given of someone else who was a family member. Names have meaning. Joshua means “whose salvation is Jehovah.” Eleazar means “God has helped.” Each name had a meaning. Some men God named before they were born. Some individuals were renamed by Christ while HE walked on the earth. At least one was renamed after HIS resurrection.

Our name also represents our reputation in the world. God want us to keep short accounts with HIM. We should keep short accounts with other individuals as well.

Here we find that Moses names the ones who are going to divide the Promised Land. There is a description of the boundaries of the territory the children of Israel are supposed to occupy. It is a large land area that they never completely conquered because they thought they could leave some alive to pay tribute. This proved to be a bad mistake.

Some men are born into leadership positions. Each believer is given a gift for the use in the local church. Also, each believer is given the command to reach their world for Christ.

The LORD used the oldest child to lead a tribe in Israel. The LORD made everything plain regarding the boundaries and the people who were involved with the division of the land.

When Joshua took over in the near future the children of Israel could not say that the matter was settled while Moses was still alive. Each tribe had an area to conquer. Each tribe had a leader.

Our commission given by Christ was to occupy until HE returns. This world is not our home. We are to reach our world for Christ. We are the designated leaders for our time. We are the designated leaders for this place. Our world of influence is our boundary.

We have the power provided by the Holy Spirit to conquer our territory for the LORD. We can only work within our boundaries. The boundaries set for us are those who are in our world. We are to reach those individuals who we meet in our lifetime for the LORD. Some we only meet once but we can give a witness to them.

Others like family members we meet many times and they are the hardest to reach because they know all our faults and hold them against us.

Finally there are friends and co-workers that we can witness to regarding our relationship to the LORD.

Are we doing our service for the LORD in our area? Are we acting in the power of the Holy Spirit to reach our world? We have been named!!! We are in the book of life. Christ is working through us.

CHALLENGE: Many are afraid of losing family or friends if they witness. This is something that only happens in this lifetime. We need to consider eternity when we think of our family and friends. We are not to turn them off to the Gospel but we are not to ever tell them the truth of the Word of God. If we believe it, we need to share it.


: 29      These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. (6680 “commanded” [tsavah] means charge, commandment, to send, to give an order, instruct, appoint, or commission)

DEVOTION:  God’s people sometimes have trouble dividing things amongst themselves. Here we have the tribes dividing the PROMISED LAND. They were to enter the land and conquer the land and then divide it between the tribes that crossed the river together. ‘

We find that when we divide things that sometimes someone feels cheated. Even with the LORD involved we find that fellow believers think that God is giving someone else more than they are giving us. We think this is unfair by human standards.

The problem is that God knows what each of us can handle and HE will never give us more than we can handle. If we are jealous of what others have, we have a problem that only God’s forgiveness can correct.

The children of Israel were a rebellious bunch and we tend to be the same in our relations with each other. We sometimes look at the blessing that the LORD gives someone else and wish that we had the same blessing.

We have to constantly remind ourselves that God knows what is best for US. He doesn’t give us more than we can handle only the right amount for us to handle. HE will bless us with more if we can handle it and when we can handle it.

Maturity is what the LORD wants us to have regarding our possession. If we are immature, we will not handle them correctly and it will cause us to wander from HIM. That is something HE never wants.

CHALLENGE: When God gives us something new to own, remember to thank HIM for it and be satisfied with what HE has given us. If HE feels we can handle more HE will give it to us.


DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)


DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 13, 16, 29

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Edomverse 3

Egyptverse 5

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Inheritanceverses 2, 13-15, 18, 29

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Mosesverses 1, 13, 16

Children of Israelverses 2, 13, 29

Land of Canaan (Promised Land)verse 2

Borders of Promised Landverses 3-12

Land given by lotverse 13

Two and a half tribes on other side of Jordanverses 14, 15

Responsibility of division give to

Eleazar the priest

Joshua the son of Numverse 17

Men chosen from each tribeverses 18-29

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)


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QUOTES regarding passage

34:1–5. The territory assigned to Israel was to have precisely defined borders. To the south the line was to extend from the end of the Salt Sea (the Dead Sea) westward south of Scorpion Pass (perhaps Naqb es-Safa, about 20 miles southwest of the Dead Sea) to the Desert of Zin and to Kadesh Barnea, 65 miles southwest of the Dead Sea. From there the border extended northwesterly to Hazar Addar (4 or 5 miles away) and Azmon (3 miles away). There it joined the Wadi of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish) and continued northwestward to the Mediterranean Sea, about 50 miles south of Gaza. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). Numbers. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 255). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)


Ver. 2. Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, &c.] Not to fix the borders, and settle the boundaries of the land, for that is done by the Lord himself, who has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of men’s habitations, and particularly of Israel, see Deut. 32:8 but to observe and take notice of the limits he had fixed, that they might know how far they were to go on every side, whom they were to drive out, and what they were to divide and inherit, and see what was their right, and preserve it from the encroachments of their neighbours, as well as observe the goodness of God unto them, in thus providing for them: when ye come into the land of Canaan; to take possession of it by virtue of a grant of it to them: this is the laud that shall fall unto you for an inheritance; it is said to fall, because it was divided by lot, each tribe having such a part of it assigned to them, according to the lot that came up unto them: even the land of Canaan, with the coasts thereof; or according to its borders, which are as follow. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 862). London: Mathews and Leigh)


34:1–5. The territory assigned to Israel was to have precisely defined borders. To the south the line was to extend from the end of the Salt Sea (the Dead Sea) westward south of Scorpion Pass (perhaps Naqb es-Safa, about 20 miles southwest of the Dead Sea) to the Desert of Zin and to Kadesh Barnea, 65 miles southwest of the Dead Sea. From there the border extended northwesterly to Hazar Addar (4 or 5 miles away) and Azmon (3 miles away). There it joined the Wadi of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish) and continued northwestward to the Mediterranean Sea, about 50 miles south of Gaza. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). Numbers. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 255). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)


These chapters deal with the assigning of the tribes’ inheritance, looking ahead to the time when the nation would possess Canaan. The tribes are assigned their portions, the Levites their special cities, and, most important of all, the cities of refuge are defined. We will consider these six cities from three viewpoints. (Read Deut. 19 and Josh. 20 for additional facts.)

I.    The Practical Meaning

The nation had no police force, and the elders in each city constituted a “court” to consider capital crimes. If a person accidentally killed another person, he or she needed some kind of protection; for it was legal for a member of the slain person’s family to try to avenge the blood of the slain relative. Genesis 9:6 established the principle of capital punishment, which was affirmed by Moses in Ex. 21:12–14. (Note in v. 13 the suggestion of the cities of refuge, however.) In other words, the person who killed another was in danger of his own life, because the “avenger of blood” (the kinsman) could kill him before the slayer had a chance to prove himself innocent. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Nu 33–36). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)


34:2. the land of Canaan] The name Canaan is here restricted to the territory west of the Jordan. (Barnes, A. (1879). Notes on the Old Testament: Exodus to Ruth. (F. C. Cook & J. M. Fuller, Eds.) (p. 260). London: John Murray.


FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)


For weeks, each Wednesday morning, the Colson Center has hosted a time of prayer for the church and the nation. Led by ministry partners and Christian leaders from around the country, these times have been moving and inspiring.

This past Wednesday morning, the day after an election that is still not resolved, my friend Ed Stetzer challenged us, in direct and clarifying terms, what kind of church the world needs right now. Despite what we might feel, the political and cultural chaos that engulfs us is, Stetzer said, an opportunity to champion the Kingdom of God in this time and in this place. After all, just as the prophet Isaiah learned, no amount of political or cultural chaos upends the plans of God. 

Here’s Ed:

“I voted like an Arminian and rested like a Calvinist, because I know at the end of the day, I’ve read the end of the book, and Jesus wins.

“My original assignment from the Colson Center was to pray for the newly elected or re-elected president, and, of course, we don’t know who that will be at this point. It does remind us a bit of Isaiah Chapter 6, verse 1: “In the year King Uzziah died…” Now that’s a very casual phrase that Isaiah writes, and it’s worth noting for us that the year a king dies is a very, very big deal.  It makes a contested and uncertain election look like nothing. . . A just ruler can replace an unjust ruler, or an unjust ruler can replace a just ruler. Alliances that kept enemies at bay can fall apart. So in the wake of Uzziah’s death, the whole nation asked the question “What’s next?”

“So, Isaiah writes, ‘In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and exalted, seated at the throne with the train of his robe filling the temple.’ I want you to know this is really key.  We look to the words of Scripture, and people in the time of tumult and turbulence looked to God. 

“When God’s people pray, we know their hearts are-aligned with God’s heart. We know ultimately that He hears our prayer.”

After that brief introduction, Ed began to pray. You can listen to the whole thing on a special edition of the BreakPoint podcast, which you can find at BreakPoint.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Here’s a portion of that prayer and, with so much not clear right now, I encourage you to pray along: 

“Father. We come before you today and we acknowledge your Holiness and goodness. We acknowledge that the thing we can do that is most important, more than anything else, is not the flip on the news and to see where the electoral counts are not to see where the votes are coming in.

“Right now, the most important thing we can do is to say ‘Holy, Holy Holy.’

All of you pray with me out loud, the three-part ‘Holy.’ Let’s say it out loud together.

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole Earth is full of your glory. In places for the vote’s been counted– full of your glory. In the places where votes have not been counted–full of your glory. In places where people are afraid—full of your glory. A place where people are excited–full of your glory.

“Lord, we know this truth literally shook the thresholds in Isaiah 6 and it shakes the thresholds of our world today …

“We pray for our nation. That you might forgive us when we haven’t valued the unborn. We pray as a nation that you would forgive us when we haven’t cared about racial injustice. We pray that you would forgive us for when we have celebrated the wrong and pushed aside the good.”

“Father, forgive us for relying on politics for what only Jesus can do.

“Father, I pray for God’s people on this call, in this conversation, people who will watch later or who are watching and sharing right now. Father I pray that they would be bearers of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Break Point)


1 Timothy 1
Beware of false teachers who may lead you or others astray.
INSIGHT

Lack of integrity is fast becoming a sign of our age. Once highly respected, many professionals are falling into disrepute: lawyers, doctors, journalists, and, most unfortunate of all, ministers. Whereas we once could invest considerable trust in these people, we now must exercise caution and discernment. With the proliferation of books, radio, television, and magazines, the opportunity for unscrupulous or inadequate ministers to foist themselves upon the public increases. Anything we hear being taught must carefully be compared with the Bible and other Bible teachers whom we know to be credible. We must take care not to be led astray by false teaching. (Quiet Walk)


When two of my grandchildren tried out for the musical Alice in Wonderland Jr., their hearts were set on getting leading roles. Maggie wanted to be young Alice, and Katie thought Mathilda would be a good role. But they were chosen to be flowers. Not exactly a ticket to Broadway.

Yet my daughter said the girls were “excited for their friends who got the [leading roles]. Their joy seemed greater cheering for their friends and sharing in their excitement.”

What a picture of how our interactions with each other in the body of Christ should look! Every local church has what might be considered key roles. But it also needs the flowers—the ones who do vital but not-so-high-profile work. If others get roles we desire, may we choose to encourage them even as we passionately fulfill the roles God has given us.

In fact, helping and encouraging others is a way to show love for Him. Hebrews 6:10 says, “[God] will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people.” And no gift from His hand is unimportant: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace” (1 Peter 4:10).

Imagine a church of encouragers diligently using their God-given gifts to His honor (Hebrews 6:10). That makes for joy!

By Dave Branon  (Our Daily Bread)


LOVING ONE ANOTHER

…let us love one another…  1 John 4:7
I do not hesitate to say that the ultimate test of our profession of the Christian faith is this whole question of our loving one another. Indeed, I do not hesitate to aver that it is a more vital test than our orthodoxy. I am the last man in the world to say anything against orthodoxy, but I am here to say that it is not the final test. Orthodoxy is absolutely essential; this epistle [1 John] has shown us that repeatedly, and it will show it to us again. We must believe the right things, for apart from that we have nothing at all and we have no standing whatsoever; so the correctness of belief is absolutely essential. And yet I say that when we come to the realm of experience and self-examination, the test of orthodoxy is not the ultimate test.
Alas, let us admit it—it is possible for a person to be absolutely correct and yet not to be a Christian. It is possible for men and women to give perfect intellectual assent to the propositions that are to be found in the Bible; it is possible for them to be interested in theology and to say that one theology is superior to another and to accept and defend and argue about it, and yet to be utterly devoid of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the love of God in their hearts. This is a terrible thought, it is a terrible possibility, but it is a fact. There have been men also who have clearly been perfectly orthodox—champions of the faith—and yet they have denied that very faith in the bitterness with which they have sometimes defended it. I repeat, the test of orthodoxy, while it is so vital and essential, is not enough. There is a more thoroughgoing test, and it is this test of brotherly love—love for one another.
A Thought to Ponder The ultimate test of our profession of the Christian faith is our loving one another. (From 
The Love of God, pp. 39-40, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)


Wrap Yourself in Godliness
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another.” (Colossians 3:12-13)
The verb choice in this portion of the command is different from those used earlier. Here the word is enduo, which describes “sinking down” into a garment. It is most often used of a robe or seamless cloak that covers the whole body (Mark 1:6Matthew 27:31John 19:23).
There are several passages that allude to this total change of behavior—like enveloping oneself in a body-covering cloak.

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14).

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

Perhaps an even more precise picture is what happens to us when we are brought into the resurrected and eternal condition that is “like” the Lord Jesus (1 John 3:2). Then we will “put on incorruption” and “put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).
The character traits of God cannot co-exist with the “members” of flesh. They must be “mortified.” Neither can godliness control our minds when evil thoughts dominate. They must be put off. Yet, for us to put on the character of God, we must “glue” the character traits identified in today’s text together by charity (love) and let God’s peace rule in our hearts. Even then, the word of Christ must dwell in our lives richly, so much so that whatsoever we do “in word or deed” is done in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:14-17). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)


Wayne S writes (NY): I guess that I’m just a simple fool.

I believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. Is fully God, second person of the trinity. Yet fully man as well. Jesus died on a Roman cross. His blood sacrifice is sufficient for the sins of the entire world, to all who call upon his name. I believe that He rose again on the third day just as he said he would. That he was taken up into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. He makes intercession for me with His father. I believe that He is preparing a place for me, will return to take up his bride (the church), and will bring a time of tribulation on the earth the likes of which has never been seen.

I believe he will reign for a literal thousand years on the throne of his human ancestor King David from His throne in Jerusalem. During that reign, Satan will be bound and have no influence. At the end of that thousand years he will judge the living and the dead from all time.

After judgment a new heavens and a new earth will be created in which sin against God will not exist. No more pain and suffering. No more tears. Eternity outside of time.

Those without Christ will spend their eternity in constant suffering while those known by Him will be with him in a state of eternal bliss.


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